Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

Inside the editor-in-chief's office.

The clock on the wall had just struck twelve when twelve clear bells rang out.

"well......"

Bao Tianxiao put down his manuscript paper, looked at the table full of novel manuscripts, and sighed deeply.

For an entire morning, not a single submission was even remotely acceptable; they were all extremely similar and clichéd.

It's either a romance novel about talented men and beautiful women, or a dark novel that can be described as a mental drug.

Although the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School advocated that literature was a tool for entertainment, they hoped to receive works with slightly deeper meaning. They didn't believe that novels containing words like "workers," "labor," or "women" were necessarily socially critical. However, it seemed that the writers in the Shanghai literary scene couldn't even grasp this point...

As one of the "Five Tiger Generals" of the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School, Bao Tianxiao was well aware of the disconnect between the school's novels and society. Now, as the country is increasingly in dire straits, most of the writers of this school are still indulging in love and romance. Compared with the new literature in the north, it is like heaven and earth. He was very reluctant to admit that he was a writer of the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School.

If all the articles in the next issue are like this, what will happen to the next issue of "Fiction Pictorial"?

After a manuscript is selected, it needs to be handed over to an illustration editor to create an illustration. If suitable material is not available for a long time, the publication time will be extended.

"I wonder if Shoujuan has any good manuscripts..."

As Bao Tianxiao muttered to himself, he neatly arranged the manuscript papers on the table and attached a pre-prepared template, preparing to return them later.

As an influential novel club, we can't just throw all the manuscripts that don't meet our requirements into the trash, can we?

bang-

The office door was flung open in a frantic rush.

Bao Tianxiao was startled, and his hand trembled, causing him to spill the ink.

He hurriedly tried to salvage the manuscript and also recognized the person who had come:

"Who...Shoujuan, why are you in such a rush?"

"Old Bao, read this novel."

Zhou Shoujuan slammed the copy of "Rickshaw Boy" onto Bao Tianxiao's table.

Bao Tianxiao didn't check the clock immediately. Instead, he pointed to it, indicating that it was time to leave work and go downstairs for dinner.

Judging from the writing style of today's Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School writers, no matter how much they write, it's all just a pile of waste paper. What's more important than eating?

"See, believe me."

"Alright, first time seeing you like this... Camel Xiangzi? What's that about? A camel seller?"

Bao Tianxiao picked up the first page of the manuscript, completely bewildered, and then looked down.

He patiently scanned the pages, reading the first few pages quickly, but as the plot unfolded, he gradually slowed down, carefully considering every word, his face becoming serious.

The clock hands ticked away, and the office fell into a deathly silence, broken only by increasingly heavy breathing.

Finally, the clock struck two in the afternoon.

Bao Tianxiao's stomach was growling loudly, but he had no appetite at all, and he held onto the last page of the manuscript, refusing to put it down.

"Amazing... The author is truly remarkable."

"And what's your opinion?"

Zhou Shoujuan was eager to know the answer: should she accept this novel or not?

Although he was impressed by this powerful novel, he found it full of contradictions, mainly in three aspects.

First, the writing style is completely different from that of "Fiction Pictorial" and has no appeal whatsoever. It is unclear whether the target audience will be able to accept it.

Secondly, this realistic novel about ordinary people is so poignant that it becomes more and more heartbreaking as you read on. The lives of readers at the bottom of society are already miserable, and seeing such a hopeless novel would make them feel incredibly unlucky, but there is a fear that someone might suddenly take their own life, which would be a devastating blow to "Fiction Pictorial".

Thirdly, there's the age-old issue of factional differences. The author clearly lives in Yenching, sharing the ideals advocated by *New Youth*. Although the Shanghai literary scene hasn't declared war on them, the ideological conflict is obvious. How would the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School members view the publication of such a realistic novel? And how would the Yenching literary scene view it?

One side will think you've betrayed your fellow writers, while the other side will think you're just being pretentious, which will inevitably lead to a debate between the literary circles of the North and South.

"After reading it through, I was almost suffocated. Its literary value ranks among the top in recent years... In my opinion, it is no less than 'Diary of a Madman' published in May, or 'Medicine' published yesterday..."

"That's why we can't use it."

Bao Tianxiao ended his contemplation.

Zhou Shoujuan had anticipated this outcome; if it had actually been published, he would have made his decision long ago.

"You understand the道理 (principle/reason), otherwise you wouldn't have come to ask me."

"Shoujuan, how I long for a work with depth, I dream about it all the time... but the depth of this 'Rickshaw Boy' exceeds the scope that this magazine can handle."

"This 'Yanjing Guest's' writing style is truly cruel, raising people's hopes high only to shatter them mercilessly in the end. For readers seeking to escape reality, this is torture worse than being branded with hot irons!"

"Perhaps some young students would like to read it, but people like Chen Zhongfu, who have the backing of Yenching University, can freely express their ideals. If we publish this novel, sales will plummet and we won't be able to survive. You've edited 'Saturday Night' before, so you know how cruel the market can be."

Bao Tianxiao slumped in his chair and patiently explained.

Ultimately, commercial publishers prioritize profits, consider market acceptance, and follow the logic of capital accumulation, rather than publishing according to personal preferences.

Or rather, personal preferences are a personification of capital, which is the dividing line between ideal and reality.

Besides this, Bao Tianxiao didn't mention one more thing: political factors.

Although "Rickshaw Boy" depicts rickshaw pullers in Beijing, were there not many rickshaw pullers in Shanghai during that period? Doesn't that mean there was a market?

Of course it counts!

Bao Tianxiao also wrote articles for newspapers and knew that the number of registered rickshaws in the concession alone reached a full eight thousand!

The ratio of rickshaw pullers to rickshaw pullers was usually four to one, which means that there were at least 24,000 rickshaw pullers in the entire city of Shanghai. What a huge readership that was!

If you calculate it this way, the business prospects seem bright, but the key is that you can't calculate it this way.

The setting of "Camel Xiangzi" directly points to the farce of Zhang Xun's restoration, and characters such as "Professor Chen" also imply the obstacles to the development of new literature, which could very well touch a political sore spot.

For example, it created an inflammatory influence among rickshaw pullers, which in turn led to strikes and social movements, paralyzing traffic in the entire Songhu area. The consequences were predictable...

Bao Tianxiao had no doubt that this work possessed such capabilities; it was far more incisive than any exposé novel.

Not making money is a small matter, but getting noticed by the government is a big problem.

He was not alone, lacked the awareness to dedicate himself to artistic freedom, and lacked the courage to confront the beasts.

"What should we do with this manuscript? Should we just send it back like this?"

Zhou Shoujuan stared at the manuscript, filled with reluctance.

"Reject the manuscript, and write another explanation letter to send back to the author."

Bao Tianxiao made his final decision, took out the fountain pen from the pen holder, and began to write quickly, soon filling a full page with explanations.

After the ink had dried completely, he took out an elegantly patterned piece of stationery, carefully placed the thick manuscript inside, and stamped it with his personal seal using sealing wax.

"We couldn't fulfill the author's wishes in Shanghai, so we can only send this realistic masterpiece back with the utmost respect. It's something that writers can do for writers, and we hope he can find a publisher with the courage to do so."

Bao Tianxiao took out his briefcase and put the sealed envelope inside:

"Come on, Shoujuan, I'll treat you to dinner. After dinner, we'll personally escort this masterpiece to the post office!"