Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

Early in the morning of October 5th.

It was another pleasant Saturday. Qian Xuantong, who lived in the faculty and staff dormitory of Yan'an Normal University, had no classes at either of the two universities today.

But he still got up early and, before the sun had even risen, hailed a rickshaw to go to Jian Gan Hutong.

In order to deliver the manuscript entrusted to him by his eldest apprentice to Chen Zhongfu as soon as possible, he made do with what he could, only managing to eat three large meat buns and a bowl of mutton soup on the way...

If Wu Zhu knew that he, as the master, was going hungry for his disciple, wouldn't he be moved to tears?

Seeing that the coachman had finished his breakfast, he quickened his pace, as if afraid of being swallowed whole by this man. He breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived.

"Here you go, take the money!"

"Okay! Watch your step!"

Qian Xuantong got off the bus at the entrance of the alley, paid the fare, and walked inside, looking around as he went.

The police department's agents are so useless. They don't even know how to shout when they set up their stalls. They just squat there with shifty eyes. Who wouldn't see something wrong with them?

And that guy selling candied hawthorns! Why did you start eating them while you were selling them?!

When the spies saw the editor of "New Youth" magazine, they didn't react excessively. They just exchanged glances and continued their dawdling work.

Ten silver dollars a month, why risk your life...?

Qian Xuantong shook his head at this.

He remembered that when Chen Zhongfu first arrived in Yanjing, the Beijing Police Department did not send out these spies.

As the new literature gained momentum, more and more cultural figures came to his fold, and the atmosphere at Yenching University and even the entire Yenching city changed, which is when the Beiyang government realized his influence.

However, they didn't do anything too extreme; they just kept monitoring him as usual.

This is the price of being a leader: drawing all the firepower to one person...

Qian Xuantong knocked on the gate of Chen Zhongfu's house.

"Cough cough cough! Who is it?!"

"It's me!"

"Xuan Tong is here, you all eat first!"

All that could be heard inside were conversations between adults and children. After a series of hurried footsteps, the bolt on the gate was lowered and the gate was opened.

Chen Zhongfu, dressed in a dark blue long gown, with grease stains at the corners of his mouth, was clearly eating breakfast. Upon seeing that it was indeed Qian Xuantong, he looked somewhat puzzled.

"Xuantong, you're not on duty this week, are you?"

"Of course I know it's not my shift, but I've called you here because I have something important to tell you."

Qian Xuantong squeezed into the courtyard without any hesitation.

After inquiring about Gao Junman's recent health, she picked up Xiaozimei, who was eating, and vigorously rubbed his chubby little face until she heard his babyish pleas for mercy before letting go.

"Xuantong, don't tell me your important business is just coming to my house to play with the kids?"

"Of course not, come with me!"

The two arrived at the third room on the north side where the editorial office was located.

Qian Xuantong mysteriously pulled out the manuscript of "Kong Yiji," waved it in front of Chen Zhongfu, and said with a hint of smugness:

"I urged him a thousand times, practically losing face, before I finally got my beloved student to finish this new work!"

"Look at you! You got lucky and snatched a disciple, and you're always so cocky. Watch out, I might steal your disciple away one day!"

"Tch! You can't pry it away!"

"Give it to me!"

Chen Zhongfu was too lazy to argue with Qian Xuantong, so he snatched the manuscript and went back to the courtyard to eat while reading it.

A gentle autumn breeze blew, and the congee had long since cooled, but it still tasted refreshing.

The moment he saw the title, he almost immediately thought of the slogan "Down with the Confucian Shop".

Wu Zhu's new novel meets the needs of new literature; it's truly a sharp knife!

When he looked down and saw that Kong Yiji was the only long-gowned man drinking while standing, he immediately dropped his porridge spoon, picked up his manuscript with both hands, and looked like a devout believer.

Then I saw the description of Kong Yiji's image and the characterization of him, and then I unconsciously looked at the long gown I was wearing and shook my head and laughed.

As he read on, seeing the people in the tavern mocking Kong Yiji and the children teasing him, his expression gradually became serious.

Perhaps it reminded him of his own journey through the imperial examinations. In his early years, before he passed the lowest level (xiucai), he was never short of jeers and laughter from his neighbors, relatives, and friends. But after he passed and became a xiucai, those jeers immediately turned into compliments...

No one expected that he would give up his comfortable life as a scholar to rebel, and almost be killed in a bombing along with Cai Yuanpei...

Returning to the story of Kong Yiji, this is the damage that the old imperial examination system inflicted on human nature, leading to the public's apathy!

Kong Yiji's pitiful, laughable, and rotten scholarly air shattered so completely in the face of cold reality.

However, the most fatal blow was yet to come.

When Chen Zhongfu saw Kong Yiji with his legs broken, "walking" to the tavern on his hands, only to be ridiculed by others and forced to "walk" back on his hands despite his desperate pleas, he gazed at the azure sky and remained silent for a long time.

The last sentence, "Kong Yiji is probably indeed dead," brutally assaulted his eyes. He slammed the manuscript on the table in anger, startling the young child into crying loudly, while Gao Junman, who suffered from tuberculosis, coughed repeatedly.

He leaned back in his chair and vomited after a long while:

"The old imperial examination system... is doomed to perish!"

"The manuscript! The manuscript! The porridge has been spilled!"

Qian Xuantong, who was waiting on the side, pointed at the table and shouted.

Chen Zhongfu then calmed down and hurriedly picked up the manuscript, which was almost covered in porridge, and returned it to Qian Xuantong. He then began to comfort the young child and his frightened wife.

Qian Xuantong crossed his arms, his expression one of extreme pride:

"How about it? Isn't my apprentice amazing?"

Chen Zhongfu stood up and nodded repeatedly:

"Impressive! It's a sharp knife!"

"Through the perspective of a tavern worker, the film brutally exposes the indifference of society, the gap between classes, and the incorrigible nature of old-fashioned intellectuals!"

"The entire civilization clearly didn't use the slogan 'Down with the Confucian Shop,' yet they dragged the half-human, half-demon created by our old Chinese imperial examination system of thousands of years to the streets and taverns of Yanjing and stripped them naked for the whole world to see!"

He paced back and forth in the courtyard, his emotions running high, speaking rapidly:

"This is exactly the kind of 'national literature' and 'realistic literature' I've been looking for!"

"Forget fancy words, face the harsh reality of society!"

"Shuren's 'Diary of a Madman' cleaved open that iron house, while this 'Kong Yiji' then wields a scalpel, meticulously dissecting the ailing body of China!"

Just last year, he called for a literary revolution in "New Youth". Now that he sees so many new literary talents emerging, how could he not be excited?

Today's vernacular articles and novels are the best reward for him as an advocate of new literature!

Qian Xuantong pulled Chen Zhongfu aside and whispered in his ear:

"Wu Zhu wrote this in one night! When he handed it to me yesterday, he could barely stand. You think you can decide how to pay him? Even though he's contributing to our publications now, if you don't pay him a single penny, he'll definitely submit it to some tabloid!"

"Six yuan! Six yuan per thousand words!"

Chen Zhongfu made a "six" gesture with his hand, then looked down at the long gown:

"I'm going to take off this long robe! Then I'll kiss Wu Zhu's forehead!"

Boom, boom, boom!

The gate was knocked on again.