Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

The influence of "Camel Xiangzi" goes far beyond that.

In the streets and alleys of Yanjing, you could hear people talking about "Rickshaw Boy" everywhere. Many people secretly regretted not getting up earlier, and now they could only share a newspaper with others or listen to others recount the plot.

Those with more initiative, mainly rickshaw pullers, would team up with friends to block the entrance of the Beijing Daily.

These real-life "Xiangzi"s are very concerned about Xiangzi's future and are eager to know how it ends.

"Chief Writer Liang! Chief Writer Wu! Boss Peng! Come out here, don't hide inside!"

"Yes! What happened to Xiangzi in the end?"

"If Xiangzi ends up with a bad ending, nobody will take jobs in Tie Niao Hutong anymore!"

The drivers chattered and shouted.

Wu Zizhen and Liang Shouming hid behind the second-floor window, secretly lifting the curtain a crack to watch the scene below. They were secretly pleased but also worried.

They knew the ending of "Rickshaw Boy" would definitely not be what everyone wanted. Even if Liang Shouming rushed out a version, it would be marked as not being the official ending.

If they anger the rickshaw drivers, they might refuse to take orders for Tie Niao Hutong, and if they were to storm in and start criticizing them with their fists, the old men at the Beijing Daily might not be able to handle it.

Thinking of this, Wu Zizhen lowered the curtains and softly advised:

"Shuna, come over after this is over."

"What nonsense! Would people really eat us?"

Liang Shouming shook his head.

In the newspaper industry, being able to run away is a basic skill, and he trusted his own legs!

Wu Zizhen sat down and remarked with emotion:

"This is wonderful! Our *Beijing Daily* hasn't been this popular in years, all thanks to that 'Yanjing Guest'!"

"We really need to thank him properly. You've met him in person, haven't you? After these three issues are published, invite him to Dongxinglou Restaurant. We old men should thank him properly; the fee you paid him was far too low. It's only fair that we give him some extra profit sharing!"

When wealthy literati in Yanjing entertained distinguished guests, they would not choose a place like the Yanjing Hotel, but would often go to Shandong cuisine restaurants like the "Eight Great Restaurants". Dongxinglou was known as the top of the Eight Great Restaurants, with its location, dishes and service being top-notch, which shows how much importance it attached to Wuzhu.

Given the current popularity, the royalties will definitely be recouped, and any future printings will be pure profit. We need to make proper arrangements for them so that there will be opportunities for future collaborations.

Liang Shouming knew Wu Zhu's identity, and after being scolded, he felt somewhat ashamed; he had indeed tricked the child. However, he didn't dare immediately accept the dinner invitation on Wu Zhu's behalf.

"His identity is rather...special. I'll go ask if it's possible. If it is, we can find some time to get together."

"Oh? According to you, this guest from Yanjing must have been famous for a long time? Or perhaps he has considerable prestige in the literary world?"

"Uh... sort of, but it's not quite what you think. He's very young, unbelievably young... To be honest, his talent makes me a little jealous."

"Hmph! I know how arrogant you are, kid. For you to give me such a high opinion of yourself, could you perhaps be Hu Shih from Peking University?"

This is already quite close to the answer, but Wu Zhu is still relatively inexperienced, so the old man couldn't think of it for a while. After eliminating a few more people, he will be able to guess it correctly.

Therefore, Liang Shouming's choice to remain silent is tantamount to an admission.

Brother Shizhi, for now, I'll let you take the blame for this...

Anyway, you two are both fans of "New Youth" magazine! We're comrades in arms, so what's wrong with taking the blame for each other?

"Am I right?"

"Half right, half right..."

Wu Zizhen revealed a knowing smile.

Ring ring—

The urgent ringing of the phone interrupted the conversation.

Wu Zizhen had just brought the microphone to her ear.

"Editor-in-Chief Wu! Xisi Archway, Qianmen Street, Jingshan East Street, Dong'an Market—they're all sold out! Quickly print more! No other newspapers are selling well today; everyone's demanding your 'Camel Xiangzi.' Printing more literary supplements will be enough!"

"Give me a specific number of copies you want to print. I have a lot of trucks downstairs; I'll have them go directly to the factory and wait for them, then deliver them to you."

"Three thousand copies! More if that's not enough! Remember to print more tomorrow, at least triple the amount!"

......

Inside Yenching University on the other side.

The students gathered on the playground, chatting amongst themselves about Xiangzi's fate.

Fu Mengzhen passionately explained to his classmates:

"Look at this sentence: 'Since coming to the city, he himself has grown more than an inch taller. He feels as if he still needs to grow taller.' The author's writing is truly powerful. This isn't just about height; it's clearly Xiangzi's hope for life!"

"Therefore, I'm certain that no matter how miserable Xiangzi is now, his future will definitely be bright!"

The students applauded enthusiastically.

Gu Jiegang also stood up, held up the newspaper, and pointed to a passage:

"Look at this again, look at the author's description of Xiangzi's appearance. He couldn't have written so accurately without years of observing rickshaw pullers!"

"New literature should broaden its perspective and depict the lives of ordinary people, instead of focusing solely on romantic themes or the complaints of literary figures!"

This time the applause was even more enthusiastic.

Seeing that everyone was being stirred up, Gu Jiegang gave Fu Mengzhen a look, and Fu Mengzhen stepped forward.

He shouted in a loud voice:

"Everyone, quiet down! Here's the thing, there are so many talented people out there these days, and we're also planning to respond to the call from *New Youth* and start a student magazine. Anyone interested in joining?"

"What title are you going to use for the publication? Who are the participants?"

"We haven't decided on the journal's title yet. But I can secretly reveal that Zhu Junzi, the author of 'Medicine,' who is also Professor Qian's top student, will be joining as a chief writer!"

Fu Mengzhen patted her belly and assured him, leaving Gu Jiegang completely bewildered.

How come he didn't know Wu Zhu had agreed to join?!

But when the classmates heard that Wu Zhu was also joining, they all expressed their desire to join as well. It wasn't a good idea to undermine his partner now, or he'd be ganged up on by the angry classmates...

After the crowd dispersed.

Gu Jiegang pulled Fu Mengzhen aside and asked in a low voice:

"You secretly went to see Wu Zhu?"

"No."

"Then why did you say he came too! That's a lie!"

"Ha! Don't you understand the art of using someone else's name as a shield? Just you wait, in a while I'll bring my junior brother in!"

"What if we can't pull it in?"

"Hmph! If you don't recruit Wu Zhu into our gang, I'll offer my head! I'd rather kneel before him!"

Fu Mengzhen waved her hand, using the harshest tone to say the softest words.

.....

The students scattered and headed home.

A row of rickshaws were parked in front of the school wall, with the drivers huddled together, which inevitably caught the students' attention.

"Fourth Uncle, someone actually wrote about us!"

"The poor student we met last time wasn't lying to us!"

A young man in his early twenties, with a tattered towel draped around his neck, pointed to the "Beijing Dialect Daily" spread out on the ground.

He had attended school for a few years and recognized most of the characters. Seeing that others were scrambling to buy a copy, he bought one and read it aloud to everyone.

The old driver, who looked to be in his fifties, took a puff of his pipe:

"It must have been that student's doing... When Zhang Xun attempted to restore the monarchy, I was also robbed by the Qing army."

"I almost became like Xiangzi back then, but luckily I ran fast and slipped into the alley so he couldn't catch me."

"Later, I drove quite a distance, and I could still hear them yelling and cursing behind me. My car is my lifeline; I can't let anyone take it away."

The young man nodded in agreement. Although he didn't have his own car yet, he believed he would one day!

The fourth uncle in front of me bought his own car, and his income immediately increased several times over. He even found a wife all at once!

The old driver tapped his pipe on the ground and pulled out three coins from his pocket:

"Are you still buying tomorrow...?"

"We'll be here by noon. You read it to us, so we know what will happen to Xiangzi."

.....

On the evening of the same day.

Yenching Public No. 17 Higher Primary School.

After finishing his day's work, Shu Qingchun returned to the principal's office to rest and picked up today's newspaper.

He had seen the *Beijing Dialect Daily* that morning and read it during his lunch break, but he still found it fascinating. In the afternoon, while handling academic affairs, he couldn't calm his mind and just wanted to leave work as soon as possible.

"I'm so envious..."

He sipped his tea, his eyes unwilling to leave the newspaper.

As a recent graduate of Yenching Normal School, he also had a strong yearning for modern literature. In his spare time, he would secretly write some essays and novels, using vernacular Chinese to try to depict the city of Yenching where he grew up.

The city gate was crowded with all sorts of vehicles and people. No one dared to walk fast, yet everyone wanted to get through as quickly as possible. The sounds of whips, shouts, curses, horns, bells, and laughter all mingled together in the gate, creating a buzzing noise, as if everyone was making a sound.

This is the style that Shu Qingchun wanted to pursue. When he wrote, he always wanted to capture the soul of Yanjing. However, due to his lack of writing skills, what he wrote was always a bit superficial.

This "Yanjing Guest," judging from his pen name, seems to be from out of town, yet he uses the cleanest descriptions to write what he wants to write, which is truly admirable.

Besides admiring the writing technique, he also admired the author's keen eye; with light strokes, the author depicted the crucible of life for ordinary people, and through the fictional "Xiangzi," easily extracted the psychology of laborers after their hopes were shattered, placing the blood-stained words before you.

"That's too strong."

While feeling immense pressure, Shu Qingchun inwardly cheered.

I never knew that a novel written in such plain language could have such power!

He carefully tucked the newspaper away and placed it under the table, then took out a letter and picked up a pen.

You need to keep practicing to develop your skills!