1980 My literary era

Fast forward to the end of July, and the country decided to liberalize the market prices of 13 types of famous cigarettes and wines.

As soon as this news came out, department stores and tobacco and alcohol stores in major and medium-sized cities across the country immediately started a rush to buy famous cigarettes and liquor.

In these department stores and tobacco and alcohol stores, all the tobacco and alcoholic beverages that were intended to be supplied for one day were sold out within a few hours of opening.

Entering August, I don’t know where the news came from. There are rumors among the people that domestic products will increase in price across the board starting from September 1st.

As a result, there was a rush to buy rice, noodles, oil, seasonings, matches, soap, washing powder, towels, sheets, aluminum pots...

Not only daily necessities, but also clothing, home appliances and even gold jewelry have become the targets of panic buying. The nationwide panic buying frenzy continues to spread, and the government has had to take emergency measures many times to deal with the large-scale panic buying.

Trends in society affect every ordinary person. People in the Chinese Language and Literature Society are also panicking recently. Many colleagues don’t even think about going to work every day. If there is any disturbance outside, they will run faster than rabbits, for fear that they will not be able to grab something.

Many people now have enough rice in their homes to last two or three years, clothes are stuffed into their wardrobes, and condiments such as salt and soy sauce are only ten years old.

In the afternoon, colleagues were chatting in the editorial office. Yao Shuzhi complained: "These people are like crazy. They buy everything they see. They rush to buy everything, even the slow-moving ones."

Zou Changyi said: "It's as if you didn't rush to buy it."

Yao Shuzhi said helplessly: "Everyone is grabbing, how can I not grab? What will I eat or drink if I don't grab?"

Everyone felt sad after hearing this. This is true.

Prices are skyrocketing, and everyone is stocking up on supplies in advance. The more people stock up, the tighter the goods are, the more they rush to buy, and the more the goods have to increase in price.

It's completely a vicious cycle.

Most discerning people can also see this situation, but the problem is, if you don't rush to buy, others will buy everything, and your family won't even have rice for cooking tomorrow. What can you do?

I have to buy it even if I bite the bullet. Not only do I have to buy it, but I also have to rush to buy it. Who knows if I can still buy it tomorrow.

While everyone was discussing, Lin Weimin came back from a meeting outside leisurely. Looking at his chic steps, everyone couldn't help but envy him. We have never heard the topic of "panic buying" from Lin Weimin, nor did we hear anxiety in his words, and saw panic on his face.

It was as if there was a transparent film between him and the restlessness in the outside world. He looked at everyone under the same sky, but they were not breathing the same kind of air.

"For the people!" He Qizhi called Lin Weimin.

"What's up?"

"Someone called you just now."

"Who!"

"Your classmate, Jin Ying."

"What happened?"

"No, I want you to call me back."

Lin Weimin called Jin Ying back according to He Qizhi's instructions. At this time, he was living in the guest house arranged for her by the Writer's Publishing House. When she received Lin Weimin's call, her voice sounded excited.

"It's not easy. A great writer can still think of calling old classmates back."

Lin Weimin smiled and said: "Compared to you, I am not a great writer. Comrade Xiao Jin, your future is limitless!"

"I can't help you. Do you have time tonight?"

"Yes, do you want to treat me to dinner?"

"You are the landowner, shouldn't you be the one to invite me?"

"That's okay. Call Xiaowei up that night."

"good."

After get off work in the evening, Lin Weimin drove to pick up Qu Xiaowei. He was a little excited when he heard that he was going to have dinner with Jin Ying that evening.

Qu Xiaowei is now the deputy director of the cultural center, abandoning the literary path and embarking on an official career.

"Look at me, look at you, you can't even survive in the Literary and Art Association." Qu Xiaowei got in the car and started to ridicule Lin Weimin.

"You are just an official, can you worry less about our literary world?"

Lin Weimin's words made Qu Xiaowei shut up.

When we arrived at the dining place, everyone was naturally very friendly when meeting each other.

We haven’t seen each other for several years, and everyone has changed a lot.

Lin Weimin became a well-known writer at home and abroad. Jin Ying wrote a lot of works in the past few years, and the response was pretty good. But compared with her creation, her career was more prosperous. She is now the deputy leader of the Provincial Literary and Art Association.

Qu Xiaowei gave up on the literary path. Although he became the deputy director of the cultural center, his work unit basically focused on providing early retirement care. In the past two years, he had gained weight steadily, even a sow could not gain weight so quickly.

The three of them chatted for a while.

"So, the standards of your work seminar this time are quite high?" Qu Xiaowei asked Jin Ying.

“Mainly invited by writers’ publishing houses.”

Jin Ying came to Yanjing specifically for the seminar on her works.

In the past two months, Jin Ying's debut novel "Rose Gate" was published in "Four Seasons of Literature", a magazine sponsored by Writers Publishing House. Recently, Writers Publishing House is convening a large-scale work symposium, and a novel will be published next. Single book.

It can be seen that the publishing house attaches great importance to Jin Ying and her works.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you are worthy of being the thirty-year-old deputy leader of the Cultural Association, a woman as good as a man!"

Qu Xiaowei's teasing was somewhat sarcastic, which made Jin Ying roll her eyes.

"I know you don't like attending seminars, but can you help me write a preface for the publication of my novel?" Jin Ying said to Lin Weimin.

Lin Weimin has always stayed away from various symposiums and seminars, and only occasionally attends them because of the support of acquaintances.

If Jin Ying insisted on inviting him as a classmate, Lin Weimin could go, but she did not do so.

The request to help write the preface naturally avoided Lin Weimin's embarrassment.

How about he become the deputy leader of the Cultural Association!

"Sure, no problem." Lin Weimin agreed.

Seeing that he agreed, Jin Ying happily toasted him with a glass of wine.

After chatting about business, several people inevitably talked about their past studies at the Institute of Literary Studies.

"Sister Tang has a big opinion on you!" Jin Ying said to Lin Weimin.

Tang Kangmei was a member of the writers group that visited France in April. Although they did not say anything outrageous, the writers group was criticized in China as a whole.

During this period, Lin Weimin's withdrawal from the Cultural Association stole the spotlight again, which was tantamount to standing on the opposite side of this group of people.

"She didn't tell me." Lin Weimin said without any pressure.

"You have already quit the literary association. She is afraid of irritating you again. She asked me to give you a message. Don't listen to reporters' one-sided reports. In fact, many people at that day's event really spoke frankly and did not deliberately try to smear it."

Lin Weimin waved his hand, "It's all in the past. I don't agree with the behavior of some of them. It's not that I don't let them speak. I just don't want anyone to enjoy superior treatment at home and say nothing. Once they arrive abroad, It’s just that things are not good here and there in the country.”

Seeing that his attitude seemed soft but was actually tough, Jin Ying sighed, "I just hope everyone won't have any prejudice against each other because of this."

"If they have prejudices against me, I don't have a problem with it. I don't treat them like that." Lin Weimin said with a smile.

Jin Ying nodded. Based on her long-standing understanding of Lin Weimin, this man was a little emotionally dull but impeccable in morals.

After finishing the topic, Jin Ying said again: "By the way, I originally planned to go back to the School of Literature last year... No, it was the School of Literature. I went back to the School of Literature to further my studies."

"Further studies? Are you mistaken? Our group is the first batch after the Literary Institute resumed operations. We are all seniors. Do you want to go back and learn and progress with those juniors?" Qu Xiaowei teased.

"It seems that you are ignorant and incompetent!" Jin Ying scolded him, "The School of Liberal Arts previously co-organized a graduate class for writers with Yanjing Normal University. If you study for two years, you can get a graduate diploma."

Qu Xiaowei said bitterly: "You are already the deputy leader, why do you still need a diploma?"

Jin Ying gave him a big eye roll again.

Lin Weimin asked: "Why didn't you go later?"

Jin Ying said: "He is rated as a first-class writer."

Qu Xiaowei was shocked and said to Lin Weimin: "Is this girl here to show off?"

Writers are also professionals, so they naturally have professional titles, ranging from level one to level four, which correspond to senior, deputy senior, intermediate and junior professional titles respectively.

Jin Ying was in her early thirties this year and has been awarded a senior professional title. If measured purely by career advancement, she has already beaten 99% of her peers.

"I'm only a third-level writer!" Qu Xiaowei said dejectedly.

But he glanced at Lin Weimin and smiled again, there was someone even better.

"Weimin, what's your professional title?" Qu Xiaowei asked in a sultry voice.

"No professional title."

Lin Weimin has two identities, one is a writer, and the other is an editor. He is qualified for both professions, but for so many years, let alone the professional title of writer, he has not even had the title of editor or reviewer.

Of course it's not that he's not qualified, it's just that he's too lazy to do it.

In this era, professional titles are directly related to the job promotion and salary of many people. When everyone evaluates professional titles, many people are overwhelmed. This happened when the Chinese Literature Society piloted professional title evaluation a few years ago.

Lin Weimin was too lazy to participate in these nonsense things, so he simply never participated in them.

Knowing that Qu Xiaowei was teasing him, he said nothing and calmly put the keys of the Mercedes-Benz on the table.

Qu Xiaowei was silent for a while, "This meal is boring."

Jin Ying laughed, and Lin Weimin's lips also raised.

This living treasure!

After the party, Lin Weimin spent one night writing a preface and delivered it to Jin Ying the next day.

Jin Ying said: "Why do I feel like this preface is like a hot potato? Do you want to dump it on me after you finish writing it?"

"Are you officials so worried?"

After a few jokes, Jin Ying accepted the article and said, "Thank you."

When he went to work again that day, Lin Weimin received a notice from the company that "No matter what, life is beautiful" was going to be printed.

The Chinese version of this novel was released quietly, unlike Lin Weimin's other works in the past, which were published in well-known publications such as "People's Literature" and "Contemporary" and became known to many domestic literature lovers.

Because of Lin Weimin's reminder, the publisher also adopted a conservative strategy in printing "Wu", printing 200,000 copies for the first time.

This number scorns all writers across the country. However, among Lin Weimin's previous publishing experiences, such figures were only seen in the years after his debut.

After "Nothing" was released, the sales in the first few days were indeed about the same as expected, and did not have the same momentum as Lin Weimin's previous works.

This situation lasted for a few days until critical reviews came out and were published in many review magazines and newspapers.

After reading these comments, many readers discovered that Lin Weimin's new novel was published, and a large number of readers flocked to bookstores.