A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

Friday, December 30th.

After the bell rang for the last self-study period in the afternoon, scattered footsteps echoed in the corridor on the second floor of the administration building. Lin Shubai and Su Wan arrived at the 204 activity room five minutes early, erased the four column names written on the blackboard at the last meeting, and rewrote a few words—"First Formal Meeting".

The third person to arrive was Yu Xingzhi. Zhao Lei and Zhao Lin arrived almost one after the other. Zhao Lei was carrying a military green shoulder bag, while Zhao Lin was holding a black hard-shell notebook, looking very formal.

Zhou Yutong and two other members of the Poetry and Youth Group came in together, each holding a few sheets of paper and discussing something in hushed tones. Chen Hao was the last to arrive. He ran in, a little sweat on his forehead, and said, "Sorry, I was stopped by the math teacher and asked a question." Then he sat down next to Zhao Lei.

Lin Shubai glanced at the clock on the wall.

Two minutes late, he stood up and walked to the blackboard.

"Everyone's here. Today is our first formal meeting of the literary society. There are three main things to do: First, each group will submit its column plan, and we'll discuss and finalize it together. Second, we'll confirm the list of members for each group. Third, we'll clarify the schedule."

Yu Xingzhi spoke first, pulling out several sheets of A4 paper from her bag and outlining the plan for the "Campus Stories" column. Lin Shubai listened for a few minutes, jotting down a few keywords in his notebook without interrupting. Zhao Lin then presented the plan for "Book and Shadow Gleanings," her presentation clear and organized. Zhou Yutong spoke softly but earnestly about poetry and youth. Finally, Zhao Lei spoke about "Starry Night," and after finishing, asked, "Could Lin Shubai write an article for 'Starry Night' each issue?"

"I will publish a newly written article in the first issue, but I won't write one for every issue. The publication depends on everyone."

Zhao Lei nodded.

Lin Shubai went through all the plans of the four groups. He didn't comment on each one individually, but only wrote down a few key points in his notebook. Then he closed the notebook, stood up, and walked to the front of the blackboard.

"That's it for the planning. Each group should proceed according to the direction you've set. If you encounter any problems during implementation, feel free to contact me."

He picked up the chalk and wrote a line on the blackboard: "List of members of the Hope Literary Society (13 people in total)"

Then he turned around and looked at everyone present.

"The last meeting was for everyone to get to know each other and have group discussions, but no one was officially confirmed to join the literary society. Today, I am here to officially announce that everyone here is an official member of the Hope Literary Society from today onwards."

A murmur arose in the activity room, but it quickly fell silent.

He started writing names on the blackboard: President and Editor-in-Chief Lin Shubai, Advisor Lao Chen, Campus Story Group Leader Yu Xingzhi, Members Su Wan, Wang Yutong, and Liu Zihan. Book Review Group Leader Zhao Lin, Members Shen Yue and Zhang Siyuan. Poetry and Youth Group Leader Zhou Yutong, Members Li Xinran and Chen Siqi. Starry Night Group Leader Zhao Lei, Members Chen Hao and Wu Yue. There were a few fewer people than last time; they had contacted Lin Shubai after the last meeting to say they wouldn't be participating anymore.

After writing the last name, he put the chalk in the blackboard tray and turned around.

"There are thirteen people in total, plus Old Chen Fourteen. That's our entire team."

Lin Shubai walked back to his seat, sat down, and turned to a new page in his notebook.

The third thing is the schedule.

"First, the call for submissions will officially begin next week after the New Year's Day holiday. I have already written the call for submissions, and I will print it out tomorrow and post it on the bulletin board next week. I will also make copies and send them to each class."

"Second, the deadline is the day before winter break. All manuscripts should be collected by the group leaders, who will then conduct a preliminary review. During winter break, the manuscripts that pass the preliminary review should be sent to me."

"Third, during the winter break, I will conduct the final review to determine the final selection of articles, while Shen Yue will be responsible for the first draft of the cover and illustrations."

Shen Yue raised the milk carton in her hand as a sign of agreement.

Fourth, after returning from winter break, each group leader will contact the authors to revise and finalize the manuscript.

Fifth, from the time we returned from winter break until early March, we will be responsible for typesetting and proofreading. Teacher Chen will be in charge of contacting the printing room. Hope will be officially published at the end of March.

He closed his notebook and looked at everyone.

"Ask me your questions now."

Chen Hao raised his hand: "Are there any requirements for the submission format?"

"Handwritten copies should be neat and legible, preferably on graph paper. Printed copies should be in Song typeface, size 4, with the class, name, and contact information clearly written in the upper left corner."

Zhao Lei raised his hand: "Does a science fiction manuscript with a complex setting need an explanation?"

"Not mandatory, feel free to include it, within a hundred or two hundred words."

Zhou Yutong raised her hand, her voice a little soft: "Can I use a pen name for poetry?"

"Yes, but please include your real class and name when submitting your work, and please use the author's name as requested when publishing."

Zhao Lin didn't raise her hand, but spoke directly: "If we receive several good film reviews in a certain issue, could we add more space for that one?"

"Yes, but in principle, no more than two articles. Let me know in advance."

Lin Shubai waited a few more seconds, but no one asked any more questions.

"That's settled then. We'll start accepting submissions next week. Group leaders can go back and discuss the division of labor with their respective group members."

He stood up and began packing his things.

After school in the afternoon, Lin Shubai and Su Wan boarded the bus. Su Wan, holding onto the handrail, suddenly spoke up: "Yu Xingzhi said that we need to collect the manuscripts recommended by the Chinese teachers of each class before the winter break, so that everyone won't be busy until the end of the semester."

"She's quite quick."

"She is very organized, even more so than I thought. Before the meeting today, she had already listed out the division of labor for the group, clearly specifying who was responsible for liaising with the teacher, who was responsible for collecting manuscripts, and who was responsible for registration."

Lin Shubai nodded. Yu Xingzhi seemed quiet and reserved, but he didn't expect her to be so efficient.

The car wobbled, and Su Wan switched to holding onto a different handrail.

"Zhao Lin is quite capable; she speaks concisely and clearly, explaining things in just three sentences."

"You're quite observant."

"I've said before that I have a keen eye for observation," Su Wan said, a slight smile playing on her lips.

The bus arrived at the stop, and the two got off and walked towards the residential area. When they reached Su Wan's door, she turned around and said, "Tomorrow is a holiday, so you should get some rest and not stay up until midnight writing again."

"understood."

Dinner consisted of braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, and crucian carp soup. Lin Shubai sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and took a piece of meat. Wang Xiulan sat down opposite him, picked up her bowl, and asked, "How many people did your literary society recruit?"

"Thirteen. Plus Old Chen, fourteen."

"Are they all first-year high school students?"

"There are a few in the second year of high school as well."

Wang Xiulan nodded. "Did Su Wan go?"

"They've gone; they're members of the Campus Story Group."

Wang Xiulan nodded again and didn't ask any more questions. Lin Jianguo chimed in from the side, "Su Wan is a very sensible child. Her parents are both teachers, so she has a good upbringing."

"It's none of your business whether other people are well-mannered or not," Wang Xiulan glared at him. "Eat your food."

Lin Jianguo shut up.