093 Come on, Let's Hurt Each Other (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Page (1/3)

"Old Qian, 'The Horseman' really was written by Xiao Cheng! As for his being the son-in-law of Teacher Gu and Old Feng—I only just learned that from you!"

Ding Ling spread her hands, failing to see what all the fuss was about.

Why couldn't the son-in-law of Teacher Gu and Old Feng be Old Xu, the author of "The Horseman"?

To Ding Ling's mind, this was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

Everyone in their circles knew the standing of Gu Xueqing and Old Feng's family. If the Feng family were choosing a son-in-law, they'd certainly hold him to the highest standards.

Their son-in-law writing "The Horseman" was perfectly normal, wasn't it? If he hadn't written it, that would have been the strange thing.

"Xiao Cheng, you really wrote 'The Horseman'?! You kept it from me too?"

Old Qian completely lost it.

Now he understood it all—why his mother-in-law, Teacher Gu, a woman of such pride, who was in a literary duel with Li Qingquan's Yanjing Literature, had goaded him, Old Qian, into writing a review of "The Horseman."

He'd dutifully written it, and to curry favor with Teacher Gu, had even taken it upon himself to deliver a scathing critique of that piece from Li Qingquan's Yanjing Literature.

But in return, Teacher Gu had looked at him with disdain, her face twisted with displeasure!

At the time, Old Qian had wondered whether his criticism hadn't been harsh enough, and had planned to continue at today's symposium, making it even more scathing to guarantee his mother-in-law's satisfaction.

But in the end... this?!

Old Qian now understood everything perfectly—and that made it even harder for him to contain himself.

If you, Gu Xueqing, wanted Old Qian to write a favorable review of your son-in-law, why didn't you just say so outright?!

Instead, you had to play these games and make me guess—you're trying to kill me!

"Old Qian, Old Qian... I really have my reasons. A trouble I can't voice, truly can't voice. How about this: once I get back, I'll offer you a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, and we'll let this whole matter be water under the bridge, all right?"

Cheng Xuemin's head was spinning. His mother-in-law was a sly one—knowing today would be a spectacular train wreck, she hadn't dared show up herself.

Instead, she'd left Cheng Xuemin here alone to face the music. He could only hope that Old Qian, with his heavy smoking habit, would let him off the hook for the sake of a pack of Daqianmen.

"You little rascal... you little rascal... You think a single pack of Daqianmen can pull the wool over this old man's eyes?"

"It has to be a whole carton!"

Old Qian, feigning outrage, grew bolder still. So this was the surprise that Li Qingquan and that mother-in-law of his had been going on about!

The new author who'd written "The Horseman" turned out to be this very young man standing before him.

Just moments ago, outside the courtyard, he'd been thinking what a simple, foolish fellow the Feng family's son-in-law was—Li Qingquan had merely made a polite remark, and the boy had taken it seriously.

He'd even braved this blizzard to come here and make a fool of the Feng family!

Who'd have thought that in the end—

This young man was the absolute star of today's symposium, and "The Horseman" was written by him!

Damn it!

They lived in the front and back courtyards, and this young man hadn't breathed a single word of it, leaving him, Old Qian, dangled by the nose by that old fox Li Qingquan!

"Alright, alright, a carton it is! Once I get my manuscript fee, I'll get you your carton right away!"

A carton it was, then.

After returning, Cheng Xuemin would still need to figure out where to scrounge up a cigarette ration ticket; otherwise, even with money, he wouldn't be able to buy them.

"Xuemin, you've kept me in the dark terribly as well. Surely I deserve a carton too?"

Liu Xinwu also gave a wry smile, joining in the teasing.

"Your carton, Teacher Liu... you'll have to take that up with my mother-in-law! She's the one who said to keep it from you for now, fearing you wouldn't be able to take it in."

Cheng Xuemin wasn't about to take responsibility for that one.

If Liu Xinwu wanted it, he could go ask the mother-in-law!

"You people... you really have kept me in the dark. I truly couldn't take it in at first."

"But tell me this: since Xiao Cheng is Teacher Gu's beloved son-in-law, why didn't he give 'The Horseman' to his mother-in-law's October?"

"And as for this new issue with 'Heart of an Inch of Grass,' I'll ask you directly, Xiao Cheng—how on earth did your mother-in-law let you off the hook?"

Yes, indeed.

Liu Xinwu made an excellent point. With such a rebellious son-in-law, how had the mother-in-law let him off?

"Hold on—you all knew already?!" Li Qingquan had sensed something amiss the moment Teacher Ding and Cheng Xuemin greeted each other.

Page (2/3)

Ding Ling, who had only just returned to Beijing—how did she know Cheng Xuemin?

And from the warmth of that greeting, it didn't seem like a passing acquaintance; rather, it gave the impression of a genuine student-teacher relationship?!

Then there was Liu Xinwu, old Liu, also greeting Cheng Xuemin directly, without needing any introduction from him, Li Qingquan.

What was going on here?!

Hadn't Yanjing Literature been keeping this tightly under wraps? Cheng Xuemin had even kept it from his own mother-in-law, and Old Qian, who lived in the front courtyard, had been none the wiser!

But Ding Ling and Liu Xinwu—the two people who most shouldn't have known—how did they find out?!

And moreover!

Li Qingquan had also keenly noticed that Ding Ling and Liu Xinwu only knew Cheng Xuemin was the author of "The Horseman," but didn't know he was Gu Xueqing's son-in-law.

What was that about?

"Pfft! Think you can keep things so deep, old Li, do you?"

"No matter how deep you hide it, you can't change the fact that Xuemin is October's son-in-law!"

Seeing Li Qingquan's shock, Liu Xinwu felt a smug satisfaction of his own. You thought you could keep it airtight, didn't you?

Well, look at you now—thunderstruck, aren't you?

"So Teacher Gu was still playing me that day too?!" Li Qingquan also completely lost his composure, turning to ask Cheng Xuemin, "Xuemin, weren't you saying you didn't dare bring it up with your mother-in-law?"

"Teacher Li, honesty is the best policy. It's just that my wife and I have been under a lot of pressure."

Cheng Xuemin shrugged. It was all his wife Feng Jiayou's doing, all this mess. Now that she couldn't come, he, as the husband, had to bear the brunt alone.

"That's true, I can understand, I can understand."

Li Qingquan, putting himself in their shoes, nodded repeatedly. It was perfectly normal, after all.

If they'd kept it hidden all along, now that would have been abnormal! Teacher Gu would have come at him with a knife, demanding his life.

"Well then, old Liu, let's drop the pretense too! I've recently gotten hold of another manuscript from Xuemin."

"And it's a substantial novella!"

Since they were dropping the act, Li Qingquan was done being polite. He threw his cards on the table.

You, Liu Xinwu, like to boast that Cheng Xuemin is October's son-in-law, do you? Well, sorry to say, Yanjing Literature, besides the front-page features of the past two issues, now has a major novella in hand.

All of it supplied by your October's son-in-law!

Over two hundred thousand words, which Li Qingquan planned to publish in two installments, both as front-page features—that would make you, old Liu, green with envy!

"Mm-hmm, yes yes, I know. Old Li, if you hadn't mentioned that novella, I really wouldn't have had the heart to rain on your parade."

But to Li Qingquan's surprise, Liu Xinwu, upon hearing his smug boasting, didn't react at all.

Instead, he nodded repeatedly with a completely indifferent air, as though he already knew about this novella.

"You know about the novella I've got in hand?!"

"Did Xuemin tell you?!"

Li Qingquan was thrown into confusion once again, unable to make sense of the situation.

Liu Xinwu knew about the novella in his possession?

But if he knew, how could it possibly have fallen into the hands of Yanjing Literature? Was Liu Xinwu some pushover?

He'd certainly have snatched it away directly!

The real question, though, was that the novella truly had come into his possession—delivered personally by October's son-in-law and daughter, the married couple, braving the cold on their bicycles!

Did that make any sense?

Li Qingquan couldn't wrap his head around it even with ten heads to think with.

"Don't ask Xuemin!" Liu Xinwu took over the conversation, wearing an equally smug expression. "Remember what Teacher Gu said that day? That she'd secured two new manuscripts from the author of 'The Horseman'?"

"At the time, I really didn't believe it. Old Li, you'd kept the identity of 'The Horseman's' author so tightly under wraps that I'd racked my brains without uncovering a thing. But Teacher Gu managed it."

"Not only did she find out, she actually secured two manuscripts!"

"Honestly, at first, I really didn't believe it."

"It wasn't until that day I went to see Old Wu, when Teacher Ding Ling was also present, that I finally believed it."

"Teacher Gu had indeed secured two manuscripts from the author of 'The Horseman.' And what remarkable composure she showed—she never once told Old Xu, the author, that he was her own son-in-law!"

Page (3/3)

Having gloated thus far, Liu Xinwu thought it over and gave a series of wry laughs. It all fit now.

No wonder Teacher Gu had secured manuscripts from Old Xu, the author of "The Horseman," so effortlessly—and two of them at that.

Listening to Liu Xinwu's smug crowing, Li Qingquan asked, almost in disbelief: "Two?!"

"You mean to say this novella of mine is the leftover you, old Liu, passed on?"

But recalling the quality of this novella, Li Qingquan still couldn't believe it and pressed further: "If this novella is your leftover, then that manuscript you kept, old Liu..."

"Ah! Well, it's not exactly a leftover, to be honest. At the time, with those two manuscripts, I wanted to keep both!"

"But Teacher Gu wouldn't allow it, saying the author of 'The Horseman' had already promised that novella to your Yanjing Literature. I couldn't keep it even if I wanted to, so I had to let you have it, old Li!"

This also explained why Teacher Gu, having secured two manuscripts, had been willing to give one back.

Because it was her own son-in-law's manuscript, she couldn't allow him to break his word to Li Qingquan at Yanjing Literature.

"Old Liu, you're positively greedy! Given October's publication schedule, can you even absorb two of Xuemin's manuscripts?"

"And one of them a substantial novella of over two hundred thousand words!"

At least it wasn't a leftover, which made Li Qingquan feel considerably better. If it had been something Liu Xinwu had picked over and rejected, then this novella would have lost all its appeal!

"So, we chose the better one."

Liu Xinwu's words were poison, plain and simple. A single sentence, meaning it was indeed the one picked over.

"How much better?"

"I refuse to believe there's a better novella out there than the one I've got."

Li Qingquan genuinely didn't believe that the manuscript Liu Xinwu had chosen could possibly be better than his from Yanjing Literature.

"It's hard for me to say exactly how good it is."

"Anyway... old Li, you've been asking around about it lately, haven't you? What do you think?"

Liu Xinwu continued his masterful showing-off, slowly building up the suspense, and finally delivered the killing blow with a rhetorical question.

"Liu Xinwu! Don't you dare tell me it's your atom bomb?!"

Bloody hell!

Li Qingquan had finally caught on. Hadn't he been asking around about Liu Xinwu's atom bomb all this time?

But that guy was just as sly as a fox—he'd hidden it deep, truly deep, with not a whisper leaking out!

The other day, Teacher Gu had even advised him to stop asking.

The tone of her voice... it had frightened Li Qingquan, making him feel something huge was afoot.

But the more that was the case, the more it suggested that the atom bomb October was working on was truly terrifying—and the more he wanted to know.

He'd thought that perhaps at today's symposium they might let something slip, but he never imagined Liu Xinwu would lay it all bare!

Not only lay it all bare, but openly declare that the atom bomb in their hands had been crafted for them by none other than Old Xu, the author of "The Horseman" from his own Yanjing Literature!

Christ, Christ, Christ...

Li Qingquan swore a string of curses inwardly, as everything clicked into place.

No wonder Liu Xinwu and Teacher Ding Ling had greeted Cheng Xuemin so warmly the moment he walked in.

They all knew each other!

And they'd all been involved in that atom bomb!

Just now, Teacher Ding Ling had even mentioned Old Mao—could it be that Old Mao had also contributed to Liu Xinwu's atom bomb?

"Old Li, good that you know. But don't go spreading it around out there, since I haven't published it yet."

Liu Xinwu was insufferably smug. Even Ding Ling, standing nearby, thought the fellow was getting a bit too big for his boots.

"So it really is that atom bomb?!"

...