British writer.

Chapter 248 What a bastard!

Paris.

Collège de France, conference room.

The windows are closed and the indoor light is dim, making people feel dull and depressed.

The lights on the table were pale and dazzling, shining on everyone's faces, making their expressions even more rigid.

A man sits at the table,

He has a goatee, which gives him a mature and steady look, and his black suit and blue tie show his professionalism and seriousness.

This person's name is Anatole France, writer,

Twenty years later, he would win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Apart from him, they are all old acquaintances.

Henri Poincaré,

Romain Rolland,

Jules Verne,

Frederick Passy,

……

France opened the curtain a crack,

Outside, the winter is chilling, as if there is a judgment on all things in the world.

he sighed,

"Fred, did Professor Lu really agree?"

"Fred" is a nickname for "Frederick".

Patsy spread his hands helplessly.

"France, I have answered this question many times. William sent a telegram four days ago, and Professor Lu did agree. Moreover, the book is already being written, and the manuscript will be sent over after it is finished. As long as we both feel No problem, just contact the publisher.”

Verne added,

"That's Alex Herzel. Just like his father, this guy is not afraid of trouble and loves to join in the fun."

Poincaré joked: "Those are secondary. What little Herzel values ​​​​is Professor Lu's strength. Don't forget the sales of "Chao Wen Dao"."

Indeed, "Chao Wen Dao" made Herzel a lot of money.

He even wanted to seek long-term cooperation with Lu Shi.

Unfortunately, the Royal Publishing House does not agree.

Are you kidding me?

Lu Shi lives in London!

What's more, he is now "Sir Lu" and a "family member" of Great Britain.

If the French were poaching, everyone at the Royal Publishing House could collectively hand in their resignation letters.

France was helpless,

"Then why hasn't Professor Lu sent the book?"

Roland asked: "You said sending a telegram? Francis, I heard that Professor Lu will write more than [-] words this time. How much does it cost to send a telegram..."

France said: "It is precisely because of its length that the telegraph should be used."

What kind of logic is this?

Several people present were a little confused.

Frances said: "Professor Lu can definitely send two thousand words at a time. It's just a dozen long messages. It's not like we can't afford it."

Roland spread his hands,

"But what's the point?"

Poincaré on the side understood.

He explained for France: "In this way, we can start reviewing the manuscript in advance and then send it to Mr. Monet for him to draw illustrations."

Monet has already bought a car,

He was originally going to Spain with his lover, but he chose to stay because of Zola's incident.

Of course, this time it’s also free.

France sighed,

"So, I don't even know if what you are saying is true or not. I keep saying 'Professor Lu is a sharpshooter and a fast shooter' every day, but until now, there are no traces of thousands of words. Alas... time waits for no one. "

According to common sense, this should not be the attitude when asking for help.

But everyone understands France, because it is not that "time waits for no one", but "the body waits for no one."

After a week and a half delay at the latest, Zola should be buried.

During his lifetime, he hoped to meet Lu Shi, but he ultimately failed to do so. However, if he could "see" Lu Shi's works before his burial, it would be considered as fulfilling his wish.

Verne sighed,

"Francis, don't do this. Professor Lu has no obligation to do anything."

French couldn't help but be speechless.

After a long while, he said: "If we are lucky enough to meet him, I have to apologize to him."

He was in a very low mood,

Previously, when Zola published "I Accuse", France and Monet were the first to respond, signing signatures demanding justice for Dreyfus.

Not only do the two have a deep friendship, they also share the same goals.

Verne asked: "Have the recent slanders affected you?"

France smiled bitterly,

"perhaps."

His real name is Thibaut Francois, born in a family of booksellers in Paris.

The name "France (spelled this way in both English and French)" is the abbreviation of his original surname, and it is also the name of France.

Because of his patriotism, Francesco used the name of his motherland as a pen name.

This is why his friends don't call him "Anatole" but "France".

But it was precisely because of this name that brought him trouble.

With the death of Zola, those forces are ready to take action.

They continued to smear Zola, using "Nana" as a logical basis to say that Zola's personal ethics were deficient, and then went on to slander his actions for the Dreyfus case as a "traitor's act" and a "traitor's act". conspiracy".

Therefore, France, who was standing with Zola, was naturally attacked.

There is a view that France is not worthy of this pen name because it is an insult to France.

Patriots were labeled traitors,

It's strange that this mood is good.

France pressed his thumb on his throbbing temple and said, "I never expected that this kind of thing would happen in my beloved homeland. It is obviously the most advanced and revolutionary country... Sigh..."

People in the old revolutionary base areas are indeed arrogant, but this arrogance is not without reason:

France is always at the forefront of progress.

Britain is just old stuff;

America, rubes and nouveau riche;

Germany is still engaged in feudalism, so don’t bring it up to make fun of it;

……

France's advancement is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

For example, France wrote a eulogy for Zola,

There is a paragraph in it:

"

‘How beautiful is the soul of France, which has taught truth and justice to Europe and the world for thousands of years! France is again a wise and benevolent nation today, because one of her sons, through great writings and noble deeds, established a new order based on truth and justice common to all mankind. ’

"

France firmly believed in the advancement of France, so he could not understand people's slander against Zola.

Patsy patted him,

“The thoughts of the citizens are simple and unsophisticated.”

Implication:

Easily led to a rhythm.

What Patsy said was very convincing,

Because he established the IPU and had contact with parliamentarians from various countries, he naturally understood the twists and turns.

Verne said: "France, do you want to take a rest? You haven't slept for more than forty hours."

France waved his hand,

"No, I'd better read the eulogy again."

His eyes moved to the table,

There was a handwritten copy of the eulogy.

He said: "I think what I wrote is not impactful enough. What do you think?"

Verne chuckled,

"France, what you wrote is undoubtedly the best. We all admire Emile, but you are Emile's comrade. Your personal friendship allows you to write a passionate and profound eulogy. Why should we mention it?" What’s the suggestion?”

France shook his head,

"But……"

Before he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside.

There is a clerk behind the door,

"Academician Poincaré?"

Poincaré signaled to the people in the room to be quiet, then walked over to open the door, frowning and saying, "Isn't there someone making irresponsible remarks at the door of the School of Liberal Arts again?"

The clerk shook his head,

"No, it's a letter from the post office."

With that said, he handed the envelope to Poincaré.

The letter came from LSE.

Poincaré weighed the thickness,

There is indeed a lot of paper in it;

It seems that just as France said, Lu Shi finished writing part of it and divided it into a dozen or even dozens of long messages to send.

However, we only have a few thousand words now. Can we keep up with this writing speed?

He said to the clerk: "You wait here first... No, come over in half an hour. I may need your help to send a telegram to London."

Clerk nods,

"no problem."

Before leaving, he closed the door behind him.

Poincaré said: "Professor Lu's telegram has been sent over."

He opened the letter and pulled out the paper.

So, looking at those papers, everyone present was confused.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Quiet falls.

"Gu..."

France swallowed, looked around subconsciously, and said, "Has our Paris Post Office changed to telegraph mode? Why...this...why are there so many words on this page!?"

No one can answer.

After a few seconds, Roland spoke up: "Mr. Poincaré, are all the subsequent telegrams so long?"

Poincaré couldn't help complaining: "Can this special meow be a telegram?"

He started to look back,

There are a lot of words on each page,

What’s even more outrageous is that in addition to English, it also comes with a French version.

This reminded Roland, Poincaré, and Verne of the scene when Lu Shi created "The Country Teacher".

In an instant, the shock from that time hit me again,

All three of them were a little dizzy.

France said: "So, this is not a telegram, but a letter."

More than just a letter?

It’s just a postage package!

Poincaré turned to the last page and read:

"

‘I am shocked to hear that Mr. Zola, the ‘conscience of mankind’, has passed away, and I would like to write this article to discuss and communicate with him. May Mr. Zola rest in peace. ’

"

After hearing this,

"it is good!"

France couldn't help but clap his hands,

"What a 'human conscience'! Is there any more suitable title for Emile than this sentence? I must add it at the end of the eulogy!"

After saying that, he sat back and prepared to revise his eulogy.

Verne said: "Weren't you always waiting for Professor Lu's book?"

"Ah this..."

France reacted,

He looked at the papers again, showed an expression of disbelief, and asked: "In other words, Professor Lu has completed the creation? He only used it for four days... No, three days... He only used it Three days?”

Verne shook his head,

"less."

Francesco was startled and then woke up.

Yes, definitely shorter than three days. Because this is not a telegram, but a letter from London, it will take a whole day to expedite it.

This is so...

Is Lu Shi still a human? ?

France said: "I finally understand now that you said Professor Lu is a 'fast shooter', and you are even being conservative. 'Super fast shooter' is more or less the same."

Once writers have an idea, they write really quickly.

But people like Lu Shi are really rare.

Poincaré chuckled,

"Most people, I would be envious and jealous, but I don't feel that way about Professor Lu. First, because there is a big difference in literature; second, because Professor Lu is too charming. Neither of these two things makes people jealous. .”

The others nodded, feeling the same way.

Patsy was not as sentimental as these writers and reminded: "Everyone, let's study first, shall we?"

Only then did a few people wake up from a dream,

"it is good."

They got together.

The name of the novel is "Hunting",

The foreshadowing is not long, and you can quickly read the part where the girl Carla falsely accuses Lucas.

All those present were men;

Compared to Margarita, they are more empathetic and more frightened.

Aversion to cold rises from the bottom of my heart,

Several people looked at each other, then shuddered in unison, and subconsciously moved towards the gas heater.

Poincaré turned blue;

"This……"

He looked at how many people there were,

"You...what do you think?"

Because Lu Shi used the first person pronoun "I", they all took it in, and they all thought about how to escape.

As a result, the answer is:

No!Can!can!

In general cases, evidence is needed to accuse others.

But do girls need it?

Adult men, especially male teachers, have become the weaker party in this matter.

Isn't this the so-called "no one can argue"?

Roland whispered: "I can't help it."

The others nodded silently,

They unconsciously moved closer to the gas heater.

At this moment, there was another knock on the door.

"Academician Poincaré?"

It was the clerk just now.

Poincaré went over to open the door and said, "You don't need to send a telegram. Go back and rest."

Clerk nods,

Before leaving, I subconsciously glanced at the room.

"Tsk..."

He couldn't help clicking his tongue.

The winter in Paris is obviously very pleasant. Do a few grown men need to gather around the gas heater to warm themselves up?

It's really puzzling.

Poincaré waited until the clerk left, then returned to the others.

"continue?"

He looked left and right,

"Or should I take it slow first?"

In fact, several people wanted to slow down.

Because the beginning of "Hunting" is really exciting, the following content must be like a storm, with climaxes one after another.

But they had already started reading, so they couldn't help but delay.

The novel is so exciting that I can’t wait for a moment.

They read on.

Lucas was falsely accused;

To be cautious, the principal invited nuns from the convent to conduct an "identification" and help Carla "come out" of the shadows.

However, because of the over-protection of adults, everything becomes induced.

The lies spread from ten to ten, turning Lucas into an unforgivable public enemy overnight. All the residents of the town, including Lucas' close friends, began to spurn, humiliate, and violently treat him. way of judging,

What's even more incredible is that several more girls also came forward to accuse Lucas, as if they were hypnotized.

……

"How did it become like this?"

Roland couldn't understand.

Poincaré glanced at him and said, "You don't have children yet, do you?"

Roland was embarrassed,

He had a failed marriage to a wealthy lady.

A social butterfly falling in love with a poor scholar was a legend in the social world, but the good times did not last long. After all, Roland, a poor man, could not satisfy his wife who was born in a rich lady, and the two eventually divorced.

After the divorce, Roland's creation changed direction, and this was the masterpiece "John Christophe".

He said: "It is true that I have no children for the time being."

Poincaré sighed,

"When communicating with young children, one cannot induce them; two, they cannot assume premises; and three, they cannot substitute."

Roland asked: "Why?"

"why?"

Poincaré smiled bitterly and said: "I don't know the educational principles. But I can tell you clearly that if you use those methods to communicate with young children, they will burn the Old Summer Palace and build the Eiffel Tower." of."

Roland: "..."

He didn't understand, but he was shocked.

Poincaré sighed,

"I have suffered from this. When my cousin Raymond was very young, he once told me that the school meals were very rich. I asked him what he ate, and he said it was shit."

"puff!"

The others burst into laughter.

Poincaré continued: "I felt something was wrong at that time, so I asked him, 'Which teacher's shit did he eat?' As a result, he really described it vividly, and even said that it was thin and had an orange smell. .”

This example is so interesting.

Everyone looked away and tried hard to suppress laughter.

Poincaré said: "That's what children are like. In fact, if we think about childhood carefully, we can't always distinguish between fantasy and reality, right?"

Several people nodded silently.

Roland said: "So, children don't lie..."

Poincaré couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"Roman, why don't you understand?"

Roland waved his hand,

"Mr. Poincaré, listen to me. It is true that children cannot lie, but they can talk nonsense."

Poincaré was left speechless.

Patsy next to him complained: "Is there any difference between talking nonsense and lying?"

"Ok."

Roland spread his hands,

"You're right, Mr. Passy. That's lying. What I'm trying to say is that lying is not necessarily malicious."

Several people agree with this.

Just like the children in "The Hunt",

Maybe you just want to appear unique;

Or having a good relationship with Kara, whatever the sisters suffered, they will also suffer;

Or maybe they think it’s cool;

……

But although there is no malicious intent, the evil deeds are real.

Of course, it will definitely bring negative consequences.

It's just that these lying children will not bear the consequences.

Several people continued reading.

The girls' false accusations didn't just affect Lucas, his only son was also ostracized.

Fortunately, Kara realized the seriousness of the problem and admitted the lie to her parents.

Lucas was able to clear his name.

He has not changed, he is still the good person, never resenting the residents of the town, and even when the lying Kara gets lost again, he is still willing to help.

With this persistence, things started to look up.

time flies,

At Lucas's son's coming-of-age ceremony, he once again reunited with his neighbors.

……

In this description, Lu Shi used a lot of warm and harmonious words to make everything look so beautiful.

Poincaré and others couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

They also stood a little further away from the Rivas heater, as if the warmth in the book was also transmitted to the room through the words.

Several people felt a little lucky in their hearts.

"It's okay~ it's okay~"

"Good people should be rewarded~ Professor Lu writes really well."

"Professor Lu is amazing."

……

They all admired Lu Shi.

This novel has such a strong sense of immersion.

When Lucas suffered those injustices, they couldn't help but move closer to the gas heater;

The grievance was cleared and they stayed away from the gas heater.

This is the best proof of the strong sense of substitution.

Patsy said: "Is there an ending?"

Poincaré nodded,

"There must be no changes to the last page. Let's finish it quickly so that we can send it to Mr. Monet and send a telegram to Professor Lu."

They started reading the epilogue.

Lucas integrated into the life of the small town again,

One day, he went hunting with a few friends, but suddenly a crossbow arrow flew past him and hit the tree trunk next to him.

Poincaré whispered the last three sentences of the novel:

"

'I can't see who that person is.

He stood on a high slope.

Stand in the sun. ’

"

Several people moved closer to the gas heater in unison.

"What a bastard!"

I don't know who cursed.

(End of this chapter)