Chapter 3, Trainee Reporter

Zhang Hehuan secretly thought to herself, how could the Pengcheng Daily possibly advertise for pigs given its prestige, yet she maintained a smile on her face: "General Zhang, you can rest assured, I am here for the same reason. News must closely follow the trends of the times, and that is also the purpose of the organization sending me, a young reporter, here. Moreover, we both share the surname Zhang; we are indeed relatives."

What do you like to photograph

Zhang Fugui arrogantly patted his shoulder: "Indeed, we are of the same family; by generation, I am your grandfather"

The car just passed by the entrance of the Han County Newspaper Office, and Zhang Hehuan asked the driver to help park. Dragging his suitcase, he arrived at the newspaper office. Following the guidance of the elderly man at the reception, he successfully found the Human Resources Department. Xu Changgen arranged for him to work as an intern reporter in the Advertising Department, with a six-month internship period. During the internship, the basic salary is 1,200 yuan, and the manuscript fee is calculated separately

Both sisters believe that the family spends so much money supporting a good-for-nothing. Zhang Heyue thinks that if the family could treat her half as well as they treat him, she would have a chance to be admitted to a second-tier university. Moreover, what is there to celebrate about being an intern reporter for a county newspaper?

The two sisters have their reasons for not having a good impression of Zhang Hehuan. Their mother, Liu Yunsi, is quite biased towards him, always prioritizing him with any good things since childhood. In order for him to have a bright future, she has spent an unknown amount on tutoring. Yet, he is not diligent, and this third-rate diploma was also obtained through the family's financial support.

Zhang Fugui said: "As members of the He character generation, we are indeed relatives; your father should belong to the Jia character generation"

Zhang Fugui was taken aback by his question: "What? What is it..." The name was too long, and with his level of education, having not even graduated from elementary school, he was unable to repeat it in full.

Zhang Fugui's face still bore no smile: "What is your name?"

Zhang Hehuan showed him the introduction letter and press card from the newspaper office

Thank you for your hard work, you may go about your business, and I will reach out to you if there is anything I need.

With successful cases as precedents, there is naturally no need for excessive creativity. Zhang Hehuan found a classroom and had Xiao Ju lean on a dilapidated desk by the window, holding a pencil, and took several photos of her. At first, Xiao Ju was quite shy, but under his guidance, she quickly found the most comfortable and natural state.

Zhang Hehuan, for the first time in his life, had to think about such trivial matters. In the end, it was Xu Changgen who helped him solve the problem. Currently, there is a Zongshen motorcycle sitting idle in the society, which was previously assigned to their society's renowned journalist, Chen Hailong. However, since Chen Hailong was transferred to Pengcheng Daily last year, this motorcycle has been left in the shed and remains unused.

Zhang Hehuan noticed Zhang Fugui's disdain towards her and quickly explained that Director Zhou was ill, and it was not a curse on Zhou Guangsheng; she had to find some reason.

Zhang Hehuan took only half an hour to capture the photo he envisioned, and upon reviewing the preview, he was undoubtedly a master in the photography circle, even admiring his own work.

In the past, employees with such a work attitude would have been dismissed by Zhang Hehuan long ago; public institutions and private enterprises are indeed different.

Xu Changgen introduced him to more than ten colleagues in the office, and everyone applauded, but the enthusiasm for this newcomer was clearly insufficient

Teacher Zhou, there is something I would like to bring to your attention regarding the Fuguo Pig Farm

Zhang Hehuan knows that this grandson is clearly taking advantage of us. If it weren't for the task at hand, I, Young Master Zhang, wouldn't bother with a pig farmer like you. In the past, I would have made you go bankrupt, kneeling on the ground, crying and begging me to be your master.

Taking out my phone to check, reputation points + 300, it seems even pigs have their own spirit, this trip was not in vain, a pleasant surprise at first sight, I quietly calculated, ten pigs can equal the reputation points brought by one person, oh, not bad!

He paused for a moment, looking at Zhang Hehuan with a mischievous smile and said, "Go home and ask your grandfather, he must know."

Arriving at the entrance of Kelezhuang Primary School, I found that there were no classes in session due to the summer vacation. The school gate was open, and several children were playing joyfully on the compacted earth playground inside.

Zhang Fugui nodded, accepting the reality. With his hands behind his back, he strode confidently inside, saying to Zhang Hehuan as he walked, "I understand, I have already given you 20,000 yuan, so of course you do not take it seriously. My pig farm needs to advertise every year. If you continue like this, next year I will go to the 'Pengcheng Daily'; their influence is much greater."

Zhang Hehuan conducted an interview with Zhang Fugui as a side task; it was both their first time being interviewed. This fellow certainly knows how to boast, elaborating extravagantly on everything from breeding to selection, and from raising to market readiness, with great passion and vivid expression, as if he had personally been involved in every aspect.

On the first day Zhang Hehuan arrived, he did not yet have an official press card; however, the organization provided a temporary one. The biggest issue now was how to get there, as it was over 20 miles from the county seat to the interview location, and he certainly could not walk there on foot.

Zhang Hehuan has no excessive demands regarding salary, after all, he is just an intern reporter, and the pay cannot be too high. In fact, whether his monthly salary is 1,000 or 10,000 makes little difference to him, as it is all just small change. What he truly cares about is his reputation. Now that he is already a reporter at the newspaper, he must make use of the existing work platform to quickly enhance his reputation.

No, I study broadcasting; photography is just a hobby.

Ractopamine! Lean meat powder! Zhang Hehuan remembers that in 2011, the production and sale of ractopamine were strictly prohibited in the country. Now it is 2011, and although it is a parallel world, it is uncertain whether this ban will similarly take effect.

My name is Zhang Hehuan! In order to earn this bit of reputation, he is giving it his all. His voice is loud and full of energy, and it is no exaggeration to say that all three thousand pigs in the pig farm heard this shout. Soon, there was a notification sound.

Han Luyun glanced at him, feeling that his words seemed to carry a hint of harassment. In her early thirties, she was at the stage where the charm of a mature woman still lingered. The president had praised her figure, and she wondered if this young man had developed some inappropriate thoughts about her.

Zhang Hehuan truly cannot stand the appearance of this nouveau riche, living next door to Mary, taking advantage of me, showing off. I wonder how many more days you can keep this up. Putting away the recording pen, I suggested taking a few pictures of the warehouse where Zhang Fugui stores the feed, the Chun Guang brand pig feed, which prominently lists ractopamine among its ingredients.

The advertising department that Zhang Hehuan is going to is located in the same office as the news, commentary, and culture departments, which is somewhat outdated and a bit cluttered

The corresponding positions include the editor-in-chief, text reporters, photo reporters, text editors, art editors, image editors, proofreaders, and typesetters, along with employees from the technical department and administrative logistics. In total, the newspaper has more than 50 staff members, which is similar to other public institutions, with more than half of them being idle workers

That night, he found a budget hotel near the newspaper office to stay in. His meager salary was not enough to cover the accommodation costs, so he planned to stay for a few days and gradually look for a suitable place to live

Zhang Hehuan nodded

Zhang Hehuan suddenly remembered that his grandfather was named Zhang Fujian. Damn, he had inadvertently been taken advantage of by the pig farmer. He laughed even more happily, but inwardly cursed Zhang Fugui as a dog.

To achieve excellence in work, one must first ensure the tools are well-prepared. The equipment for the interview is indeed necessary. Zhou Guangsheng provided him with a voice recorder, while Han Luyun borrowed a Nikon D90 DSLR from the image editor.

As a newcomer, Zhang Hehuan naturally would not refuse the requests of her seniors, and agreed to each one of them.

Zhang Hehuan had no choice but to go to Han Luyun to report. Upon seeing the photos he took, Han Luyun immediately felt that this young man was exceptional and couldn't help but take another look at him: "Not bad at all, did you graduate from a photography program?"

The newspaper does not provide dormitory accommodations, so he can only rent a place on his own. The newspaper can offer him a monthly subsidy of 500 yuan, which was negotiated for him by Xu Changgen

Your grandfather belongs to the wealthy generation

The theme of Han Luyun's report is the care for left-behind children, which is a very common social phenomenon in the rural areas of Peng City at present

The human body! exclaimed Zhang Hehuan.

Although Liu Yunshi was eager to have a reunion dinner to celebrate her son's new job, both of her daughters showed little interest, so the reunion dinner could only be left unresolved

Zhou Guangsheng had already completed the interview topics he had prepared in advance, but he asked one more question: "Does your pig feed contain ractopamine?"

Zhang Hehuan respectfully called out "Master"

To be soft when eating from others' hands, Xu Changgen specifically brought Zhang Hehuan to the advertising department, while also providing him with an overview of the structure of the newspaper. Although a county-level newspaper is small, it is fully equipped with all essential departments, including the News Department, Commentary Department, Cultural Department, Editorial Department, Distribution Department, Advertising Department, Communication Department, Printing Department, and New Media.

Zhang Hehuan also realized that she had misspoken and quickly changed the subject: "Teacher Han, do you think these photos I took are okay?"

In the advertising department, there is only one old editor named Zhou Guangsheng, who handles everything single-handedly. Xu Changgen brought Zhang Hehuan before him and introduced, "This is your master"

Zhang Fugui believed that he was helping him with publicity, fulfilling all of Zhang Hehuan's requests. He lacked respect for this young reporter, and while Zhang Hehuan was busy running around, he didn't even pour him a glass of water. He certainly wouldn't invite him to lunch. After the interview task was completed, Zhang Fugui reminded him to write the report well and to take better photos of him and the pig.

Zhang Hehuan's motorcycle skills can be described as professional level; however, he no longer possesses a driver's license. This is not a significant issue, as riding to the countryside does not attract any checks for a license as long as no accidents occur

He is confident in his photography skills. In the past, he often took artistic photos of female celebrities. When he was younger, he enjoyed stamp collecting and photography. By chance, he developed a remarkable skill, and any photo he takes turns out to be a work of art

What happened? Wasn't it agreed that Director Zhou would come? Why has it changed to you, this young person?

The contractor of the pig farm, Zhang Fugui, specially donned a suit and leather shoes, standing at the entrance in advance. He initially thought it was Zhou Guangsheng coming over, but unexpectedly, it was a young man instead, which instantly made his expression somewhat unpleasant.

Zhou Guangsheng was in high spirits while playing and, feeling somewhat impatient, said: "Let's talk about it later, could you please bring me a glass of water"

Han Luyun from the news department approached proactively, having heard that he would be going to Zhangzhai Township tomorrow. She happened to have a report about Kelezhuang Primary School in Zhangzhai Township, focusing on the topic of left-behind children. The article was already written, but it was still lacking a few photographs. Since Zhang Hehuan was going there, she asked him to help take a few photos to bring back.

Zhang Hehuan noticed that one of the short-haired little girls had bright, shiny black eyes, and he was suddenly inspired. He remembered a famous photograph of a girl with big eyes from the Hope Project and specifically searched online. In this parallel world, there was no Hope Project, nor was there the touching promotional photo of the girl with big eyes.

Zhou Guangsheng humbly replied that he did not deserve such praise, not intending to be polite with Zhang Hehuan. He immediately assigned him a task, instructing him to visit Zhangzhaixiang tomorrow to interview the large pig farmer Zhang Fugui, take a few photographs, and bring them back for use

In recent days, he has adapted to this ordinary life in the marketplace. Although he no longer lives a life of indulgence and extravagance, he has become more positive than ever before. In order to survive, he is striving to quickly enhance his reputation. He has quietly set a small goal for himself: to earn at least 3,650,000 reputation points within a year. This way, he can extend his life for another year, and so on, in an infinite cycle, achieving immortality.

Half an hour before getting off work, Zhang Hehuan returned to the newspaper office and first went to report to Zhou Guangsheng. Zhou Guangsheng was playing a game of Solitaire on the computer, distractedly saying: "Just put it there, I will sort it out tomorrow when I come to work."

On the surface, it appears to be a personal interview, but in reality, it is a disguised advertisement, as Zhang Fugui paid the newspaper a sponsorship fee of 20,000 yuan. Thinking of that filthy and stinky pig farm, where flies and mosquitoes were everywhere in the summer, Zhou Guangsheng felt overwhelmed. Now that young people have arrived, it is just the right time to hand this matter over to him

Zhang Fugui suddenly realized: "Lean meat powder, who doesn't use this thing now? Pigs love to eat it, and after being sold, they have more lean meat, taste better, and have a good market. It's different from the past; life has improved, and no one needs fatty meat for rendering. When selling meat, everyone chooses the lean cuts."

Zhang Hehuan did not forget the task assigned to him by Han Luyun. He rode his motorcycle and made a trip to Kele Village. Due to the fact that most of the young and middle-aged adults in the village have gone out to work, there are particularly many left-behind children in the village, which has led to a series of related issues

Zhang Hehuan nodded repeatedly, affirming that she would make the pig look better than him

Although there are many departments, the office space is clearly insufficient, and it is quite common for several departments to work in the same office.

Zhang Hehuan originally intended to tell her that he had signed his name on the photo, but seeing that Han Luyun did not seem inclined to continue the conversation, he found it difficult to speak up. In fact, it is only natural for creators to sign their names, and there is no need to emphasize it specifically

The little girl resembles the girl in the photo. Zhang Hehuan walked over to communicate with them, giving each child a bottle of green tea, and additionally provided two extra packs of fish to successfully persuade the girl named Xiaoju to cooperate for a posed photo.

Early the next morning, Zhang Hehuan rode his motorcycle to the countryside for an interview. This was his first interview in life, so he felt a bit excited. Following the navigation on his phone, he easily found the Fugui Pig Farm.

Zhang Hehuan took several photos of Zhang Fugui, then went into the pig farm to take a few close-ups of the pigs. She had Zhang Fugui hold a piglet and took a few more shots. The large aperture blurred Zhang Fugui's unattractive face a bit, making it hard to see how messy it was.

The distance from Pengcheng to Han County is only 70 kilometers. Zhang Hehuan does not have a private car and can only take the intercity bus to travel. He went to the CY market to catch the bus heading to Han County