Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C42

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Chapter 42: Enshrined

At its peak, Young Literature boasted a readership of over eight hundred thousand per issue—but that was back in the 1970s and '80s.

By the turn of the millennium, the physical publishing industry had taken a hit. Back in the day, publishing a single poem in a literary journal could earn a writer countless letters from college students swooning over their words.

Nowadays, the aura once reserved for writers and poets seemed to have shifted largely to movie stars and pop idols.

Still, as the saying goes, "A dead camel is bigger than a horse." Even in the 2010s, being an author remained a respected profession, and Young Literature maintained a steady circulation of around thirty thousand copies per issue.

Most students didn’t buy youth literature magazines on their own—after all, their pocket money usually went toward more entertaining reads like Zhiyin Comics, Anime Frontline, or Dynamic New Forces.

To put it bluntly, families that subscribed to Young Literature tended to be well-off. Take Zhang Yudong and Zhou Lin, for instance. The former’s family only subscribed to milk delivery, while the latter’s also got Readers Digest.

Flipping through this month’s issue, Gu Lu found the reading map tucked inside:

---

If you’re eager to dive straight into the main content, feel free to skip this page. In truth, no matter which page you flip to, you’ll find joy. Especially in the fairy tale "Breaking the Pig" by a young boy who might be your age. His sharp observations and profound reflections on relationships offer us a fable-like story.

Parental guidance aims to help children grow, but at certain moments, adults struggle to understand their kids’ perspectives. Through an ordinary tale about a piggy bank, "Breaking the Pig" sheds light on this phenomenon.

"Who Asked You to Step on My Tail?"...

Fans of humorous fiction should check out "Ultraman: Believe in Light," and if you enjoy "Breaking the Pig," share it with your parents too!

Immerse yourself in the artistic corridors of novels, essays, documentaries, poetry, and more crafted especially for you in this issue. Enjoy the pure pleasure of reading!

Alright, see you on the feedback form!

—Recommendation by Jian Fangping

Illustration by Lan Yin

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Since this was a magazine aimed at teenagers, the tone of the introduction spoke directly to its student readers. More specifically, it adopted the voice of someone standing firmly on the side of the students.

The book featured numerous illustrations, with nearly every article accompanied by artwork. Each illustration credited its artist in the bottom-left corner.

For this issue, the reading map depicted a pig-shaped coin jar…

Many middle and high school students quickly remembered the name Gu Lu, the author of "Breaking the Pig," thanks to the glowing recommendation in the editorial note.

“Is it really that good?”

“You can show it to your parents? Seriously?”

“If it’s not interesting, I’m writing my critique afterward.”

Some students felt a twinge of rebellion. After all, past issues hadn’t hyped up authors quite like this.

Xiao Xi, a student at a prestigious middle school, picked up the magazine half-heartedly, seeking some entertainment. Physical publications still had relatively loose restrictions, sometimes even openly exploring budding emotions between middle schoolers.

[“Don’t worry,” I whispered into its ear. “I’ll save you.”...]

“Is this well-written? Where’s the brilliance?” Xiao Xi frowned, unimpressed. A story about a kid trying to rescue a piggy bank?

Besides, Xiao Xi wasn’t a fan of Fruit Ninja Attack.

The magazine contained various sections: [Novel Tribe], [Fairy Tale Space], [Rising Stars], [Essay Wind Chimes], and more.

"Breaking the Pig" appeared in [Rising Stars], a section featuring just one piece per issue. Xiao Xi preferred the stories in [Novel Tribe] since they were more plot-driven.

It didn’t take long to finish reading. Xiao Xi prepared to close her door and sneak in a bit of computer time—

“Bang!” The door wouldn’t shut. It dawned on her then: her parents, worried she’d use the computer to play games, had modified her bedroom door.

Her father, a structural engineer, wasn’t an interior designer, but tweaking a bedroom door was child’s play for him.

With the computer now in her room, Xiao Xi lost her private space. She understood her parents’ concerns, but a part of her regretted ever asking for the computer.

“Wait…” Xiao Xi suddenly paused, picking up the magazine again and flipping to the pages featuring the piggy bank story.

She reread it, unsure why, but this time, she felt a strong connection to the protagonist.

Making up her mind, Xiao Xi decided to do exactly what the editorial note suggested. Around seven o’clock, when her parents returned home from work, she brought them Breaking the Pig to read.

However, their reaction was far from what Xiao Xi expected.

“This Gu Lu is also a student? Incredible! So young and already publishing in magazines.”

“Xiao Xi, you should learn from him. A simple story about a piggy bank, yet he made it so engaging. Meanwhile, you can barely scrape together six hundred words for your essays.”

“We subscribed to this magazine so you could improve your writing. Look, Gu Lu is your role model.”

“The editors praised Gu Lu so much—I’d be thrilled if I were his parent.”

Her father flipped through other sections of Young Literature while her mother began checking her weekend homework.

On the final page was the feedback form—Young Literature’s June Issue Award Judging.

The questions were comprehensive, covering overall impressions of the issue, satisfaction with the cover, favorite sections, and more. Two particularly intriguing options were [My Favorite Article] and [My Least Favorite Article]. Xiao Xi had no interest in filling it out, but her father did…

What Gu Lu didn’t know was that Director Jian’s enthusiastic endorsement had given him a small reputation within the youth literature circle. Calling Director Jian his patron wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Director Jian had even submitted Breaking the Pig for the Huaxia National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award, held every three years. This submission coincided with the 2010-2012 cycle.

While winning on the first try would be difficult, Director Jian believed securing a nomination alone would be commendable.

As for Gu Lu, his confidence was still shaky. He hadn’t yet responded to Director Jian’s proposal about becoming a contracted author. For now, he only knew that a tough decision lay ahead.

Meanwhile, something monumental had happened in Class Five.

How monumental? Gu Lu didn’t know the details. All he knew was that the class monitor, Chen Na, had called him, insisting he come to school by 3:30 PM.

Sunday evening study sessions weren’t mandatory, but Chen Na sounded unusually serious.

“What could possibly be so important? She wouldn’t tell me anything, and she’s keeping it under wraps,” Gu Lu muttered. He was torn between laziness and curiosity.

“Fine. Heads, I go; tails, I don’t.”

Gu Lu pulled a fifty-cent coin from his piggy bank. As the coin landed on the back of his hand, the result was clear—

Heads.

In hindsight, Gu Lu should’ve enshrined that little piggy bank. Not only had it inspired The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God, but the coin it "spat out" had guided him to make the right choice.

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