A widower's entertainment

Chapter 371 [Enthusiasm and Ban] (Please Subscribe)
No one expected that after writing classic spy novels like "The Message" and "Lurking," Lin Youcheng would bring such a novel spy novel.

It was quite novel and incredibly impressive.

The key is that beneath this novel and mysterious spy story, Lin Youcheng writes not only about espionage, but also about human nature.

It can be said that many literary giants have also been paying attention to Lin Youcheng's latest unfinished novel, "The Plot," and they are all truly amazed by the plot he has created.

After reading Lin Youcheng's unfinished novel "The Plot," Ba Jin, an author at the Harvest magazine, was deeply shocked. He had never imagined such a hidden front, or rather, he had never known such a unit and its comrades. Lin Youcheng was like lifting a corner of a mysterious place, allowing everyone to witness those incredible genius comrades. Of course, this mysterious place, like the story in Lin Youcheng's writing, is full of the unbelievable, even mysterious, but curiosity about that place, 701, and its story will inevitably arise.

"I never expected Lin Youcheng to write spy stories like this!"

Li Huajun, deputy editor-in-chief of Harvest magazine, nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, it's very special. Although it's only about the stories of the listener and the observer, it's really extraordinary. But he's also very bold."

Ba Jin naturally understood what Li Huajun meant by "boldness," because the fates of the spy heroes in Lin Youcheng's works were tragic. This tragedy, to some extent, could be attributed to the tragic fates of these geniuses, who were portrayed as flawed even when depicting the traditionally perfect heroes. Whether it was A Bing or Huang Yiyi, they could be said to have flaws that led to their tragic ends.

"It is indeed very bold, but such artistic creations are more humane, and can even be said to be more authentic. Those genius comrades are also flesh and blood people, with beautiful aspects and naturally painful aspects as well."

Ba Jin did not believe that heroes in artistic creation must necessarily be traditional, and he also understood that the two heroes in Lin Youcheng's works even had a kind of anti-heroism.

Li Huajun agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "That's right. I really didn't expect Lin Youcheng to write such a spy story this time. It's quite unexpected and very touching. I wonder what will happen in the sequel, 'The Wind Catcher'."

Clearly, this is not just Li Huajun's opinion, but also the opinion of other readers and literary critics.

Lin Youcheng's unique spy novel, "Plot Against," has truly impressed countless literary workers. It shows that spy stories can be written in this way, not only about espionage during the War of Resistance against Japan, but also about espionage after the founding of the nation. Poland is treacherous, mysterious, and astonishing.

Lin Youcheng's "The Plot" is so shocking and unique that it has truly startled many literary critics.

Of course, just as Li Huajun had worried, although there were some doubts and discussions, with some believing that the ending of the genius comrade in the organization was somewhat negative and that the story was mostly filled with a sense of morbid curiosity, most literary critics praised it.

The magazine *Youth Review* features an article by literary critic Zhang Er entitled "On the Ineffable Poetic and Tragic Colors of Abing, the Listener in *The Plot*", in which he writes: "Abing in Lin Youcheng's *The Plot* has a pair of empty yet deeply affectionate eyes. Although they cannot see the light, they seem to be able to penetrate all the illusions of the world and reach the depths of people's hearts. This extraordinary person, who cannot see but can distinguish the code words from thousands of sounds, is like an uncarved jade, bringing the breath of the mountains and fields into Unit 701. He is not a hero in the traditional sense, but with his talent and the purity in his bones, he adds a touch of tenderness to the tense code war."

"Lin Youcheng imbued Abing with a soul through his words; Abing was so pure yet so broken. After all, he was originally just an ordinary blind man from the mountains, but because of his extraordinary talent, he was ruthlessly dragged into the bloody storms of the hidden front. What's most heartbreaking is Abing's loneliness and struggle. He could hear the faintest radio waves, yet he couldn't integrate into normal social life. He made outstanding contributions to the country, but ultimately he was just a tool to be used. He relied on An Zaitian, not only because An Zaitian brought him to 701, but also because An Zaitian treated him like a human being, telling him about the outside world and offering him a glass of water when he was agitated. When he finally deciphered the code and clapped and laughed like a child, I understood." At that moment, the light in his eyes shone brighter than any medal. He longed to start a family and reassure his mother, so An Zaitian helped him find a wife, Lin Xiaofang. His kindness to his wife was clumsy yet genuine; he gave her all his allowance and would smile at the sound of her voice. Even after learning the child wasn't his, his pain wasn't anger, but the injustice of being lied to. He didn't understand the complexities of human nature; this pure love and pain was more heart-wrenching than any dramatic conflict. He wasn't a perfect hero; he had his vulnerabilities, his confusion, and even his fear of abandonment. It was precisely this imperfection that made A Bing's character more vivid, more real, and more heartbreaking…

The literary magazine *Wenlun Bao* also published a review article by literary critic Zhang Hui, praising the characters of the "listeners" and "observers" in *The Plot* as "realistic stories imbued with the warmth of everyday life." The article states: "Perhaps the most moving aspect of *The Plot* lies in how this spy novel reveals the raw, flesh-and-blood humanity of those intelligence agents living in the shadows. A Bing, with his genius hearing, is like a child needing protection; his dependence on his mother and his ignorance of the world imbue this 'listener' with a fragile purity. Huang Yiyi's passion and rebelliousness, daring to pursue love within the strict 701 base, her pride and brokenness—even her unconventionality—shatter traditional notions of female scientists. An Zaitian, seemingly calm as ice, stands silently at Huang Yiyi's grave with tears in his eyes after A Bing's death… These moments strip away the heroes' aura, revealing them as ordinary people capable of pain, love, and regret. Their fears, desires, and weaknesses, like their loyalty, resilience, and sacrifice, are the most authentic aspects of life…"

A literary critic in the magazine *Works and Debates* praised the two stories in the unfinished novel *The Plot* as highly impactful, stating: "Unlike Lin Youcheng's previous spy novels, this one is quite groundbreaking, writing a new genre of spy fiction. Both the 'Listener' and the 'Observer' tell the stories of 'people' living in that era from a human perspective. The characters of A Bing and Huang Yiyi are both fleshed out. A Bing, a disabled genius from the countryside, becomes a hero in code-breaking because of his extraordinary hearing, but his personality and ignorance lead to a tragic end. Huang Yiyi, with her straightforward, brave, passionate, free-spirited, and love-driven nature, is incompatible with the cold and aloof 701, and is like two ends of a scale with the calm and restrained An Zaitian. Their emotional entanglement goes from passionate to disappointed, from exploitation to complexity. In fact, the tragedy was inevitable. 701 killed Huang Yiyi's love, killed the bright and cheerful Huang Yiyi. Without a soul, Huang Yiyi naturally cannot wake up, which may be the root of the tragedy..."

"Those who listen to and observe the winds before reading 'The Plot' will always feel something like a towering wave formed by the rolling, surging, swirling, crashing, intertwining, and surging of multiple currents in the deep ocean, or like a bottle of dust of various colors, textures, shapes, and densities overturned, with these dust particles mixed together and scattered in the air, creating a sense of oppression, heaviness, lamentation, grandeur, and anger that makes it hard to breathe..."

……

In addition, literary critics in publications such as "Writers' Review" and "Literary Gazette" also published commentary articles discussing Lin Youcheng's unfinished novel, "The Plot."

Numerous newspapers and periodicals published a considerable number of reviews of "The Plot," discussing Lin Youcheng's unfinished work from various perspectives, including character development, narrative methods, plot, and its realistic literary value and social impact. It truly became an overnight sensation, with literary circles and enthusiasts across the country discussing Lin Youcheng's "The Plot."

Undoubtedly, the "listeners and observers" in Lin Youcheng's "The Plot" seem to have struck a chord with many literary critics. Unlike his previous romance novel, "If Love Has a Destiny," which lacked depth in exploring human nature, literary critics focused more on discussing the humanity within the story. As readers expected, both A Bing and Huang Yiyi have much to discuss.

Especially for a woman like Huang Yiyi, who is intelligent, beautiful, and brave, she never hesitates to express her love to the person she likes. Such a straightforward, open, and unrestrained person was lonely and misunderstood in that era. How could such a special and talented woman not drive a group of literary and artistic youths crazy?

In the eyes of literary and artistic youths, Huang Yiyi is a prodigy with extraordinary talent in the field of mathematical research, a code-breaking expert with an unruly appearance and a wild and wicked heart, and a pioneering woman who pursues freedom and prioritizes love. However, she ultimately leads to her destruction because her pure and ardent feelings are not reciprocated.
Literary critics are discussing it enthusiastically, and young people who still love literature and enjoy reading novels are naturally also discussing Lin Youcheng's unfinished novel, "The Plot".

In Beijing, by the Weiming Lake, literature students naturally come to read Lin Youcheng's latest novel and engage in lively discussions.

"I absolutely love Huang Yiyi, the character created by Lin Youcheng. She's such a wonderful character, so real and relatable. She's courageous and responsible, and while she has an almost obsessive passion for love, that's precisely what makes her so charming!"

"That's right. I think Lin Youcheng wrote Huang Yiyi this way to show how incompatible her thoughts and values ​​were with the environment at the time. He created a conflict between her free-spirited and love-loving nature, which broke traditional rules, and An Zaitian's adherence to principles and the need to suppress personal feelings. Huang Yiyi's already empty and lonely heart, coupled with the oppressive, monotonous, highly confidential, and stagnant work environment, kept her spirit constantly tense and unable to find relief. This also explains why she chose to give up after being drugged. She was numbing the wounds of unrequited love, and An Zaitian bears a large part of the responsibility for this situation."

"It's such a pity! Her fate shouldn't have been like this!"

"Yes, Huang Yiyi's death in the end broke my heart. She was a woman who dared to love and hate, with a flamboyant and outspoken personality, but in the end she did not get the love she deserved."

"The whole story is both romantic and tragic!"

……

Clearly, there were many such discussions, and they were quite heated. Whether it was the blind Abing or Huang Yiyi's romantic yet tragic story, these discussions became increasingly heated, each one carrying a strong feeling, just like the two stories themselves, which were extremely impactful, impacting the hearts of readers and the entire literary circle.

As the influence of "The Plot" grows, readers naturally look forward to the story that follows, namely the story of the Wind Catcher.

Many readers wrote to the magazine, partly to express their love for the Listener and the Watcher in the beginning of "The Plot," and partly because they were eager to know what kind of story would unfold in the unfinished "The Plot," what kind of characters were in that mysterious place called 701, and more importantly, what kind of genius and what kind of person the Wind Catcher would be.

The People's Literature magazine received a large number of letters from readers. However, the magazine and Lin Youcheng also received other news. The influence of "The Plot" was too great. Some veteran writers believed that Lin Youcheng's "The Plot" was slandering and defaming comrades in the spy war and the hidden front unit 701. Of course, even if that 701 might not be called that, it has been the subject of complaints from some traditional cultural workers in Lin Youcheng's writing.

This kind of report is not particularly unusual. You know, even the daring novel "Ruined Capital" was complained about by some older readers and veteran cultural workers, who even jointly demanded that "Ruined Capital" be banned.

Of course, Lin Youcheng's opposition was ultimately in the minority, but it clearly attracted the attention of the comrades on the real covert intelligence front. You should know that Lin Youcheng was a literary giant who wrote classic spy novels such as "Lurking" and "The Message". It can be said that there were many of his readers among the comrades on the covert front. Now that there is such a spy novel set after the founding of the country, it is natural that some comrades will read it.

However, some veteran cultural workers believe that "The Plot" is intended to smear and slander comrades on the hidden front, which naturally caused a stir.

There were even rumors of a ban...

(End of this chapter)