My era, 1979!

Chapter 82 The Stage is Set
Xu Chengjun is not crazy, but this world is too crazy.

Castro said this year: "If a Latino can be the Pope and a black man can be the president of the United States, then Cuba can establish diplomatic relations with the United States."

How strong are the labels "great revolutionary," "anti-beauty fanatic," and "socialist punk"?
The result was also very good.

In November 2008, Obama was elected President of the United States, becoming the first African-American president to be elected.

In March 2013, Francis was elected Pope of the Vatican, becoming the first Latin American pope.

In 2014, Cuba and the United States resumed diplomatic relations.

Hmm. Very magical realism!
It's no wonder that people of this era interpret "One Hundred Years of Solitude" as magical realism.

The real world is far more magical than you imagine.

But, does your "Harvest" magazine also follow suit?
Oh, it seems like it's not so bad compared to the Latin American popes?
Your journal, Harvest, can publish articles ahead of schedule, right?
Does the editorial department have a crystal ball that can predict the auspicious day for "controversial hits"?

But when I think about this critical juncture...

With the reform and opening-up policy just beginning to take hold, it's understandable that the literary world was waiting for something new to shake things up.

After all, these days, even bell-bottoms dare to stroll from the streets of Shanghai to the countryside of Fengyang. What's a little bit of Harvest magazine stirring up a literary wave ahead of time?
"Have you bought your return ticket?" Seeing his shocked expression, Li Xiaolin felt much better. He didn't seem like a monster anymore, did he?

No, it's damn similar!

"No, I'm planning to queue up first thing tomorrow morning."

His experience buying tickets in Hefei taught him that buying tickets is like fighting a war. You have to go to the train station in the early morning to wait for the train. If you are even a little late, you have to wait for the next train. It turned his journey home into a "protracted war".

Damn it, I want a sleeper berth!

"That won't delay things, but I suggest you go back a few days later."

Li Xiaolin sat down on the steps of the guesthouse and patted the empty seat next to her.

These days, women who sport short hair are usually straightforward and decisive.

This guy is one of the most charismatic figures in the editing industry!
"Your novel is no joke. 'The Fitting Mirror' is too sharp; its publication will definitely be controversial. While you're at it, reply to the readers' letters to the editorial department."

Xu Chengjun raised an eyebrow: "So, if I go home late to visit my family, it's because I'm staying here to wait for the 'struggle session'?"

“Look at what you’re saying,”

Li Xiaolin laughed and scolded, "What kind of criticism meeting is this? This is called 'literary discussion'! When Wang Lao wrote 'Receiving the Precepts,' didn't some people say, 'What kind of behavior is it to write about monks falling in love?' But what happened? It's still a classic now. Controversy is hot to the mouth, but delicious to eat."

Are you waiting for me to start yelling at people?
"Alright, here's the sample copy. See you later."

I checked in again, and it was still number 201.

I asked the receptionist, a local Shanghai lady, and she smiled and said, holding a pen, "Mr. Wang specifically instructed that you, Comrade Xu, might come back, so room 201 has been reserved for you."

He added at the end, "Mr. Wang said you are a 'rising star in the literary world' and need to be taken good care of. That phrase sounds so refined, like the poems you write."

Now that "the last scholar-official in China" has spoken, wouldn't things be much easier?
Humans are social animals, and society is also a society based on relationships. If you have ability and connections, others will have to respect you.

What about Wang Zengqi? He was the kind of person who could write about a monk falling in love in "Receiving the Precepts," and whose connections were so strong that editors would give his manuscripts the green light. He had both.

A walking "literary passport"!
"By the way, could you sign my autograph? Although I can't understand some sentences in 'Walking Towards the Light,' it's truly beautiful!"

Wow, another fan?
The only thing separating me from Bei Dao is one Zha Haisheng!
Push open the door and enter.

Wang Zengqi was drinking tea and reading the newspaper from his enamel mug when he heard the door open. He looked up and said, "Oh! You're back! So you and I have had a three-time reunion, huh?" How unusual! What's this "three-time reunion" nonsense?
I'm quite familiar with Mikami.

"You're joking, aren't you? This isn't just three reunions," Xu Chengjun said, tossing his bag onto the bed. The pancake rolled around inside the bag.

“This is called the reverse version of ‘Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage’. It’s not that I’m looking for you, it’s that you’re waiting for me in this ‘thatched cottage’. Besides, the aroma of your tea wafts far and wide, and I came back just by smelling it.”

Wang Zengqi was amused and almost spilled his tea on the newspaper: "You're so sweet-talking! I think you're not here to study for a master's degree, but to learn crosstalk."

"So, tell me, what new trouble have you gotten yourself into at Fudan this time?"

When the old gentleman asked, Xu Chengjun quickly recounted the whole story to Wang Zengqi. When he got to the part about "Xu Chengjun outwitting the Five Great Warriors," the old gentleman would slap his thigh, stroke his beard, and take a sip of tea, making quite a scene.

The saying goes, "What is national is also international."

The old man's eyes lit up, and he kept praising it.

No, so I've really come here to perform a comedy routine for you?
Before going to bed, Xu Chengjun took out a sample copy of the fourth issue of Harvest magazine in 1979 and flipped through it briefly.

He was still familiar with several of Liu Xinwu's "Waiting for a Decision," Guo Xiaochuan's "Strict Love," Chen Baichen's "The Song of the Great Wind," and Ye Xin's novel "Our Generation of Young People."

Liu Xinwu's book "Waiting for a Decision" is just one of his works and is not particularly remarkable.

In fact, looking at Liu Xinwu as a person, "The Class Teacher" is a pioneering work of scar literature, taking the lead in confronting the trauma inflicted on the minds of teenagers during a special era, and its historical breakthrough is undeniable.

Although the plot is cliché, compared to Lu Xinhua, it's on a completely different level.

Contrary to common sense, his representative work is actually the novel "The Bell and Drum Tower," written in 1985, which won the second Mao Dun Literature Prize.

He was also a scholar of "Dream of the Red Chamber," and later became the editor-in-chief of "People's Literature" and lectured on "Dream of the Red Chamber" on the "Lecture Room" program for many years.

It's about being obsessed.

Guo Xiaochuan is a representative poet of lyric poetry. His contribution is the creation of "fu-style poetry". This book, "Strict Love", is also a collection of poems.

Chen Baichen is a playwright. This historical drama, "The Song of the Great Wind," tells the story of political struggles in the early Western Han Dynasty, and is not without satirical meaning.

From the perspective of literature's need to depict reality, it is a good work.

Ye Xin's "Our Generation of Young People" tells the story of the lives of educated youth sent to the countryside.

Why mention them?

Because none of these four works have any "explosive" elements, and they are not as "popular" or "sharp" as Xu Chengjun's "The Fitting Mirror".

It is foreseeable that once the article is published the day after tomorrow, Xu Chengjun will inevitably face a storm of criticism.

No wonder Li Xiaolin came to inform us in advance!
What's even more noteworthy is that this is the most anticipated issue since the magazine's inception.

Why?

Because the second issue published Cong Weixi's "Red Magnolia Under the Great Wall"!
Cong Weixi's novella breaks through the taboo of subject matter, presenting prison life and bloody killings to readers based on his own experience. It is the first literary example of prison in New China.

It opened up a new field for literary creation in the new era and promoted the rise of novellas in the new era.

In this era, the content is extremely bloody.

Ba Jin, the elder statesman, approved the publication of this work, which received positive feedback, and the magazine "Harvest" gained national attention as a result!
It's like the literary version of "giving roses to others leaves a lingering fragrance on your own hands."

So, the stage is already set up!
(End of this chapter)