The literary era since 1979

Chapter 20 New Year's Eve Dinner in 1980

When they arrived at the train station, Fangyan, under the care of Hu Cai, and several people from the Shaanxi-Gansu delegation were arranged to board the Yellow River truck that was transporting goods to Yan'an. They pooled together two bags of Big Wild Goose Pagoda for 2 yuan each for the driver.

Nowadays, truck drivers wouldn’t change their jobs even if they were offered a high position!
When the motor starts, it's worth a fortune.

The front passenger seat was given to the female comrade, and Fangyan and others sat in the back seat. The ride was bumpy and their buttocks were almost broken into four pieces.

When they arrived at the pagoda, Fangyan got off the bus and ate a big bowl of mutton soup with steamed buns in the city. With a belly full of greasy food, he walked all the way and finally returned to the Yangjiawan Brigade of Hezhuangping Commune.

He showed the team a certificate issued by "Yanjing Literature and Art", otherwise he would not be able to return to the team, and then took out 2 bags of peach cakes.

As for how to divide it, the brigade will handle it internally.

Fangyan had already brought honor to the Yangjiawan Brigade, and now he was given both face and substance. The brigade secretary and the brigade leader were so grinning from ear to ear that they warmly treated him to dinner in the team.

White steamed buns, meat and vegetables, and even boiled eggs.

If the chicken could be killed, I would have added another stew chicken.

After the meal, he personally sent him back to the kiln.

Of the remaining two packs of peach cakes, one was distributed to the educated youth at night, and the other was given to the team leader who had always taken care of him over the years.

As soon as the sun rose, the whole village and the whole brigade knew about it.

Dialects are back!
All day long, there are always people coming to him, and they all say the same thing, Yanzi, do you want a wife or not?

As long as you open your mouth, I will send the person to you.

I was so annoyed that I couldn't write the script of "The Shepherd" quietly in the earthen kiln, so I had to hide away outside.

I thought it would slowly die down, but it turned out to be just the beginning. I don't know if it was Hu Cai and Lu Yao who fanned the flames, but newspapers and periodicals in northern Shaanxi such as Yanhe, Chang'an, Shanhua, and Culture and Art Newspaper all reprinted and commented on "The Shepherd", vigorously promoting reflective literature.

Dialects are popular again!
It spread from the provincial capital to the county town and then to the commune.

The whole pagoda was in a sensation. Maybe he was not the first writer in history to publish a novel, but he was definitely the most famous!
Those who wanted to talk to him about marriage, seek his advice on novels, or make friends with him also saw people from the Xi'an Film Studio.

However, the conversation was not pleasant.

When Fang Yan proposed to be the screenwriter of "The Shepherd", the representatives of Xi'an Film Studio hoped that professional screenwriters from the studio would write the script.

The two sides were deadlocked, and the representatives of Xiying Studio had to go back and report to the factory and let the director and others make the final decision.

Fang Yan found out after asking that the director of Xiying Studio was not Wu Tianming. No wonder! If it was him, he would have agreed long ago!
Although the cooperation was not reached, I still wrote the script.

There are so many film studios across the country, not just the Xi'an Film Studio.

These days lasted until early December, when I finally received the confirmed news that we would be recruited to return to the city, and I could go back to Beijing!
Fangyan completed all the formalities and, with everyone's farewell, boarded the brigade's tractor, returning the same way he had come.

"Isn't this Yanzi?"

"Oh my god, it's really Yanzi!"

"Our great writer is back!"

When the dialect appeared in the alley, the neighbors shouted in surprise and enthusiasm, and he greeted them one by one.

After more than a month, I returned to the slum.

It feels like nothing has changed, yet it feels like something has changed.

"Iwako!"

Following Yang Xia's scream, everyone in the yard was alarmed, and except for those who had not yet finished get off work, everyone else ran over.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Fangyan was dusty and grinning.

"Aren't you going back again now?"

Yang Xia hurriedly grabbed his arm.

"no need."

Fang Yan shook his head and laughed, "It's about the household registration. I'd like to trouble Uncle Liu to take me to the street office."

…………

The next day after returning to Beijing, I went to the street office early in the morning to complete the formalities.

The power to decide whether the educated youth can return to the city, whether they can return to the city early, and what kind of work they will be assigned after returning to the city lies in the hands of the Educated Youth Office.

Even if you want to register your household registration after returning to the city, you need the Youth League Office to issue a certificate of consent for settlement before the police station can process your household registration.

It’s easier to get things done with an acquaintance like Liu Dongfang.

With the reputation of a great writer, his journey was smooth sailing.

After running around the streets, one person then ran to the police station, grain management office, labor bureau and other departments, running around everywhere.

Finally, the household registration and food issues have been settled!
This is the real "I'm back"!
I reported to the editorial office after the New Year, and during the rest of the time, I used the dialect to write the script of "The Shepherd", which lasted until January, 1980.

At this time, China has fully restored the Spring Festival holiday system, and we can finally celebrate the New Year happily!
"Ouch!"

Early in the morning, Fangyan brought the newspaper, and a brief piece of news woke him up from his drowsiness like thunder.

It said that the Ministry of Commerce had issued a special notice requiring all major cities to open up the supply of pork, encouraging local purchase, local slaughter and local sales, so that people across the country could celebrate the Spring Festival happily.

The dead memories suddenly began to attack.

Fangyan remembered that there were several places where one could buy pork without a ticket, such as Shengli Store, and he immediately became alert.

He went out in a hurry and came back mysteriously.

"Yanzi, where have you been? You're sneaking around like that."

Su Ya piled the stored cabbages against the wall.

"Hey, just wandering around."

Fangyan gave a meaningful smile.

"Why did you go out for a stroll today instead of earlier or later in the morning?"

Su Ya put her hands on her hips and cast a scrutinizing look. "Let me tell you, I've been observing you for a few days, but you've been hiding in the house, and it's hard to see you even once. What are you doing? Writing a novel?"

"Novel! Iwako is writing a novel again!"

Liu Jianjun shuddered all over and looked up suddenly.

"No."

Fangyan waved his hands and said, "Forget it. I can't be the only one who can take advantage of this good thing. I'll tell you this. I found a supply and marketing cooperative. When the time comes, there will be a batch of pork that doesn't require tickets or capital. Do you want to go with me to grab it?"

"No tickets or book required, is this true?!"

Su Ya and Liu Jianjun looked at each other in surprise.

"Of course it's true. If you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do."

Fangyan shrugged.

"How much does it cost per pound?"

Su Ya was very excited, but she had just paid off her family's foreign debt and saved some money to support the family expenses, so she was not well off.

"9 cents." Fangyan said with a smile, "Limited to 4 kilograms per person."

"The same price as the ticket." Su Ya's eyes lit up.

"Yes, do you want to go?" Fang Yan asked. "Yes, you must go!"

Seeing Su Ya was going, Liu Jianjun also shouted that he wanted to go.

Fangyan did not hide anything and spread the news openly. Soon, people from the front yard and the back yard came over after hearing the news.

The entire alley entered a level one combat state.

Every household sent out one person, and everyone went out, led by Fangyan, and rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative in a mighty force to buy pork.

The store hasn't opened yet, but there's already a long queue outside.

Everyone was wrapped tightly in scarves and coats. The winter in Yanjing was freezing cold.

When the staff opened the door, they were shocked to find that there were too many people queuing. They were afraid that they would not be able to maintain order after opening the door, so they changed the location.

Buying things was a compulsory course at that time, so changing the queue was as easy as standing to the right during drill. People stood one next to the other to prevent anyone from cutting in line. Dozens of people turned into a human centipede, wriggling slowly.

"Don't cut in line, comrade!"

Su Ya saw five people squeezing in from the side of the team.

"What nonsense are you talking about, little girl? Who cut in line?"

The leader of the five glared menacingly.

"You're going to cut in line and hit someone, right?"

Su Ya reached into her bag and looked at him coldly.

"Hey!"

The leader bared his teeth and said confidently: "No one else said anything, why are you yelling? You are meddling in other people's business. Don't think that just because you are a lesbian, we really don't dare to hit you..."

"Hey! Buddy, why is it you?"

Fang Yan immediately shouted from behind Su Ya.

"Who are you? Do we know each other?"

"I don't know you, why are you cutting in line?"

"Hey, a hero saving a beauty, but you don't even think about yourself." The leader shifted his attention to Fangyan.

"You're relying on your numbers to bully the few, right?"

Su Ya shouted, "Men and women in Nanluoguxiang, stop watching the show! Someone is here to bully us!"

In an instant, the people queuing behind Su Ya and Fang Yan responded one after another, standing up and staring at the five people with eager eyes.

"Stay in line at the back!"

Su Ya shouted loudly, and said in dialect: "Queue up!"

"Queue up! Queue up!"

The neighbors followed suit and shouted, their voices shaking the sky.

The noise grew louder and louder, alarming the administrator and the local police. The five people had no choice but to give in.

Before leaving, he glared at Su Ya and Fang Yan fiercely:

"You have guts, but I have something to say to you: young people, don't be too aggressive!"

"Don't be angry, call me young man!"

Fangyan was not afraid at all and retorted.

"it is good!"

Watching the five people leave dejectedly, the crowd burst into cheers and applause, and then the entire team lined up in an orderly manner.

"You are so bold. What would you have done if we were not there?" Fang Yan rolled his eyes.

"What are you afraid of? I have this."

Su Ya took out a rolling pin and a pair of large scissors from her bag.

Fangyan was surprised, "Why do you bring these with you when you go out?"

"I brought it for self-defense. The public security has been bad recently. Some educated youth who returned to the city couldn't find jobs, so they wandered around the factory all day, fighting, brawling, robbing, and even behaving like hooligans towards female comrades."

Su Ya said: "If someone dares to provoke me and Sister Hong, I will stab him!"

Fangyan reminded: "Take it easy, don't stab anyone to death."

"No, this is a weapon that we will only use as a last resort. Normally, we can just use a rolling pin. Sister Hong also has one in her bag."

Suya put the rolling pin and scissors back into her bag.

"Lin Daiyu uprooted a weeping willow tree."

Fangyan recalled that she had a rolling pin in one hand and a pair of large scissors in the other, and the style of the painting was quite strange, absurd and weird, and she couldn't help but sigh.

In the end, the queue was not in vain, everyone got 2 kilograms and returned home with a full load.

"Yanzi, the piece of meat you picked is great, so fat!"

Fang Hong rolled out the dough quickly.

The most important dish of the New Year’s Eve dinner is, of course, dumplings, and dumplings are almost all filled with pork and cabbage.

"Sister, actually lean meat is better for dumpling fillings."

I was wrapping dumplings in a somewhat unfamiliar dialect.

"You kid, how much fat can lean meat have!"

Yang Xia scolded with a smile.

"Brother, you can't make dumplings as well as I do."

Fang Yan looked at his extremely ugly dumplings, and showed off her own dumplings with lace, with her nose turned up to the sky.

“I haven’t made dumplings in a long time.”

Fangyan couldn't help but sigh.

In an instant, Yang Xia and Fang Hong's faces froze.

Fangyan noticed that the atmosphere was getting weird and realized that they had misunderstood him. He had lived a life of luxury in his previous life and had never made dumplings himself again, but he was afraid that they thought he was complaining.

"Mom, sister, why are you crying?"

Fang Yan blinked.

"You are the only one who talks too much. Go to the kitchen and get the fried hairtail fish!" Fang Hong glared at her and then comforted Yang Xia.

"Mom, it's unlucky to cry on such a beautiful day."

Fangyan also comforted him, "Look, I'm back. Our family of four is reunited!"

"Yes, we are reunited, reunited."

Yang Xia grabbed Fang Hong's hand, patted Fang Yan's hand, looked at Fang Yan who was carefully carrying the plate, and smiled.

(End of this chapter)