Literary Master 1983

Chapter 433 The Tide Recedes

"It's good that you admit your mistake. Tell me how you rejected 'Ordinary World' back then? Now that the book is valued by the judges, let me be frank, Yu Qie, and a few others..."

When Zhou Changyi heard that it was actually "Yuqie", he felt his blood rush to his head.

It became so difficult to breathe, my mouth felt dry, and my head was buzzing. It was like encountering a starving South China tiger in the wild, and I didn't even have a decent stick in my hand.

He could only see Zhu Shengchang's lips moving, but he didn't know what he was saying. Or rather, he couldn't quite understand it; his mind was too occupied by fear and distracting thoughts.

"Editor-in-chief, what did you say again?" Zhou Changyi asked again, still somewhat dazed, after his lips had completely closed.

"Turns out he's just a timid kid who can't be easily scared!" Zhu Shengchang sighed inwardly.

"Since you have such poor mental fortitude, why did you so easily reject other people's manuscripts? Lu Yao's 'Life' has won the novella award twice! Even if no one speaks up for him, he is still a famous writer. Why are you so rude to him?"

Zhou Changyi then began to recall.

There is a reason for this, of course.

Before "Ordinary World," Lu Yao's previous book, "Life," was very successful. Novelist Cheng Zhongshi (author of "White Deer Plain") felt inferior after reading "Life," saying, "Lu Yao's novels make me feel ashamed!"

Since he became famous with his book, Zhou Changyi naturally assumed that Lu Yao already possessed the demeanor of a renowned writer.

This places demands on Lu Yao's character—he must at least resemble an intellectual; furthermore, as a key figure in Shaanxi's literary scene, he should make significant innovations in his novels.

The former is clearly disappointing.

Zhou Changyi said, "Before I went there, a friend told me that Lu Yao was very poor, not just poor, but so poor that he didn't even have underwear. That friend was an editor at Yanhe magazine. When he went to visit Lu Yao, Lu Yao didn't dare to get out of bed directly. Because he was naked, he had to put on long pants in bed before he could get out of bed!"

Zhu Shengchang asked, "So you went to see Lu Yao, how did he turn out?"

Zhou Changyi shook his head: "He lives in a coal mine pit. I happen to be the child of a miner, so I should be able to tolerate the environment. But when I saw him, I found that his house was bare and it seemed that he had squandered all his royalties. My heart sank immediately!"

Zhu Shengchang cursed, "You also come from a poor background. You became a laborer when you were a teenager, swinging a sledgehammer, drilling blasting holes, pulling a cart, and carrying stones. You've endured all kinds of hardship! Giving you the manuscript of 'Ordinary World' was the right decision, but I didn't expect you to look down on him!"

Zhou Changyi said, "I know I was wrong, but Lu Yao really isn't doing well."

Zhu Shengchang fell into deep thought: It was originally Zhu Shengchang's idea to ask Zhou Changyi to request the manuscript, but unexpectedly it backfired.

These days, even writers with some reputation are hesitant to send their manuscripts to editorial offices, even the editor-in-chief. They usually write or call to inquire if the editorial department is interested. If so, they ask if an editor could be sent to review the manuscript.
I sent it to the editorial department, and although the editor said it was a complimentary manuscript, the process of sending it felt like a submission, which left me with a sense of disappointment.

If an editor comes to your door, it means a publishing house or magazine is vying for your manuscript, or at least asking for it. The feeling is completely different.

If the editor isn't willing to visit, it means the publisher and publication don't value me at all. Since you don't care about me, I don't need to submit my work; it's pointless.

This logic doesn't apply to Yu Qie and others. They've already achieved great success and have no need to concern themselves with such formalities. If any publication dared to refuse a manuscript submitted by Yu Qie, it would be enough to cause a major incident!

However, Lu Yao's situation is delicate. He still needs to play this game to see if others value his work.

Correspondingly, editors naturally have certain requirements for the writers' environment, hoping they will have certain qualities. Lu Yao, however, did not understand.

When Zhang Shouren of "October" and Wang Meng of "People's Literature" visited writer Zhang Xian, they found his home to be very dilapidated and immediately formed a bad impression of him, which is only natural.

"So what happened to his novel? Why was it rejected outright?"

Zhou Changyi said, "His novels are too peaceful and too white. Our Shaanxi Province is located in the northwest, far from the economic and cultural center, far from the forefront of reform and opening up, so we can't be at the forefront of the times..."

"That's precisely why we need to innovate in the literary world, to embrace modernity, and to enlighten readers' minds! Shaanxi Province is the most important stronghold of realism, and naturally, it also bears the heavy burden of realism's inferiority complex! People of Shaanxi should not feel inferior!"

Zhu Shengchang sighed, "Of course you have your reasons, but someone is bringing up your past mistakes! It's one thing for others, but it has to be this Yu Qie. I think you're in big trouble this time!"
-
The magazine "Contemporary" was located at 166 Chaonei Street, not far from Yu Qie's home. The next day, Zhu Shengchang brought Zhou Changyi to Yu Qie to admit his mistake.

The Yu family certainly had status. The entire Gulou Street was quiet and secluded, with a huge sycamore tree standing in the courtyard even in the middle of summer, its canopy shading a courtyard house across the street, making it appear bright. Upon closer inspection, a basket was hanging outside the door, with the character "Yu" written on it in paint pen.

Zhu Shengchang naturally knew what it was! Zhang Shouren of "October" liked to reply to people's letters. Whenever he collected letters, he would process them and then personally deliver them to the writers to reduce their workload.

This means that both courtyard houses opposite each other belong to Yuqie.

How many words do you have to write to become a famous writer?

Wait, this isn't over yet! The two rode their bicycles forward, passing three more courtyard houses, all with their gates locked and mailboxes hanging outside. Although the character "Yu" wasn't ostentatiously displayed anymore, given Yu Qie's abilities, he certainly wouldn't want nine or ten households living next door!
Because at that time, the courtyard house was where many families lived together, and their daily comings and goings would naturally disturb Yu Qie's writing.

Doesn't that mean half the street has been bought up?
It will be used for his personal collection of books and artifacts; in Yu Qie's words, it will become a personal museum in the capital. Unexpectedly, it is so spacious, a quiet oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle, giving one a sense of coolness.

Zhu Shengchang felt Zhou Changyi's back slump a bit; he both pitied and hated this junior editor, and said this:
"What? This is the author you wanted to visit?"

Zhou Changyi's face flushed with excitement, and he nodded repeatedly. "I've been to Wukang Road in Shanghai, where Ba Jin lived! That place was extremely spacious; his family lived in a large Western-style house, surrounded by a garden! This place in Yuqie is even bigger!"

Before entering, Zhou Changyi said, "Yu Qie is the pride of our Sichuan writers. I never imagined he would be so generous and low-key. So this is a world-class, Nobel Prize-winning writer!"

"Boom!"

"Please come in."

The two pushed open the door and entered, only to find Yu Qie practicing his back exercises. He winked at them, a gesture of greeting, and continued his routine: he placed his feet on the machine's footrests, relaxed his upper body, and suddenly! Using his back muscles, he forcefully pulled the handles forward, bringing them close to his abdomen! He paused for two seconds at the closest point, taking a long breath.

Then he slowly released his grip while exhaling. He did this sixteen times, four sets, before stopping.

When Yu Qie stood up, the two of them realized that his back was as broad as a gymnast's, with sharp angles and bulging muscles.

This whole performance was quite dramatic, and Zhou Changyi's eyes lit up; he was completely smitten. He proactively extended his hand and said, "Teacher Yu, I was wrong."

Zhou Changyi was short, so he had to look up at Yu Qie.

"Where did I go wrong?" Yu Qie asked with a smile. "I shouldn't have rejected Lu Yao's manuscript; I should have taken a look at it."

No sooner had he said that than Yu Qie's expression changed immediately: "You're still wrong! I can understand that you don't like Lu Yao's novels, they're not fashionable; but for an editor who came to visit to ask for permission and then rejected them on the spot is simply an insult to a writer!"

In recent years, there have been some formalities to follow between editors and writers: when Zhou Changyi wanted to reject a manuscript, it was best to send a letter personally through the deputy editor-in-chief or editor-in-chief of "Contemporary" magazine, and a sincere rejection letter had to be written.

How could someone like Zhou Changyi, a mere pawn, not even return to the capital, yet still return Lu Yao's novel on his own?

Back then, Su Tong was still furious about being "rejected" when she was new to the industry. But what Zhou Changyi did was even more damaging to her self-esteem than being "rejected."

Zhu Shengchang said, "Our magazine, Contemporary, has severely criticized Xiao Zhou. He should take the manuscript back to Beijing so that all of us can read it before making a decision."

“You’re right, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. I thought ‘Ordinary World’ was a good novel. He made a serious dereliction of duty, but I’m not in a position to criticize him. See if you can get Lu Yao’s forgiveness.”

"Teacher Yu, now that he has been forgiven, does that mean the matter is over?" Zhu Shengchang asked on behalf of Zhou Changyi.

"Forget it?" Yu Qie shook his head and said, "If 'Ordinary World' wins the Mao Dun Literature Prize, your entire 'Contemporary' magazine will be criticized behind your backs. You think you can just let it go? No one will take responsibility?"

"We will come up with a result that will satisfy everyone," Zhu Shengchang said vaguely, then kicked Zhou Changyi.

Zhou Changyi already knew in his heart that disaster was imminent, but he didn't expect that there seemed to be a chance. He realized what was happening and said, "I'll go visit Teacher Lu Yao right now!"
-
The two men went to visit Lu Yao at the Shaanxi coal mine, and somehow they managed to persuade him to forgive them.

In early September, Yu Qie received a phone call and listened to it:

"This is Yu Qie. Who is this?"

“Lu Yao!” A trembling voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Oh, you Lu Yao! Why did you call me?" Yu Qie said.

Lu Yao is currently going through a rough patch. In May, after finishing the third part of "Ordinary World," he threw down his pen and never wanted to see manuscript paper or a fountain pen again. He had already spent all his travel money and was borrowing money, mainly from his fourth younger brother.

As a result, he and his fourth brother were not on good terms. Lu Yao's wife also divorced him, and not long ago, Lu Yao was diagnosed with cirrhosis and was hospitalized.

In short, Lu Yao can be said to have "burned out".

So he remained silent on the phone. He had so much to say to Yu Qie, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"Teacher Yu..." he managed to squeeze out those words.

Unexpectedly, Yu Qie understood his predicament and said softly, "Lu Yao, you don't need to thank me. It's only right that you write good novels. Editors these days are too impetuous. They don't understand that all that experimental literature and innovation... will eventually be blown away by the wind. When you see a peach or apricot tree blooming amidst the mountains and gullies, amidst the boundless desolation, you know that this is your hometown."

"You have a deep love for it, and you write well."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yao burst into tears and wrote Yu Qie's words in his notebook.

Yu Qie has also made progress with the judging panel. The panel held a meeting and voted on which novels could enter the final round.

The voting was anonymous, but before the vote, everyone had already communicated several times, and everyone knew which books should be selected and which were mediocre.

Those who made it into the selection process truly displayed their unique talents, and none of them had any shortcomings; those who didn't make it into the selection process each had their own flaws.

After one round of voting, about half of the books remained, totaling more than ninety books.

So, another vote was held, and this time there were more than forty books left.

“We’ll read these books when we go to Dengzhou. In the end, we’ll condense them and select about ten books to read in detail,” Cheng Huangmei said.

Yu Qie looked at the list and, as he expected, "Lurking" was selected with a unanimous vote.

Novels such as "The Second Sun," "Urban Romance," and "The Broken Golden Cup" were all selected, which is to be expected; these books would have been selected historically.

"The Young Emperor" and "The Funeral of a Muslim" were also selected... But this is only the first round!

It seems there's no problem.

The awards were not highly regarded by later generations. Although books such as "The Young Emperor" were controversial, they were still better than the hundred or so books that were not selected.

Judging from the list, the bias is quite obvious. Some mainstream books were unsurprisingly preserved. Although it was nominally an "anonymous vote," it would have been quite daring for anyone to vote against them.

Don't think we don't know you voted against it.

Even decades later, readers will still be able to understand it.

Yu Qie took note of the publishers of these novels. About a quarter of them were published by "October," which demonstrates the current strength of "October."

Many people have noticed this. If it weren't for the prestige of *People's Literature*, *October* would probably have already overthrown it.

Cheng Huangmei recounted this incident: "Recently, the trend has faded, and all magazines are trying to find good stories. October is relatively classy. It has no beautiful female editors, it doesn't steal manuscripts while people are in the bathroom, and it doesn't bring up briefcases to show off cash... It is highly praised among authors and has a strong sense of integrity."

Zhu Shengchang works for *Contemporary*, but he also discussed the different levels of various magazines. For example, of the four former major literary magazines—*Harvest*, *October*, *Contemporary*, and *Flower City*—only *October* still has a circulation of over a million copies; the others have all fallen to five or six hundred thousand copies, with *Flower City* being the most destitute. They are no longer magazines of the same caliber.

It's now one superpower and three strong contenders.

Yes, the tide is receding, and this is already visible. Those at the top of the pyramid are unaffected; it's the newcomers who are suffering.

Two years ago, Yu Qie and Wang Meng discussed this matter, and at that time, no one believed that literature would one day become less popular.

(End of this chapter)