Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 165: Gentle Kill (Two chapters in one, please give me a monthly ticket)

Seeing everyone looking at her in surprise, Li Juan instinctively shrank back again. But thinking of how Zhang Chao had argued for her just now, and teacher Liu Liangcheng's embarrassment and determination, she suddenly mustered up her courage again.

Li Juan stood up from her chair, her voice still soft but surprisingly firm: "This debate started because of me and my work, why don't you ask me what I think? You can bully me, but you can't bully my work."

Bai Ye's mind buzzed, knowing that he was in trouble this time. Although Zhang Chao was young, no one thought he was a "weakling", so if he lost, he lost.

Li Juan is different. She is a pure newbie in the literary world. If someone insists that he is "bullying" her, his reputation will be ruined.

Bai Ye was helpless when he saw that everyone had sat down again, quietly waiting for Li Juan's next speech.

Li Juan took a deep breath and spoke in her unique slow and fast tone: "Seven or eight years ago, I dropped out of high school because I was afraid of the English test. At that time, I was a little excited because I felt that I had time to be a writer.

Later, I followed my mother as a tailor and opened a grocery store while writing articles. After writing for more than two years, I finally had the courage to take a few articles that I thought were good to the Writers Association to have someone take a look. That day, I happened to meet Teacher Liu...

Another year passed, and I had accumulated more than a dozen manuscripts, which Teacher Liu brought to Yenching to help me submit. Gradually, they were all published, and I seemed to have really become a writer. Although she did not change my fate, I still had to do a lot of work to support myself...

After "Nine Pieces of Snow", I gradually became a little famous. A friend helped me find a job as a clerk in the local propaganda department. For the first time, I didn't have to sit on a felt mat or a wooden stake to write, but could sit in an air-conditioned room to write..."

Li Juan spoke freely about her creative career, without embellishment or pity. She spoke in such a plain and calm manner, yet made every listener feel how difficult it had been for her along the way.

But everyone's pants are off and we're asked to listen to this?
Li Juan paused, glanced at Liu Liangcheng and Zhang Chao, and then continued: "Along the way, I feel that all the people I have met are good people. Even after today, I feel that most people in the literary world are good."

That means they met the bad guy today - everyone took a deep breath, the soft knife kills without leaving any blood.

Bai Ye knew that he couldn't let Li Juan continue, so he said in a deep voice: "I think you must have misunderstood... Today's seminar is over. If you have any questions, we can continue the discussion tomorrow. I think..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhang Chao interrupted him: "Since the meeting is over, it's now Teacher Li Juan's personal speech. You are no longer the host, right?"

Bai Ye was speechless when he heard this.

Li Juan nodded to Zhang Chao gratefully and continued, "I won't participate in any activities tomorrow. Teacher Liu, you asked me to come here to see the world. Now that I have seen it, I should be able to go back."

Liu Liangcheng said gently: "Just follow your own ideas."

Li Juan hummed softly, and then continued: "Also, I will quit the clerk when I return. I want to go back to the pastoral area or village in Altay to live for a while."

Everyone gasped in surprise at the same time. Li Juan's decision was truly beyond everyone's expectations.

There are only a very small number of people in China who can support themselves completely through writing. Those who can attend the meeting today basically have a job within the system. Although Li Juan, a clerk, is inconspicuous, she is stable after all, and she works in a government department.

Tell it to others and you're an official!
How can you just say no?

Liu Liangcheng was also anxious. He was a native of Xinjiang and knew that the conditions in both the pastoral areas and villages in Altay were extremely difficult. Li Juan had just escaped from the displacement, so why did she want to go back again?
But Liu Liangcheng did not rush to object, but said: "I understand that you are emotional now, don't rush to make a decision, wait until you return to Xinjiang."

Li Juan shook her head, her tone becoming gentler and firmer: "In fact, I have had this idea for a long time. The conditions there are poor, but there is a lively life there, and the people there are also simple.

Maybe I am indeed like what the teachers just criticized, that is, the kind of person without great ambition. I can't write about the great era, and I don't have a big hand. I can only write about my own small insights and emotions.

I didn’t get love when I needed it the most. So I was eager to be recognized by others through my writing. At first, my writing was only read by me, then by Teacher Liu, and then by readers from all over the world.

Every time I hear people say that I write well, I feel very happy. Maybe my vanity seems ridiculous to the teachers in the criticism circle, but this is one of the reasons why I keep writing...

Today, I heard so many teachers deny my work, saying that I was petty, that I didn’t read enough, and that I was in love. I was really unhappy. At first, I tried to digest this unhappiness and tried to convince myself that it was for my own good…

But I found that being unhappy is being unhappy. What I have to do is not to digest it, and then get more and more accustomed to this kind of criticism, or even really think that it is for my own good - but to stay away from it and reject it.

Writing has consumed too much of my emotions, and I don’t want the void left in my heart to be filled with unhappiness. I may sound a bit childish when I say this - I don’t accept your criticism, okay? Teacher Bai, Teacher Yang, Teacher Hong, Teacher Chang…”

Bai Ye and the other four critics whose names were mentioned could not sit still and said quickly: "You misunderstood. We critics also have a lot of praise for your essays..."

"Yes, in fact, I was just thinking about it - your works have the most precious quality of literature, that is sincerity..."

"I just overlooked the external environment of your work. In pastoral areas where living conditions are harsh, men do appear to be very strong..."

Li Juan listened quietly, and then said softly: "Since I reject your criticism, I will not accept your praise. Justice delayed is not justice, and affirmation delayed is not affirmation.

But it doesn’t matter. If from now on you just keep ignoring me, including my works, it can actually be considered a parting of ways and we can both be happy.

Maybe one day, no one likes to read my works anymore, and readers forget that there was a writer like Li Juan who lived and wrote, and that's fine too. I will continue to be a tailor, I have good skills, I also like to use the sewing machine, and I can support myself.

I am just a blade of grass at the foot of the Altai Mountains, not even a flower. I am not as good as Teacher Liu and classmate Zhang praise me to be, but I am probably not as bad as you criticize me to be.

When the season arrives, the grass will break through the soil, stay green for a while, and then be eaten by cattle and sheep. The grass that is not eaten will turn yellow and dry in the fall, and disappear completely in the winter.

Next year, new grass will grow again. Although it will not be the same as before, it will be just as wild and green. So even if I cannot publish a single article in the future, I believe in the beautiful Altay, the beautiful grasslands, lakes, canyons, streams, herds...

I will definitely wait for a better pen than mine to write them into an article so that more people can read them. "

After saying these words, Li Juan bowed slightly to everyone, thanked Liu Liangcheng and Zhang Chao softly, and left the venue alone.

The critics, led by Bai Ye, turned pale. Li Juan was the first writer to clearly state that she refused to allow the domestic literary critics to comment on her works.

The key point is that she is not a famous writer. If the critics really "parted ways" with her, and her subsequent works became more and more successful, wouldn't it prove that what Zhang Chao said was right?

Literary criticism is of no use to literary creation and the prosperity of the literary market!

In the past, it was only when they pretended not to see writers (such as for a long period of time during Wang Xiaobo's lifetime and after his death) that the writers would ever take the initiative to distance themselves from them.

Go against Tiangang!

Even the most arrogant Wang Shuo had never said such a thing. But it was Li Juan, the girl who seemed to be the most timid and spoke the softest and gentlest, who said it.

If Zhang Chao's costly output only dealt a heavy blow to the literary critics headed by Bai Ye, then Li Juan, with her unique gentleness, completed the final blow.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhang Chao smiled and broke the silence, saying: "Now we can really adjourn. Everyone has seen today that all good things must come to an end.

I am leaving too. Remember to send me a copy of today’s meeting minutes.”

Of course, there will be recorders assigned to this kind of seminar, but today's seminar is undoubtedly too special, so it is difficult to say how it will be recorded.

Zhang Chao's words reminded everyone that the content of today's seminar is extremely important. It will directly determine the discourse power pattern of writers and critics in the next 10 years.

Bai Ye led the domestic literary criticism community in forcing a rising prose star to leave and resign in protest, and claimed that he was ready to no longer be accepted by the mainstream literary world and to cut off his creative path.

If this gets out, not only the literary criticism circle, but even the writers present today, except Zhang Chao and Liu Liangcheng who spoke for Li Juan, will be nailed to the pillar of shame in literary history.

Then everyone only has one choice...

Immediately, a writer said to the recorder, "Remember to send me a copy as well. Make sure to record it truthfully!"

Everyone reacted and asked for the meeting minutes to be sent to them, and demanded that no important information be omitted or tampered with, especially what Li Juan said after Bai Ye "adjourned the meeting".

The recorder was flattered. Normally, such meeting minutes would only be glanced at when they were issued as press releases, and no one would look at them at other times.

Bai Ye also understood what these bastards were going to do, but he couldn't stop them at all. He could only prepare to communicate with them one by one at night, hoping that they would give him some face.

But the biggest problem still lies with Zhang Chao. Past experience has proved that his destructive power in the media and public opinion is equal to the sum of all the other writers on the scene.

Unfortunately, Zhang Chao is not someone that the literary critics can control. They have neither the resources to win him over nor the weapons to threaten him.

Well, let's talk to Lao Jia tonight. After all, Pingwa is Zhang Chao's teacher, maybe he can listen.

What he regrets most now is that before the meeting, he had someone arrange Zhang Chao and Li Juan to attend the special discussion meeting hosted by him, thinking that this kind of event was his home court. Li Juan was well-known for being introverted, timid and afraid of things, and Zhang Chao's sharpness was mostly in writing.

If he could control the two of them on the spot - mainly Zhang Chao of course - he could not only restore face for the entire literary criticism community but also consolidate his own authority.

Who would have thought that the situation would get out of control.

When Bai Ye was in a state of confusion, Zhang Chao had already left the meeting. At this time, the other special meetings were basically over, and the corridor was bustling with people.

Jia Pingwa ran into Zhang Chao head-on. He asked with a smile, "How was it? Did you get anything?"

Zhang Chao also smiled and said, "I have gained a lot! Especially Teacher Bai Ye, who is magnanimous and not only allows everyone to speak freely, but also tolerates my outspokenness. Today's meeting minutes are very interesting, Teacher Jia, you must take a good look at them.

But I may not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting. There is an urgent matter in Shanghai regarding the issue of the publication number of my magazine. I have to rush over immediately."

The old editor-in-chief Jia Pingwa knew that the publication number was the lifeblood of the magazine, so he could only say regretfully: "I originally wanted you to give a speech on behalf of the younger generation tomorrow...but your matter is a big deal, so go quickly."

Looking at Zhang Chao's hurriedly leaving back, Jia Pingwa was thoughtful. Zhang Chao's words of praise for Bai Ye just now were full of irony. Did something go wrong over there?
At this time, the recorder of the "Big Handwriting in the Big Era" special meeting came over and said to him helplessly: "Teacher Jia, why don't you check your phone?"

Jia Pingwa said unhappily, "You were the one who kept texting me just now? My legs are numb from the shock. I'm in a meeting and I have to speak. How can I look at my phone?"

After that, he took out his cell phone and saw that there were seven or eight unread text messages. He frowned. The recorder was a small editor of "Meiwen" magazine. He knew his limits and would not be so anxious to find him unless it was a big deal.

[Teacher Jia, please come as soon as you see the letter. Zhang Chao is arguing with Teacher Bai. Teacher Bai is in a bad situation.]

[Teacher Bai can’t stand it anymore, he seems to be angry]

[Teacher Bai is touching the cup, he seems to be about to hit someone... What should I do, please come quickly]

[Teacher Jia, please come quickly, the situation is out of control...]

Jia Pingwa had only read four messages when he heard Bai Ye's familiar voice: "Old Jia, are you free? I want to talk to you."

Jia Pingwa looked at his old friend with a sullen expression and thought that if he had known earlier that he would go to see Zhang Chao off, he would not have to face such an embarrassing situation.

Jia Pingwa took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Bai Ye, saying, "Let's go to the back of the teaching building to smoke a cigarette."

Zhang Chao went back to the guesthouse, packed his luggage, and went to Xianyang Airport alone.

Li Qigang of New Sprouts Magazine did ask him to go to Shanghai, but he was not in a hurry. He just wanted to leave the center of the vortex as soon as possible.

Even if this vortex was created by myself.

At that time, he was not prepared to let Bai Ye and his group off. The domestic literary criticism circle had been so bad in the past decade or so that even many professors and authorities in the Chinese department of Yenching University and Yenching Normal University, where Zhang Chao studied, participated in it.

For example, around 2000, everyone tacitly took advantage of Jin Yong's love of fame and collectively praised his novels, hoping to artificially create a "Jin School" after the "Zhang (Ailing) School" that was popular in the 80s.

Jin Yong was also flattered, so he began to revise his martial arts novels, which is the so-called "Century New Revised Edition". During the revision process, Jin Yong accepted almost all the "guidance" of "Jin scholars" such as Cheng Mo, and the result was that the "New Revised Edition" became extremely greasy.

One of the results of the spread of this trend was a period of depression in domestic literature that lasted about 90 years starting from the mid-20s.

After arriving in Shanghai and checking into the hotel, Zhang Chao immediately took out his laptop and typed in the title:

"Not Just School or Workplace: Literature, a Hotbed of Invisible Bullying"

Well, in the country, no one understands bullying better than Zhang Chao!

(End of this chapter)