Chapter 141: This Poem Has a Fifth Stanza!

Wang Mo’s recitation was soft and gentle, nothing like the impassioned, resonant performance he had given yesterday when he read “Poem on Encouraging Learning.”

Yet that very gentleness struck everyone with extraordinary force.

Recitation was an art in its own right.

When performed well, it could lead the audience’s emotions wherever the reciter wished, conquering their hearts and minds before they even realized it.

And with Wang Mo’s scholarly air lending him added weight, the emotions conveyed as he recited “Nostalgia” seemed almost ready to spill forth.

When I was young...

When I grew up...

Later...

And now...

As each line emerged from Wang Mo’s lips, something shifted within every listener. Their emotions rose and fell with the rhythm of his recitation.

By the time Wang Mo finished, all kinds of expressions had appeared on the faces around him.

For older people such as Feng Qi and Zhu Han, the impact was strongest. Some even had reddened eyes, as though they had been reminded of painful memories they could never let go.

As for young people like Wang Mo, they could not truly share the same experience. Yet under the influence of his performance, they felt as if a stone had lodged in their chests, creating an unbearable urge to release the emotion somehow.

This was nostalgia.

What made a poem truly good?

Some said it was magnificent diction.

Some said it was dazzling phrasing.

Some said it was profound meaning.

But in truth, a truly great poem did not need piles of ornate language or astonishing lines. So long as it could easily touch the human heart and stir a reader’s empathy, then even if its words were plain and simple, it was still a rare and excellent poem.

“Nostalgia” was precisely such a poem. Even an elementary school student could understand it with ease, yet it touched the deepest chord in the hearts of all Chinese people, leaving them unable to calm down for a long time.

As Wang Mo’s voice faded away, many people remained sunk in silence.

Then, all at once, thunderous applause erupted, instantly drowning out the entire livestream.

“It’s so beautifully written.”

“I’m filled with melancholy just listening to it.”

“Anyone else cry while listening?”

“Who caused all this longing? Kill him!”

“Ahhh! After hearing ‘Nostalgia,’ I really want to beat the Beautiful Nation to a pulp.”

“...”

Feng Qi let out a long sigh. Looking at the poem he had just written, he suddenly tore it to pieces with a loud rip.

The host cried out, “Teacher Feng!”

Feng Qi shook his head. “This photograph needs only ‘Nostalgia.’ Any other poem would be superfluous and would merely diminish the mood of the image.”

Zhu Han followed suit, crumpling the lyrics in his hand into a ball. He sighed. “Teacher Feng is right. With ‘Nostalgia’ here, every other poem would merely be an imitation of a beauty trying to copy a plain girl. Better to destroy them. Besides, in my opinion, the most ingenious aspect of ‘Nostalgia’ is that it not only expresses the lingering homesickness of a wanderer unable to return home, but also contains another, deeper meaning.”

Hmm?

Everyone pricked up their ears.

Even Wang Mo was slightly taken aback. There was another layer of meaning? How had he not known?

Zhu Han’s voice carried a note of melancholy as he said softly, “Actually, Taiwan is also a wanderer stranded far from home. It has been away from home for a very, very long time. People feel nostalgia, and so does it... It, too, hopes that one day it can return openly to the embrace of the motherland. So, although ‘Nostalgia’ appears to describe one person’s longing, it is actually expressing the hopes and yearning of an island—a feeling of devotion to a great nation!”

After hearing his explanation, everyone was deeply shaken.

“My God, that interpretation is incredible.”

“I’ve got goosebumps all over. I never realized ‘Nostalgia’ had such a deeper meaning.”

“On the surface it’s about a person, but on a deeper level it’s about the two sides of the strait. My God... truly unbelievable.”

“This is Xilou’s true ability!”

“I was already stunned by the artistic conception of ‘Nostalgia.’ After Teacher Zhu Han’s explanation, I’m completely overwhelmed.”

“No wonder the Twin Guns tore up his own work.”

“Xilou’s understanding of poetry and lyrics is simply absurd.”

“If Teacher Zhu Han hadn’t explained it, a fool like me would never have thought of the national significance.”

“...”

After finishing his explanation, Zhu Han looked toward Wang Mo and smiled. “Mr. Xilou, I shouldn’t have misunderstood what you wished to express in this poem, should I?”

“Heh...”

Wang Mo forced a smile.

You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?

Unless he could travel down there and personally ask Mr. Yu Guangzhong.

But faced with Zhu Han’s question, Wang Mo steadied himself, gave a faint smile, and said nothing.

At a time like this, the more one spoke, the more likely one was to make a mistake. Remaining silent was more important than anything else.

By this point, the exchange had essentially reached its conclusion.

But just then, another wave of startled cries broke out across the comment feed.

“What the hell?”

“What’s going on?”

“My God!”

“Quick, check the official media!”

“...”

While Wang Mo and the other streamers were still staring around in confusion, a viewer had already thrown an image into the comment section.

Wang Mo focused on it.

His pupils suddenly contracted.

The official media again!

After his “Poem on Encouraging Learning” had appeared on the official media yesterday, he had actually done it twice in a row today.

The screenshot showed that, only moments earlier, the official media had reposted his “Nostalgia,” along with a single sentence:

“Those who wander outside will return home one day.”

The entire internet exploded.

The official media’s action had gone far beyond what most people expected.

In the past, when faced with certain provocations, the authorities had done little more than issue a stern protest. They had never taken any further action.

But this time, although the authorities had merely reposted “Nostalgia” and added one sentence, everyone could see what it meant.

This time, the authorities had truly struck a blow that warmed people’s hearts!

Those who wandered outside would return home in the end!

Even a blind man could understand the meaning behind those words.

“Ahhh, I’m so excited!”

“My God, long live the authorities!”

“Seeing this post made my heart ignite instantly!”

“The wish of hundreds of millions of Chinese people: the wanderer will eventually return home.”

“...”

Everyone originally believed that this would be the final outcome.

But some things could never be predicted.

That night, everything remained normal until Wang Mo went back to sleep.

The only difference was that countless young people online had begun reposting the official media’s post from that evening. One after another, they appeared passionately fired up.

Under such circumstances, “Nostalgia” swept across the entire internet even faster than “Poem on Encouraging Learning.”

Seeing this, Wang Mo went to bed that night with sweet dreams in mind.

The vote for the third round would not close until noon the next day. Thus, although Wang Mo had already secured victory, the system still had not issued a notification that the task had been completed.

So Wang Mo planned to sleep until noon the next day, open his eyes to the completion notice, and then...

Draw his reward!

But!

At eight o’clock the next morning, Wang Mo was awakened by Yuan Xiong’s urgent voice.

“Get up! Something major has happened!”

Wang Mo opened his eyes blearily. “What could be more important than sleep?”

“I’m not joking.”

Yuan Xiong tossed his phone over. “See for yourself.”

Wang Mo rubbed his eyes and glanced at the screen a few times.

Then he jolted upright, sprang out of bed, and cried, “No way! That actually worked?”

Yuan Xiong nodded solemnly. “Didn’t see that coming, did you? Neither did I.”

Yuan Xiong was not the only one who had failed to anticipate it. Most people on the mainland had never imagined that, after fermenting overnight, the poem “Nostalgia” would cross the strait and reach the other side.

For most people on the mainland, the homesickness expressed in “Nostalgia” had merely stirred some feelings.

But in Taiwan, people felt it in their very bones.

Because “Nostalgia” was about them.

Especially among the older generation, many were moved to tears after reading it. Their long-suppressed longing for the motherland, once awakened, could no longer be contained.

Then, after seeing what a certain country had done, those elderly people erupted.

The most untouchable force in the world was the elderly legion!

Once that legion unleashed its power, it became a storm.

And so, in the space of a single night, that elderly legion triggered an international uproar.

The Beautiful Nation was instantly dumbfounded.

They could not understand, no matter how hard they tried, how a mere modern poem could possess such enormous power and awaken the fervor in so many people’s hearts.

They could ignore the official media’s comments. They could ignore the anger of Chinese netizens.

But they could not afford to ignore international public opinion.

Yuan Xiong said, “The latest news is that, under pressure from public opinion, that country has slunk away. People all over the internet are practically going mad, saying that you drove them off with a single poem, ‘Nostalgia.’”

Wang Mo gave a bitter smile. “That’s far too outrageous.”

“Outrageous or not, it’s a good thing for you,” Yuan Xiong said. “And there’s another piece of good news. The official media just sent word that they would like to conduct a brief interview with you regarding ‘Nostalgia.’”

“What?”

Wang Mo was stunned. “The official media wants to interview me? Is that really appropriate?”

Yuan Xiong laughed. “Why wouldn’t it be? It’s only a telephone interview, and the official media will merely publish it online, so there’s no harm. The key is that this interview is extremely important to you. You must seize the opportunity.”

“Do they know my real identity?” Wang Mo asked.

“If they ask, tell them. If they don’t, say nothing.”

“All right.”

After a pause, Wang Mo asked, “Brother Xiong, regarding the interview, should I keep a low profile or make a high-profile appearance?”

Yuan Xiong thought for a moment. “Be modest as a person, but bold in what you do.”

Wang Mo snapped his fingers. “Got it!”

...

Ten o’clock that morning.

Wang Mo received a call from an official media reporter in his livestream room.

After the initial pleasantries, the reporter asked, “Mr. Xilou, what inspired you to create the poem ‘Nostalgia’?”

Wang Mo replied, “This was not inspiration. It was the resentment and longing I had buried in my heart for so long. Or rather, it was the emotional release of every Chinese person.”

Perfect!

Yuan Xiong, sitting nearby, secretly gave him a thumbs-up.

The reporter was clearly delighted by Wang Mo’s answer as well.

The official media liked interviewing people with this kind of political awareness.

He asked another question. “What do you have to say about ‘Nostalgia’ sweeping across both sides of the strait?”

Wang Mo replied, “I feel extremely proud. It shows that the blood of the Chinese people is still running hot.”

The reporter mentally applauded.

Wang Mo continued, “Actually, the version of ‘Nostalgia’ I wrote only contains the first part. There is another section that I haven’t written out yet.”

The reporter’s eyes lit up. “Mr. Xilou, are you saying that ‘Nostalgia’ is not yet complete?”

“Yes.”

What the hell!

This was huge news!

“Nostalgia” had already caused such an enormous stir across the Chinese world, yet its creator was claiming that it was merely an unfinished poem. Once this interview was released, it would absolutely explode.

The reporter’s voice trembled. “Then... could you tell us the rest?”

“Of course.”

With that, Wang Mo recited “Nostalgia” once more, adding a fifth stanza at the end:

“And in the future,

nostalgia will be a long, long bridge.

You will stand on this side,

and I will stand on the other.”

This fifth stanza of “Nostalgia” was not something Wang Mo had invented. It had genuinely been written by Mr. Yu Guangzhong.

The version of “Nostalgia” studied in textbooks generally contained only the first four stanzas. Yet that omission had left a deep sense of regret in the hearts of many people, who could only gaze toward the future and sigh.

Thus, in 2011, in order to fulfill the hopes of all Chinese people for national reunification, Mr. Yu Guangzhong added this “future passage” to “Nostalgia.”

With its addition, the poem at last became complete.

At that moment, the official media reporter was utterly stunned by Wang Mo’s recitation.

Only after a long while did he murmur, “The future... What a future... Wonderful.”

He was almost desperate to publish the interview. In his dazed imagination, he could already see the fervor that would seize netizens when they encountered the fifth stanza of “Nostalgia.”

Yet his professional training restrained the impulse.

Whatever happened, he had to finish the interview first.

There were still several important questions he had not asked.

Beside him, Yuan Xiong’s heart was already churning.

“Big brother, when I told you to be bold in what you do, did you really have to take it this far?”

It was as if he had said, “Walk,” and Wang Mo had immediately taken flight.

This was deadly.

Yuan Xiong felt somewhat uneasy. Heaven only knew what other high-profile stunt Wang Mo might pull during the rest of the interview.

(End of Chapter)