Chapter 40 "Ah" Li Bai
Chapter 40 "Ah" Li Bai
On Monday, Wang Zixu had forgotten everything about yesterday's chat before he went to work. When he noticed the complicated looks from his colleagues, he thought his trouser zipper was unzipped.
He secretly ran to the bathroom to check, and the moment he returned to his office and sat down, Zhang Cangnian walked in and said, "Our star character is here to work!"
Wang Zixu spread his hands, thinking what a new way of teasing people this was. Zhang Cangnian said:
"I spent this weekend without seeing you, but you were everywhere. At my family dinner, all we talked about was you."
Wang Zixu said, ah?
Office Director Xu Shichao usually passed by and heard them chatting, so he came in and said:
"You're not exaggerating, you know? My daughter always tells me the story of Wang Zixu and Lin Feng when she comes home!"
Zhang Cangnian asked, "Your daughter is just in kindergarten, right?"
Xu Shichao said: "I'm in primary school. Third grade."
Zhang Cangnian: "How come it's so fast? He was only a little kid when I last saw him, and now he's already in the third grade."
Xu Shichao said: "Who says it's not true? Life is short."
The topic of their conversation gradually strayed, but Wang Zixu's thoughts were still on his fame. He asked, how did your daughter know me?
He was very sure that there were no girls in the third grade of elementary school in his circle of friends.
Xu Shichao smiled: "You don't know her, but she knows you. Their Chinese teacher told the students what happened at the wine table a few days ago, telling them that they need to read more, accumulate more, and settle down more in order to shine in life."
In fact, the Chinese teacher also said that a small figure like Wang Zixu, in the face of a literary elder like Lin Feng, could bravely show himself without being humble or overbearing. Think about it, if you were to write an essay, what other angles could you start from? Oh, what is it? We should not appeal to authority, but when facing authority, we should also bravely express our own opinions...
The students were in an uproar, discussing what "authority" meant. One boy said, "I know. My father said that authority is determined by the power of one's fists!" The teacher said, "Li Zixuan, sit down! Did I let you talk as you please?"
It's a pity that Wang Zixu didn't know what the teacher said. If he knew, he would probably vomit three bowls of blood on the spot. I am obviously the authority on literary common sense. Why should we look at fame instead of knowledge?
Zhang Cangnian smiled and said, "It's the same in my family. At my family dinner on Sunday, my son's sister-in-law asked me if Wang Zixu was from our unit. I said, yes, I talk nonsense with him every day. She asked if what they said was true, saying that Lin Feng was embarrassed. I said that was not true, I was at the dinner table that day..."
Wang Zixu was relieved a little. After he and Lin Feng came up with four versions of the story, they despaired of both human nature and their own reputation. He didn't expect that when he heard in the office, everyone was still inclined to the good story theory.
There are still many good people in the world.
At this point, Wang Zixu saw Guo Ranran passing by the door and glared at him. If the eyes had substance, they would definitely slap Wang Zixu in the face, which made him feel puzzled.
Then, other colleagues came in and out, making his office extremely lively. Everyone was talking about how many stories they had heard about him over the weekend. People repeatedly verified and argued, some tried to restore Wang Zixu, and some tried to misunderstand Wang Zixu. He didn't have the energy to refute.
He felt like he had become a train station, with people coming and going, saying something, doing something, leaving nothing behind but the noise echoing endlessly in the silence.
"Wang Zixu, come to the conference room quickly, you're on the news!"
Wang Zixu got up and walked out dazedly to the conference room where 7% of the people in the entire unit were present. He looked at the TV, which was the local TV station in Xihe. On the screen was Shen Qingfeng talking.
"...The decline of literature is an indisputable fact. Of course, I am not blaming our Xihe Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association, nor am I saying that we are not doing a good job. This is due to the times, and it is not something we can reverse with human power. But you want to ask if it is sad? I personally think it is very sad, and ridiculous. Some ridiculous events are happening around us..." Wang Zixu turned around and said, "Who shouted just now? How could I be on TV?"
A colleague said: "Don't worry, it will be your turn soon, he will talk about it later..."
Sure enough, on the TV, Shen Qingfeng's voice became clear:
"…I heard a ridiculous thing the day before yesterday. It is said that Lin Feng from our Writers Association and an unknown clerk competed in literary literacy, and the way they competed was to name the authors' works. Don't you think it's ridiculous? Can literary literacy be demonstrated by just knowing a few works' names?
"Literature needs to be understood with heart, and it is a comprehensive manifestation of talent. What's the use of just knowing a few names? Even an elementary school student can memorize them. You have to read, watch, and write carefully, then you can be considered cultured. People are sought after for just memorizing a few works' names, which can only mean that our era is the end of literature..."
After Shen Qingfeng finished speaking, Guo Ranran shook his head and said, "Tsk tsk, it's still a cultured person like Teacher Shen who speaks well. His views are always refreshing."
Another colleague said: "Shen Qingfeng is a real writer and a real cultural person, so his position must be different."
Zhang Cangnian glanced at Wang Zixu and said, "What he said is not quite comprehensive."
Xu Shichao said: "Yes, the rumors he heard were probably not complete. Xiao Wang actually recited a passage from a book on the spot that day. What was that? ... Anyway, he recited such a long passage without stuttering at all. My jaw almost dropped at the time. Xiao Wang is really good."
Guo Ranran didn't even look at Wang Zixu and said, "I don't know if he recited it correctly. But I still choose to believe that he is a truly cultured person."
She emphasized the word "real" and glanced at Wang Zixu. Wang Zixu was used to being denied, so he was not upset at all. He just lowered his head and muttered:
"What kind of cultured person is Shen Qingfeng..."
"Ah? What did you say?"
Guo Ranran's question was not answered because the leader walked into the meeting room. Director Gou looked at everyone gathered together and asked:
"What? When did you become so active in meetings?"
Everyone scattered and found seats to sit down. Director Gou turned to look at the TV and suddenly realized:
"Oh, you are watching this symposium? I watched the replay yesterday. Okay, stop talking. It's time for the meeting."
Director Gou sat down at the head of the long table and took out a small notebook from his bag:
"It's just a brief regular meeting. Ah, it's Monday and everyone is busy. Ah, I understand everyone's feelings, so I won't say much. Ah, I'll just report on last week's situation."
As soon as Director Gou started the meeting, Wang Zixu began to feel sleepy.
Director Gou has a characteristic: he usually speaks normally, but when he is hosting a meeting and giving a speech, he likes to use the word "ah" before speaking, almost as if it were a period, and he uses it with great rhythm, which made Wang Zixu feel sleepy.
"Last week, thanks to the hard work of all the comrades, our unit's inspection preparation work was successfully completed. We finally achieved a score of 7.8. Excellent grade."
As Director Gou finished speaking, there was warm applause from the audience.
Director Gou added: "But, ah, I still want to emphasize some individual comrades, ah, for example, our comrade Wang Zixu, ah."
(End of this chapter)