Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

These words left Liang Shouming speechless.

He had heard similar things many times, and even Peng Yizhong, the founder of the Beijing Daily, had actually done such things.

In May of this year, after the Beiyang government signed the treasonous treaty, Peng Yizhong left behind the last words, "Why should a slave cling to life?" and attempted suicide by jumping into the sea from the cruise ship. Fortunately, he was rescued by the crew, but his social impact was enormous.

These journalists, who have been running their publications since the late Qing Dynasty, support constitutional monarchy on the one hand, but have no choice but to accept the collapse of the corrupt Qing government on the other.

As the country gradually moves towards a republic, it was thought that the change in the system would bring hope to the country, but the result was still corruption, chaos, and division. Not only did people's livelihood not improve, but they became poor and haggard, lost their faith, and had an inexplicable obsession with the Confucian ideal of martyrdom, fantasizing about the scene of "one person dying to awaken a thousand people", hoping that the death of one person could change society.

History has proven that this is not possible. He is very worried about the mental state of the older generation, fearing that some of his fathers might be tempted to jump into the sea.

"Alright, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

"I need to discuss this novel with your father. You go and do whatever you need to do!"

Wu Zizhen ultimately did not act on his own initiative, but decided to discuss it with Liang Shouming's father, who was also the chief editor of the Beijing Daily.

Liang Shouming nodded and watched Wu Zizhen walk slowly out of the office, without following her.

His relationship with his father, Liang Ji, was somewhat complicated. It wasn't bad, but they had differences in their thinking.

Liang Ji was a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the late Qing Dynasty. He grew up reading the Four Books and Five Classics, believed in the Confucian school, and was a typical Confucian scholar.

As for his son, he didn't like reading Confucian classics from a young age, but was interested in Western science instead. He respected utilitarianism when he was studying, but now he believes in Buddhist philosophy. A few years ago, he even became a monk for a while. He changed his ideology faster than his wife, which his father thought was too impetuous.

But he's not the only one in this situation!

Liang Shouming moved a chair over, sat down in a daze, and waited for his uncles to return.

......

The two chief editors of the Beijing Daily had offices right next to each other; you could see the other person as soon as you opened the door.

Wu Zizhen, carrying the manuscript, barged into the office without even knocking, shouting loudly:

"Crazy Liang!"

"Look what I brought you!"

Inside sat an old man in a long gown with well-proportioned muscles, long arms, and a full, ruddy face. He was leaning over a table reading international news reports from the Shuntian Times, while holding a long pipe in his hand, occasionally taking a small puff.

Hearing the familiar shouts, Liang Ji wasn't annoyed, as he had been called "madman" for many years.

That was in the early years of the Republic of China. He refused to cooperate with the new regime and stayed at home in seclusion. That's how he got this nickname. Over the years, whether they were friends or enemies, they would always call him that when they saw him. After a while, they got used to it and didn't react much anymore.

However, he could still offer a rebuttal to Wu Zizhen:

"Old Wu, the Analects of Confucius says, 'The virtue of a gentleman is like the wind, the virtue of a petty person is like grass.' If you set such a good example, what if the younger generation sees it and learns it wrong?"

"Alright, alright, it was my fault, second brother, please calm down."

Wu Zizhen placed the manuscript of "Rickshaw Boy" on the "Shuntian Times" and gestured for Liang Ji to look at it first.

Liang Ji often interacts with ordinary people, and the headline immediately caught his eye.

"Did you write this?"

"Could I have written this?! Shouming selected this submission early this morning, and I was deeply impressed after reading it. That's why I brought it here to show you. Let's discuss whether it can be published, and if so, what format it should be published in, and what kind of payment would be appropriate for the author."

Liang Ji nodded, took out his reading glasses, put them on his nose, and read carefully.

He didn't offer any comments, but patiently read on, his face remaining expressionless throughout.

However, Wu Zizhen could see that as the plot progressed, there was a significant change in the eyes of her longtime friend.

After reading about Xiangzi's three rises and falls, Liang Ji gently put down the manuscript, walked to the window, rested his hands on the sill, gazed at the busy printers, and murmured:

"The Story of Xiangzi is not just about a rickshaw puller, but a mirror reflecting a group of people."

"Before the Xinhai Revolution, they touted the republic in glowing terms, but what's the result now?"

"Without national character, one cannot become a complete person..."

He went back to his desk, picked up the copy of the *Shuntian Times*, and pointed to the news about the World War:

"Looking at the countries that opened our doors, they too became obsessed with killing each other."

"Zizhen, I often think about..."

Will this world get better?

By the end, his tone had become somewhat sorrowful.

Wu Zizhen didn't know how to answer this question, so she remained silent.

Although both were traditional Confucian scholars, they both had the ideal of saving the country and the people. Otherwise, they would not have founded a vernacular newspaper, advocating "using simple language to explain simple principles" so that even ordinary people could understand profound truths and break the monopoly of classical Chinese on culture.

From this point of view alone, he has more of a scholarly spirit than those maverick professors at Yenching University.

"I don't know the answer, and neither do you. Never mind."

"I believe that this novel, 'Rickshaw Boy,' is worth publishing, and it would be best to publish it as soon as possible. It can be like ripples on water, stirring up a sense of awakening in humanity."

"You showed it to me just because you're afraid of political repercussions... We're practically dead, what's there to be afraid of?"

"If they shut down one 'Beijing Dialect Daily' today, ten more will spring up tomorrow. If the Beiyang government really had that kind of guts, they should have wiped us all out back then!"

Liang Ji became agitated and coughed repeatedly, so Wu Zizhen quickly tried to calm him down.

Liang Shouming, who had been eavesdropping at the door, rushed in and patted his father's back:

"Father, you're still criticizing Uncle Wu. Look at your own behavior. Where is the demeanor of an elder? You're so old, yet you act like a student, getting angry over trivial matters."

"This is no small matter..."

Liang Ji refused to admit it in front of his son.

Wu Zizhen chuckled:

"Alright, since everyone agrees it's publishable, let's set the payment. It's such a long piece, so we'll serialize it in the newspaper."

"Okay, okay... I originally wanted to give five yuan per thousand words, but this story of Xiangzi is too long, and the newspaper may not be able to afford the payment."

Liang Ji brought up a key issue, which also put Wu Zizhen in a difficult position.

The current "Beijing Daily" is not as glorious as it used to be. With nearly 200,000 words in "Camel Xiangzi", it certainly cannot afford to pay five yuan per thousand words, but the two chief writers are willing to risk their lives to keep up with the good guys!

Finally, Liang Shouming came up with an idea:

"I see the mailing address is in Sanyan Well Hutong. I'll go there when I go back to Yenching University to meet with the author in person to discuss royalties and the possibility of long-term contributions. What do you two lead writers think?"

Liang Ji and Wu Zizhen nodded repeatedly.

Liang Shouming glanced at his watch and realized it was getting late. If he didn't hurry, he would miss class, so he immediately turned around and left.

Just before stepping out of the office, he turned back and earnestly said:

"I've thought about your questions for a long time and finally come up with an answer."

"You can find a way out slowly. It's always good to be alive, so don't think too much about it..."

"I believe the world is getting better every day!"