Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

October 24th, Frost's Descent.

The entire city of Yanjing was shrouded in a thin layer of silver gauze. The green plants in the Red Mansion trembled in the morning, and even the last crickets fell silent, lying quietly under the morning glories, awaiting death.

The high windows of the second reading room were filled with condensation, which also kept out the cold air.

In the huge room, only an oil lamp was lit on the table in the corner, barely illuminating an area of ​​one square meter.

The "scratching" sound of the pen nib sliding across the paper was slightly impatient, pausing from time to time to be interspersed with the sound of breathing.

Wu Zhu vigorously rubbed his frozen hands. The cold was the best stimulant. He hadn't slept all night and felt no fatigue at all. He finally figured out how to start writing.

"The Bao Family" is a short story by left-wing writer Zhang Tianyi. Its core satire lies in the educational philosophy of "climbing the social ladder," and this point must be retained no matter how it is adapted.

This educational philosophy is rooted in the feudal system that has existed for thousands of years.

However, this story is inspired by the daily life of ordinary citizens in the 1930s, and the character design of the protagonist, the content of the plot, etc., do not entirely meet the needs of today.

Therefore, the adaptation is a huge project, and so much time has passed before I've even written a title; the efficiency is far too slow.

Now that he had finally figured out what to do, he pushed aside the crumpled, discarded manuscript paper, refilled the ink cartridge of his fountain pen, and wrote the first line on the notebook.

The weather is still so cold, and there are still more than two weeks until the Lunar New Year, but I heard that the Imperial Academy in the capital is about to open.

The purpose is very clear: to wage a war of words!

Therefore, the original Western-style school had to be changed into a Chinese-style school. If it weren't for the fact that Yenching University was now under the jurisdiction of Cai Yuanpei, he would have directly set it up as Yenching University.

Anyway, apart from a few insiders, outsiders see Yanjing Ke as Hu Shi, so what does he, Wu Zhu, have to do with it...?

This means that Bao Guowei had to go to school every year, even if it meant staying at home for the New Year... Everyone took it seriously and went to the back room of "Chonggu Elementary School" where Bao taught... Bao stroked the few two-centimeter-long gray-white hairs on his chin, and every wrinkle on his face hid an uncontrollable sense of pride.

"Guowei's article caught the eye of the prince, who said he was 'a promising talent, quite in line with ancient style'..."

"A university is a place for the study of profound knowledge and the preservation of national essence. Guowei's journey here is precisely to follow in the footsteps of eminent scholars such as Wang Gong, Gu Gong, and Liu Gong, to seek authentic learning and to safeguard the sacred way from its decline."

Many eyes were fixed on that square table: Bao Guowei was "studying" at this table. A row of the *Thirteen Classics with Commentaries* and *Anthology of Ancient Prose*... a "Ten Thousand Pestle" ancient-style purple-haired brush, the handle engraved with the four small characters "Made by Chengxintang"... Hu Da personally witnessed Bao Guowei using this brush to write parallel prose.

The original Bao family father and son were portrayed as ordinary people from the lower class.

But since the goal is to satirize traditional learning and its masters, the character's persona needs to be slightly altered to fit the theme.

By portraying Lao Bao as a poor, traditional schoolteacher, and Bao Guowei as a student raised under such family education and instilled from a young age with the idea of ​​"defending the old ways," the plot unfolds in this way, maximizing the satirical effect of the ending.

As for the supporting characters like Wang, Gu, and Liu, they are certainly based on real people...

When the adapted version is released, Huang Kan will first target Hu Shi if he wants to cause trouble. He can also scold Hu Shi more often in class, which can be considered as helping him share the burden of criticism.

损？

It's not harmful at all; it's just a preemptive punishment for cultural traitors...

Don't let Old Bao's pointed chin, his wrinkled face, and his worn-out gray cloth gown fool you; he's incredibly fortunate—he has such a fine son who has received the true teachings of traditional Chinese arts.

But Old Bao was better than others: he had taught *Youxue Qionglin* and *Sheng Lü Qimeng* at this "Chonggu Elementary School" for thirty years, and everyone respected him as "Teacher Bao." Although the landlord didn't manage things much, the school keys were all in Old Bao's hands. Neighbors would also come to him for couplets, memorial texts, and marriage certificates.

"Old Bao will be a grandfather someday," Hu Da said, giving a thumbs up. "When Bao Guowei becomes a master of Chinese studies like Wang Gong..."

Old Bao hurriedly waved his hand, but the smile lines at the corners of his mouth deepened: "No, no... I just want Guowei to prove himself, to act like a decent person, and to truly pass on our traditional Chinese culture, so that those who advocate vernacular Chinese and destroy Confucianism won't lose their roots. But—sigh, the tuition and room and board fees are really not easy to come by, especially the tuition."

In the original version of "The Bao Family," the tension created by Old Bao's lack of understanding of his son and his subsequent placing of his hopes on him, combined with Bao Guowei's true nature, is a major highlight.

Therefore, this point must be retained, but it should be adapted to an ideal related to "traditional Chinese studies".

That afternoon, an official letter arrived from the Imperial Academy in the capital... He stared at the envelope for a long time, as if examining something extraordinary... He read it from the title "Capital" all the way to "Issued by the National Academy of the Capital."

As if he felt the words on the envelope weren't enough to read, he looked up at the ancestral tablet on the wall that read "Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, Teacher" for a moment before finally pulling out the contents of the envelope.

The letter stated that Bao Guowei's grades in "General Confucian Classics" and "Elementary Studies" last semester were mediocre and required "more diligent effort." There was also a payment slip.

Tuition: 20 yuan. Lecture notes: 10 yuan... Book deposit: 5 yuan... Advance payment... Dormitory fee...

"Clothing fee...clothing fee: ten yuan! Day students must pay for all expenses except for accommodation and meals!..."

The ceremonial robe is the long gown prescribed by the university... Didn't he have a full set of tribute woolen robes made last year? He originally calculated that he would have to pay about fifty yuan this time. But with this ten yuan for the ceremonial robe, it'll be...

Wu Zhu was well aware of his own limitations; after all, he was a plagiarist and didn't have the ability to write satirical novels himself.

With slight modifications, the characters' predicaments in the original work can be directly used, and the final effect is the same.

What's that saying again? — Don't make random changes while the program is still running.

Suddenly—bang! The door was kicked open, hit the wall, and bounced back.

The two people in the room were startled. Turning around, they saw a young man step into the room. They recognized his face: the same face from the photograph on the table, but his hair was styled in a fashionable side part with hair oil, he wore a crisp school uniform, and a wool scarf around his neck.

The man remained silent, only glancing at Hu Da. Then, he raised an eyebrow, revealing several horizontal wrinkles on his forehead, and his eyes fell on what his father was holding.

Bao Guowei was still in the same posture: hands in his woolen trouser pockets, his Western-style suit making his father's gray cloth long gown look even more shabby. Perhaps because his tie was too tight, his neck couldn't turn freely; he only turned half his face to peek over.

[His lips curled down in a downward smile, and he casually strode to the square table. His shoulders swayed as he walked, and his worn cloth shoes, though old, deliberately made a sound like Western-style leather shoes, as if he were constantly greeting others.]

Wu Zhuneng admitted that Bao Guowei was based on Zhang Fengzai and that this was a personal attack.

Hey! Old Bao, who is a staunch advocate of traditional Chinese culture, has raised a little Bao who wears a suit and leather shoes. How amusing!

Of all people to mess with, do they really think I, a gentleman, have such a big heart...?