Literary Master 1983

Chapter 254 Teacher's Wife
By late August, the controversy surrounding the Yasukuni Shrine visit had already substantially impacted cultural exchanges.

A series of loan agreements to be signed will need to be revised in detail, and Japanese experts assisting China will also need to be reassigned to projects—for projects like the Century Dam, it is unlikely that the opinions of Japanese experts will be used again.

The siltation assessment team for the Three Gorges Project, comprised of researchers from the middle and lower reaches, returned to the capital to report on their findings. Initially quite optimistic about building this monumental dam based on their own investigations, they discovered during their visits that the greater challenge than technical issues was public acceptance.

Historically, this project underwent more than ten years of research and discussion. Even when construction officially began in 94, there were still many objections. It wasn't until 98, when an unprecedented catastrophic flood struck southern China, causing property damage and countless lives, that opinions were finally reached.

Now, technology is also becoming a problem, because of this controversy, foreign experts cannot participate. Whether passively or actively, there is an urgent need to prevent problems before they occur during the construction process, which has further delayed the procedure.

Lin Bingnan was pessimistic: "Do you think I'll be able to see this happen (referring to the start of construction) when I die? We've only done some preliminary investigations, and so many setbacks have already occurred. The Japanese loan is delayed and needs to be renegotiated; the Japanese experts have run away and can't come..."

Yu Qie comforted him, saying, "Great things always require a great process."

During their presentation, the researchers particularly emphasized the loan thesis written by Yu Qie. Addressing various media outlets both in China and abroad, Lin Bingnan stated, "This is the first time we've done anything like this. It's the first time we've proactively reached out to the world, the first time we've used Western technology and loans for infrastructure construction… We still have a lot of work to do."

"In the long-term aid loans provided from abroad, the exchange rate became a crucial factor that we did not expect at all. We may have already paid some tuition, but thankfully we didn't keep paying it indefinitely."

Not long after Lin Bingnan gave his report, the yen began to appreciate.

At the end of August, shocking news broke: the finance ministers and central bank governors of five developed industrial nations—the United States, Japan, West Germany, France, and the United Kingdom—met at the Plaza Hotel in New York the following month and reached an agreement for joint intervention in the foreign exchange market by the five governments.

As soon as the news broke, the yen surged from nearly 300 yen to one dollar to 250 yen to one dollar in the following month.

Yu Qie knew that after the agreement was signed, the yen would appreciate to a base level of 200 yen to 1 US dollar, and eventually reach a peak of 120 yen to 1 US dollar within three years. This caused Japan's GDP, measured in US dollars, to more than double in three years. The magnitude of the yen's appreciation could even be calculated on a monthly basis, making it unprecedented and unparalleled.

This was something even the Japanese couldn't have imagined. They would fall into an endless frenzy in the following years, their wealth would double out of thin air, pushing the bubble to its peak, and then they would spend thirty years paying off the debt.

Yu Qie deserves great credit.

Without his writing novels and academic papers, even if the loan had been agreed upon earlier, even if it had been only for a month, the losses would have been much longer-lasting.

As a result, the group of experts who were originally in charge of the siltation assessment for the Three Gorges Project turned their report into a celebration: because although the project was far from completion, it might unexpectedly save a lot of costs.

The loan was renewed, the foreign experts left, but the outcome was good.

Yu Qie was invited to their celebration party, and some journalists and writers who had written reports also came. Lin Bingnan, as the project leader, toasted Yu Qie on behalf of everyone.
"Comrades, 'Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots' is well-written, 'Little Shoes' is well-written... neither of them had a substantial impact on our project, but Yu Qie's thesis did!"

“I know that great writers are often multi-talented, and there are also people who make contributions in multiple fields at the same time… Perhaps Yu Qie is such a person.”

The meeting was met with thunderous applause.

Yu Qie also got very drunk.

The last time he was this happy was the night he returned from the Laoshan front.

Amid the celebrations, many researchers began to feel discouraged. Lin Bingnan said, "A person's life is very short. Since 1983, we have been traveling all over the country for several years, and we have only completed a small part of the preliminary feasibility study for the project... Other parts of the country are also conducting investigations, and there are many project teams. This matter will not be decided by the central government until 86 at the earliest."

"Therefore, our results may be shelved, and our efforts may be in vain—or they may be reused in the future, perhaps in eight years, perhaps in ten! According to our function, it will be hundreds of years before Chongming Island is connected to the mainland. I will not live to see that day, but I hope to see our research put to use."

After Lin Bingnan finished speaking, many people couldn't help but shed tears. Everyone was going to return to all corners of the country for the next construction project, and there would be a completely different construction team. I wonder what these people would feel when they saw the preliminary research and feasibility studies done by their "predecessors".

Due to the turmoil in the early stages, there was a shortage of qualified water conservancy engineers in China. This batch of engineers are generally quite old, some even having gone abroad for retraining after turning fifty... Ten years later, they certainly won't be the ones to complete this major task.

Yu Qie comforted them, saying, "I am not a water conservancy expert, and I don't know if you can succeed, but I wish you success in your endeavors."

Everyone raised their glasses together and recited that poem:

"A bridge spans north and south, turning a natural barrier into a thoroughfare."

A stone wall stands erected on the West River, cutting off the clouds and rain of Wushan, creating a placid lake in the high gorge.

The goddess should be well; she will surely be astonished by the changes in the world.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Old Ma is leaving too.

Old Ma observed Yu Qie at his home for more than half a month and, by chance, encountered another side of Yu Qie besides writing novels. He remarked that if Yu Qie were to become the director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department in the future, he would definitely be more qualified than him.

Old Ma joked, "Compared to you, I've forgotten all my math, physics, and chemistry; I'm practically clueless. But at least I didn't pretend to know what I didn't, and I didn't do anything wrong."

In the 1950s, when Lao Ma lived, many writers dreamed of a career in government, and the government treated them well, trying to get them to speak out. Many people found that they weren't cut out for it and struggled for a while without success. Liu Shahe, a poet from Sichuan, had previously served as a deputy mayor but found that he was completely inept at administrative work. In the 1980s, Liu Shahe was transferred to be the vice chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Writers Association. Because of this past experience, Liu Shahe never did any administrative work, and he didn't even attend the Writers Association's meetings.

Every day, he just stayed home, studying poetry—Yu Guangzhong, this poet from Taiwan, gained fame on the mainland thanks to Liu Shahe, who was Liu Shahe's pen pal. Then Liu Shahe also wrote poetry, only to find that he wasn't good at it either. "Damn, why am I so bad at everything?"
This old man is getting emotional; he doesn't know if he actually has any real talent.

Liu Shahe eventually became a full-time lecturer at the Chengdu Library, which was his final profession.

So Lao Ma admires Yu Qie's path of pursuing a master's degree, a doctorate, and eventually becoming a university teacher. After all, many writers end up lecturing, taking on students and grand-students, and making a living off their fame. Yu Qie, on the other hand, went straight to that goal.

Moreover, Yu Qie, while focusing on writing novels and conducting research, actually did some real work. His research on the yen loan was particularly successful, helping the country avoid significant losses.

Ma Shitu said, "Yu Qie, I can't be more satisfied with you than you are. The only thing is that you've had it too easy, and I always have some worries in my heart."

"Although I often play cards now, I know clearly that I am still a small-time novelist! The most interesting stories I have ever heard in my life are the strange things I heard in teahouses when I was an underground party member in my youth. Every ordinary person there was a storyteller. In teahouses, if your story wasn't exciting, no one would want to drink tea with you... These are the things I most want to write."

He said, "If I could put on such a great story and have all the guys in the teahouse cheer for me, that would be even more fun than playing cards with my boss or being a cadre in the Chinese Poetry Society!"

Despite saying that, Ma Shitu and Yu Qie ended up going to the central government to play cards because his fellow villager had invited him.

"Brother Ma, are you going back?" Qiao asked him. "Yes, I'm going back. I'm going to a meeting in Shanghai first, and then I'll go back to Wanxian."

"Great, you're home too." Qiao Gong's eyes were full of envy, then he asked Yu Qie, "I only knew you were good at writing novels before, I didn't expect you to be so capable in research as well!"

"You flatter me. It was all by chance. I was studying at Yenching University, a place with so many talented people. Whenever I had an idea, I could always get a lot of help from people."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Qiao nodded.

"Your Spring Rain Project can be considered a success so far. You even invested hundreds of thousands of yuan yourself, using part of your royalties. I've heard that your novel's release in Japan has been delayed, which will definitely affect your earnings. Would you like to donate less money?"

Donate less money? Wouldn't that be fraudulent fundraising?
Yu said, "Now that things have been done, we must see them through to the end. The donations are on track and have nothing to do with me anymore, but I can't go back on my promise."

"This shouldn't have been someone else's responsibility! It should have been the government that found a solution! But we're so poor, there are too many things we can't help with." At this point, Mr. Qiao suddenly stood up, paced back and forth in the room, and sighed.

“When I presented you with the Mao Dun Prize, I said that you didn’t have to donate so much money… But after thinking about it again, without you taking the lead, even if you had donated the money first, it probably wouldn’t have gotten off the ground.”

"However, I feel that individuals shouldn't contribute too much money, because you earn money through your labor, through your abilities—and mostly through foreigners. Your wealth shouldn't be a disgrace, and no matter how well you live through your abilities, you shouldn't be criticized. Novelists earn money through their writing, scientists earn money through their patents, that's only right! You donating your own money to do good is what we should be ashamed of."

Yu Qie laughed and said, "But right now we really don't have any money, and everything is difficult. Polio, or rather poliomyelitis, is a relatively uncommon disease. If society organizes this, shouldn't we organize others as well? There are too many diseases in the world; it's not realistic."

Yu Qie sincerely said, "I don't think I did anything particularly significant. I only tried it because a friend pleaded with me, and I never expected it to actually work. Now that it's done, I certainly can't back down."

“Everyone did something, they all did their best. Mr. Ba has a little granddaughter named Duanduan. I donate one yuan or eighty cents? I can’t remember, but she did the same as me.”

“Then I should donate money for your sake!” Qiao Gongdao said.

He asked Qiao Nan to donate money at the UNICEF entrance on his behalf. Then, not long after, Yu Qie received a calligraphy inscription for "Operation Spring Rain," written specifically for him.

Yu Qie didn't keep any for himself, but donated it directly to the Children's Foundation. The Foundation, however, dared not take it, and as if they had been given prior notice, told Yu Qie:

"Teacher Yu, if you have any more ideas in the future, you won't need to ask that Southeast Asian tycoon again!"

Yu Qie said, "What if you keep passing the buck?"

"That's not just passing the buck, it's just that there's no precedent for it!"

"Isn't this just passing the buck?" Yu said.

"We were wrong. But if we never do this again, just let us know."

Yu Qie then took the calligraphy home.

Ma Shitu joked, "These four characters are well written. The characters are good, the matter is good, and the person is good. You should enshrine these characters. In the future, if any other ignorant people come, just show them these characters, and they will be so scared that they will wet their pants."

Yu Qie said, "When I reach your age, I might set up a museum and open these things to the public for free. It's mine, but it's not really mine."

“Great!” Ma Shitu was very happy. “I’ll also give you a gift. You’ll find out in a few days.”

"You've been observing me for so long, are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied, extremely satisfied!"

That being said, Ma Shitu was still worried that Yu Qie would become obsessed with playing bridge from then on: you must know that his real reliance was on those anonymous readers who wrote to him, but this kind of understanding is not easy for people who are not old enough to understand.

Old Ma was unwilling to dampen Yu Qie's spirit. This was also his final observation of Yu Qie.

The film "Children of Heaven" was a huge success, and the Shanghai Film Studio was holding a celebration party, inviting Yu Qie to Shanghai. Coincidentally, Ma Shitu also needed to attend a meeting in Shanghai.

The master and apprentice spent this time on the boat. They traveled from north to south, sometimes by boat and sometimes by car. Ma Shitu talked about his time as an underground party member when he was young, and Yu Qie listened with great interest.

Yu Qie explained that he was currently liked by several women, which was normal, of course. Some gave up when faced with difficulties, while others persisted. Yu Qie honestly recounted everything, and Lao Ma said, "I hope you will choose one and stay with her, but if you don't, I will admit it, after all, they like you."

At this point, Lao Ma began to recount his romantic history:
"When I was young, I liked other women, but in those days, I knew it was impossible, so it didn't work out."

"why?"

“Think about my family background. I come from a landlord family. How come I’m with another young lady? Actually, my family is even better off than landlords. The Ma family is a large clan. The primary school I attended was our own private school! Our family owns more than half of the land in the entire county.”

Yu Qie took the lead in the banter, giving a thumbs up: "Wow, that's impressive! You're at the level of a powerful figure."

Ma Shitu from this family rebelled and betrayed his class, which is considered a violation of the law.

"The organization later assigned me a wife, who was actually my revolutionary comrade-in-arms. We didn't know each other before. I was the local secretary, and she was a member of the special committee and my secretary. But after spending a long time with her, I developed feelings for her, and we were like a real couple."

"My teacher's wife?"

"Yes, your teacher's wife. When we got married, we didn't have a marriage certificate, nor did we have any records of each other's income and expenses. We made our own vows, and I still remember those words to this day..."

Ma Shitu recalled: "We don't need to publish in the newspapers to ask for social recognition. We don't recognize society itself. We are not afraid of the law's denial. We despise the law as worthless. We will not get a divorce unless someone deserts from the front line."

"—Great! Excellent!" Yu Qie couldn't help but applaud. This is very similar to a TV series called "Lurking." In fact, when the TV series first came out, some people pointed out that it was very similar to Ma Shitu's experience.

“Your teacher’s wife was a very lovely person. She was only in her twenties when she was persecuted to death by the Kuomintang. When she died, she did not beg for mercy and did not utter a single word about me. People later thought she was very strong, but only I knew that she was afraid of even mice at first.”

As Ma Shitu spoke, he couldn't help but shed tears.

(End of this chapter)