Wild 1979: From Fishing and Hunting to Becoming a Literary Master

Chapter 15 Self-Definition

The two old men directly threatened them forcefully.

There were four old men sharpening their knives behind them.

But Chen Tuo is not a pig or a sheep!

He was betting that these six old men still had some basic principles.

"Then you're welcome to try. I don't care whether I live or die, but I have to get this pent-up anger out of me!"

Having made his stance clear, Chen Tuo was about to enter the post office when Sun Changkui stopped him once again.

"Chen Zhiqing, your sister Lingzi saved you and still cares about you. I'm going to swallow my pride and ask that a few of the farm managers see what you wrote?"

Chen Tuo's eight graves almost led to Chu Mingshan beating his own son to death.

This also caused the five farm managers and one secretary in the Songling area to live in fear all night.

If the six of them had reached a decision last night, they wouldn't have waited for Chen Tuo at the post office entrance, but instead would have waited for him at the Xiaoyangqi educated youth settlement.

Although the flood has ended, its lingering power remains.

If Chen Tuo's eight graves were to be added fuel to the fire, it wouldn't just be a problem at Songling.

The six old men present had just sorted out the production in the Songling Forest Area and were preparing for a big push this winter.

Who would have thought that a moment of carelessness would lead to such a terrible tragedy as Chen Tuo?

If what he wants to mail are indeed the eight graves of "Why is it so hard to live?"

No matter how they try to stop them, or how dare they try to stop them, they must provide a reasonable explanation.

Otherwise, restoring production in one forest area wouldn't be of any use, not even in a hundred...

The six old men were adamant, and Sun Changkui resorted to taking advantage of their kindness.

Chen Tuo didn't need to guess how resolute their attitude was; it was right in front of him.

"Look, it's not that I can't, but I need to hunt to survive. Could you give me a gun?"

"That's impossible!"

When Chen Tuo asked for a gun, Chu Mingshan, who was the first to step forward, refused outright.

Just like his job, there's absolutely no room for negotiation on this kind of thing.

"Then tell me, what can you give me?"

When Chen Tuo opened his mouth to ask for conditions, the six old men's expressions changed simultaneously.

They weren't afraid of Chen Tuo's youthful vigor, but they were afraid of his meticulous planning.

It has been on the battlefield and has been washed away by the great storms and waves.

Although Chu Mingshan and his party looked old, they were only in their early fifties.

If we don't waste ten years, we can follow the progressive development path of forestry professionals.

They should have gone to the higher-level forestry bureau long ago to make way for people like Sun Changkui.

Having wasted ten years, Chu Mingshan and his group not only need to integrate the forestry production in Songling, but also need to make up for the lost ten years.

We've all experienced firsthand how much trouble young people can cause.

They could understand the young man's temporary dissatisfaction with Chen Tuo, but they could not tolerate him adding fuel to the fire.

Neither Chu Mingshan nor anyone else could offer such a condition.

What about the children of forestry workers who are given jobs and quotas?

What about temporary workers and their children?

If Chen Tuo hadn't been a member of the "sent-down youth" network, the Songling Forestry Bureau would have demolished the Xiaoyangqi sent-down youth settlement.

They couldn't give him a job, they couldn't allocate food, and they couldn't give a gun to an undocumented person like Chen Tuo. They still had to make Chen Tuo compromise.

Having already become the villain, Chu Mingshan could only continue to maintain a tough stance.

"As I just said, you can only choose one!"

The identities of the six old men were not difficult for Chen Tuo to guess.

Although I don't know that they are the directors of the five forest farms in Songling, plus a secretary.

But his aura was undeniable; he was clearly someone who made the decisions.

The fact that they didn't send anyone to arrest him shows that these six old men still have some principles.

Since there's a bottom line, it's easier to pull things apart.

"That's impossible!"

Responding with the same forceful attitude as Chu Mingshan, Chen Tuo bypassed Sun Changkui's obstruction and tried to enter the post office again.

"Chen Zhiqing, we don't want you to cause trouble, and you don't want trouble either, right? Some things can wait and see, but you absolutely cannot act recklessly!"

Chu Mingshan failed to persuade Chen Tuo, and Wei Juncheng, the secretary of Lushui Forest Farm and director of Songling Forestry Bureau, spoke up again.

Whether it's making things difficult or causing trouble, it doesn't matter.

In short, the Songling area would never allow Chen Tuo to produce an article titled "Why is it so hard to live?"

"Chen Zhiqing, this is Secretary Wei and Director Chu from the forest area."

Seeing that Chen Tuo remained unmoved, Sun Changkui then introduced the two men's identities.

"Brother-in-law Sun, this is the poem I'm submitting. You can take a look; let's just forget about them..."

Although his verbal stance was firm, Chen Tuo made compromises in his actions.

If the matter can be resolved, he won't become an unregistered resident stranded in Songling.

Once you've made your stance clear, arguing with a bunch of old men in charge is pointless.

This is similar to the fact that he neither won nor lost against Chu Maolin.

The actions he took through Wu Laowai and Sun Changkui were nothing more than a redefinition of Chen Tuo, the educated youth left behind in Songling.

How others treat him is closely related to his self-definition.

If someone acts honestly and dutifully, others will define and treat them as an honest person.

If someone displays the characteristics of a troublemaker, others will treat him as such.

This is what is known as character.

Similarly, he had the ability to write short stories and novellas, but instead of doing so, he plagiarized Hai Zi's poems, which was also a way of defining himself.

The writing reflects the person.

Without the relevant experience, who would believe that a young educated youth who had just come of age could write a novel like "To Live" that is full of bitterness and hatred?

Scholars both respect and despise each other, but despise each other more than they respect each other.

If he's just earning a living from writing, no one will target him.

But what if you become famous?

I'm afraid I'll be subjected to a sharp, word-for-word rebuttal.

Writing this opening is simply a statement of opinion.

Besides, he had to give Sun Changkui some face for the new cotton-padded coat that Dr. Hu had given him, didn't he?

Sun Changkui, whose education level was not as high as Wu Laowai's, accepted the birch bark handed to him by Chen Tuo and also gave his evaluation of "new life".

"Secretary Wei, Director Chu, this kid's kowtowing is actually pretty good..."

Upon hearing the slightly exaggerated evaluation, Chu Mingshan reached out his hand.

Sun Changkui ignored Chen Tuo's "Let them go" and naturally handed over the birch bark.

Chen Tuo, who was standing to the side, did not make any excessive reaction or statement.

"Is it ready to be published?"

After briefly glancing at the twenty lines of poetry inscribed on the birch bark, Chu Mingshan handed the bark to Wei Juncheng without comment.

While modern poetry may not be considered easy to understand, it is still possible to achieve fluent language and vivid imagery.

Hai Zi's poem "Facing the Sea, With Spring Blossoms" also expresses a longing for a perfect life.

No matter how you look at it, this kind of poetry is a matter of personal taste and has nothing to do with struggle, smearing, or sentimentality.

"Chen Zhiqing, your writing is quite good. I think you should submit it to Longjiang Literature and Art Publishing House..."

Although he didn't see anything suspicious on the birch bark, Wei Juncheng still cautiously insisted on choosing one of the two options.

The birch bark passed through the hands of six purple-faced old men, and that was it for Chen Tuo to pass the mail hurdle.

While there's nothing wrong with "New Life," Chen Tuo still has "Why is it so hard to live?" with eight graves, doesn't he?

Therefore, the six old men unanimously agreed that he should submit his work to Longjiang Literature and Art in the province.

This way, even if problems arise, they can be resolved internally.

This was another time for Chen Tuo to make his stance clear...