The literary era since 1979

"This...this is a song written by Yanzi?"

Yang Xia, Han Yuemin, and others were all surprised to see that the lyricist spoke in dialect.

Gong Xue nodded with a smile, "When Yanzi was on a business trip in Japan, he happened to meet Lijun. Lijun specially asked Yanzi to write the song 'As You Wish' for her in preparation for this Spring Festival Gala."

"Yanzi is really something, not saying anything about something so important."

Fang Hong shook her head, and like everyone else, her attention quickly turned to the television.

In my ears, I heard Teresa Teng's heavenly voice, sweet yet uplifting, delicate yet full of deep emotion.

"Every path in this world will lead you there, and I will love the world you love, and wish you the smile you desire..."

Looking at the lyrics displayed below the TV screen, Fang Yan was overjoyed:

"See the world you haven't seen, write the poems you haven't written, brother, these lyrics are really great, you truly deserve to be my brother!"

"The lyrics are well-written, and Teresa Teng sings it well too!" Fang Hong praised. "The most impressive thing is that the whole song doesn't show off any skills. All the emotional techniques only serve the work, and all the techniques are made invisible."

"Otherwise, how could their collaboration be called a perfect match, a powerful alliance?"

Gong Xue was also quite surprised. Although Deng Lijun had spoiled the song for him in the car, it was the first time he had ever heard "Ru Yuan" (As You Wish), and it was a hard feeling to describe.

Fang Yan stuck out her tongue, "Oh no, oh no, just based on Teresa Teng's song, I think the singing team is definitely going to win the championship this time!"

"What's wrong, Yanzi? Thinking of betraying us?" Han Yuemin joked.

Fang Yan retorted, "How could I be a traitor! Even if the singing team has Teresa Teng, the sketch comedy team still has Chen Peisi and Zhu Shimao!"

Just as everyone was arguing, Gong Xue glanced back at the clock hanging on the wall.

Fang Yan had been gone for quite some time, and Yang Xia and Han's mother, being the most senior people present, started calling on everyone to make dumplings.

While helping Fang Hong, Han Yuemin asked in surprise, "Didn't Yanzi say he was going to pick up friends for the New Year? Why has it taken so long?"

Fang Yan suddenly asked, "Could something have happened on the way?"

Yang Xia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Pah, pah, you jinx! You can't say such unlucky things on New Year's Eve."

Gong Xue reassured everyone not to worry, but his gaze drifted away, his thoughts seemingly carried off by the howling cold wind outside the window.

Fortunately, the dialect didn't keep people waiting long. With a "ding-dong" of the doorbell, all eyes turned to the door.

Fang Yan ran excitedly to open the door and saw Deng Lijun and her assistant standing beside her brother, their eyes bright and their faces full of smiles.

"Deng, Deng Lijun!"

"You must be Yanzi's younger sister? Happy New Year!"

The soft, sweet voice that entered the room shocked Yang Xia, Fang Hong, and the others, leaving them speechless.

"You two are finally back," Gong Xue said half-jokingly. "If you had come any later, you probably wouldn't have made it in time for dumplings."

"Yanzi just said he was picking up a friend, is that Deng Lijun?" Fang Hong immediately came to her senses and nudged her sister-in-law with her elbow.

Gong Xue nodded, and then, with the air of a hostess, took the lead in welcoming Deng Lijun.

Han Yuemin, Yang Xia, and the others seemed to wake up from a dream, their faces filled with excitement, like fans who had just met their idols in person.

"Auntie, I apologize for the intrusion and for disturbing you." Deng Lijun handed over the gift. "It's just a small token of my appreciation. Happy New Year!"

Yang Xia beamed from ear to ear, "Since you're already here, why bring any gifts? Please, come in and sit down!"

"That won't do."

Deng Lijun said that she was not only grateful to Fang Yan and Gong Xue for inviting her to their home for the Chinese New Year, but also to Fang Yan for writing her a good song. Although "Ru Yuan" had just been performed on the Spring Festival Gala stage, it immediately received unanimous praise from leaders of the Ministry of Radio and Television and other departments in the dressing room after the program. CCTV even extended an invitation to her to do a special interview on the Spring Festival Gala the next day, with the focus on "Ru Yuan".

"There's no need to say that."

Fang Yan waved his hand, "Didn't you say on the way here that you haven't made dumplings by hand in a long time? Do you want to try now?"

"Really!" Yang Xia smiled broadly, pulled Deng Lijun to her side, and chatted with her while watching her make dumplings.

Fang Hong, Fang Yan, Gong Xue, and others surrounded her, treating her like a beloved darling. It wasn't until the TV screen showed "The Protagonist and the Supporting Role" that their attention was drawn back to the Spring Festival Gala. As the pinnacle of Chen Peisi and Zhu Shimao's work, and also one of the classic pieces of the Gala, the room erupted in bursts of laughter within just two or three minutes of the opening. Everyone was amused by the lines, gestures, and plot.

"Captain, don't shoot, it's me!"

"Oh, it's you, kid!"

"You're playing a shameless character! You can't steal the spotlight, right? You have to keep my image positive for the audience throughout this part."

"The Imperial Army asked me to pass on a message to you: as long as you surrender to the Imperial Army..."

"Your conditions are amazing! Show everyone!"

"Look at this nose, these eyes, this head, only one like that appears once every few thousand years. Someone with your appearance, right? You can play a petty thief, an illegal merchant, or a thug without even acting. Just stand there and you're good to go."

"Oh, okay. I got it. You traitor! I always thought only someone like me could betray us—I never imagined—you, Zhu Shimao, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, would betray the revolution too!"

"........."

"Oh my god, I can't laugh myself to death."

Yang Xia glanced at the crowd laughing so hard they were doubled over, then pulled out a tissue and wiped away the tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.

"To be honest, this show is just as good as Li-jun's 'As You Wish', which is a real problem."

Fang Hong asked, "Will the sketch comedy team or the song team win this year's Spring Festival Gala?"

Just as Fang Yan was about to speak, she was interrupted by the sounds of firecrackers and fireworks coming from downstairs, and immediately felt the urge to go downstairs and play.

"Sister Lijun, do you want to play together?"

"Okay!"

Inspired by her, Deng Lijun became younger and more cheerful.

"Look how impatient you are, let's eat the dumplings first!"

Yang Xia hurriedly stopped her.

"That's right, that's right, for dumplings, my mom specially bought vinegar from Zhenjiang this time!"

Fang Yan said half-jokingly, "It's no exaggeration to say that I made these dumplings just for this little bit of vinegar."

"Go away, you little rascal, you're making fun of me again."

Yang Xia quickly cooked all the dumplings she had wrapped. By the time they finished eating, the Spring Festival Gala was nearing its end, and the annual "Unforgettable Tonight" began to play.

Meanwhile, the sounds of firecrackers popping and children playing could be heard intermittently in the open space.

One by one, firecrackers resembling spinning tops were lit, making "bang bang" sounds while spinning continuously and emitting dazzling sparks.

Like Fang Yan and the others, Deng Lijun didn't play with spinning tops, firecrackers, or double-bang firecrackers; instead, she held a gleaming fairy wand.

Although not as dazzling as fireworks in the sky, it was still incredibly beautiful.

Fang Yan glanced at the night sky and then at his watch, saying, "It's almost midnight, eight, seven, six..."

"Three, two, one!"

Gong Xue, Deng Lijun, and others shouted almost in unison, "Haha, Happy New Year! Happy Year of the Horse!"

………………

When "As You Wish" was performed on the Spring Festival Gala, its popularity far exceeded that of "A Fire in Winter".

After all, when it comes to national sentiment, this is much more to the liking of cultural propaganda departments than energetic dance music. Moreover, thanks to "As You Wish," the impression that Deng Liyun left on mainland fans was no longer just "decadent music" or "queen of sweet songs," but a complete subversion.

Because I was busy with various interviews and events, I didn't have time to treat Fang Yan and Gong Xue to a meal to properly thank them.

After the New Year, Fang Yan took Gong Xue to visit Zhang Guangnian, Wang Meng, Wei Wei, Qiao Yu and others to offer New Year's greetings.

After a busy Spring Festival holiday, he then came to the editorial department that he was most familiar with and most loyal to, as the current editor-in-chief of People's Literature.

Familiar faces came into view: Zhu Wei, Wang Fu, Chen Xiaoman, Wang Xiaoping...

Of course, many new faces have also joined the familiar faces, and even the deputy editors-in-chief have almost all been replaced.

"Teacher Fang!"

Zhu Wei, who had been promoted to director of the editorial department, immediately brightened up and excitedly went over to him.

Fang Yan patted their shoulders and shook their hands, exchanging pleasantries as if they had endless things to say.

After chatting for a while, they subtly shifted the topic to the current situation of People's Literature.

Previously, I had only heard Wang Meng and Zhang Guangnian talk about how the People's Literature magazine had declined and how serious literature was waning. But after carefully learning from Zhu Wei, Chen Xiaoman and others, I realized how complex and difficult the situation was, which was completely beyond my original expectations.

The quality of manuscript selection and the number of submissions from writers have also run into serious problems, and most importantly, there's no capital left to rely on.

Before Fang Yan went to Sanlian Bookstore in Hong Kong, the novels he left for the editorial department, such as Lu Yao's "Ordinary World" series and Er Yuehe's "Kangxi Dynasty" series, were basically completed. As a result, he had no new works to follow, and his sales plummeted.

The magazine, which once sold a million copies a month at its peak, has now almost halved in sales, with only 60 copies sold.

"Teacher Fang, actually when Liu Xinwu was the editor-in-chief, everyone suggested that he try serializing one or two popular literary works."

Wang Xiaoping said that there were serious disagreements within the editorial department at the time, with figures like Zhu Wei consistently adhering to the principles of serious literature and pure literature.

However, Chen Xiaoman, as Shen Yanbing's daughter-in-law, insisted that People's Literature should publish popular literature to meet the needs of a wider readership.

"People's Literature: Literature is the foundation, and the people are the audience. Why can't anything that the masses like to read be published?"

"But we must also focus on cultivating readers' aesthetic appreciation abilities. We can't just put content from 'Story Club' into 'People's Literature'!"

Zhu Wei frowned and raised an objection.

"Yan, Editor-in-Chief Fang, what do you think?"

Chen Xiaoman cast an inquiring glance at her.

Under everyone's gaze, Fang Yan stroked his chin and said, "Actually, both sides have their points."

Zhu Wei said, "But given the current situation of People's Literature, we can only put our bets on one of the two."

"Is it possible to find a genre of works that balances and complements serious literature and popular literature?"

Looking left and right in dialect.

They looked at each other, one by one, and asked, "Teacher Fang, what do you mean...?"

Fang Yan said, "Do you remember what my first work was serialized in People's Literature?"

Chen Xiaoman stated directly: "The Great Qin Dynasty: The Great Rift!"

Fang Yan said, "Yes, my suggestion is to publish historical literary works like 'The Great Qin's Rift'."

Zhu Wei was very curious, "Why is that?"

"While it is extremely difficult to become an expert in history, the entry barrier for the average reader is relatively low. After gaining a basic understanding or access to historical materials, everyone can offer some commentary on dynasties and historical figures..."

While speaking in dialect, I thought of Yi Zhongtian's lectures on the Three Kingdoms in the "Lecture Room" program. Yi Zhongtian praised Cao Cao as a "hero of a chaotic era," but described Cao Cao as a complete hypocrite, believing that a true villain is better than a hypocrite. As a result, the public opinion of the two men was instantly reversed.

For example, self-media often praises Zhu Yuanzhang, whose life story of "starting with a bowl" and turning his life around is considered the "ceiling of historical reversal".

But when Zhu Yuanzhang started his rebellion, he didn't begin with just a bowl of rice. That's why there's a saying that he made his fortune thanks to Guo Zixing.

As for the founding emperors like Liu Bang, he did indeed serve as a village head or a tavern chief, but later he either fled to Mangdang Mountain, going from a tavern chief to a wanted criminal by the Qin Dynasty, or he survived only because Empress Lü brought him food. In the end, he was going to die anyway, so he finally decided to rebel and become the Duke of Pei.

Such moments of crisis were not uncommon. When Liu Xiu went to Hebei alone, he started with only a stick.

However, because the general public enjoys reading and discussing history, some statements, and even some outrageous theories, have a readership.

"Teacher Fang is right. Back when Er Yuehe was serializing 'Kangxi Dynasty,' it was extremely difficult to get a copy of 'People's Literature'."

Zhu Wei clapped his hands in delight, and seeing that the others were also deep in thought, he nodded repeatedly, leaning towards betting on historical literature.

"However, historical novels are a great test of a writer's writing skills and knowledge, and good works are even more rare and hard to come by."

Chen Xiaoman frowned slightly, "Finding a novel like this is not easy."

“I also took that into consideration, so I prepared two things in advance.”

Fang Yan smiled and reached into his briefcase, taking out two stacks of already bound manuscripts.

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly, and Zhu Wei and Chen Xiaoman were quick to grab one of the portions.

Zhu Wei read aloud: "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty?"

"The Ming Dynasty!" Chen Xiaoman exclaimed in surprise. "Historical literature about the Ming Dynasty? Editor Fang, did you write all of this?"

He said earnestly in a dialectal tone, "A new official can't come empty-handed; this is the gift I bring to *People's Literature*!" (End of Chapter)