Literary Master 1983

Chapter 8 He doesn't seem to be writing a novel
According to the process, "Ma Shi Tu", "Wang Huo" and others gave words of encouragement to the new writers under the introduction of the host, while the audience welcomed them with applause.

The theme of the symposium was then announced: war, especially conflict on the southern border.

This theme has already spread, and everyone already knows it. Yu Qie has already written the beginning of his war novel.

Ma Shi Tu took the initiative to explain why he chose the topic of "war". He simply repeated the debate in the editorial office at that time.

Then the conversation turned to the role of literature:

"Literature has two functions: one is to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the masses, and the other is to provide appropriate ideological guidance. I hope that the works you write in the future can achieve both."

"Some people will ask, expressing oneself is also important, describing one's own bad life is also important, you don't let me say, this is unfair... Indeed, this is unfair, but we all receive state subsidies, and this money comes from the masses, the screws dug by workers, the corn kernels dug by farmers... It's dug from the food and things they eat and use."

"So, the masses are our bread and butter, and when writing articles, we must first meet the needs of the masses."

"When the masses need you to reflect, you should reflect. Times have changed and the masses are looking forward. You can of course voice your own complaints, but you must do so in moderation and focus on looking forward!"

Others also gave messages to young writers, the last of whom was Huang Xingbang, the editor-in-chief of Red Rock magazine.

This person made a few polite remarks and then began to ask, "Is Teacher Yu Qie here?"

There was a buzz of activity in the audience.

Everyone looked around, who is "Yu Qie"?
Alai was stunned and pointed at Yu Qie, speechless.

Someone in the crowd reached out a hand.

Huang Xingbang was relieved, and he said, "Please ask Teacher Yu to come to the front desk."

In Huang Xingbang's inner thoughts, he thought about what kind of person Yu Qie would be. Huang Xingbang is an old editor who has seen countless people. Judging people by their writing style is his inevitable instinct and also his pleasure.

It’s like the Masked Singer competition held in the 1980s, except that it’s a pigeon king instead of a singer king, and what you’re guessing are words instead of singing voice.

Old writers like to use pseudonyms. Li Yaotang alone has seven or eight pseudonyms. And a familiar editor can guess which writer it is by just looking at a paragraph.

Yu Qie may first be a slacker such as a rural teacher, a grassroots civil servant, or an employee of a state-owned enterprise.

Because a large number of writers in this period came from this identity, if they wanted to write, they must first free their minds, and if they wanted to free their minds, they must not do heavy work in the fields or in factories.

In other words, you first have to work and be supported by the government, and then you can write good things.

It is a miracle to think about the universe and the starry sky while doing heavy physical work.

Yu Qie might be the son of a wealthy family or a high-ranking official. He had met small and big thugs and seen the world of martial arts. Considering that Wanxian, where Yu Qi was located, was a small place, he was the son of a small courtyard or a low-ranking official.

It is also possible that Yu Qie suffered from a serious illness, so he had enough time to create literature and reflect on life.

For example, Tie Sheng said, "Of course, that's not me. But, isn't that me?"

Yu Qie may also be Ma Shi Tu's nickname. The two have very similar writing styles and are from the same place - but Ma Shi Tu himself is on the stage. Although Ma is a naughty old man, he is not so abstract.

The craziest idea is that the author Yu Qie was indeed a gangster and luckily escaped being shot. Now he has retired and wrote a memoir.

However, reality is often crazier than imagination.

When the 20-year-old Yu Qie came up the stairs on the left, Editor-in-Chief Huang Xingbang saw a face full of collagen, with clear contours, skin that had not been damaged by any alcohol or tobacco, and a healthy hairline. He was the kind of movie star who could appear on the cover of Contemporary magazine with his portraits, not a poor man who made money with his writing.

Huang Xingbang couldn't help asking, "Are you Comrade Yu Qie? Or his eldest nephew?"

"I am Yu Qie."

Huang Xingbang had never thought that Yu Qie would be so young. He asked in a daze, "Did you write A Moment of Romance?"

"I write."

"What did you write?"

"Little gangster Hua, Hong Kong female tycoon, wedding dress..."

"That's enough," Huang Xingbang told Yu Qie to stop talking. "Stop talking."

"I believe you are Yu Qie, but I didn't expect," Huang Xingbang still sighed, "that Yu Qie could be so young."

"Comrades!" Huang Xingbang did not forget to introduce to the audience, "Although Yu Qie is very young, compared to many comrades who have not published articles, he can be called Teacher Yu... Teacher Yu has an article that will be published in the October issue of "Red Rock". You can go and take a look then..."

----

Yu Qie became famous in the seminar because of Huang Xingbang's introduction. He is a low-key person, but he can't keep a low profile now.

Department of Economics, Yan University, 20 years old, has works published in provincial journals.

Why can some people be so successful?

There are people who can become talented poets at a young age, but it is not easy to write traditional novels. The former requires grasping a spark of inspiration, so a sentence or a paragraph can become a short poem, while writing stories is completely the opposite, and requires basic knowledge and understanding of society, human nature, and material things.

From being a monk to becoming a Buddha, one must experience worldly life. Without experiencing worldly life, one cannot become a Buddha by just reciting scriptures.

How can we believe that the seven deadly sins of mankind and the ups and downs of life can produce beautiful fruits and full and true works without going through them?

Huang Xingbang found out that Yu Qie also had an essay titled "College Entrance Examination 1977", which was said to have been completed in two or three days.

This article was commissioned and should have been published in a local newspaper.

Huang Xingbang asked someone to find the newspaper at that time, and learned that after the Chongqing Daily also published the article, the newly established "Youth Literature" was about to reprint the article.

He also discovered that the young writer named Yu Qie was actually a student at Yan University! He was the top scholar in Wanxian, the gateway to eastern Sichuan!
Judging from the speed of publication, due to the intense college entrance examination season, failed students and freshmen across the country were eagerly waiting for it, which made "College Entrance Examination 1977" published faster than "A Moment of Romance", making it a latecomer that arrived first.

Yu Qie's full report has also been reprinted many times.

“A speck of dust from the times that falls on an individual is like a mountain.”

"When you are memorizing words, the cod in Alaska are jumping out of the water; when you are doing math, seagulls in the South Pacific are flying over the coast; when you are studying at night, the polar regions of the earth are colorful..."

After reading this, Huang Xingbang was lying on a rattan chair, quietly smoking a cigarette. He was going to look for Yu Qie.

(End of this chapter)