The Interview

*Screeech!* A red-and-white Czechoslovak Škoda bus came to a halt near Qianmen. At this time, Czechoslovakia was still part of the Red camp, officially known as the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. In these days, many of the imported trucks and buses were made in Eastern Europe; Škoda would only be acquired by Volkswagen years later. Sheng Yongzhi, a veteran reporter from *China Youth Daily*, squeezed his way off the bus with considerable effort. He wiped away his sweat and smoothed his cotton shirt to make his clothes look a bit tidier. He had worked at *China Youth Daily* for years, returning to his post when the newspaper resumed publication. But he only had a few years left before retirement. With few young people at the newspaper, cultivating the next generation was a top priority. "Xiao Yu, hurry up!" "Coming, coming!" Yu Jiajia trotted a few paces to catch up. In her early twenties and quite pretty, she had just taken over her father's post to become a rookie reporter. She clutched a bag containing a priceless camera. "Xiao Yu, you should ask a few questions later too." "Huh? I don't know what to ask." "How can a reporter not know what to ask? I brought you along to get you some practice and build experience. Put your mind to it." The two walked a short distance to the east side of the Arrow Tower, where, sure enough, they spotted a tea stall. A dozen or so youths were bustling about, surrounded by a massive crowd of customers. Sheng Yongzhi didn't reveal his identity. Instead, he joined the queue and stepped forward, saying, "Two bowls of tea, please!" "Right away!" "Four fen altogether!" Huang Zhanying called out with growing fluency. Sheng Yongzhi picked up the large bowl, looked at it, gave it a sniff, and then took a sip before smiling. "Is this jasmine tea?" "Sure is!" "Beijing's water quality isn't great, but jasmine tea isn't fussy about the water. Perfect for running a stall." "Oho, you really know your stuff! You're a Beijing local, aren't you?" Huang Zhanying bantered back as usual. "Mm. Do you have this many customers every day?" "Pretty much. More and more people know about us now, and everyone's very supportive." Sheng Yongzhi chatted for a moment longer before offering a hand with a smile. "Hello, let me introduce myself properly. I'm Sheng Yongzhi, a reporter from *China Youth Daily*, and this is Comrade Xiao Yu. We're here to do an interview." "An in-in-interview?!" Huang Zhanying was completely stunned, stammering, "Why are you interviewing us?" "What interview?" "Did something happen again?" "Heavens, *China Youth Daily*!" Hearing this, the youths gathered around in an excited hubbub. In these days, print media held supreme authority, and being a reporter was an occupation everyone envied. With his wealth of experience, Sheng Yongzhi took control of the situation and asked, "Which one of you is Chen Qi?" *Swish!* A dozen pairs of eyes swiveled in unison toward the right side of the tea stall. A young man was squatting there, clutching a cash box and happily counting money. *Is he in charge of accounting?* Sheng Yongzhi wondered inwardly. He took a few steps forward and extended his hand again. "Hello! Are you the one who wrote the letter to our newspaper?" "Hello, hello!" "I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you—I was just tallying up the accounts!" Chen Qi hurriedly stood up, a trace of bashfulness and nervousness on his face, looking for all the world like a handsome, shy boy. Scratching the back of his head, he said, "I did write the letter. I really never expected you'd come for an interview." "Your letter was excellent. Shall we have an informal chat?" "Yes, of course!" The customers also stirred with excitement. *Oho, reporters!* *They're going to be in the paper? Does that mean we might get in the paper too?* An even bigger crowd gathered to watch. Huang Zhanying had the good sense to bring over several wooden stools. Sheng Yongzhi didn't stand on ceremony. Sitting down, he first asked about the general situation, then said, "Could you tell us specifically about the conflict that day?" "That was on our opening day, around the midday break. I was eating lunch when I suddenly heard loud jeering. When I went over to check, it was a few workers from the No. 2 Plastics Factory. For no reason at all, they ridiculed us and even sang 'The Vagabond's Song.' Several of our girls were moved to tears of anger." "And what happened after that?" "Fortunately, a comrade from the police arrived in time and stopped them. We're all very young—the oldest among us is only twenty-one, and half of us are women. If the police hadn't come, we really wouldn't have known what to do. Ah..." Chen Qi answered earnestly, a bitter look flitting across his face. "They were full of social prejudice. That very day, some of our comrades wanted to quit. It took a lot of coaxing and persuasion to get them to stay." *Sigh!* Yu Jiajia was deeply moved. If she hadn't taken over her father's job, she probably would have been assigned to some cooperative to do mending and sewing. Sheng Yongzhi asked next, "What do your parents do for a living?" "At Xinhua Bookstore." "That's a fine work unit. Why didn't you take over one of their posts?" "..." Chen Qi hesitated for a moment, then said, "They wanted to take early retirement. On one hand, I knew that was a wonderful option, something that would benefit my life tremendously. But on the other hand, I told myself that doing that would make me such a good-for-nothing." "A good-for-nothing?" "Think about it. My parents are only in their forties. If they retired so early, what would they do with themselves? Meanwhile, I'm only nineteen, healthy and educated, with a long road ahead of me. To let my parents make such a sacrifice just for my own selfish benefit—I... I just couldn't accept that!" Chen Qi's expression was firm and resolute. Sheng Yongzhi was also moved. *What a good kid!* "Most people are very kind, especially folks visiting on business trips. They all praise our tea stall for serving the masses conveniently." "On opening day, we sold over two thousand bowls!" "Beijing has far too few commercial service outlets. I believe cooperatives can fill that void. It's just that people's old mindsets are hard to change, which leaves us feeling somewhat inferior." As the conversation deepened, Chen Qi seemed to shed his nervousness and began speaking with eloquent confidence. Sheng Yongzhi felt they had covered enough ground and passed the opportunity to Yu Jiajia, signaling for her to ask a question. Yu Jiajia thought for a moment, then said, "What are your hopes and visions for the future?" "Right now, I just want to run this tea stall well. I personally love literature and film, and I'd like to try my hand at writing." "That 'spiritual sanctuary' you mentioned?" "Yes. When I felt down and hopeless, that spiritual sanctuary saved my soul countless times. I'm still full of hope for the future. I believe the young people of my generation will eventually be surrounded by flowers, and I believe even more that our motherland will only grow better and better!" "Just like the line you wrote: 'Facing the sea, where spring blossoms'?" Yu Jiajia smiled. "Uh, I was just scribbling nonsense!" Chen Qi scratched the back of his head again. Sheng Yongzhi's impression of this young man grew even better: humble, thoughtful, grounded, with a bright future ahead of him. He was a traditional intellectual who never held back guidance for an aspiring youngster. He said, "We've all read your letter and were deeply moved. We've already decided to publish it, but the title needs some adjustment. Although you wrote about some grim struggles in the first half, the latter half is positive and uplifting, and you said yourself that you have the strength to forge ahead. "In that case, keeping the title 'Oh, the Road of Life, Why Does It Narrow the Further One Walks?' isn't quite fitting anymore. "I suggest changing it to 'Oh, the Road of Life, How Exactly Should It Be Walked?' That aligns better with the content and highlights an attitude of open dialogue with our readers." "You're completely right! It really should be like that!" Chen Qi agreed at once. Whatever it was called didn't matter in the least; the only reason he had picked that shoddy title was just to play with a meme. That was because "Oh, the Road of Life, Why Does It Narrow the Further One Walks?" was an article published next year in *China Youth* magazine, recounting all sorts of personal misfortunes to the brink of suicide. That article became immensely famous, sparking a nationwide debate on the meaning of life. Yet Chen Qi hadn't actually plagiarized it. What he had written was effectively an advertorial—advertising the tea stall, taking a swipe at the plastics factory, and making a name for himself by crafting a shining image as an inspiring young man. In short: building his persona! "Alright, then. I'll discuss it with the editors when I get back." Sheng Yongzhi nodded. A youth who took good advice was a good youth. He asked further, "Would you like to use a pen name?" "A pen name... Would 'Carrying a Blade but No Umbrella on a Rainy Night' work?" "What?" "Nothing, nothing. I can't think of any pen name, so let's just go with my real name." "Mhm, that works too." Afterward, the two went to interview the other youths. They were far less impressive, chattering away like a flock of ducks—talking incessantly with very little substance. In the end, Sheng Yongzhi took several photographs of them and the tea stall before waving goodbye. As soon as the pair left, the youths swarmed around Chen Qi. "Wow, we're going to be in the paper!" "Chen Qi, I practically worship you now!" "You and Sister Ying really are the brains and the brawn! With the two of you leading us, we'll definitely succeed!" When those words were uttered, no one felt anything was amiss. Without even realizing it, everyone had tacitly accepted the two of them as their leaders.