Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 533 532 "Seeing through life and loving life again, this is Shi Tiesheng's idealism"

Song Tangtang went to the United States to attend her cousin's wedding.

Fang Minghua started living alone at home again, but after moving to the new house, there were many things to take care of, so it didn't seem boring.

The first is the calligraphy and painting hall on the third floor. Fang Minghua specially invited Wang Xijing, the director of Xijing Chinese Painting Academy, to help decorate the calligraphy and painting hall.

Wang Xijing is in his forties and is in his prime. He is good at Chinese painting, especially portraits. When he saw Fang Minghua's private collection of so many famous paintings and calligraphy from the Republic of China period, he was immediately amazed.

"Chairman Fang, I will help you decorate the calligraphy and painting hall according to the highest standards of our calligraphy and painting academy. I don't want any compensation, but I have a request," said Wang Xijing.

"any request?"

"This December, our art academy will hold a Chinese painting exhibition in Hong Kong. I would like to borrow a few of your paintings for the exhibition. Not many, just these two."

After saying this, Wang Xijing pointed to the two paintings hanging in the middle of the hall.
The first one is Zheng Banqiao's "Ink Bamboo", which Fang Minghua bought from the great collector Yan Bingchu in Xijing for 83 yuan in 3000.

83 yuan in 3000!
The other one is "A Happy Couple", a masterpiece by Zhang Daqian.

He is indeed the dean of the Calligraphy and Painting Academy, what a good vision!
These two paintings are treasures in Fang Minghua's collection of calligraphy and paintings.

Fang Minghua was a little reluctant, but Wang Xijing really made an effort in this matter. Not only did he send experts from the painting academy, he also came here to do it himself.

"Chairman Fang, don't worry, I will never damage your two paintings. When you come back from the exhibition, you can ask Mr. Yan Bingchu to help you authenticate them. I know that Mr. Yan and you are a close friend regardless of age difference." Wang Xijing said finally.

Since the other party had said this, Fang Minghua had no choice but to agree.

He said, "No need, I trust you," but in his heart he was thinking that when he returns from the art exhibition in the future, he will definitely ask Mr. Yan for help.

In addition to the calligraphy and painting hall, Fang Minghua was also busy buying some chrysanthemums and other flowers to decorate the courtyard, and also raised a puppy and a kitten.

The kitten is a very ordinary tabby cat, which was brought from Fang Minghua’s grandfather’s house, but the puppy is actually a four-month-old German Shepherd!

And it's not just any sheepdog, it's the one that Song Tangtang's brother Song Yuemin adopted from the army - a police dog that didn't pass the exam to be recruited.

I have my own house and yard, and Xijing has always been a "thieves city", so it is necessary to have a tall and mighty sheepdog at home.

Of course, he also found playmates for his two babies and named the kitten and puppy Dou Miao and Dou Ya respectively.

Since her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to the United States to attend Li Li's wedding, Fang Minghua picked up and dropped off the children every day during this period.

Now both children have returned home, and are playing with Little Douya in the yard. Fang Minghua has brought a bamboo recliner, and is sitting in the yard drinking tea and reading. Little Douya is nestled in his arms, his eyes wide open like bells, watching his little master playing with Douya.

What Fang Minghua was reading was not magazines or books, but a newly written essay sent by Shi Tiesheng who was far away in Yenching: "I and the Altar of Earth", with a letter attached.

In the letter, Shi Tiesheng humbly said that he had recently written an essay and asked Fang Minghua to take a look at it to see if it was good enough and to help revise it. Oh my god.

Do you still need me to help you revise "I and the Altar of Earth"?
Of course, if there are typos in your draft, I can help you check it.

Fang Minghua read the essay very carefully.

In fact, Fang Minghua had seen this article before coming to this era.

However, what I am reading now is not the cold text of the lead-printed version, but the handwritten version by Shi Tiesheng.

Looking at the familiar font on the slightly grid paper, recalling every detail of my interactions with Shi Tiesheng, and then reading this essay again, I have a different feeling.

In the quiet light that fills the garden, it is easier for a person to see time and see his own figure.
The sky does not change, and neither does the way. The old cypress tree stretches its branches and leaves for a thousand years, clouds move in the sky, birds fly in the clouds, the wind tramples the grass, and the weeds take root generation after generation.
Conscience actually knows everything. However, knowing everything does not necessarily prevent human sin.

Fang Minghua read it carefully and suddenly stood up from the reclining chair. The frightened little Douya jumped out of his arms, not knowing what his master was going to do.

Fang Minghua walked into the living room and picked up the landline phone next to the TV cabinet. He wanted to call Bai Miao.

"Hello, Bai Miao, I'm Minghua, I want to recommend you a great essay!"

"It wasn't written by me, it was written by Shi Tiesheng. I tell you, publishing this essay will definitely increase the sales of this issue of the magazine!"

"Okay, okay, you send someone to get it, but don't lose the original manuscript, okay? Leave it to me, I want to keep it."

Of course, Fang Minghua did not forget to call Shi Tiesheng of Yenching University to tell him about this: "I'm sorry, Tiesheng, I've given your essay to Yanhe."

"Is it well written? Let me tell you, once this essay of yours is published, I dare say that next time you go to Beijing, you may not go to the Great Wall or the Ming Tombs, but you must go to the Temple of Earth."

In December, "Yanhe" magazine published this essay in the editor-in-chief's recommendation. In addition to the comments written by editor-in-chief Bai Miao, for the first time, former editor-in-chief Fang Minghua wrote an article specifically expressing his feelings after reading this essay.

"To see through life and then love life, this is Shi Tiesheng's idealism, a process-oriented idealism. Although it is the truth of life derived from personal suffering, and although it is only a personalized philosophy of life, its rules for constructing meaning and its way of implementing ideals are undoubtedly of universal revelation to China at the end of the century, where nihilism is spreading after a crisis of faith."

"As for this essay itself, some people say it is a novel, but I firmly believe that it is an essay. The biggest difference between essays and novels is that the latter can be fictional, but the former cannot, because it is too profound and too sincere, and it is definitely not something that can be carried by the form of fiction, so it must be an essay."

However, there are definitely differences between the way a novelist writes prose and the way an essayist writes prose. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the author will always borrow some of the grammar of novels into his prose writing. For example, he will pay more attention to the arrangement of the overall structure of the work, pay more attention to the vividness of the character portrayal, pay more attention to the multiple functions of the scenery description, and even appropriately shift the narrative perspective to make the prose more readable. "I and the Altar of Earth" is a model of innovation in this regard.

Successful reference to the characterization techniques Just like no one will not know Lin Daiyu after reading "Dream of Red Mansions", many people will remember a disabled Yannian and his mother after reading "I and the Altar of Earth". Reading again, you will see the beautiful but mentally retarded girl, the middle-aged and old couple, the outstanding old man, the bird-catching man, the singing boy, the middle-aged female engineer and the unlucky long-distance runner.
This article, titled "Seeing through life and then loving life, this is Shi Tiesheng's idealism - Thoughts after reading "I and the Altar of Earth"" was also published in this issue of "Yanhe" magazine.

Some readers believe that this is both a book review and an example of prose writing skills.

In mid-November, Song Tangtang and his group returned from the United States after attending a wedding, along with the newlyweds.

(End of this chapter)