Chapter 24: So, You Were Promoted?

Five days had passed.

Li Yousi arrived at the editorial office of *Beiping Literature* to meet with Zhou Yanru. Today, naturally, was the first of the month.

"Teacher Zhou," he asked, "where is the finance department? How do I apply for my manuscript fee?"

"The approval process is complete. I'll take you there," Zhou Yanru replied with a nod.

She stood up, led him out of the editorial office, and after making two turns, they arrived at the finance department. The staff here were clearly fewer in number than in the editorial department, yet they all seemed swamped with work. A woman wearing a felt hat spotted Zhou Yanru and hurried over immediately.

She smiled and said, "Teacher Zhou, here to collect the payment for *Falling Leaves Return to Roots*, right?"

"That’s right."

The woman glanced at Li Yousi, guessing that he must be the author of *Falling Leaves Return to Roots*. It was rare to see such a young writer associated with the magazine, which made her take a second look. She led them further inside, sat down before a black log table, and began searching.

Flipping through various sealed file folders, she found the one belonging to Li Yousi and handed it over. "The magazine pays manuscript fees in cash. This is your payment, Comrade Li."

"Your novel is 109,500 characters in total. At eight yuan per thousand characters, that comes to 876 yuan!"

She handed him a sealed envelope. "Comrade Li, you may count your payment now."

Li Yousi gently opened the string-sealed envelope and peeked inside. It was filled with brand-new ten-yuan "Great Unity" banknotes. Over eighty bills took up a fair amount of space, making the envelope look plump—a sight that brought a smile to his face. It was all money!

"Thank you."

The woman handed him a document. "Since you have received your payment, please sign here."

Li Yousi quickly resealed the envelope and tucked it under his arm, looking quite like a high-ranking executive. He picked up a pen and signed his name.

The woman then picked up another envelope. If the first was the manuscript fee, this one was for allowances. "This is your subsidy for your month at the *Beiping Literature* guesthouse—two yuan a day for thirty days. There is also thirty yuan for travel expenses, though fifteen of that has already been used to purchase your ticket for tomorrow. So, that is seventy-five yuan in total. Would you like to check it?"

The magazine was truly generous.

After a month of writing, today was the happiest moment yet. Li Yousi quickly accepted the second envelope and signed the document.

The two payments combined totaled 951 yuan. Adding in his savings of around a hundred yuan from the Cultural Troupe, he was now a "thousand-yuan household," not far off from the ten-thousand-yuan milestone. A thousand yuan was enough to buy a house in a small county and live a life of comfort.

While he was lost in these beautiful fantasies, Zhou Yanru interrupted him. She pulled a train ticket from her bag and said, "I called the comrades at the Cultural Troupe yesterday to inform them. Your ticket is for tomorrow."

"Understood, Teacher Zhou." Li Yousi tucked the ticket into his pocket.

Zhou Yanru smiled. "Do keep writing hard once you return to the troupe! You have a real talent for it; you are the best young writer I have seen in years."

"Thank you, Teacher." Li Yousi nodded firmly. He had met many kind people during his month in Beiping.

After leaving the magazine office, he went straight to the bank to deposit the bulk of the money, keeping only a few dozen yuan for daily expenses. When he returned to the room, Yu Hua was also packing.

"Got your payment?" Yu Hua asked with a smile. "When are you leaving?"

"My ticket is for tomorrow morning."

"Ah, I was hoping to see you off, but my ticket is for this afternoon; I'm heading straight back to Haiyan," Yu Hua sighed regretfully. "But things are looking up—I don't have to be a dentist anymore. My father called to say the Cultural Center has invited me to join them!"

Having a manuscript accepted by a national-level magazine made Yu Hua a rare talent in the eyes of a cultural center, so his entry was only natural.

"Congratulations!"

Yu Hua shook his head repeatedly. "Thinking back on the dozen drafts I had to revise, I'm just glad to have finally made it into the Cultural Center. You have no idea what my life has been like for the past three years! Facing a pile of teeth every single day."

Li Yousi agreed, "But now you’ve gotten what you wanted, haven't you?"

"That’s for sure."

That afternoon, he and Yu Hua went to a state-run restaurant for a farewell meal. That night, Li Yousi stayed alone in the guesthouse dormitory. As the staff of the Literary Federation left one by one, the only things outside were the faint starlight and the barking of dogs from the neighboring courtyard—though they said dogs barked at things people couldn't see.

After a moment of contemplation, he curled up under his quilt, not even daring to show his head.

The next morning, he packed his belongings and set off for the train station.

Two days passed.

On the third morning, Li Yousi stood at the entrance of the Cultural Troupe with his luggage. In Jincheng, there was still no snow in December; perhaps it would see a light dusting during the coldest months of January or February. In comparison, Beiping was truly cold.

Wang Hai was the only one waiting at the gate, as he was the only one who knew Li Yousi's exact return time.

"Comrade Li! You're finally back!" Wang Hai hurried over to greet him.

"Director Wang," Li Yousi replied.

Wang Hai helped him with his luggage and said, "Come, come with me!"

"Are we not going to the dormitory?" Li Yousi asked, surprised to see Wang Hai heading in the opposite direction.

"Oh? Did Comrade Zhou Yanru not tell you? You've been transferred! You're no longer in the Music Troupe; you've been moved to the Propaganda Department! Though I don't think you'll stay in Propaganda for long..." Wang Hai continued.

It would be a waste to keep such talent in the Music Troupe. Moreover, there were no secrets in the Cultural Troupe. Li Yousi's novel had gone through layers of review, and beyond the Propaganda Department, even the Troupe Leader knew about it. It was only natural that he was promoted. Wang Hai knew that if Li Yousi could go to the Propaganda Department, he could go anywhere; keeping a writer in a cultural troupe was, after all, a waste of talent.

Li Yousi was stunned for a moment before it dawned on him—he had been promoted? That made sense. He had been worried that the military was unhappy with him for staying in Beiping too long.

Wang Hai smiled. "The leader said you’ve brought us great honor. Writers from cultural troupes are rarely welcomed by magazines, yet you are the first to be personally requested by one."