Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Youth Poetry Gathering

Cheng Kaiyan spent the entire morning writing his manuscript, estimating that he would finish the first volume within the next two days. During this time, his aunt would occasionally ask him to refill his water cup. Life felt peaceful and serene, especially when the sunlight fell upon his face, bringing a gentle warmth that made his pores feel relaxed.

At eleven o'clock, just as expected, Lin Xiaohong came to call everyone for a meeting with the department head.

In the conference room, the twenty-plus members of the Chinese Department took their seats one by one. Cheng Kaiyan noticed, not entirely to his surprise, an elderly man with a round face and a white beard glaring at him.

"Hiss!"

Isn't this the old man who was practicing qigong yesterday? Why is he here?

Before he could dwell on it, Cheng Kaiyan saw a scruffy, thirty-something-year-old man in a nearby corner also looking at him. This was the very person who had mocked his educational background when he first joined the faculty.

Director Fang rubbed his balding head, scanned the room, and said in a low voice, "With the Spring Festival approaching, this is the final meeting before the students go on break. The work arrangements are as follows..."

The main topics were the scheduling of final exams and precautions for the holiday period. This year, the Spring Festival fell on February 16th. The winter break typically lasted a month, from the end of January to the 16th day of the first lunar month, though some regions allowed students to finish celebrating the Lantern Festival at home before returning.

"Aside from the final exams, according to a notice from the school leadership, we will be holding a poetry gala this month in collaboration with *Poetry Periodical*. We are inviting editors from the journal and professors from the Chinese Department to jointly review submissions. We hope students and faculty will participate enthusiastically. The rewards are substantial—whether you want bicycle coupons, television coupons, watch coupons, or cash prizes, everything is available. As long as you have a good piece, you can take these home and have a wonderful New Year. Those who excel will also be featured in the journal and invited to attend the *Poetry Periodical* Youth Poetry Gala."

As soon as Director Fang finished speaking, the room erupted in a buzz of excitement.

"No wonder Editor Zhou from *Poetry Periodical* was here a few days ago; it turns out it was to organize this New Year event!"

"Bicycle coupons! Our family has been needing a bike for a long time, but we could never get a coupon," a male lecturer said, his eyes lighting up.

"There's prize money too, but what's even more attractive is getting published in *Poetry Periodical*. This is a top-tier national publication!"

The crowd chattered away, filled with a determined competitive spirit.

"Excellent! The morale is high. Everyone should participate actively. Whether you win or not, everyone must write at least one poem. Even if you don't win, if you write well and show true poetic talent, I see no reason why we couldn't promote such teachers exceptionally," the white-bearded old man nodded and said solemnly.

"Mr. Qi Gong is right. 'Recruit talent without adhering to a single pattern'—that is the motto of the Chinese Department! Let us in the Chinese Department strive to sweep all the awards! Comrades! Can we do it?" Director Fang waved his fist, boosting morale.

"Yes!"

After being stirred up by such rhetoric, everyone was incredibly excited.

Qi Gong?

Cheng Kaiyan found the name familiar, and he quickly remembered who this person was. Qi Gong, a Manchu, was the eighth-generation descendant of Prince Heqin Hongzhou, the fifth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, though he himself never used the surname "Aisin-Gioro." Since 1958, he had been teaching in the Chinese Department at Beijing Normal University. He was a renowned contemporary calligrapher and painter, and his classical-style poetry was celebrated both at home and abroad, earning him the title of "Master of the Three Excellences" in poetry, calligraphy, and painting.

"So he's a big shot."

Cheng Kaiyan felt a bit awkward, remembering how he had boasted in front of this old gentleman just yesterday.

"Also, regarding salaries: because it is the New Year, the school has issued some white flour, a catty of pork, and several vouchers. Everyone should go to the logistics office to sign for them later. Lastly, a personnel change: Song Jianming, formerly of the logistics department, is transferred to the Chinese Department as a teaching assistant starting today. Let's give him a round of applause!"

"Clap, clap!"

A man with a scruffy beard, a square face, and a height of about 1.78 meters stood up. With a humble smile on his face, he introduced himself: "I think everyone knows me. I am Song Jianming. I previously worked in the logistics department and was later seconded to the Foreign Literature Research Office. I hope..."

Cheng Kaiyan joined the others in clapping half-heartedly. "I keep feeling like I've seen this person somewhere before. These facial features..."

After the meeting, Cheng Kaiyan finished lunch with his aunt. She went back to the dormitory to rest, while Cheng Kaiyan was eager to return to the office to work on his manuscript. As he passed the small garden, he encountered the two Song brothers.

"Teacher Cheng, have you eaten?" Song Jianchun walked along the pebble path and greeted him upon seeing him.

"I have, Student Song." Cheng Kaiyan turned and smiled in response. He knew Song Jianchun, having heard his name mentioned several times in Zhao Ruixue's dormitory, and since he was a student in his own class, he remembered him.

"By the way, I heard you published an article in the school journal. I read it, and it was very well written," Cheng Kaiyan said after a moment's thought, offering a compliment.

"Ahem... I just wrote it for fun; it's hardly worthy of high praise." Song Jianchun was caught off guard by Cheng Kaiyan’s words. He looked at him with surprise, not expecting a compliment from the man he had always treated with hostility, and felt a sudden pang of guilt.

"You're being too modest. And who is this?" Cheng Kaiyan pointed to Song Jianming and asked curiously.

"This is my older brother, Song Jianming. He was previously working in the countryside in the southern frontier. He returned a few years ago and worked in logistics. Now he's been transferred to the Chinese Department as a teaching assistant, just like you, Teacher Cheng. I hope you can look out for him."

Song Jianchun knew that Cheng Kaiyan had an extraordinary background, having been personally brought in by Professor Jiang Ting as her trusted aide. And this Professor Jiang was a person of immense influence; one didn't become a professor in their thirties who had studied in East Germany by being simple. Naturally, he wanted Cheng Kaiyan to take his brother under his wing.

"I don't need the protection of someone who came in through the back door. Talent carries you everywhere, while a lack of it leaves you stranded," the scruffy-looking Song Jianming snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with his younger brother's fawning behavior, before flicking his sleeves and walking away briskly.

Cheng Kaiyan watched Song Jianming's retreating back and said nothing, merely smiling.

Song Jianchun laughed sheepishly. "I'm sorry, he's just too arrogant."

"It's fine."

At noon, everything was quiet. Cheng Kaiyan sat firmly at his desk, writing the story of Fangcao.

After that night, life returned to calm, and Song Jingming continued to treat Xiaofang as he always had. However, Xiaofang could sense that their relationship was now laced with emotions she couldn't quite name. Sometimes she felt like his little sister, and other times she felt like his lover.

But she didn't have time to dwell on it, because in recent days, many in the village had come down with a strange illness—vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, chest pain, and occasionally blood in their phlegm. She was a member of the village health clinic.

Xiaofang's father, the old branch secretary, suspected that the "monkeys" from across the border in Annam were up to something and wanted to report it.

Soon, an unknown disease began to spread through the nearby villages. The educated youth were in a panic, many falling ill themselves. The remaining ones, led by the knowledgeable Song Jingming, began to investigate the source of the sickness in the village...

"It's Schistosoma japonicum!" Xiaofang heard her "Big Brother Song" declare firmly and decisively after he had run to the county town to consult books.

Through their combined efforts—writing slips, finding herbs, and conducting experiments—a crisis was averted.

Song Jingming and Xiaofang were honored and rewarded for their contributions. Months later, as the two embraced in a cornfield, Xiaofang suddenly felt a wave of nausea and began to vomit.

She was pregnant.