Chapter 9: Interview
1326 Words
"Creak!"
A red and white Czech Skoda bus came to a stop near the front door.
At this time, Czechoslovakia was still part of the socialist bloc, officially known as the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Many of the imported trucks and buses in those years came from Eastern Europe. Skoda was later acquired by Volkswagen.
Senior journalist Sheng Yongzhi from China Youth Daily struggled to squeeze his way out of the bus. He wiped his sweat and straightened his cotton shirt, making himself look a bit more presentable.
He had been working at China Youth Daily for years. After the newspaper resumed publication, he returned to his post, but he would be retiring in a few years. The newspaper lacked young reporters and was keen on training the next generation.
"Xiao Yu, hurry up!"
"Coming, coming!"
Yu Jiajia quickened her pace to catch up.
In her early twenties, she had delicate features. She had just taken over her father's position and become a rookie journalist. She carried a bag holding a precious camera.
"Xiao Yu, make sure to ask a few questions later."
"Huh? I don’t know what to ask."
"A journalist must always know what to ask. Bringing you out here is meant to train you and help you gain experience. Think about it carefully."
The two walked for a while until they reached the east side of the arrow tower. Sure enough, there was a tea stall with about a dozen people bustling around, and it was swarming with customers.
Sheng Yongzhi didn't reveal his identity. He simply queued up and said, "Two bowls of tea, please!"
"Got it!"
"That’ll be four cents in total!"
Huang Zhanying skillfully attended to them. Sheng Yongzhi picked up the large bowl, examined it, sniffed it, and then took a sip. He smiled, "Is this jasmine tea?"
"Yes, it is!"
"The water quality in Beijing isn't great, but jasmine tea doesn’t require high-quality water. It’s the best choice for a tea stall."
"Oh, you know your tea! You must be a local Beijinger?" Huang Zhanying responded with casual small talk.
"Mm. Do you always have this many customers every day?"
"Pretty much. More and more people are getting to know us now. Everyone is very supportive."
After chatting for a while, Sheng Yongzhi finally smiled and extended his hand.
"Hello, let me formally introduce myself. I’m Sheng Yongzhi, a journalist from China Youth Daily. This is Comrade Xiao Yu. We’re here to conduct an interview."
"In… inter… interview?!"
Huang Zhanying was stunned and stammered, "Why are you interviewing us?"
"What interview?"
"Did something happen?"
"Oh my god, China Youth Daily!?"
The workers at the tea stall gathered around excitedly, their voices filled with surprise and joy. At this time, print media held the highest authority, and being a journalist was an enviable profession.
With his rich experience, Sheng Yongzhi controlled the situation and asked, "May I know who is Chen Qi?"
Whoosh!
Twelve pairs of eyes simultaneously turned toward the right side of the tea stall, where a young man squatted, engrossed in counting money from a small cash box.
So he's in charge of the finances?
Sheng Yongzhi thought to himself as he walked over and extended his hand. "Hello! Are you the one who wrote to our newspaper?"
"Hello, hello!"
"Oh, I’m so sorry—I didn’t notice you. I was busy doing the accounts!"
Chen Qi quickly stood up, his face showing a mix of shyness and nervousness. He was a handsome but reserved young man. Scratching the back of his head, he said, "Yes, I wrote the letter. I never imagined you would actually come to interview us."
"Your letter was very well written. Let’s have a casual chat?"
"Of course, of course!"
The customers also started whispering among themselves.
Wow, a journalist!
Are they going to be in the newspaper? Does that mean we might appear in the newspaper too?
More and more people gathered around.
Seeing the situation, Huang Zhanying quickly brought over a few stools. Sheng Yongzhi didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down, first asking about the general situation.
"Can you describe the conflict that happened that day in detail?"
"It was our first day in business, around noon. I was having lunch when I suddenly heard people laughing mockingly. I went over to check and saw a few workers from the plastic factory ridiculing us for no reason. They even sang The Song of the Vagabond, which made several of the girls cry."
"What happened next?"
"Luckily, the police arrived in time to stop them. We’re all very young—the oldest among us is only 21, and half of us are women. If the police hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have known what to do…"
Chen Qi answered honestly, a hint of bitterness on his face. "They are full of social prejudice. That very day, some of our members wanted to quit, and we had to do a lot of convincing to keep them."
Sigh!
Yu Jiajia was moved. Had she not taken over her father's job, she might have also been assigned to a cooperative to do sewing and patching work.
Sheng Yongzhi continued, "What do your parents do?"
"They work at Xinhua Bookstore."
"That’s a good workplace. Why didn’t you take over their job?"
"…"
Chen Qi hesitated for a moment before saying, "They wanted to retire early. On one hand, I knew it was a good option that would benefit my future, but on the other hand, I kept telling myself that it would be a shameful choice."
"Shameful?"
"Think about it—my parents are only in their forties. If they retire so early, what would they do? And I’m only 19, young and educated, with a long road ahead of me. If I make my parents sacrifice their careers for my personal gain, I—I just couldn’t accept it!"
Chen Qi’s expression was firm.
Sheng Yongzhi was touched. What a good kid!
"Most people are friendly, especially those on business trips. They often praise our tea stall, saying it’s convenient for the public," Chen Qi continued.
"On the first day alone, we sold over 2,000 bowls!"
"Beijing lacks commercial service points. I believe cooperatives can fill this gap, but people’s mindsets are hard to change. That makes us feel somewhat inferior."
As the conversation deepened, Chen Qi gradually relaxed and started speaking more fluently.
Sheng Yongzhi felt it was time to let Yu Jiajia take the lead. He signaled her to ask a question. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "What are your future plans?"
"For now, I just want to run the tea stall well. I have a passion for literature and film and want to try writing."
"You mean your ‘spiritual home’?"
"Yes. My spiritual home has saved me countless times in my darkest moments. I still have hope for the future. I believe my peers will be surrounded by flowers, and I have faith that our country will become better and better!"
"Just like what you wrote: Facing the sea, with spring blossoms?" Yu Jiajia asked with a smile.
"Uh, I was just rambling!"
Chen Qi scratched his head again.
Sheng Yongzhi had a great impression of this young man—modest, thoughtful, and hardworking, with a promising future.
He was a traditional intellectual who liked to guide ambitious youngsters. "Your letter moved us deeply, and we’ve decided to publish it. However, the title is a bit problematic.
You started with some dark thoughts, but the ending was optimistic. Since you said you have the strength to keep moving forward, a title like ‘Why is the road of life becoming narrower?’ doesn’t quite fit.
I suggest changing it to ‘How should we walk the road of life?’—this better aligns with the content and creates a dialogue with the readers."
"You’re absolutely right! That makes much more sense!"
Chen Qi agreed immediately.
- Writer
