A widower's entertainment

Chapter 388 [News from Two Places] (Please Subscribe)
While in Shanghai, Ba Jin, an editor at the Harvest magazine, was reading Lin Youcheng's short story "Love" in People's Literature. He was deeply moved by the ending of the story.

Ba Jin pondered the story carefully and murmured, "This story is truly wonderfully written!"

Upon hearing Ba Jin's words, Li Huajun, the deputy editor-in-chief, nodded and said, "Yes, it is delicate and realistic, yet also highly literary and social."

Ba Jin didn't say anything about what the deputy editor Li Huajun said, but was thinking about the short story "Love." His expression was moved, and he said, "What touched me most about his 'Love' was the wife's incessant moans in her final moments: 'It hurts...it hurts...' This was described so realistically. Then the husband sat down beside her, held her hand, and while stroking it, told her another thing he had never told her before. I imagine he went through a tremendous struggle and internal conflict during the whole process of telling the story."

Ba Jin, who genuinely admired Lin Youcheng's work, remarked, "No wonder this novel was adapted into a movie."

Upon hearing Ba Jin's words, Li Huajun couldn't help but say, "It seems that the movie script came first, and then the novel. However, Lin Youcheng mentioned this story in 'The Reader,' so he must have thought of this story long ago."

Ba Jin nodded. He didn't care about any foreshadowing; what he cared about was the story of "Love" itself. He simply said, "Whether it's a script or a novel, they are both literary creations. It's a pity that the film adaptation of this novel might not be released in mainland China."

Ba Jin was well aware of the story's truth, as well as its cruelty and greatness. He even wrote a commentary praising Lin Youcheng's short story as a true work of human brilliance.

That's right, it's the brilliance of humanity!
The most glorious part is the husband's sacrifice, which is the greatest love, after all, it was the husband who made the most painful choice.

Just as Ba Jin published an article in the Shanghai Literature Journal praising Lin Youcheng's novel "Love," this once again promoted Lin Youcheng's latest novel.

Similarly, just as Ba Jin discussed and evaluated not only the love story in the novel, but also people's autonomy in the face of aging and death, as well as dignity. These in-depth discussions made the novel "Love" even more popular and sought after by the literary world.

The mainstream literary world has always placed more emphasis on the connotation of literary works, that is, their literary quality.

Literary critics believe that Lin Youcheng's abandonment of technique in his novel "Love" gives the work something more enduring than its literary significance. Although it seems simple, it is full of the greatness of humanity and love.

Just like the enthusiastic reviews from literary critics in literary magazines, Lin Youcheng's latest short story "Love" has truly impacted countless readers.

This love story, in which the man killed his own wife to fulfill his own desires, left them speechless and dumbfounded, and also caused them immense heartache.

However, in truth, Lin Youcheng's short story is very impactful. It doesn't explicitly tell the reader what love is, but only provides an objective description. The harsh reality lies beyond the words, requiring the reader to think and explore.

It is precisely for this reason that Lin Youcheng's short story "Love" is so real and so special. The narrative is delicate, simple and down-to-earth, and the story structure is very ordinary, just the natural flow of simple life. This has never been seen in his previous works. It should be noted that Lin Youcheng is most good at imagination and has a unique and unconventional story framework in many of his previous works. The short story "Love" is even simpler and more real. It is just the life of an elderly couple in their later years. It is precisely because of this simplicity that many literary critics believe that "Love" is the true culmination of Lin Youcheng's works on love during AIDS.

Compared to the discussions among literary critics in literary journals, the discussions among young people who love literature in reality are much more intense, because killing one's own wife and ending a person's life is such a scale, or rather, so extreme.

This seemingly simple plot is like a fierce fire burning inside, calm yet extremely intense.

As always, many readers wrote letters to the People's Literature magazine, addressing Comrade Lin Youcheng. Although it was 1992, these letters were still direct feedback from readers to the author. The feedback included both touching sentiments and strong opinions. Some disagreed that such acts of accomplishment were acts of love, and naturally, they did not consider them to be works of human brilliance like those of Ba Jin.

Looking at the huge pile of letters from readers, Zhang Wei from the editorial department of People's Literature magazine couldn't help but exclaim, "It has to be Lin Youcheng again; the readers are sending letters like crazy."

"However, there were also letters sent to our magazine that believed the short story 'Love' had a problematic theme, was not properly rectified, and should be criticized."

This was something Zhang Wei hadn't expected. After all, most literary critics in literary circles had given Lin Youcheng's novel a very high rating. And as some critics had commented, Lin Youcheng simply narrated the story in a delicate and realistic way, without much subjective evaluation. The entire story was written in a calm and restrained style.

Hearing Zhang Wei's words and seeing the letters, the editor on the other side smiled and said, "There's nothing we can do; different readers will naturally have different interpretations of Hamlet."

The editors in the editorial department didn't really care much about the controversies and criticisms.

After all, this isn't the first time Lin Youcheng's novels have been controversial and criticized. His previous novel, "The Devotion of Suspect X," was controversial, and his novel "Strange Tales of the Human World," which won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, also had some discussions about the protagonist's rejuvenation. Not to mention the novels "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "The Untouchable Lover," as well as the large age gap in "The Reader," which, although they all received strong reactions, also had some controversial voices.

Of course, these controversial voices cannot be changed, or rather, they do not affect the novel's ability to resonate with readers.

After all, literary works will naturally have different readers and different opinions.

Those readers and some literary critics have opinions about Lin Youcheng's works, but from a human perspective, it is still unknown what the reasons might be.

Zhang Wei looked at the editor colleague who had said those words, nodded, and said calmly, "Yes, literary works should be discussed, there's no need to worry about it."

The editor who said that nodded in agreement. He knew this too. After all, compared to the overwhelming criticism—almost a siege—that some writers receive when they publish their works, Lin Youcheng's opinions were just a few scattered dissenting views. The more mainstream opinions in literary criticism had already been published in the reviews of various literary journals. As for the readers' letters, they were clearly all because they were too shocked.

"The cruelty of Lin Youcheng's story lies in the fact that the whole story is quite real, and the truth is the most hurtful."

Hearing his colleague's words, Zhang Wei nodded in agreement, but said, "Ultimately, it's Lin Youcheng's artistic creation. I hope there won't be such a story in real life."

No one knows if such stories exist in real life. They may be similar or different, but such stories hidden deep in one's heart will not appear in letters, because such secrets are truly terrifying and can only be known by oneself for a lifetime.

Zhang Wei was well aware that Lin Youcheng's "Love" was truly impactful, and then said, "Previously, some publishers wanted to publish the novels of the same names as Lin Youcheng's films, but Lin Youcheng did not agree. Now that we have this short story 'Love,' several publishers want to publish Lin Youcheng's novel."

Putting aside Lin Youcheng's previous reputation and status, and his influence in the novel publishing industry, the novel "Love" alone is enough to make literary publishers eager to publish it. Especially now that there are already pirate publishers publishing Lin Youcheng's "Love," it's no wonder that the works of this literary giant, Lin Youcheng, have always been loved not only by readers but also by pirate booksellers.

"Lin Youcheng's novel 'Love' is truly amazing. I've read it over and over again, and each time I finish reading it, I have a completely different feeling. It's such an indescribable novel, and I have to admire how profound Lin Youcheng's description of love itself is!"

Zhang Wei nodded when he heard his colleague's words. He had also watched it several times and was full of admiration.

"What's most impressive is that he already had this story in 'The Reader' and even wrote it into his novel."

"That's right, this is absolutely amazing!"

The editors were also amazed by this, as they had long been familiar with the foreshadowing Lin Youcheng had planted in his novels. After all, the subtle foreshadowing in his previous novel, "Strange Tales of the Human World," had impressed countless readers.

Back then, who could have imagined that brushing shoulders with those people in Lynch's fantastical life of rejuvenation would make the entire "Human Wonders" even more fantastical yet real, full of captivating charm?

Countless readers and literary professionals still remember hearing from others that "The Message" appeared in "Strange Tales of the Human World." Later, when they went back to carefully read the simple scene in "Strange Tales of the Human World" where Lin Qi and Gu Xiaomeng met by chance, it was like discovering a new continent—a memory that was deeply etched in their minds, leaving them utterly astonished. "In the dead of night, with a bright moon and sparse stars, five people were traveling in a car… a dwarf was leading a short old man, which was very strange… Through the car window, Lin Qi looked at the five people inside. Each person had a different expression. Lin Qi's curious gaze met that of the woman speaking… The woman named Xiaomeng had a calm gaze, even as she looked at the old man's aged face, which resembled an old ghost…"

Although it was just a few simple lines of text, Lin Qi and Gu Xiaomeng's chance encounter was truly unforgettable. After all, who could have imagined that Gu Xiaomeng and Lin Qi would have had a chance meeting? It was simply too incredible and unforgettable.

The key lies in Lin Youcheng's novel *Human Tales*, where Lin Qi's turbulent and fantastical life, aside from his near-miss with Gu Xiaomeng from *The Message*, also includes the imposter regimental commander Long Wenzhang from *My Chief and My Regiment*, who didn't just appear out of nowhere. This lieutenant in charge of supplies had already appeared in *Human Tales* and was Lin Qi's comrade-in-arms. Furthermore, the nurse from Beiping who joined the Eighth Army in *The Meridian of War* was the same nurse Lin Qi met on the train to battle when he enlisted. And then there's the fourth war novel, *Bright Sword*…

Lin Youcheng's four war stories were all foreshadowed in "Strange Tales of the Human World," which is truly astonishing.

Those scenes are truly worth exploring, even studying, for no one knows if Lin Youcheng has any unknown foreshadowing hidden in his published novels.

Even now, some readers may still be using a magnifying glass to look for foreshadowing in other stories of "Human Wonders". After all, such foreshadowing has appeared in the novel "The Reader". Perhaps the novel that Jiang Xia reads to Yang Ju in "The Reader" is also a work by Lin Youcheng.

"To be honest, besides reading the novel 'Love,' I've also been rereading 'The Reader' recently, trying to figure out if I've missed anything and whether the works Jiang Xia read to Yang Ju all have sources."

"Haha, I've been looking through them too. It's just that Lin Youcheng's foreshadowing has always been too difficult to spot. Until Lin Youcheng's next work appears, I'm afraid no one will know how many stories he has hidden in his previous works. Take 'The Reader' for example. Lin Youcheng could have replaced all the works that Jiang Xia read to Yang Ju with his own. But thankfully he didn't do that, otherwise it would have been really scary."

Because Lin Youcheng's foreshadowing in "Strange Tales of the Human World" and "The Reader" is so subtle and subtle that it is hard to notice. The real surprise comes when the subtle clues are finally revealed.

Such discussions and exchanges continue, just like in literary circles and among readers who love literature.

Clearly, the editorial team had unwittingly veered back to the main topic, resuming their discussion of the moving nature of the novel "Love".

It was at this time that not only domestic readers and literary circles were discussing Lin Youcheng's "Love," but foreign audiences at the Venice Film Festival were also deeply moved by the film.

Yes, it was absolutely stunning, utterly and completely stunning!
Human joys and sorrows are not shared, but love like that in "Love" can be felt by everyone, possessing an impact that cannot be described in words.

What is truly moving and magnificent is not the novel or the film, but the book itself, "Love".

Amidst this awe-inspiring atmosphere, the Venice International Film Festival also received some amazing good news.

That's right, Hou Xiaoxian's film "Love" won the highest award at the Venice Film Festival—the Golden Lion!

(End of this chapter)