1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 317 Communication and Exposure

At the same time, in the middle building of Beijing Hotel.

In a suite on the fourth floor.

The solid wooden door opens directly to the balcony.

Two figures sat at a small round table on the balcony, drinking steaming coffee and looking at the snow scene in the distance.

“The heavy sense of history that comes over me…”

Professor Ansel looked down into the distance quietly and said absentmindedly.

The Forbidden City palace complex in the distance was covered in a layer of silver, and the bright yellow glazed tiles sparkled coldly under the snow.

"After all, it is a country with a history of 5,000 years. The historical heritage is something we cannot even dream of..."

George Joseph heard the teacher's sigh and laughed and teased.

Unlike when he came here, during the visits and exchanges over the past few days, he has seen many people and things, and his views have changed.

He drank the coffee in one gulp and asked casually, "Did the teacher see Cheng yesterday?"

He was not in the auditorium yesterday, but went to visit the school library, teaching building and other places with teachers from Beijing Normal University.

"seen."

Professor Ansel felt amused when he thought about the young man fainting from anger at the vice-president who had deliberately made things difficult for him.

I have to say, their first meeting was quite interesting.

"What kind of person is he?"

George noticed the strange smile on the teacher's face and his curiosity was immediately piqued.

"A very interesting young man. In his own words, he still has a childlike heart..."

Professor Ansel thought about it and didn't know how to comment.

"Fun, childlike, young..."

"You are really young!"

George muttered to himself, and it really sounded like a children's literature writer.

"Yes, in his early twenties, still very handsome."

Professor Ansel smiled and said, "To be honest, I really want to recommend him to go to Hollywood to be an actor. He will definitely charm a lot of women by then."

"Tsk tsk..."

George was amazed and returned to the topic, "I hope Cheng can bring some inspiration to your unfinished paper."

"This kind of thing cannot be forced. This time we are just meeting between readers and writers."

The professor shook his head and didn't think about it that way.

Although Cheng Kaiyan is indeed a very good writer, children's literature creation and children's literature theoretical research are two different things.

What's more, China's serious literary theory lags far behind that of the United States.

As for children's literature theory...

In the whole of Asia, only Japan started early and vigorously developed the research of children's literature, and can barely be considered at the forefront internationally.

China is not on the list yet.

Two factors combined.

The professor naturally did not expect Cheng Kaiyan to give him any inspiration. This meeting was simply to talk to Cheng Kaiyan about his work.

"Okay, we should get going. Cheng and I have an appointment today."

Thinking of this, Professor Ansel shook his head and said.

Then he returned to the room, put on warm clothes, and left first.

……

Half an hour later, everyone arrived at the Beijing Normal University Auditorium by car.

The professor did not directly participate in the exchange, so after the Penn exchange group was arranged, the professor went straight to the lounge where Cheng Kaiyan was.

"Beep!"

Professor Ansel knocked on the door, and after receiving a response, he slowly pushed the door open.

This lounge located on the second floor of the auditorium appeared before our eyes.

The room is neither big nor small, about ten square meters, with a large window, several single-seater sofas surrounding a coffee table, and even an office desk and chair.

On the coffee table there was a tea tray, a light blue porcelain pot and four teacups.

There were several books on the edge of the coffee table, including "Chinese Literature" which Professor Ansel had read.

It seems that this young man is prepared.

The professor nodded and looked at the young man sitting on the sofa by the window.

He was washing the teacup with hot water.

"Procedure."

The professor called out and walked over to sit down opposite him.

"Professor, you've arrived just in time. Have a cup of tea to warm yourself up. It's still early."

Cheng Kaiyan picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea and handed it over.

"Thank you."

The professor took it, and a fresh plant aroma came to him, the smell was very light.

"call……"

The two of them huddled together in the soft sofa, feeling the warmth of the tea in their hands and the faint fragrance flowing into their noses.

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he silently watched the ripples and rising water vapor in the teacup.

Only after the temperature reached the right level and I took my first sip of tea did we start chatting casually.

"Cheng, how old are you this year? You look very young."

"Twenty-one. In our country, young people of this age may have children running around at four or five years old."

"Having children has nothing to do with being young. In our country, people in their thirties or forties are still young people."

"Where's the professor?"

"Sixty-seven years old, still looks young, right?"

"You are young...you are such a joker."

The professor raised his eyebrows and changed the subject: "When did Cheng start writing? Did he start recording consciously very early on?
I think your description of the children's fantasy about the objects around them in "Submarine in the Night" is quite realistic. The room is a submarine, the window is a porthole, and the desk is a control panel...

Maybe you have developed the habit of recording since childhood?"

“It’s not a conscious record, it’s just a recollection of childhood as an adult.”

Cheng Kaiyan shook her head. Such fantastic ideas might seem very magical and incredible to many adults.

But for many children, these are just trivial things that happen in daily life.

They, including Cheng Kaiyan herself, were all unable to extricate themselves from fantasy when they were young.

For example, if you throw shells you pick up from the river into a water tank, they will turn into a beautiful girl.

I found pebbles of different colors on the roadside. They are actually magical gems, spiritual beads, and many more...

"Is this an adult's memory of childhood... a very apt description."

When Professor Ansel heard this, he suddenly felt like he had grasped something, but the feeling was fleeting and flew away from his fingertips.

“Perhaps this is why fairy tales are created.”

Cheng Kaiyan took a sip of tea, feeling the warmth and bitter aftertaste of the tea on his tongue. He squinted his eyes in satisfaction and spoke softly.

I have to say that the atmosphere is quite peaceful and relaxing as the two of them are drinking tea and chatting, and from time to time looking at the flowers and plants covered with snow outside the auditorium window.

"That makes sense. The idea of ​​the submarine is good, but the structure is a bit rigid and fixed. In my opinion, maybe you should be bolder and give full play to your imagination. This is your attraction...

Of course, if you want your work to win an award, the structure of this work may be a scoring point..."

Professor Ansel nodded, probably from the perspective of a reader and a literary critic, he analyzed a lot of the ramblings.

"After all, the judges like this kind of work that has a traceable history, and they can better apply their literary theories to analyze it. Am I right, professor?"

After listening to the professor's words, Cheng Kaiyan had a much better impression of this old man.

Such a detailed analysis is enough to prove the old man's dedication and love.

"You're right, literary award judges are like that."

The professor gave a thumbs-up, then picked up the book on the coffee table and said, "Compared to Submarine, another work, Shepherd Boy, is not as good as The Submarine, but I think it has the potential to become a bestseller."

“Bestseller?”

"Yes, the easy-to-understand text, allegorical philosophy of life, and excellent storytelling may make it a best-seller."

The professor explained in a serious tone, but in his opinion, the work only had the potential, but the actual conditions were insufficient.

For example, the first step of publishing abroad is a rather difficult thing.

"Maybe. The problem now is that it is published in China. Even if Chinese Literature publishes it abroad, it still won't make a splash."

Cheng Kaiyan shook her head. Unless the professor was willing to help, but that was unrealistic as the two had just met.

The two of them chatted one after another.

Cheng Kaiyan also tried to probe in a roundabout way, asking some questions about the process of publishing abroad, publishing houses, magazines and so on.

But the old man was just focused on the problem itself and didn't seem to have any intention of helping.

"Sure enough, it's not that easy to earn foreign exchange."

Cheng Kaiyan said in her heart.

But he didn't take it to heart, and instead talked about other children's literature works, such as Magic Gourd and Little Soldier Zhang Ga. He simply introduced the story, and the American professor was fascinated.

Interesting story, who wouldn't want to listen to it when they have some free time.

Unconsciously, time passed quietly.

"It's getting late, Cheng. I felt very relaxed during this chat. I also learned a lot about Chinese children's literature and its development. Thank you very much."

Professor Ansel glanced at his watch and found that it was already ten o'clock.

"You're welcome. These are all public matters. I was just chatting casually. I'll leave now."

Cheng Kaiyan shook her head, stood up and left.

There are people waiting for him outside.

"See you soon."

Professor Ansel smiled and watched his back leave the room, feeling a little satisfied.

My wish to meet and communicate with this talented writer has been fulfilled.

This means that apart from the academic visit, most of the goals of his trip to China have been accomplished.

Now it's time to get down to business.

The professor took out a pen and paper and started writing his paper at the desk in the lounge.

This time he got into the state quickly, his thoughts flowed smoothly, and his writing was inspired.

He went a step further in constructing a theoretical framework for children's fiction theory.

But the good times didn't last long. An hour later, the professor got stuck again.

"hiss……"

He held the pen and stared at the blank paper for a long time, grabbing his already sparse hair with force, looking painful.

This feeling of difficulty in advancing and retreating, in contrast to the smooth and natural movement just now, undoubtedly made him even more crazy.

Finally, the professor threw his pen in annoyance, slumped down on the table, closed his eyes and took a rest.

I don’t know how long I lay there.

Professor Ansel couldn't help but recall the scene of chatting with the young man just now.

This is not surprising, as people always have wild thoughts when they are upset.

"Submarine, Shepherding, Best Seller..."

"It's just a memory of childhood after adulthood... a memory of childhood!"

"Children's literature is created because of this... because adults recall their childhood, they create children's literature..."

The professor thought of Cheng Kaiyan's words, he lowered his head and pondered for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The professor said to himself: "It is not accurate to describe it as fiction. It only attempts to interpret the fictionalization of children's images in children's literature, but does not touch the essence of the matter!

I am afraid that not only is the image of children false, but even the original intention of creating children's literature is not for children, but actually related to adults..."

"hiss……"

Thinking of this, the professor suddenly sat up.

He put his hands on the table, looked at the opposite wall with an excited expression, and talked to himself.

It seems... I found the direction?

The professor was surprised to find that, just as George said, Cheng Kaiyan had helped him.

This flash of inspiration made him realize that his theoretical research path had deviated and also found a new direction.

But whether it is modification or starting over, it cannot be done in a short time.

The professor began to record his inspiration in detail in his notebook and tried to dig deeper for analysis.

Ten minutes later.

He put down his pen, looked out the window at the sky where snowflakes were beginning to fall, and said to himself, "Sure enough, a new direction doesn't mean that a paper can be completed overnight."

Professor Ansel had a hunch that he might not be able to write this paper himself.

Firstly, the old theory of children's fiction has shackled itself.

Secondly, changing the direction of the thesis topic means all previous efforts will be wasted and starting from scratch.

"Forget it, let's put it aside for now and talk about it when we return home...

But now Cheng's appearance has given me a new understanding of Chinese children's literature. I may be able to discuss with their children's literature experts and maybe get some inspiration..."

Although Professor Ansel was surprised by the inspiration brought by Cheng Kaiyan, he did not focus on him, nor did he choose to call him again to continue the previous topic in depth.

After all, Cheng Kaiyan is just a writer, not a scholar who studies children's literature.

……

At noon, the lecture is about to end.

Professor Ansel came out of the lounge, found George, and discussed, "I decided to extend my exchange at Beijing Normal University for one more day. How about we talk about the development and theory of Chinese and American children's literature the day after tomorrow?"

"Children's literature? Honestly, you should have talked to them about children's literature a long time ago. Maybe you would have discovered something different."

George nodded. The professor came to China to change his mood because his thesis research was stuck. He didn't plan to touch anything related to children's literature.

But the current changes may be due to...

Thinking of this, George asked, “How was your communication with Cheng today?”

"Very good, George is just as you said. He gave me some creative inspiration!"

Professor Ansel has calmed down now, but when he mentioned his new discovery, a blush of excitement appeared on his face.

"It is indeed related to Cheng. You can go up on stage and announce this matter."

George nodded thoughtfully and walked to the stage with the professor.

At this moment, the audience in the audience saw this scene and looked up.

Cheng Kaiyan and others were also among them.

"This old professor has never come up to discuss things before. What is he doing here this time?"

Jiang Zilong asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but the exchange will end tomorrow, so maybe it's a farewell."

Cheng Kaiyan shook her head.

At this time, the voices of the professor and the Chinese translator were heard from the stage.

“Teachers and students, my name is Ansel Stephens, and I’m glad to see you all here.

As time goes by, the three-day visit plan to Beijing Normal University is coming to an end.

During these two days of exchanges, we communicated on an equal footing and discussed Chinese and American literature. The academic atmosphere was quite strong, and the scholars, teachers and students were all very enthusiastic and eager to learn...

Today I also met Mr. Cheng Kaiyan, a Chinese writer whom I like very much. After the interview with Mr. Cheng Kaiyan, I benefited a lot and gained a lot.

For this reason, we plan to add one more day to the exchange itinerary at Beijing Normal University, to hold an exchange meeting on the theme of Chinese and American children's literature, and we sincerely invite Chinese children's literature experts to attend the meeting..."

……

As the professor finished speaking, many people in the audience heard what he said.

There was a lot of heated discussion because one of the names sounded familiar.

Cheng Kaiyan.

"What's going on? This professor is actually a fan of Cheng Kaiyan's calligraphy? Isn't he a foreigner? How did he see Cheng Kaiyan's works?"

"Teacher Xiao Cheng is Professor Ansel's favorite Chinese writer?"

"How did the professor see his work? Was his work published abroad?"

When these words were spoken, the teachers and students in the audience were stunned and shocked.

"So it's because I like his work that I wanted to meet him... What a shit luck!"

In a corner of the crowd, Xiao Jianshan, who had already awakened, learned the truth and looked in a certain direction of the mine with indignation.

There, Cheng Kaiyan and his group were sitting and chatting.

At this time, Jiang Zilong quickly turned his head and looked at Cheng Kaiyan with a look of astonishment.

But he had thought about this matter before and felt that Cheng Kaiyan's works should not be included in "Chinese Literature". But now when he suddenly heard Professor Ansel's words, he quickly made the connection.

"No wonder you were looking at a copy of Chinese Literature at that time. Your work was published at that time, right? You are so good, Cheng Kaiyan, you actually hid it so deeply?"

"that is!"

The others also responded.

“There were a lot of people at that time…”

Cheng Kaiyan looked at the old man on the stage who was surrounded and asked questions, and explained speechlessly.

……

After the lecture.

Many scholars and reporters asked the professor about these two matters in detail, and the professor answered them clearly.

It turned out that the work was published in "Chinese Literature" and was accidentally discovered by the professor.

Soon, the news spread.

Because it's really surprising.

The department head and literature expert of a world-renowned university is actually a fan of Cheng Kaiyan's books.

The next day, major newspapers in Beijing reported the news.

"Beijing Evening News" bluntly said: Chinese children's literature works conquered American professors!
"Wenyi Bao": Sino-US Children's Literature Exchange Conference, Pennsylvania University scholars invite Chinese children's literature experts to attend the conference for exchanges!
(End of this chapter)