A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

Monday, December 19th.

A crowd had gathered in front of the bulletin board.

Lin Shubai went to class after posting the notice in the morning. During the break of the first class, Liu Yang turned around from the front row and said, "Shubai, a lot of people saw your notice after it was posted."

During the second break, Lin Shubai went to get water. He slowed down as he passed the bulletin board. There were six or seven people standing in front of the bulletin board, none of whom he recognized.

Two girls are discussing.

One person said, "No academic requirements, that's good. Last time I wanted to apply for the student council, they said my ranking wasn't high enough, and they didn't even let me go for an interview."

Another person asked, "What does that 'Starfield' segment mean? Science fiction or fantasy?"

"It's about aliens and future worlds, I've read a few books about that, but I've never written one."

"Give it a try."

Lin Shubai was walking back with his water cup when he ran into Chen Hao from the next class at the stairwell.

"Lin Shubai! Can I join your literary club?"

"Yes, it's Wednesday afternoon, during the last self-study period. It's room 204 in the administration building. Just come."

The second-year high school students are on the third floor.

At the end of the corridor, at the door of the classroom of Class 1, Grade 11, Zhao Lin leaned against the wall, holding a copy of "Sprout" in her hand. She flipped through a couple of pages and then closed it.

Standing next to her was her deskmate, Shen Yue, who was holding a bag of milk and drinking it through a straw.

"Are you going or not?" Shen Yue asked.

Zhao Lin did not answer.

"Everyone knows you wrote a good essay last semester, the one that Lao Wang read aloud in class. If you don't go, who is qualified to go?"

Zhao Lin rolled the magazine into a tube and tapped it twice in her palm. "Writing well and whether or not you should join the literary society are two different things."

"How come they're two different things?"

"What could I do there? I don't want to be a writer. My dad told me last weekend, 'You're in your second year of high school now, stop messing around with all that nonsense and focus on your studies.'"

"Your dad said last year that you should apply to Fudan University. Do you think you can get in?" Shen Yue asked bluntly, but Zhao Lin wasn't angry. They had been deskmates since the beginning of high school and never beat around the bush.

Zhao Lin sighed, "I haven't thought it through. Going there will take up a lot of time. Writing drafts, attending meetings, revising drafts all take time. I'm not good at math to begin with, and if I spend even more time on that, I don't know how I'll do on the final exams."

Shen Yue took the milk carton out of her mouth. "So you're not going?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't go at all."

"So you want to go."

Zhao Lin remained silent for a while.

Shen Yue continued to persuade her, "Didn't you write several more later? Every time you wrote an essay for a Chinese exam, you were able to write something different from everyone else's."

Zhao Lin looked up at Shen Yue, "You have such a good memory?"

"Because you write well, are you going or not? If you don't go, those who write worse than you will, and the literary society's magazine will be full of other people's names. Are you willing to accept that?"

Shen Yue crushed the milk carton and threw it into the trash can in the corridor. "I'll go with you. If you apply, I'll apply too. If you're an editor, I'll do odd jobs for you. Anyway, my grades are worse than yours, so I'm not afraid of failing."

Zhao Lin glanced at her and said, "The way you're talking makes it sound like I've wronged you so much."

"Go ahead and do it. Your eyes are always bright when you're writing."

Zhao Lin chuckled at her words, "Okay, okay, I'll go. Wednesday afternoon, room 204 in the administration building, right?"

"It's written in the announcement, I've noted it down for you."

Zhao Lin stuffed the "Sprout" magazine into her schoolbag and turned to go back to the classroom.

During the last self-study period in the afternoon, Lin Shubai went to find Old Chen.

"Teacher Chen."

Old Chen looked up. "You're here? Have a seat."

Lin Shubai sat down opposite him, took out a folded piece of manuscript paper from his pocket, and handed it over, saying, "The foreword is finished. Please take a look."

Old Chen took the manuscript, unfolded it, and read the title: "Talking about Hope".

"Speaking of Hope" is also a work by Mr. Liang Qichao. Like "A Young China," it was a work that Lin Shubai was required to memorize in his previous life's textbooks. After the magazine's name was decided, this article was the one he felt was most suitable as the foreword.

Old Chen leaned back in his chair and began to read.

"Hope is the second soul of the disheartened. And it is not only the disheartened who are affected; all the sages, heroes, loyal ministers and martyrs, both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, who have shaken the universe, created the world, and built immortal achievements to glorify history, have almost all relied on this second soul of hope."

Hope is the raw material for creating heroes and the guide for the evolution of the world. A person without hope is a person without a soul; a nation without hope is a nation without heaven and earth.

As the sun rises in the east, its rays blazing, shall I command the heavens, unleashing a radiant light to illuminate the world? As the river bursts forth from its hidden source, its raging torrents roar, shall I ride the wind and hoist my sails, breaking through ten thousand miles of waves to traverse the five continents? As high as Kunlun, its peaks covered in snow for millennia, shall I pierce through the ice and snow, ascending to its summit to survey the earth below? As vast as the ocean, its boundless waves stretching for ten thousand miles, shall I break through the waves, riding the long winds to traverse the globe?

How bright is the future, so lush and verdant; how magnificent are the youth, so vigorous and resounding! Who will be the hero of the people? Who will be the pillar of the nation? It is not others, but all of us, the youth.

The hope of the youth is the hope of the nation; the progress of the youth is the progress of the nation. Youth are the kings of life, the spring of life, the bloom of life. With the youthful spirit of myself, let us create a youthful family, a youthful nation, a youthful people, a youthful humanity, a youthful Earth, a youthful universe…”

The article is short, but its momentum and rhythm are highly similar to those of "A Young China".

Old Chen picked up the manuscript and glanced at it again. "Use this for the opening remarks; no need to change it."

"it is good."

"By the way, has the deadline for the first issue been set?"

"To be released by the end of March, all manuscripts will be collected by the end of February."

Old Chen nodded and handed the manuscript back. "What are your plans for the Wednesday meeting?"

Lin Shubai took out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which was the process he had outlined. "First, let everyone introduce themselves and talk about what they usually like to read and write. Then I will write the names of the four columns on the blackboard and let everyone discuss in groups. Each group will choose a temporary group leader and submit a preliminary plan for the column before the end of the month. We will then see which group has done the best planning."

"What does the plan include?"

"Column positioning, article solicitation direction, and the number of articles needed for each issue."

Old Chen nodded. "This is a good idea. It gets everyone involved and creates a sense of participation."

That evening, Lin Shubai sat at his desk, took out his notebook, and wrote out the agenda for Wednesday's meeting.

Time: Wednesday afternoon, last self-study period (approximately 40 minutes)

Location: Administration Building 204

Process:

1. Sign in

2. Self-introduction (1-2 minutes per person, including name, class, favorite subject, and why you want to come)

3. Introduction to the four segments (Lin Shubai speaks, 5 minutes)

4. Group discussion (groups of 3-5 people each, 15 minutes each)

5. Discussion topics: What kind of articles should this column accept? How many articles are needed per issue? Where should we solicit articles from?

6. Each group should elect a temporary group leader and leave their contact information.

7. Assignment: Submit the column plan (in written form, no word limit) by the end of the month.