Chapter 338 That Tree

Chapter 338 That Tree

Chapter 338 That Tree
"Rocket Man" was evaluated by Qu, deputy editor-in-chief of Youth Digest, as "worthy of being included in textbooks." You can feel a good article after reading it for the first time.

Li Guyuan was walking on the road. Although it was dangerous to read a magazine while walking, most people probably had done so.

The beginning of Rocket Man is also very simple. The Rocket Man in the title is "Dad". This is because the father of the protagonist "I" often travels to other planets by spaceship to work. Saturn, Pluto and Neptune have all left their footprints.

That's right, it's science fiction. Li Guyuan wanted to see the struggles of the end-productive people, the 300 million gods, and the people on Earth, such brilliant imagination.

But the development of the story was beyond Li Guyuan's expectations. There was no imagination, no big scenes, just the trivial daily life of the father who worked on the alien planet and returned to his home on the blue planet.

My mother asked me to let my father stay on Blue Star to prove that she loved him.

But - I have seen this attitude of hers. She looked over his shoulder, behind him; she looked at his jaw, at his hands, but not at his eyes. Even when she looked into his eyes, they seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, as hazy as the sleepy eyes of an animal. She would express her approval when it was appropriate, and smile when it was time to smile, but she was always half a beat slower than expected...

"Has she fallen in love with someone else? An ethical novel?" Li Guyuan had such thoughts in his mind, and his mother's behavior seemed like she didn't love him.

Short stories are short, so they are quick! The core of the story of "Rocket Man" is laid bare before the readers.

“Never be a rocket man. Because when you’re in space, your heart is here, and when you’re here, your heart is back in space.”

"You don't understand that feeling. Every time I'm in space, I think: If I could go back to the blue planet, I would stay there and never go to space again. But I still leave, and I think I will keep leaving in the future."

The mother also explained the father's behavior. As early as the time when he became a rocket man ten years ago, in the mother's heart, the father was dead. Because he only came back two or three times a year, life with him was like a small happy memory, or a dream. But people always wake up from memories and dreams, and the mother chose the best way to protect herself in the midst of many heartbreaks.

"Rocket Man... is torture for a family." Li Guyuan sighed, "Gulu, you are really good at writing. My mother never talked about space and aliens, and she didn't even dare to look at the stars. With just a few strokes, you can write about my mother's sadness. This description is more touching than crying bitterly, being heartbroken, etc."

"Fortunately, my parents are together every day. Although they quarrel sometimes..." Li Guyuan paused and didn't say more about family matters.

There were two articles in Youth Digest, but Li Guyuan did not continue.

Instead, he stared at the gaps between the bricks under his feet. After crossing many gaps, Li Guyuan spoke again.

He said, "I feel this story is so weird. It's obviously very plain, there's no strong plot conflict at all, it's just about whether to go to space or not, but I feel a little unforgettable after reading it. Why is that?"

"Pluto, Mars, Saturn, and outer space are just common pronouns. It would also be completely true if they were replaced with other provinces," said Gu Lu.

Li Guyuan quickly said yes, and added, "There is another point, which you always add when writing science fiction."

Hmm… consistent? What do Liu Cixin and Ray Bradbury have in common.

"The yearning for space. The admiration for human exploration of space. Space is always so attractive." Li Guyuan said, "The description of the people from the center of the earth coming to the surface and looking at the starry sky in "The Mountain" is so shocking. The shock of the mountain is direct, while the shock of the rocket man is soft."

Rather than saying that Liu and Lei are similar, it is better to say that they are science fiction writers and human beings. They both have the idea of ​​conquering the starry sky above their heads in their bones.

"Don't be a rocket man, this is the advice from a father to his child, but I feel it is of no use at all. Is this article 'That Tree' also a similar science fiction?" Li Guyuan asked.

"For some people, it may indeed be science fiction," Gu Lu responded.

So, Li Guyuan hurriedly read the next article.

Ten minutes later——

"Brother Gulu, you really are my big brother. You actually got published by Youth Digest for this article criticizing the government by name. My God, is this the quality of a genius writer?"

That’s right, the gold content is very high.

Gu Lu couldn't remember the name of the Fuxing Sub-district Director, let alone the Fengxia Sub-district Director's name.

But the street names and scenery descriptions in the story are solid!
Li Guyuan didn’t dare to even think about how big of a mess this would cause.

Today, Youth Digest is known as one of the four magazine sales giants along with Story Club, Readers, and Yilin.

The December issue of the monthly magazine was sold nationwide in an instant. Add to that Gu Lu's fame and the magazine's cover recommendation. I have said so much just to express that it is impossible to pretend that you didn't see the article "That Tree".

Leader Zheng of Fog City feels very embarrassed...

why?

But if someone tries to snatch it, the mentality is completely different - "Do you know how much effort Wudu has made to keep people here? Not only do you not help, but you also hold us back!"

Gu Lu can move, but he can only move within the Fog City before going to college. This is the strict order of the Fog City leadership team. It is also the consensus reached by Leader Zheng and Leader Zhang. Just like nuclear weapons, whether they are exploded or not, they must exist.

Without investigation, there is no right to speak. Leader Zheng also thought that Gu Lu must have exaggerated in the article because writers like rhetoric.

But when Leader Zheng went around himself, he realized that Gu Lu had underestimated the situation.

"This is really too much. A convex turning mirror hasn't been put on the agenda for three or four months. The street cleaning is terrible, and the damaged trash cans are not repaired. What on earth is this for!" Leader Zheng returned to his office with a gloomy face.

The only thing that made Leader Zheng feel lucky was that "That Tree" not only criticized people, but also praised them. He immediately checked who the heads of the two sub-district offices were...

It is Director Geng’s turn to become extremely wealthy.

It was a cold and windy day with drizzle, and Director Geng was taking the lead in work again.

"Didn't I tell you yesterday that this tree needed to be moved? Why is there no response today?" Director Geng asked the clerk.

The clerk immediately responded, "Director, the procedures for relocating trees are rather complicated. We have to apply to the greening department, and then..."

"Okay, do you think I don't know the procedures? We have to follow the procedures, but we also have to do our work." Director Geng said, "First, we need to fence off this opening and put up a warning sign that construction is in progress."

"Understood……"

"Don't run so fast, like a rabbit, biting half a carrot and running away. The warning sign must be flashing. This is where the resident, Ms. Ai, complained. It will trip people at night." Director Geng reminded. The matter was explained very well, and the clerk ran faster than a rabbit.

Director Geng was also checking whether the power distribution boxes around the community were safe. The large green boxes were locked most of the time, but some of them were left open because the locks were broken, which was not acceptable.

Leader Zheng sat in his car and watched quietly. His car was parked on the curb, less than ten meters away from the entrance of the community, so he roughly heard what Director Geng said just now. As an aside, it seems that people from Sichuan and Chongqing speak louder. The average volume of people from Sichuan and Chongqing is already as loud as many people from other provinces.

People in Sichuan and Chongqing think that speaking loudly makes sense. The most direct example is, "Can you speak Mandarin? I don't understand the dialect." The next moment, people in Sichuan and Chongqing will increase their voices and repeat the dialect just now...

"Is that Director Geng?" asked Leader Zheng.

The secretary of the co-pilot immediately turned around and responded, "Regarding the renovation of the jurisdiction, Director Geng seems to be able to make decisions on his own." The leader not only wants the secretary to recognize people, but also needs to know other information.

The road ahead is uneven because the tree roots have lifted up the stone bricks. Even if the street lights are in good condition, it is easy to fall down in this situation.

The branches of the tree on the other side were also lush. It was fine in winter because the leaves had all fallen off, but in spring and summer, they were too lush and would offend the electric poles. For the above reasons, Director Geng decided to move the tree.

"No wonder he was singled out for praise. This is what it means to be a public servant serving the people."

Leader Zheng commented and then gave his secretary some instructions. The secretary asked quietly if he wanted to call the person to the car to talk, but the leader refused.

The number of unannounced "incognito visits" should be kept to a minimum, and Leader Zheng did not say much about this.

Having seen everything they wanted to see, Leader Zheng signaled to the driver that he could leave.

As the car started to leave, the secretary glanced at Director Geng, who was walking around the switchboard, and thought to himself: There are many civil servants who are hardworking and down-to-earth, but very few of them are noticed by the big bosses. When good luck comes, it is really unstoppable.

At the same time, the director of Fengxia Subdistrict Office, who was just filling in the gap, also suffered. As a secretary, he followed the leader to inspect, and in comparison, it was really too bad. Fengxia Road was obviously much more prosperous and had more resources.

Don’t think that the position of street office director is not a big deal…the street office director in Fog City is at the same level as the county leaders.

When did Director Geng, who had no idea about it, know that he was being praised?

At about seven o'clock in the evening, when he was about to leave the office, Xiao Qian, a clerk, told him about this matter and handed him a copy of Youth Digest.

"Director Geng is a real veteran. We jumped for joy when we saw a great writer write an article praising our subdistrict office." Xiao Qian scratched his head embarrassedly.

"Yeah, it's normal." Director Geng put his hands behind his back, as if he was fighting with his left hand, because his left hand was tightly holding his right hand. He was so excited when he saw the words in the magazine that his hands were shaking.

"We do things not for praise, but just to make the residents in our jurisdiction live better." Director Geng is indeed a man who has seen a lot of ups and downs. He even managed to make his trembling voice sound normal.

"I understand Director Geng. Director Geng's realm is really high!" Xiao Qian admired him.

"Let's go. It's getting late. Go home and have dinner early," said Director Geng.

Hearing this, Xiao Qian left.

When Director Geng was sure that he was the only one left in the office, he held up the magazine as if he was a boxing champion holding up his gold belt.

That's right! His idea was not wrong at all. If he performed well in front of Gu Lu, he would get a chance.

"Although Gu Lu's praise cannot be a direct help, it has a very significant effect." Director Geng thought about continuing to work hard!

I have to say that Director Geng underestimated the role of "That Tree"...

There is a slight deviation between the popularity on the Internet and in reality. There is basically no discussion about "The Tree" on the Internet. Instead, Rocket Man has caused quite a bit of discussion on the Internet.

"My dad is not a rocket man, but he is a sailor. He goes to sea for several months each time. My mom and I have advised my dad to change his career so that he doesn't have to make so much money and can just be with his family. But my dad can't bear to leave the sea. I have asked him many times, is the sea fun?

His answer was the same as the father in Rocket Man. He said it was boring on the boat and he didn't want to go out to sea again after the first time. But he went out every time. I couldn't figure out whether it was to make more money or to leave the sea. Like the father in the story, he said a lot of things that space is not as good as the blue planet, so he should leave.

I didn’t expect that this was the first time I cried while reading a science fiction story.”

The netizen added, "This is the second time. The first time was when I watched Flowers for Algernon, and it was also because of that bastard Gu Lu!"

Mousse Sunset: "Many writers' writings are full of cheapness, but Gu Lu's is not. He writes about any subject, even if it is heavy-handed, and he has something to say. As for "Rocket Man", it actually has the beauty of literature."

Lin Luoxi: "I think Gu Lu's greatest talent is his observational ability. He has his own observations on society and human nature. I work very close to him, so I can't empathize with him. But when I read this article, I can still immerse myself in it. Perhaps this is human synaesthesia."

Liu Yue: "I don't see where Gu Lu's limit is. He can write not only the grand narrative of science fiction, but also the profound human nature of science fiction, and even more so science fiction fables. Is there any sequel?"

Like an untied boat: "Science Fiction World is crying, hahaha. I feel that the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World must be very anxious now, because there is no one in China who can surpass Gu Lu in the field of science fiction short stories. And Science Fiction World is the leader of science fiction novels. If Gu Lu continues to serialize in Youth Digest... I am a little looking forward to it."

There are so many bad people on the Internet, like this "untied boat".

Xiang Zhuxiang, the editor of Science Fiction World, came to Douban and Tieba to find like-minded people after watching Rocket Man. Most people are like this, when they see something they like, they just want to see others praise it!

But when I saw this message, my good mood instantly disappeared.

Xiang Zhuxiang immediately called the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World and explained the situation over the phone.

"Editor-in-Chief Yang, I think it really makes sense. If our Science Fiction World cannot compare with Youth Digest in the field of science fiction, then our reputation will be very bad." Xiang Zhuxiang finally said.

"Calm down, Xiao Xiang, you're too excited. Don't believe everything you hear. Look at the two articles by Gu Lu published in Youth Digest. The other one is a satire of the expose. It's obvious that Rocket Man is just returning the favor by publishing That Tree."

The editor-in-chief calmly analyzed, "Let's take a step back and say, how many famous science fiction writers are there in our science fiction world? Almost all the writers who won the Galaxy Award only submit their works to our magazine. Teacher Xiao Gu is a very talented person, but we should not deify him as a genius."

It seems to make sense. Although Gu Lu has created many wonderful science fiction short stories, and can fight three or five at once, can you fight nine at once? Impossible. Xiang Zhuxiang was relieved and hung up the phone.

(End of this chapter)