1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 162 I'll Find Someone to Write

The two chatted about the editorial committee for a long time, and Wang Meng did not leave until the evening.

Jiang Xian strolled to the cafeteria alone, thinking about the conversation just now.

The editorial board is not a child's play, you can't just join it, but there is an opportunity right now.
Before I even entered the cafeteria, the slightly sour vapor of yeast floated on my face.

The canteen of the Institute of Literature was ordinary, with cornmeal cakes, hawthorn porridge, rice, and big pots of stew scooped into a row of enamel basins.

Jiang Xian went to the food window and happened to see Wang Anyi in front of him. He heard her discussing something with someone inside the window.

"Master, can I use the noodle ticket as a rice ticket?"

"How can this be possible? Rice tickets are rice tickets, and flour tickets are flour tickets."

"I'll change it this time."

"If you don't want to get food, get out of the way and don't block the people behind you."

The canteen meal tickets had to be exchanged for national food coupons and those from the Cultural Institute, which were divided into rice coupons and flour coupons. Ten kilograms of national food coupons could be exchanged for four kilograms of rice coupons and six kilograms of flour coupons.

Many southerners are used to eating rice and cannot get used to eating noodles. They feel like vomiting if they eat too much. Four kilograms of rice coupons are certainly not enough.

But there were no more national food coupons, and oil and grain were rationed at the time. If one wanted to exchange for more national food coupons, one had to use one person's local food coupons for one month, plus one person's oil coupons for one month, to exchange for 30 kilograms of national food coupons.

"Come on, use my rice coupons and you give me your flour coupons in exchange." Jiang Xian took out a bundle of rice coupons from his pocket without saying a word.

"Thank you, Comrade Jiang Xian." The eldest niece's eyes sparkled with gratitude.

"It's okay. I can eat rice and noodles. If you don't have enough tickets, you can exchange them with me later."

Jiang Xian won the favor of his classmates, bought another five-liang cornmeal pancake, sat back in his seat, and began to eat it with relish.

Wang Anyi chewed her rice in small sips and couldn't help but said to him, "Comrade Jiang Xian, I didn't expect you to publish an article so quickly."

"Have you seen it?"

"I've read almost all of the literature reviews. Your novel is really well written."

Wang Anyi recalled the article "Letter from a Stranger". The deep sadness was like a knife cutting into her chest, and she still feels a dull pain.

"It's hard to imagine that such delicate words were written by a male writer."

Jiang Xian chuckled, "I am rough but delicate."

"You look so relaxed. Did you submit your 'stream of consciousness' homework?" Wang Anyi guessed.

"I just handed it in yesterday." Jiang Xian answered perfunctorily.

After the meal, he licked the aluminum lunch box clean and then washed it thoroughly.

After taking a few laps to help digest the food, he picked up a large grid paper and went back to the small meeting room. The script for "The Chess King" was finally almost finished.

Tucked between his elbows were a few books on "Film and Television Screenwriting Tutorial" and "The Art of Screenwriting". They were all recommended to him by Zhang Jie. Every page was turned yellow and wrinkled by Jiang Xian.

A script is much more difficult to write than a novel and is the pinnacle of literature.

Nine out of ten Nobel Prize winners in literature are playwrights, not novelists.

Fortunately, Jiang Xian has studied for a long time. He has written two story outlines, attended many script writing courses at the Institute of Literature, and revised the script of "Traffic". He is now a mature screenwriter with many practical experiences.

He also has the plot support of two "The Chess King" movies, "The Chess King" by Teng Wenji and "The Chess King" by Tsui Hark, both of which he has watched.

Although the photos weren't that good.

The filming by Teng Wenji seems to be faithful to the original, but in fact it does not express the main point of the original at all. Xie Yuan's performance is just mediocre, he plays a quite silly role, but Wang Yisheng is stupid.

As for Tsui Hark's version of "The Chess King", it is a combination of another novel with the same name as "The Chess King". It is more entertaining, with some elements of soul-out-of-body and time-travel that stimulate the taste buds. The film is a complete mess, and it also contains some personal opinions.

Tony Leung's acting skills are indeed very strong, but they are a little exaggerated and unlike the character itself.

Jiang Xian already has a candidate in mind for the actor who is most suitable for Wang Yisheng.

After "Letter from a Stranger" was published in the May issue of "Beijing Literature and Art", it quickly caused a sensation among readers.

Love stories are particularly able to arouse readers' empathy. For a time, letters were sent to the Beijing Literature and Art magazine like snowflakes, and the editors could only carry them upstairs one sack at a time.

Zhang Dening went to deliver the book to Jiang Xian specially. The editors were quite responsible and would not easily let down the readers.

"Why so many?"

"It shows that readers are enthusiastic. It would be great if there were so many readers every day." Zhang Dening said happily.

"Were they all sent to me?"

"Some were sent to our editors. We opened a lot of them. I remember one was from a woman who said she was the strange woman herself."

"Is it?"

"She said she secretly liked an old comrade and followed him around every day, but he had no idea."

"."

Jiang Xian now had a place to store these letters. In his large courtyard, many rooms were still empty, so they could be put to good use.

Zheng Yuanjie bought 10 houses to store the letters written by readers, and he also bought ten courtyard houses to store the letters written by readers.

"I have good news for you. The Strange Woman has been reprinted."

"Which one?"

"Fiction Quarterly."

Jiang Xian thought about it for a long time, slapped his forehead, and realized that it was the older brother of "Youth Literature" and "Youth Digest".

"The Literary Gazette also has critics who publish literary reviews." Zhang Dening took out a copy of the Literary Gazette from his bag and handed it to Jiang Xian as if he was announcing good news.

He picked it up and saw that it was a review by Liu Xicheng, titled "Love as Hard as Water - <The Strange Woman>":
"I copied the poem "To the Oak Tree" a long time ago. This poem is written entirely from a female perspective. I couldn't believe it was written by the writer Jiang Xian until I read this article.

Jiang Xian actually peels off the inner world of women layer by layer from a female perspective. The psychological portrayal in the novel is in-depth and delicate, unique and touching.

Silent love, nameless sacrifice, and the woman's affectionate yet helpless confession to Mr. Ren constitute the profound emotional and literary value of this work.

It's like there's a woman living inside him!"

"Be proud, Liu Xicheng is the leader of the literary criticism group of People's Literature," Zhang Dening said proudly.

Jiang Xian smiled, put away the "Literary Newspaper", and reminded: "Isn't it time to put the publication of the collection of works on the agenda?"

"That's exactly what I came here to tell you." Zhang Dening smiled. "Your work "Furong Town" has Mao Dun, Ba Jin, and Shen Congwen all writing prefaces for it. This collection of your works can't be bad, right?"

“I wrote three prefaces that time, which was beyond my expectation.”

"Just write one, and I'll ask for you."

"No, no, I'll find it myself." Jiang Xian was still a little traumatized by the last incident.

He agreed and personally asked someone to write a preface for him.

Of course I pay attention to my own portfolio.

(End of this chapter)