Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 39 The symposium is full of flattery
Before going to bed at night, Tao Yushu read the latest issue of "Wenyi Bao".

Tao Yushu was a little dissatisfied because the review article on "The Shepherd" she submitted to this issue of "Wenyi Bao" was not accepted. It happened that Yan Gang's article "With Xu Lingjun" was published in this issue of "Wenyi Bao", so she wanted to see where she was lacking.

"Stop looking and go to sleep."

"I'll take a look."

Tao Yushu read Yan Gang's article several times, and then compared it with his own article to check for omissions and make revisions.

"If you haven't passed yet, don't change it."

Lin Chaoyang's words caused Tao Yushu to glare at him angrily, "Okay, I'll go to bed first, you go ahead."

Oh, how come I found such a stubborn wife!

The next morning, Lin Chaoyang had just finished brushing his teeth when he ran into Tao Yumo, who was still sleepy.

"Good morning, brother-in-law!"

Tao Yumo called out obediently.

"Good morning, Yumo!" Lin Chaoyang responded.

Brother-in-law Tao Yucheng, who was stretching lazily, was slightly surprised. When did this girl become so close to her brother-in-law?
While eating breakfast, the eldest brother-in-law ate rice porridge and said to Tao's mother: "Mom, we have the tickets. Let's go buy the TV this afternoon?"

Tao Yumo's eyes lit up when she heard that. "Yes, Mom, the New Year is coming soon, and TVs are in short supply. Don't let them run out of stock again."

"Okay, I'll go to Xidan today."

"I'll go with you. I don't have classes in the afternoon." The brother-in-law said positively.

On the way to Xidan, Tao Yucheng said to his mother, "Mom, Chaoyang gave me fifty yuan last night."

Tao's mother looked surprised, "Why did he give you money?"

"He said it was money for TV tickets. I arranged the tickets, and he said he and Yushu should also get a share."

"You're such a nice guy, why don't you just buy a TV?"

"Mom!" Tao Yucheng shouted helplessly, "Although Chaoyang is from the countryside, he is a good person. He has married Yushu. Don't be a bad person."

Tao's mother glared at Tao Yucheng, and he shut up angrily, muttering, "What can you do if you don't like her? She's already married."

Mother Tao was too lazy to listen to the nonsense of this soft persimmon, so she took a few quick steps to distance herself from him.

Whether my brother-in-law has classes or not, he will join in the fun and buy a TV.

Lin Chaoyang was a little envious. He said that he wanted to be a salted fish, but the reality did not allow it.

In comparison, my brother-in-law, who has parents to rely on and a wife to help him, is a real lazy guy. He is never active at work and the worst thing he can do is treat people to a meal.

Fortunately, there are times when this library job is particularly leisurely, namely during the winter and summer vacations.

The library of Yanda University is open from Monday to Saturday during the winter and summer vacations, just like usual. However, the workload is much lighter than during school hours, after all, there are not so many students borrowing books and studying.

As various departments and faculties went on holiday one after another, the campus of Yanda University became visibly deserted.

Lin Chaoyang checked in at the library in the morning and asked Hu Wenqiong to help watch over it for a while. Then he ran to the Chinese Department to find Chen Jiangong to inquire about the poetry symposium.

Hearing that Lin Chaoyang was asking on behalf of his sister-in-law, Chen Jiangong smiled and said, "She came here for Zhao Zhenkai, right?"

"Will Zhao Zhenkai be present at your forum?"

"Ah."

With the popularity of "Today" in the university community of Yenching University, the name of the poet Zhao Zhenkai also spread to major universities in Yenching in a short period of time. His poems had been circulating before, and now he has become an idol for many students.

Chen Jiangong pondered and said, "There are several editors of Poetry Magazine and several members of the school Youth League Committee attending the symposium. The rest are members of our literature club's poetry group. Your sister-in-law wants to attend, and I can arrange a seat for her. But we have to tell her in advance that she is an observer and cannot speak. She just needs to sit there and listen."

"No problem." Lin Chaoyang patted Chen Jiangong on the shoulder, "Thank you, Jiangong."

"It's just a small matter, why are you being so polite?"

Chen Jiangong asked again: "Has any masterpiece been published recently?"

"I haven't thought about it yet." Lin Chaoyang said.

Although "The Horse Shepherd" is a short story, it has sparked heated discussions among readers and the literary world in the two months since its publication.

Chen Jiangong thought that since his debut work was so excellent, Lin Chaoyang must be very cautious about his next work.

"You need to think about it carefully. After all, your first work is so amazing. By the way, I haven't congratulated you yet!"

"Congratulations for what?"

Chen Jiangong was surprised, "You don't know?"

Seeing Lin Chaoyang's confused look, he said, "A few days ago, Ding Ling published a review article in Wenhui Daily, specifically commenting on your "The Shepherd", praising you highly."

Ding Ling is a well-known writer in China, but her reputation is not as well-known in later generations as that of Xiao Hong, Bing Xin and others.

However, her status and influence in the Chinese literary world in the 20th century are unquestionable. Her status and position are evident from her evaluation by the later literary circles as the most influential female writer in the history of the Chinese revolution.

At this time, Ding Ling had just been demoted, but his reputation had not yet been restored.

Chen Jiangong whispered to Lin Chaoyang, "You don't know, do you? Ding Ling just returned to Beijing and hasn't made a public appearance yet. The first thing she published after her comeback was a comment to you. You are so awesome, kid!"

"A Hymn of Patriotism" is Ding Ling's first publicly published text after many years of silence. In the article, Ding Ling made an in-depth and meticulous analysis of the rough experience and artistic image of Xu Lingjun, the protagonist of "The Shepherd", and integrated it with her life experience, so it appears very insightful and dialectical.

When talking about adversity and suffering, Ding Ling described it in the article as follows: Adversity, suffering, ten or twenty years, can make people see through the world, lose their ideals, lose their original beautiful temperament and character, and even lose their lives, but they can also temper the will of revolutionaries, make them fearless in the face of danger, have a lofty spirit, be full of hope for the future, and be passionate about the people. Xu Lingjun belongs to the latter.

After meeting with Chen Jiangong, Lin Chaoyang specifically looked for the issue of Wenhui Daily that he mentioned. This is the advantage of working in the Yanda Library, as one can enjoy the most complete and up-to-date newspapers and periodicals in the country for free.

After reading the whole article, I feel that the review article "A Hymn to Patriotism" is not so much Ding Ling's praise for "The Shepherd" as it is her metaphor for herself by using the character and integrity displayed by the protagonist Xu Lingjun in the novel.

Ding Ling chose to use her review of "The Shepherd" as her first public voice in the literary world after her ordinary life. The angle she chose was very clever.

Of course, this does not prevent "The Wrangler" from reaping huge benefits from it.

Kill two birds with one stone, the older you get, the wiser!
After reading the article, Lin Chaoyang returned the newspaper to the newspaper room. In the past two months, there have been more and more comments on "The Shepherd" in the literary community. According to this trend, it will definitely not stop within half a year. Just treat it with a normal mind.

In the afternoon, Zhang Dening from Yenching Literature and Art came to the library.

"Have you read the Wenhui Daily two days ago?" Zhang Dening asked Lin Chaoyang as soon as he came up. "I just read it."

Zhang Dening looked a little excited and said, "This is the first time that Ding Ling has spoken publicly after being away from the literary world for many years. Your novel is destined to be written into the history of the development of contemporary Chinese literature!"

Lin Chaoyang's performance was not as excited as she had imagined, but rather a little dull.

"Aren't you excited?"

"It's OK. I'm still happy to be praised. But since I don't get paid for my work, I'm not that excited."

"Payments, fees, you only care about fees." Zhang Dening was angry at him for not fighting back, "Just be obsessed with money!"

She asked sternly, "Our editorial department wants to hold a symposium for The Horse Herder. Comrade Qingquan asked me to come over and ask for your opinion first."

"Symposium? Do you need me to attend?"

"nonsense!"

"Then I don't agree." Lin Chaoyang refused firmly.

Zhang Dening's expression was full of confusion, "Why?"

"No reason, I just don't want to participate. I advise you not to do this kind of thing. As a writer, you should let your works speak for you. Symposiums and seminars are just people flattering each other, which is boring."

Lin Chaoyang was not trying to put off Zhang Dening by acting aloof and arrogant. Rather, his working-class DNA made him averse to any meetings. He was okay with just watching the excitement like the day when the May Fourth Literary Society was founded.

When he went to attend the symposium himself, he was filled with resistance when he thought of the scene of a group of people holding a novel and talking at length and nonsense.

Zhang Dening looked unhappy. "What do you mean by flattery? Your idea is really... Forget it, I'm too lazy to say anything to you. Think about it carefully."

Seeing that she no longer mentioned the matter, Lin Chaoyang stopped talking nonsense.

Zhang Dening asked again: "Do you have any new ideas recently?"

"Hmm... I haven't thought about it yet."

Of course Lin Chaoyang couldn't say no, and he had to find ways and methods to shirk his work.

When the leader asks, the employee says “it has been connected” or “it is being implemented”. This is what a good worker does.

"I am very optimistic about you, and so are the editorial staff. The Shepherd has given you your own place in the literary world. You must work hard on your next work and don't waste this great opportunity."

“The next work needs to be polished.”

Lin Chaoyang did not make any promises to Zhang Dening. As a worker, Lin Chaoyang knew very well that if he promised something to others too early, he would often suffer the consequences.

After seeing Zhang Dening off and fishing for a while, it was time to get off work.

The Tao family was particularly lively this evening. Tao's mother left in the morning and bought the TV in the afternoon. Brother-in-law Tao Yucheng was fiddling with the antenna clumsily, and he fiddled with it for more than an hour, but he still hadn't finished it when Lin Chaoyang came back.

"Brother, let me do it." Lin Chaoyang took the initiative to replace his brother-in-law.

"You are really a young master!" Tao Yumo, who had been anxiously standing aside for a long time, expressed his contempt for his elder brother.

Tao Yucheng looked indignant, "That wire is hard to twist, and it's awkward to stick my hand out of the window."

Less than two minutes after he finished saying this, Lin Chaoyang's voice came from the window.

"Yumo, watch some TV. I'm going to turn the antenna. Tell me when it's done and I'll fix it."

"it is good."

Tao Yumo responded, his eyes fixed on the TV screen. There was only a snowflake on the screen as the power had just been turned on and there was no signal.

"Yes, yes!"

Lin Chaoyang had just turned around a few times when he heard Tao Yumo's excited voice. She shouted, "Brother-in-law is pregnant!"

Lin Chaoyang quickly fixed the antenna and then jumped off the windowsill.

Tao Yumo was reluctant to take his eyes off the TV screen, so he turned around and made a sarcastic remark to his elder brother Tao Yucheng.

"Look, my brother-in-law finished it in two minutes, but it took you half an hour and you still can't do it properly."

Then she looked at Lin Chaoyang again, with a slightly flattering smile on her face, "Brother-in-law, you are so awesome!"

Lin Chaoyang thought: Little girl, she changes her temper like turning the pages of a book.

"Brother did the work first, otherwise I wouldn't be able to finish it so fast."

Lin Chaoyang's modesty saved his brother-in-law's face. "Did you hear that? It was all my fault."

Tao Yumo wrinkled her nose at her elder brother and didn't bother with him. She looked a little cute.

"Is the antenna installed? Finally, we can do something useful."

Tao's mother was preparing dinner just now. She came over and saw the picture on TV, so she said to her brother-in-law.

"It was installed by my brother-in-law." Tao Yumo took the credit for Lin Chaoyang without waiting for her brother-in-law to speak.

Mother Tao glanced at Lin Chaoyang and nodded, "Okay, let's eat."

The TV was installed in Tao's father and mother's room. At that time, CCTV-1 was broadcasting the science and education short film "Fundamentals of Semiconductor Circuits". Tao Yumo was watching it with great interest and did not even blink while eating.

It's not just her, most of the Tao family members are like this, especially the two little ones, Tao Xiwen and Tao Xiwu, whose eyes are so round that they almost look like they are staring into the TV.

There were few TV stations at that time, and the TV programs they broadcast were also few. There were not even any serious TV series. Even the popular science programs were interesting to watch.

After dinner, Tao Yumo rarely took her eyes off the TV and quietly followed Lin Chaoyang, "Brother-in-law, my thing..."

"Tomorrow morning, go to Building 32 and find Chen Jiangong from the Chinese Department. He will arrange for you to go in. Remember not to speak, just listen."

Tao Yumo was overjoyed when he heard this, "Thank you, brother-in-law, thank you, brother-in-law."

"We are all family, don't be so polite."

"Yes, yes, brother-in-law is right."

Lin Chaoyang was very satisfied when he saw his sister-in-law's reaction. The united front had gained another good comrade.

(End of this chapter)