My era, 1979!

Chapter 129 Xu Chengjun's new work is being snatched up by "Harvest" and "Contemporary".
The opening paragraph presents the core argument.

Song Dynasty colophons are a model of literati's private writing. Their aesthetics of short essays (short, lively, and sincere) and their awareness of life (reflections on life, art, and conduct) are important supplements to the spirit of Song Dynasty literature.

The analysis was limited to Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, and incorporated relevant texts from *Dongpo Zhilin*, *Shangu Tiba*, and *Quan Song Wen*.

As he wrote this, Xu Chengjun's lips curled into a smile.

When I was writing my thesis in my past life, the word my supervisor used most often was "focus." The smaller the focus, the easier it is to write the content, and the easier it is to write it brilliantly.

With constant guidance and instruction, I successfully graduated with my master's degree.

Su Shi and Huang Tingjian's postscripts are numerous and of high quality, and represent two typical mindsets of Song Dynasty literati.

The main body of the paper is divided into two layers, which are progressive, including both close reading of the text and theoretical advancement.

The first layer is the literary quality of the inscription—proving that it is literature, not historical material.

In terms of language style, we can analyze the colloquial and humorous nature of Su Shi's postscripts, such as "My recent short poems, though lacking the flavor of Liu Yong, are still of my own." We can also analyze the conciseness and scholarly air of Huang Tingjian's postscripts, such as "When reading, one should be discerning rather than broad; when using one's mind, one should be focused rather than scattered." By contrasting the solemnity of classical prose with the metrical structure of ci poetry, we can highlight the linguistic freedom of postscripts.

In terms of emotional expression, Su Shi's "After Writing on Yuanming's Drinking Poems" states, "I admire Yuanming not only for his poems, but also for his character." This directly expresses his identification with Tao Yuanming without any pretense, revealing the most genuine emotions of a literati. In contrast to the repression behind the unrestrained style in his poems, this illustrates that postscripts serve as an outlet for emotions.

In terms of imagery selection, Huang Tingjian often used "orchid," "bamboo," and "ink" in his postscripts, while Su Shi often used "landscape," "book," and "wine." These images are not symbolic expressions but are combined with personal experiences. For example, Su Shi often wrote "landscape" after being demoted, implying a mentality of "entrusting his feelings to nature," which reflects the personalized imagery of his postscripts.

The second layer is the awareness of life expressed in the inscriptions—exploring the spirit of the literati behind the text.

Su Shi embodied magnanimity and self-consistency in the face of adversity.

Analyzing his postscripts from his time in exile in Huangzhou, Huizhou, and Danzhou, such as the self-deprecating line "Asking about my life's achievements, Huangzhou, Huizhou, and Danzhou," and the easygoing attitude of "Eating three hundred lychees a day, I wouldn't mind being a Lingnan native forever," reveals his contentment with his lot.

The postscript contains no "resentment," only "acceptance of life's circumstances," showcasing the "outwardly flexible but inwardly principled" wisdom of Song Dynasty literati.

Huang Tingjian embodied perseverance and transcendence in adversity.

Analyzing his dedication to "art" in his postscripts after being demoted due to the "Yuanyou Party Strife," such as "I have studied calligraphy for thirty years, initially taking Zhou Yue as my teacher, so even after twenty years I have not shaken off my vulgarity," and his adherence to moral character, such as "A scholar whose talent and virtue surpass the nation is called a national scholar; a woman whose beauty surpasses the nation is called a national beauty."

The inscription does not express "depression," but rather the spirit of "using art to fight against fate," reflecting the life attitude of Song Dynasty literati of "maintaining oneself with the Way."

Finally, we summarize the commonalities.

Although the two inscriptions differ in style, they both demonstrate the life consciousness of Song Dynasty literati who were not bound by their circumstances and sought spiritual support in their daily lives. This is a unique presentation of the "inner spiritual world" of literati under the background of "emphasizing literature and suppressing military affairs" in the Song Dynasty.

The final conclusion mainly includes two perspectives.

In terms of academic value, Xu Chengjun wrote: "This study is the first to analyze Song Dynasty colophons as an independent literary genre, which supplements the 'niche field' of Song Dynasty literature research and provides ideas for subsequent 'studies on niche literary genres of the Song Dynasty' (such as letters and poetry criticism)."

In terms of its historical significance, Xu Chengjun summarized it in this sentence: "The spirit of Song Dynasty literati in adversity—'adhering to themselves and maintaining a broad-minded and self-consistent attitude'—has enlightening significance for rebuilding humanistic spirit and restoring cultural confidence today."

It is both relevant to the times and elevates the scope of the paper.

The paper is 24,000 words long, which is within Xu Chengjun's current capabilities.

For Xu Chengjun, at that time, the length of a single paper in core Chinese journals such as "Literary Heritage", "Fudan Journal (Social Sciences Edition)" and "Chinese Language" was generally between 1 and 3 words.

Long articles should be published in parts.

For Xu Chengjun's papers, which are submitted to the department or included in the department's academic achievements, 1.5 to 3 words is the optimal range that can both convey innovative viewpoints and be easily published and accepted, provided that the paper meets the journal's page requirements.

Excluding literature review and preliminary preparation, the writing of this paper took Xu Chengjun a whole week.

Aside from classes and preparations for the literary society, I've spent most of my time this week working on this academic paper on Song Dynasty literature.

Xu Chengjun had high expectations for him.

While studies on "Female Poets in the Song Dynasty," "Urban Literature and Teahouse Culture in the Song Dynasty," and "The Relationship between Neo-Confucianism and Literature in the Song Dynasty" are more likely to amaze the literary circles of this era, the limited availability of literature and the overly broad scope of the topics restrict their development.

After finishing his thesis, Xu Chengjun stretched and looked out the window at the setting sun.

Su Manshu, who was standing next to Xu Chengjun, noticed his unusual behavior immediately and shifted her body slightly: "Finished writing?"

"This is considered a first draft. It's finished. Let's see what Senior Brother's opinions are for the subsequent chapters."

“When you chose Song Dynasty literature, my dad was quite surprised when he came home. No teacher in our school specializes in Song Dynasty studies.”

"Precisely because there is no such thing, I need to do research," Xu Chengjun nodded with a smile.

"Let's go eat!"

"Wait a minute! Let me finish this part. You've finished your paper, but I haven't!"

Su Manshu wrinkled her little nose as she began writing her first paper in the field of economics.

Provoked by Xu Chengjun~——
In the meantime between working on his thesis, Xu Chengjun has finally finished working on his new work, "The Box of Hope".

He also encountered a happy kind of trouble.

Who should I submit this manuscript to?
In the month since the start of the school year, editors have been extending olive branches to him as if by prior arrangement.

"Magic City Literature," "October," "Beijing Literature and Art," and even "Wenhui Daily" all sent out letters of invitation to write articles, offering the highest possible remuneration that young writers could reach at the time.

Eight yuan for a thousand words.

He was so impressed that he wanted to bring the editors a cup of hot tea on their way.

But what really caused an uproar in the Chinese department was Li Xiaolin from Harvest magazine.

The editor actually went to the school twice just to find him.

I arrived too early the first time and found nothing.

The second time, he learned his lesson and waited in the Chinese department's classroom, catching Xu Chengjun red-handed as he tried to slip away after class.

The teachers and students at the classroom door, who were initially gathered to watch the commotion, immediately erupted in a frenzy upon hearing that "this is an editor from Harvest" and "he's here to see Xu Chengjun."

You have to understand that in this day and age, which Chinese literature major or even a lecturer in the Chinese literature department doesn't consider "having their work published in Harvest" as their ultimate dream?

Xu Chengjun, on the other hand, received the ultimate treatment: an editor came to his door to confront him. People around him were practically drooling with envy.

It was an hour later when Xu Chengjun finished his work and met with Li Xiaolin.

The two found a corner of the playground where there were no students, and started talking about his writing, and also about the sequel to "The Fitting Mirror".

Who would have thought that a short story would stir up a literary debate and boost the sales of that issue of Harvest magazine, which has now sold 150,000 copies nationwide.

For a short story, this achievement was nothing short of a "blockbuster among blockbusters" at the time.

As they were chatting, Li Xiaolin suddenly heard that he had submitted a long article to the magazine "Qingming," and she was immediately shocked.

He slapped his thigh, almost jumping up, and pointed at Xu Chengjun's nose, both angry and amused: "You, Xu Chengjun! I've been waiting for your manuscript for two months, and you, on the other hand, don't even tell me you have a new work?"

Xu Chengjun quickly waved his hands, pleading for mercy: "Sister Xiaolin, please let me explain!"

"Fuck off!"

"The situation regarding 'Qingming' was truly unique!"

"I won't listen!" Xu Chengjun, quick-witted, shouted, "I have a new work!"

Li Xiaolin's hand froze instantly, her eyes widening in surprise before brightening: "Huh?" She then leaned forward, "Really a new work?"

Xu Chengjun nodded, then changed the subject, throwing the problem back at him: "However, *Shanghai Literature*, *Beijing Literature*, and *Flower City* have all sent me invitations to submit articles, and I'm struggling to decide which one to submit to..."

As soon as he said that, Li Xiaolin's eyes widened immediately: "You, Xu Chengjun, now you even dare to tease your own sister!"

"How could I dare!"

"Where's the manuscript?"

Xu Chengjun shook his head helplessly: "It's in the dormitory!"

"Let's go to your dorm now. If everything's okay, I'll take you there!"

"Eh!?"

"Hey what? Is it because you're losing money if I send it to you when you receive the package?"

"How could that be?"

Xu Chengjun quickly led Li Xiaolin to the Songzhuang dormitory building. Li Xiaolin waited downstairs. As soon as they went upstairs, Xu Chengjun heard Zhou Haibo, that big mouth, announcing in the corridor: "Our Xu Chengjun from 201 is going to have an article published in Harvest again!"

The second- and third-year Chinese literature students next to him curled their lip and said, "Xu Chengjun is amazing, so what if he's amazing?"

Zhou Haibo pulled Hu Zhi aside and pointed to dormitory 201: "Do you know what it means to be a brother sleeping in the bunk above a writer?"

"I'm on top of him! That's why I'm better!"

Lin Yimin wouldn't listen to his boasting and pulled him back to the dormitory. Just then, Xu Chengjun walked into the dormitory.

The guys immediately surrounded him: "Chengjun, are you going to publish another article in Harvest?"

They were actually a bit skeptical. "What's the speed of your work? How many magazines have published your articles and papers recently?"
Not to mention the poems published one after another in poetry journals?
Dude, is that your typewriter?

Xu Chengjun pushed aside several heads deep inside the door frame: "Brothers, go back inside and embarrass yourselves."

"Has it been sent or not?!"

Xu Chengjun raised an eyebrow and began to boast: "Editor Li asked me to give him the manuscript, but I am still hesitating whether to give it to Harvest, Contemporary, or Flower City."

"There's no way around it, it's just too popular!"

So you guys are all talk, huh?
Damn it! It has to be you again!

"I knew it! Li Xiaolin must be asking you for the manuscript!"

Chengjun, you are my idol!

Xu Chengjun tilted his head and said, "You guys really believe that?"
He had just taken his manuscript to the first floor when he heard Lin Yimin telling the people in the extra dormitory, "Xu Chengjun's new work in our dormitory is being snatched up by Harvest and Contemporary!"

"real or fake?"

"How could it be fake? Others may not believe it, but you don't believe Xu Chengjun? Does anyone in Fudan's Chinese Department compare to Xu Chengjun?"

"Lu Xinhua!"

Lin Yimin curled his lip: "What other works does he have besides 'The Wounded'? 'Scar literature' won't last; it will inevitably fade with time."

Well, these guys really know how to use Xu Chengjun's rhetoric perfectly.

There were several benches and a long table downstairs in the Songzhuang dormitory building. As soon as Li Xiaolin saw Xu Chengjun coming down with his manuscript, she pulled him to sit down nearby.

The students around him greeted Xu Chengjun, and Xu Chengjun responded with a smile.

“You’re quite famous at Fudan University now, Cheng Jun,” Li Xiaolin said with a smile.

"Isn't this all thanks to Sister Xiaolin's behind-the-scenes 'helping'?"

Xu Chengjun rolled his eyes.

"Alright, give me the manuscript."

Li Xiaolin grabbed the manuscript, then suddenly remembered something. She slammed her canvas bag on the table, unzipped it, and revealed it was full of envelopes. "You're just sitting here anyway, why don't you reply to some of those letters?"

Xu Chengjun was overwhelmed when he saw the thick stacks of letters.

In the past few days, it's not just Li Xiaolin who has received letters; there have also been letters from poetry fans of "Poetry Journal," readers of "Trying-out Mirror," and columns in "Anhui Youth Daily."
Half of the mailroom at Fudan University was covered in his letters. Every time Mr. Wang, who was on duty, saw him, he would complain, "Comrade Chengjun, there are too many letters. Hurry up and take some back!"

Xu Chengjun always went around Master Wang whenever he passed by. The mailroom was full, but his dormitory was not.

He now fully understands the actions of the children's literature author Zheng Yuanjie. When he becomes rich, he will definitely buy ten large villas in Shanghai.

Is it convenient to store reader letters?

He was about to say something to Li Xiaolin when he saw that she was already immersed in the world of the novel. He shook his head helplessly and picked out a few envelopes from the top to randomly reply to.

After reading a few letters, he once again wore an expression that said, "I knew it."

Most of the letters were from young women, and they were all asking about love.

Su Manshu has been mocking you every day lately: "Your job as a 'love consultant' is busier than writing a novel."

He didn't know how he became a love guru.
Xu Chengjun sat at the long table, scanning the various postmarks on the envelopes, from the red official seal of the Shanghai Textile Factory to the blue ink of Fengyang Commune, and then to the school emblem of Nanjing universities. Each letter contained the girls' unconcealed secrets.

He first opened the letter from Zhang Guiying of the Shanghai Third Textile Factory.

The letter, written in neat handwriting on factory paper printed with the slogan "Grasp Revolution and Promote Production," reads: "Comrade Xu, my boyfriend is a farmer, a very honest man, but he's not good with words, and his family is poor. Sometimes when I see my classmates' boyfriends who can write and draw, I wonder if I should find someone perfect in love?"

Xu Chengjun curled his lip, "What nonsense is this? He basically doesn't need to think before he starts spouting motivational platitudes."

"No crop grows perfectly on land, and no person is perfect in love. His clumsiness with words may be hiding his true feelings, and his poverty may be a sign of his resilience and willingness to endure hardship. Learn to see his imperfections with perfect eyes, like looking at a piece of rough jade, you have to see the light within. Don't let those imperfections wear away your true feelings."

"Dismantle it again" is a love confession from Liu Fang, a comrade from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory.

"Comrade Xu, I've been dating Technician Wang for almost a year. He's a reliable and hardworking guy, but his family has overseas connections. The workshop director told me privately that I should choose someone with a good family background when looking for a partner. I'm really confused. Do you think love also requires careful selection?"

Xu Chengjun shook his head. Young people falling in love is the same in every era: "Comrade Liu Fang, greetings. Love isn't like picking seashells on the beach; once you've picked one you like, don't look back. If Xiao Wang is sincere towards you, willing to withstand gossip and hold onto his hopes, then this relationship is worth your unwavering commitment, even knowing it's impossible—just like Chunlan carrying a floral fabric through broken glass, you should also dare to hold onto your heart's desire. Time never speaks, but it will give an answer to those who are truly sincere."

After writing for over an hour, Xu Chengjun's eyes were almost blurry. He opened the last letter and discovered something new: it was from Lin Wei of Fudan University?
Holding a gossipy letter, he opened it: "Comrade Xu, I'm the class's study committee member, and I'm used to being independent. Recently, someone has been pursuing me, and I'm always afraid that if I'm in a relationship, people will think I can't live without a man. Isn't a good relationship about two people being bound together?"

His gossipy nature vanished instantly; Lin Wei really wasn't the class monitor.

"Comrade Lin Wei, it's like seeing you in person as I read this. A girl born in 1979 should have the confidence to be alone, and she should also be open and honest with someone she's with. You're a great class monitor, and dating should be a brighter embellishment to your life, not a rope that binds you. True love is never about one person depending on the other; it's about you shining brightly, and him coming along to make that light even warmer."

He's so full of chicken soup for others that he feels like he's about to get full himself!
Xu Chengjun looked up, utterly dejected, only to find Li Xiaolin staring at him with red eyes.

"Are you even brain-dead?"

"Novels can be written like this??"

(End of this chapter)