Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

Countless eyes were turned to Li Xiangqian.

Du Zhengxian's face instantly turned from black to white.

He had already cursed his daughter a hundred times in his heart.

I've already hinted at it. Just say you read a few books for fun. Why are you pointing to Li Xiangqian? You could have pointed to Xiao Zhao! Who is Li Xiangqian? He's Li Dengyun's son! Do you want your father to be the director of the cultural center and have another eight-year war of resistance?

I don't believe it.

Du Zhengxian ignored it and continued to slam his fist on the table and roar.

The scene erupted in uproar; Director Du's ability to blatantly lie was simply appalling.

Seeing that the situation was somewhat chaotic, Ma Guoxiong coughed twice and asked.

"Is this the new colleague at our county cultural center?"

Du Zhengxian quickly smiled and nodded.

"Yes, yes, it's the new Comrade Li Xiangqian."

He then leaned close to Ma Guoxiong's ear and whispered something.

"Director Li's son."

Ma Guoxiong nodded slightly, glanced at Li Xiangqian, and thought to himself, "What's going on here?"

Li Dengyun is notoriously protective of his son; if anyone touches his son, he'll likely bite them back. It's not easy to act against him. But he can't remain silent either.

"The point of a discussion is to have a discussion. Since it's a discussion, there will inevitably be correct viewpoints as well as immature ones. Young people can correct their views in time."

Ma Guoxiong turned to Li Xiangqian.

"Comrade Xiangqian, you're also a member of the discussion. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

Li Xiangqian inwardly groaned.

I still couldn't avoid it.

He stood up helplessly and glanced at Du Lili. Du Lili looked at him awkwardly, her eyes filled with apology.

"Um... Lili and I just chatted casually. We're both young, so we were a bit outspoken."

He looked around the room, trying to smooth things over.

"It is certainly a beautiful vision for literature to be ahead of the times. We are all young people who dream of literature and hope that it can play a positive role in social development. We cannot just look back at the past or focus on individuals; we must also explore forward and pay attention to the fate of more people."

This statement was so well-reasoned and sounded plausible, but upon closer inspection, it didn't actually say anything at all.

Upon hearing this, Ma Guoxiong couldn't help but nod, noting that this son was quite like his father, clinging to the fence.

Du Zhengxian's expression softened after hearing this.

"Yes, what Comrade Xiangqian said doesn't contradict what President Qi said. Looking up at the stars is also a form of exploration. The world belongs to us, and it also belongs to you, but ultimately it belongs to the young people. It's a good thing that young people are willing to take on social responsibility."

He gave an awkward laugh, looked around, and saw that everyone was still whispering and talking amongst themselves.

Qi Wenyuan couldn't sit still any longer.

He stood up abruptly, his gaze passing over Du Zhengxian and landing on Li Xiangqian.

"Is this the comrade who wrote that limerick?"

Du Lili's face turned pale, and she remained silent.

The others then realized that the dusty man before them, who hadn't brought any paper or pen, was the one who had written, "If I were to be reborn, I would want to be a roast goose from Shenjing." The whispers grew louder.

Qi Wenyuan snorted coldly.

"Hmph, don't dodge the question. What's this 'money theory' you're talking about? What do you mean by pursuing a wealthy life? Isn't it just encouraging greed for money and indulging selfish desires?"

"To expect literature to sing praises for such behavior? That's making literature a mouthpiece for money, a slave to money, a whore of money."

Li Xiangqian looked at Qi Wenyuan.

Why is this person acting like a mad dog?

Can't we just have a meeting where everyone can get along? Why do we have to label people?

"President Qi, the fundamental purpose of social development is to enable ordinary people to live a better life."

Li Xiangqian spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Greed is human nature, and it cannot be tamed by a few words of reason. You can only set up a pot to cook rice, not to preach reason. What ordinary people want is real food in their bowls."

After listening, those present suddenly felt that what was said made some sense, and several people quietly nodded in agreement.

Qi Wenyuan's face turned bright red.

"Nonsense."

Du Zhengxian quickly whispered a reminder from the side.

"President Qi, this Comrade Xiang Qian is Director Li Dengyun's son."

The intention behind these words was to persuade Qi Wenyuan to back down and leave a way out for both sides.

But Qi Wenyuan's expression turned even uglier upon hearing this.

"Hmph. Comrade Xiangqian has a good father. A father who is the deputy director of the county revolutionary committee. You are here talking about the supremacy of money. I don't know if it is a problem with your personal ideology or a problem with your family upbringing."

These words caused an uproar among the crowd.

Ma Guoxiong glanced at Li Xiangqian thoughtfully.

Li Xiangqian's face darkened.

It's one thing to talk about him personally, but what's the point of putting the blame on Li Dengyun?

Who is Li Dengyun?

My beloved father. My pillar of support. My unwavering backing when I'm at peace.

Anyone who touches my backer, I'll fight them to the death.

"President Qi."

Li Xiangqian raised his voice by one notch.

"There's no need to throw accusations around here. This is a discussion, not a criticism session. If you want to hold a criticism session, you can simply change the banner."

He pointed to the banner on the backdrop, and some people in the crowd laughed.

Qi Wenyuan's lips trembled with anger.

Li Xiangqian continued speaking before he could reply.

"President Qi, you don't need to keep saying that money is the root of all evil. Of all the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and the things you use, which grain of rice did you grow yourself? Which piece of clothing did you weave yourself?"

His gaze was fixed on Qi Wenyuan.

"By writing a few words and publishing a few articles, they've obtained a life of luxury that ordinary people can't afford. Then they come here and talk about how pursuing a wealthy life is a sin. They hold onto what they want when they want it, but throw it away when others want it. What's the difference between this and eating from a bowl and then cursing the cook?"

The auditorium fell silent instantly; the whispering people stopped and all looked at Qi Wenyuan.

Qi Wenyuan's face turned pale and then red.

He's always been a man of great eloquence and witty remarks; no one in the Huangyuan Poetry Society has ever dared to contradict him like that. But today, in Yuanxi County, he was actually confronted to his face by a young man from the cultural center!

Qi Wenyuan steadied himself and forced himself to calm down.

"Revolution only has different divisions of labor, not distinctions of rank. What you eat and wear, what part of it did you create yourself?"

"President Qi is right."

Li Xiangqian nodded.

"Different jobs have different roles, and there is no distinction between noble and lowly. But I do not enjoy the fruits of my labor while standing on a moral high ground to criticize others who pursue a better life."

Qi Wenyuan opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words for a moment.

He felt he had fallen into a logical trap. Every word the other person spoke was plain and simple, without any quotations or theoretical frameworks—just the most basic truths. Yet, it was precisely these most basic truths that were impossible to refute with theory.

He began frantically organizing his thoughts.

"If an individual's struggle is merely a pursuit of money, then it fuels a culture of greed in society. Hei Lao, from the Provincial Writers Association, is the most influential writer who came from Huangyuan. Hei Lao's works criticize the pursuit of money and personal desire. Your argument is a smear against Hei Lao and a regression of the times."

Oh? They've started moving mountains?

Li Xiangqian sneered inwardly.

In this era, Blackie is indeed a formidable figure. His presence is often used to intimidate others, and most people can't handle it.

Unfortunately, his mountain is even bigger.

"President Qi, what do you think of Tolstoy?"

Qi Wenyuan was taken aback, not expecting the topic to jump to this point.

"Tolstoy was a titan of Soviet Russian literature, a world-class writer. Many of his works satirized the bourgeoisie's greed for money..."

"Alright, stop showing off."

Li Xiangqian interrupted him directly.

"I've read Tolstoy too. Most of you here have too. Tolstoy's works are great; you don't need to elaborate."

He paused for a moment.

Lenin said of Tolstoy that his works were a mirror of Russia. But Lenin also said that any great work has the limitations of its time. The truth of one era may be the prejudice of the next.

He looked at Qi Wenyuan.

Qi Wenyuan's face turned pale instantly.

He could neither say that there was anything wrong with Tolstoy's works, nor dare he criticize Lenin's evaluations.

Anyone can move a mountain. You can move a black old man, I can move a Lenin. No matter how big your mountain is, it can't be bigger than this one.

Li Xiangqian didn't wait for his answer and continued speaking.

"Old Hei's works certainly have their greatness. But like Tolstoy, they also have the limitations of their time. We should naturally be wary of unlimited greed in society, but we should also respect human nature and let greed operate within limited rules."

Everyone began to think about it and nodded in agreement.

Du Lili stared at Li Xiangqian, her eyes slightly wide. This man really could talk a good game.

Li Xiangqian glanced around the room. Among the young faces in their twenties, some were nodding, while others were deep in thought.

"Today's meeting is a discussion about the future direction of literature. I cannot judge which direction literature will take in the future, because I also have my own limitations."

He paused for a moment at this point.

Many people in the room were amused by his dry humor.

"Don't laugh. You can't judge either."

The laughter grew louder. Li Xiangqian looked around the room and only spoke again after the laughter subsided slightly.

"But I am certain that if literature wants to stay ahead of the times, it must learn to be inclusive, to tolerate President Qi's criticism of me, and to tolerate my explanations."

Sincerity is the ultimate weapon. Li Xiangqian's words went beyond his banter with Qi Wenyuan, reaching a higher level and displaying a magnanimous temperament, which is the most charming quality.

Everyone listened attentively to Li Xiangqian's speech, and Li Xiangqian raised his voice a little higher.

"I believe literature should be as vast as the earth and as boundless as the sea. The earth will not refuse to accept any barren soil, and the sea will not reject any muddy river."

His voice unconsciously rose in volume.

"Aging never begins with age, but with an increasingly narrow perspective and a less tolerant heart. I hope our hearts will always be broad, and we will always be young. Literature will always be young. China will always be young."

Li Xiangqian's inspirational quotes were handed out like they were free, and the aroma of them brought tears to people's eyes. He even ended with one at the end, which was quite poetic and persuasive.

There was a two-second silence, followed by an explosion of applause.

Jia Bing was the first to stand up and applaud.

Then came one piece, another, and yet another.

Everyone stood up, and Du Lili, like some of the more excited young people, had tears in her eyes.

Applause surged from all sides of the auditorium, like the wind on the loess plateau.

In the back row, Tian Xiaoxia waved frantically at Li Xiangqian, her eyes red-rimmed and her mouth wide open, shouting something that was completely drowned out by the applause.

Yang Sen stood next to her and clapped excitedly as well.

Xiao Zhao clapped his hands, his mouth stretching to his ears in a wide grin.

Du Lili stood beside Li Xiangqian, staring blankly at his profile.

Qi Wenyuan sat alone in the chair, not standing up. His hands rested on the table, his fingers trembling slightly.

The applause was thunderous and prolonged, rolling like wheels throughout the auditorium.

Outside the window, a bolt of lightning ripped through the dark sky, its light piercing the glass of the auditorium.

Several muffled claps of thunder echoed across the loess land.

Like war drums, like the heavy footsteps of an approaching new era.