1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 359 A Tiger Named Richard Parker
"You want to buy?"

Lu Jiaxing didn't expect Jiang Xian to ask this.

Nie Hualing was also surprised, "Buy? Jiang Xian, do you have enough money?"

"Not enough."

Jiang Xian chuckled, "I have to hear the price of the house first before I can be sure."

There is no threshold for buying a house in the United States. Only some states have restrictions due to discrimination issues. However, Iowa does not have this issue. This can be seen from the fact that Lu Jiaxing, an international student, can purchase a house at will.

"."

Lu Jiaxing glanced at Jiang Xian and said, "I just asked a real estate appraiser to assess the value of the house. If you want to buy it, the price is $15.

In addition, if you want a loan, you need to contact the lending institution yourself. As for the lawyer fees, registration fees, and escrow fees, which are about 2% of the house price, you also have to pay for them separately."

"$15? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I can show you the file."

"It's okay, I believe you, we Chinese don't cheat on Chinese people."

"."

Lu Jiaxing was speechless for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Jiang Xian, are you buying or renting?"

"Well, I need to think about it for a while myself."

Jiang Xian paused and said, "How about this, Brother Jiaxing, wait for me for a few days. I will go back and think about it and discuss it with my family. In short, I will definitely give you a result as soon as possible."

"Okay." Lu Jiaxing nodded, and invited Nie Hualing and Jiang Xian to drink coffee together in the house.

It was already evening. There was a small balcony on the second floor of the villa. While sitting on the balcony drinking coffee, Jiang Xian could see the nearby mountain full of big trees and almost the entire Iowa City at the foot of the mountain. The Iowa River flowed quietly beside the city, and the sunset gradually submerged the end of the city.

"The location of the house is quite secluded," said Nie Hualing.

Jiang Xian nodded, "Yes, it's a bit remote."

"???"

Nie Hualing looked at him with doubtful eyes.

When Lu Jiaxing heard this, he became anxious and said, "Mr. Jiang Xian, the price of the house is the price assessed by the appraiser. Even if you find fault with it at this time, I will not lower the price for you."

"Haha, I was just joking with you, but you took it seriously." Jiang Xian laughed.

"Oh, you really are." Lu Jiaxing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

After saying goodbye to Lu Jiaxing, Nie Hualing accompanied Jiang Xian down the mountain and returned to the "Mayflower" apartment.

"You're in great shape." Jiang Xian said.

"Oh, you have to exercise more when you get older, especially those of us who do desk work. Look at my husband Angel's body, it's because he doesn't exercise enough."

"Yes, a good body is the guarantee of excellent creation."

"By the way, Jiang Xian."

Nie Hualing suddenly asked: "Do you have that much money to buy a house? I remember it was very difficult to get foreign exchange in China, and 15 is not a small number."

"Yes, the country has strict control over foreign exchange."

Jiang Xian said, "But I talked to Ms. Chen Ruoxi in San Francisco before. I want to try to publish or publish a few novels in the United States, so that I can earn some royalties first, maybe enough to buy a house."

"Fees?"

Nie Hualing was shocked, not because of Jiang Xian's idea of ​​publishing a novel, but because she asked, "Are you saying that you plan to earn $15 in royalties in the United States?"

"Otherwise, I have no other way to buy a house."

Jiang Xian smiled bitterly and said, "I don't want to wash dishes or clean toilets for others."

Nie Hualing frowned, "Jiang Xian, I'm not trying to displease you, but you may not understand that Americans have very picky tastes, which are very different from readers in China.

You should know Eileen Chang. After she came to the United States, she did the same thing as you, wanting to support herself with her royalties. However, it turned out that the things she wrote were barely enough to make a living, so she had to rely on translation to make a living.

You have to know that Ms. Zhang Ailing's English is very good."

"."

Jiang Xian also knew about Eileen Chang's affairs.

The persona that Jiang Xian has established for himself in China now is almost a replica of Eileen Chang: because of his proficiency in English and familiarity with Western literature, his writing will, interests and spiritual core are all influenced by the West.

Zhang Ailing is very good at English and very proficient in it. When she was very young, she could talk about writers such as Shaw, Huxley, Maugham and Lawrence and analyze them in detail.

You have to know that many English professionals in later generations often find it difficult to read the works of Shaw, Huxley, Maugham and Lawrence.

But in Zhang Ailing's words, these people can almost be regarded as tools for flirting and adding fun to love between men and women.

This is also related to her growing environment. Zhang Ailing received Western cultural education since childhood.

This also led to her poor Chinese language proficiency.

Rumor has it that when Eileen Chang was in college, she always failed her Chinese language class.

This is very similar to a certain ark.

A certain Ark also said that he had difficulty writing his college entrance examination essay and ultimately did not finish it.

"After all, Ms. Eileen Chang grew up in China. No matter how much English material she read, it was almost all done behind closed doors. No matter how hardworking and intelligent she was, she would definitely be lacking in some aspects if she relied solely on writing in English," said Jiang Xian.

Nie Hualing nodded, "Yes, it's good that you know.

Speaking of Ms. Eileen Chang, she now lives in Los Angeles. You can try to visit her when you have time. "

Jiang Xian nodded, "Let's talk about it when we have a chance. You know, it's not convenient for us to see her."

"Oh, I understand."

Nie Hualing sighed, "Anyway, I don't mean to discourage you. I just want to tell you that writing an English manuscript is not that easy. Don't have too high expectations from the beginning. It's still difficult to get a manuscript fee of 15."

"I understand. I know my English level is not good enough to write an English manuscript, so."

Jiang Xian changed the subject and said, "So I didn't start writing from the English version. I started from my native language which I am best at."

"You mean the Chinese manuscript you wrote?"

"Correct."

Jiang Xian nodded. "I wrote this in Chinese. I'm not that confident in my English. By the way, I have something I want to ask you."

"You said."

"I would like you to help me find a translator to translate my manuscript into English."

"That's easy to say."

Nie Hualing was very happy, "Don't forget, I am just a translator."

"Oh, how can I have the nerve to invite you here." Jiang Xian was flattered.

Nie Hualing is a female writer and translator. She is a member of the Translation Advisory Committee of Columbia University. The name "Iowa" was translated by her.

"Just help me find someone, I won't trouble you."

Nie Hualing smiled and asked, "How much have you written?"

"It's almost the end."

"So fast?"

Nie Hualing was surprised and asked, "What type?"

“It’s kind of a non-fiction novel.”

"Non-fiction novels? I'm afraid this is not very popular in the country."

"Yes, I just learned about this genre a while ago, and I just had an idea in my head." "What's the content?"

Jiang Xian thought for a moment and said, "It's hard for me to explain this in just a few words."

"Can you let me see it first?" Nie Hualing asked.

"no problem."

Jiang Xian brought Nie Hualing back home, said hello to his family, and then they went into the studio. Jiang Xian took out a stack of manuscript paper from the table and turned on the desk lamp.

"Teacher Nie, please take a look."

"The Drifter?" Nie Hualing read softly as she looked at the title of the novel on the first page of the manuscript.

"Do you know the story of the Mignonette? It was the Queen of England v. Dudley and Stephens case about 130 years ago, a classic case in the Anglo-American common law system."

Nie Hualing thought about it and said, "I don't know much about the legal knowledge and I don't have much impression."

"Then I'll tell you more after you finish reading it. This novel was inspired by that case."

Hearing him say this, Nie Hualing became more curious about the novel, "I must take a good look at it."

She took out her glasses from her bag and began to read the manuscript:

".
Richard Parker is still with me.

I have never forgotten him.

Dare I say I miss him?

I can honestly say I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. Mostly nightmares, but nightmares that smell of love. That's the strangeness of the human heart. I still can't understand how he could just leave me like that, without any way of saying goodbye, without even looking back. The pain is like an axe hacking at my heart.

The doctors and nurses in the Mexican hospital were very kind to me, as were the patients. Cancer patients or people injured in car accidents hobbled or wheeled over to see me once they heard my story.

After a few days I was able to stand up and even take two or three steps, although I still felt nauseous, dizzy, and weak.

I had fluid accumulation in my body, my legs were so swollen that they looked like I had a pair of elephant legs transplanted into me, and my urine was a very dark yellow color, almost brown.

After about a week, I was able to walk around normally and put on my shoes, but I couldn't tie them.

The wounds on my skin have healed, but I still have scars on my shoulders and back.

When I turned on the faucet for the first time, I was startled by the large amount of water gushing out. I became panicked, my legs went weak, and I fainted in the nurse's arms.

The first time I went to a restaurant in the United States, I felt awkward and helpless in front of the knife and fork.

The waiter looked at me critically and said:

"You just got off the boat?"

My face turned pale.

He didn't know how deeply these words hurt me.

Each word was like a nail driving into my flesh.

I held my knife and fork, utensils I had hardly ever used before.

My hands were shaking. The rich lentil soup was bland.

"

"Have some water." Jiang Xian brought a cup of hot water to Nie Hualing.

Nie Hualing looked up at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“It’s quite interesting to read.

Just by looking at this opening, I probably wouldn’t have thought that this novel was written by a Chinese writer.”

"You're too kind." Jiang Xian said modestly.

Nie Hualing picked up the cup, took a sip of water, and then looked back at the manuscript.

The beginning of this novel is full of suspense.

Who is Richard Parker?

This is the character mentioned at the beginning.

Why did he leave me?

What kind of story do I have?
Why am I in the hospital with all kinds of health problems?

Also, why does the mere sight of water running from a faucet frighten me to the point of fainting?
And would you be so sensitive to a word from the waiter?

Combining the title of the novel, as well as the foreshadowing and hints at the beginning, Nie Hualing immediately had a guess in her mind:
This "I" probably experienced a drift and successfully survived the disaster.

Well, this novel should be written in reverse chronological order.

Narrate the ending of the event first, and then narrate the event from the beginning in the original order of development.

Nie Hualing's guess was immediately verified.

What Jiang Xian wrote is a narrative structure with two layers that complement each other.

A writer who was struggling to find inspiration accidentally learned that an old man in his sixties had a very legendary experience, so he went through great pains to find this person, who is the protagonist of this story: Fu Sanming.

"Fu Sanming lives in Iowa City. He is short and thin, only 5 feet 5 inches tall. He has black hair and black eyes. The hair on his temples is completely white. When he speaks, his American accent has a Chinese tone that is not obvious, but it is definitely there, like the traces of cigarette smoke in the air."

Fu Sanming grew up in Beijing. His ancestral home is in Fujian. His father was an official in the Qing Dynasty. His family was well-off and lived near Guangshan Temple.

Fu Sanming is the youngest son in the family, and his family has a housekeeper named "Uncle Ji".

Uncle Ji was an excellent swimmer. It is said that in the 19th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, there was heavy rain in the capital, and the Yongding River, the Grand Canal and the Chaobai River burst their banks and overflowed. The flood raged and Fu Sanming's father was washed away. Uncle Ji jumped into the water and pulled him back.

Uncle Ji tried to teach Fu Sanming's parents how to swim, but it was in vain.

But Fu Sanming was very interested.

[
Uncle Ji had to wait until I came to this house to find someone willing to follow him.

The day I was old enough to swim—to Mom’s annoyance, Uncle Ji said the age was 7—he took me to the river, told me to hold out my arms, and said, “This is my gift to you.” “And then he nearly drowned you,” Mom said.

]
Despite this, Fu Sanming went there three times a week with Uncle Ji throughout his childhood.

By the age of 13, Fu Sanming was able to respond to the call of water and could swim back and forth in the river.

It was the late Qing Dynasty. In 1906, Dai Hongci, Duan Fang and others, who had just returned from a diplomatic mission, submitted three memorials in a row. The first was on military and political affairs, the second was on education, and the third was to request Cixi to build public facilities including the Wansheng Garden.

In order to please Cixi, the Qing Dynasty adopted the suggestions of ministers such as Duan Fang and put them into practice immediately.

In 1907, Duan Fang spent 59 taels of silver to buy a batch of animals, including zebras, leopards, lions, tigers, kangaroos, ostriches, etc., and shipped a total of cages. After arriving in Beijing, the various facilities in Wanshengyuan had not yet been completed, so they had to be temporarily fostered in the Dongkongyuan of Guangshan Temple, an old temple nearby, and displayed to the public.

Because of this convenience, Fu Sanming often went to Guangshan Temple to see animals. He has been particularly interested in animals since he was a child and has been close to them.

Frequent visits to Guangshan Temple allowed Fu Sanming to come into contact with Buddhism at an early age, which made him naturally intelligent and gradually developed a unique view on faith, human and animal nature.

One day a few years later, Cixi set out from the Summer Palace and visited Guangshan Temple on the way. More than 20 days later, she passed away.

It is said that Cixi died because a tiger pounced on her while she was watching it in the zoo, causing her to be too frightened.

As a result, the tiger became famous in the capital.

It has a resounding name, "Richard Parker."

The origin of the name is this:

It is said that a hunter named Richard Parker caught a tiger cub. The hunter remembered that the tiger cub once ran to the river in a hurry to drink water, so he named it "Thirst".

However, due to language differences, after the tiger was brought to China, Qing Dynasty officials mistakenly thought that the hunter was called "Thirst" and the tiger was called "Richard Parker".

So the tiger became "Richard Parker".

(End of this chapter)