A widower's entertainment

Chapter 451 [The Second Letter Brings Good News] (Please Subscribe)

The popularity of the TV series "Crossing the Guandong" has made various TV stations envious, and they all hope to broadcast it. However, it is clear that the second round of broadcasts will be on Beijing TV, Shandong TV, and Liaoning TV. Other local TV stations will have to wait if they want to broadcast it.

Of course, with other television stations vying to buy the rights to the series, it naturally meant that Lin Youcheng's company would reap even greater rewards from its investment in the production.

Just as the TV series "Crossing the Guandong" was still airing during the winter, another piece of good news related to Lin Youcheng came out.

The results of the fourth Mao Dun Literature Prize were announced. In addition to the four novels, "White Gate Willow," "Autumn of Turmoil," "War and Man," and Chen Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain," Lin Youcheng's novel "Atonement" also won the Mao Dun Literature Prize again. This is truly amazing news, considering that this is the first time in many years that Lin Youcheng has won the Mao Dun Literature Prize since "Strange Tales of the Human World."

This news is truly astonishing!

It's important to understand that no matter how popular film and television works are now, literary workers remain the backbone of the arts and culture world. After all, the influence and status of literary workers in the Ministry of Culture are quite high. Lin Youcheng, a screenwriter, is also a prominent writer in the Writers Association and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He had previously won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, and now he has won it for the second time, which has truly shocked the literary world.

That's really rare!

It's important to understand that the Mao Dun Literature Prize maintains its authority by adhering to the principle of "quality over quantity," meaning that literary works that win this award are extremely rare. While the selection process naturally involves the subjective preferences of the judges and other influences, the Mao Dun Literature Prize remains highly prestigious in the literary world.

Most importantly, before this, no author had ever won the Mao Dun Literature Prize twice; Lin Youcheng is now the first.

Upon hearing this news, Yu Hua and his wife Cheng Hong came directly to Xinghua Hutong to congratulate Lin Youcheng.

"Congratulations on your success!"

"Your novel 'Atonement' won the Mao Dun Literature Prize!"

"That's amazing! This is your second time winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize!"

Yu Hua genuinely envied Lin Youcheng and was also truly happy for him. After all, he personally admired Lin Youcheng's novel "Atonement." In fact, he also greatly admired other novels such as "The Reader" and "Lurking." Now that Lin Youcheng's "Atonement" has won the Mao Dun Literature Prize again, it has truly made history.

After all, this is Lin Youcheng's second time winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Upon hearing Yu Hua's words, Lin Youcheng's face was also full of smiles, and he thanked Yu Hua for his congratulations.

In fact, Lin Youcheng already knew about this result from the very beginning. After all, he was already in the Writers Association, and someone from the association would inform him of the good news as soon as possible. Not to mention that Zhang Wei had told Lin Youcheng early on that both of his novels, "Atonement" and "The Reader," had been recommended for the selection process, and Zhang Wei had also called Lin Youcheng to tell him about the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Cheng Hong also congratulated Lin Youcheng, believing that his novel "Atonement" truly deserved the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

In Cheng Hong's view, the novel "Atonement" is truly outstanding in terms of its literary quality, textual structure, and plot. The story in the novel is also structured based on the story created by Lin Xue, just like the first play script Lin Xue created, "Tribulations," which alludes to the ordeal of her sister Lin Yu and Luo Yang.

What shocked Cheng Hong even more was Lin Xue's journey of atonement. Just when she thought it would be a happy ending for Lin Yu and Luo Yang, Lin Xue's cold tone suddenly shifted, and her icy words directly revealed the true fate of Lin Yu and Luo Yang—

"On May 20, 1945, Luo Yang died of septicemia on the battlefield of Furong Mountain in western Hunan. Less than seven days later, on May 25, during the Battle of Lion Mountain, Lin Yu was killed by artillery fire under Japanese bombardment."

I never saw them that year.

Cheng Hong still remembers the shock she felt when she first read the ending of "Atonement," those few short lines of text, and how the last two simple sentences revealed the cruel truth behind Luo Yang and Lin Yu's deaths.

It was a sudden, bone-chilling cold that froze me to the core.

This pair of lovers, separated by distance and longing for each other, met with tragedy as the victory against Japan loomed. One died of septicemia, and the other was killed by artillery fire.

That's how it ended, in no more than seven days!
The ending was so cruel and depressing that when Cheng Hong saw it, she was completely caught off guard. It was like a knife suddenly stabbing into her heart, making her scalp tingle. She never imagined that this was the true ending for Lin Yu and Luo Yang. Both of them fell on the eve of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, and the seemingly perfect ending was just a lie of atonement fabricated by the writer Lin Xue.

Cheng Hong was truly shocked by this design.

In fact, it wasn't just Cheng Hong who thought so; Yu Hua thought the same way, and said with a smile, "Youcheng, your novel 'Atonement' winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize again is truly well-deserved."

Yu Hua also greatly admires Lin Youcheng's design of four hidden texts throughout the novel "Atonement".

In the novel *Atonement*, Lin Yu's play script, *The Tribulations*, written when she was thirteen, serves as the first hidden text. This script not only sets the stage for the entire novel but also runs throughout the plot. The tragic fate of the protagonist in the play foreshadows the misfortune Lin Xue inflicted on her older sister, Lin Yu. The second text, Lin Xue's stream-of-consciousness novel *Reunion*, foreshadows Lin Xue's remorse for the fatal consequences of her past mistakes and her desire for forgiveness. The reunion is not only with her sister but also with her sister and Luo Yang. The third text, *Atonement*, the novel she dedicated her life to writing, presents a happy picture: Lin Yu and her lover Luo Yang flying together. The younger sister's path to atonement seems complete. However, the fourth text, the epilogue, reveals that Lin Yu and Luo Yang both perished during the Anti-Japanese War, and the seemingly happy ending was merely a well-intentioned lie by Lin Xue.

Intertextuality connects the suspense between these four inner texts, allowing them to reference each other and interweave in a complex and intricate way. The entire design is truly brilliant!

In particular, Atonement is a typical coming-of-age novel that spans more than 60 years, from a thirteen-year-old girl to an elderly female writer reflecting on her past. This journey of atonement is so profound and so poignant.

Especially now, discussions abound regarding whether Lin Xue in the novel *Atonement* acted out of misunderstanding, jealousy, or, given the class-conscious society of that time, her preconceived notions of hierarchy led her to believe Luo Yang was a bad person when she witnessed his ambiguous relationship with her sister. These debates continue to be interpreted differently within literary critics. It's fair to say that such literary works remain worthy of discussion even after the passage of time. Xie Shuhua was naturally happy for Lin Youcheng. She herself greatly admired *Atonement*, and knew that when it was first published in *People's Literature* magazine, the editor-in-chief, Xu Huazhou, had already declared it a work worthy of the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Now, Lin Youcheng has once again won the Mao Dun Literature Prize for his novel "Atonement," which is truly a rare achievement!
After all, no author in China had ever won the Mao Dun Literature Prize twice before. Not to mention twice, winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize once is already quite difficult. You have to know that it is awarded once every four years, during which time countless literary works are produced. Winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize again is much more difficult than winning two film awards.

Lin Youcheng's winning of the Mao Dun Literature Prize again with "Atonement" has sparked considerable discussion in literary circles. Most people believe that "Atonement" deserves the award, as it is an outstanding work in terms of plot, literary structure, and literary content. Moreover, it has not only received high praise from literary critics but is also loved by the general public.

The novel, in particular, has been translated and published overseas and adapted into a film, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. It is quite famous internationally. The story is not just about love; it also explores humanity, class, atonement, and war. These elements have contributed to the immense global influence of *Atonement*, earning it numerous accolades.
It can be said that readers and viewers around the world clearly saw that the thirteen-year-old girl, whether due to misunderstanding or jealousy, was swept up by the malice of humanity around her and caused irreparable harm with the greatest force, and then struggled for a lifetime of atonement.

That girl destroyed not only their happiness, but also all beautiful things. She carried a heavy mental burden throughout her life. Despite her glamorous appearance, her inner world was filled with suffering. She spent her life atoning for her sins. The plot and story structure are beyond imagination, quite tragic and cruel. This story has had a considerable impact around the world.

Yu Hua and Cheng Hong congratulated Lin Youcheng, and others naturally congratulated him as well. This included not only friends in the literary world, but also others who follow the literary circle or love literature. For example, director Chen Aige, who loves poetry, also called to congratulate him.

Besides calling to congratulate him, some people also came directly to Xinghua Hutong to share the good news with Lin Youcheng.

Zhang Wei, on the other hand, came to Xinghua Hutong to celebrate with Lin Youcheng in person.

"Yu Hua, you're here too!"

"It seems you also know about his good news!"

Zhang Wei, as the editor of Lin Youcheng's novel "Atonement", was arguably even more excited than Lin Youcheng himself. Although he was not the one who discovered Lin Youcheng's first novel, "Under the Hawthorn Tree", several of Lin's subsequent novels were published in "People's Literature" magazine because of him.

Especially works like "Strange Tales of the Human World," which won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, and "Atonement," were both published in the magazine "People's Literature."

All of this makes Zhang Wei, as an editor, feel extremely proud and honored.

Yu Hua said with a smile, "Yes, such good news naturally deserves my congratulations."

Zhang Wei nodded repeatedly, looked at Lin Youcheng, and said, "Youcheng, you've won the Mao Dun Literature Prize again. Don't just keep writing movie and TV scripts; you still need to write novels too. We're all waiting for your next novel."

Clearly, no matter what, Zhang Wei, as the editor, will never forget his job and will always be concerned about Lin Youcheng's next novel.

Hearing Zhang Wei's words, Lin Youcheng chuckled and poured Zhang Wei some hot tea, saying with a smile, "I know, but don't keep staring at me like that. There's still Yu Hua here."

When Yu Hua heard Lin Youcheng shift the topic to him, he smiled and shook his head, saying, "Don't try to shift the focus to me. Director Zhang is urging you to finish your work! Besides, I don't need the editor to urge me; I'm already writing the manuscript."

Cheng Hong and Xie Shuhua, who were standing nearby, laughed when they heard this.

Zhang Wei naturally hoped that Lin Youcheng could continue to create more excellent novels, but he also knew that Lin Youcheng's screenplays were also quite brilliant. For example, the editors of their magazine had all watched the TV series "Crossing the Guandong," which was a very exciting series. If it were written into a novel, it would also be an extremely exciting work about crossing the Guandong. The story is grand and magnificent, full of national righteousness, and every character is vividly portrayed. It is truly quite wonderful.

Although Zhang Wei really liked the TV series "Crossing the Guandong", he naturally hoped that Lin Youcheng could publish a new novel.

Lin Youcheng was well aware that Zhang Wei's top priority for him had always been getting his manuscripts published.

Since her daughter Lin Zhaoyuan had woken up, Xie Shuhua let Lin Youcheng and Yu Hua continue chatting while she went to take care of her daughter. She also asked the housekeeper, Sister Zhou, to prepare a few more dishes, thinking that Yu Hua and the others could stay for dinner.

The atmosphere in the living room was very pleasant, and everyone was talking about Lin Youcheng's novel "Atonement," which won the Mao Dun Literature Prize again, discussing the novel's highlights.

"When the editorial department first received this novel, Editor-in-Chief Xu said that it should win the Mao Dun Literature Prize, and now it has indeed come true!"

Zhang Wei looked at Lin Youcheng and said with a smile, "Editor-in-Chief Xu asked me to congratulate you. He's also looking forward to your next novel."

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh as he listened to Zhang Wei's words. While he was so happy to have won the Mao Dun Literature Prize again, Zhang Wei was still urging him to write more manuscripts, which really made him both amused and exasperated.

"Please thank Editor-in-Chief Xu for me. I haven't stopped writing yet; I'll definitely continue writing novels."

Zhang Wei nodded. He naturally didn't think Lin Youcheng would stop writing. After all, Lin Youcheng was still creating, just not novels but screenplays. But his passion for creation was as strong as ever, and he would definitely continue to create literature in the future.

However, it's worth mentioning that Lin Youcheng's novel won the Mao Dun Literature Prize for the second time, making him the first Chinese writer to do so. Considering also the unbelievably high prices his screenplays fetch abroad—

Lin Youcheng is truly the foremost figure in the domestic literary world today.

(End of this chapter)