Literary Master 1978

"Journal of Yenching University" is a weekly magazine, published every Tuesday, with four pages in each issue.

Although it is only a school magazine, its distribution scope is not limited to the Yanda campus. Many universities and academic and cultural units in Yanjing city have subscriptions.

On the third Tuesday of May, the new issue of "Yenjing University Journal" was officially published.

After Tao's father finished his class, he strolled back to the office. As soon as he sat down and took a sip of tea, Deng Guangming, who was sitting next to him, came over with a newspaper.

"Xiao Tao, look at it!"

"What are you looking at?"

"That son-in-law of yours has been published by the colonel."

Deng Guangming is ten years older than Tao's father. His research direction is Song history. He is known as the first person in Song history at home and abroad in the 20th century.

He called Tao's father "Xiao Tao" not because he was relying on his old age, but because it was an old habit for decades.

Father Tao took the newspaper. He had heard his daughter mention the school magazine's interview with Lin Chaoyang a few days ago, but he didn't take it too seriously.

For senior professors like them, publishing the school magazine is just a normal thing.

However, he can also understand his daughter's mood. His son-in-law's character, temperament, and talent are all chosen at the moment. The only pity is that he comes from a lower background.

But it is precisely because of his low background that it is not easy for his name to appear in the YSU journal.

While feeling pleased, Tao's eyes quickly scanned the words in the newspaper.

"Huh?" His eyes stopped at an interview and examined it carefully.

This brat is quite good at flattering.

After reading this interview, Tao's father showed a knowing smile on his face.

Lin Chaoyang praised his wife Du Ruohui for being so good in an interview with the school magazine. Although it was not consistent with the actual situation, Tao's father could also understand his painstaking efforts.

Over the past six months or so, he had noticed his wife's attitude towards her son-in-law.

It is rare that this child can reach this point. He deserves to be gentle and tolerant and take the overall situation into consideration.

After dinner in the evening, when he returned to the house, Tao's father turned out the school magazine and handed it to his wife, "Let's take a look!"

Tao's mother didn't understand what it meant, so she took it and looked at it for a while before she understood what her husband wanted her to see.

"He's so good at being a good person!"

Mother Tao's mouth was still unforgiving, but her tone became much gentler.

Father Tao said in a deep voice: "The human heart is made of flesh. The only bad thing about you is this mouth."

After being scolded by her husband, Tao's mother turned around unhappily and stopped talking to him.

Father Tao smiled helplessly. His wife's temper has been like this since she was young. She has a bit of a young lady's temper. Most of the time she is verbally aggressive. She can't be called "a sharp mouth but a tofu heart", but she really doesn't have any bad intentions.

It is difficult for adults to be persuaded. His wife sees the child's attitude, and Tao's father has no way to force her. He only hopes that his wife can accept this son-in-law from her heart, and the family will be harmonious and beautiful.

In the past month or two, news has been circulating on the Yanda campus that Lin Chaoyang, the library administrator, is Xu Lingjun, who wrote "The Wrangler".

Some time ago, "Yanjing Literature and Art" once again published Xu Lingjun's work "Little Shoes", which also attracted the attention and heated discussion of students.

In the past two days, the "Journal of Yenching University" published another interview with Lin Chaoyang by the editorial department. Suddenly, Lin Chaoyang's name became a hot topic on the Yenching University campus, and students discussed him privately. Very loud.

From being born in a rural area, to being the son-in-law of a professor at Yanda, to being a cutting-edge writer, Lin Chaoyang's experience can be called an inspirational legend.

Taking advantage of the popularity of the interview in the school magazine, Chen Jiangong approached Lin Chaoyang on behalf of the May Fourth Literary Society and made a request to him.

"Let me give a speech?"

Lin Chaoyang looked at Chen Jiangong with surprise on his face.

"Yes, the students are particularly interested in you now. Everyone hopes that you can come and give us a speech." Chen Jiangong said excitedly.

"I'm not good at giving speeches. Besides, I don't have anything to say."

"Just think of it as an exchange! Don't be stressed. Your experience is very motivating for us students. Just tell us about your experience."

Lin Chaoyang pondered over whether to agree to this matter, but Chen Jiangong said: "Comrade Yushu definitely hopes that you will participate."

Hearing this, Lin Chaoyang looked at Chen Jiangong fiercely, knowing that he was using Tao Yushu to put pressure on him.

Lin Chaoyang knew without thinking that Zou Shifang must have told him.

That day, Guan Qingsong and Zou Shifang were going to interview Lin Chaoyang. Tao Yushu was more positive than Lin Chaoyang, the interviewee. Anyone could see the hope in her heart that her husband would become a successful man.

Going home in the evening, Lin Chaoyang told Tao Yushu about the invitation from the May 4th Literary Society. As expected, she encouraged him to participate with excitement and enthusiastically inspired Lin Chaoyang's speech.

It’s really hard for me to have a daughter-in-law who is so driven to make progress!

The May 4th Literary Club is one of the earliest student societies at YSU. Catching up with the era of vigorous development of literature, its appeal is self-evident on YSU campus.

The news that scar literature writer Xu Lingjun would give a lecture at the invitation of the May Fourth Literary Society spread throughout the YSU campus in less than two days thanks to the enthusiasm of the members.

Not only that, the news is also spreading to several surrounding universities.

In the past six months, the whirlwind of scar literature caused by "The Wrangler" has continued. Along with the spread of the novel, Xu Lingjun's name has become more and more famous in the domestic literary world.

This month, Yanjing Literature and Art published "Little Shoes", a novel that presents a style and content completely different from "The Horse Herder". It abandons the elements of scar literature and focuses on the countryside and reality.

Although the style has changed, the core is consistent. All readers who have read "Little Shoes" can see at a glance that this is the Xu Lingjun they are familiar with.

Less than a month after the publication of "Little Shoes", the response from the literary world has not yet spread, but "Yanjing Literature and Art" has received thousands of letters from readers, which is rare in the history of "Yanjing Literature and Art".

Even in March, when Fang Zhi's "Traitor" was published in the magazine and was widely praised by readers and critics, the editorial department only received a few hundred letters from readers in the first half of the month.

And most of these letters are readers' compliments on the novel and the author himself.

Warm, sunny, positive...

This kind of positive words frequently appear in the letters, which also shows the positive energy that readers have drawn from the novel.

Judging from the number of letters from readers, readers' enthusiasm for "Little Shoes" far exceeds that for "The Traitor", which makes the editors think of the grand occasion after the publication of "The Shepherd".

The influence of a literary work is established in such letters from readers.

These days, readers are very enthusiastic about reading literary works and writing letters to magazines, publishing houses, editorial departments, and authors. Readers who write letters come from all walks of life, including students from many universities in Yenching.

Unlike most readers who read novels for fun, whether it is due to cultural reasons or identity reasons, these university students always have a critical eye when looking at literary works.

Compared with the overwhelming praise among ordinary readers, "Little Shoes" has caused a lot of controversy among the students of Yenching universities. The focus of the debate is whether the warm and affectionate rural society shown in the novel is distorted.

Now that Yenching University has heard the news that it will invite Xu Lingjun to give a speech, many college students have heard the news.

Among these people, there are not only readers who really like "The Shepherd" and "The Little Shoes", but also many argumentative people who want to take this opportunity to communicate with Xu Lingjun.

Originally, the May Fourth Literary Society invited Lin Chaoyang to give a speech, intending to hold a small event. There are more than 100 members in the society, and at most 200 to 300 literary youths on campus.

But since the news spread, Zhang Youhua, Zou Shifang, Chen Jiangong and others have received news from student groups of major universities in Yenching, saying that many students hope to participate in this speech event and hope that they can expand the scale.

"What can we do?"

Several people gathered together to discuss. According to what they learned, the scale of this speech event might be far beyond their expectations, and the venues prepared before, including their organizational capabilities, are not enough to cope with it.

"Let's find a school!" Zhang Youhua is the president, and his first reaction is to ask the school for help.

After some discussion, Zou Shifang and Chen Jiangong also thought that this method was the safest. Several people went straight to the office of Vice President Zhang Longxiang, whose school affairs included student activities at Yanda.

In the future, it is hard to imagine that several students dared to break into the vice president's office for a student activity and directly express their needs.

But it is not a problem at Yanda now. The arrival of several uninvited guests surprised Zhang Longxiang a little, but he still entertained them politely and listened carefully to their demands.

After understanding the situation, he did not speak in an official tone and told them directly.

"On the morning of June 3, the dining hall will be for you to use, and the Security Department will send ten more security personnel to cooperate with your literary club's activities. How about it?"

Chen Jiangong and others were overjoyed when they heard this, and they hurriedly bowed to Zhang Longxiang to thank him, "Thank you, President Zhang!"

Zhang Longxiang's smile was honest and full of the demeanor of a modest elder.

"Holding such a speech event can increase students' knowledge, which is a good thing. However, the students' enthusiasm for participation is too high, especially with students from other schools participating. The school's participation is indeed needed. You are right in this regard."

After receiving Zhang Longxiang's affirmation, several people were even happier and worked harder to organize this speech after returning.

Originally, it was just a small speech organized by a student club. With the participation of Yanda, it was directly moved to the dining hall. The members of the literature club who learned the news cheered and encouraged.

The reason why everyone was so excited was related to the special status of the dining hall in Yanda.

The dining hall was built after the major adjustment of colleges and departments in 1952. In addition to serving as the dining hall for Yanda students, it is also the most memorable activity venue for Yanda students.

Yenda often leads the society and the times. The dining hall connects the dormitory and the teaching area. It is bustling all day long and is a hub for information exchange inside and outside the school.

In April 1957, Ma Yinchu gave a speech on "New Population Theory" here, proposing that birth control and population control are urgent choices for social development.

Since then, the dining hall has been used for such important events and speeches.

The dining hall also serves as an auditorium for large-scale meetings, film screenings, art performances and dances.

The May Fourth Literary Society has organized so many events, but this is the first time that the dining hall has been used. Everyone generally believes that this event is a milestone for the May Fourth Literary Society.