The literary era since 1979

Chapter 10 This Contract Worker Must Be Taken Down

Wang Jie sat aside, looking left and right, and finally her eyes fell on Zhou Yanru's face. She looked kind and said:

"Do you understand what this job entails?"

"Handle readers' letters, authors' submissions, contact and receive authors, and work with Wang Jie to coordinate the work of various groups."

Fang Yan repeated what Wang Jie had revealed to him.

"Xiao Wang told you?"

Zhou Yanru glanced at her honest and lovely apprentice.

"Master."

Wang Jie replied guiltily.

Fangyan said first: "I asked her to say it."

"Then you should know that we are not recruiting ordinary temporary workers, right?" Zhou Yanru turned her gaze to him.

"Yes, he is a contract worker."

Fangyan nodded.

If I were an ordinary temporary worker, I wouldn’t be able to return to the city.

"The reason why we are hiring contract workers instead of regular employees is not because we don't want to recruit them, but because the establishment of the agency is tight and we need to apply for them. However, the editorial department is in urgent need of staff, so we do this. This contract worker is equivalent to our reserve editor."

Zhou Yanru said without reservation.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there were permanent workers and temporary workers, and temporary workers were further divided into "planned" and "unplanned".

Planned temporary workers, that is, contract workers.

Approved by the relevant departments, an employment contract is signed with the unit for a period of one year, which can be renewed. The salary is determined by the relevant departments, and the benefits and treatment are basically the same as those of permanent employees.

More importantly, there was a policy for regularizing contract workers in this era. For example, in 1971, a document on "regularization of temporary workers" was issued, and all "planned temporary workers" were converted to permanent workers.

"You mean, there is still a chance to become a regular employee?"

Fangyan couldn't help but be excited. There was such a good thing!

"That's right. Contract workers are just a workaround for those who don't have a regular job. As long as our application report is approved and the targets are met, we can become regular employees." Zhou Yanru narrowed her eyes.

Fang Yan was startled. "Teacher Zhou, I didn't know about this beforehand. I was just interested in this job."

"Yes, Master, he definitely doesn't know."

Wang Jie generously helped to explain.

"You don't need to say anything."

Zhou Yanru raised her hand and said, "I didn't tell Xiao Wang about the contract worker's conversion to regular employee. She doesn't know about it, and you can't know about it either."

"Teacher Zhou, do you think I have a chance to apply for this job?" Fang Yan pursed his lips and sat upright.

"Tell me about yourself first."

Zhou Yanru unscrewed the cap of her fountain pen and put the tip of the pen on the paper. "Since you want to join the editorial department of Yenching Literature and Art, you should let us know more about you, such as your political outlook..."

During the question and answer session, Fangyan told the truth. Fortunately, he did not touch on topics that should not be discussed and said everything that could be said.

"Originally, each line recommended several people, and like you, they were all educated youth who returned to the city."

Zhou Yanru put the cap on the pen and said, "Considering that your situation meets our requirements, let me make the decision and include you in the list. However, whether you can be selected or not will depend on me discussing it with Mr. Li and Teacher Wang before we can make a decision."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou."

Fang Yan stood up and bowed to her.

"I want to say this first: don't have too high expectations. This contract worker may be you, or may not be you."

Zhou Yanru reminded.

Teacher, I really want to make progress!
Fangyan nodded and shouted in his heart.

"Then Master, we will leave first."

Wang Jie moved her feet, poked Fangyan's heel with the toe of her shoe, took him out of the small room, and closed the door.

Fangyan touched his chin and said, it’s time to show off!
But what is surprising is that there are not so many opportunities to show off. The editing work of the latest issue of "Yenching Literature and Art" has been completed. The entire editorial department can only start working after the pre-editing meeting is held and the theme and content of the next issue of the journal are determined.

Since I had nothing to do, I simply asked Wang Jie to find all the past issues of Yenching Literature and Art and read them from beginning to end.

In the middle of the conversation, Zhou Yanru came out for a while and noticed the "positive performance" of the dialect. She picked out the poems and novels he had read and talked about her views and insights. The topic became more and more extensive, and they talked about scar literature and hazy poetry, all of which are now popular literary trends.

Fangyan knows how to grasp the right measure to hide his shortcomings, and knows when to show his talents and when to keep his abilities to himself.

After all, being half a step ahead is genius.

One step ahead is crazy.

Zhou Yanru kept smiling the whole time, hiding it well. No obvious emotion could be seen on her face. She just said encouragingly:
"Good, continue."

"Master rarely praises me like this."

Wang Jie privately revealed to him, "You have a chance."

Fangyan was not worried about gains and losses. He just sat there for the whole day with a cup of tea, a book, and occasional jokes with Wang Jie. Such a working day can be described in one word: great!

"See you tomorrow."

After waving to Wang Jie, Fang Yan turned around and went back to Nanluoguxiang.

As soon as I arrived at the alley, I heard the neighbors yelling:

"Jia Junpeng, do you still want to eat?"

"Haha, Jia Junpeng, your mother is calling you to go home for dinner!"

"........."

"Hey, isn't this the second son of the Fang family? Are you back?"

"Hey, uncle, I just got back."

Fang Yan walked towards his own courtyard in the night, and saw Liu Jianjun and Su Ya standing under the big locust tree in front of the door.

"dialect!"

Su Ya waved.

"Hey, why are you two here?"

Fangyan took his hands out of his pockets.

"Don't talk about us yet."

Su Ya said casually, "I was wondering why you didn't come back at noon. I came back home on purpose to catch up with you."

"He should have gone to Yenching Literature and Art to revise his manuscript."

Liu Jianjun's eyes were complicated.

"How do you know everything?"

The dialect was a big surprise.

"Your mother told me when she was doing the laundry."

There was a sour taste in Liu Jianjun's words.

"Yanjing Literature and Art? Revise the manuscript?"

Su Ya looked confused, and kept asking in dialect, with more and more surprise on her face, "Why didn't I see in high school that you can actually write novels?"

"Nonsense, at that time, can I write anything randomly?"

Fangyan rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"That's right."

Su Ya smiled.

"That's not right. I remember that you always slept secretly during Chinese class. And your writing skills were often used as a negative example. Why did Yanjing Literature and Art take a fancy to your novels? Did you..."

Liu Jianjun secretly exposed his past.

“How does the saying go? Art comes from life.”

Fangyan curled his lips and said, "Before, I didn't have enough experience and couldn't write. Now that I have lived in the countryside for so long, I can write naturally."

“Art comes from life…”

Su Ya murmured several times in her mouth, "That's very well said!"

Seeing him showing off in front of Su Ya, Liu Jianjun was jealous, "Can you show me the novel you wrote?"

"And me." Su Ya said.

"I can't give it to you." Fang Yan shook his head and laughed.

"Don't be so stingy. Let me see what level of novels you can publish in Yanjing Literature and Art."

Liu Jianjun said, "Let me learn from you."

Fang Yan said, "It's not that I'm stingy. The manuscripts are all with the editor. But you don't have to worry. Yenching Literature and Art will give me a sample copy in a few days. Then you can come and get it."

"This is what you said, it's final!"

Suya's face was filled with smiles.

"Of course, when have I ever broken my promise?"

Seeing her full of energy, Fangyan laughed.

Seeing this, Liu Jianjun gritted his teeth and said, "How can you publish a novel with your level? Shit luck! It must be shit luck!"
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

In order to improve my writing skills, I have also written some novels. I can follow his example and submit them to publishing houses.

Even you can do it, why can't I?
(End of this chapter)