Literary Master 1983

Chapter 192 Advanced Training Class

This year, Yu Hua was invited by Capital Literature to revise his manuscripts, and received a three-yuan a day allowance. He ate and drank well and spent more than half a month in the capital, where he saved up eighty yuan. “It was the first time I had such a large sum of money!”
But Yu Qie can earn thousands of yuan from any of his books, and he is simply the most profitable writer in mainland China.

As they got closer to the magazine, Wang Meng gradually changed from the old naughty boy on the train to the chairman of the Writers Association. His invisible "official air" spread out, and his every move was full of superiority, which made Yu Hua a little nervous.

Yu Qi didn't want his new friend to feel left out, so he took the initiative to say, "Gong Xue and I met once before. She asked me to recommend some books, and then she said she only wanted to read romance novels, but I didn't know any of them..."

Wang Meng smiled and said, "Although I can't tell whether she has any ideas or not, I can't tell that she has no ideas either - Yu Hua, what do you think?"

Yu Hua said: "There is a secretary in our cultural center. She is pretty and capable, and has many suitors around her. I asked someone to pass a message to her, and she agreed to come out and meet me... I knew I had a chance, and she liked me."

Wang Meng agrees: "It's hard to get beautiful women to take the initiative, so if someone takes the initiative, then they must have some ideas!"

It’s the same old man’s logic again!

However, Yu Qie vaguely remembered that Yu Hua later succeeded in wooing this county town "secretary cadre" and she became Yu Hua's first wife. When they were together, the woman did not ask for anything.

Is Yu Hua’s view of love really useful?

So, Gong Xue might really be a little too enthusiastic...

No, not likely.

Yu Qie shook his head.

Gong Xue is from Shanghai and is an actress. She is not a little girl from the county town. All her behaviors cannot be applied to Yu Hua's county town love views.

----

When they arrived at the editorial office, there was naturally some greetings, and Yu Qie briefly introduced Yu Hua.

Then he explained his thoughts: "Yu Hua is a very talented person. He originally published articles in Beijing Literature when he was still a dentist... He started writing novels this year. His current problem is that he has talent but does not read widely enough."

"Yu Hua is already the best novelist in the entire county. He can't make any further progress there. Do we have any writers' seminars, or refresher courses, or other activities here? Please arrange for him to study."

Since it was Yu Qie who recommended him, Zhang Shouren would definitely take it seriously. He shook Yu Hua's hand and said, "Comrade Yu Hua, we will first arrange for you to stay in a nearby guesthouse, and then I will find a way to recommend you in."

"The advanced training class that Yu Qie mentioned does exist. Lu Xun Academy of Literature has cooperated with Yenching Normal University to set up a graduate class for literary creation. Because we have invited literature professors from the Normal University to teach, some famous writers will also come to share... As far as I know, the enthusiasm for registration is very high. After completing the course, there is also a correspondence diploma. It can be said that there are many benefits."

Lu Xun Academy of Literature?
Creative writing graduate class?

I can recognize every word, it's so common, but when they are connected together it's shocking!
Yu Hua felt that the benefactor of his life had arrived. Originally, he thought that the benefactor was the editor-in-chief Zhou of "Beijing Literature", but now this person has become Yu Qie.

"If I had the chance... I would definitely..." Yu Hua felt that it was a bit difficult for him to speak.

A training course lasts at least three months and at most half a year. How many “eighty yuan” does this cost?
I can’t even get into university, how come I can go to Yenching Normal University?

Zhang Shouren said patiently: "I can't promise you anything yet, but even if you lose this opportunity, there are other ways. In short, you should be prepared. If you want to go back, settle everything first."

"I'll live here, as long as you don't dislike me!" Yu Hua said firmly.

“That’s good.” Wang Meng could see that Yu Qi thought highly of this dentist, whereas he originally thought he was just a small-time writer in a county town.

In fact, the advanced training class was organized by the Writers Association, and Wang Meng was the vice chairman of the association. As long as he nodded, there would be no problem in squeezing Yu Hua's whole family in.

But does the new brother Yu really have the ability?
Wang Meng was at a loss. He wanted to test the product: "Yu Hua, if you can write something during this period of time, and I think it is innovative, I would also recommend you to take it to the next level and make it a success."

"——Why don't you thank Chairman Wang?" Yu Qi reminded the sloppy puppy.

"Thank you, Chairman Wang!" Yu Hua reacted.

So, Yu Hua was settled in a guesthouse near "October", and together with some other young writers who did not become famous in later generations, he revised his first manuscript of "October".

What on earth could he write?
Yu Qie said, first of all, you have to know, what do you want to see?
Yu Hua began to think, what should I look at?
Kawabata Yasunari? Kafka? Or Yuqie?

Or Marquez?

Magical realism, or what Yu Che considers to be Latin American realism, has been a great help to him. This unfettered form of literary creation simply lets one’s imagination run wild, as if to become the master of the literary world.

But he still hadn't created any work that satisfied him, and he hadn't even thought of any subject.

Yu Hua was stuffed into a room in the Dong 42nd Street Guesthouse. Outside the window was a huge locust tree. The tree was so huge that from morning to night, at different times, it would cast its shadow on different positions on the mottled green painted wall.

Yu Hua bought another stack of 400-word manuscript paper and a bottle of Hero brand blue-black ink. He wrote until the paper became transparent and the tip of his fountain pen was no longer smooth, but he was still not satisfied.

How come Yu Qie can write so well like a god?
So far, when reading Yu Qie's novels, there is no feeling of "forcedness", as if everything has been arranged and the novels are ready to be written.

Yu Qie would visit him from time to time, treat him to a meal, and share his own views on literature. Yu Hua had no money to return the favor, so he helped Zhang Shouren sort out letters from readers all over the country—now all over Asia—who had sent Yu Qie letters. The letters often began with “My most trusted friend, Yu Qie, I have a big secret to tell you…”

What is it actually?

Some trivial things in the reader's family, such as the wife ran away, the childhood friend doesn't recognize him, the mother-in-law is a big bad person... and so on.

This made Yu Hua feel longing for it and yet very jealous.

Damn, why are others so awesome?

They have all become life coaches!
Zhang Shouren gradually discovered a special quality of Yu Hua that ordinary people could not match:
This person is very calm. No matter what explosive gossip he sees, he doesn't find it strange and can retell it calmly: for example, a reader wrote in a letter that a man is infertile but can have normal sex. But for some reason, his wife gave birth to several children in a row. He suspected that his wife had cheated on him, but his father stopped him, saying that these children did have their family genes...

He suspected that his father had cheated on him, and the father and son even had a fight and were about to go to court. After a fight, both father and son were sent to the hospital for blood transfusions, where it was discovered that their blood types were different.

It turns out that the father and son are not related by blood! They are fake father and son!

The father's face turned green, and the mother burst into tears, telling a story about her cheating that had been buried for many years...

Everyone in the editorial department was stunned and didn't know how to respond to such a letter from a reader. Only Yu Hua remained calm throughout the whole process and wrote a reply letter on behalf of Yu Qi, using Yu Qi's tone to persuade the reader to love life in the future.

(End of this chapter)