Chapter 490 "The Rural Teacher Trilogy" (Fourth update)
The novel "Desolated Capital" has a completely different style from the novels Jia Pingwa wrote before, and the work has also received mixed praise and praise.
Perhaps this is caused by the changes in his mood that he has encountered in recent years?
The funeral was officially held at eight o'clock the next morning. In the countryside, this was called "going up the mountain." For the villagers in Dihua Town, it was originally also going up the mountain - the cemetery was on the hillside behind the town.
The funeral route was measured in advance by Mr. Yin Yang. Once the route is selected, it does not matter whether it is sunny or rainy, it will build a bridge when encountering a river or drive a ladder when encountering a slope, and never look back.
As the eldest, Jia Pingwa wore mourning and walked at the front of the procession holding her father's portrait in her hands. When she arrived at the burial place, she followed Mr. Yin and Yang's instructions to "lay down the coffin." Jia Pingwa also wrote a eulogy for her father. I read it before the grave.
"My father, Jia Yanchun, taught in the countryside all his life and retired in Dihua, Danfeng County. The stomach cancer recurred at the beginning of the year and he became bedridden three months later. He suffered from hunger and pain until the 27th day. In the evening, he suddenly died with a smile."
The writing is sincere.
After the funeral, the Jia family held a banquet to thank the guests and those who helped. Fang Minghua and the others drove back to Xijing after eating.
It will be seven days until I see Jia Pingwa again.
After the time entered August, the Writers Association had many meetings. They often studied in two days and three days to learn various documents, and they were not allowed to ask for leave. Even Chen Zhongshi, who was writing behind closed doors in Bailuyuan, was no exception.
It is for this reason that Fang Minghua and Chen Zhongshi were able to get together and chat, which is what happened today.
After studying in the morning, we still had discussions in the afternoon. At noon, we all had dinner on the Writers Association stove. It was extremely hot outside, so we didn’t go home and just chatted with a few people in Fang Minghua’s office - because of the tea in his office. The high-end tea was not the labor insurance tea distributed by the Writers Association, but the Longjing tea brought from home. Several people liked drinking tea, so of course they would not give up this opportunity.
Drinking hot tea and blowing the electric fan, the four of them chatted.
Jia Pingwa's face is still a little yellow, but her energy is much better than before. She doesn't drink anymore, but she still keeps her cigarette in her hand.
"Zhongshi, have you finished writing your book "White Deer Plain"?" Jia Pingwa asked casually.
Although Chen Zhongshi has not disclosed the content of his novel so far, everyone knows the title of his novel - his hometown Bailuyuan.
Chen Zhongshi was also smoking. He was smoking a cigar brand called "Bashan", which was made by a factory in Hanzhong area. It had a strong taste but was cheap.
After listening to Jia Pingwa's question, he said: "It's still early. The first draft is finished, but the second draft is less than half written."
"Minghua, I heard that you are also preparing a novel?" Jia Pingwa asked Fang Minghua who was sitting next to her.
Fang Minghua didn't hide it, and admitted generously that he was writing a novel about rural education.
"Are you writing about rural education again? Counting the "Rural Teacher" and "No One Left Behind" that you wrote earlier, wouldn't this become a trilogy?"
Fang Minghua didn't notice. This question, now listening to Jia Pingwa, is indeed true.
"Lu Yao, what about you?"
"I haven't written a novel. I'm writing an essay, mainly about some feelings about "The Ordinary World". This is at the invitation of Minghua ." Lu Yao said.
"It's not me, it's the reader." Fang Minghua denied.
After "The Ordinary World" was officially published, it has been printed twice. A huge group of readers want to know the background of Lu Yao writing this novel and some of his feelings. These letters from readers were published by Shenzhen Haitian Publishing Company. The company was transferred to Shengshi Books, and then handed over to Fang Ming from Song Tangtang.
So Fang Minghua saw Lu Yao and invited him to write an essay.
Lu Yao agreed, and he has been busy with this during this period. The essay is called "Morning Begins at Noon". Lu Yao also wrote it in history, and it is very touching.
It is very common for writers to write essays, let alone a work as popular as "The Ordinary World". Jia Pingwa nodded and said nothing more.
"I said Pingwa, you asked around, what are you writing about?" Lu Yao asked.
“I have been worrying about my father’s affairs these past few months, how could I have the time to write anything?” Jia Pingwa smiled bitterly: “But after burying my father, during the few days I lived in my hometown , I had some ideas after I calmed down."
"What ideas?" Lu Yao asked. "I want to change."
"Change what?"
"I used to write about rural areas, about our Shangzhou, but now I want to write about cities, about Xijing where we live now. In the past, they were all traditional narratives, but now I want to write about something more magical."
Listen When Jia Pingwa said that she planned to write a "magic" novel, Chen Zhongshi, who had been relatively silent just now, also raised his head and looked at him.
"Magic? Magical realism?"
"Yes, Zhuang Sheng's dreams are obsessed with butterflies, and the emperor's spring heart is supported by cuckoos." Jia Pingwa slowly blew out a smoke ring.
Li Shangyin’s poems.
When Chen Zhongshi heard this, he actually smiled, and the wrinkles on his face relaxed.
“You said, this is strange?”
“What is strange?”
“The book I am writing now also has a magical realism color, Lu The article "The Tree of Life" published by Yao at the beginning of the year also contained magic. Well, Pingwa, the new book I am preparing now is also about magical realism Minghua. What about the one you are writing now?"
< br>Chen Zhongshi turned his head and looked at Fang Minghua.
"I don't have realism, but I use new realistic novel writing techniques." Fang Minghua told the truth.
“Look at you a few years ago, you were shouting about avant-garde writing, stream of consciousness, postmodernity, magical reality. We listen to you now, which is better for you, but you went to reality again, and we followed I won’t go.”
The other two people laughed after hearing this.
Think about it.
But it’s just a joke. As for which writing technique to use, that is the writer’s own business.
After chatting about literature for a while, the topic of health came up again. Jia Pingwa had hepatitis B. Several close friends already knew about it, so everyone was concerned about how his health was now.
"Hepatitis B, I have a say." The speaker was Lu Yao: "Although it is not curable, it is much milder than my cirrhosis. As long as I take medicine on time and pay more attention to my diet, it will be better." It’s nothing, so Pingwa, don’t worry about it. Don’t you think I’m not doing well now?”
“That’s true. I just can’t drink anymore.”
I thought. When she drank "Zhao Shao" before, Jia Pingwa let out a long sigh as she looked like everything was in the cup.
"Two of the four of us can't drink, only Zhongshi and Minghua are left. You should drink less, lest we see you and get greedy." Lu Yao said, half joking and half serious.
"Okay, my wife also asked me to drink less. Before I went to the United States this time, she specially told me that I can find someone to dance with, but I won't let me find someone to drink with. You two can't drink. It's just me and Teacher Chen. What's the point?" Fang Minghua said.
But it was true. From then on, Fang Minghua drank significantly less wine.
In addition to writing, I occasionally give lectures at Western University.
This year, major colleges and universities across the country will hold classes in August to make up for the courses owed during the semester.
There is nothing new in Fang Minghua’s lectures. They are all literary theories that have been taught before: stream of consciousness, avant-garde literature, new realistic novels, etc.
These literary theories have long been published publicly. He only simplified the content, but in some places he went into more depth - after all, he was dealing with graduate students in the Chinese Department.
They are not writers but they do have a high level of literary theory.
At the end of August, Song Tangtang went to the United States and returned to China with her two children.
(End of this chapter)