Literary Master 1978

People in later generations always complain about the adjustment of holidays. Nowadays, there is no adjustment of holidays, but there are indeed few holidays. The National Day is the longest holiday in the year, but it is only three days, and the Spring Festival is the same.

During the National Day holiday, Lin Chaoyang did not go out to play, but was dragged by Tao Yushu to do a thorough cleaning of the house.

Now a popular saying is "Battle Sunday".

There are seven days in a week, and only Sunday is a day off. On weekdays, you have to go to work, and all the trivial matters of life are accumulated on Sunday.

For many people in this era, Sunday is a more tiring day than going to work.

The couple was busy for a whole morning and finally cleaned up the house.

Tao Yushu sat on the sofa to rest, and couldn't help but complain about Tao Yumo who was not at home. He usually ate more than anyone else, but disappeared when it was time to work.

Today, Tao Yumo ran out to play with her classmates early in the morning. After having a bicycle, her range of movement is much larger than before.

After lunch, the couple took a nap. After getting up, one read a book and the other wrote, enjoying themselves.

At around three o'clock, Li Tuo brought a guest to Lin Chaoyang's house.

Lin Chaoyang was not unfamiliar with this guest. They had met at the National Excellent Short Story Award Ceremony in March.

"Brother Jicai, long time no see."

Lin Chaoyang shook hands with Feng Jicai and greeted him warmly.

"It's good to be at home, it's good to be at home!" Li Tuo muttered, with some relief in his words.

"Where else can I go if I'm not at home?" Lin Chaoyang asked with a smile.

"I'm afraid you'll go out to play during the National Day holiday!" Li Tuo explained, and then explained to Lin Chaoyang, "Big Feng came to Yanjing to revise the manuscript. He has been eating in the cafeteria for more than half a month. Today I brought him to your place to eat meat."

"You treat me, and I bleed?"

Lin Chaoyang summed up Li Tuo's meaning succinctly, causing him and Feng Jicai to laugh.

"I bought some dishes." Li Tuo shook the dishes in his hand at Lin Chaoyang.

He added, "Besides, everyone knows you are rich now. I heard from the people at Yenching Literature and Art that The Wreath under the Mountain has sold more than two million copies, and you have received a lot of royalties. Poor brothers, come and have a meal, you can't drive us out, right?"

After joking, Tao Yushu poured a cup of tea for Li Tuo and Feng Jicai, and they started chatting.

Feng Jicai came to Yenching this time for his latest novel, The Magic Lamp, and handed the manuscript to Renwen Press.

He has a deep connection with Renwen Press. As early as 1977, Feng Jicai and Li Dingxing co-authored the first novel in his life, The Boxer Rebellion, which was favored by the leaders of Renwen Press and was invited to Renwen Press to revise the manuscript.

At that time, secondment writing was popular, and Feng Jicai stayed at Renwen Press for two years until he left Renwen Press last year.

Li Tuo and Feng Jicai met during the Fourth National Congress of Literature and Art last year. Lin Chaoyang and Feng Jicai also met once, so they were not strangers when they talked.

"Have you written any new works recently? Do you plan to continue writing stream of consciousness?" Li Tuo asked Lin Chaoyang.

"I'm still thinking about it, but I haven't decided yet."

Feng Jicai said: "Your work "Lai Zi's Summer" is really well written. It is different from those foreign works in style, and it is also different from what some of our writers write. It has become its own school. I think we should continue writing in this way."

Lin Chaoyang said with a smile: "I will definitely write if I can. However, stream of consciousness literature is still not grounded enough. I will only write one more. If I keep writing this kind of thing, it is easy to be out of touch with the masses."

Feng Jicai was a little surprised to hear his words. He didn't have a deep relationship with Lin Chaoyang and didn't understand his consistent ideas.

At this time, Li Tuo laughed and said: "Jicai, you don't know? Our goal in Chaoyang is to be a people's artist. What we write must be both popular and elegant, so that intellectuals can applaud and workers and farmers can applaud!"

There was praise in his words, but more of it was ridicule.

Lin Chaoyang said with a relaxed expression: "People's Artist can be regarded as the ultimate goal, and work towards this direction."

"Chaoyang's mentality is good."

Feng Jicai's eyes flashed with appreciation. He has seen many of Lin Chaoyang's works and feels that he and Lin Chaoyang have something in common in some aspects.

In Lin Chaoyang's works, the background is always warm. He pursues the kind of positive power that brings people, and pursues telling the story to readers in a simple and easy-to-understand way, rather than pretending to be a profound and pretentious artist.

Feng Jicai himself always emphasizes that he is a "storyteller". He debuted with Tianjin-style novels, and his language style and local characteristics are extremely strong. It can be said that he is unique in the Chinese literary world.

The fit in concepts made Lin Chaoyang and Feng Jicai communicate smoothly, and they even forgot the time for a while.

When it was almost five o'clock, Li Tuo urged: "Stop talking, I'm hungry, hurry up and cook. Da Feng is here today, you have to show your housekeeping skills."

While Lin Chaoyang was cooking, Tao Yumo, who had been playing outside all day, came back and complained about being hungry as soon as she entered the door.

"Oh, I'm starving!"

"You didn't feel hungry when you were playing outside, but you're hungry as soon as you come back?" Tao Yushu scolded.

Tao Yumo lowered her voice when she saw that there were guests at home, but the excitement of going out to play had not yet passed.

"Sister, let me tell you, I went to the Xingxing Art Exhibition with them today. There were so many people there, it was very lively and influential."

The Stars Art Exhibition is an open-air art exhibition organized by a group of young people on the street outside the National Art Museum of China. Last year was the first session, with more than 150 works on display. Because there were several nude figure paintings, it caused a stir among the citizens of Yanjing.

Jia Pingwa published "Abandoned Capital" in 1993 and sold nearly 10 million copies in a year just because of "the author omitted the word XX". It is not surprising that several nude figure paintings at the Star Art Exhibition triggered a heated discussion.

Tao Yumo talked excitedly about what he saw and heard at the Stars Art Exhibition during the day. Feng Jicai said curiously: "I also went to the art exhibition yesterday."

When someone answered her words, Tao Yumo became even more excited and asked, "How do you feel? Is it particularly shocking?"

Seeing her attitude, Feng Jicai hesitated to speak.

Lin Chaoyang saw Feng Jicai's dilemma and asked: "What did you gain after watching the exhibition?"

"What a harvest..." Tao Yumo pondered for a while and then said, "Western painting is very avant-garde."

Lin Chaoyang shook his head and said nothing.

"Brother-in-law, are you not optimistic about the Stars Art Exhibition?" Tao Yumo asked.

"I didn't even look at it, so why not look at it? I just think this phenomenon is not good."

"What's wrong?"

Tao Yumo was puzzled. In the mouths of his classmates, the Stars Art Exhibition was an important achievement of reform and opening up. It was the key to unlocking the conservative atmosphere in the country and gave countless people the opportunity to have close contact with modern art. It can be said to be the beginning of China's avant-garde art. Why do you seem to look down on your brother-in-law when you come here?

"How many of the works you saw today do you think have reached the level of professional painters?" Lin Chaoyang asked.

Tao Yumo hesitated, "How would I know? I'm not an art major."

"Then do you think, among the people who go to see paintings, how many of them are like you?"

Tao Yumo seemed to understand something, "Brother-in-law, what do you mean..."

“We use common sense to think that before any art reaches a certain level, it must first be a technique.

I don't know how many of those painters have received long-term, professional training. Many of them may have extraordinary talents.

But art is a profession that requires more than talent, so I have reservations about the artistic level of most of them and most of their works.

Let’s talk about the exhibition itself. How many visitors there really love art? How many of them were attracted by gimmicks? How many people follow the crowd?

These works are displayed grandly and create such a huge momentum. I don’t know how much their real artistic value is and how much artistic appeal they can bring to the audience.

But I am certain that there must be a lot of fiction and conjecture in it.

Some people’s so-called ‘art’ is nothing more than an information gap. They only have a superficial understanding of it, but in the face of a group of ignorant audiences, they can speak nonsense. "

After listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, Tao Yumo said: "Brother-in-law, are you just saying that they are 'grappling'? However, no matter what, you cannot deny that the Stars Art Exhibition has indeed expanded its influence to the art of painting, causing many people to Interested in art.”

"I don't deny this. But is it possible that a group of people with little talent or knowledge, or even people who are just looking for fame, are leading the public down a wrong path?"

"Brother-in-law, I think you admire authority. Doesn't art have to be about old academics setting the rules and having the final say?" Tao Yumo said unconvinced.

“A scholar is not necessarily a high-level artist, but if you want to become a high-level artist, you will undoubtedly need time and accumulation of works.

Geniuses such as Van Gogh painted for more than ten hours a day, and they only achieved great success after reaching the age of thirty-three. "

Tao Yumo couldn't refute the example Lin Chaoyang gave. She retorted: "He didn't say he was Van Gogh."

"But they want to hold an exhibition in the National Art Museum of China."

The original idea of ​​the Stars Art Exhibition was to be held in the National Art Museum of China. However, a group of people applied but did not receive permission, so they took a different approach and chose to hold the exhibition outside the art museum.

Lin Chaoyang's words were close to saying that this group of people "don't know the heights of the world". Tao Yumo muttered: "Old antique!"

"Okay. They are holding an art exhibition. What can you two argue about?" Tao Yushu became more and more excited as Tao Yumo talked and started to act as a peacemaker.

After the debate was interrupted, Tao Yumo was a little unwilling and looked at Feng Jicai again, "Brother Feng, do you also think that the works in the Stars Art Exhibition are fake?"

Feng Jicai said thoughtfully: "I don't know much about Western art, and my level is limited. Some of the paintings in the Stars Art Exhibition are indeed not of high quality."

Feng Jicai's tone was very tactful and humble.

He has been interested in art since he was a child. In the late 1960s, he and several painting friends went to write scripts for the comic book group of Tianjin Fine Arts Publishing House, and developed excellent painting skills. His first novel "Boxing of Boxing" was also born during that period.

If we really talk about the artistic level, Feng Jicai thinks that he is not inferior to some of the paintings in the Stars Art Exhibition.

But he did not dare to be like some people, who shamelessly label their work as "avant-garde" or "pioneer", openly put it in front of the public, and speak nonsense.

Because he knows that his level can only be regarded as that of a primary school student in front of real painters, but some people don't seem to understand this truth.

It is obviously just the level of college students' practice, but they want to create a feeling of a future master.

Complacent with the superiority created by the information gap, thinking that he is a pioneer, in fact, he is just a frog in the well.

This is also the reason why Tao Yushu hesitated when he asked Feng Jicai at the beginning.

It is difficult for him to agree with others on things he does not approve of.

Lin Chaoyang's words just now are very much to Feng Jicai's taste, and he said everything he wanted to say.

After more than an hour of busy work, Lin Chaoyang prepared four dishes.

At the table, Li Tuo was the most active, "Come on! Big Feng, try Chaoyang's craftsmanship. I tell you, his craftsmanship is absolutely unique in our industry."

"Only in our industry?" Lin Chaoyang asked back.

Li Tuo gave him an apologetic smile, then changed his words to Feng Jicai and said, "It is indeed inaccurate to say that. He is the best cook in the circle of writers. He is the best novel writer in the cook industry!"

Faced with Li Tuo's joke, Lin Chaoyang smiled helplessly and shook his head, and Feng Jicai couldn't help laughing when he heard it.

But after tasting the dishes, Feng Jicai agreed with Li Tuo's statement.

He also ate a lot of meals from writer and editor friends, and Lin Chaoyang's cooking skills were indeed first-class among them.

Li Tuo, who was eating delicious food, shook his head and said, "I'm thinking about it. Do you think that when friends from other places come to Beijing in the future, in addition to our family, should they also come to Chaoyang to report and sign in?"

Li Tuo has a cheerful and easy-going personality, and is righteous and enthusiastic. He is not only well-known in the Yanjing writer circle, but also many writers from other places know him.

In the past two years, more and more writers from other places have come to Yanjing on business trips and manuscript revisions, and they always stop by Li Tuo's house to "pay their respects."

Feng Jicai clapped his hands and laughed, "This is a good suggestion. Your family is the 'Imperial Study', and Chaoyang's family is the 'Imperial Kitchen'."

Lin Chaoyang objected, "Imperial Study and Imperial Kitchen are all feudal dregs, too vulgar, it's better to call it Xunweizhai."

"You are too cunning, giving your family such an elegant name, did you think about it a long time ago?" Li Tuo said dissatisfiedly.

"No, absolutely not, I am just following your ideas, okay? You can also give your family a name."

Lin Chaoyang said confidently, leaving Li Tuo speechless.

He thought for a long time, racking his brains but still couldn't come up with a good name for his family, so he was unhappy.

Tao Yushu on the side looked at their childish behavior and shook his head speechlessly.