1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 280 There is a beautiful flower in the world
As early autumn approaches, the sun in the north becomes warmer.

The beige manuscript paper glowed with an almost cold glow in the sunlight, with clear and handsome azure blue font written on it.

The name of the novel, "Youth", appeared in the old man's dark and turbid eyes.

"Fanghua?"

Wei Wei then looked down solemnly and saw a message from the author himself:

There is a beautiful flower in the world, that is the fragrance of youth.

"Isn't this the lyrics from Li Guyi's "Ronghua"? It's used quite cleverly, haha."

He chuckled, and the clear and emotional singing voice of Comrade Li Guyi involuntarily emerged in his mind. This song has been very popular all over the country in recent years.

"Wow~"

Flip the pages.

When he finally saw the main text of the novel, he immediately read it eagerly, like a traveler in the desert seeing a source of water.

The whole person sank into it.

The story begins very recently, in 1974.

Wei Wei remembers this year very clearly because the fourth grade get out of class was over.

This year was also the climax of the Up to the Countryside and Mountain Areas Movement, with the number of people mobilized reaching one million.

As expected, a fourteen-year-old boy was born in a corner of the intricate alleys of Beijing.

Cheng Lu lost his father at a young age and depended on his mother for support. He was in poor health and came from a relatively poor family. He had a gentle personality and could be said to be a little weak and cowardly.

In 1974, I had just graduated from high school.

Go to the countryside to work in the fields, or join the army to defend the motherland.

This is the first major life decision made by the times that all young people who have just stepped out of the ivory tower of school need to face.

This choice is enough to affect their destiny for the rest of their lives.

Young people are very embarrassed about this.

Whether going to the countryside or joining the army, it is actually not a good thing.

Go to the countryside to do farm work in a remote and backward village where you are unfamiliar with the area?
There is endless work to do every day, not enough centimeters to earn, endless canals to dig, endless dams to repair, and even having enough food to eat becomes a problem.

Or join the army and go to the border to defend the country?

The war has only been going on for a few years, and the international situation is deteriorating, so local battles may break out at any time.

Cheng Lu chose to join the army, while the girl who grew up with him chose to go to the countryside.

The two are childhood sweethearts.

The girl naturally hopes that Cheng Lu will not take risks and go to the countryside with her, so that she will have a chance to be assigned to a place, but the probability of this happening is very small.

However, Cheng Lu still refused because joining the army would bring salary, and it would be good enough if he could maintain a basic standard of living in the countryside.

The two had a cold argument over this and didn't speak to each other for several weeks.

By the time my mother found out about it, the application form had already been submitted and it could not be changed.

The day of enlistment came very quickly.

That day, Cheng Lu changed into a military uniform that didn't fit him well, with loose cuffs, an empty upper body, and a belt that needed the belt buckle to be pulled to the last notch before it could be tightened.

It really looks a bit funny.

Before leaving, the mother stopped Cheng Lu and said that she wanted to go to Quanjude to buy him a roast duck to eat on the way, and told him not to rush to get on the bus and to wait for her to come back on the platform.

Cheng Lu agreed. Before leaving, he glanced at the door of the east wing, which was open but no one was there.

The printed glass windows were covered by curtains, making it impossible to see the scene inside.

Not seeing the man, he wanted to wait.

But there was a call from the gate of the courtyard, and the soldiers nearby were urging him, so he had to grit his teeth and leave quickly.

At this moment, the window was pushed open with a bang, and a girl with two pigtails leaned out.

the other side.

On the way to buy roast duck, my mother encountered many farewell teams, waist drum teams, and crowds, which delayed her for a long time. By the time she anxiously arrived at the roast duck restaurant, there was not much time left.

I didn't have much money on me, and even if I spent it all, it would only be enough to buy half one.

But the shop assistant refused to sell it.

The mother's eyes immediately turned red with jealousy. She tried to persuade the other party in every possible way, almost kneeling down to beg him, before the other party finally agreed with a pinch of his nose.

Perhaps it was because we spent too much time on the road, and when we arrived at the train station, the platform was flooded with people seeing us off, and the train was about to depart.

Holding the hot roast duck in her pocket, she looked everywhere for her son among the crowd seeing him off on the train platform. She was so anxious that her eyes turned red and tears welled up in her eyes.

But maybe it's telepathy between mother and child.

When she turned around, she saw Cheng Lu standing not far away in an ill-fitting military uniform, looking at her with a sweaty face and smiling.

The mother could not hold back her complaints and sobs, and stuffed the roast duck wrapped in yellow-brown oil paper into her son's hand, saying sorry, she only had enough money to buy half a duck.

The train will depart soon.

Cheng Lu hurriedly got on the train with the roast duck in his arms.

A deep and loud train whistle sounded.

The train starts.

The crowd of people who were seeing them off surged and ran towards the train.

Cheng Lu lowered his head to look at the roast duck and took a bite greedily.

At this moment, a classmate beside him pushed him hurriedly, "Cheng Lu! Your mother is calling you, turn back!"

He shuddered all over and looked quickly, and the thin and gentle half of the figure was left far behind by the train.

……

Seeing this, Wei Wei was particularly touched by the sincere affection between mother and son revealed in the text, especially when he saw the mother chasing the car at the end of the chapter, but the protagonist passed by because of the roast duck bought by the mother.

"The writing is fluent and natural, the emotions are sincere and moving, and the details are exquisite."

The old man rubbed his sore and red eyes and murmured softly.

Now that he's old, he can't bear to read such texts.

However, from this chapter combined with the title of the work, Wei Wei roughly felt that this might not be a traditional military work.

"Youth?"

Wei Wei looked out the window at the sunshine, green trees, flowers and the old city with deep eyes filled with infinite nostalgia. He also joined the army in his teens and grew up in the army.

Now it seems that this work is probably an autobiography written by the young comrade Cheng Kaiyan.

I'm already reminiscing about the past when I was twenty.

Thinking of this, he smiled, lowered his head and continued to read the manuscript.

……

Due to Cheng Lu's poor health, the recruit training was very difficult and he only completed it after two months, barely passing.

He was assigned to a place called the Sharp Knife Company on the border front.

Here, he was often bullied by an old soldier named Chen Laoer, who said that he would desert and escape to the army instead of going to the countryside.

Cheng Lu could accept it, and with the company commander taking care of him, his life was bearable.

So he lived here. Apart from daily training, the thing Cheng Lu did most was writing a diary.

A very thick diary, which was given to him by his mother, and she told him to write in it every day.

In this way, his mother could see every day he spent in the army from the diary.

He will not miss his time in the military.

The next year, the spearhead company was transferred to the front line to fight.

He also went to the battlefield, and although his performance was a little embarrassing, he still passed the test.

The gorgeous sunset, the lush primeval forest, the drifting smoke of gunpowder, the sacrificed soldiers, the broken limbs, the broken flesh and blood rolled over by the tank tracks, the cold white bones embedded in the soil and mixed with it.

On this day, the performance group of the military region art troupe arrived.

After they returned to the base, the girls from the art troupe were still happily singing "Ode to Heroes" on the scarlet stage, and the soldiers below were applauding enthusiastically.

Everything seemed so false and cruel in sharp contrast.

Wei Wei held his breath unconsciously, and uttered an almost incoherent and unbelievable sound:
"He uses the protagonist's personal perspective and psychological description to make a montage-like contrast between the "joyful ode on the stage" and the "young corpses on the battlefield", almost stripping off the romantic cloak of war narratives and disenchanting the "heroism" that has prevailed in the army for decades!"

“The boys and girls in the art troupe here are both spectators of the war and tools alienated by the war.

The tension between their innocence and the cruelty of war constitutes a sharp irony of "youthful devotion."

"Such a cold and cruel and beautiful style of writing is shocking in today's military literature!"

He thought of Xu Huaizhong's comments on "Shooting the Wolf" just now and couldn't help shaking his head.

This is what we call cold and sharp.

Like a scalpel, it almost deconstructs the prevailing heroism and collectivism.

"Youth" is definitely not a simple work!

Wei Wei said with certainty in his heart.

He raised his wrist and checked the time.

Eleven forty.

Several hours passed without him noticing, but he still had no intention of stopping. He wanted to see if this young man was really as he thought, challenging the traditional military literature that only praised heroes and was rigid and rigid, and making a profound reflection and criticism on the old and decadent ones.

"Wow~"

The sound of flipping books could be heard in the office of the field research team, and he was immersed in it again.

……

the other side.

Xu Huaizhong sat by the window, writing with his head down.

Just now, after the editors from Mr. Wei Wei's group read it, they also cast the final vote to pass the proofreading.

He is now writing a recommendation for "Shooting the Wolf". This work will be published in "People's Liberation Army Literature and Art" on the 15th and will meet the majority of readers and literature lovers.

"Phew! One article, two articles, our group's work is almost done."

Xu Huaizhong looked at the two manuscripts piled on the table, he breathed a sigh of relief, and a look of complacency appeared in his eyes.

"Old Xu, it's time for dinner, let's go eat something together?"

Beside him, a middle-aged man in his forties pushed Xu Huaizhong's shoulder and greeted him.

"It's done."

Xu Huaizhong glanced at his watch, stood up and glanced at the busy people in the office, and simply called everyone: "Everyone, let's go to the restaurant together later?"

"That's great! The National Day is coming soon, let's go to a restaurant and have a good meal."

"Walk, walk, walk. I'm dizzy from reading the manuscript."

The office suddenly became lively, and editors from various magazines quickly joined in.

Xu Huaizhong looked at Liu Baiyu and Wei Wei again, "Mr. Wei, Mr. Liu, are you coming too?"

Liu Baiyu nodded when he heard this, while Wei Wei continued to bury his head in reading the manuscript, ignoring the outside world.

Xu Huaizhong frowned slightly when he saw this, but didn't think much about it. He knew that Wei Wei was watching intently.

But are Cheng Kaiyan’s works so attractive?
He felt a little curious and confused.

"Let's go, Mr. Wei, don't you want to eat?"

"He's so engrossed in watching. I'll pack some for him later."

Everyone in the office has become accustomed to it. This kind of thing of being engrossed in reading is really common in the editorial department.

So everyone packed up and left the office.

We had lunch at a state-owned restaurant opposite the General Political Department. There were eleven of us in the group and we ordered a lot of delicious dishes. Since the expenses were reimbursed, everyone ate to their heart's content. Considering that tomorrow was National Day, they even ordered two bottles of Maozi and drank them to great pleasure.

"What kind of work is Mr. Wei watching that can make him so engrossed in it?"

A bald editor asked curiously.

Wei Wei is a military expert, and many military writers regard him as an insurmountable peak in the military literature world.

The works that catch his eye should not be underestimated.

"It's the work of Comrade Cheng Kaiyan. It looks like it's well written."

Xu Huaizhong explained that he originally thought that this young man would write mediocrely.

"So it's him. My son is a big fan of his books. He loves his fairy tales so much that he has to snuggle in his arms and listen to his stories every night before he can fall asleep."

Another female editor in her thirties said cheerfully.

"Hahaha."

Everyone laughed.

"The first issue of the special issue for writers who traveled through the military, Cheng Kaiyan's work should be included, right?"

An editor from People's Literature asked curiously.

"It should be possible. You'll know after Lao Wei finishes reading it."

Liu Baiyu believes in his own judgment.

"That's good. I'm sure many people will be looking forward to the work of this combat hero."

Everyone ate and drank and chatted for a long time, and did not finish their meal until two o'clock in the afternoon.

come back to the office.

Xu Huaizhong saw that the old man by the window had put down the manuscript in his hand, and was writing something excitedly with a pen and paper in his hand. He understood what was going on and asked, "Mr. Wei, have you eaten?"

"Nope."

"How's the manuscript?"

“This is a very subversive and progressive work!”

Wei Wei suddenly looked up and spoke in a firm and resolute tone.

The wrinkled, kind-looking face was hot and red, and the turbidity in the eyes was gone, replaced by dark eyes that were shining.

"Subversive? Progressive?"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the office was stunned and very surprised.

This kind of characterization would be taboo if used in military literature.

But this is what Wei Wei said himself...

"Old Wei! Tell me in detail, what exactly happened?"

Liu Baiyu's face straightened and he asked hurriedly.

If it is true as Wei Wei said, the work is definitely good, but the impact of its publication will be greater.

"This is a novel that is very recent in time, focusing on the generation that experienced the climax of the Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement in 1974."

Wei Wei thought for a moment and spoke slowly.

Everyone nodded when they heard this. The time period was very close, only five or six years.

“This novel is a rare dual perspective.

The whole story is actually a diary written by the protagonist Cheng Lu specifically for his mother.

It commemorates the past through the memories of a diary and the third perspective of the protagonist Cheng Lu.

Together, they tell the story of their generation of young people, the story of their personal growth in the tide of the times and in the collective. He abandons the grand narrative and focuses on the individual. "

Wei Wei made a summary of the period.

He looked at the people in the office who were listening attentively, and then said in a deep voice: "Cheng Lu, a weak and docile boy, has formed the most striking contrast in the army.

Such an outlier, growing up on the war-torn front line, experiencing separations of life and death, gradually became a combat hero and a model soldier.

But this is only a physical transformation.

The defects in the soul and thoughts are the greatest obstacles to success.

He left the front line and joined the art troupe in the rear.

He was a hero fighting on the front line, but at this moment he was a spiritual deserter.

The company commander who died before him supported him, the soldier who bullied him sneered and ignored him, and the girl Lin Susui who liked each other was angry.

He thought that as a hero, he would receive special treatment in the art troupe.

But the peaceful and harmonious military art troupe is a world apart from the front line.

I experienced the good and evil of human nature in the art troupe.
The cold reality and the disillusionment of ideals,

The innocent love and hate of young men and women,

Support and betrayal...

The collective environment is never changed by individual will.

The collective is the collective of the privileged class, not the collective of collective disciplinarians.

In the end, the combat heroes and model soldiers who returned from the front lines were brutally stigmatized in the collective high-pressure environment.

Under the silent discipline of the collective and the privileged class, the former lover chose silent betrayal.

Collective myth, heroic narrative, youthful devotion, idealism…

These collections of spiritual utopias that carry revolutionary aesthetics collapsed in an instant in the protagonist's heart.

Everything was like an illusory bubble, shattered with a loud bang.

The protagonist is completely awakened, and his soul finally awakens. He resolutely returns to the front-line troops and composes a brilliant fragrance with his life and blood.

As the saying goes, a true idealist is one who faces the truth of the world bravely even if he knows it. "

Wei Wei took a deep breath, he finally understood.

This is using the small to illustrate the big.

It is not just about the collapse of personal ideals and beliefs and the art troupe.

It also describes the process of an era gradually collapsing.

"There is a beautiful flower in the world, it is the blooming of youth..."

He closed his eyes and sang softly.

The hoarse and old voice is full of complex emotions.

The sound echoed throughout the office and in everyone's hearts.

(End of this chapter)