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Chapter 33: Hmm?
"The mother's heart is like a thermometer for her children’s emotions; mine must be reading below zero." This line from the book left a deep impression on Gu Lu.
"But Four Generations Under One Roof is so good, I can’t even put it into words. The only feeling I had after finishing was awe." The last time Gu Lu felt this way was after slogging through The Brothers Karamazov, sweating profusely by the end.
He had originally planned to return the book to Mr. Li’s office and maybe borrow a couple more—but unfortunately, Mr. Li wasn’t there. As usual, Gu Lu headed to Fat Boss’s place during lunch.
"Fat Boss, did you lose weight? You look thinner," Gu Lu remarked, sizing him up. It wasn’t his imagination—Fat Boss really did seem slimmer.
"Really?" Fat Boss lit up as if hearing celestial music. "I’ve been eating oatmeal to lose weight—I knew it was working!"
"Oatmeal diet? Do you eat it before or after meals?" Gu Lu asked curiously.
"Before... What do you mean 'before'? I’m only eating oatmeal!" Fat Boss corrected. "And I’ve been doing sit-ups in bed too."
Poor mattress. Gu Lu could almost hear its groans under the strain of Fat Boss’s movements. "What made you suddenly decide to do this?"
"My family arranged a blind date for me, and we’re meeting in a few days," Fat Boss confessed. "I figured I’d better get my act together."
"Good luck—I’ll be waiting for the wedding candy," Gu Lu said with genuine sincerity.
Fat Boss truly had changed. Gone were the wrinkled clothes and constant sweat stains—he now looked neat and tidy. Poor guy, he was about to fall head over heels in love. Shaking off the thought, Gu Lu opened his laptop.
Logging into his email, he noticed an overwhelming number of ads: Ping An Insurance, Tencent Weibo, and more.
"Tencent had a Weibo?"
Gu Lu deleted the spam but found two important messages today.
First, his story The Days Without Lei Feng had passed the preliminary round, and the official notification invited him to participate in the provincial competition for the Bingxin Cup.
Second, Young Literature finally sent confirmation that they would publish one of his pieces, along with instructions to add the editor’s QQ number.
"The provincial finals are just two days away," Gu Lu mused. "Why does the Bingxin Cup feel so much more complicated than the Ye Shengtao Cup?"
The address for the provincial round was Panzhihua, which shared a regional division with Chongqing. The top three winners from the provincial level would advance to the national finals in the capital.
"Maybe I should just skip it," Gu Lu thought. Both competitions served the same purpose—winning both would merely be gilding the lily. Given the time and effort required, it was time to make a choice.
After much deliberation, Gu Lu decided to drop the Bingxin Cup. A quick online search revealed that the registration fees for the provincial and national rounds were steep, especially considering travel expenses to the capital.
The Ye Shengtao Cup, entered under the school’s name, covered all costs and even allowed Mr. Li to accompany them. But entering individually meant footing the bill himself—a bridge too far.
"My royalties are still too low," Gu Lu lamented. "If only I could release a book." Unfortunately, his current fame wasn’t enough to convince publishers to compile his short stories into a collection. Besides, he didn’t have enough published works yet.
Next, he tackled the second task: adding the editor’s QQ number. Drawing from past experience, he preemptively informed the editor that he was underage. Predictably, the editor didn’t believe him and insisted on calling to discuss further.
Unlike last time, when Gu Lu had to rush home to take the call, he now carried his phone everywhere in case the editor needed to reach him urgently. Though the school banned phones in classrooms, Gu Lu rarely used his, so it posed no issue.
Thus, another editor joined Old Li in being utterly astonished upon learning Gu Lu’s age.
"Done."
Hanging up, Gu Lu stretched lazily and opened a webpage—the official site of Story Digest. At the top were tabs labeled [Homepage], [Past Issues], [Submission Guidelines], [Story Window], and [Journal Announcements].
Clicking on "Story Window," he browsed reader feedback:
"Humor stories aren’t funny anymore," "May Red Edition quality has dropped," "Loved Knocking on a Rainy Night is pretty good," "Why don’t many newsstands in Zhucheng sell Story Digest anymore?"...
After scrolling through pages, he finally spotted comments about his work.
Cyril16: [Rare to see an author write two pieces. Good Intentions and Hole in the Wall stand out uniquely among the other stories—not bad.]
Nine Oranges: [Good Intentions’ author Gu Lu sounds like some philosopher dude, hahaha.]
That was it.
"So little feedback," Gu Lu sighed. "Without releasing single volumes, it’s impossible to build a readership."
He prayed silently: Next time, let it trigger a novel—preferably not too literary, though. Something like Decisive Moments in History could only serve as inventory, requiring prior study before publication.
After school, Gu Lu visited the teacher’s office again. By now, he felt no trace of the initial nervousness.
"Mr. Li, I’ve finished these books," Gu Lu said, handing them back to Mr. Li.
"What did you think of them? Share your thoughts," Mr. Li prompted.
They’re awesome. Gu Lu resisted the urge to use such a college-student-style exclamation.
"The characters feel authentic, untouched by the author’s presence," Gu Lu began. "We often talk about seeing the big picture through small details, and this book perfectly embodies that idea. Through ordinary people, we witness the history of forty million lives during the fall of Beiping—it’s breathtaking."
Mr. Li nodded, pleased with the response. "These books are yours to keep—you don’t need to return them."
"I don’t have space at home to store them, so I figured I’d give them back," Gu Lu replied.
Though curious about the student’s living conditions, Mr. Li said nothing, simply clearing a spot on his cluttered desk to place Four Generations Under One Roof, Rickshaw Boy, and Gibran’s Poems.
"This is Chen Zhongshi’s White Deer Plain. Take it and read it. You have talent—don’t squander it like the prodigy Zhong Yong."
Reaching into his drawer, Mr. Li pulled out a recently finished book. Gu Lu realized how much Mr. Li loved reading.
"Thank you, Mr. Li." Gu Lu accepted the book.
However, as Mr. Li moved around, he accidentally knocked over a vase. Gu Lu quickly caught it.
"Ah, roses," Gu Lu noted, glancing at the flowers.
"I grew them at home and brought them here to brighten the room," Mr. Li explained with a smile. "If you like them, they’re yours."
"Peach blossoms are noble guests, plums are pure guests, orchids are secluded guests, peaches are enchanting guests, apricots are flamboyant guests... but roses are assassins," Mr. Li said. "In ancient times, roses were called ‘heaven’s favored children.’ I hope you become one too."
"Really? Roses have that meaning?" Gu Lu asked, surprised.
"Of course," Mr. Li chuckled. "China is one of the origins of roses—they’ve been around for ages."
Damn! Gu Lu marveled at how knowledgeable Mr. Li was. All he knew was that roses symbolized love; everything else was new information.
Becoming a "heaven’s favored child" might be ambitious, but Gu Lu resolved to excel as a literary plagiarist!
As Gu Lu took the rose—
[Highest-selling fairy tale][Critique of adult values][Merchandise monster]
"?!"
Just the first tag made Gu Lu gasp. Combined with the fact that the triggering object was the rose in his hand, it confirmed what he suspected.
If Andersen’s Fairy Tales and Grimm’s Fairy Tales existed in this world, then the remaining option could only be The Little Prince.
The "merchandise monster" tag sealed the deal. No fairy tale inspired more merchandise than The Little Prince: bookends, keychains, snow globes—you name it. It dominated half the shelves in gift shops.
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