1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 543 The Storm Rises Again
"Where is it exaggerated?" Zheng Xiaolong still disagreed. "Isn't this just a TV series about the lives and emotions of ordinary people?"

"Talking about ordinary people?"

The other person put down their water glass and said, "Then tell me, what's the point of your TV series? What does it represent?"

"I think it reflects some social problems."

Zheng Xiaolong said, "I think this work is absolutely harmless. It just satirizes some social problems in the laughter, which is also true. Now our society is liberating its thinking, and there are all kinds of people with different ideas, but in essence, these people are all good people. When a major disaster occurs, I don't think anyone would be unwilling to donate their love."

"You're making it sound too simple." The other party completely disregarded Zheng Xiaolong.

"Comrade. Hmm?"

Zheng Xiaolong wanted to say something more, but Jiang Xian stopped him. He looked at Jiang Xian with a puzzled expression, only to see Jiang Xian shake his head slightly and then say to the comrade:
"If it is really decided that it cannot be broadcast, I think your State Administration of Radio and Television should hold a meeting to discuss it and listen to everyone's opinions."

"Of course I've driven it."

The other party smiled and said, "Comrade Jiang Xian, don't misunderstand. We're not targeting you or have any issues with you. It's just that this drama does seem dangerous to us. It has a certain degree of risk. If something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?"

"."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xian realized that there was no point in continuing to talk to these people, and it wouldn't change the fact that the show wouldn't be broadcast.

Without saying anything more, he left the State Administration of Radio and Television with Zheng Xiaolong.

"Damn it." Zheng Xiaolong was even more frustrated than him. "These bastards are really scum."

One reason he was so angry was that Zheng Xiaolong was open-minded and didn't think there was anything wrong with "Stories from the Editorial Department".

In addition, Zheng Xiaolong was indeed captivated by "Stories from the Editorial Department". He was eager to let the whole country see the TV series immediately, believing that it would create another television craze.

"Don't worry."

Jiang Xian, on the contrary, felt relaxed. "I'll go find someone else and talk to them about this again. We should have a solution soon."

"There is a way?"

The State Administration of Radio and Television has basically sentenced it to death.

Is there any other way?
Zheng Xiaolong looked at Jiang Xian in disbelief, but seeing his calm expression, a glimmer of hope returned to his heart.

Could there really be a solution?
That makes sense, after all, this is Jiang Xian, who knows what connections he might have.

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

After saying goodbye, Jiang Xian got into his car and instead of letting Xu Chenhui drive home immediately, he asked him to take him to the front three gates, where they arrived at Wang Meng's house.

"Teacher Cui!"

"Hey? Jiang Xian, what brings you here?"

The person who opened the door for Jiang Xian was Cui Ruifang, Wang Meng's wife.

Cui Ruifang was a physics teacher. At the time, she and Wang Meng worked together as clerks in a courtyard house at No. 39, Dongsi Shiyi Road.

Wang Meng's representative work, "The New Young Man in the Organization Department," is based on life in this courtyard.

From the day he reported for duty, Wang Meng began pursuing Cui Ruifang, always going to the same kitchen to get food with her and always smiling at her.

Later, he launched a fervent pursuit, sending Cui Ruifang two letters every day, one in the morning and one in the evening, constantly professing his love to her.

Later, Wang Meng went to the frontier. At this time, the two were not yet married, but Cui Ruifang did not mind Wang Meng's status and firmly married him. She followed him to the frontier and lived in an eight-square-meter mud house.

In the years that followed, the two remained together, becoming a model couple in the literary world.

This is something that deserves praise.

After all, writers are often sentimental. Many writers, once they rise in status, will feel that their original spouse's intellectual level is not on the same level as their own, and then immediately go to find the next soulmate.

The most typical example is Wang Shuo, who, when he was still a nobody in the literary world, got together with Shen Xujia, a dazzling swan on the stage.

As his fame grew, his ambitions grew, and he was soon exposed for having an extramarital affair with Xu Jinglei.

It is said that Xu Jinglei went directly to their door to challenge them.

Besides Wang Shuo, Comrade Yu Hua is also a representative of this group.

During his early, unknown period, Yu Hua had incredible luck in pursuing the secretary of the Haiyan County Cultural Center. They were a perfect match, but unfortunately, their beautiful marriage could not withstand the ravages of time.

Their marriage fell apart in less than three years.

Yu Hua divorced his wife shortly after finishing his masterpiece, "Cries in the Drizzle." Less than half a month after the divorce, he got together with a sexy female poet with whom he had long been in love.

And there's so much more.

Writers are often sentimental, and they pursue a deep connection of souls. If we were to talk about fidelity in relationships, half of the literary world would fall into this trap.

Ultimately, it all comes down to that line from the movie "The Troubleshooters":
"There are a hundred ways to commit suicide, one of which is to marry a writer."

This further highlights the preciousness of the relationship between teacher Wang Meng and Cui Ruifang.

"Jiang Xian, come on, have some water."

For others, meeting Wang Meng would be as difficult as climbing to heaven, but for Jiang Xian, meeting him was incredibly easy.

This is just like how others might come to Wang Meng's doorstep but not even be able to step over the threshold.

But Jiang Xian went to Wang Meng's house as casually as if he were at home.

Wang Meng returned shortly after, and was overjoyed to see Jiang Xian.
"You wouldn't come here without a reason. What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

"Look at what you're saying."

Jiang Xian smiled. "Does it really mean I have something to do that prevents me from visiting you?"

"Stop it, just say what you want to say."

"Teacher Wang, you're not as funny as you used to be."

Jiang Xian made a joke, then said seriously, "Actually, there is something I would like to ask Teacher Wang for help with."

"Look at this kid."

Wang Meng glanced at Cui Ruifang with a smile, "I told you he had something going on, but he wouldn't admit it."

"Xiao Jiang is a bit shy, it's normal that he's embarrassed to speak up. Okay, you guys chat, I'll go cook for you. Xiao Jiang, just have something to eat at home tonight."

"Oh, thank you for your trouble, Teacher Cui."

Jiang Xian thanked Cui Ruifang respectfully before turning to Wang Meng and explaining the whole story to him.

"What show? Let me check for you," Wang Meng said.

“It’s called ‘Stories from the Editorial Department.’” Jiang Xian handed the tape to Wang Meng. “If you have time later, you can watch it.”

"it is good."

When the document arrived at Wang Meng's place, the next day during a break, Wang Meng and several young colleagues from the General Office watched it for a while and all thought it was very good.

"The dialogue in this show is absolutely brilliant! Every line is the truth, it's both funny and cathartic to listen to!"

"They portrayed everything so realistically! They made all the intricacies of life so clear in their performance!"

"So down-to-earth! Much better than those pretentious and empty dramas." "I love Li Dongbao and Ge Ling so much, they're hilarious! Watching them bicker can make me laugh all day."

"."

"Stories from the Editorial Department" received surprisingly good reviews among several young people.

As for Wang Meng, she also particularly liked the content of "Stories from the Editorial Department," finding it quite interesting. In addition, the songs in the TV series were also very well-made.

Besides the opening song "Missing You," there's also a song called "The World Is Small, It's a Family."

"Accept my care and look forward to your smile."

"The structure of the Chinese character '人' (person) is based on mutual support."

"It's about supporting each other."

"It came into my view and has never been a stranger since."

"The human face is the expression of love."

"It's the expression of love."

"Let me tell you about a discovery."

"Both you and I will be moved."

"The world is very small; it's a family."

"."

A song.

Not only is the theme heartwarming.

The melody is catchy and easy to remember.

Sung in innocent children's voices, the song is very childlike, pure, and lovely.

"What a great show!" Wang Meng, who always has avant-garde style, immediately fell in love with this TV series.

Wang Meng understood the attitude of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) very well. After all, he was familiar with SARFT's working methods, and the content of "Stories from the Editorial Department" was indeed shocking to them, given its scathing satire of so many social events.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) decided that the broadcast could not be aired.

How to do this?

After thinking it over, Wang Meng had an idea. She ran to the lake, handed the tape directly to Secretary Li, and told him to take a look.

On the other hand, as the saying goes, good fortune never comes in pairs and misfortunes never come singly. The difficulty in broadcasting "Stories from the Editorial Department" was already bad news for Jiang Xian, but then something else happened in the literary world.

Criticism of "The Troubleshooters" has resurfaced.

"The Troublemaker" is a controversial novel, and Jiang Xian anticipated that once it was published, it would be met with criticism and questioning from the outside world.

To his surprise, "The Troubleshooters" has never encountered much resistance or criticism since its publication.

In Jiang Xian's view, this may be related to his status and level. It is highly likely that his status led to the suppression of many criticisms of "The Troubleshooters".

However, this situation only lasted for a short period of time.

The literary world has launched another fierce attack on "The Troubleshooters".

In a critical article titled "Why Did the 'Wanzhu' Craze Arise?" by critic Shao Mujun, someone wrote that "an important factor in the novel 'Wanzhu's' appeal to readers is that it uses a humorous and satirical approach to attack or express heretical ideas in certain sensitive areas, mainly sexual taboos."

Another review article, "Man Cannot Live Like This," states: "Attracted by the novel themes of the novels, people overlook their shallowness, vulgarity, and evil in terms of ideology."

This is already considered rather mild and tactful; an elderly critic named Liu Dan actually wrote an article titled "The Presumption of Humanity and the Poverty of Aesthetics," in which he bluntly attacked the critics:
"Such novels are a transgression against humanism and a reaction against the process of modernization."

The first half of the sentence is not a big deal, but the second half is very serious because it is a political interpretation.

Upon seeing the article, Professor Zhu rushed from Zhongguancun to Jiang Xian's home and showed it to him. "Jiang Xian, this article is quite serious. You have to respond. If you get labeled like this, you'll be in big trouble."

"Liu Dan?"

Jiang Xian scratched his head, not remembering such a person. "Dad, do you know this author?"

"He's a veteran critic. I've occasionally read some of his commentaries before; he always writes with a way that's sure to shock and scare people," Professor Zhu said.

"Oh."

It's not surprising to hear that Jiang Xian is an old critic. Nowadays, there is a clear age dividing line between critics and supporters of "The Playboy": critics are mostly from the "older generation", while supporters are mostly from the "younger generation".

Jiang Xian pondered for a moment.

This wave of intense criticism can be attributed to the literary review published by Tang Dacheng.

He wrote that "playboys" are "people who slip out of the track of life," and he hoped that Jiang Xian, "as a writer, would not stand on the same level as the characters he creates, and would not savor, appreciate, or be infatuated with that kind of lifestyle and attitude."

Then it points out that the "playboy" style of joking life is not worth promoting or affirming: "The master-slave mentality that emphasizes social hierarchy and obliterates independent personality, and the 'playboy' mentality that denies human morality and pursues extreme individualism are just two sides of the same coin. In today's China, both should be rejected."

Old Tang has always been conservative and is getting old, so Jiang Xian understands his insistence on his views very well.

Therefore, Jiang Xian did not respond after Tang Dacheng spoke out.

To his surprise, his concession to Tang Dacheng was seen by other commentators as a "test of obedience."

To be honest, Jiang Xian isn't afraid of being labeled by others, because he has a very strong backing now. If things don't work out, he has many options. There's no need to fight these people to the death; it would be too undignified, and it would only hurt the enemy a thousand while hurting himself eight hundred.

Furthermore, literature is always full of controversy, and while there is constant controversy, the connotations of the works are constantly being explored, which is actually a good thing.

However, such criticism is limited to people like Shao Mujun; it goes too far for people like Liu Dan.

"Dad, take care."

I talked with Professor Zhu for a while about Jiang Niannian's kindergarten before seeing him off.

Jiang Xian escorted his father-in-law downstairs. He wanted Xu Chenhui to drive him home, but Professor Zhu refused, feeling that even if Jiang Xian had a car, it was a public resource and shouldn't be used for such private matters.

Jiang Xian wholeheartedly agreed with this, listening to his father-in-law's teachings with an honest and simple expression.

As soon as Professor Zhu left, he turned around and his expression turned somewhat fierce.

Of course, it wasn't because of Professor Zhu's words.

It's about the movie "The Troubleshooters".

"Damn it, you're too kind. I should still scold you when I need to."

Old Tang is getting old and doesn't have many years left to live. Jiang Xian felt that he shouldn't upset the old man, because if he died a few years earlier, he would feel bad.

But what kind of thing are you, Liu Dan?

"Hey."

"After being silent for so long, people probably don't even remember that I, Jiang Xian, am not only a writer, but also a critic."

"Playing those marketing tricks? You think you, an old man from the 80s, can outsmart me?"

I'll make sure you get what's coming to you.

(End of this chapter)