Wild 1979: From Fishing and Hunting to Becoming a Literary Master

Chapter 115 Rising Star of Huacheng

Chen Tuo wanted to go see Sun Changkui, but Xiao Kai stopped him.

According to him, the Forestry Bureau had granted Sun Changkui and his wife business leave, so Chen Tuo couldn't go to their home to bother them.

To avoid the accidental injury incident that has just subsided being brought up again.

The Forestry Bureau's internal explanation is that Sun Changkui's old injury has recurred and he needs to rest for a period of time.

Xiao Kai's obstruction reminded Chen Tuo of Wu Laowai's joke that night.

Considering the outcome, he could only sigh helplessly and tell the young man from the Sun family, who had come to freeload, to take home more venison.

Chen Tuo originally wanted to pluck a withered ginseng for Sun Changkui.

But they were worried that the boys would be greedy and eat it halfway through, so they could only wait for Hu Yuling to come to the educated youth settlement and hand it over to her.

With the educated youth settlement as their homestead and the supplies provided by Xiao Kai, the next step was to renovate the houses at the settlement.

However, money became another problem that troubled Chen Tuo.

Besides money, you also need industrial coupons to buy decorative materials like glass and paint.

Industrial coupons, grain coupons, cloth coupons, tobacco and alcohol coupons—these everyday necessities are also a hurdle for freelancers like Chen Tuo.

If you can't overcome that obstacle, even if you have money, it's useless.

If you can't buy food to eat or clothes to keep warm, it's basically a dead end.

Fortunately, by the end of 1979, the rationing system had begun to loosen, and with acquaintances like Sun Changkui and Xiao Kai around, Chen Tuo didn't have to worry for the time being.

Because he needed to make money through writing, Chen Tuo, who already had a foothold in the area, decided to postpone his integration into the Songling Forest Area until after the New Year or next summer or autumn.

He has met more than a dozen people in Songling.

People like Wu Laowai, Sun Changkui and his wife, and Xiao Kai are all celebrities in Songling, each with their own social circle.

Having enough to eat and wear, and some money to back him up, was the first step for Chen Tuo to integrate into Songling.

To prevent the manuscript from being lost or plagiarized during mailing, Chen Tuo also sent a letter to Huacheng while polishing the Blood Wolfhound manuscript.

After the Bloodhound manuscript is polished, it will not be mailed all at once, but will be sent by registered mail in three parts: upper, middle and lower sections.

Chen Tuo, who planned to make a living by plagiarizing, was most wary of having his hard-earned plagiarized texts used by others.

Of all these people, he was most wary of Hong Ye.

There will be far too many of these kinds of scandals in the literary and artistic circles in the future. It's impossible to say that they don't have their roots in the present.

On the day the first part of the Bloodhound manuscript was mailed, Chen Tuo was talking to Xiao Kai about his plans to transform the educated youth settlement.

Hong Ye, the chubby girl he needed to be wary of, rushed into the educated youth settlement with several magazines in hand.

"Chen Tuo, your 'New Life' and my 'Ewenki Woman' have both been published in this issue of Flower City..."

Although I had confirmed with Huacheng several times, when I received the journal, I saw that it was titled "Ewenki Woman" under the pen name "Baiyang".

Hong Ye then believed that she wasn't dreaming!

This issue of Flower City magazine not only features new students, but also includes Chen Tuo's "Eight-Cent Oil Ticket" and the first poem in "Lamp Flower".

According to Huacheng, only if the first poem receives a good "response" will the other four poems be published.

"Baiyang? Is that your pen name? I'm Xing'an Little White Birch, you're not Xing'an Big White Poplar, are you?"

After looking through the list of new students on Huacheng, Chen Tuo had a clear understanding.

Even though Hai Zi's "Facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming" is a very powerful modern poem, the Chinese people are quite demanding when it comes to the aesthetics of poetry.

There are countless poets who were unknown during their lifetime but became famous after their death.

It's estimated that if he doesn't die, or even if his death isn't spectacular enough, "New Life" will have a hard time becoming an instant hit.

Chen Tuo's "Red" is different from the text published in Huacheng Journal.

What he wanted was instant fame, for his "new life" to be widely celebrated.

Unfortunately, such a request was a bit difficult for him.

Having been given a second chance at life, he couldn't possibly die for a poem.

Therefore, Chen Tuo was not bothered by the fact that Huacheng published his poems; as long as they were published, that was fine.

What he cared more about was Hong Ye's pen name, which included a birch tree and a poplar tree, with the prefix "Xingan" and the distinction between "big" and "small".

If this isn't presented well, it will give readers the impression that "he's living off Hung Yeh's wife."

After all, the chubby girl was a full-time employee at Songling Post Office, while he was an unregistered resident of Songling.

"Uh... I chose this pen name based on our body types..."

When Chen Tuo asked about the origin of his two pen names, Hong Ye could not hide his panic.

The persona she had prepared for herself was that of a poet in love with a poet, and a virtuous wife to a poet.

Now that Chen Tuo has exposed him to his face, how could Hong Ye not panic when he thinks about the benefits to come?

He looked at himself, then at Hong Ye.

Although she was called "Big Fatty Girl," in front of Chen Tuo, Hong Ye was nothing more than a little bird clinging to him.

Whether it was due to his transmigration or rebirth, or because he ate the old ginseng, Chen Tuo was not only tall, but also had an exceptionally strong physique.

Otherwise, how could he have unleashed the single-headed bear-hunting bullet so freely during several wolf hunts?

"Section Chief Xiao, do you believe what she said?"

"Then I definitely can't believe it. If I do, and you add a few more lines, who the hell am I supposed to complain to?"

After taking a sip of the mountain fruit tea mixed with low-alcohol beverage, Xiao Kai, who had become familiar with Chen Tuo, firmly stood his ground.

"As punishment for your pen name outshining mine, go and fry some venison, and don't forget to prepare a portion for the Sun family's boys..."

Chen Tuo merely glanced at Hong Ye before raising the object high and gently lowering it; Xiao Kai didn't notice anything amiss.

Hong Ye knew, however, that it was time for her to pay the price.

"Okay, you wait here, I'm coming right now..."

Seeing Hong Ye hesitantly go to Zhang Taibao's newly built smoked meat room to get venison, Xiao Kai then gently reminded him:

"Chen Tuo, Hong Ye is quite cunning. She's someone Songling can't keep. You need to be careful..."

In Chen Tuo's eyes, people like Xiao Kai and Wu Laowai are the ones who are truly cunning these days.

However, he and Hong Ye, who had made up their minds to go south, were somewhat out of touch with the times.

What the two of them lacked was called "simplicity".

Even when scheming, one must remain simple and honest—that's why Xiao Kai reminded Chen Tuo.

"I know, but sometimes, it's just too lonely without someone to keep you company..."

Chen Tuo didn't particularly like Hong Ye, but his earlier praise of her as an interesting soul wasn't entirely unfounded.

Although simplicity is slowly being discarded, the principles of the past, present, and future remain the same.

Hong Ye was using periodicals as teaching materials, which made Chen Tuo see some commonalities between the two of them.

Compared to his "new life," Hong Ye's Shu Ting and Xi Murong could truly make her a rising star in Huacheng.

Nowadays, besides wanting to see scars and reflections, boldly worded love poems are what many young people are suppressing their desires for.

It would be difficult for him to become an overnight sensation with "New Life", "Eight-Cent Stamp", and "Lantern Flower".

However, Hong Ye was able to become an instant sensation in Huacheng thanks to the subsequent works of Shu Ting and Xi Murong.

This kind of instant fame also comes at a price, and Hong Ye needs to manage his situation carefully.

It's only the end of 1979 now, not the end of 1989.

The next decade will be a decade of development, but also a decade of contradictions.

Poorly written love poems can also lead to bitter consequences...