Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

September 25th.

Early in the morning, Liang Shouming rushed over and dragged Wu Zhu from the bed to the floor, not even giving him time to wash up, and dragged him all the way to Huaxia Bank.

Before Wu Zhu could even process what was happening, she was led to open an account and waited until she received the deposit slip.

"We calculated your 'Rickshaw Boy' to be less than 180,000 words, but for the sake of convenience, we'll calculate it as 180,000 words. Consider the extra money as a token of our friendship, and we hope you can contribute to us again in the future."

"Furthermore, when I went back yesterday to report on my royalties, I was severely scolded by several old men who said I was bullying them. They said that if 'Rickshaw Boy' becomes a bestseller, I will receive my share of the profits in full."

Liang Shouming had classes in the morning, so after giving this instruction, he shoved the draft into Wu Zhu's hand and disappeared in a flash.

Upon hearing that the royalties had arrived, Wu Zhu finally realized what was happening and carefully calculated the amount.

Two and a half dollars per thousand words. Based on 180,000 words, that's four hundred and fifty silver dollars, not much less than expected.

He took out the receipt and checked it, confirming that not a single penny was missing. He almost jumped up in the bank.

With this money, I can buy several new outfits, and when I go home for the New Year, I can not only pay off my debts, but also bring my father and brothers to live in Beijing!

Feeling great...

The Beijing Daily is quite efficient; it wouldn't hurt to maintain regular contact in the future. However, we mustn't reveal our bottom line when discussing payment for articles...

How thoughtful! They were worried he'd lose his money, so they even brought him to the bank to open an account...

Wu Zhu walked towards home, picking up the sample manuscript along the way.

The rushed proof actually took up an entire page of the arts and literature supplement, with densely packed small print. It's estimated that one issue could publish eight volumes!

If that's the case, it can be published in three days, which means the payment will be quick. It seems that the Beijing Daily is indeed short of money, otherwise they wouldn't be in such a hurry.

"Oh right, we also need to show it to Guo Xingang and the other man first."

Thinking of this, Wu Zhu quickened his pace.

......

A short while later.

Carrying a four-person portion of Beijing-style breakfast, Wu Zhu returned to Sanyanjing Hutong amidst the surprised gazes of passersby.

The three roommates were already up and taking turns fetching water to wash up, looking quite relaxed.

"Hey guys, give me a hand."

Wu Zhu shouted.

Guo Xingang turned his head and was the first to react. He immediately put on a smile and stepped forward to take the bags.

"Stewed tripe, fried liver, steamed buns... these are all your favorite breakfasts. Eat as much as you like today!"

"Wu Zhu, if you don't abandon me, I'm willing to become your disciple..."

"Alright! My royalties have come through. I'll treat you to a meal, don't worry about it."

Wu Zhu helped Wang Kunlun, who was about to kneel down, and gestured for him to look at Chen Gongbo.

While others were still expressing their gratitude, Chen Gongbo was already eating, slurping up the fried liver with gusto—clearly a seasoned gourmand.

Upon seeing this, Wang Kunlun and Guo Xingang no longer bothered with polite refusals and hurriedly went up to open their own portions; they dipped the buns in the fried liver and chewed them in big bites, basically finishing one in two bites, with the juice of the fresh meat buns splashing everywhere.

Wu Zhu wasn't that hungry. He sat in his seat, eating and reading the newspaper at the same time.

Although these roommates sometimes argue, their overall relationship is quite good. Despite their bickering, no one has ever said they want to move out or secretly sabotage each other.

Now that he has some royalties, it's no big deal for him to treat his roommates to breakfast. When everyone has money, they usually treat each other to meals, so it doesn't cost much.

Besides, now that his roommates know his other identity, they'll definitely have to bribe him with material things so he won't be exposed.

It's not that he couldn't let "New Youth" magazine know that he was a traitor in other societies, but publishing this kind of novel in the Republic of China era required him to be somewhat aware of protecting his own head.

What if one day the Beiyang government wanted to make an example of someone, and they saw this guy who had publicly challenged the authorities, dragged him from Yenching University to Caishikou and beheaded him? Then he would truly be remembered for generations, and wouldn't even have a chance to escape unscathed...

"Wu Zhu, is this payment from the *Beijing Dialect Daily*?"

"right."

"How much was the payment for this article?"

This question about salary is rather pointed.

I've said too much; I bet these three will be upset for a few days.

If I say too little, I bet these three will start arguing again.

After much deliberation, Wu Zhu decided to tell a white lie:

"...Hmm...Two hundred silver dollars, deposited in the bank."

"ah?!"

"Take the young master!"

"Two hundred! I'll kneel down and beg you, can you teach me how to write a novel?"

The three people who were silently eating got up one after another, almost knocking over their bowls.

Last time it was only twenty-odd silver dollars, but after a while, it jumped to two hundred! Who can accept that?!

Unbeknownst to the three, this was a folded number printed by Wu Zhu...

Wu Zhu tried his best to keep his tone normal:

"I wrote nearly 200,000 words this time, but the payment per thousand words isn't much... Don't tell outsiders about my income, or that I'm submitting articles to the Beijing Daily. I'll cover your breakfast from now on."

"Look at you, you're too kind! It's absolutely necessary!"

"They're just roommates, it can't be that serious."

"Don't buy such expensive things in the future. Regular fried dough sticks and soy milk are enough. Even if you have money, you can't afford to splurge like this."

The three of them agreed, one after another, as if they wanted to worship Wu Zhu.

From a self-interest perspective, it's not good to talk nonsense!

If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, we can all eat and drink for free and have a good time. But if anyone is so smart as to tell others, not only will our dorm relationships be ruined, but we'll also have to pay for our own meals later.

The four roommates reached a pleasant agreement on a sugar daddy/sugar baby arrangement, except that the genders and number of people were a little off...

Wang Kunlun keenly noticed that something was off about the newspaper in Wu Zhu's hand:

"Is that a sample copy? Give it to me!"

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you... Hey! You guys were the first to see the content besides me and the editor, so you'd better keep it a secret from outside."

Wu Zhu readily handed over the sample copy, as promised.

Wang Kunlun took the newspaper and nodded:

"Old Guo, Old Chen, do you two want to watch?"

"Isn't that obvious?! Don't hog all the food!"

"Let me take a look too, come closer..."

......

after eating.

The four of them arrived at Yenching University together.

Guo Xingang was a liberal arts preparatory student, Wang and Chen were philosophy undergraduates, and Wu Zhu was a Chinese literature researcher; the three of them had different classes every day, and it was actually difficult to run into each other at Yenching University unless you deliberately looked for them.

Logically, everyone should disperse now; those who need to attend class should go to class, and those who need to work like oxen or horses should work like oxen or horses, and then see each other again when they get home in the evening.

Wu Zhu left, but wherever he went, three men followed behind, creating a rather unusual sight at Peking University. He's a celebrity now; students who don't know better might think he's taken on three henchmen and is preparing to sweep through Peking University...

He stopped, somewhat helplessly.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?"

"It was just breakfast. We'll have it every day from now on. There's no need to make such a fuss."

"This is Yenching University, not some brothel. What kind of behavior is this? What will the other students think of me?"

"When they see me then, won't they say I'm running a club at school and am the leader of this year's class?"

His earnest advice had no effect whatsoever. The three of them formed a triangle and surrounded him at the bottom of the stairs, turning him into a monkey in a zoo, nagging anyone who passed by.

Chen Gongbo, who is always stubborn, spoke first:

Why did Tiger Girl come looking for Xiangzi?

Guo Xingang followed closely behind:

"Won't the money we saved up get into trouble?"

Even Wang Kunlun, who dislikes prying into things, spoke with urgency:

What will happen to Xiangzi in the end? Will he marry Hu Niu and inherit the rickshaw company?

Liang Shouming only brought tomorrow's sample copy, which happened to end at volume eight, so all three of them were victims of this missing chapter.

What's the difference between this and the "To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next chapter" style of Water Margin? It's all about keeping the readers in suspense!

Normally, if I see a chapter that makes my mouth water, I can't really resist. But now that the author is sharing a room with everyone, I'm going to pester them relentlessly!

The author chuckled to himself.

The missing section is stuck at a crucial point.

The blade reached the throat.

The most righteous!

We must severely punish those who cut off chapters!

Wu Zhu was actually quite helpless. What did this have to do with him? If it really came down to it, none of the four of them would be allowed to attend class today. He explained:

"It's really not that I deliberately cut off the chapter; that's just how the *Beijing Daily* is formatted, and I don't have a copy of the manuscript. So I hope you can be patient... Ah! Mr. Zhongfu!"

He waved towards the end of the corridor, and the three of them turned around to look, only to find it empty.

We've fallen for their trap!

When the three turned around again, Wu Zhu had already disappeared...