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Chapter 8: Profound Depth
The parent company of Story Digest, Modu Century Publishing, was a colossal state-owned enterprise. Suffice it to say, its resources were vast, which explained how the magazine achieved nationwide distribution—a rarity in the publishing world.
Inside the editorial office of Story Digest, editors, assistant editors, and senior editors bustled about, their movements hurried yet purposeful.
Old Li, the deputy chief editor and head of the Red Edition Group A, was responsible for the second round of manuscript reviews.
Why "Old Li"? His seniority spoke for itself—he was a veteran of the publishing industry. Had he not switched jobs to be closer to his child’s schooling, Old Li would likely hold an even higher position at his previous publisher.
As one of the highest-circulation magazines in the country, Story Digest employed a rigorous review process beyond the traditional three-tier system of "initial review, secondary review, final review." There was also a "discussion" step where all editors debated whether to accept or reject a piece.
Even if a manuscript passed the three-tier review, rejection during the discussion phase was still possible.
"There are way too many submissions passing the secondary review this half-month," Old Li muttered, sipping tea from his ceramic cup. He accidentally drank a stray tea leaf and spat it back into the cup.
"The storytelling is weak—maybe I should put it on hold. Actually, no, just reject it outright. Even if it passes the secondary review, it won’t make it through the final."
"The First Beggar in the Seven-Year Kingdom is decent. The concept of the Seven-Year Kingdom reminds me of the Hollywood film Idiocracy. Approved."
Once immersed in his work, Old Li reviewed manuscripts with impressive speed, pausing only to sip his tea. Though he occasionally drank a stray leaf, his pace remained brisk.
He didn’t skim superficially; instead, he meticulously examined every detail—an innate talent that made him an ideal candidate for senior editor.
"Gu Lu… all eight submissions passed the initial review? That’s rare."
It wasn’t uncommon for authors to submit multiple pieces, but achieving a 100% pass rate was extraordinary.
The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God, Breaking the Pig, Good Intentions, Pipes, Shoes, A Souvenir of Hell, Hole in the Wall, The Flying Santinis. Gu Lu had submitted one more story than planned—but the reason for this would remain undisclosed for now.
Upon reviewing the notes left by the responsible junior editor, Old Li read: [Editor Li Muxi: The stories are well-written but don’t quite fit our magazine’s usual style. Still, they’re excellent.]
"What nonsense," Old Li grumbled, resolving to reprimand his subordinate later for being unreliable.
Good Intentions: "I never asked to become like this. It’s as though I’m possessed—but not by an evil spirit. By an angel. Damn it! If it were a devil possessing me, someone would’ve tried to kill me by now. But now?"
Shoes: "People have short memories," he said. "Especially when it comes to unpleasant events. People forget easily," he continued, "but you won’t. Every time you see a foreigner, you’ll remember what I told you. Every time you encounter foreign products—TVs or anything else—you’ll recall the parts and tubes hidden beneath the shiny packaging, made from the bones, skin, and flesh of our people."
The Flying Santinis: “You could have bent your knees,” whispered Papa Luigi and wiped one of the tears from my eyes. “You could have bent them a little. I wouldn’t have said anything.”
Old Li was utterly engrossed. So much so that he lifted his teacup twice without drinking.
Each story left the seasoned editor speechless—as though two champions' ultimate abilities had been simultaneously cast upon him.
"This author is incredible. They can turn mundane life events into something truly fascinating." After a long pause, Old Li offered this assessment.
Take The Flying Santinis, for example. It told the story of a foreign boy who watched a circus performance and decided to join. To test him, the ringmaster asked the boy to touch his toes without bending his knees. Overexerting himself, the boy ended up with a herniated disc.
Simple, yes—but paired with the ringmaster’s closing remark, the story took on deeper meaning. Should the boy’s failure be blamed on his honesty? Or does it reflect a broader truth?
"Success in society often requires bending your knees. Children may not understand this, but adults do."
It wasn’t overthinking on Old Li’s part. After reading all eight stories, he was certain that Gu Lu possessed profound insight.
The most impactful story for Old Li was Shoes. In the story the protagonist accompanied his grandfather to visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. Two weeks later, his parents gifted him a pair of sneakers from the country responsible for the atrocities. At first, he refused to wear them. However, after being forced to wear them during a soccer match, the unexpected comfort of the shoes made him completely forget the origin of the shoes.
"The ending is brilliant—it doesn’t dwell on guilt," Old Li reflected. "People are forgetful, and we often temporarily overlook things. There’s no need for guilt because the nation’s pain will forever be etched in our memory."
It was a shame. Had the submission arrived three months later, during the magazine’s annual patriotic story solicitation, Old Li believed Shoes would far surpass previous winning entries.
"Why didn’t Gu Lu submit these stories to Harvest or October, literary journals?" Old Li paused, then corrected himself. "Then again, these stories lack strong literary qualities—they wouldn’t pass muster there."
In short, Gu Lu’s writing was the most literary among Story Digest submissions but leaned heavily toward storytelling compared to Harvest or October.
Old Li approved seven of the eight stories, rejecting only Breaking the Pig, whose narrative depth couldn’t compensate for its weak plot.
Using the standard rejection email template, he wrote: [Dear Author, thank you sincerely for submitting to Story Digest...]. The template cited possible reasons for rejection, such as insufficient plot appeal, underdeveloped characters, lack of smooth language, or misalignment with the magazine's focus. They expressed hope for future submissions.
Story Digest rarely provided feedback—only 5% of cases reached the chief editor’s desk for detailed critique. However, out of admiration for the story, Old Li privately added: [Mr. Gu Lu, Breaking the Pig doesn’t align with Story Digest’s style, but I’d recommend submitting it to Young Literature. If interested, please contact me...]
"Hmm—" Old Li hesitated, unsure how to phrase his secondary review comments.
He now understood Editor Li Muxi’s initial remarks better—they were spot-on. Following suit, he penned a similar evaluation.
He wondered how Chief Editor Huo would react. Smiling faintly, Old Li felt a flicker of anticipation.
Meanwhile, Gu Lu, who had subtly challenged the editors, arrived in class early that morning to hear gossip spreading like wildfire.
Zhao Juan and Wang Wenjun had broken up!
Well, it wasn’t exactly gossip anymore. Zhao Juan entered the classroom with red-rimmed eyes, collapsed onto her seat, and began sobbing uncontrollably.
Three or four close female classmates gathered around to console her—excluding Zhou Lin, who was busy catching up on homework.
If not for Zhou Lin’s consistently top grades, her behavior might easily label her as a troublemaker: "Snacking during class," "coming to school late to finish homework," "passing notes during lessons..."
"But crying like this isn’t solving anything," Gu Lu realized. Zhao Juan, the math representative, was supposed to lead the morning reading session.
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