British writer

The quarrel continued.

If things go on like this, there is no need to do business.

The boss rushed into the crowd,

"Everyone!"

Of course no one paid him any attention.

The boss had no choice but to raise his voice and shout: "Everyone! Calm down! Calm down! If you are arguing like this, you will inevitably fail to say a word, and it will end up in a big fight. Do you want to stay in the game?"

In Paris, getting into a game is really not a big deal,

The old revolutionary base~

Still, because a book really isn't worth it.

Everyone calmed down.

The boss drilled into the crowd again, picked out a brand new and unopened "Country Teacher", and handed it to the customer who wanted to buy a book.

"Okay, this is it."

The guest's face changed slightly, and finally he sighed deeply, nodded helplessly and said, "Okay."

After paying the money, he glanced at the other prostitutes and left.

The turmoil is over.

Tolstoy witnessed the whole process, and felt like a kitten was scratching his heart, and he no longer had the intention to continue picking books.

he walked over

"Boss, check out."

The boss glanced at the other party and asked curiously: "I heard it just now, are you Russian?"

Tolstoy nodded,

"Um."

The boss weighed the "Country Teacher" in his hand and asked curiously, "Can you understand this book?"

Tolstoy said: "You know, I haven't read it yet."

The boss thinks about it too,

"How should I say this book... People who like it like it very much, and people who don't like it... can't say 'dislike', just can't read it. I can read Mr. Verne's science fiction works all night, but This book is so ridiculous."

Tolstoy interrupted him with his hand,

"Stop talking."

The boss laughed and said, "Yes, yes, I shouldn't spoil it. Okay, let's pay the bill, 45 francs."

The price for a single volume of a short story is not too high.

Tolstoy pointed to "To the Tricolore" in his hand,

"And this one."

As a result, just as the boss was about to make an offer, the crowd over there started arguing again.

"Hey, hey! It's my turn!"

"No, there was a foreshadowing in front of me. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Now that I think about it, I think I should go back and look."

"When you finish reading, you finish reading, why are you occupying the book!?"

...

The boss is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

He shot Tolstoy an apologetic look, and hurried into the crowd to settle the quarrel.

Tolstoy couldn't help but feel helpless,

He took out 45 francs and put it in the small box where the bookstore owner used to collect money, then put "Facing the Tricolore" back on the shelf, and took "Country Teacher" out of the bookstore.

The bright sunshine of Paris shines down, exuding warmth,

"Huh~"

Tolstoy stretched lazily.

Next, he was supposed to go to the Collège de France as planned, but the book in his hand aroused his curiosity and reading addiction, so he wanted to read it first.

So, he found a coffee shop nearby.

The cafe has two sections, indoor and outdoor.

Tolstoy chose an open-air business location, ordered a cup of espresso, sipped it, basked in the sun, and read "The Country Teacher".

Open the first chapter,

The first thing that catches the eye is the illustration.

It was a portrait,

East Asian man, young, handsome, with piercing eyes, but looks a little weak, as if suffering from illness.

Tolstoy's pupils narrowed slightly, showing a slightly surprised expression,

As a literary giant, he has participated in a lot of activities, so his literature and artistic aesthetics are all online, and everyone's works can be seen.

He couldn't help muttering to himself: "Impressionism?"

Although the painting style of Impressionism is outrageous, Impressionism and Abstraction are still more realistic than Impressionism and Abstractionism. They also respect the light and color seen by the eyes, but compared with Academicism, they do not pursue delicate shapes or historical themes.

Tolstoy was sure that the illustrator of The Village Teacher was anything but ordinary.

With curiosity, he turned the novel to the end.

The name of the illustrator in the column is impressively written:

Oscar-Claude Monet.

Tolstoy: ? ? ?

"This... what's the situation!?"

The French national treasure painter actually drew an illustration for a Chinese writer,

I can't understand...

Tolstoy became more curious, turned back to the first chapter and read it carefully.

"

He knew that this last lesson had to be taught in advance.

Another sharp pain from his lungs nearly made him faint.

"

It seems that the protagonist is indeed sick,

Monet's brushstrokes are delicate and real.

Tolstoy continued to read, and soon he was attracted by the wonderful description of the novel,

In particular, rural teachers called science "Mr. Sai" and guided students to learn the three laws of classical mechanics. When reflecting on Cheng Zhu's Neo Confucianism, Tolstoy even thought of Tsarist Russia.

For a while, he had a strong sense of substitution, and read more seriously.

Soon, the perspective of the novel was raised, looking at the grand universe and the Milky Way,

Various new concepts emerge,

Tolstoy thought it would be a laborious read, but he did not expect that the author Lu Shi handled it very well, integrating various concepts of physics and astrophysics into the content, allowing readers to understand without any hindrance.

Simplifying complex science issues is a must-have ability for science fiction writers.

Tolstoy admired Lu Shi even more in his heart,

When he read that the students recited Niu's three laws and thus saved human civilization, he couldn't help but tremble all over.

Compared with "Country Teacher\

,""War and Peace", "Anna Karenina", "Resurrection"...

My own works seem to be a little small.

This kind of insignificance is not due to the quality of the works, but the difference in the topic selection.

In his later years, Tolstoy tended to discuss the depth of the soul, explore religion and the human self, which is why he was labeled "nihilism" by the Swedish Academy.

What about Lu Shi?

This young man from the East, the selection of materials is more grand and magnificent, looking up at the starry sky from the perspective of human beings, and praising the greatness of human beings.

Tolstoy took a deep breath,

"Teachers, education... Heh heh... Those writers and poets, who write a thousand things and ten thousand things, are not as useful as this "Country Teacher"."

As soon as this book is published, I don't know how many people will be willing to devote themselves to education and become teachers.

Tolstoy couldn't wait to read the following English version,

Surprisingly, the English and French versions are equally excellent, both written like native speakers.

After Tolstoy read it, he couldn't tell which language was Lu Shi's first language when he wrote.

so,

"Which master translator is this masterpiece?"

With doubts, Tolstoy turned to the last page again, looking for the translation column.

As a result, the facts are shocking:

——

Writer: Lu (Lu Shi).

Translation (French): Lu (land time).

——

In other words, the novel was written in English and translated into French later,

And the translator turned out to be Lu Shi himself!

What kind of monster is this meow?

Tolstoy believed that even if he was good at four languages, it would be impossible to do this.

He got up suddenly and asked the people around him: "Excuse me, how do I get to the French Academy? I have a map with me, can you draw it for me?"

...

Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Lu Shi and the others walked slowly through rows of simple cemeteries, and walked towards the gate.

The setting sun stretched their silhouettes very long.

Bernard Shaw sighed,

"I didn't expect it to end up like this."

Just now, everyone paid homage to Oscar Wilde's tomb and presented flowers.

Verne asked puzzled, "What?"

Bernard Shaw shook his head, but did not reply.

However, Lu Shi said: "Mr. School Supervisor and Mr. Wilde are both masters of drama, outstanding at the same time. However, the creative ideas of the two are completely different. They competed openly and secretly, and finally decided the winner in this way. It is inevitable that I feel emotional .”

As a writer, Verne certainly understands this feeling,

A few people didn't know how to comfort them.

Instead, Bernard Shaw smiled and said, "It's not like there's no winner~ If Oscar Wilde read your "Yes! Prime Minister", he might be so angry that he would jump out of the grave and break up with you."

Everyone laughed,

A few birds were startled and flew away from the branches or graves.

Roland said: "Actually, Mr. Wilde's later works have almost nothing to do with aestheticism."

Wilde's life was full of twists and turns,

Especially after being found guilty and thrown into prison, reality beat him down hard,

Under such circumstances, how can we continue to adhere to aestheticism?

Bernard Shaw answered, "That's not as good as those comedic lowly people in Lu."

Poincaré, Verne, and Roland had heard the joke about Napoleon's restoration before, so they didn't ask again.

Roland introduced: "Speaking of which, the Lachaise Cemetery has a relationship with His Majesty the Emperor. When Napoleon was in power, he announced that the cemetery would not refuse anyone who requested to be buried here. Afterwards, the cemetery became famous, and the remains of famous people were continuously buried here. Come."

With that said, Roland pointed not far away,

"Can you see clearly?"

Lu Shi and Bernard Shaw squinted their eyes and stood on tiptoe to watch.

Bernard Shaw whispered, "That's... that's a young girl? It seems to be playing the violin, isn't it?"

Poincaré nodded,

"That's right, that's Chopin's grave."

Lu Shi was curious,

"Why are there statues of maidens on low tombstones?"

While stroking his beard, Poincaré introduced: "There are two theories: first, the statue entrusts people's regret and mourning for the genius master; second, it is a beautiful love story about Chopin and his lover. "

In 1831, Chopin came to France to settle,

Later, he got acquainted with the French female writer George Sand who was 6 years older than himself. The sweet love brought unlimited creative inspiration to Chopin.

But the good times didn't last long, and the relationship between the two broke down. Chopin's creativity declined due to depression, and he died of lung disease.

"There have always been people who wanted to put this story on stage," Poincaré said.

Lu Shi and Bernard Shaw nodded at the same time,

From the perspective of story creation, this is indeed a good prototype,

In particular, Chopin was only 39 years old when he died of illness, and it couldn't be more appropriate to use this as the ending of the tragedy.

George Bernard Shaw complained,

"You French women are really 'romantic'~"

Verne couldn't help laughing,

"We French men are quite 'wavey' too~"

After finishing speaking, he turned to Lu and changed the subject: "I have talked so much about drama, Professor Lu, have you ever considered putting "Country Teacher" on stage?"

Lu Shi and Bernard Shaw had discussed this proposal before,

Both felt inappropriate.

Lu Shi shook his head,

"Drama is a far more intuitive way of expression than novels. The background of "Country Teacher" is set in China. When people read it, it is like being shrouded in mystery through a veil, and they are willing to understand and accept it patiently. But if you move It is difficult to attract audiences on stage without the background of English and French."

Verne was lost in thought,

After a long time, he said, "I don't agree. I think art can move people."

It's hard to say right or wrong between the two.

Mei Lanfang can achieve unprecedented success in the United States, but in the same way, I don’t know how many Peking operas have been sprayed by Americans.

Art is something that does have its metaphysical side.

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Another point, a celebrity said, 'Every time a formula is added to the book, the sales will drop by half', so popularization is very important. Can you imagine a bunch of gentlemen and ladies sitting under the stage, looking at the children on the stage Do you mean 'the action and reaction forces between two interacting bodies are always equal in magnitude, opposite in direction, and act on the same straight line'?"

Verne was questioned,

"Ah this..."

On the contrary, the physicist Poincaré laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? How beautiful are the physical formulas~ Is there any more elegant, concise, and more revealing expression than this?"

The others rolled their eyes at him.

At this time, they had already reached the gate of the cemetery.

Their carriage was parked at the gate.

Not far away, another carriage galloped in this direction, and the horse raised its hooves, just stopping in front of several people.

A middle-aged man in his early thirties jumped down and said hello, "Gentlemen!"

Verne stepped forward,

"Alex!"

Alex Herzl, Verne's longtime publisher.

His father, Herzl Sr., had published the works of Hugo and others. He had excellent vision and rich experience. After discovering Verne's strength, he signed a contract with him.

Every month, Herzl will pay Verne a fixed salary,

What Verne had to do was to publish two novels a year.

The cooperation between the two parties is very solid.

Moreover, old Herzel is very good at naming,

"Five Weeks in a Balloon" was originally called "Travel in the Air", which was changed by old Herzl;

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" was originally called "Underwater Journey", which was changed by the old Herzer;

These two books are undoubtedly a hit.

Compared with his old father who passed away, little Herzel was no different. When he received Lu Shi's "Country Teacher", he thought of localizing the title of the novel to make it more eye-catching.

After all, this name has nothing to do with science fiction.

But Lu Shi refused.

Fortunately, this book has enough gimmicks,

Monet illustration;

Poincaré provides scientific endorsement;

Recommended by Verne;

...

The buff is fully stacked directly.

So there is no need to worry about the difficulties in publicity.

At this time, Little Herzel's face was flushed, and the excitement on his face was beyond words.

He said: "Mr. Verne! Professor Lu! Guess how many copies of "Country Teacher" have been sold in the first three days since it went on sale?"

Lu Shi thought about it,

"Twenty thousand volumes?"

Verne: "..."

Little Herzel: "..."

Roland: "..."

Poincaré: "..."

All four of them were speechless by Lu Shi.

Bernard Shaw on the side complained: "Lu, you are really making up numbers without panting."

Lu Shi felt a little embarrassed,

"I just... well... I estimated the sales with reference to "Roger's Mystery". It may be a bit desperate."

Verne: ? ? ?

Little Herzel: ? ? ?

Roland:? ? ?

Poincaré: ? ? ?

This time, the four of them were not speechless, but rather stunned on the spot.

After a while, Little Herzel asked, "Professor Lu, do you mean that "Roger's Mystery" sold 20,000 copies in three days?"

Lu Shi shook his head,

"That's not true. "Roger's Mystery" only sold about 6,000 copies on the first day, and the first reprint and the second reprint were only tens of thousands of copies. Now, I come to France for an exchange, and I don’t know It has been reprinted several times."

Shente Meow's "Only" sold 6,000 copies!

That's a hardcover novel!

Little Herzel said with a headache: "I now know how popular Professor Lu's book is in London."

He had never seen such a Versailles person as Lu Shi.

Lu Shi was embarrassed,

"That... don't talk about "Roger's Mystery", but "The Country Teacher"."

Little Herzel complained in a low voice: "At first, I wanted to show my credit and let you see how powerful our French publisher is. In the end, your '20,000 volumes' directly extinguished my enthusiasm."

As he spoke, he sighed,

"That's all. Let me just say the number, thirteen thousand volumes."

Hearing this number, Verne was shocked,

"A booklet priced at 45 francs, short stories, Chinese background, or hard science fiction. You tell me that 13,000 copies were sold in three days?"

Little Herzel nodded,

"Well, the bookstores have bought so much from us in total, and there are still many bookstores waiting to replenish."

After hearing these words, everyone looked at Lu Shi.

They knew that the pseudonym "Lu" had taken Paris by storm in a few days.