The literary era since 1979

Chapter 111 Long Live Love!

The famous poets at this time were equivalent to top superstars.

Wherever he goes, he is surrounded by thousands of people, like a celebrity.

And in terms of the degree of madness, they are no less than fans of songs, movies, or even fans in fan clubs, and perhaps even more so.

The scene before us is just a small scene.

You should know that the Xingxing Poetry Magazine held the "Xingxing Poetry Festival" in Chengdu, inviting Misty Poets such as Bei Dao. The ticket price was raised from 2 yuan to 20 yuan. Those who didn't have tickets simply broke in through the windows, causing chaos.

The status of dialects in the literary world today is still that of a young player.

But in terms of popularity, he is definitely the best among the best.

"Teacher Fang!"

"Teacher Fang, please sit in the front row."

The students in the aisle consciously moved to the sides to make a path. Fang Hong's heart was pounding with nervousness. Under the gaze of everyone, she followed Fang Yan and walked forward with stiff legs.

Sitting in the first row were either Luo Yihe and other core members of the May Fourth Literary Society, teachers from the Chinese Department, researchers from the Institute of New Poetry, and editors of Poetry Exploration. It was a gathering of many talented people.

At this moment, Xie Mian stood up and greeted:

"Fangyan! Ever since I read your book "Love Life", I have hoped to meet you one day. Today, my wish finally came true!"

With Su Ya's introductions, Fang Yan, Xie Mian and other Yanda teachers got to know each other one by one and chatted politely with them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bai Ruoxue sitting in the second row.

Xie Mian first used the colloquial language of poetry to praise the dialect, and then mentioned "The Slow Past": "But I didn't expect that this new poem you wrote made me feel as if I knew you all over again."

I am very curious about the dialect, why do you say that?

"The poem seems light, slow, and colloquial, but it is clean and simple. It seems to have no parallelism or rhyme, but it has an inner rhythm, which is subtle and full of charm."

Xie Mian’s explanation made perfect sense.

“Your evaluation is very accurate.”

Fang Yan smiled and said, "This poem may seem plain and meaningless, but if you read it carefully, it does have some meaning."

"Hahaha, that's what it means!"

The two smiled at each other, and Xie Mian praised him as a young man that Ai Qing valued, and his style of poetry and prose was very similar to his.

After some business exchanging of pleasantries, everyone sat down.

Fang Hong was fidgeting, feeling a stream of gazes coming from behind. She glanced at Fang Yan, who looked calm and composed. Her tense nerves relaxed, and she felt a sense of pride.

"Clap clap clap."

Amidst a round of applause, the large-scale recitation officially began.

The hosts were Su Ya and Luo Yihe. After a brief opening speech, they invited the first participant to come on stage and recite a poem.

Since "Love Life" led to the rise of colloquialism, the poetry scene in the early 80s changed dramatically and was no longer dominated by Misty Poetry.

Just like the next performer, Cha Haisheng, pen name "Haizi", standing in front of Fangyan, his face full of excitement, like a fan, reciting "Love Life" passionately.

One after another, hazy and colloquial, evenly matched.

Then, it was Bai Ruoxue's turn, and she said with great emotion:
"I remember when we were young, we were all sincere."

"If you say one word, it's one word."

As soon as they heard it was "Life Was Slow In The Past", the crowd immediately exclaimed in surprise. By the time the whole poem was finished, the whole audience was already in an uproar.

More and more people are shouting "Teacher Fang", hoping that Fang Yan, the original author, will come out and comment and analyze the work.

By the way, let’s talk about my creative thoughts, not only about “Life Was Slow In The Past”, but also about “Under the Hawthorn Tree” and “The Shepherd”.

"Teacher Fang, please say a few words!"

Suddenly, there was a lot of noise and commotion.

"You'd better come out and say a few words."

Xie Mian glanced sideways.

"I'd better not steal the show."

Fangyan raised his hand.

"Since this is such a kind gesture from the students, you shouldn't refuse it anymore."

Teachers like Xie Mian do not want to dampen students' enthusiasm.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly difficult to control, Fang Yan knew that he had no choice but to make a comeback, so he stood up under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa."

In an instant, applause and cheers rang out one after another.

"Since you are so sincere, I will take the liberty of chatting with you for 10 minutes." Fangyan looked around, "So that the next reciters can moisten their throats and prepare well."

The humorous tone made the atmosphere relaxed.

Suddenly, a girl stood up:
"Teacher Fang, why did you write the third child to death?"

"Why let his love with Jingqiu become a regret?"

Although the girl was bold and rude, she said what most people wanted to say or ask in their hearts: why is there not a happy ending!

“Love itself is sometimes a kind of regret.”

“I thought love could fill the regrets in life, but it is love itself that creates more regrets.”

As soon as Fangyan finished speaking, countless people raised their hands. The girl wearing glasses was called and blurted out:

“What regrets are there in love?”

“I think there are at least three.”

Fang Yan held up three fingers, "Laosan and Jingqiu are the regrets of being unable to get the love they want. The second kind is to love hard but find that person is not worth it at all. The last kind is not loving well. There was a sincere relationship in front of you, but you didn't cherish it. When you lose it, you regret it."

The lines from "A Chinese Odyssey" had an amazing impact on students in the early 21st century. They were equally effective on students in the early 80s. They silenced the entire audience in an instant.

Bai Ruoxue and others savored it carefully and found it tasted better and better.

I heard a boy stand up and ask:

"Then why would such a perfect person like Lao San like such an ordinary girl like Jing Qiu?"

"This is called 'love comes from nowhere, but it grows deeper and deeper'."

The dialect seemed to have transformed into an "emotional expert" and answered the questions on the spot.

One after another, questions about love are thrown up.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

At this time, the teachers from Yan University sitting in the first row could no longer sit still. They immediately stood up and shouted loudly.

The lively scene just now suddenly became cold.

Fangyan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

In the early 80s, students were prohibited from dating in universities.

Once signs of romance are discovered, the school will immediately organize teachers to do ideological work and carry out criticism and education.

At that time, many universities even wrote the school rule "Students are strictly prohibited from dating on campus, and violators will be expelled" into their student handbooks.

Dating during school is a big taboo on campus!

It is precisely because of this that "Under the Hawthorn Tree" has been favored and sought after by college students. Jingqiu and Lao San cannot date openly, isn't this a portrayal of their current situation?
Love cannot be expressed in words, and affection cannot be touched.

"Someone just asked what kind of love Lao San and Jing Qiu have. I can answer you that it is a kind of quiet and deep affection."

"Just like the gentle breeze and bright moon, the rain moistens the banana leaves."

Fang Yan said: "This kind of love has no thirst, no sighs of deep love but shallow fate, and no torment of burning in flames or piercing the heart with thousands of arrows. The sound of nature is silent, and great love is unspoken, which is..."

Not only the girls, but the boys were also fascinated by the story and couldn't help but wonder what kind of fairy-tale love this was!

Under the gaze of everyone, Fang Yan slowly uttered:
"You see me, or you don't see me,

I am there, neither sad nor happy.

You miss me or don't miss me,

Love is there, it doesn’t come or go.”

Bai Ruoxue, Tang Shengnan and others widened their eyes.

What about below?
Teacher Fang, where are you down there?
There must be more below, how come it is gone! Is it broken?
Why does it end here? The same is true for The Great Qin Splitting, where the chapters are broken very precisely and divided into two parts. Under the Hawthorn Tree is even more exaggerated, where each chapter is broken just right.

For a moment, the audience gradually became agitated, but most of the attention was still on the student who asked the question.

"Xiuzhi and Xu Ling both got married before falling in love. They didn't even know each other at the beginning. Why are they so happy?"

"Because of love."

"Because Xu Lingjun and Xiuzhi are both good people."

Fang Yan smiled and said, "I won't pursue you even if you are rich, and I won't mind you even if you are poor. As long as you never leave me, Xiuzhi is willing to run a good family with Xu Lingjun. In the most difficult days, we will work together to create our own happiness. How can such a couple not be happy?"

"Does such happiness really exist?"

The girl who asked the question had a gleam in her eyes.

"Of course, because long live love!"

Fangyan raised his arm and shouted, his tone firm.

Suddenly, a voice came from the crowd below:
"Long live love!"

Fang Hong was startled and turned around to see that the students were shouting at the same time, one on the left and one on the right.

"Quiet! Quiet!"

The teacher from Yanda stood up and glanced over.

However, this time it was of no avail.

Students' desire for love has been suppressed for too long. It's like a spring: the harder it is compressed, the harder it will bounce back.

Plus, he had just listened to a speech in dialect and was immersed in it, feeling very emotional, so now all his emotions burst out.

"Long live love!"