Chapter 66: Meeting the Higher-Ups—Nervous or Not? (Please Vote for Me This Month)

“Are you nervous about meeting the big leaders, Xueming?”

Early the next morning, Feng Jiayou helped Cheng Xueming tidy himself up meticulously. The Zhongshan suit he wore was borrowed from her father. She had pressed it several times with an iron, and on Cheng Xueming, it looked surprisingly sharp and well-fitted.

“I think I’ll be fine,” Cheng Xueming replied as he adjusted his clothing. But to say he wasn’t nervous at all—how could that be? After all, he was heading to Zhonghai today to meet leaders he’d only ever seen in newspapers.

As for television news? With his current situation, he didn’t even own a black-and-white TV yet. Even if the leaders appeared on television, he’d have no way of knowing.

“Old Cheng, I have to say, you really clean up well... No wonder my sister is so fond of you!” As they were leaving, his sister-in-law Feng Jiamo happened to be heading out as well. Seeing her brother-in-law dressed so formally, she couldn’t help but tease her sister with a bright smile.

“Uncle Cheng looks so grand!” His little niece, Feng Liqin, shouted from the doorstep.

“Is everything ready? When you meet the leaders, Xueming, you must keep a low profile. If they ask you something, answer what they ask—don’t volunteer anything extra!” Mother Feng nodded at her son-in-law, satisfied with his appearance. She hadn’t expected, after so little time in Yanjing, that her country bumpkin son-in-law would be singled out by the department leadership for a meeting.

“No need to be so nervous. After you’ve been a few times, you’ll get used to it,” Father Feng said, pushing his bicycle ahead and reassuring Cheng Xueming.

“Dad, Mom, I know,” Cheng Xueming nodded, not one for many words.

“Old Feng, what’s going on with your family? Everyone setting out together?” Old Qian from the front courtyard, still washing up, revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth as he asked in surprise. “By the way, Old Feng! That Li Qingquan you mentioned before really did make a big splash!”

“If your Foreign Language Bureau is going to run that ‘Herdsman’ piece, I can help with the editing and translation!” Speaking of “Herdsman,” Old Qian clapped his hands in praise. The author, Old Xu, had elevated the main character’s patriotism to an extraordinary level. No wonder that woman Ding Ling, upon her return, had dared to publicly praise the work so highly.

“That’s great! I’ll let the Bureau know to inform Li Qingquan and have him submit ‘Herdsman’ as soon as possible!” Not even out the door and already good news—Father Feng was in high spirits.

“Old Qian, since you think so highly of Li Qingquan’s ‘Herdsman,’ why not write a review and praise the author yourself?” Mother Feng joined in, egging Old Qian on to write a review for her son-in-law. If he did, the sensation could easily surpass the impact of Ding Ling’s previous commentary.

“Oh? Since when have you, Xiao Gu, started speaking up for Li Qingquan? I thought you worked at ‘October,’ not Li Qingquan’s ‘Yanjing Literature’?” Though Old Qian rarely left home, he was well aware of the recent rivalry between Li Qingquan’s ‘Yanjing Literature’ and Liu Xinwu’s ‘October.’

He’d even heard that Li Qingquan’s big piece, initially submitted to ‘October,’ had been rejected and then recommended to ‘Yanjing Literature’—which ended up being a real coup for them.

So, in theory, Gu Xueqing, who went to ‘October,’ shouldn’t be helping Li Qingquan solicit reviews, should she?

“It’s not about speaking up for Li Qingquan, but simply being fair. ‘Herdsman’ in ‘Yanjing Literature’ is indeed well-written, and we at ‘October’ can’t deny that. Besides, we’ll be launching our own big story soon—it won’t be any less impressive than Li Qingquan’s!” Mother Feng, Gu Xueqing, smiled with pride, hinting at something big to come.

“Really?” Old Qian sounded skeptical. Was the literary world’s revival really this impressive? Could anyone just make a big splash these days? Had he really become obsolete?

“Of course not! Making a big splash isn’t that easy! Old Qian, you’d better hurry up and write a review for Li Qingquan. Ding Ling and Wang Meng have already done so; if you don’t, Li Qingquan might just forget about you!” Mother Feng was pulling out all the stops for her son-in-law, even resorting to reverse psychology.

“Li Qingquan wouldn’t dare!” Old Qian was clearly provoked; last time Li Qingquan made a splash without even informing him. Old Feng had already hinted at it obliquely.

Now, after being goaded by Old Feng’s wife, he raised his eyebrows and spoke.

“Has Li Qingquan invited you to the symposium?” Mother Feng pressed further. She’d just learned about Li Qingquan’s plan to hold a symposium for her son-in-law’s work, though the date wasn’t set.

It didn’t matter; she could use it now to prod Old Qian. Since the date wasn’t fixed, even if Li Qingquan intended to invite him, it would only happen later, and Old Qian certainly hadn’t heard a word.

“Li Qingquan is holding a symposium for ‘Herdsman’? Why am I the last to know?” Old Qian really hadn’t heard a thing. Was Li Qingquan getting too full of himself?

To hold such a scholarly tea gathering and not invite him—what was Li Qingquan thinking?

“Because you haven’t written a review for him yet!”

“If you don’t, who will remember you, Old Qian?”

“Enough, Old Qian. Get to writing. Submit it to the ‘Wenhui Daily’ so Li Qingquan knows you’ve spoken out. Give him a reminder! You’re not going to embarrass yourself by confronting him in person at ‘Yanjing Literature,’ are you?”

“I... write for him? Never! From now on, ‘Yanjing Literature’ can forget about getting any pieces from me!”

“And that ‘Herdsman’—I won’t be translating it either! Let Li Qingquan find someone else!” Old Qian was truly riled up. For Li Qingquan to plan a symposium without telling him a word—wasn’t that going too far?

Father Feng shook his head with a wry smile. “Xueqing was just teasing you. Did you really take it seriously? Now look, you’ve gone from agreeing to translate ‘Herdsman’ to refusing outright!”

“But I did hear that Old Li is indeed planning a symposium for ‘Herdsman.’ Invitations haven’t gone out yet, and our Foreign Language Bureau hasn’t received any news.”

“That said, Xueqing’s reminder is a good one. Old Qian, you should act quickly and give Old Li a nudge. Don’t let him forget you—if the symposium flops, it’s not just his loss, but yours too!”

The real aim was to have Old Qian write a review for their son-in-law, and remind Li Qingquan not to overlook him. After all, with Old Qian currently idle at home, a slip-up was entirely possible.

“He wouldn’t dare!” Old Qian grumbled, but deep down he was unsettled. Should he really make his presence known? What if Li Qingquan really forgot about him? If he wasn’t invited to the symposium, the embarrassment would be his to bear.

Father and Mother Feng exchanged a furtive glance and said no more, each pushing their bicycle out the gate.

“That’s settled then! If Old Qian writes a review for you, Li Qingquan at ‘Yanjing Literature’ will go mad with excitement!” Sitting on the back seat of Cheng Xueming’s bicycle, Feng Jiayou whispered to him.

“Mom and Dad really managed to provoke Old Qian!” Cheng Xueming nodded. When he’d first moved in, he hadn’t realized Old Qian’s significance. Now he knew—he lived next to a true literary titan.

But even if Old Qian needed some prodding, there was no way ‘Yanjing Literature’ would forget to invite him to the symposium. In fact, Li Qingquan might very well come to invite him personally, just to raise the event’s stature.

Whether Old Qian would agree to attend would be another matter entirely.

“Just imagine—when Old Qian arrives at the symposium and discovers you’re the author of ‘Herdsman,’ he’ll be utterly shocked!” Feng Jiayou giggled at the thought.

“Mom, why can’t you let my... brother-in-law give you a ride? Why am I the one who has to walk?” When they reached the intersection and split up, Cheng Xueming let Feng Jiayou off, while Father Feng took a detour to take her to Yanda for classes. Mother Feng rode her own bicycle, insisting that the younger sister walk.

But Feng Jiamo was having none of it—she insisted her mother let her ride the bicycle, and that Mother Feng should ride with Cheng Xueming instead, since they were going the same way.

“It’s not far to your school. Would it kill you to walk?” Mother Feng would never let her son-in-law give her a lift. How would she explain that?

“Then let Old Cheng take you, and I’ll ride his bike! My school is farther anyway!” Feng Jiamo persisted, determined to claim a bicycle for herself.

“All right, all right! Jiamo, you walk today. I’ll have your brother get you a ticket to buy a new one.” Father Feng saw through her little scheme. She just wanted to keep things under wraps—there was no way she’d ride to school with her son-in-law.

“Really? Dad, you said it! I want a Phoenix brand, don’t go back on your word!” Jiamo usually walked to school anyway; she was just bargaining for a new bike and was delighted to have succeeded.

“Really, really! Be careful on the road,” Father Feng replied fondly.

“You just spoil her! If she asked for a satellite, would you build her one?” Mother Feng retorted, pedaling away on her bike.

“Good luck!” Cheng Xueming called as he hurried to catch up, with Feng Jiayou cheering him on from behind.

Instead of detouring to her workplace with his mother-in-law, he headed straight for the city center. The two of them cycled for nearly an hour before finally reaching their destination, the imposing city gate looming ahead.

“Teacher Gu, you’re early!” Liu Xinwu had already arrived, and as soon as he spotted Gu and her companion, he pushed his bicycle over to greet them. “This must be Comrade Xu, the author of ‘Herdsman,’ right?”

It was only yesterday that Liu Xinwu learned that one of Teacher Gu’s solicited pieces was by none other than Old Xu, the author of ‘Herdsman’ for Li Qingquan’s ‘Yanjing Literature.’ He had been so thrilled, he could have done somersaults on the spot.

Now, meeting the man in person, he was even more excited, extending his right hand to shake Cheng Xueming’s.

“Teacher Liu, I read your ‘The Homeroom Teacher’ at the start of the year. I’ve admired your work for a long time. Pleased to meet you!” Cheng Xueming responded quickly and warmly.

“Comrade Xu, you flatter me! You’re the real celebrity writer we at ‘October’ have long admired.”

“Come, let’s walk and talk. The big leader scheduled us for ten o’clock, so we have some time. I’ve got to chat with you—your manuscript is being taken very seriously at the top...”