099 The Youngest Childhood Friend of the Feng Family: Every Opportunity Counts (Please Support with Votes)

Playing dumb was clearly impossible, and silencing her even more so!

After some conversation, Cheng Xuemin learned that this female student was not a regular student at Yanda University but the newest batch of correspondence students, named Gong Xue.

Correspondence students were specifically arranged by Yanda University to accommodate the children of employees returning to the city, with the correspondence program authorized by Qiban.

Gong Xue had originally been a stage actress with the General Zheng troupe and was sent by her family to further her studies and improve herself.

Soon, a thought flashed through Cheng Xuemin’s mind—why did the name "Gong Xue" sound so familiar?

North Zhu Lin, South Gong Xue... No, no! It should be "North Zhu Lin, South Gong Xue." Wasn’t she the woman as renowned as the Queen of the Kingdom of Women, the dream lover of many born in the '50s and '60s?

She was even studying at Yanda now—what a coincidence.

With this, Cheng Xuemin had now encountered both the Northern Zhu Lin and the Southern Gong Xue.

But comparing them, his own wife, Jia You, was still far more charming.

He enjoyed a pleasant conversation with Gong Xue and learned that she had classes at Yanda on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in the mornings, and she often spent afternoons in the library.

Yesterday afternoon, when Cheng Xuemin didn’t show up, she couldn’t resist and proudly displayed a “sample issue” she was holding to clear up some misunderstandings about her reputation.

It was only then that Cheng Xuemin realized he had become quite famous at Yanda University!

The students on campus were playing a game of "Find the friends," determined to find Kuang Yalan and Huang Tugao Po.

However, their chat was cut short as Gong Xue had other work with the General Zheng troupe, so she left early.

Cheng Xuemin gave her the sample issue of “Yanhe Literature” as a gift and didn’t ask for it back.

He didn’t dare ask for it either—the difference between the sample and the officially published issue was significant!

If Feng Jiayou got hold of it, with her discerning eye, she would surely see through it in an instant.

After school that afternoon, Cheng Xuemin had nowhere to hide and was surrounded by the girls from Feng Jiayou’s dormitory in the cafeteria.

“Old Xu, why aren’t you eating? Why are you just staring at us?” Huang Beijia teased, laughing as she joked with Cheng Xuemin.

How was he supposed to eat under such circumstances? If anyone didn’t know better, they’d think all eight girls in her dorm were doting on him!

“Ahem! Let me get serious for a moment,” Cheng Xuemin said. “Next month, our magazine ‘Today’ will officially commission articles from you seniors. If you have any manuscripts, please submit them. If not, please help write something. How about that?”

Joking aside, Cheng Xuemin knew he had to strike while the iron was hot on the matter of soliciting articles—it was a freebie, after all.

He couldn’t wait until they demanded payment for contributions!

“‘Today’ magazine, huh? I heard from Teacher Chen. Old Xu, you’re quite something! Unknowingly, you’ve become a chief editor?” Huang Beijia took charge of the mood, promising to submit two articles herself and Jian Ying.

Other students quickly nodded in agreement, pledging to support the magazine. It was just one article after all.

They were from Yanda’s Chinese Department; if the submissions to October or Yan Jing Literature didn’t go through, how could they not get something published in a fledgling magazine?

“Jia You, you must submit three articles. It’s your husband’s magazine!” Cha Jianying joked.

“You keep denying it, Jia You, but I think you two are exactly the same!” she laughed.

“I guess the ‘Female University Dormitory’ piece in ‘Shanghai Literature’ was written by you, right?”

“Don’t deny it—you basically wrote about the girls in our dorm!”

“Beijia is probably Kuang Yalan, Xuehong wrote about herself, Song Ge is a class officer, so that must be Xuehong. I’m from the countryside, so I must be Luo Xuemei in your story, right?”

After half a month of investigation and speculation, the circle of suspects for “Female University Dormitory” had narrowed considerably.

Feng Jiayou, because of her husband ‘Old Xu the Wrangler’ and his previous experience, was the prime suspect.

Even her dorm mates Cha Jianying and Huang Beijia were convinced that “Female University Dormitory” was written by Feng Jiayou under her husband’s guidance.

After all, with her husband’s divine assistance, Feng Jiayou had had pieces published in both October and Yan Jing Literature.

Now publishing an article in Shanghai Literature seemed quite normal.

“No, no! Jianying, Beijia, and Xuehong, I swear to heaven, I really didn’t write it!” Feng Jiayou insisted repeatedly.

If she had written it, wouldn’t she have admitted it immediately? The problem was, she didn’t write it—how could she confess to something she hadn’t done?

Moreover, Kuang Yalan, like her husband Cheng Xuemin, had kept quiet and hadn’t revealed her identity yet.

And since Shanghai Literature was far away in Shanghai, there was no way to verify with their editorial office.

“Not you? Then could it be Old Xu sneaking around behind Jia You’s back writing it?” Huang Beijia teased, shifting the blame onto Cheng Xuemin, startling him.

Why was this woman so sharp? How did the topic always turn directly to him, and so accurately?

Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

The prototypes of the female protagonists in “Female University Dormitory” all seemed to be found within their dorm.

But that was just because they were too immersed in the story.

With eight girls in one dorm, it was easy to see some prototypes in any story.

That alone wasn’t enough to suspect Feng Jiayou.

Now the blame was directly pointed at Cheng Xuemin, the originator of it all.

“Xuemin, could it really be you writing it behind my back?”

Sometimes Feng Jiayou herself wondered, unable to identify Kuang Yalan, that maybe her husband Cheng Xuemin was secretly the author.

And as Cha Jianying guessed correctly, Xingan was a rich young lady—wasn’t the story about Feng Jiayou?

“Jia You, the others don’t know me, but don’t you know me?”

“In the past month, under your guidance, my workload has been evident. Do you think I’d have time to write ‘Female University Dormitory’ on the side?”

“Besides, Shanghai Literature is so far away. If I had a manuscript, wouldn’t I submit it nearby instead of going so far?”

“Not to mention the payment—Jia You, you know how it is!”

Others might suspect, but his wife Feng Jiayou must not. If she did, no matter how well Cheng Xuemin hid it, it would eventually blow up.

“That’s true!”

“Beijia, Jianying, Xuemin doesn’t have that kind of time. I know, he just submitted a long novella of more than 200,000 words to De Ning!”

“Also, Shanghai Literature doesn’t pay the full seven yuan per thousand words.”

Feng Jiayou realized that her husband really didn’t have the time.

He had submitted three manuscripts to Yan Jing Literature, including a long novella over 200,000 words, plus an unpublished atomic bomb piece to her mother’s October magazine.

He had just finished the “Wrangler” script and handed it in.

Thinking about how he hadn’t even had a moment to breathe in over a month made her heart ache.

Too bad she didn’t live in the dorm; otherwise, she’d have rewarded her husband properly every night.

“What? Another novella over 200,000 words?”

“Jia You, Xuemin, why are you two so tight-lipped? Why not let us have a sneak peek?”

“Yeah! When will it be published so we can read it?”

Feng Jiayou modestly replied, “Maybe in the next issue of Yan Jing Literature.”

“But they probably won’t publish the entire 200,000-plus words at once.”

Hearing this, Cha Jianying and the others sighed in regret, lamenting Feng Jiayou’s lack of generosity for not letting them see the manuscript earlier.

“No, no—I can’t believe it!” Suddenly Huang Beijia exclaimed, her face full of shock.

“What? What’s wrong, Beijia? Why are you acting like that?” Liu Xuehong asked, startled.

“Jia You, you said Xuemin’s 200,000-plus word novella is with Yan Jing Literature, right? What’s the rate?

“Full rate, seven yuan per thousand words?!”

Now Cha Jianying and the others finally realized what Huang Beijia was so shocked about.

Seven yuan per thousand words at full rate, multiplied by over 200,000 words—that payment must be huge!

“More than fifteen hundred yuan?!” Cha Jianying blurted out, quickly calculating the fee in her head.

“No, no... Yan Jing Literature is still reviewing, and the fee hasn’t been finalized yet, really,” Feng Jiayou said, no longer pretending.

But the seven-yuan full rate wouldn’t change.

Since her mother’s October magazine paid the full rate, Yan Jing Literature wouldn’t dare go lower; otherwise, they’d just reject the manuscript.

“Xuemin’s work is guaranteed! Over fifteen hundred yuan... Jia You, you and Xuemin have really hit the jackpot!”

Everyone in the dorm, including Huang Beijia and Cha Jianying, was envious and exceedingly jealous.

They were still struggling with a short story worth just a few dozen yuan, revising it endlessly.

But Feng Jiayou’s husband, about their age or even younger by a year or two, was already earning over a thousand yuan for a single piece!

How did the man she brought from Shaanbei turn out so outstanding?

“Xuemin, you really didn’t write ‘Female University Dormitory’?”

Later, after parting ways with everyone and spending some intimate time with his wife, Cheng Xuemin was sending her back to the dorm when Feng Jiayou suddenly asked.

Though his workload over the past month was evident, the Shanghai Literature article was only about 20,000 words.

If he had secretly written it, given his speed, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Had he truly started hiding a private stash behind her back, as Bai Ling hinted?

“Honey, how could it be me? If it were, I would have handed over the payment to you already, right?”

At this point, Cheng Xuemin would never admit it.

Unlike her mother, who might get leniency by confessing, Feng Jiayou was different.

The more he admitted, the faster he’d be in trouble, and the private stash would be emptied immediately.

So, no matter who asked, his answer was always the same: it wasn’t him.

“That’s more like it!”

“I’ll bring Grandpa Qian’s cigarette money home for you later!”

Feng Jiayou hugged Cheng Xuemin tightly, feeling happier and more inclined to reward him.

“Well, that’s good. I even ran into Old Qian today. It’s only been one night, but his look was so pitiful...”

At last, the weather in Yanjing had cleared after the snow, and Cheng Xuemin and Feng Jiayou chatted happily as they reached the dorm, reluctantly parting ways.

The next morning,

The Wen Hui Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and People’s Daily had not reprinted the report on the “Wrangler” symposium, instead dedicating entire pages to political news.

Soon after, Yanda University’s broadcast announced the uplifting news.

The plenary session had officially concluded, and the new era was beginning; everything of the past was truly over.

Once the news spread, Yanda University erupted, as did the entire city of Yanjing and the whole country!

That afternoon, Cheng Xuemin received an urgent call, ordering him to report immediately to the Ministry, where Old Wu had important instructions to give him in person.

The call had first gone to his mother-in-law’s October magazine, then to the leadership office at Yanda’s Feng Jiayou’s department.

After being transferred many times, Cheng Xuemin answered the call in the library director’s office.

Startled, he didn’t dare delay and pedaled his bicycle rapidly toward the city center!

...

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