Literary Master 1978

That night, after Zhang Dening left, Lin Chaoyang asked Tao Yushu: "Have you really considered going to Yenching Literature?"

Tao Yushu looked at him with a puzzled look on his face, "Didn't you support me before? Why don't you agree now?"

"It's not that I disagree. If you become an editor, you can be considered to be doing professional-related work. Of course I support you.

It's just that I always hear those students from Yenching University talking about their assignments recently. I am closest to those from the Chinese Department.

That group of people, after graduation, all want to stay in Beijing, join the Literary Association, join publishing houses, and magazines. They think that they can realize their literary ambitions while doing related work. I feel too idealistic.

In recent years, literature has become a popular subject, not because of its own success, but because of changes in the social environment and the outbreak of years of repression.

After a while, people's enthusiasm Lowered, returning to rationality and utilitarianism, the sacredness of this job is gone, and it may be worse than those jobs that they looked down on in the past. "

After listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, Tao Yushu's eyes showed a thoughtful look, "You have some truth."

"But for now, I don't regard this job as a lifelong career, but I like this job more than going to government agencies."

Lin Chaoyang nodded slightly, "It's good that you have this awareness. I just hope that you can like your job and feel a sense of accomplishment."

His words touched Tao Yushu's heartstrings. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, saying softly: "I understand that work is also a part of life, and you have to experience happiness and happiness."

"That's right." Lin Chaoyang put his arm around her waist, his face gentle.

After the winter solstice, the temperature in Yanjing was getting lower and lower every day. The temperature in the library was comfortable and the atmosphere was quiet. As soon as the afternoon came, people felt drowsy.

After lunch, Lin Chaoyang wrote a new novel for a while and felt sleepy, so he wanted to take a nap on the table.

Less than a minute after closing his eyes, the elevator arrived at his floor and he had to get up.

He thought it was a request card sent downstairs, but it turned out to be a note.

After taking a look at the note, Lin Chaoyang went downstairs and saw Li Tuo and Zhu Wei waiting at the front desk.

It was cold outside, so Lin Chaoyang took the two to a corner inside the entrance of the library, "What do you want to see me for?"

He was asking Zhu Wei. If Li Tuo had something to ask him, he would have come by himself and would not have asked Zhu Wei.

The two came together, so it could only be Zhu Wei who had something to ask him.

"Chaoyang, do you know about the essay contest held by our magazine?"

Zhu Wei is the editor of "China Youth". In April this year, the 8th issue of "China Youth" issued a notice "This magazine is holding a short story essay contest for the "May Fourth" Youth Literature Award".

The editorial department collected literary works from readers and opened the "Collected Novels" column.

The essay collection activity will last from the 13th issue of 1981 to the 12th issue of 1982. "China Youth" is a bimonthly magazine for a period of one year. In each issue, the "Collected Novels" column will select and publish excellent novels recommended by the editorial department.

Lin Chaoyang knew about the essay collection organized by "China Youth". He occasionally read literary magazines and also looked at the articles published on them. The essay collection activity has been held for half a year. More than a dozen novels have been published, including many excellent works.

Since 1978, various literary awards have flourished in the domestic literary world. There are only two national awards, but there are dozens of literary awards organized by newspapers and periodicals.

Awards are so rampant that literary enthusiasts are enthusiastic and active in participating, but for people in the industry, it is inevitable to feel aesthetic fatigue.

"I know, it's been going on for a long time, right?"

Zhu Wei said: "Yes, it started in July, and it's been almost half a year now. Are you interested in being a judge?"

Faced with Zhu Wei's sudden invitation, Lin Chaoyang was a little surprised.

Things like awards need to be prepared, and the judges are basically determined long before the awards. How can they invite judges after half a year?

Seeing Lin Chaoyang's puzzlement, Zhu Wei had to explain the reason.

It turns out that the articles published in their essay contest are equivalent to the shortlisted works, which are first recommended by the editorial department, and then the judges will select the winning works from the shortlisted works.

During this period, the editorial department is actively contacting respected predecessors in the literary world to serve as judges. Considering that these predecessors are busy, the editorial department means to set up a jury first, so that everyone will have enough time to participate in the selection in the next six months.

Reading dozens of short stories in half a year, you can squeeze out time anyway.

After listening to Zhu Wei's explanation, Lin Chaoyang smiled modestly and said, "I don't have enough experience to be a judge."

"Experience as a judge is only one aspect, literary literacy and literary achievements are the most important. Although you are young, your works have always had a huge influence. It is our dream to have you as a judge."

Zhu Wei's words were a bit flattering, but most of them were from his heart.

In terms of age alone, Lin Chaoyang is indeed too young among the writers, but in the past few years, he has proved his talent and creative ability with many works, which has been recognized by the literary world.

Li Tuo also advised: "Chaoyang, I think you should be the judge. This is not only for yourself, but also for the fairness of the award. There is no formula for outstanding literary works, and each judge has different reading tastes. You are young, which is precisely an advantage. You can put forward different views from those elders."

Zhu Wei echoed: "Li Tuo is right, and this is also an important reason why we invited you."

He then revealed several famous writers who were invited, Ding Ling, Feng Mu, Wei Junyi, Wang Meng, Liu Xinwu...

Among them are Ding Ling, Feng Mu, such respected predecessors, as well as Wang Meng, Liu Xinwu, such middle-aged forces.

"And you are the representative of young writers in the literary world." Zhu Wei said to Lin Chaoyang sincerely.

Lin Chaoyang smiled bitterly, "Why do you say that if I don't participate in the award, it seems that I will let down our group of young writers?"

Zhu Wei laughed and said: "This is your influence!"

After a conversation, seeing that it was hard to refuse the kindness, Lin Chaoyang accepted the job of judge.

The next morning, Zhu Wei came to the library again and brought Lin Chaoyang a previous appointment letter and a complete set of "China Youth" magazines from 1981.

These days, being a judge for a magazine doesn't make money, and the judges can't spend money to read the magazines, so the editorial department prepared magazines for the whole year of 1981 and 1982 for the judges, and the magazines published later will be sent one after another.

After get off work in the evening, Lin Chaoyang went home with a thick stack of magazines. Tao Yushu asked: "Why did you buy so many magazines?"

"I didn't buy them, they were given to me."

Lin Chaoyang told Tao Yushu about the fact that "China Youth" invited him to be a judge. Tao Yushu said happily: "Ding Ling and Feng Mu are judges like you, what are you not satisfied with?"

"No, they invite you, you have to be polite, right?"

"Hypocrisy!"

Two days later, it was the weekend, and the couple went to Mianhua Hutong to visit Lin Erchun and his wife.

Tao Yushu mentioned Lin Chaoyang's role as a judge during the chat. Lin Erchun and his wife didn't know much about award judging. They only knew that other judges were in their 50s and 60s, and only their son was on par with them in his 20s.

"Will this award be published in the newspaper?" Zhang Guiqin asked.

"It will be published, not in the newspaper, but in the magazine." Tao Yushu replied.

"Will Chaoyang's name be included?" Zhang Guiqin asked again.

"It should be."

"Then buy me a copy when the time comes."

Tao Yushu smiled slightly, but she had already guessed her mother-in-law's thoughts.

In the afternoon, the two returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment. Lin Chaoyang changed his clothes and wanted to lie on the bed for a while, but Tao Yushu was studying in the study room with a book in his arms.

"You are about to graduate, why are you still studying?"

"It's the last final exam, and I don't want to get a bad grade."

This is probably called idol baggage.

Seeing his wife's hard work, Lin Chaoyang also gave up the idea of ​​taking a nap, sat opposite her, and concentrated on writing a novel.

He has been writing his new novel for several months but it is still not finished. He has indeed been a little slack in the past six months and needs to hurry up.

On the eve of New Year's Day, Tao Yushu completed the last exam of her four years of college. Five days later, the results came out. She was still the first in the Chinese Department of Yanshi University, and she also won the first place in the thesis defense.

On the second Thursday after New Year's Day, Yanshi University held a graduation ceremony in the school auditorium. Lin Chaoyang went to witness Tao Yushu's speech as an outstanding graduate representative.

After the graduation ceremony, Tao Yushu had not had time to share her feelings about speaking on stage with Lin Chaoyang, nor had she had time to talk to her classmates, before she was notified by the department to collect the assignment letter.

Coming out of the office building, Tao Yushu's expression was calm. Her graduation destination had already been determined, and today was just a formality.

But others were different. Some were happy and some were worried after getting the dispatch certificate.

"Yushu, where did you go?" The classmates surrounded Tao Yushu and asked with concern.

"I am from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles."

Tao Yushu showed the dispatch certificate to everyone, and everyone looked at the unit on it with envy.

"Yenjing Literature" is a comprehensive magazine sponsored by the Yanjing Federation of Literary and Art Circles. She was assigned to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and then arranged by the Federation of Literary and Art Circles to work in the magazine.

"The Federation of Literary and Art Circles is a great unit!"

"I also want to go to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, why was I assigned to the newspaper?"

"Just be content, at least I'm doing a job related to my major. I was assigned to the university near my home as a teacher. It would be great if I could stay in school as a teacher!"

"You think it's beautiful. Do you think you are Yushu? You always rank first in the exam? You haven't even taken the postgraduate entrance exam, and you still want to stay in school!"

"We study Chinese, why should we be assigned to the Foreign Affairs Bureau? I can't even speak English fluently."

...

Just after learning about the assignment, the students were noisy. Most of them were dissatisfied with the assigned jobs. This is normal. There is always someone better.

Tao Yushu was assigned to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. In the eyes of later generations, it was just a powerless and low-income government office, but in the eyes of today's college students, it was a very good job.

After the classmates surrounded her and praised her, they discussed the assignments of others and made a scene at the entrance of the building for a long time. Some classmates went to have a farewell dinner.

The graduation ceremony was over, and the assignment certificates were issued. Starting tomorrow, everyone will leave the school one after another.

The last lunch, the students ate, drank, sang, and cried...

As a family member, Lin Chaoyang could not empathize with their feelings, but he could understand the sadness and reluctance of the friendship accumulated over four years of college at the moment of separation.

In the evening, after dinner, the classmates said goodbye reluctantly. Some of them were already drunk and unconscious, and had to be sent back to school by their classmates.

Tao Yushu also drank some wine and was still sober, but Lin Chaoyang still let her sit in the back seat and let him ride the motorcycle.

"It's so fast, four years have passed in a flash, I still remember the first day of college."

Tao Yushu sat on the motorcycle and waved goodbye to her classmates, her face full of melancholy and nostalgia.

Lin Chaoyang chuckled and asked: "Only remember the first day of school? Don't you remember the day I sent you off? I have been a widow for half a year for you!"

The originally sad and melancholy atmosphere was completely destroyed, and Tao Yushu hit him angrily.

"When I went back, I saw you jumping around!"

"You didn't see the sadness I hid in my heart."

"You're getting more and more outrageous!"

Tao Yushu said with disdain, but her arms were around Lin Chaoyang's waist.

The wind in Yanjing in January was very cold. She tucked her head behind Lin Chaoyang's back, which was very wide and thick, and could protect her from the wind and rain.

"When do you plan to report?" Lin Chaoyang asked her while driving.

"Tomorrow."

"So soon?" Lin Chaoyang was surprised.

"I have nothing to do when I'm free."

Lin Chaoyang applauded Tao Yushu in his heart.

Good, good, you are worthy of it!