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墨書 Inktalez
On the second day of the Lantern Festival, Hu Ruoyun returned to school.
No matter how chaotic his thoughts were, in this reality, he was just a fifteen-year-old freshman in high school.
At the entrance of the Office of Academic Affairs, there was a large wooden box painted green, where letters delivered by the Post Office were left for everyone to rummage through. Many envelopes had their stamps peeled off by classmates who loved collecting them.
Hu Ruoyun wasn't particularly good at his regular subjects, but he often wrote poetry and essays to submit to various magazines. He eagerly checked the box for any new mail, hoping for an unexpected surprise.
In the recently passed year of 1990, 24-year-old Wang Guozhen became a columnist for magazines such as Liaoning Youth, Chinese Youth, and Girlfriend, sparking a wave of "Wang Guozhen fever" across the country.
"I do not think about whether I can succeed / Since I have chosen the distant path / I will only focus on braving the wind and rain / I do not think about whether I can win love / Since I am infatuated with roses / I will bravely express my sincerity / I do not think about whether cold winds and rain will come from behind / Since my goal is the horizon / All that is left for the world is my back / I do not think about whether the future is smooth or muddy / As long as I love life / Everything / Is within expectation (Wang Guozhen, Love Life)."
These words became an inspiration for many young people.
"Shouting is the explosion of silence / Silence is a voiceless call / Whether passionate or tranquil / I pray / As long as it is not mundane / If the distance calls me / I will walk towards it / If the mountains summon me / I will head towards them / My feet may wear out / So let the sunset paint the path / My hands may tear / So let thorns turn into azaleas / There is no road longer than one’s feet / There is no mountain higher than a person (Wang Guozhen, Mountain High, Road Long)."
These lines once adorned countless notebooks of young students.
Hu Ruoyun first began writing in fifth grade. He had heard someone say that if an article was published, it could earn seven cents per word.
He thought this was much easier than collecting cicada shells with his younger brother Xiao Hu and sister Xiao Feng.
Thus, as a primary school student, he dreamed of changing his fate through knowledge, hoping to earn that legendary "manuscript fee" by writing.
He started by mimicking stories and jokes from Story Collection and carefully transcribed them onto grid paper to send out.
Of course, none of those submissions yielded any results.
At that time, his family was poorer; children from poor families mature early. Those who mature early tend to have chaotic thoughts, which meant they couldn't devote enough energy to their studies.
Upon entering high school, there was a Qingju Literary Society at school that published a journal every two weeks. It was printed on A4 paper, single-sided, featuring works by society members.
At this time, literature held immense vitality and influence.
Wang Hongjian, the homeroom teacher, served as the advisor for the literary club and was also the editor-in-chief of the Journal. He was responsible for engraving the plates on wax paper and printing them using an oil press.
Hu Ruoyun's passion for literature was quickly discovered by Teacher Wang, who promptly recruited him as a member of the literary club. Although his essays and poems often disappeared without a trace after submission, they frequently found their way into the pages of the Qingju Literary Society Journal, providing a different kind of solace for this fervent literary enthusiast.
On the first day of school, Hu Ruoyun finally rummaged through a large green-painted wooden box and found an oversized kraft paper envelope addressed to him. The sender's information read "Editorial Department of Composition Weekly," causing his heart to race with excitement.
Based on his countless experiences submitting work to this publication, he knew that regardless of whether they accepted submissions, they never returned manuscripts. Judging by the thickness of the envelope, he was certain it did not contain a rejection letter; rejected manuscripts were never this "plump"! Therefore, if it wasn't a rejection, it could only mean that it contained a sample copy!
He silently shouted in his heart: My work has really been published!
With trembling hands, Hu Ruoyun tore open the envelope and carefully pulled out its contents.
It was indeed five copies of Composition Weekly! He truly saw his name on the fourth page next to a poem titled "Son of the Land":
Son of the Land
Year-round
Cultivating in Mother Earth's embrace
In spring
Sowing hopes soaked in sweat
In autumn
Reaping
Heavy with joy
Son of the Land
Relying on the earth
Surely
Will rise.
Though short, Hu Ruoyun felt it held profound significance: this might be a milestone in his "literary career"!
Composition Weekly did not provide Hu Ruoyun with any payment for his work but sent five sample copies to him as the author, to his homeroom teacher, and to the school's Office of Academic Affairs. This was enough to satisfy and excite him, fueling his endless motivation for "creation."
Hu Ruoyun's "achievement" spread throughout Annan County's Eighth High School. Gao Jiazhuang, the class sports representative and an athletic standout known for his lively personality, rallied a group of classmates to cheer: "Hu Dacai has published a great work; he should treat us!"
Hu Ruoyun felt embarrassed: "It's just a small piece; it's nothing special..."
But under Gao Jiazhuang's lead, the group persisted in their playful demands.
During the school opening ceremony, Wang Bingbing, who had sung "Yellow Earth Plateau," now served as a broadcaster at the school radio station. With great emotion, she recited his poem during broadcasting time. Hearing that Hu Ruoyun was treating everyone, she specifically sought out her classmates to join in: "Let's all have some candy!"
In the end, Hu Ruoyun bought a bag of fruit candies from the school shop and distributed two pieces to each classmate.
Having a work published in Composition Weekly not only earned him admiration and envy from his peers but also brought honor to the school.
His poem was enlarged and photocopied by the school and posted on the news bulletin board.
Perhaps it was the influence of vanity, but Hu Ruoyun quietly observed that many classmates, and sometimes even teachers, stood around reading and critiquing.
Jiang Qiuying, who attended school in the county, along with class leader Zhao Hongtao and the Youth League Secretary Li Xiangqian, also wrote letters of congratulations and requested sample copies.
The so-called "underachiever" Brother Biao even penned a flowery note: "I am overjoyed to hear of my brother's great work being published. I hereby send my heartfelt congratulations and hope you will continue to strive for excellence and achieve even greater success..."
Hu Ruoyun felt a sense of elation deep within: so what if he wasn't good at studying? Perhaps being less academically inclined could lead him to become a writer.
Some things cannot be judged as right or wrong until the very last moment.
Hu Ruoyun became increasingly obsessed with "dedicated creation," which left him with even less inclination to study, and his academic performance continued to decline.
He was infatuated with the idea that he could become the next Wang Guozhen or a writer like Lu Yao, capable of producing extraordinary works akin to "Life" or "Ordinary World"!
It is worth noting that in the future, although Lu Yao passed away at a young age, his immortal work "Ordinary World" would be published repeatedly (not to mention the countless pirated editions), becoming a sensation.
In Hu Ruoyun's envisioned memories, while Jia Pingwa, Mo Yan, Yu Hua, and others were still exploring their writing paths, Zhang Xianliang had already gained fame with works like "Spirit and Flesh" (later adapted into the film "Horse Herder," which created a huge stir), "Half of a Man is a Woman," and "Shaw Black." His works were translated into over thirty languages and distributed worldwide, earning him enough royalties to become one of the richest writers in China.
Every year at the Writers' Association meetings, Zhang Xianliang would drive his BMW from Ningxia to Beijing while listening to records.
Hu Ruoyun naively believed that all children from poor families shared the same simple dream as he did: to be wealthy!
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