Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 95: The Most Unfaithful Man in Yan University

Two days later, Zhang Chao received Xia Da's email, and he was indeed in a dilemma.

It is certainly a good thing that "Your Name" has moved from a monthly magazine to a more influential weekly magazine, but given Xia Da's own output, Zhang Chao would not let her learn from the Japanese painters to sleep two or three hours a day and finally die suddenly on the drawing table.

So if he wanted to ensure both quality and quantity, Xia Da had to have an assistant. But she stayed in her hometown in Hunan Province all year round. Which painter would go there to be his assistant? The Internet was not well developed now, and it was not realistic to rely entirely on the Internet for coordination. Sending files back and forth would be exhausting.

After much thought, there was only one solution, that is, Xia Da came to Yanjing to develop. Only in a big city could she find an artist with high enough skills and willing to be her assistant to help her complete the weekly series.

In 2004, when cartoonists were scarce in China, even the capital of Hunan Province might not have such talents.

As for the expenses, roughly speaking, one of the four issues of "Weekly YOUNG JUMP" each month is used to pay the rent in Yanjing, two issues are used to pay the assistants' expenses, and the remaining one issue is Xia Da's own income.

However, the income from serialization in Yanjing Cartoons would also increase accordingly. If Editor-in-Chief Yan agreed to serialize more than 60 pages in one issue, Xia Da could probably earn nearly 8000 yuan, which was considered relatively high in Yanjing at that time.

So roughly speaking, Xia Da's total income should not be low, but the price is to leave his hometown and come to the hustle and bustle of Beijing. Adapting to the living environment here is often more difficult than adapting to the intensity of work.

Not everyone has the courage to dive into this world like little Song Jia.

Zhang Chao summarized his ideas into text and sent it to Xia Da. He also communicated with Yan Baohua, the editor-in-chief of "Yenching Cartoon", by phone.

"I'm afraid your idea won't work. She won't come to Yanjing again."

"Again?"

"Don't you know? Before returning to her hometown in Hunan Province, Xia Da lived in Beijing for a while, and suffered a lot. At that time, her royalties were slightly higher than her rent, and she had little money left for food after paying the rent every month.

During the most difficult time, Xia Da survived by eating porridge every day, and once fainted from hunger on the drawing table. Finally, she could not hold on any longer and returned to her hometown. Do you think she will come again? Well, "Your Name" should be serialized in a monthly magazine. By the way, don't tell Xia Da what I told you. "

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Chao could only sigh that Xia Da was not going to have this fate.

But unexpectedly, that night, when Zhang Chao checked his mailbox, he received an email from Xia Da, which contained only two lines of text: "I'm coming. But I hope you can help me find a room. I want to start working as soon as I get to Yanjing. I'll pay you back later."

This made Zhang Chao admire Xia Da, who was really willing to risk his life for comics.

It wasn't hard to find a house. He understood that Xia Da meant to find a cheaper house to be used as both a studio and her residence. Although Zhang Chao didn't have time to look for one himself, it would be no problem to ask an agent to do it.

But is it really necessary to maintain the serialization of "Your Name" in this way?
Unable to come up with an idea at the moment, Zhang Chao simply went to an agent to post his requirements - a two-bedroom apartment within the Third Ring Road, within 2000 yuan.

At that time, the rent in Yanjing had not yet taken off along with the housing prices, so although it was not low, it was still possible to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Dongcheng or Xicheng for 2000 yuan.

After finishing these things, Zhang Chao returned to his peaceful campus life. In addition to the daily courses, what attracted people to Yanda was the rich and colorful lectures. Zhang Chao happened to see a poster on the bulletin board of the Chinese Department that day, saying that Professor Kong Qingdong was going to give a lecture on the theme of "Love in Jin Yong's Novels". He was quite interested and signed up to participate.

On the day of the lecture, Zhang Chao arrived on time, but he didn't expect that the lecture hall was already packed with people. He finally found an aisle to sit down. Kong Qingdong's class is really popular in Yanda.

Soon after the lecture began, Mr. Kong took the microphone and began to speak in his unique accent:
"...Master Jin Yong often uses various contradictions to create the preciousness of love. For example, Guo Jing and Huang Rong, their backgrounds, personalities, and hobbies, none of which can meet the "resonance" or "understanding" emphasized by people today, are completely incompatible. But in Master Jin's writing, they are extremely harmonious, and they develop a chivalrous spirit of loving the country and the people, which is considered to be the "correct" love..."

"Guo Jing and Huang Rong never said 'I love you' to each other, but who can deny that there is an everlasting love between them? This is Jin Yong's expression of the traditional Chinese view of love. But since we began to introduce and imitate Western performative love, this kind of love that truly belongs to the traditional Chinese culture has gradually become extinct. Some people require to say 'I love you' every day, otherwise they don't love. Some people must say good night every day, otherwise they don't love..."

"…Snake White deliberately made it rain to trick Xu Xian into giving her an umbrella, Zhu Yingtai pretended to be crazy and foolish to tease Liang Shanbo, the Seven Fairies blocked Dong Yong's way, and Cowherd took away the clothes of the Weaver Girl while she was bathing - in a great love, someone has to be a hooligan first!"

Kong Qingdong sometimes quoted extensively, sometimes made jokes, and frequently came up with witty sentences. The students' emotions were constantly aroused by his lecture, sometimes they were thinking deeply, and sometimes they laughed out loud. Before they knew it, the get out of class was over.

Kong Qingdong asked the students present: "These are my views on love. You are all younger than me. I wonder how young people now view love? Does anyone have something to say?"

At this time, a boy raised his hand high and immediately got the chance to speak. He took the microphone and said, "I think Jin Yong portrayed traditional love perfectly, but for modern people's free love, we still have to look to the great master. In his "Sorrowful Death", Zijun and Junsheng..."

At this time, someone who knew him was whispering, "This is Cong Zhichen, a Chinese 02nd grader, he might be able to speak normally..."

Soon, Cong Zhichen finished his speech and the students all applauded enthusiastically. Kong Qingdong said, "Xiao Cong's speech was good. In fact, traditional love and free love are not contradictory. What makes them look different is actually the moral values ​​of different times..."

Kong Qingdong suddenly glanced with his big eyes, then focused with his small eyes, and finally confirmed that it was Zhang Chao sitting on the stairs in the back row, and immediately asked: "Zhang Chao, what do you think of love?"

The noisy discussions in the classroom suddenly quieted down, and everyone looked at Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao took the microphone awkwardly, sorted out his thoughts, and then stood up and said, "I think that no matter whether it is Jin Yong or Mr. Da, the description of love in most literary works, no matter how beautiful it is, is too heavy. I think that although love is between men and women - well, of course it can also be between non-men and women..."

The whole classroom burst into laughter. Zhang Chao waited for a while before continuing, "...a kind of bond. But it shouldn't be so heavy. Responsibility can't define love, nor can sacrifice, and certainly not the law. Love should have a kind of lightness of doing nothing and having no intention..."

As Zhang Chao answered, the buzz in the classroom became louder and louder, and everyone was discussing this somewhat special concept of love.

When Zhang Chao finished his speech and put down the microphone, a girl's voice came from somewhere: "Does this mean you don't want to take responsibility?"

Zhang Chao: “……!?”

Then, a boy immediately said in a strange tone that was not sure whether it was praise or criticism:
"As expected of Zhang Chao, the most unfaithful man in our Yanda University!"

(End of this chapter)