Chapter 25: The Literary Workshop

Li Yousi followed Wang Hai toward the propaganda department's dormitory.

Stopping at the entrance of a courtyard, Wang Hai said, "This is perfect. There are few people in this dormitory, so I've reserved it for you."

The courtyard was located near the dorms, similar to the large, shared compounds used by the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. All the residents were comrades from the propaganda department.

Wang Hai led Li Yousi to a room. It was clearly less than half the size of the guesthouse at the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, but fortunately, it was a private room.

"The head of the regiment mentioned that as a writer, you shouldn't be squeezed in with others; it’s not conducive to writing."

"Is this considered special treatment?" Li Yousi asked with a smile.

"Not at all. It’s based on 'teaching according to aptitude.' Different soldiers have different roles, and you are an important talent for the propaganda department," Wang Hai explained with a slight smile.

That was a smooth way of putting it—exactly what you would expect from a leader in the art troupe.

Li Yousi nodded and carried his belongings into the room. "Thank you, Director Wang."

"You don't need to come in this morning," Wang Hai said. "Get a good rest, and you can come to the propaganda department this afternoon to report... I’ll arrange your work then."

Li Yousi agreed, and Wang Hai took his leave.

Inside the room was a bed covered in the military’s classic olive-green quilt, two meters long and 1.5 meters wide. Though a bit thin, it wasn't particularly cold in Jincheng right now. There was also a small stove and a desk by the window.

It was ten square meters at most. Yet, by the standards of the art troupe, this was top-tier. The old Li Yousi had just been a lowly, insignificant soldier. Now, things were different. Having written a short story for *Beiping Literature*—even if it hadn't been published yet—he was now considered a "special talent." Naturally, his treatment had to be upgraded.

Li Yousi didn't have many belongings. He had only brought two cotton-padded coats to the Beiping guesthouse, so after putting his things away and tidying up, he found the room quite empty and clean.

He still had his summer and autumn clothes back in his original dormitory. After thinking for a moment, he decided to head back to pack them up.

As he opened the door, he saw two people walking toward him, one of them carrying a burlap sack. He soon recognized them: one had a crew cut, and the other wore a center part—distinctive hairstyles.

Liu Feng walked up to the door with the sack, panting, "You're back!"

Li Yousi smiled. "Well, you see me standing here, don't you?"

The one with the crew cut looked at Li Yousi with a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. He had previously felt disdain for his own mundane work, as young people often harbor pretentious, literary aspirations. But Li Yousi’s story had ignited his passion for working in the art troupe. It seemed the art troupe could produce writers after all, even if he wasn't in the propaganda department himself.

"Pour me some tea, I'm exhausted," Liu Feng urged.

Li Yousi opened the door. "The kettle is still boiling on the stove; help yourself to some hot water."

The crew-cut man, Zhang Jianjun, smiled and pointed to the sack. "Director Wang asked us to bring this for you. It's your luggage from your old room. Teacher Li, take a look."

He changed his form of address quickly; after all, in Zhang Jianjun’s eyes, a writer capable of getting into *Beiping Literature* deserved the title of "Teacher."

"Thank you both. Comrade, come in and have some tea," Li Yousi said, opening the door wider.

"My name is Zhang Jianjun. I'm a comrade in the propaganda department now!" Zhang Jianjun introduced himself.

"Good to meet you, Comrade Zhang Jianjun!"

Inside the room, there was only one table and two stools. They sat on the stools while Li Yousi sat on the bed. Liu Feng took a sip of tea, looked around the room, and grumbled, "When did you start living in a private room? Have you become a leader now?"

Beside him, the man with the crew cut gave him a look as if he were a bumpkin. "What do you know? He’s a special talent! Naturally, he gets the same treatment as a leader."

That was the characteristic of the era: salary and benefits were determined by talent. If you had the ability, your treatment could be as good as, or even better than, a leader's.

"Can writing stories really get you this?"

"Well, to be like Comrade Li, you’d have to outperform at least ninety-five percent of the people in our propaganda department," the crew-cut man mocked. "You can't even write a simple letter properly, let alone dream of writing a ten-thousand-word short story."

Liu Feng’s face flushed. "What do you know! Talent needs to be sparked. Before Comrade Li started writing, he didn't know anything either!"

*Don't drag me into your argument,* Li Yousi thought. He said, "Alright, should we go report to the propaganda department now?"

Zhang Jianjun nodded and stood up immediately. "Let's go. I’m here to help introduce Comrade Li to his work."

"I'll head back then," Liu Feng said, leaving the dormitory to head toward his team’s training grounds.

Zhang Jianjun led the way. The propaganda department wasn't far from his courtyard, just a few hundred meters away—a clear sign that Wang Hai was looking after him.

Soon, they reached the propaganda department’s compound—a simple courtyard house where different rooms served as workspaces for various tasks.

For example, Zhang Jianjun was responsible for reviews. As for Li Yousi?

Zhang Jianjun explained, "Director Wang said that since you are a writer, you only need to focus on literary creation within the department! You can also create various works centered on military spirit, life in the ranks, heroic deeds, and policies to spread and promote positive energy."

In short, he was a full-time writer. Yu Hua had been transferred to the Cultural Center, and Li Yousi had been moved to the propaganda department. Both were full-time writers.

It was a vague role. If he didn't produce a story for a year, it wouldn't be because he was lazy, but because he lacked inspiration! That was the reason Yu Hua wanted to get into the Cultural Center.

It was indeed a good deal. Li Yousi nodded. "I understand."

"Also, Director Wang mentioned that if you have any requirements for your creative process, just let him know. As long as it can be arranged, he will do his best."

What did "arranged" mean? It meant field trips! It wasn't exactly high-brow.

Li Yousi smiled to himself. *There are real benefits to being a writer!* You travel, you have status and position, you get paid, and best of all, you have underlings!

After Zhang Jianjun finished his formal introduction, he asked with curiosity, "Teacher Li, you’ve been to the guesthouse of the *Beiping Literature* magazine. Can you tell me what it's like?"

"It's about the same as our dormitory..."

"No, I mean, have you met any famous writers?"

Li Yousi smiled slightly. "A couple, perhaps."

To be precise, he had stayed at the guesthouse of the Beiping Federation of Literary and Art Circles, not the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and certainly not the China Writers Association. So, the writers he saw were those associated with the Beiping Federation or *Beiping Literature*. If he had gone to the China Writers Association, maybe he would have seen more.

But the standards for resident writers at the China Writers Association were, after all, exceptionally high.