Literary Master 1983

Chapter 381 I'm a Smart Person Too
Marquez was essentially a man of practical life, while Yu Qie was a pragmatic idealist.

Like the "dual personality" characters that Márquez often creates in his novels, Márquez himself also exhibits "dual nature".

He was a talkative person in private and got along well with many people. Among Carmen's "writers", Márquez was loved by many.

However, in public, Márquez was extremely reclusive, refused to talk about himself, and rarely made any clear statements.

After arriving in China, Márquez's statement that "this place is hope" was a rare expression of his views in recent years. He had a good relationship with the Cuban leadership, but he opposed Castro when most people supported him.

After the Padilla incident in Cuba, many writers began to oppose Castro, and even wrote a joint letter and signed it. However, Márquez refused to sign it, believing that the risk of opposition was too great, and that the possibility of Cuba assassinating him was greater than that of Chile.

Therefore, he absolutely refused to sign, and in the end, he became very close to Castro.

This makes Márquez, to a large extent, a self-serving person. He weighs the pros and cons to some extent, appearing quite calculating and petty.

Yu Qie, on the other hand, is the opposite. When he discovers that something is full of turmoil and mystery, he will listen to other people's opinions, sometimes confront them directly, and sometimes actively get involved, subtly guiding things in his favor and ultimately exerting his influence.

Then, when things are over, Yu Qie will make someone or some force pay the price and reward his friends.

Yu Qie will not be bought with money!

Carmen could only feel it was a great pity.

Nowadays, Carmen frequently travels between Barcelona and China for the publication of Márquez's novels, while Márquez simply doesn't go back; he spent two months traveling in China.

When Márquez and his assistant returned to Shanghai, Carmen was waiting for him there.

Then I asked him, "Gabo, you've been in China for two months, and you've traveled to many cities along the Yangtze River. What have you learned so far?"

What did I learn?
Márquez said, "I have learned that China is very big, really big! The places I have visited are only some of the cities along a river, and there are many more places I have not seen."

"Do you know Wanxian?" Márquez asked, still eager to continue. "Before I came here, I thought it was an unknown little place. But after I came, I found that there are millions of people there, covering nearly 30,000 square kilometers. I saw that they have military factories, their own regional culture and dialect. Historically, there was a huge prehistoric tiger here... There are many places like Wanxian."

Do you like it there?

"Of course I like it. I would feel more confident if my hometown, Aracataca, were that big."

Did you write "The General in the Labyrinth" because you missed the lost Gran Colombia?

“Perhaps,” Márquez said. “In a way, I want to be Chinese.”

Carmen was quite shocked and asked him why.
Márquez said, "If Yuche were Colombian, he wouldn't have such a great influence. Because when he really wanted to speak out on topics that would change the world, the risks were not something Colombia could afford."

Carmen suddenly realized: "No wonder you wrote 'The General in the Labyrinth,' no wonder you miss Bolívar. It turns out you also have a dream of a Greater Colombia."

Who doesn't want their country to be stronger?

Carmen then asked Márquez how his new book was going.

“I’m still gathering information. I’ve always been a slow writer, and I think it will take me two years to finish this book,” Márquez said.

“I asked Yu Qie to translate your new book, and he agreed.”

Marquez asked, "Carmen, was it really you who asked him to?"

Carmen was speechless for a moment, and could only vaguely say, "I also played a constructive role in it."

"Carmen, I hope you and Yu Che can completely reconcile. It would be good for all of us."

“You know, it’s not all my fault. Yu Qie’s personality is too stubborn. He won’t budge an inch and won’t consider the bigger picture… I’ve helped him before.”

Did you help him?
Which event are you referring to?
When Yu Qie was investigating the Neruda case, he encouraged his Latin American writers to speak out on his behalf.

Or was he guided by the experience of an old publisher when publishing "American Psycho"?
This is certainly a form of help, but the subsequent rewards are so great that mentioning this kind of help again seems out of touch with reality.

Márquez gave Carmen a deep look: "When I was studying Bolívar's history, I discovered that this man had once created a glorious empire, but that empire collapsed overnight. When Bolívar died, all the republics he had liberated turned around and insulted him; he once possessed a national treasury, but died penniless; he was driven out of his own empire's capital and could only return to his homeland, but even his hometown did not welcome him!"

"Now that Bolívar has been dead for many years, people are beginning to remember him again, but Bolívar will never see it..."

Carmen felt a chill run down her spine; she knew, of course, that Márquez was implying something. But she didn't want to engage, so she quickly changed the subject, saying, "It's time for us to return to the capital of China; Yuqie is there."
-
Beijing, Yenching University.

Watson's remarks in Scientific American reached China. At first, the Chinese found them quite abstract—an American actually contributing money and effort to rural education in China? But after reading Watson's remarks, they seemed to find some basis for them.

Then they learned that, encouraged by him, some large pharmaceutical companies were quietly considering sponsoring China—everyone was moved.

James Watson really steps up when something's going on.

This operation is achieved as follows: these pharmaceutical companies first collaborate with top domestic universities on scientific research to understand their level of expertise, and then cultivate a group of talents who can keep up with Western standards. These individuals will later become pioneers in related industries in China and have a certain degree of influence.

When the time was right, initial industrial investment began.

Similar to Wang Laboratories' entry into mainland China, the process involved two years of negotiations, and it all started with a small computer sponsorship.

Although Watson is now somewhat infamous, he is capable and has unconditionally and without any bottom line in siding with the Chinese.

It's hard not to like Watson, even if you know your friend is a bad guy.

The higher-ups were quite shocked to hear for the first time that there was a claim that Chinese people are generally more intelligent than other ethnic groups. Some veteran cadres wanted to learn more about it.

It just so happened that there was a bridge tournament themed "Strategy and Health" among retired cadres, and the atmosphere for the tournament was currently very lively. Yu Qie was called to play bridge and inquired about what had happened. As soon as he arrived, he saw Nie Weiping.

In March, Nie Weiping won five consecutive matches in the second China-Japan Go Tournament, once again claiming the championship. A CCTV reporter excitedly wrote "The Battle of the Century," praising Nie Weiping for "once again defending the crumbling yet indestructible ring."

"Hey, Lao Nie, congratulations on beating the Japanese team. When are you planning to become a Go master?"

Nie Weiping quickly waved his hand: "Don't flatter me too much. I can't even beat the players on my team."

After his glory, Nie Weiping went through a period of decline. He lost to Ma Xiaochun in a domestic competition, which was a major setback.

"Why are you good at international games but bad at domestic games?" Yu Qie asked him. Nie Weiping smiled bitterly and said, "There are many hidden talents in the country, and everyone knows my playing style and is on guard. As I play, I can't beat them anymore—their strength is great, their strength is boundless."

The term "power" is a colloquialism in the Go community, meaning a high level of computational complexity.

Qiao Gong was playing cards across from him when he asked Nie Weiping, "Are Chinese Go players generally stronger than their Japanese counterparts? Is that why there are instances of the underdog defeating the strong?"

In both of these Go tournaments, relatively unknown domestic players managed to throw top Japanese players off balance, even causing them to lose several games in a row.

Nie Weiping pondered for a moment and said, "Japan has developed Go better in modern times. They have some unique secrets and a rich family tradition of learning... We are not as good as them in this respect."

"But if we know their tactics and it comes down to a pure battle of strength, they are indeed a bit weaker! They often make us dizzy and confused! But I think this may be related to Japanese philosophy. They don't like to play inelegantly and always prefer 'divine moves' and want to win in one fell swoop. This is their weakness."

"Does this mean that the Japanese are less intelligent than us?" This question wasn't asked by Qiao Gonglai, but by another cadre.

Nie Weiping didn't know how to answer that question, so the man asked Yu Qie instead.

Yu Qie said, "I talked with scholars in the United States, and they believe that the Japanese score is about one or two points lower, but that's not important and won't bring about any qualitative change. The influence of nurture is much greater."

"So, to what extent can we say there's a qualitative difference?"

"I don't know. But I think if the difference is several tens of dollars... then there's a qualitative difference. This isn't something that can be changed by acquired habits."

As everyone pondered, under what circumstances could the price be reduced by tens of dollars? Then, based on their recollections, they gradually came to their own answers.

However, no one said it out loud.

Qiao broke the silence and asked Yu Qie, "Is what that American said reasonable?"

“That makes sense, but it’s too absolute. But he’s saying nice things about the Chinese people, which is also beneficial to us… I don’t want to refute him.”

“You’re right, we just shouldn’t boast about it.”

Qiao Gong never talked about serious matters when playing cards, and soon everyone turned to other gossip.

Some people mentioned the novel "The Village Teacher," praising it as a book suitable for both children and adults.

Mr. Qiao nodded: "I've read this story too. I admire teachers like that very much."

After the bridge game, Yu Qie was kept behind for a while to discuss some matters. When he came out, he unexpectedly ran into Nie Weiping again.

"Old Nie, what are you still doing here?"

"I'm going to the restroom, just to relieve myself. What about you?"

"Me too."

Nie Weiping was taken aback. Just as he was about to say, "I didn't see you," he suddenly realized what he was doing and changed the subject, saying, "Oh, maybe I didn't notice."

The two hadn't seen each other in a long time, so they found a place to eat. Nie Weiping, nicknamed "Nie the Two-Ounce," loved to drink and never knew his limits. He quickly became quite drunk and staggered, finally revealing his true feelings: "Were you kept behind to discuss something?"

"Old Nie..."

"It's alright, it's not important. I was actually thinking... You know, we helped so much in some places before, but in the end we were bitten back. Is that related to intelligence? For example, some animals learn quickly, while others just can't be taught no matter what. Is that related to intelligence?"

Yu Qie had no idea what place Lao Nie was referring to.

There are many places that have received support in the past, but there are complex factors involved in why some places have not had a positive impact.

However, Lao Nie's drunken remark, representing Watson's theory of intelligence, has indeed influenced people in China. Some historical events are abstracted into simple differences in intelligence, and Watson's pronouncements, inherently inflammatory, are easily disseminated.

Old Nie became more and more agitated as he spoke, finally saying indignantly, "We should have used this money for rural education long ago. As long as we take good care of ourselves, what can we do even if an entire Eighteen-Army coalition comes to attack us? They can't beat us in a tournament. Let them come! Yu Qie, you did a great job!"

Yu Qie and Lao Nie parted ways, and Yu asked Zhang Li to pick him up. Zhang Li took a taxi over and then took another taxi back. On the way, she suddenly mentioned:

“We can buy a car now. A four-wheeled one, I’ll buy it.”

A car costing tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan was an astronomical price at that time. A Xiali cost 100,000 yuan, a Santana 180,000 yuan, and even the cheapest Fiat cost 50,000 yuan.

Yu Qie naturally had plenty of money, but Zhang Li said she would buy it herself.

Yu Qie was startled, his drunkenness instantly sobering him up: "Where did you get the money?"

"Chen Xiaoxu sent it to me."

"Isn't that Chen Xiaoxu's money?"

“Her money is my money, and my money is her money,” Zhang Li said domineeringly.

It turns out that when Chen Xiaoxu was filming "Family Spring and Autumn", she performed in Shanghai, earning thousands of yuan a day at her peak.

The TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber" aired in June. Although it initially received poor reviews, its ratings were phenomenal, and it was very popular with audiences. Moreover, the reviews gradually improved as the plot progressed into its middle stages, and Chen Xiaoxu and Zhang Li were already very famous actresses.

Otherwise, Chen Xiaoxu wouldn't have been invited to act in Ba Jin's masterpiece.

After returning home, Zhang Li said, "I heard that the college entrance exam papers have been released on the market, but there are no answers. Brother Yu, can you help me write the answer key so I can estimate my score?"

“I’ll take care of it right away. See if you have any hope of getting into the Broadcasting Institute (later the Communication University of China).”

Zhang Li then asked, "Brother Yu, do you have Professor Watson's intelligence test papers? Those papers are now incredibly expensive, and there are many versions on the market!"

What do you want with this test paper?

"I also want to know if I'm a smart person!"

(End of this chapter)