My era, 1979!

Chapter 89: Masters of the Study of "Jin Ping Mei" (510, Seeking First Subscription)
Wow, it's really lively!

Upon seeing Xu Chengjun enter, Zhang Peiheng, who was washing vegetables, quickly put down the vegetables in her hands. Her apron was still wet with water droplets. She greeted Xu Chengjun and said with a smile, "Chengjun is here! Come in quickly! Today, to celebrate your farewell, my home is unusually lively."

Before Xu Chengjun could react, a woman in her thirties suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

She was slender, with a short, ear-length hairstyle that was popular at the time, the ends of which hung neatly behind her ears, revealing her delicate features. She wore a light blue Lenin suit with a small bow at the collar, looking both capable and approachable.

"You must be my junior brother!" The woman's voice was clear and bright, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "These past two days, your teacher Zhu and senior brother Zhang have been talking about you so much, my ears are practically calloused from hearing it."

I have another senior sister?
"It's all thanks to the care and concern of my teachers and senior brothers." Xu Chengjun quickly cupped his hands in greeting. The fact that they were at Zhu Lao's house in this situation meant they were probably from the same sect. No matter who it was, he would acknowledge them first; one shouldn't refuse a smiling face!

Zhang Peiheng laughed at his "strange look"!

"Get out of here, you brat! Behave yourself!"

He walked over, wiping his hands, and introduced her with a hint of annoyance: "This is the teacher's granddaughter, Zhu Bangwei, also the teacher's student, your senior. She's currently a teaching assistant in the Chinese department, and you might have to take her classes next semester."

During this period, the university professional title system had just been restored and was divided into four levels: teaching assistant, lecturer, associate professor, and professor. The teachers who had just stayed on as faculty members were all teaching assistants.

Zhu Bangwei?
I vaguely remember that he was an expert in compiling and organizing Ming and Qing dynasty poetry and prose documents. His major works are "Annotations on Chen Zilong's Poems" and "The Complete Works of Zhu Dongrun".

"Hello, senior sister!" Xu Chengjun's words were as sweet as honey. "I've always heard our teacher mention you, saying that you have a solid foundation in literature. Meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary!"

"Haha, Junior Brother, you really know how to talk!" Zhu Bangwei's eyes crinkled with laughter as she pulled him toward the living room. "Come in and sit down, let me introduce you to Senior Brother Huang and Senior Brother Chen."

"Lord Shang, come see your junior brother! From now on, you're not the youngest anymore!"

Two men were sitting around the eight-immortal table in the living room.

The man by the window, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a faded shirt, was writing something in his notebook, the pen scratching across the paper. He looked calm and focused.

Another person, wearing a military green jacket and with a friendly smile, was drinking water from a teacup. When he saw Xu Chengjun come in, he immediately put down his cup and stood up.

"This is Senior Brother Huang Lin, who studies ancient literary theory and is known for his meticulousness." Zhu Bangwei first pointed to the man wearing glasses.

Huang Lin!
A leading scholar in the history of Chinese literary criticism and the study of Ming and Qing dynasty novels!
A titan!
How did Xu Chengjun remember this person back then?

The reason is simple: this person spent 20 years studying "Jin Ping Mei," and the results of his research have astonished the entire Sinological community!
What concept?
You studied Aoi, Ozawa, and Mikami, and were hailed as a master of East Asian body art.
Huang Lin pushed up his glasses, reached out and shook hands with Xu Chengjun, his tone serious: "I heard from the teacher that he has taken on a prized student. His thesis is well written. Let's exchange ideas more often when we have time."

“This is Senior Brother Chen Shangjun, who specializes in textual research and is known as the ‘living dictionary.’ You can’t go wrong looking for him in the future.” Zhu Bangwei then pointed to the military green jacket.

This Chen Shangjun is a very famous person.

He truly deserves the title of "living dictionary".

Among contemporary scholars of Chinese language and literature, this man is second to none in terms of the amount of reading he has done. Xu Chengjun once saw a photo in his previous life of Chen Shangjun writing and reading in his home. The bookshelves on all four sides reached the ceiling and were filled with all kinds of books. The density of the books was enough to make one feel "trypophobia"!
After all, this person himself admitted: I have read almost all of the Tang Dynasty works and related literature!
What's even more impressive is that this person single-handedly produced "The Complete Collection of Tang and Five Dynasties Poetry".

In the field of Chinese language and literature studies, this is no different from mythology. Chen Shangjun smiled and waved his hand: "Don't listen to Senior Sister Bangwei's exaggeration, she just has a good memory. But if you're looking for a rare copy of 'The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons,' I do know which libraries have it."

Just as Xu Chengjun was about to greet him, Zhu Bangwei suddenly slapped her forehead: "Oh right, I just called you 'Lord Shang' because it just came out of my mouth. Junior Brother Chen studies Tang Dynasty documents, and we all like to call him 'Lord Shang,' which sounds the same as Shang Yang, and it sounds very scholarly."

Chen Shangjun shrugged helplessly: "There's nothing I can do. I deal with ancient books every day, and people say I speak with an old-fashioned accent."

After saying that, he warmly shook hands with Xu Chengjun and whispered, "Come to me if you need anything when school starts."

As they were talking, Zhu Dongrun came out of the inner room with a stack of books in his hand. He smiled when he saw Xu Chengjun and said, "You're here? Sit down. Let a few of them have dinner with you today, so you can formally acknowledge your master and disciple."

That truly signifies a formal recognition of one's lineage; Zhang Peiheng, Huang Lin, and Chen Shangjun are the elite among the elite of the three generations of the Chinese Department at Fudan University.

Even in the 21st century, these three remain the core of Fudan University's Chinese Department, a place teeming with masters.

My teacher is a master!
My fellow students are also masters!
So, me too.
Zhang Peiheng came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stir-fried vegetables and replied, "The teacher is biased. We didn't get this treatment back then. He only gave us a copy of the Records of the Grand Historian as a gift."

"How dare you say that?" Zhu Dongrun glared at him. "Back then, I asked you to copy the 'Chu Ci' (Songs of Chu), but you ran off to do something else halfway through. You don't even know what you were doing, yet you have the nerve to bring it up?"

Everyone laughed, and Zhang Peiheng blushed, trying to make amends: "That was because I was young and ignorant!"

"My junior brothers are all here, please give me some face, teacher!"

"You care about saving face, but I don't? Wasn't it you who got drunk and acted crazy during your thesis defense back then?" Zhu Dongrun showed no mercy and started spewing insults.

Xu Chengjun and the others couldn't help but chuckle, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

After all, they would all have to follow this senior brother in the future.

Huang Lin suddenly pointed at Xu Chengjun: "I heard that junior brother is going to skip undergraduate studies and go straight to graduate school? That's impressive. We got in through the real exams back then."

Senior brother, your sarcastic tone is not right!
"Senior brother, you flatter me," Xu Chengjun quickly said modestly. "I was just lucky, and my teachers and senior brothers were very kind to me."

“Luck is also part of ability.” Chen Shangjun poured Xu Chengjun a cup of tea. “However, graduate school is not easy. Senior Brother Zhang’s class requires two reading notes every week, and he keeps a close eye on things.”

Chen Shangjun was a little unhappy. He skipped university in 78 and went directly into the Chinese Department of Fudan University as a high school student to pursue a master's degree.

He is probably the fellow disciple with the most similar experience to Xu Chengjun, and their positions are also the most similar.

Fortunately, these senior students are all engaged in the study of ancient documents. He focuses on the modern transformation of traditional literary theories, so he can't steal their business. Instead, he can help them with the transformation of their research results.

Most importantly, he is also a writer, which gives him a competitive edge!

This was also an important reason why Zhu Lao and Zhang Peiheng decided to take him under their wing.

But why does Huang Lin have a problem with him?
(End of this chapter)