Literary Master 1983

Chapter 244 Chicken Essence is a Hard-Working Skill
Guan Moye wrote an article entitled "Yuqie in My Eyes".

It details how he came to know Yu Qie. Back then, many writers would write about how they met each other, providing readers with a "writers' universe" that was close to the writers' circle, and even revealing some gossip for later generations to look back on.

You write a little, I write a little, and hey, the author's version of the "Alliance Universe" is created: a complete worldview is provided from just a few words.

However, Guan Moye's article is written like a confession letter for converting to the church. It's the kind of letter where, after converting, members hold hands and unite for the first time to talk about the mistakes they've made in their past lives, and the newcomer weeps as he talks about his sins.

He reminisced about the time when Yu Qie first published his article, "Latin American Realism."

"I first met Professor Yu in a bookstore in a northwestern province in 84. I read a novel called 'One Hundred Years of Solitude.' The author's preface made me realize that our understanding of Latin American literature contained many logically inconsistent errors. From then on, I often recited 'la rosa amarilla' and imagined that I was also at that seminar, seeing how Yu made that phone call to Colombia."

"As soon as the call connected, the Colombian asked, 'Are you a writer from China?' That one sentence was enough to make me incredibly excited! I wanted to be Yu Qie, but I didn't know it at the time."

"The second time I met Teacher Yu was when Teacher Xu Huaizhong introduced me to his military novel. He was visiting the front lines at the time, and this story has already spread widely, so I don't need to mention it again. What I need to explain is that the reason I wrote the novel was so that I could have money to buy a pair of boots that only officers could wear, so that I could be as impressive as the company commander... Yu Qie received a second-class merit this time, while my company commander never received a second-class merit in his entire life."

"I wanted to become Yuqie again, but I didn't even know that at the time."

“The third time I met Teacher Yu was at the Hangzhou conference. Today people talk about how we discovered ‘root-seeking literature,’ ‘avant-garde literature,’ ‘new realism,’ and so on, and a new era was beginning… But actually, when we met privately, I remember we were all talking about Yu Qie, and I only remembered Yu Qie. I got into an argument with someone over Yu Qie’s status in the literary world… I wanted to be like Yu Qie. I probably knew that at the time, but there was nothing I could do about it.”

"Then, in the literature training class, I had real contact with Teacher Yu. I was the most taciturn in the class, so the reportage writer Xu Chi was very interested in me and insisted on interviewing me. He said that I regarded Yu Qie as a literary idol, but I was unwilling to admit it myself... Xu Chi wrote a reportage called 'People Want to Be Yu Qie.' After reading it, I realized that he was right. Everyone wants to be Yu Qie, including me."

Then, the tone shifts. It's unknown what Guan Moye's mood was when he wrote these words, but he wrote: "But people can never be Yu Qie; everyone has one shortcoming or another."

"This is not a question of whether or not we want to, but a question of whether or not we can."

"To be precise, my personality and my experiences prevent me from writing novels like Yu Qie's. Just like Xu Chi's report, the number of letters sent to Yu Qie from all over the country would require many trucks to transport them... Every day I hear readers' eloquent discussions, and how many of them fantasize that they are as knowledgeable about foreign literature as Yu Qie, but in reality they do things that are both laughable and absurd."

"Everyone wants to be Yu Qie, but no one can be Yu Qie. Just like his two endings in 'Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots,' if others try to imitate them, they will often only end up as a joke."

Guan Moye's review wasn't aimed at the novel "Returning to One's Roots," but at Yu Qie. Yu Hua was the first to read the review. After reading it, he sighed and said, "Professor Guan, why are you thinking so much? Should I give you a hug to comfort you?"

“No need!” Guan Moye said.

"How about I organize a ping-pong game? To help you relax."

"Yu Hua, you want me to play ping-pong with Yu Qie? Do you want me to die?"

Yu Hua scratched his head sheepishly: "Then the soccer ball?"

"We can't beat them either."

"Shi Tiesheng is the goalkeeper, and he's in a wheelchair. You can't beat Yu Qie, but you can try to beat Tiesheng!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

That's right! Yu Hua remembered: Yu Qie is good at everything except playing cards, no wonder Guan Moye is so desperate.

"Then what arrangements should I make? I'm afraid 'October' won't publish it. Your comments seem to be biased towards the person rather than the issue. How about I ask 'Beijing Literature' for you? I've submitted articles to them before."

Guan Moye agreed.

So the article was sent to *Beijing Literature*. The editor-in-chief of *Beijing Literature* was Li Duo—the same "Master Duo" from the Hangzhou conference. Long before Yu Qie went to Japan, this man had discovered that Yu Qie was quite different from all other writers of his time, possessing a kind of inexplicable talent.

At that time, Li Duo praised Yu Qie wildly, saying that his writing was very different from others.

Yu Qie's "talent" stems from the culmination of a series of meticulously crafted stories from later generations, possessing both strong values ​​and commercial viability. In the present day, however, it translates to creating mature works of great achievement while maintaining innovation.

It is incredibly extraordinary, and the more you create, the more you realize how extraordinary it is.

The Beijing Literature and Art Journal sparked a debate over Guan Moye's review. Some argued that the review was empty and devoid of substance, focusing only on the person without mentioning anything else, and that it was a memoir rather than a critique, "like a letter from an admirer to Yu Qie." Others believed that the value of Guan Moye's review lay in explaining the spiritual confusion of a generation of young literary enthusiasts: they were always unconsciously imitating Yu Qie, only to find themselves inferior to him.

Therefore, one either prostrates oneself, refuses to admit it, or both.

Therefore, Li Duo decided instead: "This article should be published so that more people can think about it. If our original intention was to get people to discuss literature, then the two characters '余切' themselves are literature today."

The journal "Beijing Literature and Art" was published early, and Yu Qie saw this commentary in early June.

I suddenly realized!
Oh, no wonder Guan Moye always acted strangely. It wasn't that he didn't want to write, but that he couldn't. He didn't have the ability.

Moreover, Yu Qie's suggestion that Guan Moye join Glorious Evolution and write about truth, goodness, and beauty, instead of creating cult-like content, almost drove Guan Moye to the brink of collapse.

He was a writer driven by passion, creating the miracle of writing 20 words in 13 days during the era of handwritten text, sleeping only four or five hours a day. He wrote novels entirely on sheer willpower, like a "spring."

However, the works that Yu Qie presented exceeded the upper limit of the force that a "spring" can withstand.

Originally, "Fallen Leaves Return to Their Roots" was written to inspire Guan Moye, but when compared with "White Dog Swing," Guan Moye's moral compass collapsed. The overwhelming sense of superiority made Guan Moye feel that he "could not become Yu Qie."

Yu Qie could only talk to Guan Moye in person to encourage him.

There's a Sichuan restaurant called Emei Restaurant in Xicheng. Yu Qie invited Guan Moye to eat there. Yu Hua heard about this and also came to mediate, joining the gathering. Mapo tofu, Kung Pao chicken... the highlight was boiled cabbage in clear broth.

There was no way around it; people liked it back then. This dish won over the entire cast and crew of "Children of Heaven."

Yu Qie said, "I first heard about this Boiled Cabbage in Broth from a man named Jiang Wen. He compared this dish to a novel. Some novels seem very simple, just a few cabbage leaves, but behind them are many years of hard work... This Boiled Cabbage in Broth is very complicated to make. You have to make a rich broth, drizzle chicken oil, carefully select the cabbage, and pay attention to the plating..."

As Guan Moye listened, he felt that the description of Yu Qie's novel as "boiled cabbage in clear broth" was truly apt.

Soon, the dish arrived. It was served in a small teacup. When the lid was lifted, a few vegetable leaves floated on top. At first glance, it looked rather bland, but after tasting the soup, it was incredibly delicious.

Upon learning that Yu Qie had come for dinner, the owner of Emei Restaurant rushed out to introduce the dish: "This dish of ours is very popular with central leaders; it's a real status symbol. Back in the 1950s, when we entertained foreign guests, we loved this dish. The foreign guests were hesitant to even touch it, but once they tasted it, they were stunned and devoured it..."

Is he just bragging?

In short, the people who were eating were basically convinced. Yu Hua and Guan Moye were especially excited; they didn't even want to eat the meat anymore, only wanting to drink the soup, and they wanted more even after they finished eating.

The owner added, "Mr. Mei Lanfang also really liked this soup. He used to come and eat it every now and then. It would be harder for him than to die if he didn't eat it. He just loved this soup... But this soup takes three days to simmer, and it's served as soon as it's done."

Yu Hua and Guan Moye weren't surprised at all, and both said, "I believe this happened. I'm a little addicted to it now."

No, is this dish really that good? I don't think it's that good.
Is it really that good?
Guan Moye and Yu Hua both blushed, lowered their heads and shrugged, their bellies bulging.

Yu Qie suddenly realized: everyone was eating chicken essence.

Chicken bouillon was invented in 1984, but it wasn't until the 1990s that Chinese people began consuming it on a large scale. Before that, to enjoy a sip of flavorful soup, one had to simmer it over a low flame for a long time... This stuff shocked the central government and foreigners alike, and it left ordinary diners with a lingering fondness for it. The fundamental reason for this was precisely this traditional method of making chicken bouillon.

So, while this dish was legendary, it lost its mystique in later generations because its homemade chicken bouillon preparation was so outdated. Keep in mind that the last emperor, Puyi, who had lived a life of luxury, had his brother visit him before his death and ask him what he wanted to eat.
Puyi said, "I want to eat Japanese chicken noodle soup."

This chicken broth ramen is basically Japanese instant noodles, with plenty of MSG and industrial seasonings inside.

Yu Qie's novels, like black technology, have shattered the taste thresholds of many people, taking on his own form, causing Guan Moye's moral compass to collapse, and even making Qian Zhongshu, a very harsh person, unable to help but praise him.

Yu Qie finally understood completely. What he took for granted was something that others truly could not do.

He told Guan Moye, "After reading your commentary, I realized that writing positive stories is also a skill. You don't have this skill yet, but I thought it was simple and wrongly demanded it of you."

Guan Moye listened quietly, and Yu Qie said, "I'll say it again, you can write whatever you want from now on."

Guan Moye suddenly put down his chopsticks and said something from the heart: "I have also tried to write novels like you, but I really can't. Among the writers in these training courses, I was most willing to learn your writing style, and you were most willing to teach me, but in the end, I suffered the most setbacks."

Yes.

Even magical realism, which was popular in Latin America in the 1950s and 60s, took Guan Moye decades to master. His Nobel Prize-winning novel, *Frog*, was written in 2009. Moreover, it's set in the same "Northeast Gaomi Township" featured in *The White Dog and the Swing*. He begins by saying, "In the autumn of 1962, 30,000 mu of sweet potatoes in Northeast Gaomi Township achieved an unprecedented bumper harvest..."

Yu Hua laughed and said, "I knew long ago that I couldn't imitate Yu Qie, so I only wrote my own. Now you finally understand."

Guan Moye added, “I have failed Yu Qie’s expectations of me, and I feel very ashamed. But ‘Return to My Roots’ has had a great influence on me, and I will unconsciously think of this novel in the future.”

“In the bizarre and wonderful world of Gaomi Northeast Township, there should still be some beauty of humanity, just like Old Zhao, who is like Don Quixote.”

Yu Qie was relieved; he had achieved his initial goal.

Moreover, it's doubtful that Guan Moye will have the same influence as he did in the future. "The White Dog Swing" and "Fallen Leaves Return to Their Roots" were published simultaneously in "October," but critics paid little attention to the former. Was this ultimately good or bad for Guan Moye?
Here, he was already captivated. He had no idea of ​​the impact this would have on him in the future; right now, Guan Moye was struggling with the thought of "not being able to become Yu Qie." Yu Qie was just like the magical realism that Guan Moye pursued; in his timeline, Yu Qie had left a mark that altered time.

The first and last gathering of the literature training class came to an end just like that.

Yu Qie saw the two off, both of them heading home. Yu Hua declared he would resign from his job at the cultural center, but only after writing a lucrative article; Guan Moye also said, "Houses in Beijing are too expensive," and "I'll come back to live here permanently when I have more money."

This will probably have to wait until "To Live" and "Red Sorghum" are published. I wonder what changes these two articles will undergo under Yu Qie's influence.

In the second week of June, a light drizzle fell in Beijing. Yu Qie took his last exam of his university career. Courses in the 1980s were not as numerous as they were later in life. With the repeated help of the department head, Hu Daiguang, Yu Qie finished his studies after the exam.

“Strictly speaking, you have already graduated. Many people in your class applied for early graduation in order to study abroad. Ping Xinqiao (Yu Qie’s class monitor) is already pursuing a master’s degree and will also pursue a doctorate in the future. He will either join a department or become a professor. Do you have any thoughts on further studies?” Hu Daiguang said.

Further studies?
Strangely, among the writers of the 1980s, not many had formal literary training. Even Yu Qie, who earned a master's and doctoral degree, seems to have little to do with literature.

Yu said, "I haven't written my graduation thesis yet."

"Then hurry up and write it. I see you know a lot about Japan, so why don't you write about Japan?"

"to make."

Yu Qie suddenly remembered that there was indeed an article he could write about. At the time, the loan agreement between China and Japan was settled in yen. However, due to the well-known surge in the Japanese yen and the subsequent domestic inflation that caused the yen to depreciate, China suffered significant losses.

(End of this chapter)