Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 386 We "Harvest" have our own backbone and dignity!

Cheng Yongxin and Bi Feiyu sat in their respective seats for a long time in silence. From time to time, they raised "The Last Lesson" in their hands, turned to a certain page or paragraph, and read it again.

The ending of this novel is very interesting, as it is a description of the protagonist "Zhang Chao"'s appearance when he was young.

Generally speaking, descriptions of the protagonist's appearance and habits should be placed at the beginning of the novel, or mentioned continuously as the plot progresses.

The Last Lesson does not present the protagonist's appearance when he was young to the readers until the very end. That is, the external image is given to him only after the readers have completed the construction of Zhang Chao's inner life trajectory. This is a spiritual intertextuality that connects the "external-internal".

The post-portrait description also becomes a double mirror for deconstructing other people's lives: it is both the character's sudden look back at his own origins and it also induces readers to retrospectively reconstruct the character's image.

When readers see the young "Zhang Chao" at the end of the novel, they actually witness all the past plots closing at this time, but the character opens up a whole new dimension.

Those behaviors that were once defined as "compromise" or even "degeneration" suddenly reveal a stronger sense of tragedy under the reflection of youthful faces.

This is the author's invitation to readers to start again at the end of the text and salvage the remaining humanity from the ashes of memory.

Cheng Yongxin spoke first, and he said with some emotion: "I used to think that Zhang Chao's narrative skills were mainly reflected in long novels, or at least novellas.

The article is too short to fully capture his desire to confide and his deconstruction of the maze. Now, judging from this "Last Lesson", he seems to have completed a "self-evolution"? What do you think? "

Bi Feiyu pondered for a long time after hearing this, and said: "Before reading this novel, I always thought that Zhang Chao was very similar to the writers in the early 80s.

Yu Hua, Mo Yan, Su Tong, Liu Zhenyun, Ma Yuan... To some extent, Zhang Chao is a combination of them, more skilled and more ambitious.

However, "The Last Lesson" has a calm and cold feeling, always keeping the story within the existing framework and advancing it patiently.

In terms of style, it is a mixture of old-school realism’s depiction of society and modernism’s vigilance against the alienation of human nature…

It's really a masterpiece. As you said, he 'evolved.'

Cheng Yongxin also said with emotion: "It's great to be young! When Yu Hua and others 'set out on the road', they were almost 30 years old. How old is Zhang Chao?

Even if he maintains this level, his achievements will be amazing. Moreover, he can still improve..."

At this time, there was a knock on the door of the editor-in-chief's office. Cheng Yongxin smiled and said, "You know how to knock this time - come in."

The person who came in was of course Liu Pengtao. He still couldn't hide his excitement and asked, "Editor-in-Chief, how is it? Will you publish it?"

Cheng Yongxin and Bi Feiyu looked at each other, revealing a meaningful smile. Instead of answering directly, they asked, "You have also finished reading it, right? Tell me how you feel first."

Liu Pengtao knew that this was a test for himself, so he immediately became serious and thought for a while before saying, "Zhang Chao's novel is obviously a parody of Daudet's The Last Lesson, but it is far more profound and complex than Daudet's The Last Lesson.

The novel is based on the present year 2008, and through the deduction of existing social trends, it constructs a future scenario that seems absurd but has a very realistic logic.

Zhang Chao abandoned the traditional science fiction setting and chose to use current social reality as the soil and then graft on branches of future possibilities.

He also breaks the linear time and folds "The First Lesson", "The Last Lesson" and "Ten Years in Shenzhen" into the same space through the protagonist's classroom monologue.

The interweaving of memory, reality and illusion forms a circular narrative structure, suggesting the cyclical nature and fatalistic nature of individual fate under the gears of the times. ..."

"Alright, alright..." Cheng Yongxin interrupted hastily, "I asked you to give a review, not to write a Chinese graduate thesis. Just summarize the novel in the simplest language!"

Liu Pengtao's face flushed, and it took him a long time to utter two words: "Awesome!"

Cheng Yongxin and Bi Feiyu laughed loudly. Bi Feiyu said, "Xiao Liu, our opinion agrees with yours!"

Cheng Yongxin said: "We have accepted this novel from Harvest! But there is a difficult task for you to complete. Do you have the confidence?"

Liu Pengtao immediately stood at attention and answered loudly like a new recruit: "Yes! Please give me your instructions, Commander!"

His reaction made the two laugh again. Cheng Yongxin said, "Although it is basically certain that the author of The Last Lesson is Zhang Chao, it is not set in stone yet, so you have to confirm it."

Liu Pengtao was delighted and said quickly, "No problem, I'll send an email to ask later. But in which issue should we publish the novel?"

Cheng Yongxin said: "Of course it will be arranged immediately, and it will be on the next issue. There can be no delay."

Liu Pengtao nodded and turned to leave, but Cheng Yongxin stopped him immediately: "Hey, I haven't finished yet, why are you in such a hurry?"

Liu Pengtao quickly turned around and scratched his head embarrassedly.

Cheng Yongxin said: "The second thing is the most important - you need to ask him if he has any plans to write short stories or novellas in the future; if so, try to get all of them."

Liu Pengtao took a deep breath. Compared with the previous things, this was simply hellish difficulty.

The reason why Zhang Chao submitted "The Last Lesson" to "Harvest" is not known for the time being; but since so many people in the office knew about this, it would definitely not be kept secret in the industry.

When writers write medium-length or short stories, especially short stories, they basically do not write just one piece. They usually write a "series" and finally publish them in a collection.

Therefore, Cheng Yongxin judged that there must be several similar short stories following "The Last Lesson", which Zhang Chao had either completed or was in the process of planning.

If it can be won in one go, it will undoubtedly be a shot in the arm for reviving the influence of "Harvest" and increasing sales.

With tens of millions of young readers behind Zhang Chao, which literary magazine would not drool at the sight of him?

But they have their own magazine. "Youth·Grand View" is currently the best-selling literary magazine in China. Except for "Meiwen" edited by Jia Pingwa in the past two years, which took more than a dozen essays from Zhang Chao, "Tidal Culture" has never let the benefits go to outsiders.

If people knew that he was willing to submit his new work to other journals, wouldn't they be scrambling to get it?
In terms of close relationship, there is Huacheng; in terms of local proximity, there is People's Literature; in terms of deep friendship, there is Youth Literature. How can Harvest be ranked? At most, it can be said to have a relationship with Yu Hua.

As a young editor, it was simply a fantasy for Liu Pengtao to complete such a task.

Seeing Liu Pengtao's embarrassed look, Cheng Yongxin joked, "Why, you can't finish it?"

Liu Pengtao was stimulated by this sentence. He gritted his teeth and said firmly: "It can be done! Leave it to me!"

Cheng Yongxin then said with satisfaction: "This is what we at Harvest are like. If the other party agrees, then no matter if he wants to publish a special issue, a supplement, or any other conditions, as long as they are not too outrageous, we can agree to them." Liu Pengtao hesitated and asked: "The standard for not too outrageous is..."

Cheng Yongxin glanced at him with a smile, but did not answer. Instead, he directly ordered him to leave: "There is no time to lose, so hurry up and get going."

After Liu Pengtao left the editor-in-chief's office, Bi Feiyu smiled and said to Cheng Yongxin, "Do you think this little Liu can convince Zhang Chao?"

Cheng Yongxin said: "If Zhang Chao thinks so, he will continue to apply even without our invitation; if he is unwilling, even if I come forward in person, I will be rejected.

It is better to let young people do this kind of thing, leave contact information, and send greeting text messages during festivals. Editors must have their own author resources. "

Bi Feiyu said meaningfully: "You have given me too much resources!"

Cheng Yongxin smiled and said, "I'm old, and I probably won't be able to talk to Zhang Chao. Xiao Liu is young, so maybe he has a better chance. Besides, it's his fate to receive Zhang Chao's manuscript, so there's no need for me to take advantage of him."

Bi Feiyu shook his head, not knowing what he was thinking, but he quickly said, "Since we have Zhang Chao's novel, then our recent 'harvest' of 'Harvest' is enough, so my short story will be..."

Cheng Yongxin then remembered why he had asked Bi Feiyu to come today, and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I was so excited just now that I forgot about the important matter."

Bi Feiyu waved his hand to indicate that it was okay, and then said, "With the example of The Last Lesson, I am afraid that my short story might be exposed as clumsy, so I should take it back and polish it."

Cheng Yongxin was in a very awkward situation. Bi Feiyu had recently come to Shanghai, and he had specially arranged to meet him at the magazine office because he was interested in the short stories in his hand. However, when Zhang Chao's unexpected manuscript was thrown into the mix, it seemed as if he had "forgotten his old love after finding a new one."

But Zhang Chao's manuscript cannot be discarded, and Bi Feiyu has watched "The Last Lesson" on the spot and gave it a very high evaluation. It is only natural that he decides to hide his "clumsiness" now.

After all, the sensation caused by the publication of "The Last Lesson" in "Harvest" is imaginable. By then, other works in the same magazine, and even other works in all literary journals at the same time, will inevitably be eclipsed and become a foil.

This kind of thing has happened many times in history, but it has become less common in recent years.

Bi Feiyu laughed at himself, and then said casually: "I am not being polite to you, nor am I being modest. After reading Zhang Chao's novel, I do feel that the two short stories on hand can be further refined.

Although I also wrote about the lives of young men and women in the city, compared with The Last Lesson, I always felt that it lacked some flavor. I need to go back and think about it carefully - can I take this manuscript with me?

Don't worry, I will keep it confidential."

In principle, outsiders are not allowed to take away manuscripts submitted to a magazine before they are published; but perhaps out of guilt and belief in Bi Feiyu's character - it is common for writers to exchange manuscripts with each other - Cheng Yongxin agreed to Bi Feiyu's request after a little hesitation.

Watching Bi Feiyu's back as he left, Cheng Yongxin stood at the door of the editor-in-chief's office and pondered for a long time, until an editor brought him another manuscript for review and he came to his senses.

After Liu Pengtao took on the "hell-level task" of "getting the rest of Zhang Chao's manuscripts", he sat in his seat scratching his head for a long time before he carefully sent the first reply email to the sender "Zhang Chao".

Of course, he did not abruptly ask whether the other party was the "Zhang Chao" that everyone thought he was. Instead, he informed the other party in a formal and slightly flattering tone that the manuscript had been accepted;

However, a series of subsequent matters such as communicating with the editor, sending sample issues, transferring royalties, etc., all require the other party's ID information, bank card account number, mobile phone number, mailing address, etc., so I hope the other party can provide it.

After pressing the send button nervously, Liu Pengtao began to worry about gains and losses.

Of course, he hoped that the other party was the real "Zhang Chao", but it was said that this person was "moody". If one of his words offended him and he suddenly regretted and asked to withdraw the article, then he would have no chance to work at Harvest.
If the other party is not "Zhang Chao" but an "impostor", then what happens next will be interesting...

But a whole afternoon passed, until the end of the day when all the colleagues left the office, and Liu Pengtao did not receive a reply email from "Zhang Chao".

After going through his mailbox again like a sieve and confirming that nothing had slipped through the net, Liu Pengtao could only prepare to turn off his computer in disappointment and pack up to go home.

At this time, Cheng Yongxin suddenly appeared beside him and asked gently, "Why, didn't you receive his reply email?"

Liu Pengtao nodded tiredly and said, "Yes, I just checked the email and it's true." Then he asked worriedly, "Editor Cheng, do you think he will change his mind?"

Cheng Yongxin patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, don't guess blindly, just wait quietly. If you still don't receive the email tomorrow, find another way to contact him. There are still many people in the circle who have his phone number."

Only then did Liu Pengtao feel relieved.

Cheng Yongxin smiled and talked about the past: "I started working at our Harvest in 83. At the beginning, like you, I was responsible for screening the manuscripts in the big mailbox - but the mailbox at that time was a real mailbox, not an electronic mailbox.

The 80s was a time of literary fever. At the peak, we received so many submissions every day that we could fill sacks. Some comrades even sent us novels as thick as bricks.

My daily work is to sort these submissions by genre and pile them up like a small mountain around my desk. I will first filter out the manuscripts that obviously do not meet the requirements, and then give the rest to different editors in charge.

Then I wrote rejection letters for the manuscripts that were left with me. Although they were short, I insisted on writing them by hand, and not using the rejection letter templates printed by the publishing house. "

Liu Pengtao asked in surprise and admiration: "How much do you write in a day?"

Cheng Yongxin said: "Sometimes I wrote more than a hundred letters a day, and at most I wrote two or three hundred. If I couldn't finish them during work hours, I would wait until after get off work to write them in the dormitory. I wasn't married at that time, so I had plenty of time.

I wrote like this for more than three years. Gradually, people in the circle knew that I was a person like me in "Harvest". Everyone's attitude towards me was relatively positive. Gradually, some authors took the initiative to contact me and submit their works to me; some friends also introduced authors to me.

Yu Hua and Su Tong were both recommended to me by my friends. Their first influential works were both published in Harvest through my hands.

Later, when I met Yu Hua, he said to me, "You rejected my manuscript before." I actually forgot when I rejected his manuscript. I wrote so many rejection letters that I can't remember them all.

As Liu Pengtao listened, his eyes revealed admiration, as if he saw the era 20 years ago when the stars were just beginning to shine.

Cheng Yongxin then said earnestly: "It is indeed very important to receive Zhang Chao's manuscript; but you should not forget that you are the editor of Harvest. Harvest was founded by Ba Lao, and we have our own integrity and dignity!"

Liu Pengtao nodded heavily: "Editor Cheng, I understand. I will be neither humble nor arrogant, and I will grasp the scale of communication. Even if the other party is really Zhang Chao, it will not bring shame to our Harvest!"

Cheng Yongxin smiled with relief.

At this time, Liu Pengtao's computer speakers made a "ding ding" sound, and the screen suddenly lit up.

Before Liu Pengtao could react, Cheng Yongxin, the editor-in-chief who was over 50 years old, appeared in front of the computer and said, "Email, new email. Check to see if it's from Zhang Chao!"

Liu Pengtao: “…”

(End of this chapter)