The literary era since 1979

"Here is your change, please keep it."

The store manager was smiling as he checked out the books from the customer's bill. He glanced at the long queue out of the corner of his eye, and the smile on his face grew even brighter.

Suddenly, a familiar face came into view, and Haruki Murakami waved at him enthusiastically.

The store manager handed over the checkout work to the waiter at the counter, walked over and bowed slightly:

"Oh haha, Mr. Murakami!"

"Oh ha yo."

Murakami Haruki pointed at the students gathered around the exhibition stand, then looked at the white-collar workers queuing up to buy Love Letter, "Business is really good."

The store manager grinned and said, "That's right. Thanks to Mr. Fangyan, they all came here to buy his new works."

Haruki Murakami asked: "What about Love Letter?"

The store manager nodded repeatedly and said that the sales volume was quite impressive. Basically, young boys and girls bought them to read themselves or as Valentine's Day gifts. Compared with chocolates and love letters, giving "Love Letters" as a gift was both innovative and literary, and full of profound meaning.

"I heard it's a novel about secret love."

Murakami Haruki glanced casually and saw that most of the people sitting in the reading area reading "Love Letters" were women, with tears in their eyes to varying degrees.

You can even see a rather sentimental young woman who keeps wiping her tears with a handkerchief, her nostrils flaring and making faint sobbing sounds.

"Don't think that only women are crying, men are crying too."

The store manager lowered his voice and said that not long ago the staff found several male students hiding in a corner, watching and crying.

Haruki Murakami became more and more curious, walked to the exhibition stand, took out a copy of "Love Letter", and flipped through a few pages.

The store manager couldn't help but sigh: "Teacher Fangyan really wrote an amazing book. The writing style is as clean and simple as "The Village Postman", with strong emotions, but the delicacy, sadness and beauty of love in his writing are so exquisite that in my lifetime, apart from Kawabata Ko and Soseki Ko, only teachers Fangyan and Murakami can give me similar feelings..."

Murakami Haruki said: "Please pack it for me. I want to buy two copies."

"2 copies?"

"Yes, one for me and one for Yoko."

"Haha, could this be a Valentine's Day gift for Yoko?"

The store manager had an unwelcome request, hoping that after he read "Love Letter", he could share his feelings and insights with her as he did before.

Haruki Murakami agreed, picked up two copies of Love Letters, and hurried back home, "I'm back!"

"what?"

Takahashi Yoko was surprised. "You're back so soon. Normally you'd be out for at least an hour before coming back."

Haruki Murakami said: "I didn't go out for a walk just now, I went to buy books!"

Seeing the tightly wrapped novel in his hand, Takahashi Yoko raised her eyebrows: "Book? Whose book?"

"Mr. Fangyan!"

Haruki Murakami took her to the study, and the couple sat face to face.

Peter the Cat took a nap peacefully on his lap and slept for a long time without realizing it, before he was gradually awakened by the sound of chattering.

"When reading Fangyanjun's writings, I feel as if I am immersed in a pure yet regretful sadness that I am reluctant to come out of."

Takahashi Yoko took a deep breath.

Haruki Murakami took out a tissue and handed it over: "Yoko, you are crying."

"Did I cry?"

Once reminded, Takahashi Yoko realized that the tears in her eyes were overflowing uncontrollably.

"I'm not surprised that you feel this way."

Haruki Murakami said: "I think any Japanese who understands the sadness of things will be touched by the beauty and pure love in the text of Fangyanjun." Takahashi Yoko agrees with this. The so-called "mono no aware" is a literary concept proposed by Motoori Norinaga, a national scholar in the Edo period of Japan.

It is not just "beauty in sorrow" as the literal meaning suggests, but it emphasizes "the expression of true feelings". When the human heart comes into contact with the outside world, it is moved by the scenery and the objects. The heart is moved and touched. At this time, the emotions that naturally emerge may be joy, anger, fear, sadness, lingering and gentle, or longing and yearning. People with such emotions are the ones who understand "mono no aware", that is, "people of temperament".

For the Japanese, sadness is the deepest emotion in people's hearts, so they believe that the ultimate beauty is death, and death is another kind of life.

"How can even a passionate Showa man not shed tears after reading such an article?"

Haruki Murakami said: "Especially in today's society with rapid economic development, love is like bubbles, beautiful but short-lived, gorgeous but fragile. The pure, beautiful, clear and untainted love in "Love Letter" has become a very rare thing."

"Yes, you once told me that today's teenagers are indifferent, lonely, and at a loss. Not only are the men struggling and suffering, but the women have also become alienated and strange. They are completely different from the women of our time. They are no longer submissive and advocate women's rights."

"Like 'three wallets.'

"I guess that's one of the reasons why men buy Love Letters for themselves."

Haruki Murakami said: "In the beautiful utopian world of youth, you don't have to consider material, desire, class, or even these complex elements of life and death. You can have a hazy and pure love without any impurities. Even if it ends in vain, this kind of pure and extreme love will bring you inner peace and healing the most."

"It's like first love, light and beautiful. There may be some regrets and pain, but it still leaves you wanting more."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Takahashi Yoko grabbed his hand and said, "We should be the 'happy ending' of Fujii Itsuki."

"Female Fujii Itsuki."

Murakami Haruki pointed at her, then at himself, "Male Fujii Itsuki."

Takahashi Yoko chuckled, "It just so happens that your name contains the word 'tree'."

"This is truly a love story that will make young boys and girls all over Japan shed tears."

Haruki Murakami's eyes were full of envy and respect: "Fangyan-kun seems to have opened up a whole new direction and field for the field of romance novels."

"I remember you said something similar."

Takahashi Yoko smiled and said, "I want to write a youth novel that will make boys and girls all over the country shed tears."

As Haruki Murakami nodded, he glanced at "Love Letter" and suddenly an idea came to his mind.

"Love Letter" can also be said to be a youth novel. Why can't it be derived into a novel about youth confusion and salvation?

Why not just learn from the relationships and fates of the men and women in "Love Letter" such as Fujii Itsuki, Kizuki, Hiroko, and Akiba Sensei?
My thoughts gradually became confused. I wanted to change Watanabe Hiroko's gender to a man, and then I wanted to change Fujii Itsuki's gender to a woman. Before, it was the male Fujii Itsuki who had a crush on the female Fujii Itsuki. Now it has become the male Watanabe Hiroko who likes the deceased Fujii Itsuki. For the time being, let's call her "Naoko"...

"Shall I play some music for you?"

Seeing him lost in thought, Takahashi Yoko smiled knowingly.

"Okay, just play a random song."

Haruki Murakami likes to listen to music or radio programs when thinking and creating, and even write them into novels.

For example, in "Hear the Wind Sing", it tells the story of "I" who returned home from Tokyo for summer vacation. Suddenly, I received a call from the DJ of the local radio station. I heard a song that a girl of the same grade in high school requested for "me", so "I" started looking for where the girl lived.

Of course, musical elements also appear frequently in his works.

“How about Norwegian Wood?”

Yoko Takahashi picked and chose, and finally picked a record.

"The Beatles? This one, it really fits my current mood, all alone and lost in the cold and frozen woods."

Haruki Murakami thought to himself and temporarily decided to name the novel "Norwegian Wood".

Takahashi Yoko suggested: "In my opinion, instead of getting lost alone, you should think of a way to find an opportunity to meet Fangyan-kun."

"Meeting with Fangyan-kun..."

Murakami Haruki's eyes suddenly lit up. (End of this chapter)