mesbooks Chapter 80 The Shock of Old Friends
Chapter 80 The Shock of Old Friends
Chapter 80 The Shock of Old Friends (Seeking First Subscription)
October Magazine.
Zhang Shouren gently knocked on the door.
"Please come in."
"Editor-in-Chief".
"Comrade Shouren is here. Please have a seat. What did they say about Xinhua Bookstore?"
Su Mao looked up and asked.
"They have already spread the 'Hibiscus Town' brand widely. This time, in addition to Beijing and Tianjin, there is stock in Xinhua branches at the provincial and municipal levels across the country."
"That's good. Let's contact the publisher in advance so that we can start reprinting as soon as sales reach our target tomorrow."
"Okay, editor-in-chief."
Zhang Shouren nodded, but he felt it probably wouldn't sell that quickly, considering that 300,000 copies of "Hibiscus Town" had been printed this time.
You know, the first print run of "The Herdsman" was only 100,000 copies, and with the second reprint, the total was only 300,000 copies. Now, the first print run of "Hibiscus Town" is 300,000 copies. It should sell for about a week.
"He Yan, how did your exam go?"
Lin Xi saw He Yan come out and immediately took a few steps forward to ask him.
"You did pretty well on the exam. A bachelor's degree is probably out of the question, but getting into a vocational college shouldn't be a problem. What about you?"
He Yan appeared quite spirited.
"I'm about the same. Looks like we can go together again to find Su Man and Chen Weidong."
Lin Xi blushed slightly, almost blurting out the truth.
"Yes, I wonder how they are now."
He Yan also missed Chen Weidong a little, but the thought of going to Yanjing with Lin Xi soon made him excited. Just like Chen Weidong said, the future holds endless possibilities.
"Fu Xiao, over here!"
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Lin Xi saw Fu Xiao come out and hurriedly waved.
"How did you do on the exam? Were you confident?"
Lin Xi stepped forward and took Fu Xiao's hand.
"It should be about the same."
Fu Xiao nodded, her face a little pale. She had been feeling unwell for the past few days, but thankfully she had persevered.
"Congratulations, now you can go back to your hometown."
For this year's college entrance examination, Lin Xi and He Yan applied to Peking University, while Fu Xiao applied to Shanghai University.
The thought of parting soon dampened the joy of the three of them.
"The author of 'The Horseman' has released a new novel. Do you want to go to Xinhua Bookstore together to check it out?"
"Really? That's great! I especially love 'The Horseman.' I wonder if the author is writing a romance novel this time. Let's read it together!"
"Let's go, let's go, don't be late."
The students who had just finished the college entrance examination were extremely excited, like wild horses that had been released from their reins, restless and eager.
"Were they talking about Wei Dong just now?"
He Yan felt like he was hallucinating. They had been engrossed in their studies and hadn't paid any attention to outside news, so they didn't know that Chen Weidong's new novel was about to be published.
"It should be. Otherwise, let's go and take a look at Chen Weidong's masterpiece."
Lin Xi nodded.
"Let's go."
Fu Xiao was also very curious about Chen Weidong's new novel. "The Herdsman" had only been published not long ago, and Chen Weidong had already released a new novel! She wondered if it would be any good.
When the three arrived at the Xinhua Bookstore in Lin'an County, a queue had already formed outside.
"Comrade He Yan!"
Just as He Yan and his two companions were about to line up, they heard someone calling their names from ahead.
"Hey, postman Ren, you're here to buy books too?"
The person in front of the line was Ren Hongxing. Because He Yan often delivered letters to Chen Weidong, he and Ren Hongxing became acquainted.
"Comrade Weidong's new book is being released today, I definitely have to come and support him, right? You guys will too?"
"Yes, we're here to buy books too. We're the postman. We'll go queue up now and talk to you later."
He Yan felt a little ashamed. Even Ren Hongxing knew that Chen Weidong's new book was released today, while they had only just found out from others.
After queuing for more than an hour, it was finally He Yan and his two companions' turn. In order to contribute to Chen Weidong, each of them bought a copy and eagerly opened the first page as soon as they left the store.
"Hibiscus Town", by Chen Weidong!
"It really was written by Wei Dong. He writes so fast! It seems like this October issue is full of his short stories."
He Yan glanced through it and said with some shock.
"Let's see what Comrade Weidong has written this time."
Lin Xi is now filled with anticipation and curiosity. Initially, she didn't think much of Chen Weidong and felt sorry for Su Man.
He used to be a carefree and irresponsible husband and father, but since Chen Xiaoan came into his life, Chen Weidong has undergone a complete transformation. He not only takes care of his family, but also writes articles. She especially loves the love story between Xu Lingjun and Li Xiuzhi in "The Herdsman" and has read it several times.
I wonder what kind of story I wrote this time?
Thinking of this, Lin Xi started reading, and after a while she couldn't help but say, "Hu Yuyin's life is so miserable! What crime did she commit?"
A hardworking and honest widow saved up some money with her skills and built a new house. In Lin Xi's eyes, she was a role model for living a proper life. But after a few years, the house was gone, the money was gone, the man died, and she was left sweeping the streets.
"It's just a novel, but people like Li Guoxiang are everywhere."
He Yan offered a word of comfort, then recalled some people he had met in the past.
"Actually, I think Qin Shutian is quite an interesting person. On the surface, he seems crazy, but he's actually very clear-headed. When Wengweng comes, he pretends to be stupid, but when Wengweng leaves, he goes back to doing what he was doing."
Ren Hongxing approached Qin Shutian at some point and gave his evaluation.
"I think he's just average, especially since he got together with Hu Yuyin and she's pregnant. What kind of behavior is that?"
Lin Xi frowned, thinking that Qin Shutian was not as good as Chen Weidong, at least the latter treated Su Man quite well.
"Comrade Linxi, I think your view is a bit outdated. The two of them were supporting each other at that time. What else could they have done? If they hadn't had each other, I don't think they might have been able to persevere."
Lin Xi opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she was speechless. After all, she had also experienced that period herself. Although she was young at the time, she was old enough to remember things. There were indeed people around her who were in similar situations, and many of them couldn't take it and left.
"Can you feel it? This time, Wei Dong's descriptions of the scenery and people are more realistic than before. For example, the rice tofu stalls, market days, and stilted houses in western Hunan are vividly depicted."
A story like this happens right here in our town.
He Yan spoke up to ease the tension, not wanting Ren Hongxing and Lin Xi to continue their confrontation.
"Live on, live on like livestock!"
Fu Xiao, who had been silent until now, couldn't help but shed tears as she read this. It reminded her of those days in the past, when she was all alone and had to shoulder everything on her own, with no hope for the future.
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