The rain, which had been intermittent for more than a month, finally stopped. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the mountains were green, the water was clear, and the turbidity of the flood had faded. The river surface on both sides became tranquil again, reflecting the scenery of the mountains on both sides.
After discussion and reference to various opinions, Zhan Aiping revised her manuscript again and again, increasing the readability of the story.
Gu Sheng is always her first reader.
Luo Zhiguo was holding a fishing rod. He was in a very relaxed mood recently. His children had grown up, his wife could make money, and he did not have much motivation to move forward. He lived a very peaceful life. As a middle-aged man, he was addicted to the hobby of fishing.
You can fish anywhere.
He said to Gu Sheng, "Old Gu, your wife is really troublesome. I heard from my family that she is working with someone to publish a story magazine. She is really troublesome."
"It seems like you've invested a lot of money in it. Did you invest the money you earned this year?"
Gu Sheng nodded: "It's been thrown out."
Luo Zhiguo: “…”
Comrade Lao Luo was very anxious. He lived a comfortable life, so he hoped that others could live a comfortable life like him. He widened his eyes and said, "Dude, your wife is leaking money."
Gu Sheng glanced at him and said calmly: "My wife can not only make a lot of money, she can also become famous and become a great writer."
Luo Zhiguo chuckled a few times and said with great pride: "When I was young, I also wanted to write something. I submitted two articles to the Military Art Academy and got them published."
Gu Sheng: "My wife published a book when she was in her twenties, and there are still publishers contacting her to reprint it."
Luo Zhiguo: “…”
"Why can't your wife be more quiet? She's a teacher and a doctor, and she also runs a teahouse and writes books."
Gu Sheng: "Those who are capable should work harder, unlike some people who want to retire at a young age."
"Go away, you don't know how to enjoy life, you're destined to be a hard worker." Luo Zhiguo waved his hand: "Our family only has a few hundred yuan a month to make, and we're satisfied. As the saying goes, contentment brings happiness. How can we have so much energy to mess around every day?"
"If the magazine your wife runs doesn't sell, I'll buy you a few copies. If you insist on me writing two articles, I can agree to it."
Gu Sheng ignored him.
Luo Zhiguo wanted to take Gu Sheng to go fishing and become a good partner for fishing by the river. Comrade Wang Youli, on the other hand, was losing his hair every day. The training ground of Gu Sheng's school was near the camp, and the two met from time to time.
Comrade Lao Wang was really worried: "Lao Gu, Lao Gu, my wife is completely immersed in it now. She is not even lazy now. She runs out every day to make waves and work on her literary magazine. No matter how I persuade her, it won't work."
Gu Sheng said calmly, "When you were young, you just liked her romantic feelings and planned to talk about the stars and the moon and your literature after marriage. Now you have already thrown away your literature. You are so hypocritical."
Wang Youli was choked by him: "..."
"Before marriage, you cater to her interests, become her pen pals, pretend to like literature, quit smoking and drinking, and be a good husband. But after marriage, everything changes. You still smoke and drink, but you don't read books anymore. You just enjoy being a leader and give her political lessons every day."
Wang Youli smoked a cigarette and said in amazement: "Old Gu, how long did your political commissar teach you political lessons before that made you so resentful."
Gu Sheng crossed his arms and said condescendingly: "I'm telling the truth."
Wang Youli put out his cigarette and said frankly, "I have to tell you, we are in the same boat. Do you think you can run away? My wife is dressing more and more fashionably now. She goes to talk about creation with those great talents every day. Do you think your wife is any better? As a husband, don't you have any sense of crisis?"
"Why should I feel a sense of crisis? Whenever my wife finishes writing an article, she'll show it to me first—" Gu Sheng raised the corner of his mouth and added, "I'm not as old and ugly as you."
"Open your eyes wide, look at your Director Gu's face, look at my figure, if my wife is not blind she won't run away with anyone."
After saying that, Gu Sheng walked away in style, and Wang Youli was very angry with him.
Old and ugly
You are so talented that you are getting old and ugly.
Wang Youli looked in the mirror. He was almost forty, and his age was indeed getting older. In the past two years, he had not been able to keep his hair or teeth... Shen Liqing had been as lazy as she had been for ten years. After she had her hair permed, she looked energetic. She wore a beautiful red dress and went out to talk with cultural figures about creation and publishing.
It didn’t matter whether Shen Liqing’s publication could be successful or not. Wang Youli was just afraid that his wife would run away with someone else.
But this beast Gu Sheng has no sense of crisis at all. They have been married for almost ten years, and his wife is still running a magazine with someone else. Isn't he afraid that his wife will be abducted by a cultured person
Wang Youli recalled Gu Sheng's face, and he was indeed convinced. He was almost forty years old, but when he stood out, there were still a lot of young girls from the art troupe and the medical team asking about Director Gu. Those female soldiers also talked about Instructor Gu in private, and some even confessed their love to him boldly, without caring that he had a wife at home.
In recent years, the food allowances have improved, and Wang Youli has become over-eating. After so many years of smoking, his teeth have turned yellow. When he looks in the mirror, he finds that he looks completely different from five years ago, not to mention ten years ago.
What if my wife really runs away with someone
Even though he showed great confidence in front of Wang Youli, Comrade Gu Sheng couldn't help but be infected with anxiety by Comrade Wang.
In the evening, Zhan Aiping was brushing her teeth and washing up. Gu Sheng came up behind her reluctantly. The couple looked at themselves in the same mirror. The woman in the mirror had fair skin and a pair of lively eyes, like two fish swimming in the water. Her every move attracted people's attention.
Zhan Aiping was puzzled: "What are you doing?"
Zhan Aiping looked at the two people in the mirror. Gu Sheng was half a head taller than her. When he stood beside her, he was like a windshield, protecting her firmly underneath him. However, it was such a hot day, and she really didn't need such a windshield.
Gu Sheng said: "Do you feel that I am old and ugly?"
Zhan Aiping smiled and touched his face: "Comrade Lao Gu? What stimulated you? Are you speaking out of your feelings? I suspect you are hinting that I am old and ugly."
Gu Sheng: "Old Wang said that he was afraid his wife would run away with someone else."
Zhan Aiping: "...Comrade Gu, you seem to be implying something."
"I'm not afraid, he's the one who's afraid." Gu Sheng hugged Zhan Aiping from behind, their faces pressed together, "We look like a couple, and I'm pretty good looking."
Zhan Aiping: “…” He should really let his students hear these words.
The men and women in the mirror are handsome, and the years do not seem to have left many traces on their faces, except for quietly changing their youthful immaturity. Their chins are much sharper, without the roundness of their youth, and their cheeks are smaller.
Zhan Aiping's face was originally not big. When she was studying in the military academy, her face was the biggest and strongest. Now after so many years of retirement, her face is just a small and delicate one. Her loose curly hair makes her face even smaller and more delicate.
Zhan Aiping touched her face and thought that it was not because time had spared her, but because she had taken good care of her face.
The reason why we are human is that we have the ability to resist this natural law. Not every old lady in her sixties or seventies is skinny, has lost teeth, wrinkled skin, and white hair... those are all old stories from many years ago.
Zhan Aiping said: "Do you believe it? Even when I, your wife, am sixty years old, there will still be old men who fall in love with me at first sight."
"I was probably at my ugliest before I was twenty. I was too young before and didn't pay much attention to my image. Haven't you noticed that I'm getting prettier?"
Gu Sheng's mouth twitched, and his expression was hard to describe: "Which stinky old man fell in love with you at first sight?"
"I can beat ten of these stinky old guys by myself."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Zhan Aiping pointed at him in the mirror and said, "Look at yourself in the mirror. By that time, you will have turned into a stinky old man."
Gu Sheng suddenly said in a carefree manner: "That's fine too. An old man like me fell in love with you at first sight. We can live a sweet and happy life again."
"The children are all grown up now, so it's good that no one disturbs them."
When we are young, we try our best to act profound, but when we are in our seventies or eighties, we develop the mentality of a child instead. It's probably like this for everyone.
With the one you love around you, you will never grow up.
"You are always so careless. I can't stand your tossing and turning."
Gu Sheng hugged her waist: "Am I struggling now? I'm obviously very gentle."
*
The first issue of "Story Chat" founded by Shen Liqing and others was published in October 1980. It was released quietly without any advertising on TV, but was published in local newspapers. Shen Liqing and several other founders called on their friends and pen pals to spread the word, and the first issue barely had some sales.
Zhan Aiping bought more than a dozen copies for herself and kept them at home. She didn't need to give them away to friends and relatives. In order to support her work, her sister-in-law Zeng Xue said, "I bought thirty copies!"
"Ask his elder brother to promote it in the company. A certain elder brother used it this way. Besides, Doctor Zhan, your science fiction article is very interesting."
Gu Yao and Zeng Xue are married and have a daughter. In response to the current call for family planning, Brother Gu and his wife do not plan to have any more children and will only raise their only daughter, Gu Xuan, nicknamed Xuanxuan.
Brother Gu is blessed with a daughter, and he is a late-coming daughter. He is now a complete daughter slave, and it is disgusting to look at him.
According to his current logic, the man who wants to marry his daughter in the future must abide by the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" and must have strong moral character.
Brother Gu also likes to take pictures of his daughter and has taken a lot of them. He now loves to write letters to his younger brothers and sisters. In the letters he puts his "thoughts about adopting a daughter" and photos of his daughter, saying how cute his daughter is and how happy he is to be a father. He writes quickly, like writing official documents, and creates a large pile of photos.
Every time the second brother Gu received a letter from his eldest brother, he would feel irritated. It's just a daughter, who doesn't have a daughter? He also has a daughter. He also wrote letters everywhere to show off his daughter and express his feelings about his adopted daughter.
The third brother was extremely annoyed by his two elder brothers. They were two old bachelors, and they were holding a bunch of photos of their little niece. What was this all about
Is it amazing that you have a daughter
Brother Gu loved his daughter so much that he no longer had much brotherly love. He sent a telegram: "When we have family gatherings in the future, the second and fifth brothers must come back. The third and fourth brothers are free to do whatever they want. Fifth brother, let's talk about how to raise a daughter..."
The third and fourth brothers were very dissatisfied: "So we are kicked out of the house?"
My second sister-in-law works at Xinhua Bookstore. After Zhan Aiping and her colleagues published their publication, she helped promote it with great effort and went to various units to publicize it. She is not a particularly outgoing person, but for her sister-in-law's book, she tried her best: "Sister-in-law, I went to dozens of units in Northeast China, big and small, and visited many steel machinery factories. People were very surprised when they saw your novel. To be honest, they said that your science fiction novel is well written..."
Zhan Aiping expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, second sister-in-law, you have worked so hard."
"It's okay. You want to become a great writer. Then I'm a relative of writers." The second sister-in-law was happy.
Various relatives and friends came out to help promote the event. Zhan Aiping couldn't help but sigh that there is strength in numbers.
The first issue sold quite well. If they can continue to sell at this rate, even if they don’t make money, at least they won’t lose too much money.
The best thing is not to lose money.
It was not until seven or eight days later that Zhan Aiping's article "My Day in 2015" was suddenly widely publicized in major newspapers across the country. A big shot read it and said it was well-written. So all newspapers published it and everyone was discussing the article. Suddenly, Zhan Aiping became a hot figure.
As the article went viral, criticisms of the article poured in from society, saying that it was pure nonsense.
"What the hell is this about? Smart home? Dishwasher? Smart sweeper? ... If everything is smart and everything is a machine, what's the need for people?"
“Are there intelligent people?”
There are quite a few domestic manufacturers who like to study radio and pay attention to the future communications mentioned in the article, such as smart phones, mobile networks...
"Mom, you got the Chinese reading question!! Mom, you got the question!!! My brother said he saw your article on the test paper!" Gu Yuan excitedly called her mother as soon as she came back, holding a test paper in her hand. The reading question on the Chinese test paper happened to be the excerpt from "My Day in 2015" written by Zhan Aiping.
Gu Yuan clenched her fists excitedly and looked up at me, "Mom, you are so amazing!"
Gu Sheng smiled and said, "Your mother used to give people math problems, and now she gives people Chinese problems, both Chinese and math."
Gu Yuan hugged her mother's arm and said, "Mom, you are so good at writing, why is my composition performance so bad? I always get low marks. You know, my composition is the worst."
Zhan Aiping pinched her face and said, "You are forcing yourself to express your sorrow in order to compose new poems. You are forcing yourself to express emotions even if you don't have any."
Gu Yuan: “…”
"Mom! Please teach your daughter how to write essays!"
Zhan Aiping said mysteriously: "It's not time yet. When you are admitted to the Military Medical University and become a military doctor, and see more patients, you will know how to write it."
Gu Yuan: "… Is that possible?"
Gu Sheng smiled and touched his nose, thinking that your mother’s diaries and essays were really horrible.
At this time, society needs to set up role models. Once a role model is identified, it will be praised blindly and put on a pedestal. All places have to give her some face. Many schools, state-owned enterprises... have invited Zhan Aiping to give speeches, talking about her understanding of future technology, her understanding of literature and art, and how she has a pair of scientific eyes in life.
In the last two months of 1980, Zhan Aiping gave several speeches, which made her so overwhelmed that she sometimes didn't even know what she was talking about. But the audience always praised her, applauded, and said she spoke well.
After all the noise ended, Zhan Aiping washed her face with cold water, and she finally got rid of the restlessness and expansion.
"It's terrible. I'm praised by people every day. I think I'm the reincarnation of Li Bai, full of talent..."
Gu Sheng smiled and hugged her, asking, "How does it feel to be a famous person?"
Zhan Aiping said to Gu Sheng: "Give me my elementary school diary to calm me down."
Gu Sheng laughed: "I'm afraid you'll want to tear it up after reading it. If you do, you won't have a place to calm down next time."
"I am so panicked now. If my next work is not good, I will definitely be ridiculed and criticized. It is true that people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being fat... I am a good doctor, why should I write articles?"
Gu Sheng stroked her face and said, "Then I won't write anymore. I'll put down my pen."
"No." Zhan Aiping looked at Gu Sheng: "I want to try to write a novel called "New Life", which tells the story of a nurse in a township hospital from her perspective."
"After I finish writing it, I'll show it to you. You can't criticize me!"
Gu Sheng: "Okay, I'll be your first reader."
In the past, Zhan Aiping felt that she had nothing to write, but while giving speeches during this period, she recalled the eight years she spent working in the township health center. She saw so many people and saw so many things in this hospital.
—A hospital is a place where one can witness separations of life and death, and the warmth and coldness of human nature.
Zhan Aiping wrote her first sentence and began writing her first novel.
As the New Year approaches, Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. They have no plans for a big celebration, but instead only invite Wang Youli and his wife to their home for a meal. At the same time, a big bomb explodes in the Zhan family.
Zhan Mingkang brought a country wife home, and the woman was pregnant.
(End of this chapter)