Chapter 55

At exactly twelve o'clock.

The auditorium officially connected to the live broadcast.

The stage was festively decorated with red and flowers, and the lineup of handsome and beautiful hosts was impressive. Unfortunately, only the three or four hundred employees and family members of the broadcasting station could see it; the listeners by the radio could only hear the voices.

"Dear listeners, everyone, hello!"

"I am host Zhang Hu, and this is my partner Sun Mengjie."

"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when families gather, welcome to today's live broadcast of the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival, brought to you by the News Frequency, Cultural Frequency, and Music Frequency!"

Both hosts were stars of the news station and were recognized as two of the best in the station. They spoke steadily and rarely made mistakes, and their responsibility for this event also showed the station's emphasis. After a few opening remarks, the two hosts began to introduce today's guests.

"Let's welcome Deputy Director Chen Kun of the Beijing Education Bureau!"

"And Vice Chairman Meng Dongguo of the Beijing Writers Association, Teacher Meng!"

"Renowned poet Da Lei!"

"Renowned fairy tale writer Xiao Hongmogu..."

After each introduction, the audience below clapped.

After the introductions, Host Zhang Hu said cheerfully, "Before the poetry festival begins, let's invite a few teachers from the Writers Association to the stage to recite a poem as an opening act. I also wish all the listeners by the radio a happy and fulfilling family, with all your wishes coming true and a perfect reunion!"

The opening poetry recitation was clearly well-prepared.

Meng Dongguo went up first and recited calmly, "Year after year, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated, today it is fulfilled, joy, and remembrance."

With this prelude, everyone present knew what poem they would recite to liven up the atmosphere. Of course, except for Zhang Ye, who might be the only one in the audience who hadn't heard this poem before.

Da Lei went up next, "Holding a mirror, embracing two moons."

Zheng Anbang then went up, "Pulling branches, circling the clear and serene."

A small old man from the Writers Association, whom Zhang Ye didn't recognize, was the third to follow, "A tree of western fragrance rises."

The last line was again taken by Meng Dongguo, who concluded the poem, "The hall is filled with the fullness of autumn."

Everyone clapped enthusiastically, and Zhang Ye also joined in. The poem was really good, truly excellent.

This poem, "He Jia Shi" by the famous poet Ma Ruihong, was well-known due to a particular anecdote, and it had always been a must-listen during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since Zhang Ye wasn't a native of this world, he didn't know about it, but no one else was unfamiliar with "He Jia Shi." In the streets and alleys, from young to old, anyone could recite it. To give an example, it might be equivalent to "Plowing in the midday sun, sweat dripping onto the soil" in Zhang Ye's world, a familiar feeling.

Zhang Ye no longer underestimated the heroes of this world, as there were many capable predecessors here as well.

After the poem, Deputy Director Chen Kun of the Beijing Education Bureau went up to the podium to give a speech, followed by Deputy Director Jia, who also went up to represent the entire staff of the Beijing Radio Station to wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

After a bit of formalities, the main event finally arrived.

Female host Sun Mengjie, with a radiant smile, said, "Thank you to the leaders for their speeches. Next is the poetry competition segment. Let me explain the rules: whether it's the poems by the teachers of the Writers Association in the venue or the songs and verses published on our official Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival website by the listeners outside, everyone can cast three votes for the poems they like. We have also invited notaries from the Chengdong District Notary Office. We will tally the top three votes, so please cherish each vote you have."

Zhang Hu smiled and said, "Then let's invite the first teacher?"

About a dozen people from the Writers Association exchanged glances, and finally, Meng Dongguo stepped up. "Hehe, since no one is going up, I'll go first. It's a poem." He held the microphone, steadied his nerves, and gently recited, "The title is 'Thoughts on a Mid-Autumn Rainy Night.'"

"Flowers bloom and wither, the moon waxes and wanes."

"Morning after morning, I hope for spring to stay, evening after evening, I bid farewell to the beauty."

"Intensely, they bloom side by side, sparsely, they part with the sounds of autumn."

"Propping my pillow, I listen to the thunder, recalling the night of departure amidst the wind and rain."

Da Lei was the first to clap and praise, "Good poem!"

Another young member of the Writers Association said, "Chairman Meng is getting better and better!"

Shen Anbang also nodded heavily, "Well-written. There are too many poems about family reunions during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but this poem takes a different approach, writing about parting, regret, and sighs. It seems not to fit the theme of family reunion, but precisely because there is no reunion, it makes people more appreciative and cherish the beauty of reunion. This is a different perspective on the Mid-Autumn Festival. The line about the night of departure is written beautifully. Sigh, I'm embarrassed to show my poem now."

Xiao Hongmogu smiled, "Old Shen, don't compare yourself with them. We both write novels, how can we compete with them in poetry and verse? We'd be driven to despair."

Shen Anbang laughed, "That's true."

The two hosts also praised him on stage, introducing him to the listeners, who couldn't see, "This is the new work of Vice Chairman Meng Dongguo of the Beijing Writers Association, a leading figure in the Beijing poetry scene. Sigh, I was so engrossed listening to it."

Meng Dongguo joked, "Not that much, hehe. But if the listeners think it's good, remember to vote for me. I'm here under pressure today, and if the votes are too low, I'll have no face to go back. So I have to pull some votes."

Zhang Hu said, "Chairman Meng is too modest."

"Yes," Sun Mengjie said, "I think this poem has the potential to be the champion."

"Is this just the first poem?" Zhang Hu pretended to be surprised.

"Hehe, Zhang Hu, why don't we make a bet? I bet this is the first place."

"Alright, let's bet. I also bet this poem will be the champion!"

Seeing the two hosts joking, the audience below laughed. In fact, many people agreed. Meng Dongguo was a professional, and his poetry couldn't be bad. His skills were evident, and with his position as a leader in the Writers Association and his reputation in Beijing, he was a seasoned veteran. Even if the poem wasn't as praised as they made it out to be, it was of high quality, and the first place was almost certain.

Meng Dongguo went down.

The second to go up was Shen Anbang. As soon as he went up, he picked up where Meng Dongguo left off, "Chairman Meng said he was under pressure, but I'm the one under the most pressure. Following Chairman Meng, isn't this deliberately making me look bad? Well, I have to say it anyway. I'm not good at classical poetry, so I'll recite a modern poem to liven things up."

A minute later, he finished.

Everyone was surprised and applauded.

Meng Dongguo praised, "This little Shen, after being so modest, turns out to have such a good work."

The other members of the Writers Association also didn't expect it. A writer of romance novels could write such a good modern poem, perhaps not as good as Meng Dongguo's, but it was a strong contender for second or third place.

The third to go up was a young writer, but he didn't recite a poem; instead, he recited a ci (a type of classical Chinese poetry). Even without the music, the lyrics were vivid and elegant, with a lot of depth.

The fourth to go up was Xiao Hongmogu. As soon as she went up, she said, "I'll say this first, I don't know poetry, I write fairy tales. Today, I'll create a fable for everyone." She began, using personification to turn the moon into a person, a very beautiful story.

One after another.

Each one after another.

None of those who could join the Writers Association were amateurs; they all showed their skills.

The last to go up was Da Lei. His poems were known for their grandeur, reflecting his personality. However, the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival was a bit limiting for him today. He recited a ci, but the effect wasn't ideal, as the applause wasn't very enthusiastic. However, perhaps because of its literary depth, the ci might have provoked more reflection and afterthought. After Da Lei came down, Meng Dongguo and a few other teachers from the Writers Association still gave it high praise.

"Da Lei, the ci is very good."

"Don't worry about the applause; it's excellent."

"The lack of applause is because they didn't understand it or delve into it. If they listen to it a few more times and chew on it, it will truly be endless in its aftertaste."

Da Lei said indifferently, "I think it's okay."

The poetry festival had been going on for an hour, and it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

Host Zhang Hu took the microphone, "Thank you to the teachers of the Writers Association for their wonderful works. Today has been a real eye-opener, and I didn't want to miss a single word of each excellent work. I'm sure the listeners by the radio have also had a feast for their ears. So, what are you waiting for? Vote for your favorite works quickly. Our voting deadline is at two o'clock in the afternoon. The notaries just told us that confirming the votes will take five minutes, so our poetry festival will last for one hour and five minutes. What will we do with the remaining time? Let's read some of the top-ranked works from the submission website, and let the listeners hear the works submitted by the netizens."

Female host Sun Mengjie held a tablet computer. There was no cell phone signal here, but the live broadcast equipment and communication tools had their own wireless signal, so they could use it. "Ah, I see, the current top-ranked work is by Teacher Meng Dongguo. I'll read the top ten."

1. Meng Dongguo, 23,019 votes.

2. Shen Anbang, 12,553 votes.

3. Dong Fei, 9,813 votes.

4. Xiao Hongmogu, 9,681 votes.

And so on, the top ten were all members of the Writers Association, with Meng Dongguo leading by a wide margin. The third place, Dong Fei, was also a well-known modern poet in the Writers Association. Even Da Lei's ci, which didn't receive much enthusiasm from the on-site radio staff, still managed to secure the tenth place. The eleventh place was the first to include a work by a netizen.

The host read it out.

The work called "Feng Qi Yun Xi" was quite good, but it was only quite good. There was always a difference between professionals and amateurs, and the vote counts also reflected this.

The page turned to an ad.

The page turned to the end of the ad.