A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

"What is it? Tell me in detail." Chen Yuanshan's tone became serious. He placed the teacup on the coffee table, leaned forward slightly, and focused his gaze behind his glasses.

Lin Shubai had already prepared: "In 1937, after the July 7th Incident, Beiping fell to the Japanese. The story takes place in a hutong called 'Little Sheepfold,' and the main characters are the Qi family in the hutong—four generations living together: Grandpa Qi, his son Qi Tianyou, his grandsons Qi Ruixuan, Qi Ruifeng, and Qi Ruiquan, and his great-grandsons Xiaoshunzi and Niuzi. When the war came, Grandpa Qi thought that he could survive by stockpiling enough food for three months, but he did not know that the war would last for eight years."

Zhou Mingyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest without saying a word.

Chen Yuanshan picked up his teacup, but didn't drink it.

Lin Shubai continued, "There are three lines. The eldest grandson, Qi Ruixuan, is a scholar who teaches at a middle school. He is patriotic and wants to go out of the city with his younger brother to fight against the Japanese, but he can't. He is the pillar of the whole family—his grandfather's 80th birthday celebration is a big deal, his father is too honest and can't support the family, his younger brother can leave, but his wife and children need him to support them. He can't leave. There are many people like this in that era. It's not that they don't want to resist, but they are tied down by their families."

"The second grandson, Qi Ruifeng, is completely different from his elder brother. He has no ability, but he is arrogant. When the Japanese came, he felt that his opportunity had come. He tried his best to become a traitor, wagging his tail in front of the Japanese and putting on airs in front of the common people. In the end, the Japanese killed this kind of person themselves—they used him up, they were no longer useful, and they threw him away like a dog."

"The third grandson, Qi Ruiquan, was different from his two older brothers. He was young, passionate, and not yet tied down by his family. After the July 7 Incident, he secretly ran away from the city without telling his family and joined the anti-Japanese forces. He was the only hope of the Qi family and a microcosm of countless young people in that era."

"Beyond these three lines, there was also our neighbor Qian Moyin, a poet. He grew flowers in his yard and didn't usually interact with anyone. He would lock himself in his room to write poetry. He was originally the kind of recluse who didn't care about worldly affairs, but the Japanese arrested him, tortured him, killed his son, and burned down his house. When he came out of prison, his family was destroyed and he was dead. Later, he became a staunch underground worker. Writing poetry turned into writing leaflets, and growing flowers turned into planting landmines."

Chen Yuanshan put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and began to listen more attentively.

About ten minutes had passed by the time Lin Shubai finished explaining the general content.

Chen Yuanshan spoke up, voicing his doubts, "You're only sixteen. Can you really write well on this kind of subject matter?"

"Don't worry, Professor Chen. I've read a lot of historical materials. I've read a lot of history about the eight years that Beiping fell to the Japanese. I've read all the memoirs, diaries, and newspapers written by people at that time that I could find. I've also read books about the customs and culture of Beijing, the layout of courtyard houses, the naming of alleys, the rules for weddings and funerals, and the local dialects and slang. I've done my homework on all of these."

These are of course not true; the real source is Lao She's original work. But he needs a reasonable explanation, an explanation that will make the two old editors feel that "this kid has made thorough preparations."

Chen Yuanshan was silent for a moment. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down. "Okay, when you're done writing, show it to me first."

Zhou Mingyuan, standing nearby, asked with a hint of doubt, "This is a long story; you probably can't publish it here, right?"

"I can recommend it to a publishing house." Chen Yuanshan turned to look at Zhou Mingyuan, his tone tinged with provocation. "You're just the editor-in-chief of a children's publishing house, why are you meddling in so many things? Can your company even publish this kind of material? Go ahead and publish your fairy tales."

"Why can't I publish? The children's publishing house also has a literary editorial department."

"How many books did your literary editorial department publish last year?"

"...Three books."

Are any of the three books sold over 5,000 copies?

"......No."

"That settles it then." Chen Yuanshan turned to Lin Shubai, his expression becoming serious. "Give it to me when you're done. If it's good, I'll help you contact People's Literature Publishing House. They're the most suitable for this kind of subject matter; they have a strong editorial team and a wide distribution network."

Zhou Mingyuan snorted from the side, "Old Chen, you're trying to poach my girlfriend right in front of me."

"Why would I poach his talent? He's writing a realistic novel; can a children's publishing house even publish that?"

"Our publishing house has a literary editorial department—"

"Your literary editorial department has only three people in total, and one is still on maternity leave. Are you planning to have that colleague on maternity leave breastfeed while editing?"

Zhou Mingyuan was completely speechless. His lips moved several times, but he couldn't utter a word. He glared at Chen Yuanshan, picked up his teacup, took a big gulp, and then slammed the cup heavily on the coffee table.

Lin Shubai couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the two editors, whose combined age was over a hundred, bickering.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Mingyuan said irritably.

"It's nothing, I just think you two have a really good relationship."

"Who is he close to?" the two asked in unison.

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other and then turned their heads away at the same time.

Lin Shubai's smile widened.

Once the two had calmed down, Lin Shubai added, "I plan to title this book 'Four Generations Under One Roof'."

"Four generations under one roof..." Chen Yuanshan read the name aloud, nodded, and said, "A good name. One word sums up the relationship between three generations of the Qi family, the family values ​​in the capital, and how war tore apart the lives of ordinary people."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, put it down, and said, "You haven't even published 'The Little Prince' yet, and you're already starting a million-word novel. You're taking too big a step; be careful not to get burned."

"Teacher Zhou, it's not a big problem. Writing fairy tales and writing realistic themes are not contradictory. One requires imagination, and the other requires observation. We need to do both well."

When Chen Yuanshan heard the last sentence, he almost spat out his tea: "You're talking like it's a government work report."

Lin Shubai shrugged. "As long as it works."

Zhou Mingyuan paused for a moment, then laughed. "Fine, you're right." He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the street scene outside. "It's getting dark, you should go home soon. Your mother must be worried."

Lin Shubai stood up. "Teacher Zhou, Teacher Chen, thank you for today."

Chen Yuanshan waved his hand.

Zhou Mingyuan said directly, "Why thank me? To be honest, you're writing a book to make money for the publisher, right? Xiao Lin, let me tell you the truth. I've been an editor-in-chief for over twenty years and have handled at least a thousand books. Most of them have nothing to do with me after they're published. Whether they sell well or not is the distribution department and marketing department's business. But your book is different. This is the first time I've wanted it to succeed so much, not because I like you that much, but because this book deserves to be seen by more people."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

"Alright, alright, stop getting sentimental. Lin Shubai, you can go back now. I have something to discuss with Lao Zhou." Chen Yuanshan's words broke the silence in the office.