Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

The two hadn't seen each other for over a month, and now that they'd bumped into each other by chance, they both had a lot to say.

After accepting the capital, Brother Li looked Wu Zhu up and down, then pinched his arm, nodding and sighing:

"The day we parted, I saw how thin you were, and I was worried that you would get worse every day after you got to Yanjing. I didn't expect you to become so strong all of a sudden, and your face is even starting to get fuller."

"Oh, no, if it weren't for Brother Li lending me my travel expenses, I would have gone hungry for a while. Now that I have the money from my writing, I want to help Brother Li, but you won't even give me the chance..."

Wu Zhu scratched his head, somewhat regretful.

He was afraid that Brother Li would refuse the money when he handed it over.

They really wouldn't accept it, so I had no other choice.

As someone from a later generation, he knew how admirable Brother Li's character was. It wouldn't be like him to accept those five silver dollars more...

"I knew I was right about you. Beijing is the stage for you to showcase your talent. I hope you can stay true to yourself and create works like 'Medicine'!"

"Yes, yes... Without Brother Li's introduction, I wouldn't even have a place to stay, let alone submit articles to *New Youth*. We should never forget those who helped us. Since you don't want to accept my money, I'll come to the reading room more often, and we can talk about literature and ideals. I'll treat you to dinner after you get off work!"

"Great! That's more like it!"

The two students from Hunan were chatting happily, forgetting that they had other things to do, until a classmate called the administrator, and they finally parted ways.

However, Wu Zhu didn't leave. Instead, he found a seat in the corner of the reading room, leaned against the wall, took out Huai Jin's reply, tore it open in a few quick movements, and pulled out the letter inside.

【Sir, you're so kind!】

Although I've never met you, I'm certain you're very patient with those around you, and with your readers!

I have received all your feedback and will definitely pay close attention to it!

Wu Zhu felt somewhat ashamed upon seeing these rambling thoughts.

How much patience could a guy who only replies to female readers have for the people around him or his readers?

The fact that he didn't argue with those negative comments shows that he listened to Mr. Zhongfu's advice...

I've read the entire "Rickshaw Boy" you mentioned! And I've read it more than once...

I still remember feeling both sad and angry when I first saw the ending of the Yanjingke version.

What's saddening is the ending for the main characters; what's infuriating is that the author wrote this ending.

I really want to beat him up!!!

Wu Zhu could tell that the last sentence was written with great force, and the handwriting was crooked; the little girl was really angry.

Therefore, he must keep this pseudonym a secret and preferably never expose it for the rest of his life, otherwise readers will definitely come knocking on his door to find out the truth.

However, I must admit that the author of Xiangzi's biography possesses truly powerful writing skills.

The ability to write such a profound story using such colloquial language is itself proof of skill.

The rickshaw pullers in "The Story of Xiangzi" truly suffered. When I read the descriptions of the lives of Xiangzi, Lao Ma, Lao Cheng, and others, I realized that my previous confusion about "what happened to Nora after she left" was like a happy, melodramatic lament. No wonder you told me to go and see the outside world.

Wu Zhu silently gave Huai Jin a thumbs up; his comprehension was truly remarkable.

This willingness to criticize oneself in front of others already surpasses that of many middle school students.

Moreover, judging from Huaijin's demeanor, he estimated that her family background was also quite good, which made him even more impressive.

[As for the female characters, what struck me even more was...a different kind of impact than that of "A Doll's House."]

[Especially Tiger Girl, sir, I don't know how to evaluate her. In my opinion, she was vulgar, ignorant, and calculating, yet capable of managing a car factory well. After leaving the factory, her shrewdness immediately became useless, and her ending was so tragic.]

I can't see through the mystery surrounding her, sir.

[And then there's Xiao Fuzi. Like many heroines in miscellaneous books, she's like a blade of grass in the wind and rain, silently trampled into the mud. Even in her final "escape" and suicide, she still has to strip off a client's clothes so she can die with some dignity. This is even more suffocating to me than Nora.]

This makes me hate Master Liu and his ilk even more, and I hate the world depicted in the book, which is also the world we live in today.

Wu Zhu stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, wondering how to answer the question...

He understood Huaijin's doubts, and even asserted that many readers also failed to understand Hu Niu's situation, only morally viewing her as both pitiful and hateful.

That's the contradiction; contradictions always have two sides...

But no matter what, I still feel sad about Xiangzi's final appearance; I haven't recovered yet.

"Sir, I want to ask you this: If the people fight desperately and struggle, only to end up like this, is there still any hope for us?"

What exactly is the author trying to achieve? Does he want us to fall into utter despair like Xiangzi?

If that were the case, there would be no "New Youth" magazine in reality.

[So I think the author deliberately mentions "Professor Chen" in the story, perhaps to expose the bloody truth to the world, to make us unable to tolerate this world any longer. What do you think, sir?]

The students are arguing about this, and it's really getting heated; it hasn't stopped yet.

Some say this is reality, there's nothing you can do about it, and everyone has to accept it; it's a very pessimistic view. Others say it's literary exaggeration, that reality isn't that dark, and that there are people around us who have changed their lives through hard work, so there's no need to think so much, and we should just focus on working hard in the future.

Everyone seems to be waiting, waiting for someone who can show them everything, so that even if they don't walk down the road, they won't be so lost.

My thoughts are quite scattered; I apologize for the inconvenience.

Looking forward to your reply and your new novel.

[Your anxious and confused student, Huaijin]

October 1st, 1918

By the way! Recently, the authorities seem to be desperate, having actually drafted a "Newspaper Law" and submitted it to Parliament for passage. Although I don't quite understand the clauses, I can sense that their intentions are not good. You and the gentlemen of "New Youth" magazine, please take care!

Wu Zhu finally understood why Huai Jin had sent him a newspaper; it turned out to be a reminder of the newspaper law.

With journalists like Mr. Shao leading the way, there shouldn't be any major problems...

The key lies in Huaijin's question.

He never expected that his casual copy of "Rickshaw Boy" would cause ideological differences among middle school students, a result that caught him somewhat off guard.

It's like he casually threw a firecracker, which ended up burning down a pile of firewood. Logically, some remedial measures should be taken.

If the issue were addressed through editorials, the questions would be easily answered; the problem lies in the fact that this approach is too sharp, possessing a more penetrating realism than literature, and is prone to causing everything to explode.

Just write it as an internal document and explain it clearly to Huaijin. The rest of you can wait...

Wu Zhu asked Brother Li for a piece of paper, picked up a pen, and wrote:

[To Huaijin, your letter has been received.]

Since you address me respectfully as "sir," I naturally have an obligation to answer your questions...