The literary era since 1979

At noon, it's time for lunch.

Wang Shuo felt hungry and suggested going to Quanjude to eat roast duck to celebrate the studio's receiving big orders from Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers.

Fangyan readily agreed and drove ahead with Chen Ximi, Shi Tiesheng and Gong Xing.

Wang Shuo, Zhong Acheng and others simply tidied up the house, then hurriedly got on their bikes and headed straight for Wangfujing Street.

After arriving, the dishes were ordered early and there were Jianlibao and Yanjing beer on the table.

Wang Shuo let out a light "hmm", and saw a young man in an employee uniform standing in front of Fang Yan. He was tall and thin, and looked cynical, a bit like himself back then. He did not dare to put on airs in front of Teacher Fang, and was respectful and sincere.

"Who is this person?"

Zhong Acheng asked Shi Tiesheng softly.

"Xu Xing."

Shi Tiesheng explained with a smile that he was the comrade in charge of cleaning at Quanjude. When he heard that the person coming to eat was Fangyan, he really wanted him to help look at the manuscript. Faced with such enthusiasm, Fangyan naturally could not refuse and gladly accepted.

Wang Shuo glanced at it and saw that the manuscript was written on the tram company's lined paper instead of the commonly used squared paper. He couldn't help but curl his lips:
"This is too amateurish..."

“Don’t pour cold water on the masses who love literature.”

Shi Tiesheng reminded in a low voice.

Although the two people spoke in low voices, Xu Xing could barely hear them clearly, and his face showed both embarrassment and anxiety.

"Don't be nervous." Fangyan turned halfway through the translation. "Have you ever written a novel before?"

Xu Xing shook his head and said, "This is the first time I write a novel."

Fangyan asked: "Do you usually read any literary magazines or novels?"

"Have!"

Xu Xing frankly said that he recently borrowed a copy of "People's Literature" from a friend and accidentally discovered Liu Sola's "You Have No Choice". He was immediately shocked. He never expected that a literary magazine could publish an article on the "rock" theme.

Fang Yan said: "So, your "Variations without a Theme" was inspired by "You Have No Choice"? "

"What I like most is the contempt, disdain and opposition to everything that can be seen between the lines of her writing."

Xu Xing openly admitted that in his eyes it was a work of real literary value. What surprised him even more was that he could write such a thing, so he wrote this "Variations without a Theme".

The book, as its title suggests, has no theme. The protagonist is just like Jia Baoyu, moaning and mumbling in his sleep without any reason.

He despises universities, experts and success, but is also like a fox that cannot eat the grapes, feeling sour and confused.

But there happened to be a girlfriend who was like Xue Baochai, who fell in love with him at first sight. She hoped that the protagonist would work hard to improve himself, so she first helped him get into college, and then introduced him to professional writers to help him become famous. However, the two of them had different views on life, and they eventually broke up after a lot of quarrels.

“No wonder it has the shadow of The Catcher in the Rye, just like You Have No Choice.”

Fangyan put the manuscript paper on the table.

Xu Xing's tone was full of expectation, "Teacher Fang, what do you think?"

"Your article is the same as Liu Sola's, both are considered 'youth pain literature', expressing the confusion and distress of young people."

Fangyan tapped the table. "But her article is positive and full of youthful vitality, while yours is a bit cynical."

Xu Xing's heart skipped a beat, and he said weakly, "What is cynicism?"

Wang Shuo explained with a smile on his face, "It means being pessimistic, negative, cynical, and contemptuous of social morality, and mocking anything noble..."

Xu Xing's expression froze, and he whispered, "Teacher Fang, does that mean I can't publish this article?"

“It’s not that it can’t be published.”

Fang Yan comforted him, "Liu Sola's You Have No Choice was not much better than yours. It was also very cynical, mocking this and scolding that. But if you look at her revised novel now, there are fewer complaints and more passion."

Xu Xing's eyes flickered as he asked, "Can this novel also be revised?"

Fangyan said, "Of course, have you thought about which publisher to submit to?" "To be honest, I submitted it before, but it ended up being a joke."

Xu Xing said that the first time he went to submit a manuscript, he went to the one closest to the roast duck restaurant. At the time, he only knew it was some department of literature, but he didn't know it was the editorial department of Poetry Magazine. Then he was stopped by the old man who was guarding the door. After asking, he found out that this place only accepted poetry magazines. He made a fool of himself.

"Pfft!"

Wang Shuo couldn't hold it back any longer and burst into laughter.

Shi Tiesheng rolled his eyes, then gave Xu Xing an encouraging look, "What happened next?"

Xu Xing said, "Afterwards, I asked the old man where I could submit my novel, and he showed me a clear way, saying go to Dongsishitiao and submit it to People's Literature." Then he said embarrassedly, "So I mustered up the courage to ask Teacher Fang to take a look. You are the deputy editor-in-chief of People's Literature..."

"If that's the case, then you don't have to make the trip to East 40th Street again."

Fang Yan said, "I will accept this manuscript for now, but I cannot guarantee that it will be published in People's Literature. I can only say that if the revisions are good, it can be published in a literary journal. Can you accept this?"

"can!"

Xu Xing was filled with excitement and kept bowing: "Thank you Teacher Fang, thank you Teacher Fang!"

Fangyan raised his hand, then asked for his contact information including address, and expected a reply in a few days.

Seeing Xu Xingxing leave in anger, Wang Shuo couldn't help but ask:
"Teacher Fang, are you really planning to publish this novel in People's Literature?"

"Have you read the manuscript?"

Fangyan asked back.

"No."

Wang Shuo was stunned for a moment.

"Take it and have a look. It's very similar to your style."

There is still half a sentence in the dialect that has not been said, which is also very similar to "The Troublemakers", with a bit of the flavor of gangster literature.

"Theme without Variations" was circulated among Wang Shuo, Shi Tiesheng, Chen Ximi and others, and people talked about it a lot.

"Yanzi, you are right. It is indeed similar to Wang Shuo's writing style, with a hint of Beijing flavor."

Shi Tiesheng nodded: "It's just that you are joking and scolding, while he is cynical."

Wang Shuo opened his mouth and had to admit that Xu Xing's novel was indeed worth publishing.

But soon, this little episode passed, and everyone's attention was focused on the roast duck brought by the waiter.

After a delicious meal, they returned the same way they came, and Fangyan returned first with Gong Xing, Shi Tiesheng and others.

As soon as he stepped into the yard, Gong Xing was surprised to find: "Wow, this tree is in bloom!"

Fangyan followed her gaze and saw the Albizia Julibrissin tree on the west side of the courtyard, dotted with small fan-shaped flowers in red, purple, yellow and white. The butterfly-shaped stamens bloomed among the green leaves on the branches, in strings, groups and clusters, fluttering in the wind.

"I remember that this tree was planted when Tiesheng moved in, right?"

Gong Xing asked casually.

"Yes."

Shi Tiesheng said with emotion: "This was planted by my mother the year she went to the Labor Bureau to find a job for me. At that time, I thought it was a mimosa, so I planted it in a flowerpot. After a year or two, it sprouted and grew leaves, and then I moved it from the pot to the yard."

Chen Ximi looked up and said, "I didn't expect there would be such a story."

Shi Tiesheng was moved by the scene and turned his head, "Yanzi, does your People's Literature still need manuscripts?"

"Of course there is a shortage!" Fang Yan understood and said, "Why, Tie Sheng, do you want to submit an article?"

"I plan to write an essay titled "Albizia Julibrissin."

Shi Tiesheng was reminded of his mother when he saw the tree planted by his mother. (End of this chapter)