Chapter 00253: The Editorial Office Opens
# The Editorial Office Opens
Chapter 253
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 253: The Editorial Office Opens
"Why do my eyes always brim with tears? Because I love this land so deeply!"
As the plane touched down in the capital, the long-missed cold air, mixed with the impurities from winter coal burning, rushed into Chen Qi's nostrils.
He spread his arms and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Just as he was about to further express his feelings, Xiao Mo impatiently cut him off: "Alright, alright, hurry up and let's go!"
"You're so heartless and cold!"
"We still have to report back to the unit after dropping you off. No time for idle chatter. You'd better get in the car quickly. We have a say in how you behaved in Hong Kong, you know."
"Oh ho, after eating dozens of my Hong Kong-style feasts, you're threatening me now? Let’s see who reports whom!"
Chen Qi curled his lip and climbed into the car.
Xiao Mo and Xiao Geng dutifully escorted him to his parents' home.
At the door, the three said their goodbyes.
He smiled and said, "Thanks for your hard work. This trip was very enjoyable. Hope to see you both again next time."
"That depends on when you leave again!"
"We’ve got to go too. Goodbye, Comrade Chen Qi!"
The two emphasized the word "comrade" heavily before quickly disappearing.
He stepped into the crowded courtyard, feeling as if an eternity had passed.
Nothing here had changed.
Entering his family’s single-story home, everything was still neat and orderly—TV, radio, tape recorder—clearly the wealthiest household in the compound.
His little bed in the outer room was still there.
It was November now, and the capital was already getting cold.
He lit the stove.
When it was time to get off work, hurried footsteps sounded outside, followed by Yu Xiuli’s delighted shout: "Oh my, son!"
…………
Chen Qi stayed at his parents’ place for one night and left early the next morning.
Returning from Hong Kong to the capital felt like leaping across twenty years in an instant.
The high-flying days were gone, the chamber pot was still under the bed, and toilet paper had returned to being rough and scratchy.
Withered flowers and fallen leaves, the thinning crowds at Shichahai—he put on a cotton-padded jacket and pedaled his bicycle, huffing and puffing, all the way to Lechun Lane.
Arriving at the front gate, he was about to take out his key but stopped, instead grabbing the door knocker and pounding it loudly.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"Who is it? Who is it? Stop knocking!"
The voice inside sounded groggy, clearly just woken up.
Footsteps approached, and the door swung open with a clang, revealing Dai Hanhan’s chubby face.
She wore glasses and blinked in confusion for two seconds before shrieking and running back inside.
"Boss Chen is back!"
"President Chen is back!"
"The master has returned!"
The front courtyard instantly erupted into chaos.
Doors creaked open left and right, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight people gathered before him.
Liang Xiaosheng wore a flamboyant red sweater—clearly knitted by Jiao Dan—and happily rushed over, slapping Chen Qi’s shoulder.
"You’re finally back! Without you, this place feels like a ship without a captain, lacking spirit!"
"You’ve been leading the team just fine! Oh, Teacher Li, Xiao Ji, you’ve moved in too."
Li Jianqun and Ji Chunhua nodded in acknowledgment.
Chen Qi glanced around.
The front courtyard had two dormitory rooms on each side.
The right side housed the four members of the editorial team, while the left had fewer people—Li Jianqun and Ji Chunhua each had their own room.
Everyone stood in the courtyard, waiting for him to speak.
Unexpectedly, he waved his hand and said, "Old Liang, Xiao Ji, grab the tricycle and come with me! The rest of you, make breakfast. We’ll all eat together later!"
"Brother Qi, where are we going?" Ji Chunhua asked.
"Shopping!"
In those days, those sent abroad on official business enjoyed an enviable perk—they could purchase duty-free goods.
As early as 1979, the capital had pioneered supplying these goods to returnees, all imported products.
The logic was simple: if people bought things abroad, the foreign exchange would go to other countries.
So the state purchased the goods first, allocated quotas to returnees, and let them buy domestically using foreign exchange.
This both conserved foreign currency and avoided the unseemly image of people lugging heavy items back home.
At the time, it was just duty-free shops.
In 1983, the China Service Corporation for Chinese Personnel Working Abroad was established to handle this business uniformly.
Chen Qi and Old Liang rode bicycles while Ji Chunhua pedaled the tricycle to a duty-free shop.
The items inside weren’t anything extraordinary—just household appliances and bicycles, available without ration coupons.
It was essentially the same as the Overseas Chinese Stores.
But now that his status had changed, he qualified for this privilege.
Chen Qi showed his credentials for verification.
His quota was surprisingly high.
He didn’t need anything for himself—this trip was mainly to secure some perks for the team.
After browsing, he picked out a TV, a radio, a tape recorder, and a bicycle.
"Old Liang, these items will stay at the editorial office for now—consider them on loan. You can pay me back in installments. Once fully paid, they’ll become office property."
"Good, that’s exactly what I was thinking!"
Liang Xiaosheng nodded.
The most important lesson he’d learned from dealing with Chen Qi was to keep accounts clear, even among brothers.
Chen Qi had allocated 100,000 yuan as startup capital for the magazine, managed by Liang Xiaosheng.
But these purchases were Chen Qi’s personal spending—public was public, private was private.
The money had to be accounted for properly.
He browsed a bit more and bought an electronic keyboard for Gong Xue to play with.
He hesitated over a refrigerator but ultimately didn’t buy one.
With the unstable power supply—blackouts every few days—a fridge would be useless.
The tricycle was fully loaded.
Ji Chunhua happily rode it back, basking in the thrill of being a big spender.
The three returned to Lechun Lane, instantly causing a stir.
When everyone heard the items were for the editorial office, the excitement reached fever pitch.
"Ahhh! This is amazing! We’ll have a TV to watch now!"
"The TV’s for the office, not the dorm. What are you so happy about?"
"I—I’ll sleep in the office then! Who’s stopping me?!"
"Easy, easy. Just leave it here. Everyone can enjoy it."
They cooked a meal in the small kitchen, using the main hall as a dining area.
The editorial team and the film company folks mingled freely, exuding a strong makeshift vibe.
But Chen Qi found it a bit too rough.
"I’ll head to the Beijing Film Studio later and submit a request in the company’s name. Let’s see if we can secure more housing. Hang in there for now."
"What are you talking about? Back home, eight of us share one room. Here, I’ve got a double room to myself. You couldn’t chase me away if you tried!"
"Yeah, the environment here is great. Work feels so much more pleasant!"
"Boss Chen, you’re too hard on yourself. We’re actually quite satisfied!"
"No, no—it’s mainly because I want better living conditions too."
This drew laughter from everyone.
They all knew this was Chen Qi’s personal property, repurposed as a dormitory.
They were already deeply grateful.
The backyard was his private living space—aside from Old Liang and Xiao Ji, no one else had been inside.
They consciously avoided it, assuming the conditions back there must be excellent.
Now, hearing him say he wanted even better living conditions, they couldn’t even imagine what that would look like—they simply took it as a joke.
Liang Xiaosheng said, "After breakfast, unveil the plaque. I checked the almanac earlier—today’s an auspicious day."
"You haven’t hung it up yet?"
"Of course not! We were waiting for you!"
So after breakfast, everyone rushed outside.
Liang Xiaosheng had already prepared everything, even firecrackers.
Dai Hanhan held a camera as Chen Qi stood beside the plaque, still covered in red cloth.
There was no grand ceremony—just a simple announcement:
"Today marks the official establishment of the *World Fantasy* editorial office!"
With a flourish, he unveiled the plaque.
The neighborhood elders emerged once more, squeezing through the crowd to see the spectacle.
The mysterious No. 6 courtyard finally had a name:
*World Fantasy* Magazine Editorial Office!
(End of Chapter)