British writer

The ship sways,

The waves washed against the hull of the ship regularly, making a "wow-wow-" sound.

Seagulls fly around the ship, their bodies are light and graceful,

Their feathers are as white as snow, shining softly in the sunlight.

Lu Shi stood on the deck and looked into the distance.

The White Cliffs of Dover can already be seen,

It won't be long before the cruise ship will arrive at the Port of London.

He took a deep breath,

The sea breeze in November rushes into the heart, bringing a deep coolness.

"Ah sneeze!"

He couldn't help but sneeze.

At this time, someone called him from behind: "Sir, do you need paper?"

Lu Shi sniffed:

"hiss……"

I always feel that I sneeze not because of the cold, but because someone is talking about me behind my back, like "I don't care" or something like that.

Lu Shi turned around,

In front of me is a typical American, wearing a cowboy hat, a scarf on his chest, and a casual suit, giving him an approachable feeling.

Interestingly, he has a pen in his front pocket.

This look is rare.

Lu Shi smiled and nodded,

"grateful."

The American said "hmm" and said, "Looking at you from Asia, you must be very bad at riding boats, right?"

He probably regarded Lu Shi as an international student.

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry."

Who would have thought that this old beauty was so warm-hearted that she actually took out the handkerchief she had with her and handed it over to her.

He also said to himself: "I must admit, I don't like traveling in ships either. Have you ever heard of scurvy?"

Lu Shi: "..."

He was somewhat uncomfortable with the other party being so talkative.

He looked at the other person curiously,

"Scurvy? You don't look like a crew member."

The Americans nodded,

"certainly."

He poked the pen on his chest with his right index finger and said, "You should have seen it from here, right? Yes, I am a reporter and a writer."

writer?

Lu Shi became interested and observed the other party more carefully than before.

Well, it does look familiar.

It seems that he is another famous figure in the future.

He couldn't help but want to laugh,

Why do I keep meeting celebrities when I'm on a boat?

Gorky, Kelvin, Planck, Einstein...

Very outrageous.

But when I think about it, it seems reasonable.

At the beginning of the 20th century, who could live on the upper deck of a cruise ship, walk around on the deck from time to time, and go to a club to have a few drinks? Who didn’t have some background?

Lu Shi could only recognize them because he was familiar with them.

If he were a politician, he might know this count or that prince.

This phenomenon is similar to survivor bias.

The Americans didn't know what Lu Shi was thinking, and they were still telling the story of how he and his companions sailed a 1,900-mile voyage in 19 days and returned to California from the Bering Strait.

After Lu Shi heard this, he shook his head in his heart.

It feels like the other person is bragging about X.

He coughed lightly,

"Sir, we are approaching the White Cliffs of Dover, don't you go and have a look?"

The American said "Ah!" and looked away.

In the distance, the white cliff is like a huge barrier, connecting with the sky.

The thick "white snow" covering the surface is like the late King Victoria, quietly watching over the empire on which the sun never sets.

The Americans looked at Lu Shi,

"Thanks for the reminder! The last time I came here, we encountered heavy fog on the road and didn't see it."

After saying that, he was ready to walk towards the bow of the ship.

This old man is finally gone.

Lu Shi curled his lips, wrapped his coat tightly, and prepared to go back to the club.

Just then, the American ran back again,

"etc!"

His eyes were locked on Lu Shi,

stare--

It looked like he was studying aliens.

Lu Shi felt a little uncomfortable,

"What's wrong?"

The American said uncertainly: "Are you... Lu Shi? You are Professor Lu, right?"

Eventually he was recognized.

Lu Shi nodded slowly,

"yes."

The other party immediately became enthusiastic and reached out his hand.

"Hello, Professor Lu, I am John Griffith London, a reporter employed by the American News Service."

Lu Shi laughed dumbly,

I didn’t expect to actually meet a celebrity.

Another name for John Griffith London -

Jack London.

He is a very famous short story writer. In the mid-20th century, he was even compared with Kafka and Zweig.

But with the development of literature and literary criticism, Kafka's "Metamorphosis" and Zweig's "Letter from a Strange Woman" became the peak of literary history, and Jack London began to fall behind.

Of course, Jack London also had a common problem among literati of this era -

racism.

There is an article "Chinaman" published in 1908, which is very disgusting to read.

Just like Verne wrote "The Encounters of a Chinese in China\

,"It's hard to avoid this.

Lu Shi said curiously: "Mr. London...well...it's so weird to call you that."

Jack London laughed,

"A lot of people say that, especially when I'm in London on business. Call me by my full name, or just my first name."

Lu Shi nodded,

"Jack, why did you go to London this time..."

Before he finished speaking, a burst of cheers suddenly came from the front deck of the cruise ship.

The two of them followed the sound,

I saw huge limestone rocks peeling off the cliff and falling into the sea.

The whole process was extremely shocking.

Lu Shi said: "You missed the show, Jack."

Jack London spreads his hands,

"You missed it too."

Lu Shi smiled and shook his finger and said, "I saw it on the way to France half a year ago."

He returned to the subject,

"We just talked about your purpose of going to London."

Jack London nodded,

"This matter started last year. At that time, my first collection of novels "Wolf Son" was published, which immediately gained me a huge reputation and a very generous income."

As expected of a reporter.

This guy knows how to brag about himself.

Lu Shi coughed slightly,

"The key point. Tell the key point."

Jack London smiled,

"Once you become famous, various jobs will naturally come to you. I was assigned by the American News Agency to go to Africa to cover the Boer War. As a result, when I was transferred to London, the news agency changed the plan midway and sent me a telegram asking me not to go. .”

Lu Shi grasped the key point——

Boer War.

He asked: "Then?"

Jack London shrugged,

"I had nothing to do in London, so I went to live in the slums of London for three months as a sailor. I conducted detailed investigations and obtained first-hand information. After returning to China, I published "The People of the Abyss." This book made I became famous in America.”

Started bragging again.

Lu Shi asked: "Is that a reportage? Your observations and descriptions are indeed meticulous."

Jack London was surprised,

"Have you even read that book? Could it be that you are a socialist?"

"Pfft! Cough cough cough..."

Lu Shi choked on this question.

But I don’t blame the other party for thinking so.

"The People of the Abyss" depicts the tragic scenes of poverty, hunger, filth and disease in London's East End during that period.

Lu Shi was deeply impressed by one of the details.

On the coronation day of Edward VII, on the sticky sidewalk, several old and frail coachmen hurriedly picked up crumbs the size of beans from the ground and stuffed them into their mouths.

Crowning and scavenging,

The contrast between the two is very real.

Having a high opinion of "The People of the Abyss" will inevitably lead to Jack London's reverie.

When he saw Lu Shi was silent, he fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he said: "Professor Lu, you made suggestions for promoting the charity tax bill, and at the same time, you cooperated with Mr. Carnegie and devoted yourself to philanthropy in the United States. So, you are just kind-hearted and compassionate by nature."

Lu Shi didn't want to be given a high hat,

He whispered: "Jack, if you had read the science fiction novel I recently wrote, Animal Farm, you wouldn't make any guesses."

Jack London heard about this book for the first time,

He silently wrote down the title of the book and asked: "Which book contains your 'ism'?"

Lu Shi replied: "You still don't understand. The character's position does not represent the author's position. So, just because I praise your book for its good writing does not mean that I approve of the tendencies revealed in the book."

Jack London subconsciously took out the pen in his pocket,

"Then you object?"

While talking, he groped around on his body,

It looked like he was looking for a notebook.

Lu Shi: "..."

"Jack, do you have an occupational disease?"

Only then did Jack London react and quickly put the pen back.

"Sorry~Sorry~"

But soon he added: "But there is nothing wrong with me doing this. When I come to London this time, Professor Lu, you are one of the people I tried hard to interview."

Lu Shi was surprised,

"What's the meaning?"

Jack London continued: "Let's continue what we just said. Because of "The People of the Abyss", I got a job with the American News Agency. And, you know, the Boer War recently ended."

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless, having figured it all out.

Apparently it's another butterfly effect caused by changes in the world line.

According to normal history, Jack London should have finished his novel "Sea Wolf" at his home in California at this time.

However, the Boer War ended prematurely with Britain's contraction across the board in Africa, which obviously exceeded the expectations of the major powers.

As the "expert on British affairs" who wrote "The People of the Abyss", Jack London was hired by the American News Agency to interview him, which is perfectly normal.

He looked at Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, I heard that Prime Minister Balfour was influenced by you? It seems to be a book called "The Nature of Japanese Civilization"."

This cannot be taken lightly.

Lu Shi said: "Which country's political leaders would change their minds because of a book?"

He had a smile on his face,

"Comrade Jack, don't listen to the wind and it will be the rain~"

Jack London looked confused,

I don't know why Lu Shi, who was very direct just now, suddenly started to speak in an official tone.

Lu Shi continued: "I believe that the decisions made by Whitehall, Buckingham Palace, and the Palace of Westminster are all carefully considered and made by 'adults' and are not trivial."

Jack London scratched his head,

"Professor Lu, regarding childishness, did you know that the British House of Commons is called the 'Zoo'?"

Lu Shi: "..."

Speechless.

Jack London asked again: "Also, did you know that the House of Lords in England is called the 'Botanic Garden'?"

Lu Shi: "..."

Still speechless.

Jack London became more and more confident as he spoke, and continued to ask: "Also, do you know a play called "Yes! Prime Minister"? There is a satirical sentence on the play poster, 'The British have always been bad at being inappropriate. It’s not a human being’…”

Lu Shi finally spoke:

"Then I wrote it!"

Jack London couldn't help being embarrassed and said, "Well... I forgot."

Lu Shi patted the other party's shoulder and said nothing more.

He knew that what Jack London said was absolutely correct.

In a parliamentary country, there are indeed "occasionally" ridiculous situations.

The most famous symbol of modern Britain is undoubtedly the Brexit referendum.

The artist Banksy even created the famous painting "Decentralized Parliament" for this purpose.

The entire painting is set in the dimly lit British Parliament, but the well-dressed members of Parliament are replaced by gorillas.

That painting was created in 2009,

Ten years later, the museum put the painting on display again on March 28, 2019, in order to "commemorate" the original Brexit day of March 29.

But ironically, the UK failed to leave the EU as scheduled on March 29.

"Zoo" is a very accurate description,

There are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames.

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"Stop talking~Stop talking~"

Jack London raised the corners of his mouth and whispered: "Professor Lu, you are really cautious."

He stretched out into the sea breeze,

"Okay, let's not talk about this. Anyway, I will stay in London for a long time, and there will be many opportunities to interview you."

Lu Shi smiled,

"I won't refuse anyone who comes to talk about literature, academics, or even business. As for other things, please allow me to be cautious."

Jack London couldn't help but admire Lu Shi.

A person’s name, a tree’s shadow,

No wonder Lu Shi has such a high reputation in Europe and the United States.

This man is indeed extremely smart.

Jack London then changed the topic and said: "In that case, let's talk about literature. You know, I am also a writer, so..."

He took out a notebook and flipped it from back to front.

"Please correct me."

Lu Shi nodded,

"no problem."

He took the notebook, glanced at the title, and then showed a shocked expression,

"The China Hero (Chinese Hero)".

Shouldn't it be "The Chinago"?

Lu Shi murmured to himself:

"Am I remembering it wrong?"

In my mind, Jack London created the nickname "Chinago" because the novel itself is full of discrimination.

But why did he become "Hero" now?

Jack London on the side was worried,

"Professor Lu, I know my word choice may not be precise. I shouldn't use 'Hero', but I really can't find the right word to describe '薅'...'薅'... oh, it's so hard to pronounce!"

What he wanted to say was a certain Chinese word.

Lu Shi said, "Describe it in English."

Jack London reminded: "You have a novel about rebellion in China. There are one hundred and eight stars in it."

Shente Meow’s “One Hundred and Eight Stars”…

"Water Margin" is said to be like this, which is quite outrageous.

Lu Shi said in Chinese:

"'hero'?"

Jack London nodded his head,

"Yes, yes! 'How silly'! That's what I want to say. I feel like 'Hero' is not very accurate."

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"It's pretty much the same."

He turned his attention to the notebook and asked, "Tell me about the idea of ​​​​this book."

Jack London took a deep breath,

"It was true events that inspired me. In June 1869, the French colonial authorities created an unjust case in Atimaonuo, Tahiti, South Pacific, and wrongly executed Zhan Xiugong, a Chinese coolie on a cotton plantation. The Chinese laborers on the plantation worked for the Zhan family. The local Chinese built a horseshoe-shaped tomb in the 'Yong'an Cemetery' and set up an altar for him in the Guandi Temple to express their condolences."

Lu Shi frowned,

It seems that my memory is correct.

The book "Chinaman" was inspired by this incident.

The protagonist of the novel is named Aqiu. Because the court clerk mistakenly wrote the word "Chu" in "Qiu" for the person sentenced to death, Achu was sentenced to death and was kidnapped to the execution ground for execution.

Ah Qiu once witnessed the real murderer and knew that he had escaped. At this time, he did not complain or resist. Instead, at the moment when the guillotine's guillotine fell sharply on his neck, he imagined that he would return home in glory after the plantation contract was over.

servility,

Ignorance,

stubborn,

Unreasonable,

…

Totally a typical example of "inferior people".

With the publication of the novel, the term "Chinago" began to become popular.

In modern times, talk show performers still use this word in their programs, which shows the depth of the poison.

Lu Shi looked at Jack London,

I saw this guy was lowering his head in deep thought, muttering: "How about creating a word...'瀅han'...'Haohan'..."

Lu Shi asked: "Why do you insist on using the word 'hero'?"

Jack London said: "You will know after reading my novel. The protagonist I created is a Chinese who taught himself French. In order to help his friends clear their grievances, he even studied the law and went to court to defend himself. This kind of chivalrous heart, Isn’t it exactly what the Chinese call ‘vast’?”

Lu Shi was speechless,

"..."

The other party said "hero" four times, but never got it right.

He was a little helpless,

"I think you should make up a special word."

Jack London was overjoyed;

"Yes, yes, I think so too. But I have never studied inscriptions or beautiful essays, so I don't dare to make up words casually. Now that Professor Lu has endorsed it, I am not afraid anymore."

Lu Shi asked in confusion: "Jack, what was your motivation for creating "The China Hero"?"

Jack London showed a somewhat ashamed expression,

"In the past, I always thought that East Asians were cowardly, insensitive, stupid, and slaves who could be exploited by others. However, I have recently changed my mind. I cannot be a defender of the law of the jungle."

Lu Shi was curious,

"What is the opportunity? There must be an opportunity for this kind of change, right?"

Jack London said: "You. The opportunity is you."

Lu Shi:? ? ?

"ah?"

He was even more confused.

Jack London whispered: "Professor Lu, you are Chinese, but you can change the direction of the Boer War, dispel the Yellow Peril theory, and reduce the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act. This made me realize what I had thought before. How shallow.”

Lu Shi could not help but murmur in his heart,

It turns out that in the eyes of outsiders, I am the kind of omnipotent god.

Jack London said: "And you are also passionate about charity and committed to international peace..."

Lu Shi raised his hand,

"Stop! There is no need to repeat these words."

Jack London lamented,

"You're even so humble."

Lu Shi: "..."

Even though I have been flattered by others recently, I still feel a little overwhelmed when faced with the storm of Jack London.

He coughed lightly,

"Comrade Jack, I'm optimistic about you. Keep working hard."