PDLP Chapter 16 Pursuit of Fame and Fortune
Chapter 16 Pursuit of Fame and Fortune
"That won't do! I'm voting for Huacheng!"
Although the Xing'an Daily, which Wei Juncheng proposed, was not well-known, Longjiang Literature and Art was not unknown.
The predecessor of "Northern Literature," which refers to literature in the North, was Heilongjiang Literature and Art.
The predecessor of Longjiang Literature and Art was Songjiang Literature and Art.
Chen Tuoti's Flower City was founded in April 1979.
Compared to Longjiang Literature and Art, which has been established for thirty years, Huacheng is currently an unknown entity.
"Where is Huacheng?"
"From Luoyang, right? The city of peonies..."
"It can't be from Mudanjiang, right? But if it is from Mudanjiang, that's fine too!"
Wei Juncheng glanced sideways at the roughneck in front of him who only knew how to lead troops into battle, coughed, and calmed the situation.
"It's from Guangzhou. I heard it from the cultural officer in the bureau when I went to the provincial capital for a meeting..."
In other places, these old guys would probably have a hard time getting back to the front lines.
But Songling is different, and the entire Xinganling forest area is also different.
In this forest area, what's needed is someone who can fight and charge.
Flowers in greenhouses, let alone going to the front lines of logging, would frost and wither indoors!
Young people are unreliable, and newly launched literary journals are not necessarily reliable either.
After pointing out the origins of Huacheng Journal, Wei Juncheng still insisted on his previous opinion, giving Chen Tuo a choice between the two.
"Xiao Chen, Heilongjiang Literature and Art is much more famous than Huacheng Literature and Art. Why don't you apply to Heilongjiang Literature and Art?"
The change in address from "Chen Zhiqing" to "Xiao Chen" reflects Wei Juncheng's change of opinion of him after reading the poem manuscript.
But Chen Tuo knew that Huacheng, which had just been launched this year, was a gathering place for well-known contemporary writers.
Moreover, the newly launched Huacheng Literature and Art Publishing House is more inclusive than the established Longjiang Literature and Art Publishing House.
If Wei Juncheng's idea of making a living through contemporary poetry is followed, it will likely collapse in the very beginning.
Forestry is another major industry in Northeast China besides heavy industry.
He had no doubt about the influence of Secretary Wei and Director Chu within the province.
These two were the Party Secretary and the Forestry Director in Songling, and outside of Songling, they represented the forestry industry of the Xinganling Mountains.
If you listen to their lies, you might end up going hungry for three days straight.
"Secretary Wei, right? I'm submitting my work to Longjiang Literature and Art. I don't expect it to be published in 'New Life,' but can I expect to receive a payment of thirty or fifty yuan?"
Chen Tuo's question, like his work and food rations, was difficult to answer.
Based on the ideas the six had last night, no matter how well or poorly Chen Tuo wrote, the best way was to pin him down in Songling.
Last night, after Chu Mingshan returned, he beat Chu Maolin to a pulp, and only Sun Changkui tried to stop the fight.
Even if it was Wei Juncheng and his group's backup plan.
If Chen Tuo really dares to write something indecent and defamatory about Songling.
So those old guys just turned a blind eye and let the recovered Chu Maolin, fueled by hatred, torment him to death.
It's not that these people are making a mountain out of a molehill, but rather that the great flood is ahead and the lessons of history are still fresh in our minds.
If Chen Tuo really causes trouble with the pen holder, it won't just be a matter for Songling, nor will it be a trivial matter.
Especially the line, "Soybeans and sorghum covered the mountains and fields, but I didn't eat a single bite."
If the 600,000 educated youth in the Great Northern Wilderness were to see this, no one knows what the consequences would be.
"Xiao Chen, royalties are based on cultural literacy. How could we, a bunch of roughnecks, dare to say whether you're qualified to receive royalties?"
When it comes to "cultural attainments," Wei Juncheng feels a bit bitter.
The departure of the educated youth was truly disheartening.
Forest management and pest control in the Songling, Xinlin, Huma, Huzhong, and Tahe areas have now become problems.
Even the standardization of frontline logging is far less effective than before without the help of educated youth.
The Nenlin Railway is not yet completed, and now they are going to start the highway project.
The female educated youth from the road and bridge construction section who helped Chen Tuo disassemble and wash his cotton-padded clothes and trousers played a significant role in the construction of highways and railways.
Compared to Chen Tuo, those educated youth who contributed to the development of the forest area were much more endearing.
Wei Juncheng could guarantee that Chen Tuo wouldn't receive payment for his work, but he couldn't guarantee that Chen Tuo would receive payment.
Seeing Secretary Wei's conflicted and troubled expression, Chen Tuo shrugged and said in a nonchalant manner:
"That settles it! Submitting to Huacheng Literature will definitely get me paid, but submitting to Longjiang Literature doesn't guarantee payment, so why would I submit to it?"
"Xiao Chen, some things can't be measured by economic interests..."
"Why would I vote for him if I weren't after fame or fortune?"
Wei Juncheng insisted, but Chen Tuo left the old man speechless with two "Why would I vote for him?" statements.
After the flood, people were less willing to put in the effort than before, a fact that was also the direct observation of the six old men.
This is still in Songling...
Perhaps this is what is called the great tide of the times...
Speechless, Wei Juncheng looked at his five old buddies with a bewildered expression.
He joined the army, fought in battles, was promoted to officer, and then transferred to forestry.
Back then, they never cared about so much.
"Why don't you have any sense of awareness?"
Wei Juncheng was speechless after being rebuked, so Chu Mingshan took the lead and continued the conversation.
"How dare you say that! If I had food and drink, a sheepskin coat, big boots, and a dog-skin hat, would I talk like that too?"
After criticizing Chu Mingshan, Chen Tuo stepped forward to retrieve the poem from the birch bark, saying with no small amount of pride:
"My poem is almost identical to the one in the book, so I'm sure I'll get paid. Or how about you give me a hundred yuan, and we'll consider it as your work?"
Following Chen Tuo's complaints, everyone then looked at his clothes.
The felt patches covering the bicycle tires must have come from logging operations.
The cotton-padded jacket and trousers, worn smooth and shiny, were probably winter clothing for cold regions, provided by the railway and forestry departments.
The reason I say "should" is because the cotton-padded jacket has been patched countless times and worn for many years, and it is already unrecognizable.
For forestry workers in the Xingan Mountains, the coldest time is when they get up early to go to work.
Although it was cold at night, no one would wander around in the snow.
The factory's loudspeaker also announced that the temperature this morning was minus 28 degrees Celsius.
At this temperature, just as Chen Tuo said, you should wear a sheepskin coat over your cotton-padded jacket and trousers to avoid getting frostbite.
"Secretary Wei, Director Chu, last night, Da Lingzi gave my winter clothes for this year to Chen, the educated youth!"
Upon seeing Chen Tuo's attire, the six farm managers and secretaries did not look too pleased.
Sun Changkui also provided cover for an acquaintance or comrade-in-arms whose identity he did not know.
Although Chen Tuo was not a registered educated youth, he was also identified as an unregistered resident by the Forestry Bureau.
But the Forestry Bureau also knew that the person was a former educated youth, and that it wasn't a fake or counterfeit.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have let him continue living at the Xiaoyangqi educated youth settlement.
Grain rationing is related to work.
The measures to keep warm, which at least keep people alive, are irrelevant to work.
If Chen Tuo really froze to death because his cotton-padded clothes were too thin, the forest farm will be held responsible.
Because this is the Songling Forest Area, in principle, all residents of the settlement are the responsibility of the local forest farm.
"Alright! It's terribly cold. You can't solve my identity, job, and food problems, so you expect me to fend for myself?"
After saying that, Chen Tuo reached out and pushed away Sun Changkui, who was still trying to block his way, and was about to continue his pursuit of fame and fortune in the literary world.
Meeting with the person in charge of the forest farm and getting a clear stance is all that's needed.
No matter how much he tries to argue, he won't get the treatment they don't want to give him...