Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 41: What's wrong with being young and frivolous?

Zhang Chao suddenly turned around and looked at Pang Yun, smiling and said, "My fellow student who does not want to reveal his name and has a strong sense of justice, have you thought about what to write?"

Pang Yun was startled, and immediately lowered his head, muttering, "I don't understand what you said."

Zhang Chao sighed and said, "Why is it the same as the movie lines? What are you afraid of? I can't eat you. But I don't think this is exciting enough!"

Pang Yun did not reply, but wrote on the paper in silence - Emperor Taizong of Tang once said: "Using copper as a mirror, one can adjust one's attire; using the past as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of things; using people as a mirror, one can understand gains and losses..."

Pang Lijuan, who was in the same classroom, knocked on the table and reminded them, "One hour is very short, and the opportunity to show yourself in front of Teacher Alai is also rare. Please take it seriously, don't whisper to each other, and maintain your quality."

Zhang Chao turned around, thought for a while, and suddenly raised his hand, and was immediately stared at by the entire classroom. Even Alai, who was about to leave the classroom to drink tea in the reception room next door, stopped.

Zhang Chao stood up and said loudly, "I don't think it's comfortable to write on manuscript paper. Can we write on the blackboard?"

Pang Lijuan's face turned green. She was about to refuse, but unexpectedly Alai spoke up: "You are Zhang Chao from 'Midnight Tide', right? Okay, come up and write."

Alai was a VIP, and when a VIP spoke, the host had to follow his lead. Pang Lijuan had no choice but to watch Zhang Chao walk to the blackboard. When he passed by her, he whispered, "If you want to play, I'll play big with you!"

After that, he picked up the chalk and started writing on the blackboard:
mirror
The mirror is the other side of our life

Dressing in front of the mirror
Also sort out your own life
Uncover the soul beneath the mask

See if it's blood or tears flowing

Pray in front of the mirror
The fist that hits you in life

Breaking myself in the mirror

Fortunately, the mirror was broken
Life is still complete
A broken mirror still reflects
Our life

It allows us to survive in the cracks
Save Yourself by Splicing

It pierces our hearts with a knife
Switched to the other side

Avoid fatal parts

The knife stuck in the crack
Deeper and deeper
At the beginning, there were still students whispering in the classroom, but it gradually quieted down and finally fell into deathly silence - the only sound was the "click-click" sound of Zhang Chao's chalk tapping on the blackboard.

Zhang Chao had been a teacher for nearly twenty years before his rebirth, so his chalk writing, although not artistic, was definitely vigorous and sharp. Each character was as big as a palm, just enough to take up the entire blackboard, with great momentum.

Although the poem is written in an obscure way, it seems to point to something when combined with Zhang Chao's experience and what he is experiencing today. Only Zhang Chao himself knows that the metaphor of the mirror refers to the life he has relived...

After finishing writing, Zhang Chao habitually threw the remaining chalk into the chalk box. Then he stood aside and waited quietly for everyone's reaction.

I don’t know who among the students started to applaud first, then one, two, three... the applause echoed throughout the classroom.

After more than a minute, the applause gradually stopped. Every student looked at Zhang Chao, as if they wanted to say something but couldn't. Their faces showed excitement, confusion, envy, and admiration...

Pang Lijuan's expression turned unhappy. She almost gritted her teeth and reminded him, "Everyone, write your own articles. Don't be influenced..."

Suddenly, Lan Ting stood up, left her seat, walked to the podium, nodded to Zhang Chao, put her pen on the podium, and then turned and walked out of the classroom. Another girl from No. 3 Middle School also stood up, and like Lan Ting, she walked to the podium, nodded to Zhang Chao, put her pen on the podium, and left the classroom.

Then, a boy from an unknown school repeated the actions of the two girls from No. 3 Middle School, nodded, put down his pen, and left the classroom.

The fourth, fifth, sixth... a line formed in the aisle.

Pang Lijuan finally recovered from her shock and was about to speak up to stop him, but she saw the Federation of Literary and Art Circles Chairman Yan Ming waving his hand at her, so she had to swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

There were fewer and fewer students in the classroom. Pang Yun looked at all this with a pale face and blank eyes, not knowing whether to pick up or put down the pen in his hand. Looking up, he saw Zhang Chao accepting everyone's greetings; looking down, he saw a few lines of words he had written - Emperor Taizong of Tang once said...

Seeing that the last student who had been sitting with him also stood up, Pang Yun finally realized that his persistence was meaningless. He could only stand up, line up, and walk to the podium.

After hesitating for a moment, he put the pen on the podium. Not nodding to Zhang Chao was his last act of stubbornness.

Alai turned aside and asked the two Fuhai literary giants, "What did you see?"

Yanming shook his head, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Changtian also remained silent.

Alai said: "I saw the 1980s, the literature and poetry of that time, the romance, arrogance and innocence... at the beginning, I am also a poet..."

He carefully read the poem titled "Mirror" on the blackboard, then looked at Zhang Chao and recited in a low voice: "Youth's poems are all worth listening to, beautiful and fair-skinned. He has never been tainted by fame and fortune, and his mouth is still free from the smell of mutton."

At this moment, Zhang Chao's face was as calm as water, but his heart was already in turmoil.

When Lan Ting asked him to participate in the competition, he didn't ask what kind of competition it was. When he saw the words "Southeast Morning News" on the notice, he felt something was wrong. At the award ceremony, when he heard the host announce the name of the editor-in-chief of the Southeast Morning News, he wondered if the two "Pangs" were one "Pang".

When Pang Lijuan suddenly proposed to add a new game, he knew that it was aimed at him.

As a senior literary youth (middle-aged?), Zhang Chao has a good foundation in writing. During this period of rebirth, on the one hand, he has been extremely busy; on the other hand, many emotions and thoughts have accumulated in his heart that he has not had time to sort out.

The mirror that Alai had someone bring over gave Zhang Chao an outlet to vent his emotions.

Over the past month, under the joy of changing my destiny after rebirth, I have accumulated fear, hesitation, and confusion... and faced provocations, attacks, and frame-ups...

A poem was "squeezed" out in the intense inner turmoil!

Zhang Chao decided that, at least at this moment, he would abandon his maturity and prudence, and act like a real teenager, acting on impulse and doing something frivolous and arrogant:
He didn't want to write this poem on paper. He wanted to write it where everyone could see it to shatter all doubts and conspiracies!

All the students left, leaving only Zhang Chao and the "adults".

Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, walked past Pang Lijuan, whose face was beginning to turn black, and approached Alai, Yanming, Changtian, and the judges who had arrived later, and said apologetically, "Teacher Alai, judges, I'm sorry, I was too reckless."

Alai stepped forward and patted Zhang Chao on the shoulder, saying, "Meng Lang? I only saw talent, a talent sharper than the waist knife of a Kangba man. Seeing your poem and seeing this scene today, my trip to Fuhai is worthwhile!"

Then he turned to Pang Lijuan and said with a smile: "Editor-in-Chief Pang, why did you bring me all the way from Sichuan to write the column for the Southeast Morning Post? Just let Zhang Chao write it! Those who can write poems must be able to write articles. With his youthful vigor, Zhang Chao will definitely be able to write about the mountains and rivers of Fuhai better than I can."

Pang Lijuan's face turned pale again.

(End of this chapter)