Literary Master 1983

Chapter 429 Never Forgive
Therefore, he felt obligated to say something.

He wrote an apology letter to his former adversary, who was also on the front lines, hoping for forgiveness. "Let's meet again!"

The letter arrived quickly, but the meeting he had hoped for did not take place; instead, he was rejected without hesitation.

And she left behind the words: "I will absolutely not see him."

What a pity! It seems this kind of meeting will never happen.

As the group prepared to leave the capital, the Vietnamese negotiating team members felt a deep sense of regret.

Pei Shunhua suggested to Wu Yuanjia, "Why don't we send the letter to Mr. Yu?"

“Hasn’t he already been to Laoshan? What’s the point of going again?” Wu Yuanjia said.

“Let Mr. Yu accept your private apology. Although he doesn’t command troops, he has influenced many people. Moreover, he is a romantic writer and may be able to understand you.”

"Can you really understand?" Wu Yuanjia didn't believe it.

“Think about the novels Yu Qie has written, and think about how he, as a writer, went to the battlefield many times—just like you, as a commander, can write poetry and articles! You are two different sides of two countries. You served in the military, and he served in the literary field.”

These words greatly pleased Wu Yuanjia. "Good! Let me write him a letter and see if Professor Yu can understand me!"

There is a saying that Vo Nguyen Giap was a "scholar-general". He studied at Hanoi University in Vietnam in his youth and graduated from the law department. Unexpectedly, after graduation, he embarked on the revolutionary path, leading troops into battle. Within the Vietnamese army, he was called the "scholar-general". Unlike most Vietnamese high-ranking officials with low levels of education, Vo Nguyen Giap was cultured.

He was neither a peasant nor a "Confucian scholar," but an intellectual who had received a Western education.

Because of this, Westerners also praised him. Vo Nguyen Giap appeared on the cover of Time magazine three times, in January 1966, February 1968, and May 1972. The Time article specifically quoted the French people's evaluation of Vo Nguyen Giap, calling him "a volcano covered by snow," describing him as a military genius who was calm on the outside but fiery on the inside.

With such praise preceding him, he naturally assumed that Yu Qie would understand him.

On July 7th, when Yu Qie returned to Yenching University, someone specifically delivered a message: someone wrote you a letter, hoping you can meet him again.

"Where are they?"

"It's very close by here."

“Never to be seen!” Yu Qie said. “I’m afraid we’ll never see each other again.”

"Why didn't you go?" Wang Meng asked him after learning the news.

"Whom do you represent? Whom do I represent? Who has the right to do so?" Yu Qie retorted.

Wang Meng blushed, not daring to utter a single word. After a long pause, she finally said, "Let's chat, but don't say things that are so frightening!"

"So you're representing yourself then?" Yu Qie said seriously.

"I can only speak for myself." Wang Meng couldn't help but become serious.

"That's fine! If the organization requires me to set an example, I can. But in my personal opinion, I think I can only meet with those Vietnamese soldiers on the Laoshan front who laid down their guns and didn't fire a single shot. As for the others, forget it."

How could Wang Meng only represent himself?
However, no one pursued the matter further. The other party waited for several days but still didn't receive the message, so they had to leave disappointed.

Only the civil official Pei Shunhua received a reply from Yu Qie. In the letter, Yu Qie wrote: "I look forward to the day when we can completely put aside our prejudices, but it is clearly not now. Moreover, it should not be me who puts aside our prejudices. I am afraid I cannot meet with any of you until that day comes."

When Vo Nguyen Giap saw the letter, he burst into laughter.

He did not take offense at the rudeness in the letter. What Yu Qie meant by "putting aside prejudices" was that Vietnam had become part of "all land belongs to the king," or had joined the ranks of those who paid tribute and traded with the king.

In diplomacy, this is considered extremely rude.

"No wonder he didn't reply to me! I am, after all, a well-known figure. If he replied with those words, neither of us would be able to back down! If he didn't reply, he would feel uncomfortable! He's not a coward! He knows that we will see what he said!"

“His reply doesn’t mean anything. I don’t agree with a single word he said.” Pei Shunhua, fearing repercussions, immediately distanced himself from Yu Qie.

“You don’t approve? Does Nguyen Van De approve? Aren’t you all in cahoots?” Vo Nguyen Giap laughed.

Pei Shunhua immediately broke out in a cold sweat!
So all those things were known.

"How is Nguyen Van Thit?"

"Nothing serious!" Wu Yuanjia comforted him. "He avoided unnecessary casualties, and the only few deaths were a false alarm! Of course, you'll be fine too."

"We are counting on you to remain a friendly figure for the long term. You must not only take good care of yourself, but also visit the North frequently!"

Wu Yuanjia patted Pei Shunhua on the shoulder.

This Vietnamese delegation, with its diverse opinions, returned to Hanoi. Once they were back, the results that would shock the world would be announced. Regardless of their true feelings, from the outside perspective, they were unmistakably pro-China, their leanings firmly etched into the spectrum.

As the plane left Beijing, the metropolis below began to shrink, revealing a vast and expansive plain.

"The infrastructure here is so much better than in Vietnam. I wonder when Ho Chi Minh City will be like this?"

Bui Hue muttered to himself, then gave a bitter laugh: Where in Vietnam is there such a vast plain?

Even in terms of development, if they started at the same time, it's impossible for them to compete.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Yu was so meticulous. I had initially thought he was a rather rough and straightforward person, enthusiastic and talkative! But this meeting, which we hadn't met before, revealed that the way Yu had acted with him before might have been partly an act. In reality, he was extremely rational and cautious.

Yu Xie once said he admired me, that I am a different kind of Vietnamese.

In Yu Qie's heart, am I truly his friend, or just a passerby in his life? How much of what he said was true?

Pei Shunhua was surprisingly troubled by this matter. Their long-term collaboration, along with his reading of Yu Qie's novels, had made him a fan as well. At this moment, he found it difficult to accept the possibility that "Yu Qie might have been deceiving me all along."

For some reason, Bui Hue suddenly remembered what Yu Chee had asked him before handing him the "Columbian Gun": "What will you do if the winds of change in Vietnam in the future?"

At that time, Pei Shunhua replied, "My deeds have all been published in the newspapers, so I have no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end."

So that was a test! Giving me a chance!

Pei Shunhua was sweating profusely!
If he had answered incorrectly, Yu Qie might have become the one who drove there to kill. He too would have become mud in the Laoshan River Valley.
-
After returning to the capital, Yu Qie devoted some of his energy to his children.

But Yu Houqi doesn't look good right now.

Not only that, he also seemed a little dazed. According to the nurses at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the baby was silent when he was born, which frightened Zhang Li and the other nurses. The head nurse picked the baby upside down and slapped his bottom with a lot of force before Yu Houqi suddenly woke up and started crying.

The head is quite big! There are some sparse hairs, which the nurse said are called "baby hair" and will gradually fall out in another week or two.

Is the water hard in Beijing? Hopefully, it's not a dead end!
Yu Qie used to be indifferent to children, but now that he actually has a child, his attitude has changed immediately. At night, because Yu Houqi cried because he couldn't get milk in time, Yu Qie had to give up the large bed in the 40-square-meter master bedroom and move to his other 45-square-meter secondary bedroom.

"Whoa whoa!"

The child's cries were particularly noticeable inside the courtyard house. Although the house was equipped with soundproofing and ventilation, Zhang Li insisted that only natural wind was truly refreshing, so she always kept the window half-open. The problem was, Yu Qie also liked to write his novel with the window open.

Therefore, Yu Houqi's voice could not be silenced.

I thought of everything, but I didn't think of the child!
The birth of this child disrupted many of Yu Qie's plans. For example, when Yu's mother heard about it, she desperately wanted to fly from Wanxian to see the baby, and then she wanted to stay for a long time. Yu Qie did not allow it and only provided Yu's mother with a house very close by, so she was scolded by Yu's mother.

When friends learned that Yu Qie had a child, they all came to congratulate him, and he had no choice but to receive them.

Chen Xiaoxu originally had plans to film in the second half of the year, but she gave it up to take care of her child. Chen Xiaoxu especially loves children, and Yu Qie felt that she was even more considerate than Zhang Li.

Zhang Li said, "Xiao Xu wants a child. Like you, she says she doesn't like children, but in reality, she doesn't."

Zhang Li was the one most affected. She had to worry about the foundation and her studies at the same time, and she couldn't find the time, so she had to take a break from her studies.

Zhang Li's undergraduate degree will probably take five years.

Yu Qie doubted that Zhang Li might not be able to graduate, but Zhang Li was optimistic, saying, "After I switch to advertising, I'll start a media company, and my company will be my diploma!"

Raising children is troublesome; it costs money and also takes away the affection of the women around Yu Qie. No wonder Lu Xun scolded his son as soon as he saw him: "You brat, no wonder you are so hateful!"

At that time, Lu Xun's partners did not get along harmoniously, nor did they live together, so the pleasant prospect of them helping him take care of his children was naturally out of the question. Lu Xun had to write his manuscripts while also soothing his children.

Historically, Lu Xun was known for his extravagant spending, collecting, and theater-going habits. When his son was born, Lu Xun was under investigation and banned, and his royalties plummeted. Xu Guangping was also unable to work due to childbirth, leaving Lu Xun to earn money entirely by writing novels in Shanghai.

Therefore, Lu Xun was most productive in the years leading up to the birth of his child, because he was poor during that period.

Yu Qie has been quite prolific lately, writing numerous reviews on military literature, essentially bringing the research from later generations to the present.

In mid-July, in an article titled "Red Sorghum is a Historical Military Literature," he concluded: "Red Sorghum is Guan Moye's representative work. Many people have noticed the magical realism techniques used in this novel, as well as the great success of the film adaptation at the Berlin Film Festival!"

"However, we must also note that in tracing historical pioneering, this novel, to a certain extent, makes it possible to depict the military culture of the past and to showcase the features of that era. It solves the problem of 'time' in our writing."

Guan Moye is no longer the same as before. The film adaptation of "Red Sorghum" won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and director Zhang Yimou soared to fame. Guan Moye also took off, becoming the earliest writer of the 85s with representative works among this group.

But he was still very excited by the comment, feeling that Professor Yu had recognized him, and wrote a letter to Yu Qie to thank him: "There is something I have always been reluctant to say, but now I have the ability and courage to say it: Mr. Yu, you are my literary idol in many ways, and a role model for me to learn from!"

Yu Qie almost laughed his head off! He spoke frankly: "I was only referring to military literature, which doesn't mean I support the value of your novel."

what? !

Guan Moye was furious and demanded that Yu Qie return his letter so he could tear it up and burn it.

Yu Qie replied, "I will put the letter in the 'Yu Qie Museum' as a future literary anecdote."

"Yuqie Museum" is Yuqie's catchphrase, similar to the former residence of Ba Jin in Shanghai. They both plan to donate their collections of books and honors accumulated over the years after their retirement.

Wouldn't that leave a criminal record, making you a laughingstock for life?
Upon hearing this, Guan Moye appeared genuinely angry, and Yu Hua attempted to mediate—both of them now resided in the capital. However, Guan Moye was unwilling, and Yu Qie refused to retract his words, leaving Yu Hua with no choice but to meet with each of them separately.

Regarding Yu Qie, Yu Hua said, "Teacher Guan is very sensitive, but he's not a bad person! His eyes are particularly narrow, and he squints when he looks at people, which doesn't look good. But he also has a broad-minded and understanding side, it's just that the person in question has to be weaker than him!"

Yu Qie laughed and said, "That's it, I'll never get his understanding. But do you think I care?"

Yu Qie certainly didn't care!
Yu Hua added, "Actually, everyone who attended classes in our year of the School of Literature knows that Professor Guan Moye admires you the most! He always unconsciously imitates you."

“He doesn’t admit it, but we’ve reminded him of it many times over the years, and I think he actually does know.”

I remained noncommittal.

Guan Moye is a complex figure. Historically, after he rose to fame with "Red Sorghum," he was asked if he had excessively borrowed from magical realism. Guan Moye answered no (this kind of sophistry was also used when writing books such as "White Deer Plain"), saying, "Although I have read 'One Hundred Years of Solitude,' I have forgotten it!" However, many years later, when the Latin American literary giant Vargas Llosa visited China, Guan Moye adopted a subservient attitude, constantly saying, "Vargas Llosa is one of the most handsome men in the literary world, Vargas Llosa is my idol!"

Vargas Llosa is definitely not as handsome as Yuche.

Not to mention the future elderly Vargas Llosa.

Because Yu Qie had actually seen this side of Guan Moye, even though he hadn't done it in this time and space, Yu Qie knew that he was that kind of person—he was willing to express his admiration in public.

Therefore, as long as Guan Moye did not publicly prostrate himself before Yu Qie, Yu Qie would not give up his attacks on Guan Moye.

(End of this chapter)