The quarrel continues.

If you continue like this, you don't have to do business.

The boss hurriedly squeezed into the crowd,

"Everyone!"

Of course, no one paid attention to him.

The boss had to raise his voice and shout: "Guys! All calm down! Calm down! If you quarrel like this, it is inevitable that you will not be able to say a word, and in the end it will turn into a big fight, do you want to stay in the bureau? ”

In Paris, it's really not a big deal to get in.

The old revolutionary area~

However, because a book is really not worth it.

The crowd calmed down.

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

"Alright, that's it."

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

After he took out the money, he looked at the other white prostitutes and left.

This is the end of a storm.

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

He walked over,

"Boss, check out."

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

Tolstoy nodded,

"Hmm."

The boss flipped through the book "Country Teacher" in his hand and asked curiously: "Can you understand this book?" ”

Tolstoy said, "I haven't seen what you know." ”

The boss thinks about it too,

What does this book say...... Those who like it like it are extremely fond of it, and those who don't like it...... You can't say 'I don't like it', you just can't read it. I could read Mr. Verne's science fiction work all night, but this book is so. ”

Tolstoy stretched out his hand to interrupt the other,

"Don't talk about it."

The boss laughed and said, "Yes, yes, I shouldn't have spoiled it." Okay, check out, 45 francs. ”

A short single book sells at this price, which is not high.

Tolstoy pointed to the "Facing the Tricolor" in his hand,

"And this one."

As a result, the boss was just about to make an offer, and the crowd over there quarreled again.

"Hey, hey, hey! It's my turn! ”

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

"After reading and reading, why do you occupy the book!?"

……

The boss is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

He cast an apologetic look at Tolstoy and hurried into the crowd to deal with the quarrel.

Tolstoy couldn't help but be helpless,

He took out 45 francs, put it in the small box where the bookstore owner collected the money, then put "Against the Tricolor" back on the shelf, and took "The Village Teacher" out of the bookstore.

The bright sun of Paris shines down, exuding warmth,

"Whew~"

Tolstoy lazily stretched his waist.

Next, he was supposed to go to the Académie de France as planned, but the book in his hand sparked curiosity and reading habits, and he wanted to read it first.

So, he found a nearby café.

The café has two pieces: indoor and outdoor.

Tolstoy chose an open-air location, asked for an espresso, sipped, basked in the sun, and read The Village Teacher.

Open the first chapter,

The first thing that catches your eye is the illustrations.

It's a portrait,

The East Asian man, young and handsome, with bright eyes, only looked a little weak, as if he was riddled with illness.

Tolstoy's eyes shrank, revealing a somewhat surprised expression,

As a writer, he has participated in a lot of various activities, so his literary and artistic aesthetics are online, and he can see everyone's works.

He couldn't help but mutter: "Impressionism? ”

Although the style of Impressionist painting is outrageous, it is still more realistic than the later Impressionists and Abstractists, and respects the light and color seen by the eye, but compared with the academic school, it does not pursue delicate shapes or historical themes.

Tolstoy was sure that the illustrator of The Village Teacher was no ordinary character.

With curiosity, he will turn to the end.

In the name of the illustrator column, it is written:

Oscar-Claude Monet.

Tolstoy:???

"This ...... What's going on!? ”

France's national treasure painter actually drew illustrations for a Chinese writer,

Understanding can't ......

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

“

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

Another sharp pain hit his lungs, almost knocking him out.

”

It seems that the protagonist is indeed sick,

Monet's brushstrokes are delicate and real.

Tolstoy continued to read, and soon he was drawn in by the wonderful description,

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

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

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

All kinds of new concepts have emerged,

Tolstoy thought it would be a laborious read, but he didn't expect the author to handle it very well, integrating various concepts of physics and astrophysics into the content, so that the reader could understand it without hindrance.

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

Tolstoy admired Lu Shi more in his heart,

When he read that the students had memorized the law of the three oxen, thus saving human civilization, he couldn't help but shudder.

Compared with "The Country Teacher",

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

My own works seem to be a little small.

This kind of insignificance is not the quality of the work, but the difference in the topic selection.

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

What about land time?

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

Tolstoy took a deep breath,

"Teachers, Education...... Huh-huh...... Those writers and poets, who write a thousand ways and ten thousand, are not as useful as this "Country Teacher". ”

As soon as this book came out, I wonder how many people would be willing to devote themselves to education and become teachers.

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

Surprisingly, the English and French versions are also excellent, as if they were written by native speakers.

When Tolstoy read it, he couldn't tell which language was the first language he used when he wrote.

So

"Which translator's masterpiece is this?"

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

As a result, the facts are astounding:

——

Writer: Lu (Lu time).

Translation (French): Lu (land time).

——

In other words, this book was created in English and only later translated into French,

And the translator turned out to be Lu Shi himself!

What kind of monster is this?

Tolstoy thought that even if he was good at the four Chinese, he could not do this.

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

……

Père Lachaise cemetery.

Lu Shi and a few people walked slowly past the rows of simple cemeteries and walked towards the gate.

The sun sets, stretching their silhouettes very long.

George Bernard Shaw sighed,

"I didn't expect it to be like this in the end."

Just now, everyone visited Wilde's tomb and laid flowers.

Verne was puzzled: "What? ”

George Bernard Shaw shook his head and didn't answer.

Lu Shi said: "Mr. Supervisor and Mr. Wilde are both masters of drama, leaders of the same era, but their creative concepts are completely different. ”

The same writer, Verne, of course, understands this feeling,

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

George Bernard Shaw smiled instead: "It's not that you don't have a winner~ If Wilde had watched your "Yes! Prime Minister", I'm afraid I will jump out of the grave in anger and break off your friendship. ”

The crowd laughed,

A few birds were so frightened that they 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 knocked him down with a decisive result,

In this case, how can we continue to adhere to aestheticism?

George Bernard Shaw continued: "That's not as good as those kidney-walking comedy Riba people on the land." ”

Poincaré, Verne, and Roland had heard the joke of the Napoleonic Restoration's "kidneys" before, so they didn't ask again.

Roland introduced: "Speaking of which, the Lachaise cemetery is still related to His Majesty the Emperor. During his reign, Napoleon declared that the cemetery could not refuse anyone who asked to come here for burial. Subsequently, the cemetery became famous, and the remains of famous people continued to be moved here. ”

As he spoke, Roland pointed not far away,

"Can you see clearly?"

Lu Shi and George Bernard Shaw squinted together and stood on tiptoe.

George Bernard Shaw whispered, "That's ...... Is that a teenage girl? It's like playing the violin, isn't it? ”

Poincaré nodded,

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

Lu Shi was curious,

"Why is there a statue of a maiden on a low tombstone?"

Touching his beard, Poincaré introduced: "There are two theories: first, the statue embodies people's pity and mourning for the genius master; The second is a beautiful love story about Chopin and his lovers. ”

In 1831, Chopin came to settle in France.

Later, he met the French female writer George Sand, who was 6 years older than him, and his sweet love brought Chopin infinite creative inspiration.

However, the relationship between the two broke down, and Chopin was depressed and his creativity declined, until he died of lung disease.

"There have always been people who want to bring this story to the stage," Poincaré said. ”

Lu Shi and George 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, and it is fitting that this is the end of the tragedy.

George Bernard Shaw complained,

"You French women are really 'romantic'~"

Verne couldn't help but laugh,

"We French men are also quite 'waves'~"

After speaking, he turned to Lu Shi and changed the topic: "After talking about so many drama topics, Professor Lu, have you ever considered putting "Country Teacher" on the stage?" ”

This proposal was discussed by Lu Shi and George Bernard Shaw before,

Both of them felt that it was not a good fit.

Lu Shi shook his head,

"Drama is far more than visual expression. "The Country Teacher" is set in China, and when people read it, they are like being shrouded in mystery through a light veil, and they are willing to understand and accept it patiently. But if you put it on the stage, it will be difficult to attract an audience without using English and French as the background. ”

Verne fell into deep thought,

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

It's hard to say whether the views of the two are right or wrong,

Mei Lanfang was able to achieve unprecedented success in the United States, but in the same way, I don't know how many Peking Opera were sprayed by the Americans.

Art does have its metaphysical side.

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Another thing is that a celebrity once said, 'Every time you add a formula to a book, sales drop by half,' so it's important to be popular. Can you imagine a bunch of gentlemen and ladies sitting under the stage, watching the children on the stage carry 'the action and reaction forces between two interacting objects are always equal in magnitude and opposite directions, acting in the same straight line'? ”

Verne was asked,

"Ah......h

On the contrary, the physicist Poincaré on the side smiled and said, "What's wrong with this? How beautiful is the physical formula~ Is there a more elegant, concise, and revealing expression than this? ”

The rest of the people gave him a roll of the eye.

At this time, they had already walked to the gate of the cemetery,

Their carriage was parked at the door.

Not far away, another carriage came galloping in this direction, and the horses raised their hooves and stopped right in front of several people.

A middle-aged man in his early thirties jumped down and greeted: "Gentlemen! ”

Verne stepped forward,

"Alex!"

Alex Hezel, Verne's long-time collaborator.

His father, Herzel the Elder, had published the works of Hugo and others, had excellent vision and experience, and after discovering Verne's strength, he signed a contract with him.

Every month, Herzel paid Verne a fixed salary,

What Verne had to do was to publish two books in one year.

The cooperation between the two sides is very solid.

Moreover, old Hetzel is also very good at naming,

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

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" was originally called "Underwater Travel", which was changed by the elder Hezel;

These two books are undoubtedly all on fire.

Little Hezel is not far behind his deceased old father, and when he received Lu Shi's "Country Teacher", he thought about localizing the name and changing it to be more eye-catching.

After all, this name really doesn't have much to do with the science fiction theme,

But Lu Shi refused.

Fortunately, this book has enough gimmicks,

illustration by Monet;

Poincaré provides scientific endorsements;

Verne recommends;

……

Buffs are stacked directly.

So don't worry about the difficulty of publicity.

At this time, little Hezel's face was full of red light, and the excitement on his face was overflowing.

He said: "Monsieur Verne! Professor Lu! Guess how many copies of "The Village Teacher" have been on sale for only three days? ”

Lu Shi thought for a while,

"Twenty thousand?"

Verne: "......"

Hetzel Jr.: "......"

Roland: "......"

Poincaré: "......"

The four of them were speechless by Lu Shi.

George Bernard Shaw on the side complained: "Lu, you really make up numbers without breathing." ”

Lu Shi was a little embarrassed,

"I am...... Alas...... I am referring to "The Mystery of Roger" to estimate sales, which may be a bit of a sword. ”

Jules verne:???

Herzel Jr.: ???

Rowland:???

Poincaré: ???

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

After a long while, Little Hetzel asked, "Professor Lu, do you mean that 20,000 copies of "The Mystery of Roger" were sold in three days?" ”

Lu Shi shook his head,

"Not really. "The Mystery of Roger" only sold about 6,000 copies on the first day, and the first and second reprints were only tens of thousands of copies. Now, I'm in France, and I don't know how many times I've printed it. ”

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

That's a hardcover feature!

Little Hetzel had 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 is embarrassed,

"That...... Don't talk about "Roger's Mystery Case", let's talk about "Country Teacher". ”

Little Herzel complained in a low voice: "Originally, I wanted to show you the power of our French publishers. As a result, your '20,000 copies' directly extinguished my enthusiasm. ”

As he spoke, he sighed,

"That's it. I'll just say the number, 13,000 copies. ”

Hearing this number, Verne was shocked,

"A single book priced at 45 francs, a short story, with a Chinese background, or hard sci-fi. You told me that thirteen thousand copies were sold in three days? ”

Little Hezel nodded,

"Well, all the bookstores have bought so much from us, and there are many more bookstores waiting to be restocked."

After hearing this, everyone looked at Lu Shi.

They knew that the pseudonym "Lu" had already swept Paris in a matter of days.

(End of chapter)