Chapter 33: Auntie Wants to Set You Up

"Two letters, both addressed to Beiping."

After handing over the letters and paying the fee, Li Yousi spent sixteen cents to have them mailed. With that task finished, he headed straight for the canteen. It was just about noon.

Upon arriving, he saw there was a meat dish on the menu for the day. Having become something of a celebrity in the Cultural Troupe, the woman serving the food recognized him immediately. "Xiao Li? You're a bit late today, there isn't much left."

"It's alright, Auntie, just give me a couple of scoops of whatever is left; a few bites will be enough to fill me up," Li Yousi said with a smile.

"That won't do. I’ll give you the rest of it." The woman scraped the bottom of the pot and piled a large portion onto his plate—it was stir-fried pork with green peppers, the only meat dish available. She continued, "Xiao Li, have you found a partner yet? You're not exactly young anymore, you know."

...There were no secrets in the Cultural Troupe. Ever since Li Yousi had a novel published in Beiping, whispers had started circulating. Half a month ago, when the piece was officially released, the entire troupe knew he was the author. Given his handsome appearance and refined temperament, combined with his status as a writer, he had naturally become the talk of the troupe. The women working in the canteen often huddled together to discuss him. It was no secret that he was single, especially since Zhang Li, the one person he seemed close to, had been transferred away. Consequently, they were all looking for ways to step in.

"Not yet! Are you looking to introduce someone to me, Auntie?" Li Yousi glanced at the food; selling himself out a little bit wasn't the worst idea.

The woman ladled a second scoop onto his plate and said, "Oh, I knew you were a smart one. My daughter is a real beauty. Plenty of young men at her factory are interested in her; the line of suitors could stretch from Jincheng all the way to France!"

Another woman serving food nearby scoffed, "Xiao Li, don't listen to her—she's just bragging! Her daughter is nearly twenty-five! Because she has a steady job, she turns her nose up at everyone except those who work at the Cultural Center! And as for being pretty? She’s not even half as good-looking as your old flame!"

"Heh!" Li Yousi offered a faint smile but remained silent.

"You... just you wait, I'll tear your mouth apart later!" The first woman scooped a third portion of cabbage onto Li's plate, nearly shaking it off the pile.

Li Yousi laughed and said, "Auntie, looks aren't actually that important. It's the beauty of the soul that counts!"

"See? I told you that writers are the ones who truly have depth of thought!" Delighted by his kind words, she heaped even more food onto his plate. The canteen's round ceramic bowls were soon piled high with food, looking like a small mountain.

"Xiao Li," she said with a grin, "if you're interested, I'll set you up with someone in a couple of days!"

"Alright, thank you, Auntie."

After getting his food, he hurried off to find a seat. Liu Feng, who had just finished getting his own meal, wandered over. He compared his plate to Li Yousi’s and asked with a frown, "Why on earth do you have so much?"

"It's a normal portion," Li Yousi replied with a smile.

"Normal? You call that normal?" After taking a few bites and seeing the mountain of food hadn't shrunk, Liu Feng decided to be practical. "Give me some of that!"

"Fine, I probably can't finish it anyway." With that, Liu Feng helped himself to a third of Li Yousi's meal.

After eating, Li Yousi returned to his dorm for a short nap before heading back to the Creative Writing Studio to continue working on his novel. The story was inspired by a television series, which he had optimized and condensed to some extent. Over the past month, he had written nearly 170,000 words, reaching just over halfway through the plot. At this rate, he estimated the final manuscript would be around 300,000 words.

For Li Yousi, a high word count wasn't a bad thing. After all, he earned ten yuan per thousand words. Now that he was a published author and no longer a novice, he could naturally demand the top rate of ten yuan. Three hundred thousand words would mean nearly three thousand yuan—a number he dared not even dream of.

Moreover, with the Cultural Troupe busy preparing for the "Spring Festival Gala," he, as a writer, didn't have to help with the choreography or attend daily drills. It was the perfect, secure job—arguably even better than working at the County Cultural Center. The only downside was that he couldn't leave the premises, except for the occasional holiday break.

Wang Hai had been growing impatient waiting for the manuscript. He saw Li Yousi writing every day but didn't know how much he had actually completed. That afternoon, finding Li in the studio, Wang walked in and asked with a smile, "Xiao Li! You're here! How is the novel coming along?"

Li Yousi looked up. Realizing he was being pressed for the manuscript, he replied, "I'm about halfway through. I should be able to finish before the New Year."

"Before the New Year?" Wang Hai asked. "How many words are you planning to write?"

"Three hundred thousand!"

"Whew... you must be quite busy then. I won't disturb you any further." Wang Hai had originally intended to ask Li to help out with some of the troupe's work, like writing stories for small theater productions, once the novel was done. A writer of such caliber would certainly be a great asset. Unfortunately, it seemed he had no time for that. Wang Hai left feeling somewhat dejected, heading off to organize the preparations for the gala.

Twenty more days passed.

The January issue of *Beiping Literature* was published, though it seemed the December issue remained more popular. Over the past month, the December issue had sold 700,000 copies, exerting significant influence from Beiping across the entire country.

The latest issue featured a new literary critique by Li Tuo titled "The 'Roots' of Culture." Following its publication, the term "Root-Seeking Literature" began to circulate widely among readers. Naturally, the influence of *Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots* continued to grow.

On the afternoon of January 25th, the short-haired man from the Cultural Troupe knocked on the door of the Creative Writing Studio, carrying a large sack of mail.

"What's all this?" Li Yousi asked.

"Letters for you. There must be thirty or so..."

"Thirty?" Li Yousi was momentarily stunned. But a quick glance at the sack made it clear: these were all letters from various editorial departments following the publication of *Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots*. After all, there were many literary magazines in the industry now.

He accepted the mail and said, "Thank you."

"Oh, right. There are two magazines here that the director asked me to give to you." Although the troupe was confined, they weren't completely cut off from the world; every time a new magazine or newspaper was released, the Propaganda Department would bring in a few copies.

Li Yousi looked at the first one, *Beiping Literature*. Flipping to the literary critique section, he saw the review Li Tuo had written about him. The other magazine was *Literary Gazette*.

With these in hand, Li Yousi returned to his desk.