Chapter 25: A Gift from Mother

Seeing this, the three of them stood up.

"Good day, Elder Ye."

"Ah, Xiao Hu, you’ve arrived? Please, have a seat. And this must be Cheng Kaiyan, right? Using your own name as a pen name—that is truly unique."

Elder Ye’s gaze swept over the three, and noticing Cheng Kaiyan, he recognized him as the author of *The Submarine in the Night*. He spoke with a smile.

After Editor-in-Chief Hu’s phone call yesterday, he had asked his son, Ye Zhicheng, to purchase the latest issue of *Children’s Literature*. When his son returned, he reported that the issue was selling quite well; not only were young children buying it, but high school and college students were as well.

This had piqued his curiosity, leading him to read it carefully twice. Although the writing style was a bit green, the narrative structure, depth of thought, and sense of humor were quite impressive for a young writer.

"Haha, you flatter me, Elder Ye. I’m just terrible at coming up with names."

Cheng Kaiyan gave an awkward smile. He certainly hadn't used his own name just so people would immediately know it was him.

"Haha."

Upon hearing this amusing reply, Xu Dexia and Editor-in-Chief Hu shared a playful smile; it was indeed rare for someone to use their real name as a pen name.

"Since young Cheng is so bad at naming things, why don’t you give him a pen name, Elder Ye?" Editor-in-Chief Hu suggested with a twinkle in his eye.

Elder Ye shook his head. "Since Comrade Cheng already has a pen name, why should an old man like me bother? Let’s talk about his piece instead."

"Please, go ahead..."

The three sat up straighter; the important part was coming.

Elder Ye pondered for a moment before saying, "I am quite optimistic about Comrade Cheng’s piece. He has abandoned traditional narrative structures, drawing inspiration from Borges’s style. In this, he is very similar to Wang Meng, who previously wrote a stream-of-consciousness novel that, despite being criticized by many domestically, was a highly innovative work.

"The one thing that drew me to young Cheng’s piece is simple: it is interesting!

"Extremely interesting.

"At the end of the story, the protagonist, having lost his imagination, is working at his office and gets scolded by his boss for lacking creativity.

"Cheng writes only one line there: 'At that moment, I really wanted to drive my submarine and crash into them.'

"This is an element missing from so many modern fairy tales. Fairy tales must be interesting! Only then can they attract children..."

"That is certainly true." Everyone nodded in unison.

After delivering his critique, Elder Ye yawned with a hint of fatigue. Looking at Cheng Kaiyan, who sat as straight as if he had a military background, he couldn't help but feel a sense of affinity. Recalling his earlier refusal to pick a pen name, Elder Ye smiled and said, "Comrade Cheng, you have a talent for literature. If you have any future works you’re unsure about, feel free to bring them to me. I may be old, but I still have the ability to evaluate and provide guidance."

Ye Zhicheng, Editor-in-Chief Hu, and Xu Dexia looked at Elder Ye in surprise. "Are you planning to take on a student?"

"A student is unnecessary; guidance is quite enough," Elder Ye replied, waving a hand.

"That would be wonderful! I actually have a draft I’ve been working on that I’m not quite sure about!" Cheng Kaiyan’s eyes lit up, and he spoke with genuine surprise.

"Is that so? Why not let me take a look?" Xu Dexia asked eagerly upon hearing about a new manuscript.

"Indeed, Comrade Cheng, you mustn't forget about *Children’s Literature* when you have new work. We can certainly discuss the terms," Editor-in-Chief Hu added.

"That goes without saying, but this particular draft might not fit," Cheng Kaiyan replied helplessly. *Fang Cao* was not a fairy tale; it was a dark, heartbreaking story.

"What! Have you submitted it to another editor?" Xu Dexia looked at him in shock, her expression as if to say, "Do you have someone else on the side?"

"That’s not it. It’s not a children’s story; it’s a 'sent-down youth' novel, which is why I’m a bit hesitant," Cheng Kaiyan confessed.

"I see. A 'sent-down youth' novel? You can write those too?"

The two editors breathed a sigh of relief—as long as their own author wasn't running off to competitors. But hearing that Cheng Kaiyan was tackling such serious literature, they couldn't help but gasp.

"That sounds excellent. When you have the time, bring it over and let me have a look," Elder Ye said, his eyes bright. His estimation of Cheng Kaiyan rose a notch.

The group chatted and laughed, the atmosphere harmonious and pleasant.

...

Approaching eleven o'clock, Xu Dexia and Editor-in-Chief Hu treated Cheng Kaiyan to a meal at a restaurant.

After finishing, and before his mother's shift ended, Cheng Kaiyan bought a portion of food for her. Dengshikou Primary School, a century-old institution, was where his mother, Xu Yuxiu, taught mathematics.

"Is Teacher Xu Yuxiu in?"

When Cheng Kaiyan arrived at the office with the food, there were only a few teachers present: one young woman and another in her forties.

"Oh! You must be Teacher Xu’s son, Cheng Kaiyan, right? I heard Teacher Xu mention that you’d returned from the service. I’m your mother’s colleague, Auntie Huang. Your mother is still in class, but she’ll be back shortly," Auntie Huang said with a smile.

"Good day, Auntie Huang. I’ll just sit here and wait," Cheng Kaiyan replied.

"My, my, this boy is quite handsome," Auntie Huang whispered. The young teacher beside her nodded in firm agreement.

"Oh, Kaiyan! Did you write an article for that *Children’s Literature* magazine? Auntie Huang saw someone with your exact name in there!" she asked curiously.

Cheng Kaiyan nodded, thinking it normal since he used his real name and many elementary students read the magazine.

Auntie Huang clicked her tongue in amazement, her eyes full of surprise. "No wonder Teacher Xu, who used to look so worried, has been in such a good mood lately. So it’s because her son has become a writer!"

Soon, the bell rang.

Xu Yuxiu, carrying her lesson plans and walking in her leather shoes with a rhythmic *click-clack*, entered the office. Seeing a familiar figure sitting at her desk, she beamed. "Kaiyan, why are you here? Have you eaten?"

Xu Yuxiu had been in high spirits these past few days. She had noticed many children in school carrying copies of *Children’s Literature*, reading them with great delight. Some of her colleagues had even started reading her son's story because of it.

Her son was truly impressive, just as she expected.

Xu Yuxiu didn't brag like a nouveau riche; she kept her pride hidden. However, everyone had been guessing whether this Cheng Kaiyan was indeed her son. She simply wouldn't say, enjoying the secret thrill of it. *That’ll show them for being so snide before!* she thought with a huff.

"I’ve eaten, Mom. I brought some food for you." Cheng Kaiyan held up the lunch box he had carefully packed.

"My, Yuxiu, your writer son is so filial, bringing you a meal like this. I’m so envious," Auntie Huang said.

"Well, of course," Xu Yuxiu said, lifting her chin proudly.

She took the lunch box and, seeing the generous portion, asked curiously, "Did you make this?"

"Of course not. I packed it from a restaurant. Two editors from the magazine department took me to meet a senior literary figure today, and we had a meal on them," Cheng Kaiyan replied.

"That explains it." Xu Yuxiu nodded, pulled up an empty chair, and began to eat.

"By the way," she said after finishing, "since you’ve started working, I know it’s a hassle to commute. I’ve been thinking—I’ll just buy you a bicycle. Since your article was published, consider it a reward from your mother."

"Really?" Cheng Kaiyan was pleasantly surprised. A bicycle cost over a hundred yuan.

"Of course. A mere hundred yuan is nothing to your mother."

"Do you have a purchase permit?"

"Don't be silly! Why would I be talking about it if I didn't have the permit?" Xu Yuxiu gave him a charming roll of her eyes.