Literary Master 1983

Chapter 331 Going Home (Part Two)

The lecture at the University of Chicago was very successful, and both the host and guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Subsequently, Chicago hosted a small gathering, or rather, an unrestricted discussion, for Yu Qie and others.

Anyone interested in "nuclear literature" or Yu Qie himself is welcome to come.

Scholars, researchers, students, and some local book lovers rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.

Here, Yu Qie made a brief attempt to persuade the "doctoral students studying in the United States" to stay.

Yu Qie held up a piece of paper, a card with only a few prompts written on it, so much so that it looked blank.

“When I look down now, I see that not all the faces below are Chinese. I see many genuine Americans, which makes me very happy, as it shows that my story is being recognized by more people.”

"The world we live in today is one that is mainly controlled by the West. It is very difficult for people from other countries to stand out, in every aspect. Take writing as an example. In Thailand, in the indigenous community, I have met people who are superstars in their respective regions, whose names are well-known, but who are unknown outside of their region."

"Isn't this a real shame? Why did we end up in this situation?"

"Complaining and feeling frustrated are certainly normal, but you still have to face the problem afterwards. Some people lose their motivation to write because of it; I've seen people like that. Some people are determined to live a good life in a small place, which is also impressive. And then there are others..."

Yu Qie said, "There are also people who are prepared to settle down in the Western environment and never speak a word of their mother tongue again. They are also Westerners... This is indeed a choice."

"Now I'm talking about the fourth type of person, the most foolish and the most arrogant, who is determined to completely improve the situation of his fellow countrymen being discriminated against in his own field, so that everyone can be on equal footing. I think this kind of person is even greater!"

"why?"

The students and researchers listened quietly to what Yu Qie had to say.

Some people may still choose not to return to their home country after hearing this. But at least for this moment, there is indeed an impulse.

Can I be the kind of person Yu Qie described?

If I were that kind of person, my life would be truly worthwhile!

Lin Yifu listened to this, as he had originally intended to return to China.

Lin Yifu had been planning his trip to the mainland for a long time. He himself doesn't need to elaborate, but what's commendable is that he went to great lengths to send a message to his wife: "Just pretend I'm dead, go and get married."

His wife, however, endured hardship like Wang Baochai in a cold cave. After learning that Lin Yifu was studying in the United States, she miraculously followed suit and went to study in the United States as well.

At that time, almost all Chinese students studying abroad, including those from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia, did not return to their home countries. This led to the number of Chinese Americans increasing from hundreds of thousands to millions in just twenty years.

However, his wife accepted her husband's ambition and did not stay in this wonderful place. After Lin Yifu chose to return to the mainland, his wife followed him.

This is almost going against the tide, and it involves the whole family. How could such a decision not be heavy?

Actually, there is a lot of pressure.

Yu Qie's voice pulled Lin Yifu back to reality from his memories.

"The Chinese have a saying: 'When you achieve success, you should help others.' This is a simple human thought that is not unique to the Chinese; Westerners also have it. I have seen that nearly a third of the students graduating from the University of Chicago each year are the first college students in their families, and the whole family has taken out loans to support their education."

These words prompted many Americans who initially thought it was "none of their business" to listen attentively.

"From this perspective, the Chinese are not talking about me, but about a state of mind. You are also 'Chinese' in your own family. You want to make your family wealthy, and you have no way to repay your family. The sense of urgency drove you to achieve far above-average grades at this top university. This is a miracle you created yourself."

"But you always feel it's not enough. You're eager to find shortcuts that others have taken, just like you are now coming to me. When you pray to Valhalla, listen carefully to the voice that comes through, and you realize it's yourself."

Lin Yifu saw that some Americans had broken down in their defenses and couldn't help but shed tears. They then burst into applause, so enthusiastic that Yu Qie's speech was interrupted for a moment.

The Chinese students studying abroad remained silent, some blushing, others wiping away tears, and some even dared not look up.

Beside Lin Yifu was a female student with short hair, her eyes brimming with tears.

He had initially assumed she was a female PhD student from another department at the University of Chicago, but instead, she was writing a press release while crying. Her handwriting was crooked and distorted from the sobbing, making the moment quite comical. However, Lin Yifu did not mock her, because he feared that he too would choke up if he spoke.

Yu Qie said, "Let me end with a story now; after all, I am a writer."

"Fifteen thousand years ago, a broken human femur miraculously healed, marking the birth of human civilization. We were no longer mindless savages."

"why?"

"This means that humans at that time already had companions and knew how to protect each other, which allowed the femur to continue. The femur is what we call the thigh bone, which is generally the longest and thickest bone in the human body and bears the weight of the whole body."

"Now, you have a femur that was broken from birth. Once you heal, you will stand as tall as everyone else, and you will be even stronger."

"Thank you for this wonderful evening, and thank you to the University of Chicago for the invitation..."

Before Yu Qie could finish his thank-you speech, the audience burst into applause that lasted for a long time. Despite his repeated attempts to signal the end, Yu Qie had no choice but to step off the stage amidst the applause.

……

That evening, Shao Qi worked overtime to write the speech into a document titled "Words to International Students" and sent it back to China.

If the jokes about nuclear weapons in Chicago were deliberately staged by Yu Qie for publicity purposes.

These words were a genuine expression of Yu Qie's feelings.

This is the "real side of Yu Qie" that Shao Qi discovered. It's not as legendary as the "Grip of the Century" or the "Gun of Columbia," because those things have been processed many times, like fan fiction, evolving to the point that even Yu Qie himself would be surprised...

Battles against Chilean agents, bloodshed in Colombia... Márquez grasped Yu Che's hand like a child... those were all too grand, but this moment is more real.

The speech was short, and Xinhua News Agency published the full text.

This caused a great stir in the domestic university community, especially in several prestigious universities in the capital city that specialize in sending their students abroad for further studies. The overseas study offices posted the article on their walls, addressing students who had prepared their application materials and received public funds to study abroad:

"Look at what Yu Qie said; he hopes you can come back."

"Hey, this is different from 'The Big Shot'. It doesn't have a story to curse us..."

After reading it, very few students didn't sigh.

"He's right, but it's hard for us to become like him. Everyone says 'People want to be like Yu Qie,' but China has only produced one Yu Qie! There aren't a thousand, or even a hundred, ten!"

Then I thought to myself: I have a conscience too. But once I get out, I can't even take care of myself, how can I take care of others?
I can't even take care of my parents, let alone my country? Sigh... It's tough!
Yu Qie is still a graduate student at Yenching University, which makes his words sound less like official rhetoric and more like advice from a senior who is doing well.

The students found it hard not to be conflicted after reading his words.

A debate erupted within the New Reality Society at Yenching University. Most of the arguments focused on defending Yu Qie.
"The classes of '77 and '78 were the most amazing! Eagles soared in the sky, fish swam in the shallows, and all creatures competed freely under the frosty sky! Forty-year-olds, fifteen-year-olds, children of high-ranking officials, retired soldiers, female cleaners... they all got in! People of all ages and social classes, even people from Taiwan... There's a talented guy in the Faculty of Arts, I heard he went to Wisconsin? What's he doing there?"

“We set up a mutual aid organization for international students overseas and wanted to visit this famous and dashing senior, but he refused to see us. We thought he had abandoned us after getting a better job. It wasn’t until a few years later that we found out that he wanted to get a teaching assistant position but couldn’t, and had become an outsider at the American university system.”

"What's wrong with being outside the system?" Someone else said, "The United States is not like China! Only those outside the system live a good life. Those inside the system are just servants, they are at the bottom."

"—The people who mow the lawn are outside the system, are they some kind of superior people?"

"Oh, of course not..."

Someone else said, "Bei Dao went to England and disappeared without a trace! All his poems are very depressing, and I felt very sad after reading them... Last year, the Chengdu-based poetry journal 'Stars' ranked ten modern poets, and Yu Guangzhong from Taiwan came from behind to top the list. He almost didn't make the list! Yes! I think I haven't heard of him in a long time."

"Are you talking about that magazine that voted Yu Qie as the 'King of Modern Poetry' without him writing a single poem? What a load of rubbish! It's full of Yu Qie's 'comrades,' and the founder, Liu Shahe, is like an idiot, just sticking to Yu Qie's side and saying that Yu Qie is also a poet, just that he hasn't had time to write... hasn't had time to write? I'm so ashamed..."

Someone interjected, "Yu Guangzhong did it too!! He said Yu Qie can also write, Yu Qie can also be a poet..."

"He's a poet, a poet! Look at his speech, when you pray to Valhalla, the only response you receive is yourself. How beautiful! Isn't that better than 'Stars and Spring Water'? Why can't it be modern poetry?"

The debate thus went off-topic for a while.

Soon, people returned to gossip about the "situation of international students".

"That's nothing! Three or four years ago, there was a math prodigy who played bridge with Yu Qie. He beat Yu Qie so badly that Yu Qie cried and screamed, he just couldn't beat him. He could only win by playing ping-pong! That guy was the bridge champion of several years at our Peking University! He went to America, what did he do? He went crazy. I heard he went crazy."

You mean him? That child prodigy who went to university at fourteen?

"It's him. He's gone mad, and he's addicted to taking random drugs... He was sent back, and now he's schizophrenic. He's become the biggest headache in the family."

……

Everyone was speechless for a moment. Then they started arguing again.

In the capital, the magazine "October" was published.

This is the true stronghold of Yu Qie; almost everyone here is a fan. The editor-in-chief, Zhang Shouren, is Yu Qie's personal editor, while the chief editor, Su Yu, strongly advocated for including Yu Qie's articles in the Chinese language textbooks during the textbook revision at the end of 86.

Yes, Su Yu did it too!

Yu Qie had five articles selected, second only to Lu Xun. This caused a great uproar at the time, and the controversy gradually subsided after Yu Qie won many awards.

If you excel in foreign wars, then there's nothing more to say.

Luo Yihe, from the poetry group, is now a well-known editor in the domestic poetry circle. Upon hearing that Yu Qie was selected as one of the top ten poets of the "Stars" poetry journal, he specially wrote an essay entitled "What is the essence of poetry?" to defend Yu Qie.

They are all Yuqie's comrades.

When the editor-in-chief, Zhang Shouren, saw the newly published speech, he was moved to tears, only regretting that he was too old to go to Chicago to witness the grand occasion.

He suggested, "We can write a biography of Yu Qie's journey. He experienced so much and said so much this year! It would be a pity not to record it all. The CCTV documentary only took a month to film. We writers should do it!"

Su Yu asked, "What you said is all correct, but what should we use to name it?"

For some inexplicable reason, Zhang Shouren suddenly remembered a name Yu Qie had mentioned, and now he felt it was truly fitting. He said, "How about 'A Cultural Journey'? It's called 'bitter,' but in reality, it's 'seeking'! The 'bitter' here means seeking! I will search high and low! It has achieved sublimation!"

Su Yu's eyes lit up!

"October" is no longer what it used to be; the term "one of the four major literary magazines" no longer exists.

Instead, there was a "one superpower and three strong contenders." This was all thanks to Yu Qie and the group of writers who rose to prominence in 1985 that he taught at the Academy of Literature.

The shortage of pulp used to be a major problem, but now it can be directly supplied from the newspaper office.

October and People's Literature are contenders who are going global and competing with all literary magazines in the Chinese-speaking world. How could they be defeated by mere pulp?
"Let's do it this way! Since Yu Qie hasn't been submitting any articles to us lately, we'll take the initiative to write about Yu Qie!"

……

A plane flew from Chicago to San Francisco, and then to Beijing.

The plane was filled with foreigners and Chinese people, many of whom were international researchers who had come to attend the Oracle World Congress.

Harper invited them to promote Oracle Bone Script in order to promote his novel Metro.

"Metro" has been promoted as a popular science book at the University of Chicago, and this kind of thing will happen in many schools across the United States, just like it did with "One Hundred Years of Solitude" back then.

Yu Qie's heated argument with the researchers at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists did not prevent them from joining forces to promote the "nuclear wasteland" worldview afterward. This was more advantageous to both of their positions.

Some people even volunteered to join in, hoping to contribute contributions no less than Hu Houxuan's, asking for no royalties, only that a sentence be included on the pages of the book: He did it too! That would be enough.

However, there are still not many international students.

The attitudes of overseas-educated PhDs towards returning to China are "ambiguous," with less than 15% directly stating that they "will definitely come back" after graduation. This number is indeed higher than before, but not drastically different.

It seems that even Yu Qie couldn't change people's minds.

"If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, what can you do? Let them be," Yu Qie suddenly sighed.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yifu smiled and nodded, saying, "I am one of the founders of the Chinese American Economic Association, and my wife was my assistant for a period of time. I talked to her, and she said that almost no one will come back."

“I knew that before the speech. But do you know what? You are the first economics doctoral student in the country to return?” Yu Qie said.

Why the sudden emphasis on this? Is it because I'm old? Or is he wishing I were the "thigh bone" in his speech?
Lin Yifu paused for a moment and said, "Yes..."

“When I first came to Yenching University, I heard about you, my senior. You studied under a Nobel laureate and had a very legendary life. My advisor also mentioned you. I never expected that a few years later, we would come back together.”

Yu Qie's words made Lin Yifu a little embarrassed. He actually called himself a "legend," which felt like showing off his skills in front of Guan Yu.

(End of this chapter)