Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 260 It’s all Zhang Chao’s fault (please vote at the end of the month!)
"What's wrong with Zhang Yimou? Isn't he ashamed to make such a movie?" After the family watched "Curse of the Golden Flower" at the county cinema, Zhang Chao's mother complained in a low voice with some dissatisfaction.

This movie was released last month and is about to be taken off the screen. According to recent news, the box office of this movie has approached 3 million, firmly locking in the annual box office champion.

"The Banquet", which originally had the hope of challenging it, ended in dismay after Zhang Chao's successive attacks, with the box office failing to exceed 1.5 million.

After dinner, the three of them strolled to the small square of the cinema. When they saw the big poster outside, they bought tickets and went in to watch the movie.

I didn't expect that I was almost blinded by the milky white snow on the screen. And the plot of Thunderstorm is not suitable for family viewing...

If Zhang Chao wasn’t already 22 years old, his mother would have wanted to cover his eyes.

Zhang Weiguo said: "The cartoon you made before is still the best." After saying that, his eyebrows and eyes trembled, and he looked extremely proud.

"Your dad invited almost all the relatives and friends to see the movie, and spent several thousand dollars," the mother muttered.

Zhang Chao suddenly realized, and knew that his mother, who had always been frugal, must be distressed, so he quickly said: "Mom, think about it, in fact, part of these thousands of dollars will still go back to my pocket. Dad is equivalent to buying a discounted ticket..."

Although she knew her son was just trying to make her laugh, the mother still laughed. Then the father and Zhang Chao also laughed. The whole family was having a great time.

Zhang Chao has been back home for almost a week. He eats home-cooked meals made by his mother every day and rarely goes out. Finally, he has gained some weight and become whiter, and looks a little bit like a big boy again.

In order to prevent anyone from disturbing their family happiness, his parents strictly blocked the news. Except for a few close relatives, no one knew that Zhang Chao had returned to Changfu, otherwise the threshold of their house would have been trampled down.

Behind the theater is Dengyun Road. Zhang Chao said, "How about we go to the 'former residence'? It was always crowded when I went home, so I didn't dare to go. Today is a weekday, and it's evening, so there shouldn't be many people, right?"

Zhang Weiguo hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay. We're all neighbors, so it should be fine. Aren't you afraid of being recognized?"

Zhang Chao said: "If you know it, you know it. Why do you hide it like a thief every day?"

Since the son said so, the parents naturally had no objection, and they walked along the familiar alley and returned to the familiar Dengyun Road.

It was past 9pm, and residents of Dengyun Road had all gone to bed, so there were few people in the alleys. But the roads had been repaired and street lights and ambient lights had been installed.

There are signposts at the entrance of the alley, and bronze plaques with introductions are nailed to the doors of old buildings. The ditch that used to emit a foul smell has also been covered with cement. It already looks like a tourist area.

Especially Zhang Chao's old house, the exterior walls were repainted, and someone was hired to paint the classic scene of "Your Name" on it. The red lanterns described in the novel were also hung under the eaves, and they are still lit, like a beacon in the dark night.

The mother said, "I told them not to do it, but they insisted on doing it. With all those fancy walls, how can it look like a home?" Although she said that, she couldn't suppress the curve of her lips.

Zhang Chao walked around the house without saying anything, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Do you want to go in and take a look?" the father asked.

Zhang Chao shook his head and said, "Forget it. No one has lived in the house for so long that it's probably full of dust and mold. Besides, we have to turn on the lights when we go in, which will disturb the neighbors."

My father nodded and said, "True. The furniture inside is covered with plastic sheets. There's nothing to see."

Zhang Chao smiled and asked, "Didn't you want to tear this place down and build a new one a few years ago?"

At this moment, Zhang Chao was thinking about the fate of this old house in his previous life - not long after he went to college, the old house was demolished, and then a five-story building was built on the original site, with steel bars as the skeleton and cement as the flesh, and it no longer looked like the old house with white walls and black tiles.

As the economy improved, the neighbors gradually demolished their traditional courtyards and built small buildings. By the time the county government thought of protecting the area, the area was already very different from what it is today.

Now, with his rebirth, Dengyun Road has been valued 10 years earlier and has been given a new value. This can be regarded as one of the changes he has brought to the world after his rebirth.

My father said, "How can we demolish it now? If we do, the county will come after us, won't they?"

My mother also said, “Not only can we not demolish our houses, but our neighbors can’t either. As soon as they say they want to demolish their houses and rebuild, the county will send people to do the work. Gradually, no one demolishes their houses anymore.”

Zhang Chao asked, "Why would they be willing to do that?"

The mother said: "At first, they were unwilling to do so and their words were harsh... I won't say anything. Later, as more tourists came and money was made, no one wanted to demolish it anymore."

"What wasn't demolished was all repaired to make the yard cleaner," the father added.

Zhang Chao asked curiously, "How much money can the neighbors make now?"

Mother said, "They sell mung bean soup, tea eggs, milk tea, posters, cards, etc. in their yard. They make a few dozen yuan a day on weekdays. On weekends, they make two or three hundred yuan.

At least one or two thousand yuan a month. If you don’t do it yourself, you can rent out the yard and earn a few hundred yuan a month.”

Zhang Chao was surprised and said, "That's a lot, equivalent to one person working. I thought it would be hot here for a while."

My father said, "Now that you were on the news last time, tourism here became popular for a while. If you keep on appearing, it will always be popular. During the National Day, many people watched cartoons, and there were so many people at our house that we had to line up.

Your cousin's family made five pots of mung bean soup and they couldn't sell them all."

The mother pursed her lips and said, "I also want to set up a small stall in our yard and sell posters and cards. But your father won't let me."

My father said hurriedly, "Why bother competing with the neighbors for this business? Besides, it's not appropriate to sell food and drinks here at a high or low price. If someone gets diarrhea after eating, it will be even more troublesome.

Nowadays, young people all use the Internet, and if they are a little unhappy, they will post it online..."

Zhang Chao naturally approved of his father's approach, and he also knew that his mother did not really want to make the money, but her restless personality made her always want to find something to do.

My father is still in school, and my mother retired last year and is bored at home.

Zhang Chao thought for a while and said, "How about this, I'll register a small company for you in Changfu, specializing in wholesale of my works and peripherals? The scope is within our county."

After hearing this, the mother nodded repeatedly and her face was full of joy.

Changfu is too close to the provincial capital, so people can just go there to buy goods. Setting up another agent in Changfu is a waste of time. But to please my mother, I have to take off my clothes.

The three of them chatted and laughed, and soon they finished their tour of Dengyun Road, and went home to rest contentedly.

The next day, the news that Zhang Chao had returned to Changfu County reached the ears of many interested people, and the threshold of their house was almost broken down.

The first person to come was a young deputy director of the county's cultural and sports bureau, who also graduated from a prestigious university and came to the county for a temporary position. On behalf of the cultural community of Changfu County, he invited Zhang Chao to attend this year's year-end tea party of the county's literary federation and writers' association.

The second person to come was the new principal of Changfu No. 3 Middle School, who was invited to give a lecture to the students of No. 3 Middle School. The old principal, Wu Xingyu, had been promoted to the deputy director of the Education Bureau, and it was said that he would be promoted to a higher position in the future.

Of course, the new principal was not a stranger either, he was the former office director Zhou. When Zhang Chao saw him, he remembered the cordial meetings with editors in the small conference room...

The third person to come was also an acquaintance - the grandson of the Fuhai Writers Association, Sun Zhenhai. As one of the few members of the Fuhai Writers Association who had more contact with Zhang Chao, he naturally invited Zhang Chao to attend the year-end tea party on behalf of the Fuhai Writers Association. Although the experience of those three days was a heavy blow to him, it also made him clear about his development direction - now, Sun Zhenhai has become a famous "Zhang Chao literary thought research expert" in Fuhai, and has published no less than 2 articles interpreting Zhang Chao's works in the past two years.

The fourth person to come was a representative from the Fuhai Entrepreneurs Association, who hoped that Zhang Chao would give a lecture on corporate culture building and media public relations to the entrepreneurs in Fuhai, and brought an advance payment of 5 yuan for the lecture with great sincerity.

the fifth……

sixth……

In less than a day, Zhang Chao received more than 10 invitations to formal events, as well as others such as dinners, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, group photos, interviews... too many to count.

As the most famous cultural star in Fuhai's cultural circle in the past 20 years, almost everyone who has a connection with him has expressed their desire to invite him to do something through various channels.

If Zhang Chao agreed to all of them, he would have nothing else to do until the New Year, and he would have to chop people into four pieces to be enough. So Zhang Chao rejected almost all the invitations.

The only thing he agreed to do was to give a lecture to the students of No. 3 Middle School.

After more than two months of near self-exile, Zhang Chao not only achieved complete relaxation both physically and mentally, wrote an unexpected story, but also subtly changed some of his values.

However, what Zhang Chao was not satisfied with was the lecture topic that President Zhou had discussed with him - "Writing Changes Life·Youth Should Strive Forward".

According to Principal Zhou, since Zhang Chao's fame has grown, the campus culture of Changfu No. 3 Middle School has also changed. Before, the school had a balanced mix of arts and sciences, but now, because of their admiration for Zhang Chao and the guidance of the school, more and more students are studying in the arts class.

Last year, No. 3 Middle School hung a sign that read "Cradle School for Young Writers" and organized a large number of students to receive special coaching and collectively "attack" the 8th "New Concept Composition Competition" - but not a single one made it to the semi-finals.

When Principal Zhou said this, Zhang Chao seemed to remember that when Ma Boyong was reviewing manuscripts last year, he complained about a batch of manuscripts from Fu Hai. Each one was like Zhang Chao's model show. They were either about being bullied in school or the adventures of idle county youths... There was no personality at all.

Zhang Chao was very busy at the time and casually said, "All such blatant imitation shows will be rejected!" So, the reason why all the manuscripts from No. 3 Middle School were defeated was because of him?

However, Zhang Chao felt no guilt at all. After listening to Principal Zhou's introduction, he felt that his decision was wise. Obviously, with such a close role model, the entire school's leadership team began to take advantage of the situation to carry out political achievement projects.

Before leaving, Principal Zhou said to Zhang Chao earnestly: "Your lecture will surely inspire students to reach new heights in their literary careers. We hope that there will be more outstanding student writers like you in No. 3 Middle School!"

After seeing off Principal Zhou and dealing with the next few waves of guests who came to visit his home, Zhang Chao found a gap to hide away and went to a remote milk tea shop with little business to relax - he had to think carefully about what to say in his lecture to the students of No. 3 Middle School.

The school’s current path has clearly gone astray!
Mr. Luo Changpei, the former director of the Chinese Department of Southwest Associated University and a famous linguist in my country, once said, "Chinese departments do not train writers!" Later, Yang Hui, the director of the Chinese Department of Yenching University, and Zhu Dongrun, the director of the Chinese Department of Fudan University, both said similar things.

Regardless of whether this statement is extreme, it at least shows that cultivating writers is by no means an easy task, and it is not something that an ordinary middle school in a county should consider.

If this continues, the students of No. 3 Middle School are actually in great danger. I wonder how many people will harbor unrealistic fantasies and hope to replicate Zhang Chao's miracle!
What’s the difference between this and seeing someone win the jackpot in a lottery and then spending all your money to buy one too?
If I were to go on stage and talk about how I wrote novels, how I won awards, and how much royalties I earned according to the topic given by Principal Zhou... wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire and pushing my younger classmates into it?

Thinking of this, Zhang Chao could no longer sit still. He took out his cell phone, hesitated for a moment, and dialed a number...

Not long after, a beautiful figure appeared at the entrance of the milk tea shop. Gu Pan immediately saw Zhang Chao and waved to him. Zhang Chao also saw her and quickly stood up to welcome her in:

"Teacher Zhang, long time no see! You are still so beautiful!"

The person who came was Zhang Chao's Chinese teacher Zhang Ting. After not seeing her for more than two years, the "beautiful" teacher still looked as charming as ever, but her eyes and eyebrows were more mature than before.

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Zhang Chao first asked tentatively, "I see that Director Zhou has become the principal. There have been quite a few personnel changes in the school."

Zhang Ting nodded and said, "Yes, the head of the teaching and research group, Gu, is now the director of the Academic Affairs Office."

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "Have you been promoted? Are you the head of the teaching and research group now?"

Zhang Ting shook her head and said calmly: "I am still an ordinary teacher. Every day I prepare lessons, teach classes, and am a group leader..." She didn't finish her words, as if she couldn't find the right expression, so she took a sip of milk tea.

Zhang Chao was surprised and said, "No way..." Then he laughed and said, "It seems that I am not a good student."

Zhang Ting sighed for a long time before she said slowly, "It is precisely because you are so awesome that I choose to continue to be an ordinary Chinese teacher."

Zhang Chao then asked: "Can you tell me more about it?"

Zhang Ting hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth: "The current No. 3 Middle School is very different from when you were here. When you first became famous, everyone treated you as a fluke, like winning a prize at school.

But starting from the second year, as your fame grows and you participate in more and more social activities, and the impact they produce is basically positive, the ideas of the leaders and the atmosphere of the school become increasingly different.

Not only did the computer you used before enter the school history museum, but your previous seat in the classroom and bed in the dormitory were also "sealed up" by the school. The leaders of the county and city education and cultural departments also came to inspect from time to time, which further encouraged this trend.

After we hung up the sign of 'Cradle of Young Writers' last year, we also set up a special 'Writing Specialty Class' to allow us, the Chinese teachers, to train them to become your second you.

The leader wanted me to be the head teacher, but I said, "Zhang Chao was not trained by me, and I don't know how to train writers." Then..."

At this point, Zhang Ting smiled bitterly and relievedly, and continued: "Anyway, I am just an ordinary Chinese teacher now, and I can only teach ordinary students. As for what the school leaders think and do, I can't interfere."

Zhang Chao didn't expect the situation to be more serious than he expected. But if you think about it carefully, it's normal - other schools have produced writers, but they either became famous after graduation, far away from ordinary students; or they have some negative impacts, which makes it difficult to publicize them.

There are very few "high-quality idols" like him who rose to fame during his school years and had no other major flaws except for his poor academic performance. No wonder the leaders are obsessed with him.

However, Zhang Chao still has a question - "You have to have achievements to run a writing specialty class. Not everyone can become a writer if they want to. You have to have published works."

Zhang Ting said: "Several newspapers in the province have columns such as 'Composition Garden' and 'New Seedlings in the Flower Field', which need manuscripts. The leaders have established good relationships with them, and many students' ordinary compositions can be published in them.

This kind of statement is just a joke, but it is enough to appease parents and students."

Zhang Chao suddenly realized and asked, "How are the college entrance examination results in the past two years?" This is a hard lever, and no leader would joke about it.

Zhang Ting said: "Since you came, the source of students has improved. Many students who are more inclined to liberal arts and like literature, and whose grades are good enough to enter No. 6 Middle School, will take the initiative to apply for us. The students who came in because of your reputation will not take the college entrance examination until June this year!"

Zhang Chao asked, "Do you think highly of them?"

Zhang Ting didn't say anything, but shook her head silently.

Zhang Chao took a deep sip from the straw and drank the rest of the milk tea. He said to Zhang Ting, "Teacher Zhang, thank you for telling me the truth. I roughly know what to talk about in the lecture in two days."

Zhang Ting looked at him, hesitant to speak, and finally said softly: "Actually, there is nothing wrong with loving literature and writing. But it does not mean that they don't have other hobbies and specialties..."

Zhang Chao nodded solemnly and promised Zhang Ting: "Teacher Zhang, since I caused this trouble, let me solve it! Don't worry!"

(Two chapters combined into one, please give me a monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)