A little famous

“Life is indeed difficult now, and they had no other choice but to…” Zhao Dongchuan couldn't help but interject.

“Let’s not talk about that. Your poem has been published! The latest issue of Yan River, have you seen it?” Jia Bing didn’t dwell on the topic and instead turned to literature.

“Everyone has given ‘love of life’ excellent reviews; the response has been great!”

“Yesterday, I even met Director Tian Fujun of the Yuanxi County Revolutionary Committee. He praised your poem profusely and told you to definitely go back and visit if you get a chance, as it’s also an honor for Yuanxi County!”

“Now all the gossip about you at our Cultural Center has vanished, replaced by nothing but praise,” Jia Bing said with a smile.

Zhao Dongchuan could imagine that with persistent inquiries, his background would inevitably be unearthed. A young educated youth suddenly skipping several ranks to be recruited into the Huangyuan City Cultural Center was bound to spark numerous conjectures.

“Although you’re an educated youth and not entirely a rural household, you meet the conditions for recruitment. Yet, some people were still saying they would go to the bureau to demand an explanation, claiming your employment violated the rule against recruiting from rural areas, and they wouldn’t let it go. Now, everyone is quiet,” Jia Bing said, taking a sip of wine and smacking his lips.

“Hahahaha, I won’t take it to heart. In the end, it’s mainly about letting the work speak for itself. I will continue to work hard. I’m currently contemplating a novel and want to try writing it.”

“Great, great! It’s wonderful that you have such awareness. Here, I congratulate you in advance, hoping your novel will once again make a splash in the literary world,” Jia Bing said happily.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. I’m just a junior, and there are still many areas where I need to improve.”

The moonlight was bright, the lights dazzling. Throughout the banquet, both host and guests enjoyed themselves, already slightly tipsy.

Zhao Dongchuan was only slightly tipsy, but as expected, Jia Bing was drunk again.

After bidding farewell to Jia Bing’s wife, Zhao Dongchuan rode his bicycle, enjoying the cool summer breeze, feeling a sense of exhilaration.

Back at the dormitory, Zhao Dongchuan finished washing up and continued to tackle practice problems.

After days of effort, one-fifth of the self-study series of mathematics, physics, and chemistry had been devoured. In at most two more months, he would likely finish it completely.

However, his English had always been quite poor, so he needed to find some English materials, memorize words, and so on. Although in the 1977 college entrance examination, foreign languages were not included in the total score and were only for reference.

But learning an extra foreign language is always good; who knows, he might even travel the world in the future.

Thinking about memorizing words, Zhao Dongchuan instinctively felt a headache coming on, but then he remembered the magical pen’s memory-enhancing effect, and his mind settled.

Excellent! System-produced, it must be a masterpiece!

Thinking of the system inevitably led him to think of the system tasks. Half a month had passed, and although he had some confidence, he was still a little anxious since it hadn’t been finalized.

“No, I need to speed up,” Zhao Dongchuan secretly planned.

The next day, Zhao Dongchuan slept in. There was no need to go to work here, and no one disturbed him, allowing him to be quite leisurely.

By the time Zhao Dongchuan finished eating and arrived at the office, it was almost ten o’clock, but not everyone in their office had arrived—in fact, they never did. Everyone was busy with their own affairs.

Colleagues he met on the way all smiled and greeted him, showing him a kind and friendly demeanor. This reminded Zhao Dongchuan of a saying by a famous comedian from later generations: “Once you succeed, you’ll find that everyone around you is a good person!”

Zhao Dongchuan also greeted them with a smile. Since people congratulated him, he wouldn't give them a cold shoulder; there was no need.

That morning, sitting in the office, Zhao Dongchuan did nothing. People kept hearing he was back and came to see him, striking up conversations, asking about this and that. Some even started introducing him to women, saying whose daughter was good, how beautiful she was, or whose cousin admired him and wanted to be introduced. It gave him a massive headache.

After signing dozens of books, Zhao Dongchuan fled in a panic.

At this moment, he deeply realized that fame is a double-edged sword. He was just a small poet and it was already like this; one could only imagine the lives of big stars. No wonder so few people in that position could remain clear-headed.

Returning to his dormitory, Zhao Dongchuan closed the door and threw himself onto the bed, taking several deep breaths to clear his jumbled thoughts.

At that moment, he didn't want to do anything; he just wanted some peace and quiet.

About half an hour later, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Zhao Dongchuan’s heart skipped a beat. They couldn’t be chasing him to his dorm to introduce a match, could they? Please, no!

He slowly opened the door and found it was none other than Sister Runye’s good friend, Du Lili.

“Sister Lili, why are you here? Please come in!” Zhao Dongchuan didn’t close the door, and the two began to chat.

“Oh my! I was wondering why you suddenly came to work at our Cultural Center. So, it turns out Teacher Jia has a keen eye for talent. I underestimated you before!”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. These are just small achievements, not worth mentioning. Speaking of which, it was you, Sister Lili, who helped me submit the manuscript!”

“Those are minor things. If you inquire, you’ll know that all the poems from the same period were overshadowed by yours, and future poems will probably have a hard time too.”

“You’ve suddenly raised the overall standard, making it difficult for those who just fill space to get by!” Du Lili teased.

“No way, I didn’t know that!”

Looking at the innocent-faced Zhao Dongchuan, Du Lili suddenly felt an urge to hit him. This boy was also quite glib; she absolutely couldn't be fooled by him.

Thinking of this, Du Lili couldn't help but recall the misunderstanding from their last meeting. Now, she felt a strange mix of emotions, unable to tell if it was disappointment or something else.

“Anyway, congratulations! I hope you keep up the good work and don’t get arrogant!”

“I have something else to do, so I’ll be going now. Goodbye!” Du Lili suddenly realized that she wasn’t anyone to him, and saying these things seemed a bit out of line, yet she also felt a little lost.

Du Lili then thought of Wu Huiliang, who had been pursuing her recently. He was the current deputy secretary of the Youth League Committee, from a good family, handsome, and seemed genuinely honest. He looked like a very reliable person. Both she and her parents were very satisfied, and they were about to formalize their relationship.

Du Lili absurdly compared Zhao Dongchuan and Wu Huiliang. Although she knew it was ridiculous, she couldn't help but have the thought.

In every aspect, Wu Huiliang seemed to win completely. Zhao Dongchuan was just a new poet; although he was decent-looking, he wasn’t an official, and his family background was probably not good.

But she liked the artistic type!

Du Lili’s mind suddenly went blank, feeling at a loss, uneasy about her own thoughts.

Zhao Dongchuan watched Du Lili leave inexplicably, feeling speechless. This sister was truly impulsive and hard to understand. (Forgive him, as a novice, how could he possibly know the inner drama of a woman?)

After seeing Du Lili off, Zhao Dongchuan stopped daydreaming.

He was ready to start his money-making plan. He planned to find Cao Yuan and her mother to complete his system task. Although he had acquired electronic watches, which he expected to quickly bring in funds, he still needed to persuade Cao Yuan and her mother before he could begin the task.

So, Zhao Dongchuan rode his bicycle, carrying a newly bought canvas bag from the Shenzhen Supply and Marketing Cooperative, heading towards the home of Cao Yuan and her mother, as he remembered it.