Reborn Bao Guowei, I really didn’t want to be a great writer!

Chapter 402: George Orwell fanboy? The awakening of Nineteen Eighty-Four!

"Fang Fusheng told me that I was the most respectable Chinese person he had ever met. Being in London made him, a Hangzhou native, feel proud.
These three strings of candied haws only cost 6 pence. I wanted to give more, but Fang Fusheng refused.

But this was not a problem for me. I told him that I really liked eating candied haws, left him the address of my hotel, and asked him to deliver it to the hotel every day for 10 shillings.

This is not a lot of money, but it can help him get through the difficult times temporarily.

Mr. Fang Fusheng wants to go home, and he needs to save enough money for a boat ticket."

After hearing Bao Guowei's description, Zhang Nianyue couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"How did this gentleman get here?"

Bao Guowei smiled and introduced: "Nowadays, Chinese workers in London mainly come through two channels, one is contract labor, and the other is the piglet trade. However, the latter has become much less common now. Chinese people go to Europe or the United States mainly through contract labor."

He briefly introduced the ways and methods used by the lower-class Chinese people to travel to Europe and the United States at that time.

"It doesn't sound like a good way." Cao Yanhai said instinctively.

As a person who has been traveling around the world for many years, he understands these tricks very well. There is no such good thing in this world. These people take the initiative to find jobs for you and even pay for your boat fare?

There is no such thing as a free lunch. The intermediary must be doing this for profit.

"Of course it's not a good thing. It's essentially no different from human trafficking." Bao Guowei sighed and said, "These Chinese laborers traveled across the ocean to Europe, hoping to make money here and change their lives. In fact, after arriving in Europe, they are no different from slaves in the old times. They do the most menial jobs and live in slums. It is a luxury to have enough food to eat with the money they earn from working in factories and docks.

You may not know that during the world war more than a decade ago, nearly 140,000 Chinese laborers were sent to the European battlefield to do tasks such as carrying, digging, and cleaning. These tasks were often done on the front lines where Europeans were unwilling to go. "

Bao Guowei looked out the window and continued, "The Chinese workers made great sacrifices in this war that did not belong to them. Not only did China not receive the treatment it deserved as a victorious country at the Paris Peace Conference, but even these Chinese workers did not receive any subsidies or respect."

After listening to Bao Guowei's description, the car suddenly fell into silence. Even Cao Yanhai, who was usually talkative, did not speak at this moment.

He pursed his lips tightly, as if suppressing his inner anger.

After a long time, Bao Guowei felt Zhang Nianyue's cold little hand. She put Bao Guowei's right hand on her leg, held it with both hands and said.

"Bao Guowei, I'm beginning to understand why you're so persistent. I think I should work harder for this, too."

Leaving the slums, it’s like entering into a historical oil painting.

This is a wealthy area. People walking on the street are all London's upper class. Gentlemen and ladies are all dressed appropriately, strolling and shopping on the streets.

There is a strong cultural atmosphere here. Gothic spires reaching into the sky can be seen everywhere, and the terraced British-style apartments are neat and tidy.

Compared with the slums just now, it can be said that there is a world of difference between here and there.

Normally, Bao Guowei might be delighted by the scene in Chelsea, but today he felt disgusted.

On the way, I saw a church called St. Luke's Church, Chelsea, located on Sydney Street, near King's Road. It can be said to be one of the earliest Gothic Revival buildings in London.

The exterior of the building is very beautiful, but the cultural salon that Bao Guowei attended today was not in this church, but in the Old Chelsea Church on the north bank of the Thames, also known as All Saints Church.

This is arguably one of the oldest churches in London, having been built in 1157.

Bao Guowei and others' car stopped in front of the Chelsea Old Church. As soon as they got out of the car, they could see its British-style decoration.

The pointed corners at the top of the building and the colored glass in the air reflect colorful and gorgeous light and shadow effects under the sunset.

The three of them didn't say anything, but just walked into the church in silence.

No one marvels at the profound historical heritage of Chelsea in London, because the more gorgeous the scenes are, the bloodier the scenes in the slums appear.

This may be a low-profile version of cyberpunk.

Before I even reached the door, I heard very enthusiastic shouts.

"This must be Mr. Bao Bingwen, right? Come quickly, I will lead you to the banquet."

Bao Guowei stopped and looked at the person who was walking towards him.

He was thin and the suit looked a little out of place on him. He wore a pair of small rimless glasses and had a mustache with two white whiskers on his lips.

This is a middle-aged man.

Bao Guowei bowed his hands as a greeting, and then asked, "Sir, are you Shi Zhizhi?"

Upon hearing this question, the visitor immediately confirmed Bao Guowei's identity. He laughed and said, "It is me, Shi Zhaoji, the current Minister of the National Government in London."

The two men exchanged a few simple greetings, and since Shi Zhaoji was also from Hangzhou, they even spoke in their native dialect for a while.

In a foreign country, the two are not only compatriots but also fellow countrymen. Even though there is a big age gap between them, they still have a sense of mutual appreciation.

Shi Zhaoji said with emotion: "I was so happy when I learned that Mr. Bingwen was coming to London half a month ago. I have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time. I have been too busy these days. I finally have time to meet you today. I hope you can bear with me."

Shi Zhaoji still felt a little uncomfortable with being on the same level as Bao Guowei, because his own children were even older than Bao Guowei.

However, considering Bao Guowei's reputation, he is definitely worthy of being called Mr. by Shi Zhaoji, so he has gotten used to it after being called that so many times.

The two complimented each other and were led by Shi Zhaoji into the church to participate in this cultural salon.

"Bingwen, there are quite a few people attending this salon, and they are all well-known figures in London, such as Prince Henry, who is the convener of this salon. He is the fourth child of the current King George V of the United Kingdom. Other celebrities include George Bernard Shaw, Agatha Christie, Herbert Reed, and Oswald Mosley."

Shi Zhaoji spread his hands, a mysterious smile appeared on his face and he said, "Even Mr. Churchill, who has great power in British politics today, is likely to be present."

It is called a cultural salon, but in fact it is more like a banquet for the upper class. However, in this era, no matter whether it is the nouveau riche or the aristocracy, they all like to add some cultural atmosphere to themselves to improve their style. It is not surprising to confuse the two.

After listening to the other party's introduction, Bao Guowei corrected him and said, "I'm afraid Mr. Shaw won't come."

"Huh?" Shi Zhaoji was a little confused, and the expression on his face seemed to be asking, you actually also know George Bernard Shaw.

Bao Guowei smiled and briefly recounted how he met Shaw and the reason why the latter did not attend the banquet.

After listening to it, Shi Zhaoji couldn't help but marvel at it.

"Bingwen, you are just as the rumors say, a guy who can bring surprises. I didn't expect that you met Mr. Bernard Shaw as soon as you arrived in London. He is a gentleman who is very friendly to China."

When Zhang Nianyue and Cao Yanhai came in, they had a brief acquaintance with Shi Zhaoji.

However, when Shi Zhaoji and Bao Guowei communicated, they often spoke either English or Hangzhou dialect, and even mixed Hangzhou dialect and English together, so that she could only understand half of what they said and could only stand quietly by.

Cao Yanhai didn't listen to their conversation at all. He stared with his big eyes and scanned every foreigner who passed by.

His actions seemed unfriendly and inappropriate for the occasion, but Cao Yanhai didn't care about that. In his mind, protecting Bao Guowei was his top priority.

Afterwards, Shi Zhaoji led Bao Guowei to meet many people at the banquet one after another.

Shi Zhaoji had rich diplomatic experience and was even one of the representatives who attended the Paris Peace Conference. He could even talk to Prince Henry. Unexpectedly, the gentleman who first met Bao Guowei was a person he had seen countless times in various introductions and reports in later generations.

George Orwell!
"Bingwen, this Mr. George Orwell, although unknown, is a man with great talent in literature, just like you."

"Hello." George Orwell extended his hand shyly and shook hands briefly with Bao Guowei.

He doesn't talk much and seems to be a quiet person on weekdays.

Introducing yourself is also very simple.

"George Orwell, a British man born in India, attended Eton College for high school, and is now an English teacher at the Republic of China Legation, trying his hand at writing."

George Orwell seemed to have known Bao Guowei for a long time, so he mentioned him a little more.

"I like your book 'To Live' very much and I am studying it now."

"Uh~" Bao Guowei didn't know what to say.

Unknown, English teacher, trying to write, likes "To Live".
It's really hard to get used to these labels being applied to George Orwell.

"George Orwell was originally a bookstore clerk. He was a staff member of our embassy who came from China. His spoken English was not very good. I met this gentleman by chance in a bookstore. I thought of you, a talented young man in China. I saw your shadow in him, so I recruited him to our embassy, ​​which was also a job for him."

Shi Zhaoji seemed to be afraid that Bao Guowei would look down on him, so he gave George Orwell a detailed introduction.

Finally, Shi Zhaoji spoke up for George Orwell and said, "Perhaps Bingwen, you can discuss literature with him."

Shi Zhaoji was very unconfident in saying this, because George Orwell was just a bookstore clerk before this.

Bao Guowei is now one of the top literary masters in the country.

But when talking with this shy British man, Shi Zhaoji always had a different feeling that he was a talented person who could write good works.

Unexpectedly, Bao Guowei not only did not look down on George Orwell, but was very enthusiastic.

"Fuck the bookstore clerk, fuck my shadow, fuck me, fuck me, learn from me"

Bao Guowei complained in his heart.

The idol of your previous life suddenly becomes your fan in this time and space, and then wants to study literature with you?

No matter how thick-skinned he is, he would never think of becoming George Orwell's teacher!
Even at the moment he saw the other person, Bao Guowei immediately gave up the idea of ​​plagiarizing "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four".

These two can be said to be George Orwell's most influential works. The latter is one of the most influential novels after the 20th century and is a must-read classic for later literature lovers!

Bao Guowei is also thinking about finding a suitable time to adapt these two works.

But seeing George Orwell's current appearance, I feel a little embarrassed to copy his book.

He's in such a miserable state, and you still want to take away his classic work?
Shi Zhaoji was very surprised. He never thought that Bao Guowei could have such a profound conversation with an ordinary English teacher.

This made him have a better impression of Bao Guowei.

However, the content these two people talked about seemed a little bad.
“We can perhaps start with the political system. Such a work can visualize totalitarian rule in the form of a character, who represents the ubiquitous power surveillance and thought control.

For the rulers, they can tamper with history to spread their own history, provoke wars to maintain the peace they talk about, and use abuse and torture to achieve so-called human rights.
All means of representation are intended to ensure that the interests of the ruling class are protected.

This ruling class was called the emperor in the past, and perhaps it can be called capital now."

As they chatted, Bao Guowei couldn't control himself. When he saw George Orwell's current situation, he couldn't help but remind the other party about the content of "Nineteen Eighty-Four".

These bold statements almost tell the other party all the core points of "Nineteen Eighty-Four".

George Orwell had never heard such explosive ideas before. He frowned and fell into deep thought.

"But doesn't creation need a prototype? What story or political system should we use as a prototype? This is a big question." After thinking for a long time, George Orwell finally asked.

"prototype?"

Bao Guowei suppressed his excitement and said that if he continued, he would tell George Orwell to unite the lower classes of the world.
He didn't answer, but gave George Orwell a look that said "you know".

For a moment, it was as if a string was plucked in George Orwell's head, and his eyes widened.

Could it be.
"Totalitarianism. Hegemonism"

His thoughts became more and more divergent.

Shi Zhaoji watched the two people's excited conversation. At the beginning, they were discussing about literature, and he had some understanding of it. But later, when it came to the political field, he became more and more frightened.

Shi Zhaoji looked at Bao Guowei and for a moment felt that Bao Guowei was a dangerous guy.

Can this be said?

Just think about it, Bao Guowei has never lacked such behavior in China.

Starting from literature and thinking about politics, some of Bao Guowei's remarks were even branded with a red stigma.

But even so, Chiang Kai-shek does not seem to have any intention of dealing with Bao Guowei.

"Bingwen has always been like this. It should be okay. I'll find a suitable opportunity to end this topic." Shi Zhaoji thought in his head.

"Bingwen, it's getting late. I'll take you to meet some London politicians and Prince Henry."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he heard George Orwell talking loudly.

"I understand! I understand!"

“Totalitarianism is also a form of hegemony. The surveillance of absolute power is not just within a country, but also across the entire world!”

"Isn't hegemony the result of an individual ruling a country, or a single country trying to rule the whole world?"

"Then isn't the British Empire exactly this kind of totalitarianism? Hegemony!"

At this moment, George Orwell, who had been struggling in the lower class of British society for four years, was accustomed to the hardships of the lower class. He had done almost everything from dishwasher, dock worker to waiter.

Maybe it was suppressed in the past, but now under Bao Guowei's deliberate guidance, those thoughts that were originally hidden in the heart burst out instantly.

"Yes! It is the British Empire! It is Britain! This work should be based on it!" George Orwell said firmly.

"What the hell?!!!" Shi Zhaoji almost peed his pants.

The muscles at the corners of Bao Guowei's mouth twitched suddenly.

(End of this chapter)