A widower's entertainment

Chapter 271 [Popularity from all sides] (Subscription required)
Beijing, Lu Xun Academy of Literature.

As literary workers and literature lovers, Yu Hua and his group of young writers have naturally read Lin Youcheng's latest novel "The Lurker".

It can be said that this novel was really highly praised by Yu Hua and others. At this moment, a group of young literary writers had no criticism or comments on Lin Youcheng's works at all. They were all full of enthusiasm and heatedly discussed Lin Youcheng's "The Hidden Corner".

Yang Yu held his head high and praised Lin Youcheng's novel "Lush" generously, saying: "I really love Lin Youcheng's "Lush". It touched me deeply. After reading it, I thought about it for a long time before I figured out what the great emotion it brought. Lin Youcheng's writing skills are really sophisticated. The true reflection of historical nodes makes people more immersed. I firmly believe in the authenticity of this story. The clear-cut struggle shows the levels of people. The standpoint of the stationmaster is different, but his humanity is interesting and three-dimensional. He is not a pure villain."

"In addition to these, what impressed me most was Lin Youcheng's description of human nature, his ability to endure loneliness and his courage to face sadness. Real revolutions and careers often involve the well-being of people other than themselves. They never talked about the world's misunderstanding of them, never complained, and even exchanged their entire lives and happiness for it. I have always felt that revolutionary literature has not answered a question: Is faith abstract or concrete? The plot of Yu Zecheng saving Wanqiu answered it for me."

Listening to Yang Yu's words, another young writer Zhou Hui nodded and said with equal passion: "You are right. Lin Youcheng wrote "The Hidden" so well. Every plot is quite exciting. I am just thinking about the ending of the novel by Lin Youcheng. What is the meaning of that? Is it to praise Yu Zecheng and others' spirit of sacrifice for their beliefs? Or is it to say that personal fate is not worth mentioning in the torrent of history. Wherever it is washed away, there it will settle."

"I think the ending is in line with the title of the novel. This is Yu Zecheng's lifelong lurking, with no way back. The most amazing part of this novel is the ending, which is an eternal tragedy, a tragedy in the world. Although it is not as fearless as Gu Xiaomeng's sacrifice in The Sound of Wind, it is also a silent sacrifice and tragedy for Yu Zecheng and Cui Ping."

"Yes, Yu Zecheng could still regard himself as a martyr in the first half of his life, but the tear he shed meant that he saw the emptiness behind his idealism. It is hard to imagine what kind of tragic life he would face in the second half of his life."

"Yes, the saddest thing is that after Yu Zecheng goes to Taiwan, he may not see Cuiping for decades, or even his entire life."

"How can you say that? Baodao will definitely come back!"

"That's right! Xiangjiang will return, and so will Baodao!"

The discussion on the topic of Treasure Island is too sensitive. Although everyone firmly believes that there will be a day when they will return, these literature lovers are now more discussing the plot and literary quality of the novel "The Lurker".

"Apart from the ending, the greatest love and farewell between Yu Zecheng and Cui Ping, a scene that touched me a lot was when Li Ya was slapped in the face and cried alone. He was looking for light in the darkness, with a heart full of sadness. He was loyal to the Party, loyal to his beliefs, and loyal all his life, but in return he was filled with sadness and grievances. The stationmaster said: If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. But Li Ya was not like that. He was truly loyal to his beliefs."

"What touched me the most was the scene where Yu Zecheng read "Serving Others" after Zuo Lan's death. Another scene was when Yu Zecheng learned of Cui Ping's death and retched heartbreakingly. What kind of accident and love could make a person who put life and death aside suffer so much that he became a walking corpse? At that moment, what I saw was not a lurker, but the most unbearable appearance of a man who loves but cannot speak, loves but cannot cry."

"That's right. Lin Youcheng's plot is so wonderful. He is indeed the best at writing about love. Cuiping and Yu Zecheng's best and worst revolutionary love is so touching."

"The valuable thing about Lin Youcheng's novel "Live" is that it does not blindly elevate or belittle. The confrontation and battle of wits between the two sides are particularly exciting and the rhythm is meticulous. Each side fights for their beliefs and martyrs for their beliefs. Which belief is absolutely correct and whose belief is worthless? No one is qualified to define it. There are people who firmly believe in their beliefs in every era. In the torrent of history, where will these souls heading towards the land of light end up? It is heartbreaking to think about their later fate."

"They finally met at the airport, with Yu Zecheng clucking like a chicken. It was so romantic, blending the memories of his mission and personal life together. But in the end, he kept asking Cuiping if there was any news, but she replied coldly that there was none. As fate would have it, Yu Zecheng devoted his whole life to his faith. The tear he shed at the end expressed his infinite sorrow. This faith eventually became like a yoke around his neck, and the days he spent with Cuiping became his eternal memory and the last light of his life. Nobility is the epitaph of the noble."

"This sentence is so apt. Nobility is the epitaph of the noble!"

"Yes, I couldn't help crying when I saw the broadcast of that plot, 'Deep sea, my son, mother is calling you home'. I thought that after the victory, he would receive the highest award and live an ordinary life, but he actually wanted to hide? Yes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Cuiping and her daughter can no longer wait for him. It would be better for them to be blown up together. I might be sad for a while, but it would be a mediocre ending. But now that I have read this novel written by Lin Youcheng, it is really hard for us to let go. The airport is really a farewell forever."

Yu Hua and Mo Yan naturally also discussed Lin Youcheng's novel "The Lurker".

Deep down, Yu Hua was actually jealous because the writing was so awesome, but she said, "Lin Youcheng wrote it so well. The revolutionary love story that combined spy warfare and romance was written to perfection."

Mo Yan also nodded and said, "Every character in this movie is portrayed so well. There are no villains, only different political paths."

……

That's it, everything was discussed quite heatedly.

Whether they are literature lovers, literature workers, or literature enthusiasts, they are all discussing crazily about Lin Youcheng's "Hidden" which came out of nowhere and exploded in silence.
On January 1, Literary Review published a review article by young literary critic Zhou Yi titled "A Positive Discussion of the Love between Yu Zecheng and Cuiping - Reading "The Hidden"". The review wrote: "Every character in the novel "The Hidden" is very vivid, and the plot is also ups and downs and gripping. When Cuiping returned to the old district and waited with her child in her arms, I was suddenly shocked. The sacrifices of the revolutionaries were huge. Cuiping has been waiting for the revolutionary cause all her life, and it is possible that she will never wait for her lover. Her lover is also waiting for her, but the revolutionary cause cannot stop..."

Soon after, on January 1, "Long Novel" reprinted Lin Youcheng's "The Hidden" and published Zhou Bo's commentary "Li Ya, a Character on the Wrong Path - Reading "The Hidden"", "Li Ya is one of the few people with faith in the organization. He also longs for his family and children to live in a good environment, but it's not that kind of faith. He purely insists on his own beliefs, but he is on the wrong path, walking a dead end road in the mud without cliques, comparing his own destiny to the destiny of the country, lamenting the corruption of the Kuomintang world, and starting to create a world where children can live a good life..."

In addition, the reprinted and reviewed article "On the Ending of "The Hidden": A Silent Farewell" in "Novel Selection" wrote, "The final ending is hard to accept. Yu Zecheng and Cuiping met unexpectedly at the airport, but they could not speak. They just looked at each other from afar. However, silence is more powerful than words at such moments. When Yu Zecheng imitated an old hen and circled to convey information, his feelings were so sincere. Yu Zecheng had to continue to hide until the end. Who would have thought that the meeting at the airport would be a farewell forever..."

After that, various review articles about the novel "Lush" and review articles analyzing different characters in the novel "Lush" appeared one after another...

Yu Zecheng's Faith is a Bottomless Ocean - Reading "Living"

Faith and Love: Reading "Lush"

Thoughts on "Insidious": When death appears directly, when faith becomes concrete

"Insidious: More Than Just a Spy Game"

On "Lurking: The Life and Death Romance of Revolution and Love"...

These are far from the tip of the iceberg. After Lin Youcheng's "The Hidden" was published, it quickly received enthusiastic attention and follow-up selection from major domestic literary anthologies. It can be said that overnight, mainstream literary magazines across the country were discussing Lin Youcheng's "The Hidden".

"Works and Controversies" reprinted it in two issues, "Selected Novellas" reprinted it on the front page, and "Xiangjiang Literature and Art" also reprinted it immediately...

There is no way, this is all because Lin Youcheng’s “The Disguiser” is so excellent.

Now the issue of "People's Literature" magazine is selling like hot cakes outside. It is printed continuously, but it is still not enough.

People's Literature was naturally very clear about who was responsible for the crazy snapping up of its magazine. It was all because of Lin Youcheng's article "Hidden". Otherwise, why would other literary magazines reprint this article? You should know that Lin Youcheng's previous work was not reprinted by so many mainstream literary magazines.

Zhang Wei took the letters sent by readers to People's Literature magazine and delivered them to Lin Youcheng in Xinghua Hutong.

"Youcheng, your novel 'Insidious' is really causing a sensation in the entire literary world!"

Lin Youcheng listened to Zhang Wei's words, shook his head and said, "That's exaggerated."

"But it's not an exaggeration at all. Not to mention the letters that readers have written to you, there are many magazines that want to reprint your book "Insidious" now."

Lin Youcheng was naturally happy about the news Zhang Wei told him, because it meant that he would receive royalties from other magazines.

Zhang Wei looked at Lin Youcheng and said very seriously: "Your book "Undercover" is really well written. The main plot is Yu Zecheng's undercover life, and the subplot is his change of faith. This change is gradual and natural, without too much affectation. At the same time, it is beautiful and pure for the revolutionary ideal. The characters in it are also distinct in personality, and they are really portrayed so realistically."

"Did you know? The Writers Association is now considering holding a seminar for your novel "Lush". I heard that this was proposed by the higher-ups."

Mentioned above?

Lin Youcheng was slightly startled. Seeing Zhang Wei's excited but restrained expression, he raised his eyebrows. Could it be that the Ministry of Culture is above the Writers Association? He said with some surprise, "I didn't expect this."

Lin Youcheng was not unfamiliar with the seminars on his works, nor was he surprised. After all, he had held seminars on several of his works before. It was just that when Zhang Wei said that there was a proposal to hold a seminar, it was obvious that this was also an affirmation of Lin Youcheng's "The Hidden Corner".

"This is all because your novel is so well written. It describes the cruelty faced by those comrades, and also describes the beliefs that those martyrs have always practiced."

Lin Youcheng nodded, understanding what Zhang Wei meant.

In fact, Lin Youcheng didn't know that his novel "The Hidden" really moved some people in the upper levels. It can even be said that it was more impactful than the previous "The Sound of the Wind", because "The Sound of the Wind" was more about facing the sacrifice of comrades, while the ending of "The Hidden" explained that Comrade Yu Zecheng was still lurking, and Baodao had not returned yet. This was the most touching thing.

Lin Youcheng writes about history, the present, and even the future.

It is obvious that the higher-ups are quite positive about Lin Youcheng's "The Hidden Corner". After all, Yu Zecheng in the novel is a true comrade who truly sticks to his beliefs. This is why the higher-ups directly asked the Writers Association to hold a seminar on this novel.

Zhang Wei looked at Lin Youcheng and asked, "Youcheng, I really want to ask, in your writing, you did not directly explain whether Wu Jingzhong knew Yu Zecheng's hidden identity, but some of the words you wrote seemed to say that Wu Jingzhong knew Yu Zecheng's identity, but still wanted to take him away."

Hearing Zhang Wei asking this question, Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "Do you think that with Ma Kui, Lu Qiaoshan, and Li Ya all getting into trouble, if Yu Zecheng's undercover identity is still not confirmed, wouldn't that be too insulting to the intelligence of Wu Jingzhong, the veteran military station chief?"

Zhang Wei heard Lin Youcheng's answer, nodded, and said, "Yes, I think so too."

"You may not know that our editorial department has also been discussing this issue, and readers have also asked this question in their letters. In addition, they are more concerned about the ending of Cuiping and Yu Zecheng."

To be honest, it’s not just the readers who sent letters who feel sorry for the ending of the two.

It should be said that after reading the novel "The Disguiser", no one will not be moved by the ending of the revolutionary love between Yu Zecheng and Cui Ping.

While Lin Youcheng and Zhang Wei were still talking, Zheng Xiaolong also rushed to Xinghua Hutong, and the first thing he said was -

"You've accomplished something. You must make our Beijing Television Art Center make the novel "Lush" into a TV series."

(End of this chapter)