Chapter 78

Editor Cheng had actually seen his article, which was quite a surprise to Xiaofei. After all, there were only a few editors, and their workload was quite heavy.

The small articles he had published in the Xinmin Evening News and the People's Daily were not particularly eye-catching. It was quite an achievement for an editor of a major literary journal in all of China to see them and give them such high praise.

Xiaofei thought that perhaps it was Teacher Dai's review that had added a lot of points for him.

He didn't know what kind of person Editor Cheng was, whether his words were just polite or a genuine expression of approval. Xiaofei didn't get much information from Editor Cheng's eyes.

Xiaofei immediately expressed his gratitude: "Thank you for your encouragement, Teacher Cheng."

Dai Houcheng interjected with a smile: "I think a genius like Xiaofei deserves to be cultivated. Teacher Cheng, why don't you take a look at the long novel he brought this time?"

Hearing Teacher Dai's words, Xiaofei was about to take out his thick manuscript.

But then he heard Editor Cheng say: "Teacher Dai, let's not rush to look at the novel Xiaofei brought. I want to commission a piece from Xiaofei first."

"Oh?" Dai Houcheng was a bit puzzled.

Xiaofei also stopped reaching for his manuscript. He was a bit curious about what Editor Cheng was up to. He didn't want to look at the long novel Xiaofei brought, but wanted to commission another piece from him.

"Teacher Cheng, please go on," Xiaofei said respectfully.

Editor Cheng smiled bitterly: "Teacher Dai mentioned on the phone yesterday that the long novel Xiaofei brought this time is very good, of very high quality. To be honest, I really want to read it, but long novels are really hard to publish in our magazine. We already have several excellent long novels stored at the editorial office, and due to the magazine's page limit, it's really difficult to publish long novels."

Editor Cheng poured out his grievances.

In fact, he didn't have much hope for a 19-year-old like Xiaofei to write a long novel.

Since Xiaofei was recommended by Dai Houcheng, he also suspected that there might be some familial relationship between them, which led Dai Houcheng to strongly recommend Xiaofei.

Otherwise, why would Dai Houcheng have written such a highly positive review for Xiaofei?

Xiaofei's articles were only read by Editor Cheng after he saw Dai Houcheng's review. The two short articles were indeed of very high quality, with great depth of thought, literary value, and readability.

But could a 19-year-old really write such profound and poetic prose?

He couldn't help but be skeptical.

If Dai Houcheng had written it, he wouldn't believe it either, as the writing style was completely different. Dai might not be able to write in that style.

But he and Dai Houcheng were good friends, and he couldn't refuse a friend's request.

Even if he had to refuse, he would do it tactfully.

"What do you mean, Teacher Cheng?" Dai Houcheng frowned.

"Teacher Dai, what I mean is, if Xiaofei can write a series of 4 or 5 high-quality short essays like those in the People's Daily and the Xinmin Evening News in the near future, we might be able to publish them in the magazine. This can also be seen as a way for Harvest to cultivate a young talent with great creative potential. How about that? I can even invite a few famous writers to write reviews to be published together, provided that the quality remains as high as before," Editor Cheng said.

Xiaofei understood what Editor Cheng meant.

It was almost impossible to publish a long novel.

They hadn't even looked at it and were already planning to reject it.

This wasn't entirely Editor Cheng's fault. The pressure to publish long novels in Harvest was really high, and for a new author like Xiaofei, even if he had potential, it would be very difficult to get a spot in the queue.

Dai Houcheng glanced at Xiaofei.

His eyes showed a hint of helplessness.

"Xiaofei, what do you think? Actually, writing a series of high-quality short essays and getting them published in Harvest would be very good," Dai Houcheng said.

Writing a series of high-quality short essays?

That was also a good idea.

His reputation as an essayist would likely spread domestically, at least within the literary circle.

Short essays could be published.

But Xiaofei didn't want to give up on the long novel. He still had a suggestion to publish a special issue of long novels by Harvest that he hadn't mentioned yet.

The most important thing now was to get Editor Cheng to read his long novel. As long as he was captivated by it, he wouldn't easily reject it.

After all, launching a classic long novel by a 19-year-old genius would be a great literary story. If Xiaofei became famous because of this, and later grew into a renowned writer, the label of Harvest magazine would be attached to him.

"Teacher Cheng, I accept your commission. I will return and start working on it as soon as possible, and strive to send the manuscript to you as soon as I can," Xiaofei said.

"Haha, I look forward to your new work!" Editor Cheng laughed heartily again.

"Teacher Cheng, I still hope you can take a look at the two things I brought this time. One is a literary review, and the other is a long novel. I know your time is precious, and I don't want to waste too much of it. Just take a quick look, and if you don't like it, I won't force you."

Xiaofei, amidst Editor Cheng's hearty laughter, took out his manuscript from his bag and respectfully handed it to Editor Cheng.

Xiaofei didn't believe that his work wouldn't move this well-known editor.

Editor Cheng's laughter abruptly stopped.

The boy's face was full of confidence, and his eyes were sincere and expectant.

He couldn't refuse.

"Alright, I'll take a look now," Editor Cheng took the manuscript from Xiaofei. It was heavy, heavier than a brick.

How many words had he written? The thickness of the manuscript suggested it was at least 700 to 800 pages.

Dai Houcheng smiled at Xiaofei. She thought Xiaofei's approach was understandable. If a few words could give him another chance, why not do it?

Editor Cheng sat on the sofa, planning to take a quick look and then be done with it.

But once he started reading, he couldn't stop.

He first read the article "Literature is Dead, Burn Paper if You Have Anything to Say." He found the article to be very insightful, especially the title, which had a truly explosive effect.

If published in Harvest, it could become a hot topic in the literary circle and serve as a warning against the current negative trends in literature.

He put it aside and started reading Xiaofei's long novel "The Fish Walking on Land."

The opening narration was simple yet flavorful, telling the story of a man named Li Weijun, the descendant of a black class, who, to escape the turmoil in the city and with his lover, was half-exiled and half-assigned to a small village called Gucun.

The story wasn't new, but the novel's narrative was concise and vivid, with remarkable skill. The story was very engaging.

He kept reading, and by the time he reached page 20, about 10,000 words, he realized he was captivated by the novel.

It was indeed a masterpiece. Such works were rare in his editorial career.

Editor Cheng looked at Xiaofei and Dai Houcheng, then at the manuscript in his hands, and he was in a dilemma.