Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

at the same time.

Room 4, West Dormitory, Yenching University.

"A genius! A true genius!"

"Mengzhen, is this Wu Zhu's masterpiece?"

Gu Jiegang leaned against the headboard, vigorously waving the "New Youth" magazine, his excitement evident.

The first piece, "Medicine," was so well written that if it weren't for the wrong pen name, he would have thought it was Lu Xun making a comeback!

The simple descriptions, the plot twists, the metaphors—all are top-notch!

It is destined to leave a significant mark on the history of Chinese literature!

Fu Mengzhen held a bowl of sweet, salty, spicy tofu pudding with sesame paste, and hummed:

"Of course! According to my extensive inquiries, Bamboo Gentleman is Wu Bamboo, and Wu Bamboo is Bamboo Gentleman."

"Then what did you say a while ago? The rumor that he was comparable to Lu Xun? Absolutely impossible!"

Gu Jiegang jumped off the bed, went to the desks next to each other, and casually picked up a piece of fried dough stick.

Fu Mengzhen stirred the mixed stew in the bowl into a mess, making it gradually impossible to discern what it was:

"Sigh, I guess I was blind. But to be honest, you actually believed it back then?"

"Actually, I don't believe it either. You know, I'm a contradictory person..."

Gu Jiegang took a bite of the biscuit, and when he saw Fu Mengzhen's bowl, he almost vomited.

He'd seen people eat sweet tofu pudding, he'd seen people eat savory tofu pudding, he could understand those who ate spicy tofu pudding, and he could accept those who added sesame paste.

This is something I can't stand – it's made by putting everything in and stirring it into a brown paste.

Heretic! Drag him to the execution ground and behead him! Let's vent our anger by dipping steamed buns in his blood!

Fu Mengzhen, completely unconcerned, scooped up a spoonful, popped it into her mouth, and showed an expression of enjoyment:

"Now look what's happened. With the release of this novel, 'Medicine,' all of us from his school have become mere weeds in comparison."

"Then, in your opinion..."

"Since we want to start a newspaper, and we happen to have such a talented writer, shouldn't we invite him to join us? Besides, he contributes to 'New Youth' and is a researcher under Mr. Qian. If we ask him for help to apply for funding from Professor Chen, I, as a mere 'Yellow Gate Attendant,' won't be embarrassed."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jiegang's eyes lit up, and he repeatedly indicated that it was feasible.

Yenching University is not a place for backstabbing and infighting. How could students who support the new literature deliberately offend or target a classmate just because the classmate is outstanding?

Fu Mengzhen downed the entire bowl of food—a dish even a dog would shake its head at—in one gulp, then patted his stomach.

"Then it's settled. We'll plan it out and find a time to pretend to bump into him, invite him to a restaurant for a meal, and see if he's willing to help."

"You're the one who wanted to eat out, aren't you?"

"Shut up!"

......

No. 9 Doufuchi Hutong, Bancang Yang Residence.

The women who had gone out to escape the summer heat had all returned, and several of Yang Huaizhong's students had also come to stay overnight. The two-courtyard house was now bustling with activity, even more so than on New Year's Eve.

The students felt embarrassed to eat and drink for free, so they got up early every morning to clean, start a fire, and cook. After eating, they would gather in the front yard to do six-section exercises.

When the whole family gathers together, there's not enough room to stand. When jumping around, you have to be careful not to hit the hand of the person next to you.

This is tough on Yang Zizhen. What should have been a good summer vacation has turned into a double blow. First, she suffered a mental breakdown after meeting Wu Zhu, and now she has been pulled out of the house early.

"Zizhen, hurry up! It's been a while since I've seen you, and you've become lazy again."

"Brother Li, I can't take it anymore, I'm about to throw up the soup noodles."

"Civilize the mind, toughen the body. That's how great writers are!"

"Sigh, what's with all this talk about literary giants? It's pointless."

Yang Zizhen seemed to have been doused with cold water. She stopped swaying and broke away from the group on her own. Before leaving, she was even kicked by her younger sister.

He sat alone at the doorway, propping his head up and looking towards the alley entrance.

If nothing unexpected happens, today is the release date of the latest issue of "New Youth". He originally planned to go out early in the morning to buy a copy and see what level Wu Zhu's novels were at.

But it's summer vacation now, and I don't have any spare money, so I can only ask my father to buy it for me, and I'm anxiously waiting for it.

"Alas, Wu Zhu is so heartless! He left without a word, and there hasn't been a trace of him all this time. Has he ever looked back even once? On the day that 'New Youth' was published, he didn't even remember our past friendship and ran an errand to deliver a copy, leaving me to wait here in vain in front of the door, suffering from the wind and sun. It's truly disheartening."

He then put on a mournful expression, trying to portray himself as a pitiful creature.

He certainly nailed the act in terms of demeanor, but his heroic appearance made him look more like Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree...

I could faintly hear a few dry heaving sounds behind me, and soon I was kicked again.

"If you keep spouting nonsense and ruining everyone's fun, I won't let you off the hook!"

Yang Yunjin was furious and was about to twist his ear to teach her older brother a lesson when she was stopped.

Yang Zizhen reluctantly shut her mouth and obediently waited for her father to return.

Not long after, Yang Huaizhong, who had been out for almost fifteen minutes, appeared at the entrance of the alley, holding a book in his other hand and carrying the hem of his long robe, and ran all the way to his doorstep.

Yang Zizhen didn't care about her frail father. She snatched the young man from the air and, after seeing that the cover was indeed Wu Zhu's "Medicine," sat down at the door and began to read.

Then the more he read, the more silent he became, and the more distorted his mindset became.

No! This guy really has the air of a literary giant!

We're all about the same age, so why did you do something so important as soon as you arrived in Yanjing? Will I really be able to call you Wu Zhu from now on?

Next time we meet, it will be like this:

"Oh! Brother Zizhen, it's been a long time!"

"Professor Wu, please don't be so formal. Just call me Xiao Yang. Could you please sign this copy of 'New Youth'?"

Yang Zizhen thought to herself, her mind filled with regret.

Why didn't he have Wu Zhu sign the roll when Wu Zhu was still there? That way, he could take the papers to school and sell them to his classmates for three cents each.

When Yang Huaizhong saw that his son had fallen into a state of dementia, he was furious and immediately began to criticize other people's children:

"What's wrong? Are you feeling discouraged?"

"Look at Wu Zhu, he's achieved so much since arriving in Yanjing, while you failed your final exams!"

"He came from a poor background, his clothes were patched all over. Look at you, you have no worries about food or clothing, and all you do is dream all day!"

The scolding didn't wake Yang Zizhen, but it did attract the attention of the other people doing the exercise, who all came over to ask what was going on.

Yang Huaizhong took the copy of "New Youth" from his son's hand and handed it to his family and students.

"Master Zhu, I suppose this is the work of Brother Wu that you mentioned, teacher?"

"Yes, you can take a look. In my opinion, it's very critical."

"Huh? That's amazing?"

Yang Huaizhong's students and daughter gathered together, discussing the plot's development in a lively and chattering manner. In the end, they found themselves no different from Yang Zizhen.

Garen whispered, a silence that broke his guard.

In just four short sections, it is enough to be deeply moving; that’s the power of the writing!

"I said before that Brother Wu's speech was extraordinary and that he was destined for great things."

"yes......."

"If you encounter him in the future, you young people should definitely talk to him more. He might be able to give you some inspiration."

"The student understands."

Yang Zizhen found the family members' quiet conversations and praises to be noisy.

As if remembering something, he suddenly stood up and took out a Parker pen from his pocket:

"I want to auction this fountain pen used by Kuretake, before his pen name becomes famous throughout the country. The starting price is only two hundred silver dollars."

Yang Yunjin silently rolled up his sleeves.