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After May Day, the weather grew warmer. It had been nearly two months since he sent off that short story to the Editorial Department of Story Collection. The initial anticipation had gradually faded as the days passed.
—Perhaps, foreseeing was just foreseeing.
Hu Ruoyun's mood slowly settled down. He comforted himself with the thought that "the road to success is paved with thorns and twists," yet he still felt a tinge of sadness inside.
There is a saying that "good things come to those who wait," and another that "good things take time." Unexpected good news is what truly brings surprise.
Another week passed, and it was Saturday again. With no classes in the afternoon, he only needed to attend two study sessions before heading home for the weekend.
During the second study session, the homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, entered the classroom with an excited expression, holding a large envelope. "Hu Ruoyun, this is from the Editorial Department of Story Collection! Open it quickly!"
Seeing their homeroom teacher so animated caused all the students in the study session to turn their attention toward him.
Hu Ruoyun had lost confidence in the outcome of his submission, but this sudden email reignited his excitement.
Such a large envelope could mean two things: either a rejection or a sample copy!
Given that the original manuscript of his story took nearly four notebooks of graph paper, Hu Ruoyun couldn't be sure whether this hefty brown paper envelope contained a sample copy or a rejection.
He could almost hear his heart pounding, feeling as if it might leap out of his chest.
Under Teacher Wang's eager gaze and with the entire class watching, Hu Ruoyun struggled to contain his excitement and used trembling hands to tear open the thick, heavy brown paper envelope.
It was indeed a sample copy!
Three freshly published copies of Story Collection wafted with the strong scent of ink. On the contents page, he could see that under the "Long-form Serialization" section was his own work titled Humanity's Forbidden Island!
Teacher Wang reached out and eagerly grabbed a copy, quickly opening it and turning to the corresponding page, reading each word carefully. The surrounding classmates gathered around, vying to snatch the two remaining copies from Hu Ruoyun's hands.
In addition to the three sample issues, there was a page in the envelope with the editor's signature bearing the title "Acceptance Notification":
Comrade Hu Ruoyun: After careful review by the Editorial Department, your work "Humanity's Forbidden Island" has been accepted for publication in our journal, scheduled to be featured over fourteen issues... Here is the first sample issue... The first payment for your manuscript is 57.5 yuan.
...Thank you for your support!
Hu Ruoyun was so overwhelmed by this enormous surprise that he could hardly speak!
Currently, Teacher Wang's salary, including the homeroom teacher allowance, was just over 200 yuan. His monthly cafeteria expenses were less than 5 yuan. Suddenly receiving more than fifty yuan, and potentially continuing to earn this for over a year, added up to over seven hundred yuan!
It’s important to note that in this era, 700 yuan was not comparable to 2000 yuan in the next century. For a high school student, it was an immense sum!
Moreover, and most importantly, this was a "transformation of energy" from his masterpiece in "future time" taking place in this era!
The ability of future works to materialize in this time hinted that his future might not necessarily follow the trajectory he had foreseen—living a life of mediocrity and constant struggle!
If change were possible, wouldn’t his life be more vibrant? Wouldn’t he live with more dignity and meaning?
Riding his bicycle back home, Hu Ruoyun realized that the impact of his published work in "Story Collection" had already spread throughout the village, even more so than at school.
The village's Team Headquarters subscribed not only to "Jiangbei Daily" and "Jinan Daily," but also to popular literature like "Story Collection" (the former subscriptions were mandatory while the latter were imposed by the Post Office as a requirement funded by village public funds).
Whether it was letters or newspapers, the postal workers would deliver to each village once a week. Typically, they would bring letters to the elementary school where teachers would arrange for students to deliver them to recipients and subscribers.
Hu Ruoyun's elementary school teacher, Shao Jianguo, was the first to see Hu Ruoyun's name in the "Story Collection." Although he had not yet confirmed that this "Hu Ruoyun" was indeed his former student, he was convinced based on his understanding of her. As a result, all the teachers at the school learned about it, and soon enough, all the elementary students knew as well. When the children mentioned Hu Ruoyun at home, most families were aware of her.
In rural areas at that time, getting published in a newspaper or appearing on television was a significant event. Having one's work printed in a book was even more impressive. Moreover, the teachers mentioned that the magazine would pay for contributions.
The idea that one could earn money through writing completely reshaped the villagers' perceptions.
Before long, more people began visiting Hu Qihua's home to chat.
Some asked Hu Ruoyun how much money she made from writing. Others wanted her to teach their children how to "write" or "compose stories." There were also those who simply came out of curiosity.
What surprised Hu Ruoyun's mother the most was that someone had come to propose marriage for her son!
Given their family's poor circumstances and her son's average looks, it was remarkable that someone would take an interest. While other peers who weren't in school were already engaged, her child was still in high school. Of course, if he could get into college, that would be wonderful; but what if he couldn't?
With their limited means and her son's average abilities, finding a suitable bride later on would be challenging as he aged.
Now, someone had taken the initiative to propose—what a wonderful development! They could meet and see if they were compatible; if so, they could get engaged. If he went to college, that would be even better; if not, they could still marry and start a family.
When she heard that her son could earn fifty or sixty yuan a month from writing, Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong were filled with mixed emotions.
In their family, generations had lived in poverty and illiteracy, struggling through life. Now, their son wasn't just earning a few dozen yuan; he was paving the way for a change in their destiny!
Looking at the people their son knew now, he could buy fertilizer without having to beg others for help. During the New Year celebrations, when the police came to the village to crack down on gambling, everyone appeared fierce and intimidating. Yet when the police chief visited their home, he greeted them warmly as if he were an old friend.
Through their son, they saw a bright future and hope.
A week later, Hu Ruoyun finally received a green remittance slip sent from Magic City, amounting to 57.5 yuan. When she went to the Gaoqiao Town Post Office to cash it, a young female staff member in a green uniform, around eighteen or nineteen years old, repeatedly confirmed, "You are Hu Ruoyun?"
It wasn't until Hu Ruoyun took out her student ID and identification card (which had a black-and-white photo at the time, laminated) that the staff member's attitude became warm and friendly. "I often read 'Story Collection.' It's impressive that you can publish your work there! My brother, Mao Jie, also studies at your school. If he had your talent, that would be great!"
Hu Ruoyun knew Mao Jie; he was the class monitor of Class Three in the first year of high school. She had heard that his father was some kind of leader in Gaoqiao Town, and he usually carried himself with a lot of pride at school, rarely interacting with students like Hu Ruoyun who came from the countryside.
Upon hearing that she was Mao Jie's sister, Hu Ruoyun couldn't help but take a closer look at her. There was indeed a resemblance between them; the girl had a healthy wheat-colored complexion, her eyebrows slightly curved downwards as if she were always smiling. Her face wasn't particularly exquisite but had a certain charm, and her postal worker uniform fit her well, giving her an air of confidence.
Hu Ruoyun shyly replied, "I'm just writing randomly! Mao Jie is the class monitor; he studies much better than I do!"
The next day during the long break, Mao Jie casually draped his arm over Hu Ruoyun's shoulder and said, "When are we going to play basketball together?" Hu Ruoyun felt pleasantly surprised by this: "Sure!"
It was clear that his sister had said something to him.
Over the weekend, Hu Ruoyun used her earnings to buy her younger sister Xiao Feng a beautiful hairpin and her younger brother Xiao Hu a new pencil case—the latest model with magnets (her brother was still using an old pencil case that Hu Ruoyun had used during her school days; it was not only chipped but also dented). She also gave each of them fifty cents as pocket money, which made Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu incredibly happy.
"Brother, only one classmate in our class has this pencil case! They won't even let others touch it!" Xiao Hu exclaimed, clutching the pencil case with delight.
"As long as you both study hard, I'll buy you all the stationery you want in the future!"
Hu Ruoyun encouraged her younger siblings.
The world around them was quietly changing.
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