1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 249 Posthumous Work
Five days later, the Central Committee quickly made a decision: to restore Comrade Mao Dun's party membership, and his party membership would begin from 21 years.

While the Chinese literary world was deeply saddened, it was also grateful for Mr. Mao's generosity.

Before his death, he donated all of his 25 yuan in royalties to encourage future generations to continue to fight for literature. This really fulfilled his words: "Clear a path for those who come after you to walk on."

Comrades in the literary world also praised Wei Tao and his wife. They had no selfish motives and donated Mao's belongings in accordance with his wishes. This quality is absolutely worthy of respect.

25, such a huge amount of money would definitely make anyone jealous.

Like the dispute over the inheritance of the Chinese studies master Ji Xianlin that caused a lot of controversy in later generations: Ji Xianlin donated all his inheritance to Yanjing University before his death, but his son Ji Cheng called on Yanjing University to return the money and even filed a lawsuit against Yanjing University.

Ba Jin rushed to Beijing from Shanghai to attend Mao Dun's funeral.

He respected Mao Dun as his teacher and always considered himself his student for many years. He was used to calling Mao Dun "Mr. Shen" and was extremely sad at this moment.

"I really want to have a long talk with him again, but I don't have the chance anymore."

"Mr. Ba, please take care of yourself." Jiang Xian said comfortingly.

A few days later, Comrade Wei Tao found Jiang Xian and handed him several manuscripts.

"Before my father passed away, he read your articles intermittently and wanted to write a review for you, but he never finished it."

Jiang Xian took it and took a look. It was a review written by Mao Dun for "Glass Moon Shining on the Bronze Coin".

Mr. Mao was not only an outstanding novelist, but also an outstanding critic. He once wrote a preface for "The Story of Hulan River", which was incisive and quite classic.

Holding this 2,000-word review, Jiang Xian felt mixed emotions. Mao Dun wrote a preface for his first published book, Furong Town. He did not expect that at the end of his life, Mao Dun would leave him an unfinished review.

After pouring a cup of hot tea for Shen Weitao, he carefully read the review that Mao Gong wrote on "Glass Moon Shining on the Bronze Coin".

The whole article is inseparable from the word "ideal". Mao Gong extends his memories and comments on Jiang Xian himself around "ideal".

He succinctly summarized the article as: a narrative poem and a sad ballad.

Unfortunately, the writing had to be stopped halfway through. Considering Mr. Mao Dun's physical condition over the past six months, writing this 2,000-word review must have consumed a great deal of his energy.

After reading it, Jiang Xian spread the review out on the table.

Shen Weitao raised his head and asked, "Have you seen it?"

"I didn't expect Mr. Mao to be so kind to me." Jiang Xian said with emotion.

In his previous life, he was just an online writer. He never dared to imagine that he would be loved and favored by the literary giant Mao Dun and receive his teachings.

"Comrade Wei Tao, I want to put Mr. Mao's unfinished review into "Glass Moon Shining on Copper Coins" and use it as a preface for the publication of this novel." Jiang Xian suggested.

Shen Weitao was stunned for a moment, "This article has not been completed yet. If I use it as a preface, I am afraid it will affect..."

He had considered it very carefully. The preface appeared as the opening article of the single volume. Just imagine, when the reader opens the book, he reads an article without a beginning or an end. His enthusiasm for reading will definitely be dampened.

"I think this preface is more meaningful than any other preface I have ever written." Jiang Xian said, "I know you are a serious person. I will complete the second half of this preface from the perspective of my own preface."

Mao Dun was extremely rigorous and even his writing was never careless.

According to legend, it was related to an incident in his youth: he applied for Yenching University, but when the results were announced, his name Shen Dehong was not on the list, only the three words Shen Deming. Upon checking, it turned out that the author's handwriting was sloppy when filling out the application form, and the word "Hong" was written like "Ming".

"In that case, you can use it as you like." Shen Weitao had no objection to Jiang Xian's suggestion.

Since his father wrote this review for Jiang Xian, I believe that even if he himself heard it, he would not reject Jiang Xian's idea.

It took Jiang Xian several days to write the complete preface.

That morning, the sun was shining brightly and the wind was not strong. Jiang Xian rode his bicycle to the Writers Publishing House, which is also located at No. 2 North Shatan Street.

"Comrade Jiang Xian?" Wang Shuli, the editor in charge of "Tongqian Street" at the Writers Publishing House, called him. This female editor later also edited the works of Yu Qiuyu and Yang Hongying.

"How did you come?"

"I'm here to give you the preface." Jiang Xian said bluntly.

He took out the manuscript from his bag with a serious look on his face.

Wang Shuli poured him a glass of water, took the manuscript in her hand, glanced down at the manuscript, and saw the neat handwriting. She asked, "Who did you ask to write it?"

"Mr. Mao Dun." Jiang Xian replied in a low voice.

When Wang Shuli heard the name, she didn't react at first. After three seconds, she raised her head and looked at Jiang Xian in disbelief with her mouth wide open.

"This"

"This is Mr. Mao's last work. It's not finished yet. With the consent of Comrade Wei Tao, I added a part." Jiang Xian explained to her, "Take a look at it and see how it goes."

"I'll take a look."

Wang Shuli nodded very carefully, sat on the chair, and read the manuscript carefully.

Mao Dun wrote 2 words for this preface, and Jiang Xian added 3 words, totaling more than 5 words.

The content was not long, but Wang Shuli read it very carefully, word by word, and it took her about seven or eight minutes to finish reading the manuscript.

When she raised her head again, her eyes were a little wet.

Moving.

This is the biggest feeling this preface gave her.

In the first half, Mao Dun starts from the word "ideal", extends his memories of Jiang Xian, and comments on the novel.

In the second half, Jiang Xian also starts from the word "ideal", recalling Mao Dun, talking about the teachings he heard from Mao Dun, and the similarities between these teachings and the novel "Copper Coin Street".

The seniors appreciate the juniors, and the juniors respond to the seniors.

It's like a question and answer, a conversation.

It also contains endless longing for Mr. Mao.

At the end of the preface, Jiang Xian wrote about the scene of his last long conversation with Mao Dun:
On the eve of the Spring Festival, I went to Mr. Mao's residence. Under the poplar tree in the backyard, I supported Mr. Mao and he said, "The burden on your back is getting heavier day by day. The fire of your life should burn on the road of transforming society, and never on the road of illusory enjoyment."

Walking out of the backyard, I took away the back figure of a lonely old man.

I thought, how lonely!
In fact, I didn’t understand him. He wrote in the letter: “I know I will not recover from my illness, and I sincerely wish that our country’s socialist literature will prosper.” He had the motherland’s literature in his heart. He devoted his entire life to this cause. How could he feel lonely?

I finally understood the protagonist of my book. I was puzzled by the fact that "Leland" was willing to suffer from loneliness. I thought it was painful. But he reached the pinnacle of art, so how could he be in pain? The ultimate of his life was as brilliant and fiery as the flames burning in Fengyangshu Village at sunset.

Qianmen Street, Quanjude main store.

"You really don't want help?"

"What on earth are you guys trying to do?"

"Perform a play!"

"What are you doing in our store when you're performing a play?"

"We want to experience life here, we don't want any wages." Liang Zuo and Wang Xiaoping argued with the manager of Quanjude Restaurant.

The manager was also helpless as the two students had been coming to ask about the store these days and wanted to help.

How could he dare to agree?

If we let them in like this, wouldn't that be considered hiring workers privately?

Although someone previously deduced a conclusion from Marx's Capital: "Less than 8 people are called hiring helpers, more than 8 people are called hired workers, and less than 8 people are not considered exploitation."

This led to the creation of a red line of “seven up and eight down”, which means that the number of employees cannot exceed eight.

But it’s not worth crossing the red line just because of these two students.

Wang Xiaoping saw that Liang Zuo was useless, so he pushed him aside and came over to speak for him, "Comrade, do you know "Middle-Aged Man"? "

"Middle-aged?" The manager nodded. "I know. Isn't that a novel?"

"That novel was written by his mother." Wang Xiaoping pointed at Liang Zuo.

The manager perked up and glanced at Liang Zuo, "Oh, is this true? Don't lie to me."

"Really? When his mother was writing that novel, she went to the Union Hospital to see a doctor perform surgery. She also wanted to experience life."

Wang Xiaoping said, picking up a copy of the Play Magazine and pointing to the title of The Number One Restaurant in the World. "We are rehearsing this play. Do you know who wrote it?"

"Who?"

"Jiang Xian! The Jiang Xian who wrote "The Chess King"!"

The manager looked at the magazine and slapped his thigh, "Oh, him! I really like his book 'Xu Sanguan Selling Blood'."

"So you"

"Okay, okay, forget about working, but..."

The manager changed the subject and came up with a solution. "You two just want to experience life, so how about this? I'll let you walk around the store and I won't chase you out. Is that okay?"

"That's great!" Liang Zuo became excited.

Wang Xiaoping bowed and said, "You are such a good person!"

The manager smiled and said, "I just saw that you two are students of Yanda University and I believe in your qualities. But please don't cause trouble for me, or I will punish you without mercy."

"I promise not to cause trouble." Wang Xiaoping agreed immediately.

"Xiaoping, you still have a way." While visiting Quanjude, Liang Zuo said to Wang Xiaoping with a smile.

In a while, their drama troupe will have an opportunity to perform in the Yan University Auditorium.

In addition to Yingda's "The Nine of Us", there are three other dramas in the drama troupe. He, Wang Xiaoping and several students from the Chinese Department are responsible for one of them, which is the drama script "The World's Number One Restaurant" given by Jiang Xian.

"This script is so well written!" Liang Zuo said excitedly, "The horizontal arrangement of scenes, the sequential time structure, and the mixed feelings of the world are all written in the play. It really looks like "Tea House."

"How can you say that The World's Number One Restaurant is just a copy of Teahouse?" Wang Xiaoping disagreed with Liang Zuo's statement, "It's just that the form and content are similar. It's not like The World's Number One Restaurant doesn't have its own characteristics."

Liang Zuo was too lazy to argue with her, his eyes full of joy, "We must rehearse this play well, and we must not let down such a good script given by Teacher Jiang."

"Yes."

Wang Xiaoping nodded, smelled the aroma of roast duck coming from the side, and his stomach started to growl again.

"Liang Zuo, do you have money?"

"What's the matter."

"Let's have some duck."

Liang Zuo was shocked. "It's several dollars a piece. Who can afford to eat that?"

"Please give me a duck." Jiang Xian ordered dishes with the waiter.

Sitting next to him was Chen Xiru, and across the table were two Japanese. One of them was Sato Jun'ya, a screenwriter and director, extremely left-wing, and had made a film criticizing the atrocities of S2.

Tokuma Shoten and Beijing Film Studio co-produced "A Game of Chess That Has Not Been Finished". Sato Jun'ya came to Beijing Film Studio to discuss the co-production. Tokuma Shoten's Higashino Nobuo asked him to bring the Japanese translation of "Glass Moon Shining on Copper Coin Street" to Jiang Xian.

As for Chen Xiru, Jiang Xian invited him to review the Japanese translation, after all, he did not understand Japanese.

Jiang Xian was afraid that Nobuo Higashino might have smuggled something in, so he had to check it carefully.

"I heard that the food in this restaurant is very good, and you need to make a reservation to dine here," he introduced.

This shop is hidden in Cuihua Hutong in Dongcheng District.

The restaurant is called Yuebin Restaurant. It is very famous and is the first individually-owned restaurant in the capital. The owner is Liu Guixian.

Liu Guixian's family was so poor that one person could not even afford one quilt, so she came up with an idea at the end of last year.

——Open a private restaurant.

She and her two unemployed sons wrote an application to open a store. They first went to the street office to get it stamped. The street office said they had to go to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau to apply for a business license.

She went to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, but there were no private restaurants in Beijing and the deputy director of the Bureau didn't know how to approve it, so he said he would not approve it. Liu Guixian spent a month at the Bureau, but they still didn't approve it.

Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore and told the deputy director: She is working as a nanny in Hua Shuai's house!

After the leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau discussed it, they immediately agreed to give Liu Guixian special approval, and she obtained the first handwritten business license for an individual catering business in the capital.

The officials from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau also acted as a guarantor for her and borrowed 500 yuan. With this 500 yuan, Liu Guixian bought a processed Snow Flake refrigerator.

As soon as this restaurant opened, business was booming. Four tables were not enough, and there were always people lining up to eat every day. There were also many foreigners, ambassadors and journalists from various countries. When they paid the bill, some paid with foreign exchange coupons, some with US dollars, yen, francs, and marks.

Business was so hot that Liu Guixian made a rule that reservations must be made and the maximum spending per person was 10 yuan.

But the food here is really delicious, and Liu Guixian is the chef herself.

Her son first brought Jiang Xian a plate of pork elbow with mashed garlic.

Jiang Xian poked it with the chopsticks, and when he lifted it up, his elbow rose along with the chopsticks and slowly drooped down at the same time.

"This pork elbow is really delicious."

Another dish of five-shredded vegetables was served, with various shredded vegetables rolled in egg skin. After eating it, Jun'ya Sato gave a thumbs up.

"Die Gaoyi, die Gaoyi."

Chen Xiru was thinking about the Japanese translation, and asked Sato Jun'ya who the translator of "Copper Coin Street" was.

Got a name called Takeuchi Minoru.

Takeuchi Minoru was born in Shandong and returned to Japan after he became an adult. He is an authoritative scholar of "teacher studies" in Japan.

(End of this chapter)