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"Ah, Lao Chen, you're here!"

Early the next morning, Cheng Xuemin was shoved out of the warm blankets by an impatient woman and sent off to collect his manuscript fee voucher.

Arriving at the Peking University Library and seeing that Chen Shumin was indeed there, he called out a greeting.

"Xuemin, I was just thinking you ought to be coming to look for me!"

Seeing Cheng Xuemin arrive, Chen Shumin's face lit up with joy as well. Back when the winter vacation started, Chen Shumin had already agreed with Cheng Xuemin that he would be on duty at the library every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the break.

Today happened to be Friday, and calculating the time, Cheng Xuemin should be submitting the manuscript he had been working on.

North Island and Mang Ke were already finalizing the layout and printing; the only thing missing was Cheng Xuemin's front-page headline piece, which they had yet to receive.

It was awkward to push him too hard, knowing that Cheng Xuemin had been entangled in trouble lately.

Following that, he added, "I've read all the attacks in the Tianjin Daily over the past few days. What are your thoughts, Xuemin?"

"Why haven't I seen you speak out in public to counter them?"

Furious, Chen Shumin had already written a supportive rebuttal and submitted it to the People's Daily, though he had no idea if it would be accepted yet, as he hadn't received a reply.

Therefore, Chen Shumin hadn't mentioned this to Cheng Xuemin, only asking with concern why Cheng Xuemin himself remained silent.

Old Chen had also been following the newspapers here in Beijing, and he hadn't seen Cheng Xuemin utter a single public word.

Everything published came from supportive commentators, whose influence was somewhat lacking.

"Lao Chen, you're talking about the Tianjin Daily! Actually, there's no need to take it too seriously and respond. The innocent will clear themselves in time!"

Cheng Xuemin gave a wry smile. What did he mean, he hadn't spoken out?

His mother-in-law had already helped him coordinate several magazines and newspapers, uniting a front that was about to strike together!

Calculating the time, Harvest over in Shanghai would be the first to publish; the magazine might already be on a train heading toward Beijing.

Following closely would be Beijing Literature and People's Literature, while the most incisive piece of all, published in his mother-in-law's October, was set to hit the shelves next week.

So by next week, let alone the entire city of Beijing, the whole country would be exceptionally lively. Coupled with the approaching New Year next week, with all these manuscripts joining forces to speak out at once, things were bound to get extraordinarily bustling.

"By the way, I'm here today to deliver my manuscript! The high school attached to Peking University delayed me for two days because of final exams!"

Immediately after, Cheng Xuemin pulled the first draft of My Corps Years from his bag and handed it to Chen Shumin.

"You, you're just too cautious, exactly like Old Feng!"

Hearing this young man's peaceful and indifferent attitude, Chen Shumin could only worry anxiously on the sidelines. He took the manuscript handed over by Cheng Xuemin, felt the heavy weight in his hands, and asked in astonishment, "So much?"

Weighing it in his hand, a draft this thick must be fifty or sixty thousand words, right?

Yet at the time, hadn't they only commissioned a short story?

With a thickness and length like this, it had to be a novella!

Chen Shumin's expression instantly turned one of absolute shock, thinking to himself that this student Cheng Xuemin was truly generous—a novella of fifty or sixty thousand words, handed over just like that!

With this...

How could the other two editors-in-chief of Today, Mang Ke and North Island, have any further objections to Cheng Xuemin serving directly as deputy editor-in-chief?!

Fifty or sixty thousand words!

Given Cheng Xuemin's current weight in major newspapers and magazines, his royalty rate would undoubtedly be at the maximum ceiling of seven yuan per thousand words.

So with a single move, he was pulling in four or five hundred yuan.

"This is just the first draft!" Cheng Xuemin nodded and clarified to Chen Shumin.

"The first draft?! What do you mean by that, Xuemin?"

Cheng Xuemin's mention of a "first draft" once again left Chen Shumin bewildered. Judging by his tone, could there be a second draft and a third draft coming later?

"It means I've written a full-length novel for our Today, with an estimated word count of around 350,000 words. We can publish it in installments of 6,000 words per issue, and serialize it slowly over a year!"

"By then, the influence of Today should gradually rise as well!"

Cheng Xuemin casually laid out his thoughts, but to Chen Shumin's ears, they were truly earth-shattering and astounding!

"What?!"

"You're going to write a full-length novel for Today, Xuemin, not a short story?!"

"Over 350,000 words?!"

"My goodness! Are you serious, Xuemin?"

At this, Chen Shumin was completely dumbfounded, shocked, and bewildered. He had thought that Cheng Xuemin providing them with a novella of fifty or sixty thousand words was already a massive contribution that made them feel somewhat ashamed.

After all, Cheng Xuemin's current status in the literary world was undeniable; despite being a newcomer and young author in his early twenties, his list of representative works and influential manuscripts was simply too extensive.

Therefore, inviting Cheng Xuemin to be the deputy editor-in-chief of Today was truly underappreciating and lowering his status.

You must remember!

Old Xie had even offered a formal establishment position as a Peking University librarian in an attempt to recruit Cheng Xuemin, but failed.

Yet what merits did Today possess to win him over by simply offering an unearned title like deputy editor-in-chief?

And now, things were even more outrageous!

With a single move, the man produces a 350,000-word epic. If he had given this to his mother-in-law's October or to Beijing Literature, how much in royalties would he have received?

At seven yuan per thousand words, that's two thousand three or four hundred yuan!

Moved!

After his initial stupor and shock, Chen Shumin's heart and face were filled entirely with emotion—the profound sentiment of a scholar dying for one who truly knows his worth.

Initially, Chen Shumin and Mang Ke had simply shared the same ideals and wanted to launch their own magazine, which is why they thought of commissioning a piece from Cheng Xuemin, the author of The Herdsman.

Little did they know, they had struck gold and invited a true deity into their midst!

They had the personal backing of The Herdsman's Lao Xu, coupled with this massive 350,000-word epic!

It would be difficult for Today *not* to take off.

"The manuscript is right here, Lao Chen. You can review it first! I need to go check on my courtyard, and I'll come back at noon to hear your feedback!"

Putting the manuscript down, Cheng Xuemin prepared to head directly to his new house. Today marked the wrapping up of the masonry work and the departure of the workers, so he needed to go take a look.

"Alright, alright! Then I'll go ahead and give it a respectful read! Don't mock me by calling it a 'review,' Xuemin!"

"Given the level of your manuscript, even if you sent it to People's Literature, Lao Zhang wouldn't even need to read it before giving it his immediate approval. How could I possibly presume to review your work?"

Chen Shumin engaged in exaggerated self-deprecation as a way to praise Cheng Xuemin's manuscript.

"Lao Chen, stop flattering me like that!"

"Alright, I'm off!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled at Old Chen. Although Old Chen's flattery was indeed over the top, it actually seemed to be the truth!

With Cheng Xuemin's current manuscripts, who wouldn't be fighting to get their hands on them?

Just wait!

Once Today published it after the New Year, Beijing Literature and his mother-in-law's October would inevitably try to poach the second and third drafts of My Corps Years.

After all, Today was just a newly founded small magazine; how could it compete with those financially robust major publications?

Especially his mother-in-law!

She would definitely scold Cheng Xuemin for not sticking to his proper business, asking why he would give such a magnificent epic to an obscure little magazine with zero reputation or influence instead of October. Wasn't that just throwing treasure away?

Especially since this was her son-in-law's very first full-length novel, yet he had given it to outsiders—it was enough to literally anger his mother-in-law to death.

"Alright, alright, take your time walking, Xuemin!"

Holding the manuscript like a precious treasure, Chen Shumin waved goodbye to Cheng Xuemin without even raising his head.

Suddenly remembering something, however, he called out to stop Cheng Xuemin: "By the way, Xuemin, do you know a female student named Gong Xue?"

"She should be a correspondence student here at Peking University!"

"Gong Xue?"

Hearing this, Cheng Xuemin indeed turned back, looking at Chen Shumin in surprise as he asked, "I know her! I ran into her a few times at the library before!"

He knew Gong Xue all too well. Calculating the time, ever since that occasion when Gong Xue had proactively invited him to the movies and he had politely declined, leaving the thin-skinned girl to flee in embarrassment, he hadn't seen much of her afterward.

Cheng Xuemin had assumed the girl was too thin-faced to bear seeing him again and had been avoiding him.

Later, when the winter vacation started, Cheng Xuemin rarely came to the library, making encounters even less likely.

Yet he hadn't expected Old Chen, the library administrator, to suddenly bring up Gong Xue, which came as quite a surprise to Cheng Xuemin.

"So you do know her!"

Chen Shumin nodded and continued, "Last Friday, when their final correspondence class before the New Year ended, that female student came over again and sat at the spot you usually use. I didn't pay much attention at the time."

"Until last Friday, when she suddenly asked about you and inquired after your whereabouts, which let me know that she must have been waiting for you all along!"

"Too bad you haven't been coming around much since your wife went on winter vacation!"

Finishing in one breath, Chen Shumin ran back to his workstation, retrieved an envelope, handed it over, and said, "Here, the girl named Gong Xue left a letter for you since she couldn't wait for you!"

"Xuemin, is everything alright between you and her?"

At the end, Chen Shumin couldn't resist a bit of gossip. Surely this kid Cheng Xuemin hadn't stolen the female student's heart, had he?

That would be extremely dangerous, which was why Chen Shumin had deliberately emphasized the part about Cheng Xuemin's wife being on winter vacation earlier.

"What could possibly be between me and her?!" The corners of Cheng Xuemin's mouth twitched fiercely as he feigned indifference. "It's just like you, Lao Chen—my 'Yellow Earth Plateau' pseudonym got exposed by her!"

"As long as nothing's wrong! Your 'Yellow Earth Plateau' pseudonym? What pseudonym?" Chen Shumin asked, puzzled.

"Just my pen name. That day, I happened to receive a sample copy sent over by Yanhe Literature, and she happened to catch and discover it!"

"Later on, the rumor spread all over the campus that 'Yellow Earth Plateau' was also a student here at Peking University, and she was the one who spread it!"

"So, you could say she was the very first reader of *Yellow Earth Plateau*!"

Cheng Xuemin pinched the envelope he had received, unable to guess what Nan Gong Xue might have written in her letter.

"So it's a case of enemies becoming friends!"

Chen Shumin smiled narrowed-eyed and offered Cheng Xuemin a reminder: "Xuemin, you're considered a prominent figure around Peking University now, and there are bound to be plenty of adoring female readers around you. Watch your step!"

He was practically spelling it out: Cheng Xuemin must absolutely avoid any entanglements concerning personal lifestyle or romantic misconduct. Otherwise, being slapped with a charge of hooliganism could cost him a bullet—it was no joke.

"It's just enemies becoming friends. I haven't even gone to settle accounts with her, yet she actually dared to wait for me here at the library?"

"Alright, Lao Chen, let's talk more later!"

Cheng Xuemin certainly caught the cautionary undertone in Old Chen's words, but he was truly wronged.

Wasn't his own wife more fragrant than Nan Gong Xue or Bei Zhulin? He hadn't even fully explored and doted on his own, so he certainly didn't have the spare心思 to keep one bowl in his hand while staring at another pot, right?

After leaving the library, Cheng Xuemin glanced at the envelope in his hand. It was sealed with no signs of having been tampered with.

He then tore it open rather roughly and pulled out the letter inside.

Surely this wouldn't count as a love letter, would it?

In the letter, Gong Xue expressed how much she missed him after failing to see him for so long;

She also mentioned that her correspondence classes at Peking University had concluded, and she had to return to her hometown in Jiangsu for the New Year, hoping to see him at the library right away when classes resumed in the spring.

Finally, on the very last line of the letter, Gong Xue left a phone number for Cheng Xuemin!

This...

Cheng Xuemin genuinely couldn't judge whether this counted as a love letter or not!

One thing he knew for certain, though, was that Feng Jiayou must definitely not see this letter. On that point, Cheng Xuemin was crystal clear and dared not risk it.

The most sensible course of action for Cheng Xuemin right now would be to tear it up immediately, throw it away, and pretend this letter had never existed.

Yet, driven by some inexplicable impulse, he stuffed the letter back into the envelope, tucked it into his pocket, and decided to go check on the courtyard first.

Although Cheng Xuemin hadn't come over to supervise or guide the work over the past couple of days, he had still dropped by every afternoon.

Knowing that today marked the official completion and cleanup of the place, he wanted to inspect it before moving in.

Not bad!

Although the bathroom wasn't built to be as luxurious as the one in the Front Gate Hotel, nor as exquisite as the one in the Overseas Chinese Apartment, it had the virtue of being simple and practical.

Cheng Xuemin also tested the flush toilet; it operated much like modern ones and functioned very smoothly.

He just hoped the septic tank wouldn't back up—since he wasn't a professional, he could only wait and see after using it for a while.

Still, it wasn't a major issue!

Even if clogging or backup became an issue, they could simply empty the septic tank a bit more frequently. In any case, Beijing's night-soil collection system still maintained the traditions of the former dynasty, operating every single day.

As for the bathtub, it was a simple installation with the drainage pipe properly set up. If he wanted to take a bath later on, he would just need to boil some water and pour it in.

It was a pity that this era lacked a quintessential bathroom artifact: the bathroom heater lamp!

While soaking in the bath wouldn't be cold, getting in and out of the water to dress and undress would inevitably be chilly.

Yet, once again, that wasn't a major issue!

After washing and drying off, he could simply dive straight into a nearby warm bed. After all, Cheng Xuemin had converted the space into a suite, making it exceptionally comfortable.

He also tested the showerhead. Because the tap water pressure was low and it wasn't a pressure-boosting showerhead, the spray was somewhat lackluster and failed to fan out properly.

When summer rolled around later, he could simply remove the showerhead nozzle entirely and use the pipe directly as a water pillar—a heavy stream of water would feel fantastic too!

Then there were the cobblestones laid out on the floor; he hadn't thought much of them before they were installed.

Now that they were laid out like this!

Moreover, the mason clearly possessed genuine skill, arranging the stones into several decorative patterns. Walking on them gave the floor a surprisingly distinct texture, one that didn't look any worse than ceramic floor tiles.

Thus, the modern bathroom that Cheng Xuemin had longed to create was more or less satisfactorily completed.

After settling the wages with the three masons and watching them pack up their tools and flatbed carts, the courtyard required a thorough cleaning.

Since the whole family would be resting on Sunday, they could all come over together to clean, allowing them to move in and celebrate the Lesser New Year around next week.

Once Cheng Xuemin locked up the courtyard and returned to the Peking University Library, Chen Shumin's eyes burned with eager anticipation the moment he laid eyes on him, and he hurriedly asked, "Xuemin, what happens next?! Where's the rest of the manuscript?"

"Don't tell me you haven't written a single word further—hurry up and let me read whatever you've written!"

Very well, was this another instance of being cornered for chapter updates offline?!

"To be honest, I really haven't written a single word past that. I just finished writing this portion and brought it straight to you; I haven't even figured out the subsequent plot yet!"

As the saying went!

Much like serial web novels in later eras, badgering the author for updates was useless; the author themselves usually knew what would happen in the next chapter only an hour before writing it.

As for Chen Shumin asking for the subsequent chapters right now? I'm terribly sorry, not a single word existed.

"You expect me to believe that, Xuemin! You ended the chapter on such a fierce cliffhanger—it was clearly intentional, so you definitely have more manuscript written!"

Chen Shumin was completely hooked, and he had only Cheng Xuemin to blame. To keep readers on the hook, that cliffhanger at the 60,000-word mark had indeed been placed at a crucial turning point.

Anyone who read it would immediately realize that, especially since Today might be a quarterly publication; without a harsh cliffhanger, how could they retain readers?

If they waited until the next issue for the continuation, readers would have long forgotten the previous content entirely, and who would still bother buying their magazine?

"No, really! Lao Chen, there truly isn't a single word more!" Cheng Xuemin waved his hands repeatedly and then asked, "So does that mean my manuscript has passed, Lao Chen?"

"Fine, fine! You really are a ruthless person, Xuemin!" Knowing full well that a continuation must exist, Chen Shumin could only sigh helplessly as this brat kept him hanging while refusing to produce the pages.

However, his expression quickly shifted into one of seriousness as he stated, "With a manuscript written this well, publishing it in Today is truly a waste and an underutilization of your talent!"

"Why don't you stick to your original plan, Xuemin, and just give us a short story instead?"

"You should submit this *My Corps Years* to *People's Literature*—it's guaranteed to blow up and become a massive hit!"

"At the same time, it would serve as a fierce counterattack against the *Tianjin Daily*. What do you think, Xuemin?"

Chen Shumin was entirely sincere; he genuinely felt that giving such a full-length epic to Today was a waste.

A person couldn't be too selfish either!

With Cheng Xuemin at a critical juncture of locking horns with the *Tianjin Daily*, if this epic could be published in the immensely influential *People's Literature*, it would undoubtedly create another overnight sensation and deal a heavy counterblow.

Publishing it in an obscure little magazine like theirs was truly letting it go to waste.

"Lao Chen, actually, *People's Literature* is already going to publish a novella of mine in this upcoming issue, so you don't need to worry on my account. I have my own plans!"

Hearing Old Chen's words, Cheng Xuemin felt genuinely moved—they were all wonderful mentors who treated him with sincerity and looked out for his interests!

"What?! You have another novella coming out in *People's Literature*?! Just how many manuscripts have you written during this period, Xuemin?!"

At this, Chen Shumin's expression once again twisted into one of utter shock and speechlessness.

"Not many, not many. There's a novella in this issue of *People's Literature*, another novella in *Beijing Literature*, a short story in my mother-in-law's *October*, plus that short story for Ba Jin's *Harvest*. That makes four manuscripts, I suppose."

"Oh right, if you count *My Corps Years* for our *Today*, not many at all—just these five manuscripts in total!"

Remaining unfazed by either praise or humiliation, Cheng Xuemin casually rattled off the list of manuscripts he was about to have published.

Yet to Chen Shumin's ears... it caused him to descend into absolute mental chaos right then and there!