Chapter 40: Celebrating the New Year

"Are you writing a new novel again?"
"That's right. The troupe asked me to write it."
Zhang Li's eyes lit up, and she instantly grew interested. Since she could even muscle through reading *Dream of the Red Chamber*, reading these serious works of literature didn't feel quite so daunting anymore.
At least, no matter how serious a vernacular novel might be, it still retained some narrative drive. The narrative drive of *Dream of the Red Chamber* certainly wasn't its most dazzling feature.
"What kind of novel is it?"
Li Yousi lowered his head to look at her. "A military-themed novel."
"Are you interested?"
Zhang Li's cheeks turned slightly red, and she nodded softly. "After I finished reading your *Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots* last time, and read the letter you sent over as well, I felt that your writing was exceptionally good."
"Well, do you want to take a peek first?"
"Huh?" Zhang Li was somewhat surprised. "Aren't these classified documents within the troupe? And didn't you sign a confidentiality agreement?"
"I'm letting you read a novel, not letting you look at the confidential materials in my room. As long as you don't leak the manuscript, it'll be fine."
This novel was intended for nationwide publication, and the fact that the original work could be released on the mainland back then proved there was no issue with it.
Yet, in the somewhat "backward" ideological climate of the 1980s, the realm of arts and letters was unusually open-minded.
All sorts of literary and artistic works emerged one after another, though many of these works from this era were later banned precisely because their boundaries and themes were too daring!
Of course, this wasn't about explicit content.
The sports ground wasn't very far from Li Yousi's dormitory. By nightfall, the two of them groped their way through the dark to reach the dorm.
Zhang Li looked around his new room and couldn't help marveling: The perks of being a writer are truly wonderful!
Then she dropped right onto the chair in front of the desk.
"I've spent six years in the song and dance troupe, and I've never even seen a single room!"
Li Yousi's room was very simple: a neatly made bed, a coal-burning stove, and a desk. The desk held the most items, with various manuscript papers and magazines piled high, making the space look thoroughly artistic!
"Director Wang sponsored this out of friendship!"
"What?"
"Why?"
A yellowish lamp was switched on inside the room, casting its glow upon her "unevenly sized" eyes, adding a touch of classical charm to her appearance. Even sitting on the stool, she naturally carried the delicate air of a young lady from a good family.
Right now, she possessed an even more untouchable, sacred aura.
Seeing that Li Yousi didn't mind her browsing through his belongings, Zhang Li grew bolder and took the initiative to look at the manuscript paper on the desk. "Are all of these...?"
Thirty thousand words—there were no computers back then, and pure hand-copying had taken Li Yousi nearly two months to write.
A single sheet held barely over a thousand words. A full three hundred sheets were densely covered in handwriting.
The completed manuscript pages were held together by a small clip, marked with serial numbers, forming three distinct piles.
Zhang Li genuinely admired his perseverance.
"Of course, it's thirty thousand words in total. I've labeled the first volume with a number one; you can take a look if you're interested."
Zhang Li opened the manuscript pages, looking at his standard handwriting as if he had practiced calligraphy extensively—she had studied fine arts and calligraphy since childhood, and was later sent to learn dance. She could be considered proficient in all the traditional scholarly arts.
She gave it a quick glance.
"If you want to read it, why don't you take it back with you? Just return it to me after the second day of the Lunar New Year."
Zhang Li clutched the manuscript pages with her small hands, asking in surprise, "Such precious things—would it really be alright for me to take them?"
"Just make sure not to spread it around. Hurry up, or if it gets too late, your parents will definitely be suspicious."
"Suspicious of what? We haven't done anything wrong." She muttered softly. She was currently at a somewhat rebellious age, and experiencing a bit of defiant emotion was entirely normal.
Li Yousi asked with a smile, "Oh, growing up so fast, are we?"
Zhang Li often joked and bantered with the other girls in the troupe, and hearing this, she reached out and lightly slapped his hand. "That'll teach you to talk nonsense."
They fussed and bantered inside the room for a little while longer before standing up to leave together.
Li Yousi asked, "Are you coming to the troupe to watch the performance tomorrow?"
"What about you?"
"When I'm performing, I have to stick with the comrades from the literature and art office; I can't just leave." After all, Li Yousi hadn't taken official leave! Even though holiday schedules allowed free movement, he still had to drop by to watch the performances.
Zhang Li said, "Then I'll come too."
Yongxi and her son had finished their meal before returning to their quarters.
Just as they reached the entrance of the shared courtyard, they ran right into the two of them.
Seeing the two of them, Xiao Hong shrunk back behind her mother: They really weren't good people—even with the New Year right here, he was still out here tricking a woman into bringing her home!
"This young lady looks so fresh and bright! Is she from the song and dance troupe?" Yongxi eyed the pair, even more curious now.
"Little Li certainly has quite a bit of good fortune!"
"Comrade Yongxi, don't talk nonsense. She's a friend of mine, and I brought her over today to take a look around."
"Mhm." Yongxi nodded. Comrades from the song and dance troupe often used tricks like this to woo their young Tibetan girls.
"Friends are wonderful! It's getting so late today, won't you stay a while and play?"
"Her home is just outside; I'll walk her back."
Yongxi wore an expression of profound understanding. "All right, you two be careful and stay safe."
That night, Li Yousi walked her back to Gulou South Street, saw Zhang Li to her doorstep, and only left after watching her step safely inside.
Upon returning to his dormitory, he immediately lit the stove, and warmth gradually filled the room.
After obtaining the three piles of manuscript papers, Zhang Li began reading them as soon as she returned home.
The novel opened with this cannon fodder regiment retreating in utter defeat to a small town in western Yunnan, with the soldiers huddled together in a transit station, barely clinging to life... This caused Zhang Li to frown involuntarily.
It wasn't that she felt it was poorly written, but rather that she could tell at a single glance that the content of this book was utterly tragic!
It was just like knowing upon seeing Yu Hua's pen name that the protagonist of his book was bound to face persecution.
Reading until midnight, the young girl had only reached the halfway point of the first volume. Remembering that she had countless things to do tomorrow, she had no choice but to crawl into bed and sleep.
The next morning, Zhang Li woke up bright and early.
After tidying herself up for a good long while, she rummaged through her wardrobe to select an outfit, eventually choosing a style with a relatively fresh and vibrant feel.
A red scarf, a plaid tweed coat on top with a sweater underneath, paired with a pair of jeans, and a beret crowning her head.
Even Zhang Yu smiled and said, "You've changed so much over this past year; you used to dress up like this so rarely."
"The director said that Baochai in *Dream of the Red Chamber* is supposed to be both simple and elegant."
Zhang Yu covered her mouth to suppress a laugh. "Are you always going to use the film crew as an excuse with me?"
"No."
After hurriedly finishing breakfast at home and hearing a knock on the door, she walked out and said,
"You're here?"
She glanced back at her parents inside the house, exchanged a few words, and hurried off with him.
Once outside, Zhang Li climbed onto the backseat, waiting for him to start pedaling the bicycle.
"The performances won't start until three or four in the afternoon and will probably end around seven or eight. When will your mother and the others have New Year's Eve dinner ready?" Li Yousi asked.
Zhang Li replied, "Our family always eats New Year's Eve dinner very late. With just my older sister and my mom handling everything, it'll be around seven or eight as well."
"In that case, since it's New Year's, let's go stroll along Chunxi Road first! We can go watch the performance afterwards, right?"
"Alright. We should buy some things for my mom and the rest of them while we're at it."