Return to the City 1980: Make a Living by Writing

1980, Beijing Hutong. After eight years in Beidahuang, Shen Xudong came back empty-handed. The temporary street worker's quota was secretly replaced by the director's son. There was no fire in the cold stove at home for many days, and the north wind blew in from the holes in the window paper. The whole family had only two 10-cent coins. The seventeen-year-old sister had been suffering from lung disease for half a year, and only had three days of medicine left. She frequently coughed up blood at night, and the pain was unbearable, but she would only cover her hands with the quilt and hold back her tears, for fear of dragging down her family. The desperate situation is overwhelming, and the memories of past lives suddenly return to their places. In his previous life, he had been deeply involved in the Writers Association for forty years. He was a senior editor who had read countless manuscripts. He saw through the trends in the literary world in the 1980s: major publications resumed full remuneration, and the remuneration for one short story was enough to cover the family's food for several months. You only need to look at people's faces when asking for help, and you don't have the principal to cover the bottom of the reselling business. When he was desperate, he only had a pen in his hand.