Literary Heroes of the Republic of China

Mu Qiong's rented house has changed a lot.

The already small yard was crowded by the drying racks built by Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu. Zhu Wanwan also put the broken pots, bowls and wooden barrels that Mu Qiong asked her to throw away in the corner, filled them with soil, and then planted them. Garlic and shallots.

What about the two upstairs bedrooms?A box and a cabinet were added inside, and brand new clothes and thick quilts were put in them.

The two rooms downstairs, the one that was vacant before, is now arranged by Mu Qiong as a study.

He asked a carpenter to make a bookshelf, and bought two boxes for newspapers. In addition, he also prepared three desks and chairs.

The big desk belonged to him, and the two smaller desks belonged to Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu. Mu Qiong asked Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu to study at least four hours a day and practice calligraphy on four sheets of paper.

Of course, the truth is that these two have always overachieved.

As for the room used for eating, now a cabinet can be added to put the dishes and unfinished dishes, two more bamboo chairs, a small square table and a rattan reclining chair.

The two bamboo chairs are reserved for Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu. As for the small square table, there are their sewing baskets. Whenever the two of them are free, they will do sewing here—after all, their family still lacks Quite a few things.

As for the rattan chair, it was Mu Qiong's exclusive seat.

When tired of writing, Mu Qiong would come here to lie down for a while, and then read newspapers or novels to Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu.

Mu Qiong has always felt that reading is very important to learn Chinese well. While recognizing characters, it is necessary to understand the meaning of words and the meaning of articles. Unfortunately, many elementary schools at this time are not like this.

A certain celebrity mentioned in "Forty Self-Reports" written when he was 40 years old that the teachers who taught them to read often only taught them to read difficult classical Chinese, and memorized the words without explaining the meaning, so that many students learned to read. After a few years, I can't read the article, and I don't know the meaning of the words.

As for himself, he received preferential treatment because his mother gave him extra tuition. The teacher explained it to him carefully, and later he became proficient in the use of words by reading vernacular novels such as Water Margin and Red Chamber.

Mu Qiong didn't want Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu to be able to read but not understand the meaning of words like Boss Chen, so she read to them as much as possible.

What he read a few days ago was "Dream of Red Mansions" which he spent a lot of money to buy, but what he read today was "Study Abroad" written by himself

It has been more than a month since Mu Qiong resigned from the western restaurant. "Study Abroad" has been serialized in the newspaper for more than half, but for Mu Qiong, he has finished writing it.

Now what he reads to Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu is the ending chapter.

Before he read the Red Chamber, Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu could continue to do needlework while listening, but now, both of them are crying.

"Brother...Jiang Zhenguo is so kind." Mu Changyu said with sobs.

Zhu Wanwan didn't say anything, but she cried harder than Mu Changyu.

"You think he's good, keep your eyes open and find a responsible man." Mu Qiong said.

When Mu Qiong mentioned the marriage suddenly, Mu Changyu blushed, but Mu Qiong's calm demeanor made the shame in her heart slowly disappear.

Mu Qiong put down the manuscript.

When Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu heard him read "Study Abroad", although they felt some hatred towards the country and the family, they cried, but it was mainly because of Jiang Zhenguo's feelings that he wrote later.

He didn't actually describe the relationship between the protagonist Jiang Zhenguo and the heroine too much.

He has never been in love, and he is too rational. He can't write about the kind of passionate love that seems to burn people's life and soul completely, and in fact he doesn't agree with it.

So what he wrote in the end was that two similar souls collided and sparked in a debate, and after that, even a single eye contact brought them closer.

They study in different schools, but they can communicate. Jiang Zhenguo hopes that this girl can spend his whole life with him.

Before he met that girl, he used the money he earned from working to buy books, experimental tools, and everything he thought was meaningful, but after confirming his mind, he saved money and bought a ring.

The ring was not expensive, but it was very beautiful. He planned to give it to his beloved woman and propose to her, but the girl disappeared.

He carried a lot on his body, and continued to study, but when he was studying, he would always think of that girl.

After five years abroad, he finally set foot on the ship back to China. At this time, he is a graduate of a famous foreign university. He is proficient in English and French and has published many papers. He talked and laughed.

All this is in stark contrast to what happened to him when he left his home country.

After returning to China, he donated the books he brought back to a university and taught there.He also started to translate some foreign books, raised funds, and built a factory to make soda ash with the equipment he brought back from abroad.

His various practices made him more and more famous, and many people supported him. At a banquet, a certain senior government official even praised him.

Because of this, after the banquet, he received an invitation from another official to come and visit him.

This official was also a progressive person. Jiang Zhenguo hoped to get his support to build a vocational technical school to teach children from poor families some skills, so he readily went there.

As a result, he met the girl he liked at the official's place, and now, that girl has become the official's concubine.

This girl was called back to the country by her family in the late Qing Dynasty, and then the country was ruined and her family died. Her family even gave her to this official.

When the two met again, it was on such an occasion, both of them were stunned, only the official was still smiling, and said with a show: "My fourth aunt also studied abroad."

That girl studied very hard when she was abroad. She once said that she wanted to learn more things. After returning to China, she would set up a girls' school so that girls in China would not have to bind their feet and be self-reliant... But now, the only effect of her study abroad experience is to let that The potbellied official has an extra topic of showing off.

After returning to China, Jiang Zhenguo's parents hoped that he would marry a wife as soon as possible, even under various pressures. His colleagues and friends also introduced him to various women, but he refused them all.

He felt that if he wasn't ready to spend his whole life with a woman, he couldn't just get married, and if he got married, he wouldn't abandon his wife, after all, his wife would also be his responsibility.

Now, he saw the woman he once wanted to spend his whole life with, but she was emaciated a lot and became someone else's wife.

Jiang Zhenguo didn't reminisce about the old days with her, he just suggested that the official ask his aunt to run a girls' school, which would be good for the official's reputation.

He was afraid that reminiscing about the old days would make his beloved woman sad in the future, and he couldn't bear her to be trapped in the back house...

The official readily agreed.

When the story was written here, Mu Qiong thought of several endings, including the shocking and realistic heroine committing suicide, and the encounter where everyone worked hard for the future together.

But in the end he chose the third one.

In the process of building the girls' school, the official was repeatedly corrupted, was reported, and went to jail. His wife and children went their separate ways. Taught in the newly established girls' school.

Jiang Zhenguo agreed, took out a ring to her, and asked her if she would marry him.

The woman burst into tears.

The story ends here.

And Mu Changyu and Zhu Wanwan were still crying.

Mu Qiong didn't say anything more. After he finished reading the story, he actually felt a little uncomfortable. Now, he plans to revise the parts that are not very smooth in the manuscript.

He wrote this novel very happily. He laid out his country's status in the international arena nakedly in front of the Chinese people. He wrote about the ugly faces of foreigners and their attempts to their country, and also wrote about the corruption of domestic officials. , The status quo of indulging in pleasure.

These days, some new-school people who were once full of aspirations often only care about their own interests after becoming officials, regardless of their former ideals, which is quite ironic.

But he was worried about causing trouble, so he packed it all up.

He also wrote about foreigners who are friendly to the protagonist and help the protagonist, and even high-ranking government officials who are upright and honest.

As for the truth, no one knows.

But in this way, at least the novel will not be banned, right?

He is not well-known for the time being, and he will definitely not be arrested...

Mu Qiong copied all the manuscripts, and after going to Doctor Fu the next day, he sent them to the editorial department.

Editor-in-Chief Li couldn't understand when he saw the ending: "Why would someone like Jiang Zhenguo marry such a woman?"

"Is this woman bad?" Moo-joon asks, who always writes heroines well.

"But she was married and her face was disfigured."

"Marrying is involuntary. As for the disfigurement...the beauty and bones are all people who strive for their ideals, so don't care about their appearance."

Editor-in-Chief Li is speechless.I feel that I'm still a child who has never tasted a woman, thinking so well... Is there any man in this world who doesn't cheat?

However, Editor-in-Chief Li did not object to Mu Qiong's writing.

He felt... there should be many women who would like this novel.

Mu Qiong had already handed in all the manuscripts, so editor-in-chief Li generously prepaid all his subsequent manuscript fees totaling more than 150 yuan, and asked him to come up with the next novel quickly.

Mu Qiong took the money and agreed to come down.

He thought that the sales volume of Dazhong Daily might be very good, and editor-in-chief Li is so generous, but even so, he didn't plan to change the place to submit the article.

The manuscript fee paid by Editor-in-Chief Li is already very high.

Mu Qiong was right, the sales volume of Dazhong Daily is very good now.

Before, Editor-in-Chief Li told Mu Qiong that the sales volume of Dazhong Daily was stable at [-] copies... This is actually a little less.

At that time, Dazhong Daily did not publish the article "Study Abroad" in the days when it sold [-] copies. As for the newspaper that published "Study Abroad"...it sold [-] copies!

He even reprinted the newspaper that published the first part of "Study Abroad" because of it.

And up to now, the sales volume of Dazhong Daily has approached [-].

You know, the sales volume of the declared news newspaper is only [-] to [-]!

Those who are literate in Shanghai at the moment probably know "Study Abroad", even in places like Hangzhou and Suzhou, I am afraid that many people are watching "Study Abroad".

As for going further...then it won't be passed on for the time being.

What Editor-in-Chief Li thought was actually correct.

There are so few books these days that when a good book appears, everyone will read it.

Not to mention that "Study Abroad" is not just a story.

In a classroom at Shanghai Aurora College.

A young man in his early twenties, wearing a long gown, was holding a newspaper and was reading: "If a person doesn't work hard and make enough preparations, even if the pie falls from the sky, he may not be able to pick it up, maybe You will be smashed to the ground and bleeding!"

"I live in this world. If I just eat, drink, and scatter for a lifetime, what is the difference between me and a pig?"

"In this world, no matter black or white, or us yellow race, we are all human beings, and we are no worse than others."

"We are behind now, but we can catch up, so that our sons, our grandchildren will not be behind!"

……

There was no sound in the classroom, and everyone listened quietly.

Some people had tears streaming down their faces, but they didn't cry out for fear of disturbing others.

A middle school in Shanghai.

On the podium, the teacher said to the students: "There is a novel recently, I suggest you read it, this novel is called "Study Abroad". It is about studying abroad. You have already entered middle school, you should start thinking about your future, The future of the country should also be considered.”

Some teahouse.

The storyteller rarely talked about "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin", "Journey to the West", nor Mr. Wenda's novels, but Jiang Zhenguo.

In a magazine run by someone from the new school.

Several progressive people watched "Study Abroad" and were overwhelmed.

"I have been thinking about where our country's literature is headed. Now it seems that this is our future path!"

"We must promote vernacular Chinese. Only when everyone can understand it can everyone learn it!"

"This novel is very inspiring."

……

Many places are discussing "Study Abroad"

Mu Qiong didn't know this, but speaking of it, it's not surprising that this happened.

The era that Mu Qiong traveled through was 1915, and the New Culture Movement had not yet started.

The "Novel Monthly", which later became the substitute organ of the Literary Research Association under the innovation of a certain big boss, did not have the ostentation of the first large-scale new literary publication, and it still published novels of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School.

An influential magazine like "New Youth" just launched its publication in September this year.

Known as China's first modern vernacular novel, it will take another three years to come out.

The new literature at this time is still struggling to develop, and at the same time, people at this time still have various viewpoints.For example, there are some people who insist that in order for this country to develop, Chinese characters must be abolished and alphabets must be used.

There are many people who advocate vernacular, and it is not the vernacular that is still full of culture, but a complete vernacular.

They feel that classical Chinese can be read but not understood, and should be discarded. Vernacular Chinese that can be read and understood is worth advocating, but they have not yet figured out what vernacular should look like.

When Mu Qiong wrote "Study Abroad", although he had already learned the style of writing that everyone used at that time to write, there were imprints left by modern times on him.

He wrote some thoughts of the hero, or when the hero spoke, he often wrote very colloquial vernacular, not that kind of literary, in fact, ordinary people would not say that at all.

And these vernaculars are unprecedented in this era.

As for some of Jiang Zhenguo’s thoughts written by Mu Qiong in the article... In modern times, any elementary school student has received patriotic education, has read a lot of deafening articles written by literary masters, and can say some truths. Some famous sayings.

But the literati of this period did not have such conditions at all.

Mu Qiong was very lucky, he was not only standing on the shoulders of giants, he was born directly on top of giants!

Modern literature was developed after the New Culture Movement. He was a person who had been influenced by modern literature since he was a child. Before the New Culture Movement...

He is by no means the smartest in this era, but his vision is definitely the broadest in this era.

Not to mention anything else, it was published a few years later, the first collection of vernacular poetry in the history of modern Chinese literature, "Experimental Collection", and modern people would think it was just that, but in this era, it caused a huge sensation.

In such an environment, the novel "Study Abroad" naturally looks different.

The author has something to say:

Put some information haha~

1. Mr. Hu Shi's "Forty Self-Reports" was written, because his mother paid more tuition fees, and the private school teacher gave him a small stove to explain the meaning of words.Some other children have studied for a few years, but they still can't understand what "my father is at your knees" means.

2. Wenli Jiang Zhenguo manufactured soda ash...Mr. Hou Debang brought back the blueprint designed in the United States from abroad, and set up a soda factory in China. In the autumn of 1926, at the 150th anniversary of the founding of the United States, their soda ash won the gold medal, which not only made the Chinese proud, but also opened up a vast international market.

3. China’s first modern vernacular novel is Mr. Lu Xun’s "Diary of a Madman". It was published in 1918, and it will be exactly 100 years this year~

4. Famous chapters of Mr. Hu Shi's "Try Collection":

butterfly

Two yellow butterflies fly to the sky.

I don't know why, but one suddenly flew back.

The one left is so lonely and pitiful;

There is no intention to go to the sky, the sky is too lonely.