Chapter 8: If Thou Shalt Be Well
Although it has been nearly established, it has been almost ten years since I announced in my heart that I had ended my love for Erya, and even the marriage between Er Ya and Sijie finally went to the grave at the time of the seven-year itch, not only the grave of love, but even the grave of the body, but I still can't face Er Ya very naturally, especially when I am alone with Erya.
For Erya's eviction order, the easiest choice for me to make was to go back to the office and write the manuscript as Erya said. One is that you can escape this embarrassment of getting along, and the other is that you can divert your attention and exile your soul in the text.
Life is always ironic, Sijie is the pen name of Sijie, and Ermao is just my nickname. In the end, Ermao really became a pen name, and Sijie was just a nickname that existed in a hurry.
It's not that the Four Rings didn't make an effort to make the Four Rings a pen name.
On the eve of the year of establishment, Sijie made the decision to write a book and establish a biography, and even the gunman was found. 100 yuan per thousand words, much higher than that of today's online writers. It's a pity that he left before the words "Four Precepts" or "Qin Lang" appeared on the cover of the autobiography.
Left with less than thirty years of dreams and glory.
When Sijie first proposed to me that he wanted to write a book and ask me to write it or help find someone to write it, I sternly refused. Putting aside the despicable act of the literati such as ghostwriting by a gunman, I also told the four precepts that if your strength is not enough to support you to bear such glory, it is best not to do this kind of thing of writing books and passing on the biography, which is unlucky and easy to lose your life.
The four precepts, of course, scoffed at my claims.
"You're an insider, and you're still engaged in idealism." Sijie smiled contemptuously at me.
I just said to him, it's not about what you believe, it's about what you are in awe. Sijie was reluctant to talk to me about these topics and instead told me to drink. "You don't care, I'll find someone myself, don't dirty your hands."
I don't want to, in a word. I don't know if Sijie regretted not listening to me when his soul flashed back when he was dying. Or, take my reminder as a curse.
The magazine "Dong'an Lakeside" where I work is indeed on the shore of Dong'an Lake, and I have been working here for more than three years after graduating from the Department of Chinese at HKUST.
Dong'an Lake is the largest man-made lake in Dong'an District. In the past three years, I have witnessed office buildings rising from the ground on the edge of Dong'an Lake, and shopping malls are lined up one after another...... The gymnasium under construction on the edge of Dong'an Lake will also be the main venue of the 31st Universiade.
I know that the more lively season of Dong'an is coming, and it will be the glory and dream of Dong'an. It's just that Sijie, who built high-rise buildings by Dong'an Lake, can't see his glory and dreams.
In the districts and counties of Jincheng City, Dong'an is relatively short of water. There are only a few rivers that flow through Dong'an. It is said to be a river, but it is because of some artificial ditches needed for drinking water projects and irrigation.
Water has spirituality. Only when a city has water can it have a soul. Therefore, the excavation and completion of Dong'an Lake was unanimously applauded and welcomed by the people of Dong'an.
Our "Dong'an Lakeside" was born earlier than Dong'an Lake, and the editor-in-chief came out of the government to start a business. has worked in the system for most of his life, but he still can't let go of the heart of a literati.
I asked the editor-in-chief, when there was no lake, you named the magazine Dong'an Lakeside, are you not afraid that readers will not recognize and say that you are cheating?
The editor-in-chief smiled and replied to me, look at those real estates, Dong'an Lake No. 1, Dong'an International Community...... When Dong'an Lake was just a concept, the house was sold out, and no one was clamoring to check out before Dong'an Lake was dug up.
I replied to the editor-in-chief that it was because the price of houses in Dong'an had risen, and no one would make trouble. If it falls, there is a high probability that someone will jump out and say that the developer is falsely advertising.
The editor-in-chief shook his head and said, young man, your brain is very peculiar, use it more in your work, and less on idle articles. Whether it is Dong'an Lake or Xi'an Lake, the most important thing is the house itself, not the name of the community. It's the content, not the name and gimmick, just like our magazine, if the content is not good, you just take the name of the east, west, north and south lakes, and no one will read it.
On this point, I agree with the editor-in-chief. Names and gimmicks may make you famous, but it's only the content and the kernel that will make you famous.
I didn't give up, and asked the editor-in-chief again, aren't you afraid that the lake will be dug up, and the name will not be called Dong'an Lake, but something else, such as Crown Lake? You're going to have to change the name of the magazine again?
The editor-in-chief didn't laugh or shake his head, he just gave me a roll of his eyes and said, "Go ahead and revise the manuscript."
My luck was very good, when I came to Dong'an, it happened to be just in time for the opening of Dong'an Lake. When I arrived at Dong'an Lakeside, the magazine's sales were growing at a geometric rate.
I'm pretty much a shade person, so I'm grateful from the bottom of my heart to those who planted the trees.
When it comes to planting trees and enjoying the shade, we have to mention another pride of Dong'an people, Dong'an Mountain Urban Forest Park.
Jincheng City is located in the plain, with few hills. Dong'an has a comparative advantage in the resource endowment of Jincheng City, which is Dong'an Mountain. In the new era, Jincheng City put forward the goal of park city construction. Dong'an Mountain suddenly became fragrant. Dong'anshan Urban Forest Park has instantly become a key project in the city and even the province.
As a result, the people of Dong'an were happy again. Taking advantage of the editor-in-chief's good mood, I asked the editor-in-chief if he would consider starting a sister publication, what is it called "On the Mountain of Dong'an".
The editor-in-chief glared at me, if you can't hand in the manuscript tonight, you will go to Dong'an Mountain tomorrow, and you don't have to come down.
I stuck out my tongue and ran away. In addition to the forest park to be built on Dong'an Mountain, there is also a cemetery that has been built, where Sijie is lying.
So, what the editor-in-chief wants to say is, if I can't hand in the manuscript tonight, I'll die.
Editors don't really need to write manuscripts, and more often than not, like the editor-in-chief, we are also looking for authors to urge manuscripts. The editor-in-chief can tell me that if I can't hand in the manuscript, I'll die, but I would never dare to say the same thing to the author. Therefore, the editor does not have the scenery imagined by the outside world, and we have to be scolded by the editor-in-chief on the one hand, and on the other hand, we have to beg our authors.
This is my daily work and daily life, and raising the bar and arguing with the editor-in-chief is also an important way to regulate our lives.
In addition to being an urban forest park under planning, Dong'an Mountain is the green lung of Jincheng City, and it is also the production and life of several generations of Dong'an people.
The mountain is full of peach trees, and every March, the peach blossoms are in full bloom, and the entire Dong'an Mountain is full of flowers, active in a sea of flowers. Tourists from Jincheng City or further afield flock to Jincheng City and come every year to see it never tire of it.
……
I'm not in a hurry to go back to catch up with the manuscript tonight, so I'm still determined to make some porridge for Erya before leaving.
"I'll make you some porridge before leaving." With a few words, I went from the living room to the kitchen.
For Erya's kitchen, maybe I'm more familiar with it than her. Erya rarely goes into the kitchen. In the past, there was a nanny at home, who took care of her and Sijie's life. After Sijie died, Erya fired the nanny, saying that she wanted to be alone.
For a short period of time, I used to go over and cook for her. She said that she suddenly didn't want to eat outside meals and missed the taste of home. I asked if I wanted to get the nanny back, and Erya shook her head.
Erya said that my craftsmanship is very good, and it has the taste of when we were children. I don't know what it tasted like when we were kids, but I remember that there were no good memories of the food in the cafeteria at that time other than a full stomach.