Chapter 53: So It Was Daiyu After All?

"By the way, this project is backed by the old chief, so you better take editing that manuscript seriously, kid."

Wang Hai immediately felt he was being overly talkative. Li Yousi was a serious literature writer; asking him to write this kind of more popular pulp fiction—wasn't that like bringing a tactical nuclear weapon to a knife fight?

Li Yousi smiled and gave a salute. "Task accepted without hesitation."

He would get to work (and enjoy himself) in Beijing again. The cultural troupe was great, but the money earned from writing was visible yet had nowhere to be spent. Staying at a guesthouse meant there wouldn't be such strict travel restrictions.

"In a few days, once the headquarters' recommendation letter and invitation letter arrive, you can head over. Take these few days to rest up and pack."

"Got it."

...

The next day, Li Yousi took the photos to be developed.

Developing photos took two or three days, which happened to coincide with waiting for the recommendation letter to arrive.

On April first, the recommendation letter arrived, and the photos were ready as well. Li Yousi mailed the photos back to the military region camp; those soldiers were all quite honest and sincere men.

He packed a few thick clothes as usual. The weather in Beijing was much warmer now, but it was still colder than Jincheng.

This time, going to Beijing was much less troublesome.

The train ticket had been arranged well in advance by the General Political Department. Compared to the rushed and flustered state of *Beijing Literature* last time, the General Political Department certainly handled things much more properly.

~

Two days later, after stepping off the train, Li Yousi once again set foot on the soil of Beijing. He looked around and took a deep breath of fresh air—

Well... Beijing hadn't quite sorted out its environmental issues yet; the air quality was nowhere near as good as the mountains of Jincheng. So much for romanticizing it.

Especially in spring, Beijing was frequently swept by sandstorms, making everything look dull and gray. No wonder period dramas required a heavy color filter.

"Hey!"

Just as he got off the train, he heard a few men nearby let out a whistle. Li Yousi looked over with curiosity.

"There's an absolute frost goddess over there."

"Tsk tsk tsk, keep your voice down, there are three red stripes right next to her!"

| "Though she looks like an actress~"

Oh? A beauty? Li Yousi felt ready for a feast for the eyes; he refused to believe anyone could be prettier than Sister Bao.

So, following the men's gazes, he looked over.

Her two eyebrows were knit in a delicate frown, carrying the mist of smoke; a pair of eyes seemed on the verge of tears, holding the morning dew. Her demeanor carried the sorrow of twin dimples, and her delicate frame was besieged by a natural frailty. With tear-lit eyes and soft, shallow gasps, in repose she was like a delicate flower reflecting water, and in motion she was like a weak willow dancing in the breeze. Her heart had more clever openings than Bi Gan's, and her frailty surpassed even Xishi by three parts.

To put it simply, the girl was wearing a dark blue top dotted with white polka dots, matched with a polka dot scarf of the same color—she was the epitome of a delicate beauty plagued by illness.

Well, she wasn't prettier than Sister Bao, but her temperament was exceptional, something Sister Bao couldn't match.

Li Yousi recognized her at first glance. This was the protagonist of that boring television show he had utterly detested watching on TV when he was a child.

Back then, everyone just watched the Monkey King; who paid attention to the Twelve Beauties of Jinling?

However, after reading the book later and revisiting the show, he realized it was indeed brilliantly made.

What was her name again? Chen Xiaoxu.

Li Yousi recalled that this girl was from the Anshan Theater Troupe. Unlike Baochai's serendipitous path, she had mailed in her application herself and then passed the audition.

The formal actor training for *A Dream of Red Mansions* started in April, involving nearly sixty or seventy people, and she had come as well.

Chen Xiaoxu was much more confident than Zhang Li, always firmly believing she could play Lin Daiyu, and indeed, she succeeded.

There was also someone in the crew named Ma Guangru who believed he could play Baoyu, and subsequently failed. What a pity that both harbored such deep obsessions—one was blessed with looks, while the other was entirely unsuited for the role.

After pondering for a moment, Li Yousi realized he was overthinking things.

He immediately picked up his luggage and walked away. He didn't know Chen Xiaoxu yet, and besides, he had heard that Sister Daiyu was already taken.

She had been charmed away early on by the Second Master Bai. How could he bear to make his move when she was only fifteen or sixteen years old? After Chen Xiaoxu left the *Dream of Red Mansions* crew, she married the Second Master Bai, though they divorced not long after.

She had practically been pickled in the essence of Daiyu; any man who could endure a little sparrow chirping endlessly in his ear was truly formidable, and the Second Master Bai naturally didn't make the cut.

Upon stepping outside, Li Yousi spotted a large-bowl tea stall right at the train station entrance.

He saw the character "Chen" written beside it, which seemed to be the surname of the stall owner. Li Yousi spent ten cents to buy a bowl, drank it down, and ran.

"Wait, wait, wait..."

Seeing the bus about to pull away, Li Yousi immediately sprinted after it.

He squeezed onto the bus just as the doors were closing.

The guesthouse arranged by the General Political Department's Cultural Department was in the Dongcheng District, not the *People's Literature* guesthouse... To conclude with a thought: the General Political Department was truly wealthy.

He carried his luggage inside, and every seat was packed to capacity.

Only the row of seats near the back door had one empty spot. Looking closer, sitting by the window was that fragile-looking girl.

Naturally, on a crowded bus, actively avoiding a beauty seemed to be something many people habitually did. Moreover, in this sensitive era, it was completely normal that no one sat next to her.

Seeing that there were no other seats, Li Yousi walked over and asked,

"Comrade, is this seat taken?"

Chen Xiaoxu was still gazing blankly out the window.

She turned her head and met a stern, upright face. Furthermore, Li Yousi was wearing a military uniform, instantly giving off an aura of absolute righteousness!

Standing at one meter seventy-eight, and coming from a cultural troupe where physical conditioning was routine, his physique was naturally quite good.

Soldiers naturally gave people the impression of being good citizens. Chen Xiaoxu nodded and said, "No one is sitting here."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I sat down?" Li Yousi asked with a smile.

Chen Xiaoxu slowly shook her head.

Only then did Li Yousi sit down.

The training for *A Dream of Red Mansions* was held at the Old Summer Palace Guesthouse, and since the Old Summer Palace was in the Haidian District, while he was heading to Gulou Street in Dongcheng, starting from the train station meant it was indeed right along the way. No wonder; he had momentarily thought he was the protagonist of some story.

After sitting down, Li Yousi opened a copy of *People's Literature* magazine. Since he was about to report to the magazine office, he needed to cram and brush up on his knowledge.

Besides, the bus ride would take nearly an hour; he couldn't just stare blankly at the scenery and faces the whole time.

Beside him, Chen Xiaoxu opened a copy of *A Dream of Red Mansions*, also cramming her knowledge points!

Although Chen Xiaoxu played Daiyu, she actually possessed a mischievous and curious personality. Finding it hard to endure the dry reading, she casually glanced over at Li Yousi beside her and saw the magazine in his hands—*People's Literature*.

She thought to herself: *My, this comrade is quite cultured. He's reading such a literary magazine; I can't understand it at all.*

Reading *A Dream of Red Mansions* cold was rather boring because the plot progression was genuinely minimal.

Thus, Chen Xiaoxu curiously glanced at the contents of the magazine in Li Yousi's hands.

What Li Yousi was reading was issue number 12 of *People's Literature* from 1983, which featured a novella titled *Night of Autumn Guarding*, a relatively classic short story selected from Zhang Wei's representative work, *Songs of Caolou Village*.

It was about Qu Youzhen, an honest peasant who leased a vegetable plot and guarded it wholeheartedly, hoping to lead a prosperous life. Then came some interesting encounters with the villagers.

It was a rather simple story, yet quite heartwarming.

Still, being published in *People's Literature* meant it possessed some unique merits.

——

*The next chapter will be released at midnight. Don't forget to keep up with the updates and read along!*