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墨書 Inktalez
The ideal of earning money by writing had always been appealing, but in my memories of the future, the largest sum I ever made from writing seemed to come from a web novel titled "Humanity's Forbidden Island," which I published on a platform called "XX Novels," earning over two thousand yuan. In that era, that amount was hardly significant.
Suddenly, Hu Ruoyun had an idea: could I submit it now to magazines like "Story Collection" or "World of Stories"?
Perhaps many things can only be "foreseen" and cannot be changed, but novels are inherently etched in my mind. Now, I was merely bringing them out ahead of time; it should work, right?
In the 1980s and 1990s, magazines starting with "Story" such as "Story Collection," "Storyteller," and "World of Stories" had a tremendous influence in rural areas. Every village subscribed to them, and their circulation was extremely high. The first extracurricular book Hu Ruoyun ever read was "Story Collection," and it was also the one he read the most. This magazine was likely the most influential popular publication of that time.
Hu Ruoyun's "Humanity's Forbidden Island" tells the story of a sales champion from a certain company, Qin Jian, who, along with five colleagues, enjoys a ten-day trip to Southeast Asia as a reward from the company. However, three days into their cruise, they encounter a maritime disaster. Initially thought to be a natural disaster, it turns out to be part of a shocking conspiracy.
Countless passengers perish at sea, while Qin Jian and some survivors wash up on a deserted island with no fresh water or food, and they are attacked by wolves. After enduring numerous hardships, they unexpectedly stumble upon a massive cache of pirate loot.
They discover an underground arms depot built by the Island Nation during World War II. To survive, they must fight against the harsh natural environment; to stay alive, they must contend with pirates; and for national interests, they must battle against the formidable ships and cannons of the Island Nation's enemies!
The book is divided into three volumes: "The Lost World," "The Game of Nations," and "Red and Black in the Real World." Because the last volume has a strong historical context, Hu Ruoyun decided to delete it and modify some content to better fit contemporary understanding.
The original 260,000 words were compressed to less than 100,000 words. Even so, writing it out meticulously on grid paper took Hu Ruoyun one and a half months of evening study time, consuming nearly four notebooks.
The thick manuscript could not be sent via regular mail; it had to be shipped as a package, costing nearly five yuan in postage.
The seed had been sown; whether it would sprout remained uncertain. All that was left was to wait.
During the midterm exams, Hu Ruoyun scored 374 points, ranking 24th among fifty-four classmates.
Hu Ruoyun also thought about studying hard to get into even a vocational college based on merit. However, focus eluded him; he struggled to remember English words and couldn't grasp geometry or algebra. Physics and chemistry were equally baffling.
Hu Ruoyun once again realized that some predictions can only remain as predictions, truly unchangeable.
Hu Ruoyun wrote a letter to Brother Biao: "You slacker! How did you do in the exam at No. 1 High School this time? Did you drag down their average score again?"
Brother Biao replied, stating that Jiang Qiuying scored 595, Zhao Hongtao scored 523, and Li Xiangqian scored 541... Finally, he drew a big crying face on the paper and confessed that he only scored 423.
In the end, he asked Hu Ruoyun how much he had scored.
Brother Biao's progress made Hu Ruoyun understand why so many families were willing to spend money and use connections to choose schools in the future. The school culture, teacher quality, and learning atmosphere of good schools were indeed different!
However, Brother Biao's progress also left Hu Ruoyun feeling somewhat unbalanced. In his reply to Brother Biao, he mischievously avoided mentioning his own score and simply wrote back: "Guess!"
The homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, whose full name was Wang Hongjian, was the instructor of the school's Qingju Literary Society. He had once been a top student at County No. 1 High School and a prominent figure among his graduating class. He had just graduated last year from the Political Education Department of a provincial normal university.
Among the students, there were rumors that Teacher Wang had also been an impressive figure during his time at the normal university: president of the student council, head of the journalism club! He wrote poetry and novels, had beautiful calligraphy skills, and even represented his school in a provincial college speech competition where he won third place!
It was said that he could have stayed at the university, but for some unknown reason right before graduation, he made a mistake that not only prevented him from staying but also made him unhireable by any school in Annan County.
Annan County's Eighth Middle School was located in Gaoqiao Town. Proper graduates from normal universities preferred to work in the county rather than go "down to the countryside." Even some teachers who had been assigned there previously sought ways to transfer out. The school was truly lacking in qualified staff and was desperate for talent.
Old Principal Zheng Zhi took risks and bore pressure to recruit Teacher Wang to Annan County's Eighth High School, but he couldn't resolve Teacher Wang's employment issue. So even now, Wang Hongjian was still just a substitute teacher. Although he received annual recognition from both the school and the county, he could not become a formal teacher. He worked just like other formal teachers but did not enjoy the same benefits.
Teacher Wang loved reading and writing; many of his works appeared in various newspapers and magazines across the province, some even winning awards. Due to their shared interests, Teacher Wang and Hu Ruoyun seemed less like teacher and student and more like close friends across generations or literary companions with much in common.
Although Hu Ruoyun struggled with most subjects, his performance in Language was decent. Coupled with their bond over literature, this earned him special attention from Teacher Wang.
Teacher Wang read Hu Ruoyun's "Humanity's Forbidden Island" carefully. Although he himself did not write such "trivial things," he commented, "The story is strong, with a plot full of twists and turns, and it has a high readability."
He told Hu Ruoyun, "If I were the editor of 'Story Collection,' I would definitely accept your work."
This encouragement greatly inspired Hu Ruoyun.
Over a decade of reform and opening up had led to rapid agricultural development, improving the lives of rural areas and farmers. However, the hands reaching into farmers' pockets became increasingly numerous: various levels of schools promoted so-called "teaching aids," exclusive high-priced agricultural supplies from supply and marketing cooperatives, and various certificates that departments forced citizens to obtain...
Even the essential Spring Festival couplets and firecrackers required operators to obtain relevant paid permits from the village cultural station; otherwise, if discovered by the village's "law enforcement," their goods would be confiscated.
At this time, Teacher Wang was only about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, brimming with youthful vigor and arrogance. He was quite resistant to these phenomena.
Perhaps it is a common flaw among literati; when they have something on their minds but do not express it, they feel like they might explode. Yet once expressed, there are two possible outcomes: one is that without a sufficiently high platform, your words have little impact, and those involved treat your comments as inconsequential. The other is that your words spark significant reactions, but you cannot bear the consequences of the immense impact that follows...
As Teacher Wang wrote fewer pure literary works like poetry and essays, he increasingly turned to investigative reports and commentaries reflecting social realities, with his writing becoming sharper and more incisive.
Eventually, Teacher Wang faced consequences for "speaking out of turn" and "stirring up trouble." Not only was he reprimanded, but he also nearly lost his temporary teaching position.
It wasn't until later, after graduating from Jiangbei University with a practical talent-oriented diploma, that Hu Ruoyun realized that while media personnel within the system faced many restrictions, there was also organization behind it.
As an individual, no matter how correct or reasonable your statements may be, they remain merely your personal opinions without any organizational endorsement, making it easy for trouble to arise.
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