Chapter 155 The New Year’s Eve dinner in 1979 was destined to be extraordinary (please order it in full)
The Feng family was dumbfounded by what they heard!
I’m so confused!
She hooked directly with Cheng Xuemin, so cute!
"Daughter-in-law! Wife-in-law! Are you okay?"
Cheng Xuemin finished speaking in one breath. Seeing his wife looking at him stupidly and not responding for a long time, Cheng Xuemin waved his hand in front of her eyes and asked.
"Really!?"
"Xuemin, what you said is true?! Mr. Wu wants to publish a collection of short stories for you. The old leader above will write an inscription for you as the book cover, and Mr. Mao will write a preface for you?"
After Feng Jiayou, who had been stunned for a long time, came to his senses, he immediately went crazy!
He just grabbed Cheng Xuemin’s arm with both hands, and asked with excitement and trembling.
"Calm down, calm down, wife, don't get too excited, don't get too excited!"
What a startled woman!
Cheng Xuemin quickly stroked her body, which was so excited that she was jumping, and advised women not to be so excited.
Being too excited is not a good thing for a pregnant woman like her.
"Yes, yes! Xuemin, you are right, you have to be calm and don't get too excited! I listen to you and I listen to you!"
Feng Jiayou kept saying this, his words were incoherent with excitement, but when he looked at the four-character inscription in his hand, the strange light in his eyes became even more obvious, and he obviously didn't know what he was thinking about in his heart.
Later, at the woman's request, Cheng Xuemin briefly talked about today's trip to Zhonghai.
"What!?"
"Not only will a collection of short stories be published, but a full-page report will also be published in the People's Daily tomorrow?"
Immediately afterwards, Feng Jiayou was dumbfounded again. Did she really hear it right?
Today Mr. Wu called her man to Zhonghai, either to write an inscription or preface for the collection, or to directly publish a full-page report in the People’s Daily?
And it’s still the first day of the new year?
This...if her mother knew this, wouldn't she be so excited that she would go crazy?
"It should be published only the day after tomorrow, the second day of the Lunar New Year!"
Cheng Xuemin corrected Feng Jiayou: Although the People's Daily will not stop publishing on New Year's Day, the final version must have been finalized as early as yesterday and is in the process of being printed.
"On the second day of the Lunar New Year, that's great too! It just so happens that we go to the official residence outside Beijing to pay New Year greetings, so we can catch up!"
The Feng family nodded repeatedly. Although it was not the first day of the Lunar New Year, the second day of the Lunar New Year was already very impressive!
Another woman mentioned New Year greetings.
It’s New Year’s Eve today, and tomorrow is the first day of the first lunar month, so we have to start going out to pay New Year greetings!
However, although Feng's father has five brothers and sisters, only Feng's father has been rehabilitated and transferred back to Yanjing so far. The other uncles and aunts have basically settled there and been assigned jobs.
During the Chinese New Year, I definitely won’t be able to return to Yanjing!
The grandparents above have long since sacrificed their lives for the revolutionary cause.
The situation on Feng's mother's side is even more special. Her brothers and sisters have basically left, some have settled in Xiangjiang, and some have settled in Lao America!
Even...Treasure Island!
In other words, the old man and his wife couldn’t leave their hometown, so they stayed as special guests!
Listen to Feng Jiayou bragging!
On the day of the ceremony, her grandfather was invited to the top of Tiananmen City to watch the ceremony.
I don’t know if it’s true or not!
Now the old man and his wife are hiding in the suburbs of Beijing, where their sister-in-law Feng Jiamo was previously arranged to take care of.
When she returns to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Feng's mother will take her family there to pay New Year's greetings to the old man.
Cheng Xuemin didn't know what kind of excitement it would be.
After spending an hour at home, Cheng Xuemin went to the post office to call his parents in the countryside of northern Shaanxi.
Originally, Feng Jiayou had already had one at noon, so he was not allowed to go out to enjoy the cold wind.
And women just want to go.
Come on!
Just what are you going to do? Besides what Cheng Xuemin told her just now, she had to tell her parents-in-law on the phone the good news.
But her parents-in-law are just old farmers, how can they understand this?
What worries her parents-in-law is the phone bill!
What her parents-in-law are looking forward to now is that their son and daughter-in-law can go home to celebrate the New Year. This is the most practical thing, and it is best to bring a good grandson back.
However, this year it’s impossible!
Let’s celebrate the New Year next year!
Maybe this summer vacation, I can take the family back to stay for a while.
"So many people?"
"When will this be scheduled? There weren't so many just now?"
When Cheng Xuemin and Feng Jiayou arrived at the post office again, they were frightened by the queue of people queuing up to make phone calls.
Feng Jiayou exclaimed in confusion, there were not so many people here at noon just now!
Cheng Xuemin looked at the two teams, each with more than a hundred people, and patted his own forehead.
Today is New Year’s Eve!
Although landlines are a very rare thing in this era, most people are reluctant to make phone calls and prefer to write letters.
But what day is it?
It’s New Year’s Eve!
Moreover, this is still Yanjing City, and there is not much need for phone calls in normal times, but it is different today.
Coupled with the large population base of Yanjing City, it would be strange if there were not so many people waiting to call at the post office.
"It's my fault, it's my fault! Xuemin, I shouldn't have made my own decision and asked my parents to wait over there!"
"Xuemin, blame me! I shouldn't have gone home directly after making the call. I should have waited in line here for you to come over!"
Looking at the long queue, Feng Jiayou was dumbfounded and blamed himself again and again.
If she hadn't asked Cheng Xuemin's parents to wait there and made an appointment to call back at three o'clock, his parents might have gone back to the brigade to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner, and they wouldn't have been stuck in the commune, waiting for them to call again. .
Also, even if we made an appointment to call back at three o'clock, we shouldn't put down the phone and go home directly. We should stay here and wait in line!
It’s better now!
There are so many people, let alone whether we can get in line on time at three o'clock, maybe even at eight or nine o'clock in the evening, we may not be able to get in line.
More than a hundred people!
Even if each person makes a two-minute call, that's two to three hundred minutes, three to four hours.
And these are definitely long-distance calls, and it takes a lot of time to wait for the line to be called, so if you can get in line at eight or nine in the evening, that's still good!
"It's okay, it's okay, my wife, I can't blame you!"
Cheng Xuemin hugged the woman and comforted her, and said with a bitter smile: "You blame me, but actually I should have thought of it earlier!"
Cheng Xuemin himself must indeed be blamed!
Young girls and women of Feng Jiayou's generation have not experienced anything and have little experience.
But Cheng Xuemin was reborn in later generations, and it was not uncommon to see the prosperity of the Spring Festival!
When I thought about going to the train station to book tickets, I might not be able to get in line, so I just decided not to go.
But I never thought that the post office phone booths of this era were actually the same!
and!
Waiting in line to call a public phone was something Cheng Xuemin had never experienced in his previous life.
That was more than ten years later, in the 1990s. Cheng Xuemin was still in elementary school at that time. He remembers that there was also a year when his father couldn't make it back to celebrate the New Year, so he made an appointment to make a long-distance call to his family on New Year's Eve and asked him and his mother to wait at a public phone booth. With.
But that day, I had to wait all day long. I was promised that I would get a call at noon, but I waited in line until the evening.
He said there was only one public phone at his dad's place and he had to queue up to call it!
With today's incident, the memory of that day in Cheng Xuemin's mind became clearer and clearer.
So, that was more than ten years later, in the 1990s, and it was so difficult to make long-distance calls on New Year's Eve.
Not to mention that it’s not even in the early 1980s.
This is indeed Cheng Xuemin’s fault, he should have considered it long ago!
What to do now?
If I had thought about it earlier, I would have just had a New Year's Eve dinner at Mr. Wu's place for cultural promotion at noon today, and by the way, I would have used a landline phone at Mr. Wu's place to call his parents.
No matter what happens, when you are at the People's Daily later, you should finish the phone call before coming out.
Is it okay for an organization as big as the People's Daily to make a long-distance call to Teacher Qin Chuan and Qin?
I just wanted to rush back and make this call at the post office with Feng Jiayou!
It’s fine now! I took a wrong step, how to fix it later? !
Stay in line? This has to be scheduled until midnight on the first day of the new year!
Why don’t you just go back without queuing and stop fighting?
But Feng Jiayou left a message with his parents again and agreed to call back at three o'clock in the afternoon. If Cheng Xuemin didn't call back, do you believe that he, who is as stubborn as a donkey, would have waited until the first day of the new year?
"Xuemin, how about... how about we squeeze in and explain the situation to the leaders inside, and let us fight if there is an emergency?"
Feng Jiayou was also panicked and asked Cheng Xuemin for advice.
"Forget it, it's useless. Who is not in a hurry today?"
It's starting to snow. Reading the newspaper, it's still going to be a snowy day tonight, so it's not easy to line up and call home on this cold day.
I can only find another way!
"Then go to another post office?"
Feng Jiayou looked at the watch on his wrist. It showed that it was already two forty, and he said again anxiously.
"Other post offices may have more people than here!"
Yanda is already considered a remote area, and the population density is not as high as that in the city. Now other post offices in the city may have more people than here.
"Then what should we do? Xuemin, my parents will be waiting there anxiously!"
Feng Jiayou asked in panic again.
"I'll send you back first! If that doesn't work, I'll make another trip to the People's Daily! Teacher Qin hasn't had a holiday today yet, and is still rushing to publish the newspaper tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I'll go over there and borrow a phone to make a call. Should I have any questions? Not big!”
You can't call the post office. If you can't wait, you have to call the public phone number in the agency!
Originally, there are public telephone numbers at the Yanda Library or the principal's office of the High School Affiliated to Yanda, which are close to them. Cheng Xuemin is also familiar with the principal and director of the library, so it's no problem to make a phone call.
But it's holiday now, and there won't be anyone in the office at all.
Cheng Xuemin even thought of his mother-in-law's October holiday, but the magazine had already had a holiday for the New Year. Even if his mother-in-law was willing to take him there, she would not be able to open the door to the editor-in-chief Liu Xinwu's office.
Therefore, at present, there is no need to go back and make another trip to the People's Daily.
"Huh?! That may be the only way!"
"Why don't you, Xuemin, go directly from here? I'll just walk back. There's no two steps!"
The Feng family asked her husband to make another trip to the People's Daily, but it was already dark every time.
But I also know that it won’t work if I don’t return this call.
Immediately, he urged his man to go quickly and leave her alone, she could walk back by herself.
But no matter how hard Cheng Xuemin rushed, he couldn't leave his wife here. He insisted on sending her back first. Anyway, it was definitely too late, and there was no need to be this late.
"Mom, Dad, brother and sister-in-law, are you all back!?"
When Cheng Xuemin sent Feng Jiayou out of his house, he didn't even plan to go in, so he went straight to People's Literature!
But at the door, I happened to encounter Feng’s father and Feng’s mother who had returned with large and small bags and a cart full of new year’s goods.
Feng Jiayou and Cheng Xuemin both said hello.
"Xuemin, you go first! Slow down on the road, go back quickly!"
Following closely, Feng Jiayou urged Cheng Xuemin to go to the People's Daily. It was already past three o'clock.
By the time Cheng Xuemin arrived at the People's Daily, it might have been four or five o'clock.
"Where are you going!? Xuemin, have you just come back from Mr. Wu, or are you coming back from calling your parents?"
Seeing that her son-in-law didn't even enter the house and was about to run out in a hurry, Feng's mother asked more questions.
"Mom, I haven't beaten him yet!"
"There are more than a hundred people queuing up to make calls at the post office, and I'm afraid there won't be a queue for us, so Xiamin thought of going to the People's Daily to borrow a phone there to make a call!"
The young Feng family members were so anxious that they quickly explained to their mother.
“A trip to the People’s Daily at this time?!”
After hearing what her debt collector said, Feng's mother was dumbfounded on the spot and decided not to eat the New Year's Eve dinner at all.
Then I quickly ran through it again in my mind, looking for places where I could make a phone call.
Your own unit?
The phone is in Lao Liu's office. It's holiday now, so Lao Liu must have locked the office door.
From here, go to Lao Liu's house to get the keys first, and then go to the work to make a call?
It’s better to go directly to the People’s Daily.
Another thing is... Feng's mother has thought through her head, and the places she can think of are basically in the inner city. There are really not many acquaintances in the Yanda area.
"Old Feng?!"
Feng's mother looked at Feng's father. The foreign language bureau of his unit had several telephones. Even Feng's father's office was also equipped with a phone.
So if you really want to go to People’s Literature, you might as well go to Feng’s father’s Foreign Publishing Bureau. Both units are in the inner city, and the time is the same!
"Pack up the things for Mr. Tang, I'll take Xuemin there later!"
Father Feng nodded and said to Mother Feng.
Mother Feng’s eyes lit up on the spot, yes!
They couldn't find a place where they could make phone calls near Yan University, but Mr. Tang was different!
Talk to Mr. Tang!
You can take Xuemin directly to the principal’s office of Yanda University to fight, and no one will dare to stop you.
originally!
Father Feng plans to come to visit his teacher Tang, the first day of the Lunar New Year tomorrow!
Now do it!
First of all, send the New Year’s gifts together. It’s not easy to go empty-handed.
"Xuemin, go to Mr. Tang's place later. There is a phone downstairs in Mr. Tang and Professor Tang's apartment!"
Father Feng explained to Cheng Xuemin again.
"Uh! Yes, yes, Mr. Tang, Mr. Tang, why did I forget about him!"
"Xuemin, go find Mr. Tang for help later!"
After hearing what her father said, Feng Jiayou nodded repeatedly.
"Is this okay? Didn't you say that you would go over tomorrow to pay New Year's greetings to Mr. Tang?"
It’s not sincere to say goodbye to the New Year on the 30th of the year!
"It's okay. Our whole family will go over tomorrow to wish him a happy new year. We are so close, so it's okay!"
Father Feng nodded and told Cheng Xuemin to dispel his concerns.
After a while, Feng's mother rummaged through all the New Year's goods prepared for Mr. Tang from the trolley.
"I'll push the bike out!"
Father Feng followed him into the yard first, pushed his bicycle out, and rode his bicycle there later.
Feng's mother asked Cheng Xuemin to send a message to his parents over the phone, wish them a happy New Year, and invite Cheng Xuemin and his parents over again to celebrate the Lantern Festival.
We were originally invited to celebrate the New Year, but didn’t Cheng Xuemin fail to do so a few years ago?
Then I asked my uncle and the others to drag the cart into the yard!
"Dad, Dad! Bring this to Mr. Tang to see, bring this to Mr. Tang to see!"
The young man of the Feng family didn't know when he slipped into the house first, came out with something, and shouted to Feng's father who was about to leave outside the yard.
"Wait a minute. Is there anything you have that your dad must bring over today? Why don't you bring it over tomorrow?"
Mother Feng also smiled when she looked at her impetuous debt collector.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Anyway, I think Mr. Tang will like it, and maybe he will give your son-in-law some lucky money!"
Feng Jiayou said with a naughty smile, holding up the four-character inscription paper in his hand.
"This is……"
When Father Feng took it over in confusion, he took a look and was dumbfounded and shocked!
…
(End of chapter)