stjorthotic Chapter 95 Descending the Mountain into Seclusion
Chapter 95 Descending the Mountain into Seclusion
Back at the educated youth settlement, Chen Tuo only unloaded two strips of wolf meat from the sled; the rest were taken by Wu Laowai and Zhang Taibao to exchange for wine.
Hong Ye, who was packing Chen Tuo's luggage, somewhat spoiled the mood by offering advice:
"Chen Tuo, you can't drink too much alcohol; drinking damages your liver!"
The Mongolian-style fur coat and sheepskin quilt that Chen Tuo brought up the mountain, although dried after being exposed to the white wind and old tobacco, were still covered with water stains.
Hong Ye is wiping the water stains with a hot towel!
Who would have thought that the thick cotton trousers would make a loud "slap slap" sound when Chen Tuo patted them from behind.
What are you doing?
"Drink today, for tomorrow we may die; pluck the flower while it blooms. Once Zhang Taibao has finished building the sauna, I'll pick you, this plump flower, and relax a bit."
Chen Tuo's bluntness made Hong Ye feel ashamed to respond; his direct and frivolous approach was not in line with the current conservative norms.
Although he was prepared to make the sacrifices, Hongye still couldn't help but feel conflicted when the time came.
Will you be good to me?
"Who knows! Let's live for today, for tomorrow we die. If you're not having fun, I'll have to find something else..."
After giving Hong Ye a heads-up, Chen Tuo didn't check on the progress of the sauna project. Instead, he took out his previous draft.
He then revised the plots and structure of the three novels: Blood Wolf Dog, Blood Wolf Plain, and Wolf Totem.
The protagonist of Blood Wolf Dog is Zhang Taibao, the dog king of Songling. The story then unfolds with the Evenki hunters who patrol the mountains and protect the forests.
When we get to Wolf Totem, the setting of the story shifts to the grasslands.
The materials from Blood Wolfhound and Blood Wolf Plains can basically support the later creation.
But Chen Tuo didn't want to follow the original story of Wolf Totem's grassland life.
Everyone knows how tough it is to be sent to the countryside or to be a sent-down youth; complaining about one's hardships might win some people's sympathy.
However, in real life, clearly explaining the wolf-like nature of the wolf totem is more in line with the times to come.
In the early days of savagery, when wolves roamed freely, a few individuals might have read the Wolf Totem and risen to prominence during the initial stages of their entrepreneurial journey, ultimately surviving to the end.
That's when the power of the work is finally revealed.
From the moment Chen Tuo began writing, not only did time fly by, but the influence of the external environment on him was also minimized.
Looking up again, the sunlight had been replaced by lamplight, and the gatehouse of the educated youth settlement was warm and cozy, full of the spirit of spring.
The overcoat he was wearing had somehow ended up draped over the back of the chair.
Dozens of sheets of manuscript paper were scattered haphazardly in front of him.
"Hong Ye, get a few blank ledgers that Xiao Kai gave me; writing on manuscript paper is a bit tiring..."
After Chen Tuo finished speaking, Hong Ye placed the account book, which was filled with a chilling aura, on the table, and only then did he come back to his senses.
"What time is it? Have Brother-in-law Sun's sons arrived yet?"
Looking at the already dark sky outside the gatehouse window, Chen Tuo thought of the Sun family's sons and the excuse he made when he came down the mountain: to come back and feed the dogs.
"They're eating out! I made them some fruit tea."
"Wu Laowai and Zhang Ermai also smoked wolf meat. They got fifty catties of 60-proof liquor and twenty catties of 45-proof Erguotou."
"I didn't dare to feed the two mountain dogs, but I fed them wolf fodder. The red-haired one is already nursing and is playing well with the two mountain dogs."
After recounting her experiences at the educated youth settlement's hostess site over the past half-day, Hong Ye expressed her deepest gratitude to the two mountain dogs.
Perhaps she picked up Chen Tuo's scent while in the house, which is why Zhang Taibao and Wu Laowai, who were like wild dogs, would bite her as soon as they opened the door, were very well-behaved when they saw her, the mistress of the house.
"Why don't you let them come inside to eat?"
Turning his head to look at the five teenagers outside the door, who were engrossed in their work, Chen Tuo was still a little dazed.
Even with his mind still immersed in the Bloodhound, he was still processing the plot.
"They said they eat out a lot, so I lit a campfire for them, they won't be cold! Oh dear... the kids are outside!"
As she was talking, her hand ended up in Chen Tuo's hand, and Chen Tuo's hand was about to slip inside her sweater.
If the door hadn't been open, and if the five sons of the Sun family hadn't been outside, Hong Ye would have acquiesced.
"Warm your hands, what's there to be afraid of?"
After saying that, Chen Tuo didn't care whether the Sun family boy could see it or whether Hong Ye was willing or not, and directly pulled her into his arms and began to grope her.
Chen Tuo's restlessness stemmed from the Blood Wolfhound he had just written. In the novel, he portrayed Zhang Taibao as a stud dog who had many extraordinary adventures.
Unable to move, Hong Ye gave up struggling and saw the words "Go to Hulunbuir for field research" written by Chen Tuo on the manuscript paper.
"Chen Tuo, are you still going to the grasslands?"
"I've had that idea, but I'm afraid I won't have time anytime soon. I want to finish writing Bloodhound first. Why don't you go for a trip south? Take a look at the clothes there..."
When it came to creating art, Chen Tuo opened up about Hong Ye.
But after letting go, he rubbed his slippery fingers, which made Hong Ye act coquettishly.
"There's not enough time, maybe next year..."
Hearing that Chen Tuo's method of making money was similar to what she had thought, Hong Ye then told him about her travel plans.
"If you don't want to go, you can contact us by phone. We mainly sell shirts, blouses, and stretchy underwear from the south; this is very profitable..."
Hong Ye didn't plan to go to the south, and Chen Tuo also came up with a clothing business that she could do without going to the south.
The three northeastern provinces are now the real consumer powerhouses; don't underestimate the importance of shirts, blouses, and underwear.
If things go smoothly, Hong Ye can become a millionaire within a month.
Even if things don't go smoothly, earning several hundred yuan a month is still a breeze.
Why do you keep coming up with such embarrassing ideas?
After giving a reproachful remark, Hong Ye planned to go out and check on the Sun family's boys, but Chen Tuo stopped her and emphasized the styles and types of underwear.
He also gave her a way to contact the female employees of the post office in the south, which was considered to have appeased the chubby girl.
After seeing off the Sun family's boys, we went to see Shan Gouzi and the puppies.
Seeing two female mountain dogs teasing his red-haired dog with their little paws, Chen Tuo guessed that they were teaching the puppy hunting skills.
After seeing the mountain dog and the puppy, Chen Tuo wanted to go to the Hetao region to check on his traps.
But thinking of the wolf king's fierce eyes when it fled, and with Wu Laowai not around, he didn't want to risk interrupting his creative process.
"Hong Ye, come over whenever you have free time in the next few days. I need to go into seclusion for a while to write and see if I can finish Blood Wolfhound."
Writing a novel that will be published in newspapers and periodicals is only the first step.
The subsequent revisions and self-censorship are more tedious than the original creation process.
When it comes to the Blood Wolfhound, Chen Tuo also needs to connect it with the subsequent Blood Wolf Plains and Wolf Totem.
Furthermore, during the review process, Bloodhound must be revised by comparing it with other works from the same period and later.
He estimated that the creative seclusion period might last one or two months.
If things get difficult later on, he'll have to plagiarize some modern poetry, write some essays and miscellaneous notes to make ends meet.
For the next two weeks or so, things went pretty much as Chen Tuo had planned.
In just one week, he wrote over 100,000 words.
However, the subsequent revisions and additions are very tedious, and sometimes only a few thousand words can be revised in a day.
During that time, he and Wu Laowai would go to Hetao every two or three days.
Finding no prey in the ice pits or on the bayonets, the two resorted to ice fishing. The abundant catch in the Dobukur River not only left the Sun family boys with mouths greasy but also left them thoroughly satisfied.
It also added several hundred kilograms of smoked dried fish to Chen Tuo's smoked meat room...