Big Brother Cheng, shall I go back to Northern Shaanxi with you?

"No, Xuemin, didn't you say you were submitting the manuscripts privately?"

"Why are you making such a big fuss about it?"

Cheng Xuemin had finished all sixty illustrations promised to Li Qingquan of *Yanjing Literature*. After completing them, he took the manuscripts and made a personal trip to the editorial office. Feng Jiayou, unable to sit still and seeing the bright, sunny weather, tagged along, as it had been a while since she had seen Bai Ling and Zhang Dening.

Li Qingquan, however, was taken aback. He glanced at Feng Jiayou, who was chatting with Bai Ling and the others outside, and asked, "Has the secret been exposed?"

Cheng Xuemin had previously told him that these illustration submissions needed to be handled through a private, direct line—clearly, the kid was trying to build a secret slush fund. So why, when it came time to submit the work, did both the husband and wife show up?

"Cough, cough. Teacher Li, don't say it like that. I never intended to hide it from my wife in the first place!"

Cheng Xuemin gave a stiff, bitter reply. Could he tell old Li that he had been managing his secret stash just fine until he was betrayed by a gatekeeper? If that got out, it would be the talk of the entire social circle. Therefore, he had to keep a straight face and deny ever having a secret fund.

"Ha, it seems you, Xuemin... share the same fate as your father-in-law, Old Feng!"

Li Qingquan pointed at Cheng Xuemin, deciding not to press further. He figured the young man had definitely been caught by his wife and was likely facing a session of kneeling on a washboard. After all, the "henpecked husband" trait was hereditary; a daughter born to a woman as proud and domineering as Teacher Gu would surely be the same!

At the same time, he felt a bit of disdain for the lad—he was truly hopeless! He couldn't even manage a secret stash without getting caught. Look at himself; he had been hiding money from his wife for years and had never been found out.

"It's not that bad! Teacher Li, why don't you look at these drafts first? Isn't this issue's mid-length piece supposed to be finalized for print soon?"

Cheng Xuemin had timed his visit well. It was January 10th, and *Yanjing Literature* was beginning to finalize the layout for the upcoming issue, so he rushed to deliver the illustrations.

"It is indeed going to print! This was the only thing we had pre-arranged; I didn't want to alert others, otherwise, I would have sent Dening over to press you for them long ago!"

He left out the part where, had he known the kid was so bad at hiding money, he would have sent Zhang Dening and Bai Ling to his doorstep to demand the drawings directly. As for the text, *Yanjing Literature* already had one of Cheng Xuemin’s mid-length pieces in hand, which would be published over two issues, so they weren't under too much pressure.

Cheng Xuemin offered an awkward smile. He, too, felt bitter; he wanted to have a little "private treasury" too!

"These are excellent! Xuemin, your artistic skill is truly heaven-defying!"

"I heard there’s a *Journey to the West* picture book series over at Old Pan’s—did you draw that too?"

After the pleasantries, Li Qingquan began reviewing the illustrations. His eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, praising the work without reservation. Then, he couldn't help but gossip a little. After all, the People's Literature Publishing House was the home base for their circle; any news there reached them quickly. He had heard about Cheng Xuemin’s work on the *Journey to the West* picture book a while back.

He hadn't expected that while Cheng Xuemin was a sharp and powerful writer, his artistic talent would be equally extraordinary. Old Pan had said the boy inherited the true mantle of the old professors at the Central Academy of Arts and Design, far surpassing the current art students. Most terrifying of all was his speed—it was simply godlike.

Indeed! Aside from the illustrations and picture books, Cheng Xuemin’s speed was legendary; *Yanjing Literature* had already experienced it firsthand.

"You heard about that, Teacher Li? I just tried my hand at one; it’s not as good as Teacher Pan says!"

Cheng Xuemin gave a wry smile. News in this circle really did travel fast. If Li Qingquan started spreading rumors that he was afraid of his wife and didn't dare hide money, he would be a laughingstock. He didn't want to end up as "Feng the Second."

"How could I not hear about it? Old Pan couldn't stop raving about you. If you hadn't already declined Old Zhang's invitation, he would have tried to recruit you as a full-time editor!"

Li Qingquan nodded, continuing to flip through the illustrations. Everyone knew Cheng Xuemin was a talent and wanted to poach him. Li Qingquan had once harbored the same thought, wanting to offer him a formal position as an editor. But the kid was dead set on taking the college entrance exam to get into Yanjing University with his wife, so there was no helping it.

"These are great; I’ll definitely use them!" Li Qingquan finished the stack, extremely satisfied. "Xuemin, I see there are more than sixty here, right?!"

"Tell you what, let's round it to sixty. I'll take sixty! The pay will be as we agreed: eight yuan per piece."

"However, payment won't be immediate. We’ll apply for the funds in a few days. Once they come through, I'll have Dening and Bai Ling make a trip to deliver it to your home. How does that sound?"

Li Qingquan estimated there were about sixty-five or sixty-six drawings, but the mid-length piece only needed fifty to sixty. Any more would be excessive. So, he settled on sixty at the agreed price of eight yuan each.

"That's fine, fine, Teacher Li. If it’s too much trouble, just let me know, and I’ll come by again. It’s no problem!"

Cheng Xuemin nodded. He knew that *Yanjing Literature* wasn't like the publishing house, where payments could be signed off on the spot. Like his mother-in-law's magazine, *October*, they usually had to apply for funds through formal reports. He understood the internal procedures.

After handing over the work and chatting a bit more, Li Qingquan learned that Cheng Xuemin had another mid-length manuscript finished. His fingers itched with curiosity, but he knew *Yanjing Literature* couldn't hope to secure it. Even if Cheng Xuemin gave it to them, they couldn't fit it into their schedule—they hadn't even finished publishing the current one.

***

He was curious, though—what was this new piece about? Was it related to the Reform and Opening-up? After all, the leadership, specifically Elder Wu, was constantly encouraging them to align their manuscripts with that theme. It was only natural for Li Qingquan to wonder.

Cheng Xuemin explained that it was about the stories of the older generation, not really related to the reforms. Of course, the later parts of *Parents' Love* would touch on the reform era, but that was much later. Moreover, he ended the manuscript at the dawn of the Reform and Opening-up, not daring to write further.

There was another issue: the manuscript was finished, but he hadn't even let his mother-in-law see it yet. She was so annoyed with her "debt-collecting" son-in-law that she couldn't even stand to look at him, constantly fretting over the missing manuscript.

They eventually made an agreement for *Yanjing Literature* to commission another piece from him after the New Year. After sharing a lunch at the office, the couple headed home.

"Xuemin, Xuemin, the Department Store! Let’s go in and take a look!"

Passing the department store, Feng Jiayou’s eyes sparkled, and she urged Cheng Xuemin to head over.

"Wife, haven't you already bought so much? Do we really need more?"

Cheng Xuemin felt a headache coming on. A woman's shopping instinct was innate, regardless of the era. Plus, Feng Jiayou was currently feeling flush with cash, and it seemed like she wanted to move the entire mall home. Their house was already piled high with goods waiting to be taken back to Northern Shaanxi. He couldn't tell if she was being filial or just possessed by her shopping desires.

"Xuemin, did you buy leather shoes? Did you buy a belt? Did you buy a watch?"

"It’s almost New Year’s! Don't you need a new outfit? I’m planning to buy you a Zhongshan suit!"

Hearing this, Cheng Xuemin pulled the bike over and looked at his wife. "Wife, you had this planned from the start, didn't you?"

Between the leather shoes, the belt, the watch, and the suit, she must have been carrying a significant amount of cash in her purse.

"Hee hee! I've been talking about buying these for you for a while, just never found the time," Feng Jiayou said with a grin. "Since we're out, let's get everything you need! That way, when you go back to Northern Shaanxi, you can show off a bit!"

She had a point: Cheng Xuemin had been a "poor suitor" when he first married into the family. Returning home for the New Year looking sharp was a classic case of "returning home in silken robes."

"Why be so vain!?"

"Don't buy for me. Buy yourself a pair of leather shoes and a new outfit! And get something for Mom and Dad, too!"

He planned to return to Northern Shaanxi in a few days, and since Feng Jiayou was busy preparing the New Year goods for the house, he didn't want to show favoritism. It was only right to prepare for his in-laws as well. After all, the Laba Festival had already passed.

"Let’s go inside and look!"

Feng Jiayou nodded. After Cheng Xuemin locked the bike, she pulled him into the department store. With the year coming to a close, it was bustling. Feng Jiayou loved the lively atmosphere and was instantly dazzled by the wide array of goods. She dragged Cheng Xuemin to the clothing section, insisting he try on everything.

In the end, they spent over eighty yuan on him alone! A pair of men’s black leather shoes cost twelve yuan—six times the price of the two-yuan "liberation" shoes. A genuine leather belt cost two yuan. The most expensive item was a black leather jacket and slacks, costing twenty yuan, even more than the Zhongshan suit.

Cheng Xuemin had been reluctant, but his wife was happy. She insisted the suit was for formal events—the symposium with Elder Wu was only a few days away—and the leather jacket was for daily wear. It was the latest trend in Yanjing, popularized by the men in the foreign films being screened. It was popular, but expensive.

She then tried to buy him a watch, but Cheng Xuemin refused firmly.

After that, they bought items for her parents, her brother, sister-in-law, and the nieces and nephews. When it was finally her turn, she was hesitant to buy anything for herself, which made Cheng Xuemin roll his eyes. This woman was just like that!

He didn't indulge her—if she wouldn't buy for herself, they were going home!

Back at home, they were greeted with complaints from her mother, who grumbled about spending so much money before the New Year. But when Feng Jiayou had her try on a new pair of leather shoes, the mother was so delighted she couldn't take them off.

The whole family was happy to have new clothes and shoes. However, after the meal, when the couple retreated to their room and calculated how much they had spent, Feng Jiayou winced. Over 180 yuan! All of the earnings from one of Cheng Xuemin’s manuscripts were gone. She realized that for an ordinary family, that was over half a year's savings.

But Cheng Xuemin quickly comforted her, saying it was just the fee for one short story, which he could earn again in no time. Was it really worth worrying about?

***

Within moments, she was giggling again, cuddling in his arms.

The children were on winter break, so the task of watching them fell to the couple. The remedial classes at the Yanjing University Middle School hadn't officially ended, but Cheng Xuemin hadn't been attending regularly. However, his sister-in-law, Feng Jiamo, passed on a message: the final exams were this weekend, and their teacher, Old Zhang, insisted that Cheng Xuemin attend to "suppress" the other senior classes.

"The senior year is already on break?" It was only the 12th or 13th of the lunar month. Even by the weekend, it would only be the 15th. Were the graduating classes really that relaxed?

"What else?" Feng Jiamo sighed, clearly looking forward to the break. She didn't want to wake up early anymore. She was also looking forward to moving into the "new house," which would cut her commute by half an hour and let her sleep in.

Fair enough. Cheng Xuemin couldn't argue with that. He thought to himself that the graduating class of this era was truly blessed. If this were a few decades later, they would be lucky to get a break before the 25th of the lunar month.

"Big Brother Cheng, my sister can't go back because she's pregnant. How about I go back to Northern Shaanxi with you for a few days?"

"I'm curious about the place where you and my sister fought together!"

"And that big jujube tree! My sister said that's where you two made your vows!"

Cheng Xuemin was speechless. Feng Jiayou, after a moment of shock, shooed her away: "Get out, get out! What are you talking about, the jujube tree?!"

"No, sister, I'm serious! I really want to see the place!"

"If Jiamo wants to go, we can take her during the summer break," Cheng Xuemin said with a smile.

"You're too soft on her!" Feng Jiayou glared at him. "She and Zhu Shan have been begging my brother to let them go to the Northwest to help with the movie filming!"

That girl had too much energy! It was just like Zhu Lin’s sister, too—they lived too comfortably in the city. They needed to experience some hardship in the countryside to be properly tempered.

"The Northwest is too far. If they want to go, it has to be after they finish the college entrance exams!" Cheng Xuemin agreed.

"By the way, can we use those manuscripts from Bei Jia and Jianying?" Feng Jiayou asked, shifting the subject to his editorial work.

"They followed my suggestions for revisions, but it's still missing that certain spark."

"But since *Today* is a startup and we don't have the budget to commission famous writers, we'll have to make do with student work. We can't demand too much."

Cheng Xuemin was indeed reviewing Huang Beijia’s work. As he noted, it wasn't quite ready for major publications like *Yanjing Literature*, but for *Today*, it was acceptable. Besides, the students were already on break and home for the New Year, so there was no one left to ask for revisions.

He would submit the drafts to Old Chen for final approval. Before he left, he also needed to contribute a piece of his own for *Today*, as he had promised earlier. Since *Today* was a new venture, it didn't need to strictly follow the directives to focus on the Reform and Opening-up. He didn't want to write a heavy, reflective piece either. Instead, he wanted to switch lanes and capture the attention of the students at Yanjing’s universities.

His previous work, *Female College Dormitory*, had been a success, and he intended to stick to the student-focused route. It would complement the "Misty Poetry" group, as their audience was the same—students. Those female students loved Misty Poetry!

With that direction set, he felt confident. However, a piece of news from the south would soon disrupt the joy of the Feng family’s upcoming move.