1979 Gold Age

Chapter 9: Interview

"Creak!"

A red-and-white Czech Škoda bus came to a stop near Qianmen.

Czechoslovakia was still part of the socialist bloc at the time, officially called the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Many of the trucks and buses imported in those days were from Eastern Europe. Later on, Škoda was acquired by Volkswagen.

Veteran journalist Sheng Yongzhi from China Youth Daily struggled to squeeze his way off the bus. He wiped his sweat, straightened his cotton shirt, and made himself look presentable.

He had been working at China Youth Daily for years. When the paper resumed publication, he returned to his post, but retirement wasn’t far off. Since the newsroom was short on young journalists, there was a strong emphasis on training the next generation.

"Xiao Yu, hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Yu Jiajia jogged a few steps to catch up.

She was in her early twenties, quite attractive, and had just taken over her father’s position, becoming a rookie journalist. She was carrying a bag, inside which was a precious camera.

"Xiao Yu, you should ask a few questions later as well."

"Huh? I don't even know what to ask."

"How can you be a journalist without knowing what to ask? I'm bringing you along so you can gain experience. Think it through."

The two walked for a while until they reached the east side of Jianlou. Sure enough, there was a tea stand, with about a dozen people busy at work. The place was packed with customers.

Sheng Yongzhi didn’t reveal his identity right away. Instead, he queued up and said, "Two bowls of tea, please!"

"Got it!"

"That'll be four cents in total."

Huang Zhanying skillfully handled the transaction. Sheng Yongzhi picked up the large bowl, examined it, sniffed it, and then took a sip before smiling. "Is this jasmine tea?"

"Yes, it is!"

"Beijing's water quality isn’t great, but jasmine tea isn’t picky about water. It's the best choice for a tea stand."

"Oh, you really know your stuff! You must be a local, right?" Huang Zhanying made small talk as usual.

"Mm-hmm. Do you always get this many customers?"

"Pretty much. More and more people know about us now, and everyone is very supportive."

After chatting for a while, Sheng Yongzhi finally smiled and extended his hand. "Hello, let me introduce myself properly. I’m Sheng Yongzhi, a reporter from China Youth Daily. This is Comrade Xiao Yu. We’re here for an interview."

"I-Inter… Interview??"

Huang Zhanying was stunned, stammering, "Why are you interviewing us?"

"What interview?"

"Something happened again?"

"Oh my god, China Youth Daily!"

Their teammates gathered around, excited and shouting. At that time, print media held supreme authority, and being a journalist was an enviable job.

With his experience, Sheng Yongzhi controlled the situation and asked, "May I ask which one of you is Chen Qi?"

Whoosh!

Twelve pairs of eyes instantly turned toward the right side of the tea stand, where a young man squatted, counting money in a cash box.

Is he in charge of finances? Sheng Yongzhi wondered as he walked over and extended his hand again. "Hello! Did you write the letter to the newspaper?"

"Hello, hello!"

"Sorry, I didn’t notice you. I was just doing the accounts!"

Chen Qi quickly stood up, looking a little shy and nervous. He was a handsome yet bashful young man. Scratching the back of his head, he said, "Yes, I wrote the letter. I never thought you’d actually come for an interview."

"Your letter was excellent. Let’s have a chat, shall we?"

"Sure, sure!"

The customers started murmuring as well.

Wow, reporters!

Is this going to be in the newspaper?

Does that mean we might get in the newspaper too?

More and more people gathered around.

Huang Zhanying, quick on her feet, brought over a few stools. Sheng Yongzhi didn't stand on ceremony and sat down, asking for a general overview first. Then he said, "Can you describe the conflict that happened that day in more detail?"

"It was our first day of business, around lunchtime. I was eating when I suddenly heard laughter. I went over and saw a few workers from Plastic Factory No. 2. They were mocking us for no reason and even sang a song about vagrants. Some of the girls were so upset they started crying."

"What happened afterward?"

"Luckily, the police arrived in time to stop them. Since we’re all very young—the oldest among us is only 21, and half of us are women—if the police hadn’t stepped in, we wouldn’t have known what to do… sigh."

Chen Qi sighed bitterly. "Their prejudices are deeply ingrained. That very day, some of our team wanted to quit. It took a lot of convincing to make them stay."

Yu Jiajia was moved. If she hadn’t taken over her father’s job, she might have ended up in a cooperative like this, doing sewing work.

Sheng Yongzhi continued, "What do your parents do?"

"They work at Xinhua Bookstore."

"That’s a good workplace. Why didn’t you take their position?"

"…"

Chen Qi hesitated before saying, "They wanted to retire early. On one hand, I knew that would be a great choice, very beneficial for my future. But on the other hand, I told myself that doing so would feel… unambitious."

"Unambitious?"

"Think about it—my parents are only in their forties. If they retire this early, what will they do? And I’m just 19, with my whole life ahead of me. If I let them make sacrifices just for my own sake, I… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself!"

Chen Qi's voice was firm.

Sheng Yongzhi was moved. What a good kid!

"Most people are very kind, especially those visiting Beijing on business. They all praise our tea stand for being convenient for the public."

"On our first day, we sold over 2,000 bowls of tea!"

"Beijing doesn’t have enough commercial service outlets. I think cooperatives can fill that gap. But changing people’s perceptions is hard, which makes us feel insecure."

As the conversation continued, Chen Qi seemed to relax and started speaking more freely.

Sheng Yongzhi felt it was time to let Yu Jiajia ask questions. She thought for a moment and asked, "What are your future plans?"

"For now, I just want to run the tea stand well. I love literature and film, and I’d like to try writing."

"You mean your ‘spiritual home’?"

"Yes. My spiritual home has saved me countless times when I felt lost and hopeless. I’m still full of hope for the future. I believe that young people like me will be surrounded by flowers, and I believe our country will get better and better!"

"Just like that phrase you wrote—‘Facing the sea, with spring blossoms’?" Yu Jiajia asked with a smile.

"Uh… I was just writing nonsense!"

Chen Qi scratched the back of his head again.

Sheng Yongzhi was deeply impressed by this young man—modest, thoughtful, hardworking. He had a bright future ahead.

As an old-school intellectual, Sheng Yongzhi was happy to give advice to ambitious young people. He said, "We’ve decided to publish your letter. But the title might need some adjustment. Your letter starts with some dark themes but ends on a hopeful note. Since you say you have the strength to keep moving forward, a title like ‘Why Does Life’s Path Keep Getting Narrower?’ doesn’t quite fit.

I suggest changing it to ‘How Should We Walk the Road of Life?’ It’s more fitting and encourages discussion with the readers."

"You’re absolutely right! It should be like that!"

Chen Qi agreed immediately.

The name didn’t really matter. The only reason Chen Qi chose that dramatic title was just for the sake of a joke.

After all, "Why Does the Road of Life Keep Getting Narrower?" was the title of an article that would be published in China Youth magazine the following year. It described the author's struggles and despair, culminating in thoughts of suicide.

That article became incredibly famous, sparking a nationwide discussion about the meaning of life.

But Chen Qi wasn’t plagiarizing anything. His piece was actually a cleverly disguised promotional article—advertising the tea stall, taking a jab at the plastic factory, and, most importantly, building his own reputation as a positive, forward-thinking young man. In other words, he was crafting his public persona.

"Alright, I’ll talk to the editor about it," Sheng Yongzhi nodded approvingly. A young person who listens to advice is always a good one. He then asked, "Do you want to use a pen name?"

"A pen name… How about 'Carrying a Blade on a Rainy Night Without an Umbrella'?"

"...What?"

"Nothing, nothing. I can’t think of a good one. I’ll just use my real name."

"Alright, that works."

After that, they went on to interview the other young workers.

Compared to Chen Qi, the rest of them were much less articulate—talking over each other like a flock of excited ducks. They had a lot to say but little real substance.

Finally, Sheng Yongzhi took several photos of them and the tea stall before waving goodbye.

As soon as the two reporters left, the group immediately surrounded Chen Qi.

"Wow, we’re going to be in the newspaper!"

"Chen Qi, I totally admire you now!"

"You and Yingzi-jie are like a perfect duo—one with brains, one with strength. With you two leading us, we’re bound to succeed!"

No one objected to this statement.

Without even realizing it, everyone had already come to see the two of them as their natural leaders.