Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 451 There is only one Lin Chaoyang
Du Rong is two years older than Lin Chaoyang, but the two started working at Yenching University Library not much apart in time. When Lin Chaoyang came in 78, she had only been working there for a year.

So they are not only people of the same age, but also colleagues with good relations, and their relationship has remained good over the years.

Even though Lin Chaoyang gradually became famous and had great influence, Du Rong still regarded him as the simple young man who had just entered the library.

Later, Lin Chaoyang appeared in the library less and less frequently, and he didn't show up for more than a year. When she saw him again today, she was suddenly filled with emotion.

Over the past year or so, most of the news about Lin Chaoyang came from newspapers and magazines, with occasional television reports.

The originally close impression became unfamiliar under the erosion of time, I don't know when.

The continuous spread of media news has further promoted Lin Chaoyang's image in the hearts of his colleagues. He won an award today, and his autograph session will be very popular tomorrow...

Lin Chaoyang's image gradually became blurred and untouchable in the minds of Du Rong and her colleagues.

The distance between Lin Chaoyang and everyone seemed to have widened suddenly in this year.

When we met again, even though we were chatting animatedly, we still felt a little distant and even melancholy.

Listening to Du Rong's words, Lin Chaoyang smiled softly, "It's hard to see you either. I've only seen you once in more than a year."

Lin Chaoyang's words put himself in the same position as everyone else, and were full of friendliness and nostalgia for old colleagues, making everyone happy.

He chatted with everyone for a while, and seeing that there was still some time, he went to Xie Daoyuan's office and sat down.

Xie Daoyuan was very happy to see Lin Chaoyang. He asked him about his experiences over the past year with concern, and Lin Chaoyang chatted briefly with him.

"This is good. Since you are young, it is good to walk around and see more."

After chatting with Xie Daoyuan, Lin Chaoyang came to the library's conference room. There were still more than ten minutes before the symposium started, and many people were already seated.

"Chaoyang, you're here!" Xie Mian was the host of today's symposium and the only person present whom he knew.

Lin Chaoyang greeted him and sat next to him. Xie Mian then introduced the people present to him.

There were students everywhere, some from Yenching University, all of whom were the backbone of the May Fourth Literary Society, and some from neighboring schools, all of whom were amateur authors who had published works in some publications.

There were more than a dozen people, both men and women, all in their early twenties, full of youthfulness.

There were many college students in the early years who were from the third grade, which resulted in there being many "seniors" with haggard faces among the students. It has been different in recent years, and almost all of the students who have entered university are serious high school graduates.

When these people saw Lin Chaoyang, their faces were excited and their eyes were shining.

In the past two years, Lin Chaoyang has rarely appeared on the Yanda campus. Even when he came, he went directly to Langrun Lake Apartment. His interactions with students and teachers on campus have become less and less.

Among those present, the oldest were students from the Class of 82, who had just entered the campus in the autumn of the year Tao Yushu graduated.

Many of the students from Class 84 and Class 85 present today have never seen Lin Chaoyang. They have only heard that this popular writer works in the Yanda Library.

Among these people, there were many who wanted to see Lin Chaoyang's true face after entering the school, but unfortunately, Lin Chaoyang rarely went to the library at that time.

Therefore, these students were very excited after meeting Lin Chaoyang. There were many well-known professors with high academic qualifications in Yan University, but there were not many writers, especially famous writers.

Lin Chaoyang is now famous throughout the country and is extremely popular in the literary world. All of the students today have read his works to some extent, and many of them are even his loyal readers.

After greeting the students with a smile, Lin Chaoyang chatted with Xie Mian.

While the two were chatting, many students' eyes were still on Lin Chaoyang.

The theme of today's symposium is the discussion of the creative techniques of avant-garde novels. The meeting officially began at nine o'clock in the morning.

Xie Mian first gave an opening speech, and then another young teacher from the Chinese Department spoke.

In the past year, avant-garde novels have emerged as a new literary trend in the domestic literary world and are being pursued by many young literary people.

The so-called "avant-garde" does not refer to any specific literary genre, but rather a style.

To put it simply, it is modernism, which can be symbolism, futurism, dadaism, abstractionism, stream of consciousness, absurdism, etc.

It reflects the alienated relationship between man and society, man and man, man and nature, and the resulting mental state.

The rise of this trend can be traced back to the beginning of last year. In February, "Shanghai Literature" published Ma Yuan's "The Natural Temptation of Gangdise".

In March, People's Literature published Liu Sola's "You Have No Choice", which was also edited by Tao Yushu.

These two novels were published one after the other, and quickly aroused great response among young readers with their unique artistic appeal.

And within a year in the country, it has had a considerable influence.

Young people value freedom, pursue individuality and rebel against tradition. The emergence of avant-garde novels can be said to be exactly what some people want to be different.

Most of the people attending the symposium today are amateur authors, but most of them are from prestigious universities and have solid knowledge reserves and literary literacy.

Many people enthusiastically expressed their understanding of avant-garde novels in long and eloquent speeches, which made the listeners feel impressed.

I don't know if a few people saw that Lin Chaoyang was also present today, but when he was speaking he specifically mentioned several of his novels and attributed them to the category of avant-garde novels.

The films that people mentioned most often were "Summer of Lai Zi", "Death of Vincent Van Gogh" and "The Truman Show".

“…The avant-garde nature of The Truman Show lies in the huge absurdity it creates.

The falsity of life, the lack of free will, the violation of personal privacy, the sharp contrast between utopia and reality, and the development and exploration of human nature therein, these factors are all the most typical characteristics that avant-garde literature should possess.

After reading this novel, what came to my mind most was "1984" translated by Mr. Dong Leshan.

I have read quite a few novels, but these two are equally shocking to me.

As a reader, this is undoubtedly a great happiness..."

Several people discussed Lin Chaoyang's novel in a row, and all of them praised him, which made the direction of the symposium seem a little abnormal.

The novels mentioned by everyone are indeed modern in style among Lin Chaoyang's works, and their praises are well-founded, but they always sound a little stiff.

After all, when Lin Chaoyang wrote it, the word "avant-garde" was not yet popular.

Finally it was Lin Chaoyang's turn to speak. He started by saying a few polite and humble words, which drew a chuckle from everyone. "I don't know much about avant-garde novels. I can only talk about my own views based on my personal creative experience."

“Many people think that avant-garde novels, or literature and culture, are very unique, especially compared to the noisy mass culture.

Everyone regards him as a rebel against the secular world and a dismantling of tradition, but I don’t think that is necessary.

Bourdieu believes that avant-garde art that rejects the market actually accumulates a large amount of symbolic capital in the process of creation. Although it is not recognized at the beginning, it will eventually be accepted and transformed into economic capital.

Although his remarks discussed the "avant-garde" in Western society and cannot fully represent avant-garde literature or avant-garde novels, they are generally applicable and instructive for our thinking.

Just now, several people mentioned my works, saying that they all have typical characteristics of avant-garde literature and are worthy of being written into literary history. This is a great compliment to me..."

Lin Chaoyang has spent six or seven years in the Yanda Library and attended many classes of senior professors. Among those present today, except Xie Mian, almost no one can rival him in terms of literary theory.

His speech was modest and low-key, and he did not pursue novelty. Unlike the previous students' speeches, he did not place avant-garde literature and modernism in a very high position.

Instead, it explores the commonalities between avant-garde culture and popular culture, making everyone feel refreshed when listening to it.

In his remarks, avant-garde literature does not seem to conflict with popular literature and culture, but rather is a relationship of mutual identification and complementarity.

If you think about it carefully, you will find that there seems to be some truth in it.

"The above is my personal superficial understanding of avant-garde literature. If there are any shortcomings, I hope you can criticize and correct me."

After Lin Chaoyang finished his speech, he did not forget to say a few humble words.

"Criticism and correction" was impossible. In the eyes of everyone present, the content of Lin Chaoyang's speech just now was of a very high level, and his views were also different from everyone's understanding of avant-garde literature.

The arguments are quite sufficient and cannot be easily denied by college students like them.

After everyone has finished speaking, it is time for the discussion session. As long as you raise your hands, everyone can speak in turn to express their opinions.

"Comrade Chaoyang just mentioned that avant-garde literature and popular literature have something in common. Could you elaborate on that?" Xie Mian was very interested in Lin Chaoyang's views and wanted him to say more.

Others in the conference room also cast curious glances at him.

"Let's put it simply. Literature is art, but literary works are cultural consumer goods and commodities. The spread of avant-garde literature depends on such commodities.

Therefore, when avant-garde literature develops to a certain stage, it is bound to make certain changes in its attitude.

Say goodbye to the label of formalism and try to establish textual connections with more readers and communicate with popular culture.

Only in this way can avant-garde literature form a relatively stable group of writers, library of works and audience in the future development of literature.

This transformation towards popular culture may be cruel to many comrades who stick to avant-garde culture, but it is actually the only way for the art form to develop.”

Lin Chaoyang's words made everyone present fall into deep thought.

Everyone present was a student from China's top universities. They admired modernism and avant-garde literature, and to a large extent had an elitist mindset.

They believed they had the capital to rebel, dissolve, and subvert, but Lin Chaoyang's words were like a heavy hammer hitting their hearts.

Avant-garde literature is not much better than popular literature or culture. On the contrary, in the process of its development, it may need to constantly adjust itself in order to maintain its vitality.

While everyone was still immersed in what they had just said, Lin Chaoyang said:
"However, I don't think we need to be overly pessimistic. Avant-garde literature did not emerge out of thin air. It also sprouted from popular literature and culture."

His words were like a wake-up call, waking up everyone present.

Yes!

After all, avant-garde culture is not a tree without roots or water without a source. The birth of this cultural phenomenon must also follow the laws of artistic development.

Following this line of thought, it further verified the wisdom of Lin Chaoyang's previous words. Everyone looked at Lin Chaoyang with admiration and respect.

Time flies and the morning symposium is over.

Xie Mian held Lin Chaoyang's hand and said eagerly, "As an experienced creator, you can really say something different. We have benefited a lot from this morning."

While Lin Chaoyang and Xie Mian were exchanging pleasantries, the students gathered around them. A reporter from the school newspaper said, "Let's take a group photo."

"Okay." Lin Chaoyang agreed happily.

After the group photo, Xie Mian added: "The content of today's symposium will be published in the school newspaper in a few days."

Lin Chaoyang nodded, agreeing that the school newspaper quoted his speech at the symposium.

"Old Xie, I'll be leaving first."

Xie Mian sent Lin Chaoyang to the entrance of the library and watched him leave. Several students following him looked at Lin Chaoyang's back, still feeling a little excited.

"Teacher Xie, how come Comrade Lin...Chaoyang's theoretical foundation is so solid? It feels more thorough than what many teachers in the department say." A round-faced boy with an overbite among the students couldn't help but ask.

Xie Mian glanced at the boys and said, "You students of this class are not catching up with the good times!"

His tone was slightly regretful, and the students present understood what he meant.

Many of those present were students from the Class of 83 or later. Since they entered the school, they had heard from their teachers more than once that their class was unlucky.

Since the resumption of the college entrance examination, senior professors from all departments of Yanda University have been personally teaching undergraduate courses.

This teaching habit continued until the 80s, when some senior professors began to reduce the number of courses and teaching due to health reasons.

After the first two batches of undergraduates graduated after the resumption of the college entrance examination in 82, the old professors in various departments basically only taught master's and doctoral students.

After the class of 83, it became almost a luxury for Yenching University undergraduates to listen to lectures given by master-level figures.

Xie Mian continued, "Chaoyang was about the same age as you, but he attended classes in the Chinese Department at that time, and all the classes he attended were taught by masters such as Zhu Guangqian, Wu Zuxiang, Wang Li, Wang Yao, Fei Xiaotong, and Yin Falu."

The students couldn't help but be fascinated by these names that sounded like stars in the sky.

"Besides, he read a lot of books when he was working in the library, and he himself is talented. With the right time, right place and right people, he was able to accumulate such knowledge in just a few years." Dibaotian said again: "Teacher Xie, from what you said, I feel that he is very similar to Professor Jin Kequn."

Xie Mian laughed, "Someone in the department did say that. But his specialty is not in research, but in creation. There are many people in China's cultural circle who do research, but there is only one Lin Chaoyang!"

The students were shocked by Xie Mian's high evaluation of Lin Chaoyang, but after thinking about it carefully, they felt that there was nothing wrong with what he said.

Professors of Jin Kequn’s caliber are certainly rare in China’s cultural world, but Lin Chaoyang’s literary achievements are even more unique.

What's more, he is so young, and looks even younger than some of the students present today.

Such a character is destined to be recorded in great detail in the history of contemporary literature.

When the students thought of this, they couldn't help but feel envious.

Everyone who can attend the symposium today is a literary youth, and everyone doesn’t want to be as successful in the literary world as Lin Chaoyang at such a young age.

But as Mr. Xie said——

There is only one Lin Chaoyang!

After leaving the library, Lin Chaoyang wandered around the Yanda campus. The sun was shining brightly and he was in a very good mood. He felt as if he had returned to the time when he first entered Yanda.

When passing by Yannan Garden, he suddenly had the urge to go to Zhu Guangqian's house.

He saw Zhu Guangqian being helped down from the study upstairs by his family members. He was in surprisingly good spirits and was still shouting that he wanted to finish writing the annotations to "New Science".

Lin Chaoyang couldn't help but wonder, the old man was bedridden and depressed a while ago, how come he recovered so quickly?
"Aunt, Uncle Zhu has recovered well recently!" Lin Chaoyang said to Zhu Guangqian's wife Xi Jinwu.

Xi Jinwu's eyes were filled with worry. "He was sick a few days ago, but he has become so lively these past two days."

Back to the light!

This word suddenly came to Lin Chaoyang's mind, but when he looked at Zhu Guangqian's energetic appearance, he was a little bit unbelieving.

"What did the doctor say?"

"Your eldest sister just asked for a doctor from the school hospital."

While he was talking to Xi Jinwu, Zhu Guangqian was restless and practiced calligraphy at his desk. He had cerebral thrombosis, and the doctor told him to exercise his hands regularly and write every day, which would be good for the recovery of his brain and hands.

Today Zhu Guangqian practiced "Ancient Poetry and Prose Calligraphy with Fountain Pen", a student calligraphy copybook published by Hunan Education Press in 82.

His face was gaunt, his body was hunched, and his hands were full of blue veins. After he finished writing, he did not forget to show off to Lin Chaoyang.

"My handwriting is pretty good, isn't it?"

As he was old and his hands were shaking, his handwriting was not very good. Lin Chaoyang took the copybook and flipped through it.

"Average, a little worse than me."

"Worse than you? You really know how to flatter yourself."

Zhu Guangqian made a sarcastic remark to him with a disdainful expression.

"Your handwriting is so good, so please leave me a copy of your calligraphy. Maybe it can be exchanged for a pack of cigarettes in a few decades."

"Writing for you has ruined my handwriting."

Although he said so, Zhu Guangqian still wrote a line of words to Lin Chaoyang. He copied a line from "Fude Guyuancao Songbie" from the copybook.

The handwriting was shaky and the signature was "Written for my little friend Zhu Guangqian from Chaoyang."

Lin Chaoyang picked up the writing and examined it carefully, still looking at it with disdain, "Look at how shaky your handwriting is. Practice harder later."

"If you don't want it, give it back!"

"It's still impossible to return it. There's no reason to ask for something back after giving it to someone." Lin Chaoyang shamelessly put the copybook into his arms.

He then said to Zhu Guangqian: "You seem to be in good spirits today. Let me play a game of chess with you."

"No." The old man refused without hesitation.

"Look at you, don't take winning or losing so seriously."

When Lin Chaoyang was accompanying Zhu Guangqian to have fun, his family had already invited a doctor over to check his blood pressure. The old man then sat obediently at the desk.

Lin Chaoyang said to him, "If you don't leave, I'll leave!"

Zhu Guangqian waved to him.

After coming out of Zhu's house, Lin Chaoyang stood there and watched for a long time before leaving.

When they got home, Xiao Dongdong came and hugged Lin Chaoyang's legs to play basketball throwing with him. After the father and son played for a while, the melancholy and sadness in Lin Chaoyang's heart were diluted.

While he was feeding Yanyan, Tao Yushu came back from outside with a tired face.

"Oh, I'm so tired!" she shouted as she entered the door.

"Why don't you let Du Feng handle the clothing store business? Why bother yourself with that?"

"I just want to study!"

For Juan Wang, work is not just work, but also a process of learning knowledge and acquiring experience. How could she miss such a rare learning opportunity as the opening of the clothing city?

There is less than a week left before the opening of the clothing city, and the celebrities that Lin Chaoyang had asked Chen Huaikai and Xie Jin to invite have all been confirmed.

Zhang Jinling, Li Xiuming and Fang Shu came to Yan Film Studio, and Zhang Yu, Gong Xue and Zhao Jing also came to Shanghai Film Studio.

Three of the five golden flowers from the two major film studios in the north and the south have come, and this lineup is unprecedentedly strong.

Not only that, Xie Jin also helped Lin Chaoyang invite Zhu Shimao and Tang Guoqiang, and Zhu Shimao brought his partner Chen Peisi.

The appeal of these nine people put together at this moment is so strong that Lin Chaoyang is afraid that something bad will happen in the clothing city one day.

He told Tao Yushu, "You should remember to file a case with the public security department in advance and ask them to send more people to maintain order."

"I know. I've also told Du Feng about this. Don't worry."

As the couple was talking, Tao Yushu suddenly shouted, "Lin Siyan!"

Lin Chaoyang followed her gaze and saw Xiao Dongdong holding Yanyan's arm with one hand and her neck with the other, seemingly trying to pull her up.

The little girl is only four months old and can't sit yet. Xiao Dongdong is too weak to pull her up, so trying to do it is like pulling a carrot.

At this moment, Xiao Dongdong was frightened by Tao Yushu's shout. The pressure from his mother came, and it seemed that the terrifying aura from ancient times made him unable to move.

Comrades with a little life experience know that once your mother calls your name, she will be furious, and running away is your only option.

Tao Yushu walked up quickly, not giving Xiao Dongdong any chance to run away. He grabbed his butt and started beating him with a spanking, making Xiao Dongdong cry out in pain.

"Mom, I was wrong! Mom was wrong!"

This kid usually plays dumb when he's naughty, but when he was surrounded and attacked with force, he immediately laid down his arms and surrendered without any hesitation.

"Mom is wrong? Is it Mom who is wrong?"

Hearing his cry for mercy, Tao Yushu did not stop. Instead, he continued to attack him while questioning him angrily.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, Dad! Dad!"

When he is playing with toys, it is as if he cannot hear you when you talk to him. Lin Chaoyang sometimes wonders if this child has developmental delay or autism.

Now I see that I was just too cunning!

I still know how to call dad.

What a pity, calling daddy doesn’t work at this moment!

Lin Chaoyang picked up his precious daughter, looking distressed, "How old is your sister? Can you pull her arm like this? You can easily dislocate her arm!"

With a dad that attacks with magic and a mom that attacks with physical attacks, little Dongdong is almost broken.

I just wanted to pull my sister up and play for a while, what bad intentions could I have?
After being beaten for a long time, Tao Yumo finally couldn't bear it anymore and took the child back from her sister, comforting her: "Okay, okay, don't cry!"

Xiao Dongdong lay in Tao Yushu's arms and cried heartbreakingly, feeling extremely aggrieved.

"Are you two any parents like this? How come this child looks like the one you picked up?" Tao Yumo complained.

"What if Yanyan's joint is dislocated?" Tao Yushu asked seriously.

Tao Yumo stopped talking and stroked Xiao Dongdong's back with heartache.

"You, please behave yourself in this house from now on."

With her comfort, Xiao Dongdong no longer cried. He lay on his shoulder, whining and begging for comfort.

When Lin Chaoyang and his wife went to cook, Tao Yumo said to him again: "Don't be naughty anymore. I tell you, your parents are killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. From now on, you will be Yanyan's role model, understand?"

Xiao Dongdong nodded dazedly. He didn't understand what Tao Yumo said. He only knew that his aunt was still good to him.

At night, when the children were asleep and Tao Yushu had just washed up and gone to bed, Lin Chaoyang suddenly said to her, "Uncle Zhu may not be well."

Tao Yushu became worried when he heard this, "What did the doctor say?"

Lin Chaoyang told Tao Yushu about today's situation. Tao Yushu was worried and planned to go back to Yan University tomorrow to take a look.

Silent all night.

The next morning, there was a knock on the door. Tao Yumo went to open the door. It was Tao Yucheng who came in, and he brought a piece of news.

Zhu Guangqian died in the early hours of the morning!
Without caring about their sadness, Lin Chaoyang and his family drove to Yannan Garden. The two-story building was dotted with white, which was particularly dazzling among the vitality of the sprouting grass and trees.

The Zhu and Tao families were good friends, and the Tao family arrived early in the morning, as did many leaders and senior professors from Yan University.

A portrait has been hung on the wall of the Zhu family. The old man in the portrait is thin and strong, deep and unrestrained.

There are lilacs and yellow and white wild flowers in front of the statue, which are simple and elegant, with fairy-like appearance and fragrance, just like the person.

According to my family, the doctor came yesterday but didn’t find any problems. As a result, I couldn’t go to the toilet at night, I felt dizzy, and then vomited.

He was first sent to the school hospital and then transferred to Friendship Hospital. After arriving at Friendship Hospital, he was diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage, but it was too late and the rescue was ineffective.

The old man's body is now in the hospital morgue. This morning, the National Z Association received news that a farewell ceremony for the old man will be held at the Babaoshan Cemetery.

After staying at Zhu's house for half a morning, Lin Chaoyang finally came out with his family.

He stopped at the gate of the courtyard. The pair of tortoise shells carrying stone tablets had stood there as they had for decades. The dry grass in front of the small building was flashing with a hint of green.

In this spring, all life goes to its own destination.

After returning home, Lin Chaoyang carefully placed the set of "Aesthetics" he brought back from Zhu's house on the bookshelf. It was a gift from Xi Jinwu to him as a souvenir.

Lin Chaoyang put the calligraphy that Zhu Guangqian wrote for him yesterday back into the book, and couldn't help but recall the dead grass that he saw outside Yannan Garden, which was giving birth to life.

"Wildfires cannot extinguish them, spring breezes bring them back to life - Written to my friend Zhu Guangqian from Chaoyang"

Hey~
Infinite sadness turned into just a heavy sigh.

It’s a pity that I couldn’t beat you in another game of chess!

(End of this chapter)