Chapter 47: Director Fang: Little Cheng really has capability

At one o'clock in the afternoon, a dark cloud half-shrouded the golden sun, revealing a semi-circular edge.

In the courtyard's open space, patches of shade alternated with patches of sunlight.

Inside the Cheng family kitchen, mother and son had closed the door and were whispering to each other.

On the dining table sat a pot of carrots stewed with mutton, alongside a plate of spicy pickled Chinese cabbage and a dish of shredded potatoes.

Because Uncle Yi had said that they needed to eat well every day, Xu Yuxiu prepared different dishes for him daily.

Although he was already twenty years old, his body was still developing like a child's; in Xu Yuxiu's words, she felt like she was raising a living ancestor.

She would spend a long time agonizing over what dishes to cook every day, but fortunately Cheng Kaiyan was not a picky eater, otherwise Xu Yuxiu would have been driven to exasperation.

"Hum hum hum~"

Mother Xu Yuxiu hummed an unrecognizable tune while her hands kept busy, touching the letter on the table over and over again. Her gaze towards her son was filled with a sense of pride.

As expected of her son, he really had a promising future!

News had just spread all over the courtyard that Wang Cuihua and someone from the Zhao family had gotten into a fight right at the public restroom, getting themselves completely drenched, and the mess smeared all over their faces was...

Forget it... Just thinking about it was disgusting.

At that moment, Cheng Kaiyan was reading the letter:

"Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, trust this letter finds you well. We are honored that you chose *Fragrant Grass*. Following a joint review by the editorial board of *Fragrant Grass*, it has been unanimously decided to accept your submission. However, there are some creative details that require you to personally visit Jiangcheng for discussion and revision..."

"Mom, when do you think I should go to Jiangcheng? The Lunar New Year is almost here, and the Major Cold solar term is right upon us," Cheng Kaiyan asked.

This year's Spring Festival fell on February 16th, and today was January 21st, the Major Cold in the lunar calendar.

There were still over twenty days left until the Spring Festival.

"Go early and come back early!" Xu Yuxiu replied, then narrowed her eyes and asked, "What? Are you planning to spend the New Year in Jiangcheng, or what?"

Oh, wonderful!

Got a girl and forgot your mother, is that it?

Cheng Kaiyan was perceptive enough to catch the look in Xu Yuxiu's eyes and quickly waved his hands: "I was just asking for your opinion! You are the head of the family, and I'm completely at ease with you calling the shots."

"Go early and come back early. Be back by February 9th at the latest, before the Lesser New Year."

Xu Yuxiu pondered for a moment and gave a deadline. After all, Xiaoli was still in Jiangcheng, so it would be quite nice for the two of them to spend some time cultivating their relationship.

"Alright!"

Cheng Kaiyan nodded and put the letter away.

Train tickets weren't easy to buy these days, and he also needed an official introduction letter from his workplace, which meant he had to ask Director Fang for leave.

"Mom, I'll go take care of this errand first."

"Alright! Come back early."

...

Riding his bicycle in a flash, he arrived at Dongsi Bayutiao, at the small courtyard where Ye Shengtao lived.

"Old Ye!"

Before even stepping through the door, Cheng Kaiyan called out.

In the small garden, Aunt Yao Cheng was wearing an apron and holding a watering can to water the flowers. Seeing him, she said pleasantly, "Kaiyan, what wind blew you here? Just a couple of days ago, the old man was wondering whether your novel had been accepted or not."

"Aunt Yao! My manuscript has been accepted! I came specifically to share the news. In a few days, I'm planning to head to Jiangcheng and stay at a guesthouse!"

"That fast! Congratulations!"

Aunt Yao led him into the study, where he met Ye Shengtao.

"Not bad. Getting accepted by *Fragrant Grass* can be considered a very good start for yourself."

Ye Shengtao glanced at the letter and nodded with satisfaction. In his view, apart from being somewhat bleak and gloomy overall, the manuscript had virtually no issues that would prevent publication.

"It's all thanks to your guidance, sir."

Cheng Kaiyan said very modestly.

"An editor revising a manuscript is a common occurrence. You are a newcomer to the literary world, and there are subtleties you don't understand. Making changes in minor details is harmless, but once it touches upon the theme and core message of your work, you shouldn't choose to go against your own will just for the sake of publication... If worst comes to worst, you can take it back and submit it to *People's Literature*."

Ye Shengtao explained some points to watch out for regarding manuscript revisions by editorial offices. Being an eighty-year-old man, he coughed a couple of times while discussing certain points, making Cheng Kaiyan feel quite apologetic.

"I understand, Old Ye. I'll listen to your advice."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded earnestly.

Fearing that he might disturb the old man's rest, Cheng Kaiyan didn't stay long before heading to Beijing Normal University to ask Director Fang for leave.

...

The Foreign Literature Research Office.

Doors and windows were tightly shut, and the interior was as warm as spring thanks to the heating supplied by the boiler room.

Director Fang sat behind his desk with his back to the window, dealing with the documents at hand. The teacup beside him had long since gone cold.

School matters had been very busy these days; right after wrapping up the students' final exams came the poetry competition.

The full name of the poetry competition was the First Teacher-Student Poetry Creation Competition of Beijing Normal University. They had even invited editors from *Poetry* magazine to attend and serve as judges to review the poetry submissions.

*Poetry* magazine was supervised by the China Writers Association, hosted by the China Publishing Group of Writers, and edited and published by the Poetry Magazine Agency. It was the sole national-level poetry periodical in China and held considerable influence within literary circles.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Just as Director Fang was lost in thought, a knock sounded at the door.

Director Fang said in a deep voice, "Come in."

Then the hinges of the door creaked, and a young man walked in.

"Director Fang."

"You are... Professor Jiang Ting's..."

Director Fang looked at Cheng Kaiyan before him and frowned, seemingly unable to recall his name for a moment, remembering only that this young man worked under Professor Jiang Ting.

Temporary workers really had no status; people couldn't even remember their names.

Cheng Kaiyan muttered inwardly, but the Chinese Department was large and had numerous teachers, so it was quite normal not to remember names. He loosened his collar and reminded him, "I'm Cheng Kaiyan, Director Fang."

"Ah, right, right, right! Little Cheng, what can I do for you?"

Director Fang patted his bald head and said with a sudden realization. He did have an impression of this Little Cheng; Professor Jiang had mentioned him once before, praising him for his diligence and how he usually studied in the office to improve his cultural knowledge.

"Director Fang, I have some personal matters to attend to in a few days, and I'd like to ask for a few days off."

Cheng Kaiyan said.

"Alright, no problem. There isn't much going on at school these days anyway, so your leave is approved."

Director Fang nodded, without asking what specific matters Cheng Kaiyan had to attend to, and directly granted the leave.

With that, he lowered his head to continue working on the documents before him. What he was currently reading was an article written by Song Jianming a couple of days ago.

The diction was exquisite and flamboyant, carrying a classical charm that flowed through it, leaving anyone who read it feeling refreshed and endlessly captivated.

Song Jianming was the son of an old colleague. He had previously been recommended to attend university, and after spending a few years sent down to the countryside for tempering due to certain events, he had become even more reserved. He had smoothed away his sharp edges and youthful arrogance, elevating his mindset to a higher level.

He was so eager to enter the official department!

He was talented, tactful, and knew when to advance or retreat. Such a person was truly rare.

This was why Director Fang had decided to transfer Song Jianming from the logistics department. Sure enough, only a few days after arriving at the Chinese Department, he had displayed extraordinary talent.

"What is it? Is there anything else?"

Director Fang asked without raising his head, noticing from the corner of his eye that Cheng Kaiyan's figure hadn't moved.

"Director Fang, actually I still need an introduction letter. Do you think you could help me issue one? My leave is for taking a long trip."

Cheng Kaiyan hesitated for a moment. To proactively say that he had been invited by a magazine's editorial office to revise a manuscript might sound a bit too boastful.

"A long trip? Where are you going? An introduction letter isn't something that can be issued casually. If you don't explain the situation clearly, an old man like me can't just write one."

Director Fang frowned and said. These young people who only told half of their stories were truly a headache.

"Weren't I writing things before? I casually submitted one piece to an external publishing house, and it actually got accepted. The editors asked me to go over and revise the manuscript, saying we need to catch it before the Spring Festival."

A manuscript?

Director Fang raised his head, looking somewhat surprised at the young man in his early twenties standing before him.

A slow smile then spread across Director Fang's wrinkled face, and he said loudly, "Why didn't you say so earlier! This is a great thing, Little Cheng! No wonder Professor Jiang mentioned before that you've been very motivated lately, running back and forth between the office and the library day and night. You actually pulled it off with your writing! Not bad, not bad! You're good material!"

"Hehe, Director Fang flatters me. I just wrote it to give it a try, I didn't expect it to get passed."

Cheng Kaiyan feigned a flattered look and scratched the back of his head.

"You didn't just write it blindly; you came prepared! Teacher Jiang told me all about it. You've worked hard during this period.

Alright, I approve it! Comrade Little Cheng is also bringing honor to Beijing Normal University! Once the work is published, I'll definitely have to take a good look at how it's written. If it's well-written, I'll pull strings to get you officially registered ahead of schedule!"

Director Fang laughed heartily, then pulled an introduction letter from his drawer and wrote one out for Cheng Kaiyan.

However, he didn't ask which magazine it was, figuring it couldn't be a major one anyway, and then handed over a set of other documents.

"Thank you, Director Fang!"

Cheng Kaiyan smiled as he took them. An official staff position—now that was something worth having!

That meant a steady salary of fifty-six yuan rain or shine every single month!

"By the way, did you participate in this poetry competition?"

"I did."

"Good! You're a talent! Keep working hard, our Beijing Normal University has always been unconventional in how we treat talented individuals."

Director Fang's gaze carried appreciation. Someone who could write articles and poetry alike was a talent worth cultivating.

The two chatted quite congenially, and Cheng Kaiyan bade farewell to Director Fang after obtaining his introduction letter and other documents.

As soon as Cheng Kaiyan opened the door, he saw Song Jianming standing with a man in his thirties.

The two looked at each other with mutual annoyance and brushed past one another.

"Jianming! You've suffered through hard times these past few years. I read your poetry this time, it's very well written!"

"Not at all, not at all."

Song Jianming pulled Editor Zhou from *Poetry* magazine into the office while chatting amiably.

"Director Fang! Editor Zhou is here."

After chatting for a bit, Song Jianming asked out of the blue, "Director Fang, was that Comrade Little Cheng just now...?"

"Oh! He came to ask for leave."

"Isn't the vacation almost here? Coming to ask for leave at a time like this?"

"He has some urgent matters to attend to."

Director Fang thought for a moment and decided not to tell Song Jianming about Cheng Kaiyan going to revise a manuscript. After all, going to revise a manuscript these days didn't guarantee publication, and until the matter was settled, it remained an unknown variable.