Literary Master 1983

Chapter 356 Carrying Dad to School

The primary school student Hu Houxuan mentioned was named Li Yong, who was born deep in the mountains of Longxi Province.

There happened to be some ruins of Dadiwan in the area, and the government was planning to build a museum in the county town. Hu Houxuan and others came to this place to investigate and unexpectedly learned about the news that "a rural child won first place in the Olympiad".

Yu Qie remembered.

This child's life story is nothing short of legendary. He later earned a doctorate from Renmin University and returned to China to become a university teacher. In that relatively impoverished era, he was one of the interpreters of the dream of education.

Hu Houxuan also said, "We all want to write about him and make it a touching story. But I know about your lecture at Yenching University, and we want you to do an even better job!"

Yes!

I feel it is my duty to do so.

That day, Yu Qie wrote a letter to the child, asking him, "Could you write a story about yourself?"

After writing the letter, he also included five hundred dollars on it, asking someone to deliver it to the child.

Who should we send?

Empress Hu is quite old and has just returned from Dadiwan.

Chen Dongjie?
He was naturally willing, but he also had a factual report to write. The October issue was ready to publish the conference that had taken place that month.

Jin Jiepu, having heard about the matter from somewhere, volunteered, saying, "I'm willing to deliver that five hundred yuan to the elementary school student for you. I know why you wanted to personally find someone to deliver it; you're afraid someone will take his money."

“I’m a foreigner, they will value me.”

A foreign professor went to the mountains to visit and comfort elementary school students on behalf of Yu Qie...

"Can you handle it?" Yu Qie asked with some doubt. "You're going to serve others, so you have to genuinely love the children and absolutely cannot act like a foreign professor."

Yu Qie then brought up the five hundred yuan. "This amount cannot be less, nor more. I'm worried that if a child sees too much money, it will ruin his life."

Kim Jyepu was very confident: "I will definitely do this well. I understand the mountains better than many Chinese people..."

It turns out that a few years ago, Jin Jiepu, with the help of some Catholics, traveled alone by long-distance bus to western Hunan to conduct research.

There, he engaged in dialogues with the Miao ethnic minorities in western Hunan and conducted in-depth research on the spread of Catholicism in western Hunan and the brief period of separatist rule by bandits and warlords during the Republic of China era.

It was because of this incident that he convinced the sensitive and suspicious Shen Congwen that this foreigner was a capable person.

So the following year, Shen Congwen went to the United States to give a speech at his invitation.

Great! You really make me happy.

Upon hearing this, I immediately agreed.

Jin Jiepu then took the five hundred yuan, bought a train ticket with the help of the Anyang government, and went to Dadiwan alone.

Fearing the American professor might be murdered, the locals first offered to charter a car for him, but he refused. Later, they suggested sending a comrade to protect him, but Jin Jiepu still refused.

He added, "Why don't you just not go? I didn't expect it to become international news! We'll just transfer some money directly to them."

Jin Jiepu smiled and said, "This is an agreement between Mr. Yu and me. If I go there with a large entourage, it would be a waste of his good intentions."

No one could persuade him otherwise, so they had no choice but to let him go by himself.

Jin Jiepu shouldered his luggage and boarded a long-distance bus.

On the train, Jin Jiepu took out the envelope that Yu Qie had written to the elementary school students and looked at it. Out of curiosity, he couldn't help but want to open it several times. In recent years, Jin Jiepu has also been thinking about the personality of writers and its influence on their achievements.

Shen is a very talented writer, but he is too shy and stubborn.

A few years ago, Shen Congwen gave many lectures in the United States. People were interested in his literature, but he hardly talked about literature. Instead, he talked about ancient Chinese clothing, which made the audience feel very bored and leave disappointed.

Jin Jiepu reminded Shen Congwen of this, saying that in the United States, it is necessary to actively seek attention and that public speaking is an essential skill, which made Shen Congwen anxious.

This reveals a glimpse into Shen Congwen's personality. He doesn't know what others need him to write; he lives in his own world.

This greatly hindered the spread of Shen Congwen's reputation.

Jin Jiepu had a dream in which he returned to his time as a doctoral student at Harvard. At that time, foreign sinologists almost exclusively studied classical Chinese and looked down on Chinese vernacular writers.

One day, Jin Jiepu discovered Shen Congwen's novel, whose writing was beautiful even after translation. Jin Jiepu realized that a group of Chinese vernacular writers were being overlooked. He mentioned Shen Congwen's name to other researchers, who all ridiculed him.

"I've never heard of this Shen before, who is he?"

"Chinese vernacular writers are not worth studying. Their so-called vernacular is neither a classical Chinese system nor a new system. Rather, it is a strange hybrid of Western and Eastern. What storms can a literary edifice built on such a foundation withstand?"

In his dream, Jin Jiepu recalled that embarrassing time of his life. After he completed his doctoral dissertation, the defense committee praised him, saying, "You have shown us a Chinese writer that no one has ever known before."

This shouldn't be happening! Shen Congwen deserves to be famous throughout the world!

However, others felt that Kim Gei-po was in the minority.

He had hoped that Shen Congwen's trip to the United States would change his situation as a researcher of "Shen Studies," just like a believer finally inviting God. However, this God did not show any miracles, and Jin Jiepu could only swallow his bitterness.

What if I had studied the suture back then?
He was willing to expel a professor for the sake of ancient script fragments, so how could he allow Yu Xue researchers to suffer injustice?

On the winding mountain roads leading to Longxi, Jin Jiepu felt drowsy, and he returned to the dream he had in his youth.

At his thesis defense at Harvard, he distributed his thesis to everyone and confidently walked onto the stage, saying, "I studied Chinese writers, specifically the writer Dongfang Yu."

This time, things were suddenly different.

Few people present looked bewildered; everyone was engrossed in reading the paper.

"Doesn't anyone think I'm a weirdo?" Kim Gee-po asked.

The researcher below said, "What's so strange? You got incredibly lucky, you beat us to it, Jeffrey, hurry up and tell us about your paper!"
-
The Oracle World Congress concluded in late March.

During this period, Yu Qie completed the short story "Carrying Dad to School," which is based on the experiences of primary school student Li Yong and is written in a straightforward and simple style.

After reading it, Hu Houxuan and others felt that this was the simplest novel written by Yu Qie.

"Your novel is about half a person's life."

A later film of the same name only tells the story of Li Yong getting into university, his father passing away, and Li Yong deciding to donate the money others had given him to the local teachers' college... and then the film ends.

Li Yong's experiences after entering university were actually much richer. His ultimate moment as a public figure should have been when he resigned from his job at the company and returned to teaching.

This is a fairy tale like "The Horseman".

However, Yu Qie also made some subtle criticisms in the article: Why did Li Yong's eldest brother not care about his parents, and why did none of his sisters take care of their younger brother?

Why did it come to the point where a seven-year-old child has to take care of his parents and continue his studies?

Li Yong was actually a left-behind child. His older siblings were already married and living elsewhere, and his parents were more than thirty years older than him. He was no different from the children who later took care of their grandparents and traveled over mountains to attend school. Fortunately, he grasped at education as his only lifeline.

Can you provide a solution?

Unfortunately, this is not like the sugar pills for immunity that can be raised with a few hundred or tens of millions of dollars. This is a story that is happening now and will continue to happen in the future, and many people are facing this dilemma.

Yu Qie himself was a left-behind child for several years in his previous life, and he was one of the millions of Li Yongs.

He could only encourage the children to never give up on themselves.

The group returned to the capital by car and held a celebration meeting at the research institute to announce that the conference was a complete success.

Meanwhile, the foreign professors were already traveling around sightseeing. It wasn't easy for them to come to mysterious China; they felt they could only come once in their lifetime, and they used up almost all their visa time.

Zhou Gucheng specifically expressed his opinion on the "expulsion incident": "Yu Qie did the right thing. Whether or not it is possible, there are many practical factors to consider, but whether or not to do it is a matter of attitude."

"Besides, let's be honest behind closed doors. None of those foreign professors have made any big fuss! The Egyptian professor wanted to report it, but nothing's happened yet, has it?"

"Yu Qie, what do you think?"

Yu Qie stood up and said, "My attitude has always been clear: I must never make a mistake on matters of principle."

Old Zhou appreciated these words and said, "Yu Qie's thoughts are also my true thoughts."

The matter came to an end.

Mr. Zhou holds a prominent position in cultural circles and is a frequent participant in the final rounds of bridge games. He is an elder from the last century. In the 1940s, the mainstream view of world history was primarily centered on European history, with Asia, Africa, and Latin America serving as secondary perspectives.

How long these regions can remain competitive and how strong they are will depend entirely on how long they can compete with Europe.

Why are there so many Arab and Mongolian scholars among Western scholars?

Because the Arab world is close to Europe, while the Mongols attacked Europe.

The East is very far away, and no matter how wealthy one's ancestors were, it is difficult to be viewed fairly.

Zhou Gucheng was very dissatisfied with this phenomenon, so he compiled "A General History of the World" and "A General History of China" by himself, breaking down Eurocentrism.

From Yu Qie's personal perspective, he greatly respects Zhou Gucheng.

Unexpectedly, after the conference, Elder Zhou raised a question that put Yu Qie in a very difficult position:
“I’ve spoken with Xiao Hu (Hu Houxuan) and witnessed your abilities. Don’t be fooled by the current honeymoon between China and the US; many academic exchanges still rely on personal connections and are often thwarted by unfortunate circumstances!”

"Why did those three researchers from Anyang oppose you? Because they didn't know that some people are capable of such great things! It's not that individuals are running the operation; in reality, individuals are being served. That American bookseller only sponsored you to please you."

"They are like frogs in a well; they can't imagine! But we have some knowledge and we also yearn for external exchanges."

Mr. Zhou said sincerely, "Xiao Hu and I are both from Aurora University. Whether you pursue economics or literature, Aurora University may be inferior to Yenching University, but we fully support you. Would you consider coming to Aurora University in the future? That's all I wanted to say."

These words genuinely moved Yu Qie for a few seconds.

Aurora is a good choice.

Aurora University ranks among the top of China's six leading academic institutions in the economic field.

Shanghai is at the forefront of economic research, and there is no clear order of precedence between the two cities.

However, Yu Qie still politely declined Zhou Lao's offer.

"Currently, I don't feel wronged at Yenching University."

Zhou Gucheng was not surprised, but simply sighed softly. "I would suggest that schools should try to recruit the top scorers. They should pay special attention to any place that produces a top scorer, whether it's a county, city, or province."

"Maybe we can train them very well too! Let's bring the top student to our Aurora University as soon as possible!"

This was obviously Old Zhou's attempt to save face.

For most of the years to come, top-scoring students in both arts and sciences in Shanghai will choose Tsinghua University or Yenching University.

Imagine a class of 21 students in the Chinese Literature Department of 86, all of whom were top scorers in their class?

Sigh, I just did what any top student in the world would do!

Yu Qie thought to himself.

After returning home, Yu Qie, without even taking a break, took his manuscript to Chaoyangmen Inner Street, the address of People's Literature.

"Buzz!"

Yu Qie parked his heavy motorcycle in the yard and locked it to the unit's radiator.

His car is too famous.

In the entire literary circle, he was the only one who rode a heavy motorcycle. While ordinary motorcycles make a "clattering" sound, this Yamaha heavy motorcycle makes a "buzzing" sound when it stops, similar to the sound of a bee flying.

"As soon as I heard that sound, I thought the plane was taking off, and I knew it was you."

The person who received Yu Qie this time was Liu Baiyu, the deputy editor-in-chief of People's Literature. He may be the next head of the magazine.

At the beginning of the year, Wang Meng was criticized by his superiors for his "literary research" activities all over the country, who believed that the magazines under his leadership had not played a positive social role.

Goat's Wang Meng is suspected of retiring, and his season is in turmoil.

From then on, the "literary research" that had been going on for 85 years came to a halt at *People's Literature*. *Harvest* and *Flower City* began to become the strongholds of pure literature.

Pure literature still has a large stage; it's not just a matter of one or two writers indulging in their own fantasies, but rather it has an audience.

For example, the magazine "Shanhua" in your province has been very popular in recent years. This magazine is a pure literature magazine run by educated youth from Shanghai. It was very successful for a few years, and the re-publication of "Shanhua" newspaper, "Shanhua Bao", was also very popular.

Before the magazine office even opened for business, the newsstand owners had already surrounded the entrance, demanding to be the first to wholesale the magazines.

All they had to do was take the magazines to a crowded place and resell them; they could pack up and go home by noon—all the magazines had been bought. The editor-in-chief of "Mountain Flowers" magazine earned less than a hundred yuan a month, less than these stall owners made.

In the editorial department, everyone has finished reviewing the manuscript.

Liu Baiyu asked, "Is this a short story or a novella?"

"Short stories," Yu Qie said.

"Carrying Dad to School" has more than 50,000 words in total, and among Yu Qie's many novels, it is second only to "College Entrance Examination 1977" and "Death Kiss".

too short.

“We generally consider a novella to be over 30,000 words,” an editor said.

Yu Qie shook his head: "The word count of novels is inflating, and short stories are getting longer and longer. Mine is a standard short story."

(End of this chapter)