Literary Master 1983

Chapter 355 Yu Xiaozi

Chen Dongjie wrote in his diary that he suspected Yu Qie of being domineering, though Yu Qie was unaware of this.

But Yu Qie still knew what "Wu Ding" meant when he heard him laughing heartily.

Damn it, did Wu Ding also repeat a year? How can they be so alike?

How many wives did King Wu Ding have?

After Harper executives' "Caesar" theory circulated, on March 15th, someone discovered that more than two thousand years ago, the Roman consul Julius Caesar attended a meeting of the Senate and was assassinated.

Caesar was stabbed 23 times and died in front of the statue of his defeated foe, Pompey.

Before his death, Caesar knew his end was near, and repeatedly expressed publicly that he would die suddenly. And then he did indeed die.

Westerners love to use these mystical and metaphorical expressions; they refuse to speak plainly. When Yuqie expelled those people, it happened to be March 15th, exactly the same time Caesar died.

Does this mean that Harper's executives already have a way to get themselves killed?
How dare they peep at me from behind!

As the rumors spread, the Chinese executive was startled and came to apologize to Yu Qie: "I didn't think about this when I said that. In fact, I spoke on the night of March 14th. It's an unnatural coincidence."

"It's alright, it's not your fault." Yu Qie was very magnanimous and began to test this Chinese man, "I think Caesar was a fraud. What do you think of Caesar?"

“I think so too. He exploited people, waged wars everywhere, and made life difficult for the Romans,” he said.

Yu Qie then said, "I misspoke. Now I think Caesar was a great man of the West. He was seven parts merit and three parts demerit. What do you think?"

"As you said, Caesar is my idol, and people have too many misunderstandings about him," he said humbly.

The executive remained calm, as if he hadn't said two completely contradictory things.

Yu Qie initially concluded that this person was worth cultivating. Yu Qie asked, "Please tell me more about Caesar."

"I came, I saw, I conquered—this is Caesar's famous saying." The Chinese executive kept a close eye on Yu Qie's expression out of the corner of his eye, ready to adjust his words at any moment.

Seeing that Yu Qie's expression hadn't changed, he felt reassured and continued his explanation:

“Every Westerner has a spiritual homeland, Rome, in their heart. When a country is very powerful, we always use Rome to describe it. Today, Latin American literature is Rome, invincible and unconquerable, and Caesar is the king of Rome.”

“I am completely loyal. I have joined the One Heart Society,” the executive said.

He can be this loyal!
Yu Qie then let the executive off the hook, believing it was an unintentional mistake.

However, Caesar's death by betrayal made Yu Qie realize that he should manage his fan club more carefully. Now that his reputation is at its peak, there are still people who are not convinced by him. He should always keep a backup plan, or even several backup plans.

Yes, there aren't that many people in the world who bow down and worship without hesitation.

Back in the day, Confucius traveled throughout the states, making a great name for himself... On the road, Confucius encountered two farmers working in the fields. He sent his disciple to ask for directions, but when the farmers learned it was Confucius, they deliberately did not answer and instead ridiculed him:
The world is full of such things, and who can change them?
The world is like a raging torrent; who can change it? Not even Confucius.

Clearly, you can never have too many readers. Those who are completely tied to oracle bone script, like Ji Dewei and Si Liyi, are the ones you can truly rely on.

Harper might turn against him one day.

These researchers who receive funding naturally have even less loyalty.

Gabriel García Márquez, Castro?
He didn't even know that Neruda, who was right next to him, had been poisoned. Old Ma was a good man, but he was absolutely unreliable.

The term "book lover," which seemed increasingly distant from Yu Qie and almost symbolic, now held a deeper, more intimate meaning in his heart.

At that moment, Carmen, the agent who was far away in Barcelona, ​​Spain, suddenly sneezed a few times.

The great Youché will arrive in Spain next month to compete with other Spanish-language writers. According to reliable sources she has received, Youché is closer than ever to winning the prize.

The Cervantes Prize was established with the aim of expanding the cultural influence of Spanish-language literature.

Therefore, from its inception, the bizarre phenomenon of writers from Cuba, Argentina, Uruguay, and other countries frequently outperforming local writers has emerged. Now, with an Eastern "Don Quixote" charging at windmills, the Spanish royal family naturally hopes for perfection.

Moreover, Juan Carlos I (the king) was apparently very fond of Yuche and considered him a close friend.

This is for a reason.

Six years ago, newly enthroned King Charles I faced a coup organized by the former warlord government, with the army marching into the capital under the guise of the "King".

At the most critical moment, the rebels had already reached the Parliament building. King Carlos stepped forward and addressed the nation by telephone and television, vowing that he would never leave the palace.

They either come over the dead king, or the rebels retreat on their own.

Eighteen hours later, the rebels chose to surrender, and the incident ended without serious consequences.

Is this exactly the same thing Yuche did in Colombia?
Faced with the government of a small country issuing a manhunt, many writers, no matter how tough they sounded, eventually fled to avoid trouble. Only Yu Qie dared to fight back head-on and never retreated an inch.

This legendary story is increasingly demonstrating its influence.

However, Carmen has yet to obtain the global rights to Yu Che's novels because Yu Che believes she is greedy.

Carmen is determined to use this awards ceremony to properly repair her relationship with Yu Qie, and then discuss the global copyright again.

But she didn't know that Yu Qie's thoughts had changed a lot again.

Marquez called Carmen and said, "Aunt Carmen, I'd like to come to De Henares. Could you buy me a plane ticket?"

De Henares is where the Cervantes Prize is awarded, a small place.

It is famous because it is the hometown of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote.

So, it seems that Márquez is coming to congratulate Yu Qie.

“Of course, Gabo. Do you have anyone else you want to take? No matter how many people you want to take, I’ll arrange first class for you,” Carmen said.

Márquez was delighted: “I know you are a generous man… My aunt, my brother, and my wife and two sons all want to come to Spain.”

Carmen's expression remained unchanged as she cheerfully replied, "Of course, as I said, I'll give you whatever you want."

Carmen hung up the phone amidst Márquez's heartfelt thanks.

She was momentarily lost in thought.

Marquez accounts for nearly 40% of the total revenue of this Spanish-language publishing company; he is an "alien" among Spanish-language writers.

But he never mentioned the need for a raise.

All Spanish-language writers are grateful to Carmen.

Gabriel García Márquez considered Carmen his best friend and reminisced about her in his novels; Castro also praised her fairness on several occasions.

If Yu Qie were that kind of person, that would be great, but on the contrary, Yu Qie doesn't want anyone to control him.
-
In the last few days, Hu Houxuan led a group of people to visit the Dadiwan Site.

This is another birthplace of ancient writing, and some believe that the writing here originated 8,000 years ago. This discovery pushes the origin of Chinese characters to the earliest in the world.

However, the academic community does not fully accept this set of findings.

Yu Qie temporarily took over as the leader on the Anyang side. While acting as a mascot accompanying the tour, he also provided timely explanations of why he had expelled those people.

"The Simuxin Ding is the heaviest bronze ding in ancient China. I don't know much about it. The original is in the National Museum of China, and this is a replica. What I do know is its story."

"The tripod was unearthed in the 1930s, during the Japanese invasion of China. The villagers of Anyang were worried that the tripod would be looted by the Japanese army, so they buried it in the soil again." "Seven years later, the tripod was unearthed again. This kind of thing happened many times, not only in Anyang, but also in oracle bone inscriptions."

"Let's think about how the Chinese view those who stole our cultural relics?"

After Hu Houxuan's departure, Yu Qie went even further with his full force.

But he also has a straight man.

Among the attendees were scholars of Asian descent who apologized to Yu Qie in Japanese.

Latins from South America, their faces showing a shared sense of grievance, had also had their artifacts stolen by Westerners.

One of the white professors was the most ardent supporter of Yu Qie. He cited numerous sources, from the French writer's "Robber Theory" (one day, two robbers entered the Yuanmingyuan, one robbed and the other set it on fire), to the unofficial history that Professor Lie had instructed the return of Chinese cultural relics before his death... to argue the correctness of the "Proposal for the Return of Oracle Bone Inscriptions" from all aspects.

This person was Kim Gee-bo. He was already quite famous among the crowd, and no matter what Yu Che said, Kim Gee-bo firmly supported him.

While others might still have an element of playing along, Kim Gee-po's public statement left him with no way out; he was someone like "Yu the Filial Son."

If Yu Qie collapses, he too will be accused of flattery.

He voluntarily tied himself to Yu Qie.

Therefore, before the conference closed, Kim Gee-po finally got his wish and had an in-depth conversation with Yu Che.

In Yu Qie's room at the guesthouse, Jin Jiepu, carrying a recording pen, a stack of papers, and a pen, introduced himself to Yu Qie.

“Mr. Yu, have you ever met Mr. Shen Congwen? I first encountered his writing when I was in college, and I was immediately captivated. Throughout the 1970s, I suspect that I was the only person in the West who mentioned this Chinese writer. Mr. Shen Congwen is different from you.”

"Simply put, at a crucial juncture in his life, he chose to forgive others and blame himself."

Jin Jiepu brought it up through Shen Congwen, an acquaintance of both of them.

Yu Qie asked, "Then do you think I never choose to forgive others?"

"Yes, but I think that's precisely what makes you different from Shen Congwen. Do you remember the writer Gu Hua?"

Gu Hua?

That writer who became a peach connoisseur.

Memories of last year surfaced in Yu Qie's mind. After Gu Hua received the peaches, many acquaintances came to plead for Gu Hua. It was the first time Yu Qie had acted arbitrarily, and in the end, no one dared to speak up for Gu Hua.

"Is he dead?" Yu Qie asked.

“I went to the vicinity of the University of Iowa to inquire about this person. I heard that he went to Canada. Because of you, many people across the United States genuinely despise him.”

"He deserves to die," Yu Qie said, still dissatisfied.

Jin Jiepu laughed: "From a social perspective, he's already a dead man. I know you won't let him go."

Kim then addressed several issues that Western readers were particularly interested in.

"Tell me about your novel *Metro*... I've heard there's a second and a third book. When will we see the sequels?"

"It will take at least until next year."

Is it because of "American Psycho"?

How did you know that?

"This book is on Harper's list of plans. I must say, its name is quite unique."

Oh, Yuqie remembers now.

Although this manuscript was never published, it was shown to Carmen and others. Yu Qie gave many interviews in the United States, and may have revealed some information there.

This book criticizes consumerism and is scheduled for publication this year. If it's not published soon, once Big Brother collapses, Americans will feel invincible and won't be able to stomach this kind of book.

Yu Qie said, "Actually, the stories are all in my mind. I will take them out when I need them."

Upon hearing this, Jin Jiepu paused for a moment and quickly wrote a few words on a piece of paper. "I have never heard this sentence from a Chinese writer before. I once had Mr. Shen Congwen give a speech in the United States, and although the audience was full of his fans, he was still shaking like a leaf before the speech."

“He always forgives others but blames himself,” Kim Gee-po said.

Yu Qie discovered that Jin Jiepu was indeed quite capable.

These words, seemingly Jin Jiepu criticizing Shen Congwen as a coward, are actually quite the opposite.

If anyone has read Kim Gee-po's biography of Shen Congwen, they will realize that Kim Gee-po is also creating a "story." He is saying that Shen Congwen is a sensitive and sincere person, just like a child, which is a character that readers like very much.

A person with flaws accomplished extraordinary things.

On the contrary, the "Shen Congwen" in the domestically written biography does not read as well as the one written by a foreigner.

Kim Jiepu then asked Yu Qie about his confidence in winning the Cervantes Prize.

Yu Qie said sincerely, "To some extent, I don't urgently need a major international award. But Chinese writers do. Otherwise, we can't talk about the heights of our 'golden generation' of writers."

Kim Jiepu agreed with Yu Qie's words.

"Let's talk about the Columbia Gun. You shot and killed two agents, and some writers think the security detail did it and gave you the credit. Do you think that's possible?"

"Let those who make sarcastic remarks come and duel with me, and see if their words are faster than my gun."

Jin Jiepu chuckled and checked his recorder. Then he said, "To understand a writer, we often have to start with his earlier experiences. What shaped him into who he is today?"

After listening, Yu Qie recalled, "In 1983, the summer was still very hot. I came out of my house..."

……

The interview ended four hours later.

Kim Geupo became Yu Che's friend as he wished, and he would return to the capital with Yu Che.

Yu Qie knew he was a man who could withstand the test.

Decades after Shen Congwen's death, Jin Jiepu not only did not forget Shen Congwen, but also praised him more and more, from initially being ranked second to first among Lu Xun, to now being placed alongside world-class literary giants such as Faulkner and Proust.

Shen Congwen is more than just a Nobel laureate in loan applications; in Jin Jiepu's words, he has surpassed the Nobel Prize level.

On the closing day, Hu Houxuan, who had just returned from the Dadiwan Site, brought back some local news.

“We didn’t find any archaeological discoveries, but we did discover virtues. Many foreign professors were moved to tears on the spot and wanted to donate money to us.”

"What virtue?"

“A seven-year-old primary school student from an extremely poor family. He is the fifth child in his family. His mother is ill, his father is incapacitated, his eldest brother has left home, and his eldest sister is married. His second and third sisters are still in school... He studies while taking care of his parents.”

Hu Houxuan said excitedly, "Under these circumstances, he still won first place in the provincial Olympiad. He came to the competition without his father's knowledge."

(End of this chapter)