A widower's entertainment

Chapter 259 [Lu Xun Academy of Literature] (Subscription required)
Lin Youcheng was surprised that Cha Hailing came to Xinghua Hutong, but what surprised him even more was Cha Hailing's song "Facing the Sea, Spring Flowers Blooming".

Although he knew early on that time and space were illusory, Lin Youcheng was really surprised that Cha Hailing had published this classic work in the poetry world a year earlier.

Looking at Cha Hailing and his children chatting and laughing, Lin Youcheng did not see the dark tone of the poem. At least until now, Lin Youcheng did not feel the darkness of Cha Hailing.

"Uncle Cha, will you go to Qinghai again?"

"Was the place you went to before very far away?"

"Why do you want to go to such a far place? Is that place fun?"

……

"Did you receive the letter I wrote?"

"Uncle Cha, where are you going next? Can I write to you again?"

Cha Hailing listened to Lin Youcheng's questions one after another without getting impatient. Instead, he smiled and said, "Then I'll look forward to your letters to me in the future."

After Cha Hailing was asked questions by Lin Youcheng and other children one after another, he couldn't help but sigh and said with a smile: "Now I understand a little bit. It was really not easy for you to take care of those children by yourself before."

Hearing what Cha Hailing said, Lin Youcheng smiled.

No one knew it better than him. When he first arrived, facing these six children, he really wanted to die, especially with the newborn Lin Zhaole. That really made him tired from the bottom of his soul every day. He really didn't want to think about the time five years ago. That really made his life worse than death.

However, now that his children have grown up and life is getting better, he feels much more relaxed.

"It's better now. Besides, in September, they will start a new semester, and then everyone will have to go to school."

Cha Hailing nodded and said with a smile: "That will be much better."

Although Cha Hailing looked forward to his love for a moment, and looked at Lin Youcheng's child and thought more than once about what it would be like if he had children in the future, but now Cha Hailing thinks that there is no need to rush.

"By the way, they are starting school, and I heard that you are starting school too."

Cha Hailing looked at Lin Youcheng and suddenly asked, "I heard that you are going to give lectures at Lu Xun Academy of Literature?"

Lin Youcheng nodded and said, "Yes, it is the graduate class of 'Literary Studies and Literary Creation' jointly established by Yenching Normal University and Lu Xun Academy of Literature."

"It's great to have such a writing atmosphere. It's even better to have you, a love guru, teaching them."

Hearing what Cha Hailing said, Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "I just gave them a few lessons, it's nothing big. Those students are a group of young writers who have made their mark in the literary world. Although they are newcomers, they have a strong creative momentum. Although most of them have not attended a regular university, they are all well-read, talented, and have rich life experience. I have only communicated with them a little in the past."

Cha Hailing shook his head, thinking that Lin Youcheng was too modest, and said, "Although I didn't attend your lecture at Yenching Normal University, it was reported in the newspapers. You are really amazing."

"I think all of your students are looking forward to listening to your lectures now."

……

It was indeed as Cha Hailing said, Yu Hua and Su Tong went to listen to Lin Youcheng's lecture at Yenching Normal University on purpose, and it can be said that they both benefited from it.

Now Yu Hua and Su Tong are obviously looking forward to the early opening of the creative writing graduate class so that they can listen to the lectures of the writer Lin Youcheng as soon as possible.

Although the school term had not yet started, by the end of August 1988, writers had already arrived at the Lu Xun Academy of Literature at No. 8, Balizhuang South, Chaoyang District, to prepare for enrollment and classes. Now the Lu Xun Academy of Literature has become the most lively place where young writers gather.

Just as Lin Youcheng said, most of the students who came to enroll in the postgraduate creative writing class have already made their mark and are the best among young writers. For example, Mo Diao has already written novels such as "Red Sorghum Family", "Transparent Red Carrots" and "Garlic Songs in Heaven". "Red Sorghum" was made into a movie by Zhang Guoshi and won the Golden Bear Award in Berlin.

In addition, Yu Hua has published more than 40 short and medium-length novels such as "Eighteen-year-old Going Out for a Long Journey", "A Kind of Reality", "The April 3rd Incident", and "The Mistake by the River" in magazines such as "Yenching Literature", "Harvest", and "Zhongshan", and has also won the "Yenching Literature Award". As for Liu Zhenyun, after graduating from Yenching University, he worked as a reporter for the "Farmer's Daily" and now he has also rushed over to participate in this year's creative class.

The key point is that after this, there will be additional students enrolled and enter the postgraduate preparatory class, and Yan Geling is one of them.

Yu Hua discussed Lin Youcheng's lecture at Yenching Normal University with other writers around her and said, "I think what Lin Youcheng said, that writing requires imagination, is absolutely right!"

Mo Yan nodded in agreement and said, "The most important thing for us is our creative imagination. Although I am not as good as Lin Youcheng, I think I still have some such associative ability. This may be related to my previous life experience. I was kicked out of school when I was ten or eleven years old. In the first two years, I was very young and could not do heavy physical labor with adults, so the production team assigned me to herd cattle. When I herded cattle, I took my own sheep with me."

"That's it. There's a scene that appears repeatedly in my novels: a young boy herding cattle and sheep in an endless grassland. In order to save time, he usually doesn't go home for lunch. When he leaves in the morning, he already has his lunch rations ready - a steamed bun or two sweet potatoes. Then the boy begins to constantly associate with the surrounding environment, and his thoughts will diverge accordingly."

Yu Hua listened to Mo An's words and said, "This is what Lin Youcheng said. The materials that every writer comes into contact with the most in life determine the objects that the writer's imagination relies on, and these objects determine the characteristics of the writer's imagination."

Liu Zhenyun and Chi Zijian on the side also nodded in agreement.

Of course, not all of them are praising and identifying with Lin Youcheng. There are also some writers and literary critics who share the same view that although Lin Youcheng's novels are good, they are too vulgar.

"I agree with what Lin Youcheng said that writing requires imagination, but I still think his work "The Untouchables" is popular literature."

"I agree with you. The novel is wonderful, but it is not as good as Lin Youcheng's previous works, "Heavenly Dog", "Strange Things in the World", and "The Sound of the Wind". His novels are more literary."

"'The Unforgettable Lovers' is very well written, but I don't think it's as moving as Lin Youcheng's previous 'The Time Traveler's Wife'. Maybe it's because of that science fiction romance work before. I feel that 'The Unforgettable Lovers' will seem a little bland." Sometimes, when writers respect each other, they will naturally look down on each other.

Not to mention, those who come to participate in the graduate creative writing class now are all young writers who have already emerged, and they naturally have their own views on literature and creation.

Upon hearing this, Yu Hua couldn't help but shake his head and said, "The fact that the novel "Untouchable Lovers" was published in the magazine "People's Literature" and caused such a large amount of discussion is enough to prove the excellence of this novel. Even if it is popular literature, it doesn't matter. Just because it is a love story and involves science fiction imagination, it doesn't mean that popular literature is not good enough."

"Yes, all the novels written by Lin Youcheng touched the masses. Just as he himself said, it is not avant-garde literature, but people's literature."

Mo Yan thought for a moment and said, "I heard Dean Tong say not long ago that our graduate class curriculum is inclusive and open, and strives to balance scientific and artistic aspects. In my opinion, inclusiveness and openness explain why we invited Lin Youcheng to give us lectures, not to mention that he has won the Mao Dun Literature Prize and each of his published works is a classic."

Obviously, when Mo Yan spoke of tolerance and openness, he was actually speaking for Lin Youcheng's film "Unforgettable Lovers".

"I naturally approve of the works of the senior writer Lin Youcheng, but I still think that his work "The Untouchables" is a bit popular. I personally like his "Strange Things in the World" which won the Mao Dun Literature Prize very much."

"I also like the movie "Strange Things in the World" very much. What shocked me the most was the foreshadowing that Lin Youcheng buried in "Strange Things in the World". It was the first time I found that Lin Qi in "Strange Things in the World" and Gu Xiaomeng in "The Sound of the Wind" had met each other before. I was completely stunned!"

"Me too! Those foreshadowings are so amazing, beyond imagination, so incredible!"

"That's right. It's hard to imagine when Lin Youcheng had already thought of those passers-by in Lin Qi's life. Such foreshadowing makes the novel "Strange Things in the World" seem more realistic. It is worthy of being awarded the Mao Dun Literature Prize."

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"I like every one of his works very much, such as The Devotion of Suspect X, which really shocked me, and Love Letter, which was also very touching."

"me too!"

"My favorite is actually Lin Youcheng's "My Captain, My Regiment". This novel is really shocking."

"Yes, and the movie "The Sound of Wind" is also quite classic. The last words of Gu Xiaomeng in "The Sound of Wind" are also quite shocking. When I read it, my eyes were filled with tears and I couldn't help crying."

……

Obviously, the topic of discussion about Lin Youcheng's literary lecture unconsciously turned to the literary works published by Lin Youcheng, and when talking about Lin Youcheng's literary works, these young writers were all full of enthusiasm.

There is no way to deny that, since 1983, every work of Lin Youcheng has had a considerable impact on the literary circle, whether it is "Under the Hawthorn Tree", "The Devotion of Suspect X", "Love Letter", and the love in "Strange Things in the World", or "The Sound of the Wind", "My Captain, My Regiment", "War Meridian", "Drawing Sword", the war in "Tengu", or Lin Youcheng's two recently published novels "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "The Unreachable Lovers", no one can deny the influence of the author Lin Youcheng in the literary circle.

When discussing literary works in recent years in the literary circle, Lin Youcheng and Lin Youcheng's works are a topic that cannot be avoided. After all, the most popular writer in recent years is Lin Youcheng, and it can even be said that there is no other writer like him.

Yu Hua actually didn’t say that the novel that impressed him the most was Lin Youcheng’s debut novel Under the Hawthorn Tree.

Although it was Lin Youcheng's first published work, he still remembered the tragic ending of the novel. He even thought that perhaps it was because of the tragic ending of the third brother in the novel that he was most impressed.

……

Lin Youcheng didn't know that students in the graduate creative writing class of Lu Xun Academy of Literature were discussing his work.

Even if he knew, Lin Youcheng would not care much, because he knew very well that there would be a thousand Hamlets for a thousand readers, not to mention that these readers are writers themselves. Lin Youcheng believed that those talented young writers naturally have their own pride in their hearts, which is the confidence in their own literature.

In fact, the writers who lectured in the graduate creative class were not only Lin Youcheng, but also Lin Jinglan, Wang Zengqi... and even some critics came to give lectures to these young writers. This was because the first graduate class received strong support from the literary and art circles.

Obviously, the literary and art circles attach great importance to the young writers in these graduate classes. After all, these are young writers with great potential in the country, and they can even be said to be the future of the domestic literary world.

However, these are not important to Lin Youcheng.

The important thing now is that his children are all going to school, and they are very excited about the start of each new semester.

Because of the presence of sister Lin Zhaoxi, and the fact that the other children were all in Xinghua School, Lin Youcheng did not have to rush to send his children to school. After all, it was not yet time for parents to go to school to clean up before the start of the semester. If it were later, then Lin Youcheng would definitely be very tired as a father. He would have to clean six classrooms for six children, and he would really be unable to do so.

"Dad, we are going to school. Are you going to school to be a teacher too?"

Lin Zhaohuan heard from Lin Youcheng that Lin Youcheng was going to Lu Xun Academy of Literature to teach students.

Hearing Lin Zhaohuan's question, Lin Youcheng smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, Dad will go to teach them too."

"So do you give them homework?"

Lin Youcheng didn't expect Lin Zhaohuan to ask this question. He found it a little funny and shook his head, saying, "They will have their own homework to do."

"Then Dad, you have to teach them well!"

"Will do."

Lin Youcheng touched Lin Zhaohuan's head. He was now looking forward to meeting those students.

(End of this chapter)