Chapter 50: October is Not Doing Great

After all, Li Yousi was already a moderately renowned writer, so this novel had been circulated dozens of times throughout the entire Ministry of Culture long ago, receiving mixed reviews. This was precisely why Wang Chuanhong had not dared to publish it.

Even so, Wang Chuanhong cherished the novel immensely.

The man took the manuscript and left the Ministry of Culture. That evening, he opened the first page, and a series of vivid scenes unfolded before his eyes.

Authentic!

This novel was unbelievably authentic. Although he had never personally participated in the war back then, having followed his father along the fringes of the battlefield, the man deeply remembered the horrors of war. This was where the true value of the novel lay.

The characters were no longer rigid and stereotyped like those in model operas; they were no longer fearless, selfless soldiers endowed solely with divinity. Instead, one could witness the growth of every single soldier.

That night, the man smoked two packs of Huazi cigarettes.

Could a novel of such high quality just be suppressed like that?

It had to be published!

At the very least, the man knew that this novel expressed extremely rich ideological depth—not something that could be covered up by the superficial remarks of these people.

The next morning.

After finishing his meal, he made a call to the General Ministry of Culture: "Director Wang, I've finished reading the novel! I believe it must be published. To leave a novel of this quality unpublished would be a terrible waste of natural resources!"

Wang Chuanhong said, "However..."

Before he could finish, the man interrupted, "What could possibly go wrong? This is the 1980s, what era is this? Do you think this is still the previous period? Even if the sky falls, the General Political Department of the Liberation Army is here to hold it up!"

Wang Chuanhong had been waiting precisely for these words. Since the decision-maker was no longer himself, he wouldn't be the one taking the blame if trouble arose. With absolute certainty of full-authority support for publication, he asked, "Shall I call the Zhanqi Song and Dance Troupe and notify Li Yousi to come to Beijing to revise the manuscript?"

The man asked, "I'm not too familiar with the submission process. Where was *Garlands at the Foot of the Mountain* published last publishing house?"

"October Publishing House."

The man took a puff of his cigarette, paced a few steps, and asked, "Aside from *October*, are there any publishing houses even more prestigious than that? I feel *October* might not be quite enough."

Initially, *October* was indeed not exceptionally prominent, but by the 1980s, its momentum was fierce, rapidly rising to become one of the premier literary publishing houses.

Wang Chuanhong introduced, "Chief, there are two other long-established publishing houses. One is *People's Literature*, and the other is *Harvest*. You probably know *People's Literature*; it is backed by the Writers Association. *Harvest* is the publishing house of Elder Ba Jin."

"Additionally, *Contemporary* is also quite good. These publishing houses are the top literary periodicals in the country."

The man said, "Hmm, *Harvest* is over in Shanghai, which isn't ideal. Have Li Yousi submit the novel to *People's Literature* instead."

Wang Chuanhong replied, "Understood, Chief. In a few days, I will contact the Zhanqi Song and Dance Troupe and arrange all matters for Comrade Li Yousi to enter Beijing! As for the publication of the novel, I will also notify *People's Literature* magazine."

---

At the end of March, Li Yousi was wandering idly around the song and dance troupe.

Up ahead, he saw two literary soldiers walking together, softly humming a little tune. As Li Yousi listened, he recognized it as a military folk song. Let us not forget that he was originally an instrumental music soldier himself, and naturally understood a great deal about musical compositions.

Military songs included quite a few military marches and folk tunes, but folk songs of this type were not yet official (they had not been officially published and would only emerge in the 1990s); most of them evolved from rural folk ditties.

He was not the only one who heard this sound. Chen Xiaotao heard the singing as well.

However, his face quickly darkened with anger as he strode toward the two literary soldiers.

Upon seeing Chen Xiaotao, the two literary soldiers immediately stood at attention, saluted, and lowered their heads with a guilty conscience:

"Deputy Chen!"

Unlike Li Yousi, who had been transferred to the literature room as a "special talent," Chen Xiaotao had shouldered many responsibilities within the troupe from the start. Therefore, everyone generally called him Deputy Chen. Although he was extremely mild-mannered in front of Li Yousi, Deputy Chen naturally maintained a strict demeanor in front of ordinary soldiers.

Chen Xiaotao scolded loudly, "Who authorized you to sing this song in the military camp?"

The two literary soldiers felt deeply ashamed, not knowing how to reply for a moment.

"I am asking you a question! Who authorized you to sing this song in the military camp?"

The taller soldier in front answered, "Report! This is a folk song from my hometown, and I just modified it a bit..."

Chen Xiaotao stated, "*Tears of Flowers* is a strictly prohibited banned song! A notice was issued as soon as you joined the troupe. Don't make up these excuses; I've heard hundreds of versions of *Tears of Flowers*, and none of them repeat! Whether it was intentional or accidental, how could I not know?"

"A folk song? Why don't you sing cheerful folk songs? *The Sun Comes Out All Joyful*, *Love Song of Kangding*—which of these isn't our traditional folk song? Are you unaware of them?"

"In my view, all of you are just itching for a disciplinary demerit!!!"

Upon hearing the word "demerit," the two literary soldiers were instantly terrified, their expressions changing drastically as they stood speechless.

Li Yousi hurried over. He had recognized that song the moment he heard it earlier and knew it was banned, but he hadn't expected Old Chen's temper to flare up so fiercely.

"Comrade Chen!"

Chen Xiaotao looked back and grunted, "Hmm."

"What is this?" Li Yousi asked.

Chen Xiaotao continued, "These two comrades disregarded military discipline and openly sang songs on the roadside that undermine morale and disrupt military order!"

"It was *Tears of Flowers*, right?" Li Yousi guessed immediately.

He tried to help the two of them save face: "I take it these two comrades are recent recruits? Perhaps they aren't fully familiar with the rules yet?"

The thinner soldier hurriedly reported, "Reporting to Deputy Chen, he and I only reported for duty at the song and dance troupe half a month ago..."

"Joining the troupe late is not a reason for you to openly violate discipline!" Chen Xiaotao coughed, maintaining his angry expression, and scolded the two new recruits a bit more.

Finally, he warned them, "This is the first time, so I am issuing you a warning! I will be reporting this to your squad leader later!"

"Yes."

After the two walked away, Chen Xiaotao resumed his usual gentle demeanor.

"Did I do all right just now?"

Li Yousi nodded. "I never expected Deputy Chen to have that side to him; it truly shocked me."

Chen Xiaotao shook his head. "It's all driven by these people. If they sang this song in the dormitory or the cafeteria, I wouldn't have any objections. But these two kids had to let me bump into them!"

"If it hadn't been me today, but someone else—an inspector from higher up—they definitely would have faced disciplinary action."

The song *Tears of Flowers* had far too detrimental an impact on military morale, which was why it had been banned early on and strictly prohibited. Chen Xiaotao's anger was quite understandable.

Li Yousi asked, "What's with your outfit today?"

Chen Xiaotao had changed into a brand-new military uniform today, complete with a camera slung over his shoulder and a pen clipped to his chest. He looked the spitting image of an old pedantic scholar.

"Oh! I originally planned to head out to the camp grounds today to find some inspiration, and I ran into these two little rascals right as I stepped out of the literature room!"

---

Once again, thank you all for your monthly votes: twenty from *Searching for the Arctic Penguin*, eleven from *Blackhand Stanley's Bookworm 2017...*, and too many others to count. In any case, my heartfelt gratitude to my reader patrons.