Chapter 23

The next day, Zhang Ye went downstairs to work. When he walked to the newsstand on the west side of the subway station, he asked, "Has the Jinghua Times arrived? How much is it?"

"Yuan," the owner said mechanically.

Zhang Ye took out the money, "Give me one."

The owner collected the money and handed over the newspaper, "Sure, here you are."

Zhang Ye, who was almost penniless, felt the one yuan was a huge expense, but he had no choice. He had to spend the money where it was necessary. He then flipped through the pages. When he boarded the subway and squeezed onto Line 10, his eyes suddenly lit up. He happily turned to the middle page and saw his name prominently featured in the article, with an especially eye-catching title—“Two Poems Saved a Life”!

Last night, during the interactive program of the Beijing Radio Station's cultural broadcast, "Words of the World," a female college student, due to her boyfriend's upcoming departure to New York for studies, was preparing to take her own life during the live broadcast. The host, Wang Xiaomei, tried her best to dissuade her, but with little effect. Ultimately, it was the guest, the host of the cultural broadcast "Midnight Ghost Stories," Teacher Zhang Ye, who used two poems to save the girl's life!

"Black eyes the night has given me, but I use them to seek the light" — "A Generation."

"The most distant distance in the world is not being apart, but standing in front of your door, you do not know that I love you... The most distant distance in the world is the distance between a bird and a fish, one soaring in the sky, the other diving deep into the sea" — "The Most Distant Distance in the World," also known as "The Bird and the Fish."

The above are the original texts of the two poems.

It is reported that both poems were created on the spot by Teacher Zhang Ye. This reporter also interviewed Teacher Zhang Ye by phone late at night. Although it was over the phone, the reporter could not help but be impressed by Teacher Zhang Ye's literary talent.

Huh?

Impressed by my literary talent?

Zhang Ye blushed a bit. He had mistaken the reporter for a ham sausage salesperson on the phone and hadn't shown any literary talent at all!

The report continued: It's also worth mentioning an interlude. In the early morning, when the editorial staff saw the two works, they were all moved and immediately began to analyze and comment on the two poems. However, when they submitted the article to Deputy Chief Editor Yan for review, he did not let them publish it. After reading the poems, his original words were: "Delete all the analysis and commentary. Don't write in the usual conventional way. 'The Bird and the Fish' is a modern poem that can instantly touch the heart. It doesn't need analysis. As for 'A Generation,' the power within it cannot be analyzed with words. This is a great modern poem. Regardless of whether the author is a newcomer in the poetry world, this poem can only be described as great. Perhaps the original author's fame and the current context are not enough to make this poem famous, but I believe time will prove many things. Perhaps in a few years, perhaps in a few decades, perhaps in a few centuries, future generations will remember a poem, remember a person—Zhang Ye and his 'A Generation.' It is our generation, their generation, and the generation of future people."

The evaluation was so high that Zhang Ye's heart soared.

...

At the office.

"Good morning," Zhang Ye entered the office area.

Assistant Xiao Fang was the first to greet him, smiling and showing her little tiger teeth, "Teacher Zhang, you came just in time. We were just talking about the news in the Jinghua Times. Have you seen it?"

Zhang Ye smiled, "I just saw it."

Xiao Fang giggled, "Everyone was chatting about it. You are the first person from our cultural broadcast to be featured in the Jinghua Times in recent years." She was happy for Zhang Ye, "This is the Jinghua Times, though it's limited to the Beijing area, it has a circulation of hundreds of thousands. Not everyone gets this kind of treatment!"

The veteran host of "Old and Young Storytelling," Teacher Feng, also looked over and highly praised, "Teacher Zhang, I listened to the rebroadcast last night and chewed over the two poems repeatedly. Sigh, the young are truly formidable. I'm about to retire, and the station will rely on you young people in the future."

Zhang Ye quickly replied, "You're too kind. My literary skills are still far from perfect. I came to the station with a learning attitude, and I will continue to do so. I hope all the teachers will continue to guide me."

Tian Bin and Li Si came to work at this time.

Zhang Ye noticed him. Tian Bin had a fierce look in his eyes, a mix of jealousy and hatred. He ignored Zhang Ye and sat back at his desk. After Zhang Ye took over the host position of "Midnight Ghost Stories," Tian Bin was now just a DJ, with no regular work, only filling in for others when needed. He might not get to host a program for several days, so it was no wonder he was angry.

Li Si's attitude today was completely different from before. It was clear he didn't want to speak, but for some reason, as he was about to turn away, he paused, "Teacher Zhang, good morning."

Zhang Ye looked at him, "Oh, good morning."

Li Si nodded at him and returned to his position, showing a bit of submission and a sense of the situation.

Hearing this, Tian Bin's face turned even worse. He had always had average relationships with others and had often gossiped behind people's backs. No wonder he was deserted today.

Later, the station's star, Wang Xiaomei, also arrived at the office. She still didn't look at Zhang Ye, but after greeting a few old colleagues and close friends, she unexpectedly said to Zhang Ye, "Teacher Zhang, I have a lot of letters from listeners for you. You can get them from the assistant later." Though her attitude didn't seem to change, it was clear that Wang Xiaomei had subconsciously acknowledged Zhang Ye by calling him "Teacher Zhang," something she had never done before.

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Ye received the listener letters from "Words of the World" about himself. In the age of the internet, the use of paper letters was rare, but Zhang Ye always believed that writing on paper was more genuine and powerful.

"Teacher Zhang, I listened to yesterday's program. I'm also a parent, so I won't say much. I want to thank you on behalf of the child's parents."

There were a total of thirty-seven letters, and the feedback from the listeners was mostly positive.

Zhang Ye then checked the official email of "Midnight Ghost Stories" and read all the listener letters. He also visited the website of the Beijing Radio Station to look at the comments. Suddenly, he saw a link. He clicked on it and found that his "The Most Distant Distance in the World" had been posted on a large forum!

750,000 views!

Over 3,000 replies!

"This poem is so touching!"

"So many views? It's going to be a hit!"

"Is it popular online too? I just saw this poem in the Jinghua Times this morning. It's really impressive, but I still prefer 'A Generation.'"

"I'm the moderator of the literature section on a website and a complete literature enthusiast. I've always loved modern poetry and have written a lot of it. I've always thought I was good, and I've published many modern poems in the literature section. But after reading Teacher Zhang Ye's two poems today, I realized I was just a frog at the bottom of a well. This is true modern poetry, and what I write is nothing!"

Of course, there were also criticisms.

"What a lousy poem, just average."

"Yeah, too ridiculous. One moment the farthest distance is this, the next it's that. What's the deal?"

No matter how good something is, it can't satisfy everyone. Zhang Ye knew this. He logged into his account and posted a comment under a pseudonym. He had no other strengths, but he had a good attitude and was calm and composed. He smiled at the criticism and wrote with the air of a literary figure and a great poet: "...I'll punch your second grandmother's lungs! Just average? Do you even understand literature? This immortal masterpiece, and you don't even care! You're just a pile of shit! A stinky dog pile of shit!"

The person above got angry, "Hey, why are you cursing?"

Some netizens came to his defense, "The 3256th floor is right. You don't understand art!"

Another netizen said, "How can someone criticize such a classic poem? I really don't understand some people's taste!"

"Exactly, this poem saved a life. It's just average? Why don't you write a poem to save someone and show us?"

Under Zhang Ye's lead, the two people who posted negative comments were overwhelmed by the flood of replies and stopped speaking. Seeing everyone's enthusiastic response, Zhang Ye logged out of his account without blushing or feeling guilty, not thinking he was being crude. This is how literary figures behave!

As Laozi said—act when it's time to act!