Chapter 283 Germination
It is much closer to Shanghai from the city than from the village.
Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi set out early and arrived in Shanghai at ten o'clock in the morning.
Every time I came to Shanghai before, Wen Susu would pick me up. My sister is still attending classes in Yanjing, and Cailing is also in training. Right now, there are only Fang Wei and Zhiyi, and I feel a little uncomfortable for a while.
"Let's go. We'll take the bus or subway to the magazine office. It'll take an hour to get there. Let's find something to eat and take a rest at noon."
"Yeah~!"
Fang Wei held the girl's hand and took her away from the pier. After checking the route, they got on the bus together.
Although this was once the city where he lived, he was still young when he left and had not lived here for a long time. Liu Zhiyi could not remember many routes and the like.
When she was reading books before, she was very surprised when she saw others describe something as "strange yet familiar", thinking that this was a sentence with contradictory and wrong words. It was not until she grew up and experienced more and more things that the girl realized that there were really many such strange yet familiar moments in life.
Fortunately, Fang Wei was with her, and the two of them walked hand in hand on the streets of the city. Not to mention that this was Shanghai, even if it was a strange city she had never been to, Liu Zhiyi could feel at ease.
The magazine is located on Julu Road, and the Shanghai Writers Association is also there.
After a round of bus and subway transfers, Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi arrived here smoothly. Looking at this path with a unique literary atmosphere from outside, it felt quite magical. After all, countless good stories were born here, printed into books and finally delivered to every literature lover.
The time agreed with the editors was two o'clock in the afternoon. Although they had already arrived here, Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi were not in a hurry to contact the editors. Instead, they strolled around Julu Road outside the magazine office.
Julu Road is also one of the 64 small roads in Shanghai that will never be widened. It is shaded by deep plane trees.
The Bud and Writers Association was established in a garden house in the former concession. It was formerly the Liu Family Courtyard. It is said that it cost 1931 silver dollars, took seven years to build, and covered thousands of square meters. It was completed in as a love gift for his wife on her th birthday. The statues of the gods of love, Pitkur and Psyche, in the courtyard are beautiful witnesses that stand to this day.
"Zhiyi, have you been here before?"
"No, but I have passed by it before!"
"It's more than just passing by, right? You must have secretly come to see it when you were a child, right?"
"Forehead……"
The girl chuckled, implicitly acknowledging Fang Wei's guess.
After all, she had a dream of becoming a writer since she was a child. Knowing that the address of the magazine was in Shanghai, how could she not be curious and come to take a look.
"But I haven't been in yet!"
"Then you have a chance today, and you are invited in."
"Hey, what are we going to eat for lunch?"
Fang Wei was choked by her sudden change of style and said with a smile: "Then, let's eat McDonald's?"
"it is good!"
There was a McDonald's nearby, so the two went there to eat together. McDonald's was also a place for rest, so after eating and taking a short break, they soon arrived at the agreed time.
At 1:30 in the afternoon, Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi appeared at the gate of the compound on time.
I didn't go in myself, but called editor Baiyun first to let him know.
"Hey……?"
The girl who was not used to making phone calls always spoke in a weak voice. Although Editor Baiyun had never met her, he could always tell what kind of personality she had from her voice.
"Is that Nanfeng? I'm Baiyun. Have you arrived in Shanghai now?"
"Yeah, I'm already at the door of the magazine..."
"So soon! Mi Qing hasn't come yet. I'll go downstairs to pick you up now. Please wait for a moment!"
"Yes, please help Teacher Baiyun..."
"No trouble!"
Maybe most writers are introverted, especially girls. As an editor, Bai Yun has come into contact with many authors and has long been accustomed to this introverted group. If he hadn't come here to sign the contract, he would have probably not known what Nanfeng, who had written for him for so many years, looked like until the day he left!
Of course, some authors are socially anxious, and some authors are "socially anxious". It depends on the individual.
After hanging up the phone, Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi waited at the door together.
Soon, hurried footsteps were heard, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses, a plaid shirt, trousers, and leather sandals walked out quickly.
This is probably what is popular in later generations as 'meeting online friends in person'?
On weekdays, the two parties only communicated through letters, phone calls and QQ. Liu Zhiyi had been writing for editor Baiyun for four years, and it was not until today that the young writer and her editor met for the first time.
When Editor Bai Yun saw the overly young boy and girl in front of him, he was still a little stunned and was stunned for a long time before he asked uncertainly:
"Classmate...you are Nanfeng?"
"..."
Ugh! Don't call me by my pen name in real life! It sounds so embarrassing!
The introverted Liu Zhiyi just nodded after hearing his question and said in a low voice: "Hmm..."
"You, you are really Nan Feng?!"
Editor Baiyun was shocked!
Before meeting her, I had imagined what Nanfeng looked like, and I could tell from her voice that she was young, but I never thought she would be this young.
I had originally prepared myself that Nan Feng might be a college student, or a young woman in her twenties who had just graduated, but I never expected that she would actually look like a young high school student.
"Hello, Teacher Baiyun..."
"...Hello, hello! Nanfeng, you really surprised me. I never thought you were so young! I have been in this industry for 20 years, and you are the youngest author I have ever met! You should still be in school, right? In... high school?"
"Yeah... I'm still in the first year of high school."
"..."
Editor Baiyun didn’t know what to say.
Because his daughter is also in the first year of high school.
They are both girls in the first year of high school. His own daughter gives him a headache, but when he looks at the other girl, he finds that she has been writing for four years and has become a well-known youth literature writer!
When realizing this, Editor Baiyun was even more shocked - "So, have you been submitting articles to Mengya since you were in the first grade of junior high school? The article "Sea Breeze Blowing" was written by you when you were in the first grade of junior high school? It's not a memoir... but something you were experiencing at the time?!"
"Um... it's not entirely a true story. There are some literary embellishments."
"Nanfeng, you really surprised me!"
It seems like this is the second time he said this, and you can tell that Editor Baiyun is really surprised.
Editor Baiyun smiled helplessly and said, "I thought you might call me brother because of the age difference between us, but now it seems that you have to call me uncle! My daughter is the same age as you!"
"No... Teacher Baiyun is also very young..."
"Haha, although I often think so myself, but when I really stand in front of you young people, I realize that I am really old."
In fact, Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi were also quite surprised when they met Editor Bai Yun, because he sounded relatively young over the phone, and he had always been in charge of the Youth Affairs section, so they subconsciously thought that Editor Bai Yun might be just a young man in his twenties or thirties, but they didn't expect that he was the same age as their father.
The heart never ages even when the person is old! Whether it is poetry, prose or novels, for a literature lover like him, it is the ultimate romance of youth.
"Then this student is..."
"Hello, Mr. Baiyun. My name is Fang Wei. I am... Nanfeng's deskmate. I came here with her this time. I'm sorry to bother you. I've always liked Mengya's magazine."
Seeing that Editor Baiyun and Zhiyi both addressed each other by pen names, Fang Wei also started to call Zhiyi by his pen name.
The girl felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this. She was so ashamed! So embarrassed!
"Hello, classmate Fang Wei! Since Nanfeng invited you to come along, I guess you two must be very good friends! It's not a bother at all, and we welcome all our readers to come and visit us!"
"Teacher Mi Qing hasn't arrived yet, so let's not just stand here. I'll take you in for a tour first!"
"Yes, please trouble Teacher Baiyun."
It's only 1:30 in the afternoon and the agreed time is 2 o'clock. Editor Mi Qing from the publishing house is probably still on the way, so she is definitely not late.
They had been looking outside the gate before, but now they had personally walked into this hall where literary dreams were nurtured. Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi were both very interested in visiting the environment here.
"That's the office of the Writers Association, and this is our office of Mengya. We are also a subordinate unit of the Writers Association, and we usually work in this area."
There are introverts and extroverts among editors, and Editor Baiyun is obviously the more talkative type.
I think this is not the first time he has taken the author on a tour. He gave a very detailed introduction, just like a professional tour guide.
Once a magnificent garden house in the concession, it is now covered with ivy, which obscures the former splendor of the building and adds a touch of charm that comes from the vicissitudes of time.
Enter from the side door and go up to the second floor along the elegant spiral staircase, where you will see the words "Mengya" written by Mr. Lu Xun.
Walking along the corridor that has been divided into several offices, there are many mail packages piled at the door, probably newly published books or letters of submission.
The magazine display rack nearby displays the "Mengya" magazines from past years neatly. Those covers, whether familiar or unfamiliar, carry the youth stories of countless authors and readers.
Walking along the corridor, there are commemorative photos hanging on the walls. There are photos of famous writers visiting when they were young. Their immature faces are in sharp contrast with their current achievements, which makes people sigh at the growth and transformation of the literary road. There are also group photos of winners of the New Concept Composition Competition holding their honors. The young writers in the photos are full of vigor and vitality.
The door of the editorial office was half-open. When I quietly peeked in, I could see the busy figures of the editors. The tables were piled with manuscripts. They had frowned faces, carefully reviewing every word, and were circling and dotting on the paper with their red pens from time to time.
"It feels quite novel, right?" Editor Bai Yun said with a smile.
"Hmm! It's like a literary dream factory!"
"Teacher Baiyun has been an editor here for twenty years? Have you ever written anything yourself before?"
"Of course I did. I still remember how I felt when I submitted my manuscript for the first time! I checked the address several times for fear of sending it to the wrong address. I went to the post office to buy stamps and affixed them. Sometimes the manuscript was too heavy, so I had to weigh it to avoid owing postage. When I put the manuscript into the mailbox, what was it like? It was like sending a love poem to my first love far away. I was uneasy for a long time, and the sweet wait eventually turned into bitter torment, just like a broken heart!"
Editor Baiyun recounted his experience of submitting articles back then, and he realized that it was inappropriate to describe it as love, after all, the boy and girl in front of him were still young... But when he thought about it, wasn't that what Nanfeng himself wrote about!
Perhaps it was because she was just going through this youthful age that the things she wrote were not as sad and dull as those old people's.
"I, I was also like this when I submitted my first manuscript! Very nervous!" Liu Zhiyi expressed his deep feelings.
"You are a young celebrity, aren't you? I personally reviewed your article "Sea Breeze Blowing". I was thinking at the time that although the author's writing style is mature and sophisticated, the article still retains a youthful purity and sincerity. It really made me feel refreshed. I didn't expect that you were only in the first grade at that time! Oh...it turns out that writing is also a matter of talent."
Editor Bai Yun shook his head and smiled bitterly, feeling both envious and sad. He had seen too many talented writers during the years of Mengya's development, but he was not one of them. For the sake of his literary dream, he failed to become a writer and became an editor instead.
"I, I wasn't very good at writing then..."
"That's amazing! To be honest, Nanfeng, you are the most talented and promising author under my command. I also hope that you can go far enough on this path!"
"Thank you also to Teacher Baiyun for your guidance and cultivation..."
"Hey, that's not cultivation. You should know about the New Concept Essay Competition. You are of a suitable age. If possible, I hope you can participate. If you can win a place in the competition, it will be of great help to your studies and the development of your writing career."
"Yeah... our teacher also told us about it, but the school usually organizes everyone to participate in the second year of high school..."
"Just give it a try. The New Concept Essay Competition is an authoritative essay competition held by Mengya and more than ten well-known universities such as Peking University and Fudan University. The winners can basically get the qualification of recommendation for admission to major universities. In this regard, I am very optimistic about you!"
Just as Fang Wei guessed, Editor Baiyun didn't know that Liu Zhiyi was still a student so he didn't tell her about the essay competition. After finding out that she was only in the first year of high school, he couldn't help but urge her to find an opportunity to participate.
The New Concept Writing Competition is of great value these days and is also known as the domestic "Chinese Language Olympiad". Han Han, a well-known emerging writer born in the 1980s, emerged from the first New Concept Writing Competition.
When the topic of new concepts came up, the three of them talked a little more. Although Fang Wei did not write himself, he also knew some new concepts and their development in the future.
Many writers who emerged from Mengya and New Concept eventually formed their own factions and competed with Mengya.
"Does this mean that Mengya is helping others?" Fang Wei asked with a smile.
Editor Bai Yun was very straightforward about this question and said with a smile, "You can't say that! We at Mengya belong to the Writers Association, not any individual. Now is the heyday of Mengya, and it is not difficult to make someone famous, but we at Mengya would never say that a contract requires someone to write only for us in the future."
"To borrow a phrase our editor-in-chief often says, 'hopefully, the budding is where many young writers begin to shine. Then they spread their wings and fly high, and we train the next group of people. This has been the case for the past fifty years. This is the meaning and weight of the word 'budding'."
No matter how much sincerity there is in such words, the fact is that Mengya has always done this. This purity in literature still moved Fang Wei and Liu Zhiyi deeply.
"But... Nanfeng, when you have a good manuscript in the future, can you still give priority to us Mengya? And what about your new book?"
"I'm writing, I'm writing!"
The girl scratched her head and laughed sheepishly.
(Thanks to LH_Wang for being the leader~! The boss is generous! The boss is making a fortune!)
(2025 is coming, and I wish everyone a happy new year~!)
(End of this chapter)
