1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 390 Ye Shengtao: "He already has the aura of a great literary figure!"

The next morning, the sky was gloomy and dark.

There were layers of light gray clouds floating in the sky, neither high nor low, and far from the momentum of dark clouds covering the city.

Outside the half-covered glass printed window, sparrows fluttered back and forth on the windowsill, chirping loudly and waking Cheng Kaiyan from her sleep.

The blurry picture gradually became clear as my eyelids blinked rapidly.

"Um--"

Cheng Kaiyan, who was holding a notebook in her arms, got up from the bed, sat cross-legged, stretched her body and let out a lazy moan.

Last night, or to be exact, the whole day yesterday, he was immersed in the creation of "Atonement".

But most of the time I was thinking in my mind, deducing and arranging the introduction of the plot.

He originally wanted to start writing from the moment the protagonists of the three stories met, so that the plot would be more coherent, the information would be more fully laid out, and the readers would be better engaged.

But after much thought, I decided to go straight to the main storyline.

The second lady Cao Hanyu began to write a script. The content of this script, called "Lianxiang Ji", actually hinted at the love experience of the eldest lady.

Secondly, the protagonists of the entire novel are said to be the eldest daughter Cao Yanan and the housekeeper's son Jiang Mingzheng, but it would be better to say that the real protagonist is the second daughter Cao Hanyu.

Atonement, atonement, the one who atones is Cao Hanyu.

After clarifying his thoughts, Cheng Kaiyan officially started his creation after dinner that night.

He had the intention of writing a masterpiece from the very beginning. He read literature and materials, took professor-level individual courses from his aunt, and also had Cheng Kaiyan patiently polish the outline of the first volume with a plot as detailed as a hair.

Everything seems to indicate the perfection and artistry of this work after its completion.

But to be honest, Cheng Kaiyan didn't have much confidence.

I don’t have much confidence that I can perfectly express and present the “Atonement” that I have in mind during this period.

I was even a little worried that my writing would ruin the work.

After all, both the epic life of a national army officer in the Republic of China and the original work "Atonement" are excellent creative manuscripts.

You should know that this modernist literary work, originally written in 2007, has won numerous literary awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

In this era of the 1980s, Cheng Kaiyan even feels that it has a chance to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Of course just thinking about it.

But it is enough to illustrate the value and importance of the work "Atonement".

It can be said that such a suitable opportunity will most likely never come again.

This made Cheng Kaiyan hesitate.

"Hiss... I think I should ask the old man to take a look. I feel like I'm a little bit unsure."

Cheng Kaiyan sat on the bed, the plot she wrote last night flashed through her mind, and this bad feeling instantly reached its peak.

Having made up her mind, Cheng Kaiyan got dressed, got up and walked to the bed.

"Shh-"

Pulling open the blackout curtains, the view suddenly became brighter.

"Seven o'clock, cloudy, and it looks like it's going to rain."

Cheng Kaiyan glanced at the sky, began to pack up the manuscript papers on the desk and stuffed them into his briefcase, then took an umbrella from the wooden window frame and walked out of the room to look for his mother in the next room.

Knocked on the door,

"Kaiyan?"

"It's me, Mom. I had something to do and went out for breakfast."

"understood."

After informing her mother, Cheng Kaiyan picked up her bag and pushed her bicycle out the door.

On the street, sleepy pedestrians were walking hurriedly, and there were long queues at breakfast stalls on both sides.

"Give me some wontons, ma'am."

"Okay, young man, would you like some soybean milk? Auntie saw that you got up so early, so she'll give you a bowl."

The lady selling wontons asked with a smile while rolling the dough with her hands.

"Then have a bowl."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded. He still wanted to challenge his weak spot, so he sat aside and waited.

A moment later, a large bowl of hot wontons was served, with chopped green onions and coriander floating in the clear soup with oily spots, and a bowl of bean juice that looked like mung bean soup.

After taking a bite of the wontons, I immediately felt the aroma and was very satisfied.

"puff--"

He took a big sip, trying to hide his taste buds, but his face soon changed drastically.

The challenge failed.

"Next time, seal your tongue with a plastic bag?"

Cheng Kaiyan thought without giving up.

Early in the morning, the sound of pigeon whistles could be heard in the distance. Cheng Kaiyan finished her breakfast, left a bowl of soy milk, and left.

In more than ten minutes, we arrived at No. 71, Dongsi th Street, Dongcheng District.

The grey tiles of the courtyard were wet with a few crabapple leaves, and a few unknown flowers and plants were swaying in the wind on the hollow lattices on the white courtyard wall.

Cheng Kaiyan glanced through the lattice and saw a familiar figure watering the flowers in the yard.

"teacher!"

"Kaiyan, you're here? Come in quickly."

……

After entering the yard, the father and son sat side by side beside the flower bed and chatted.

"You came here so early, have you had breakfast?"

The old man patted Cheng Kaiyan's back with his wrinkled hands and asked in a gentle voice.

"Don't worry, I ate early in the morning."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded.

"You little brat, you came so early to disturb me, an old man, and you didn't even bring some breakfast! I've been craving for the donkey meat hotpot at Dazhalan!"

Hearing this, the old man glared at him and said angrily.

"..."

Cheng Kaiyan was speechless. "Come on, I'll buy it for you. It only takes a minute."

The old man stared at Cheng Kaiyan, then suddenly laughed, "I'm just teasing you. Your Aunt Yao won't let me eat it because it's too oily and I can't digest it."

"You..."

Cheng Kaiyan was speechless, but the sense of distance between the two men after not seeing each other for a while was indeed gone.

His eyes fell on the old man, and Cheng Kaiyan discovered that he was wearing a thick coat, but his hands were still cold, and his spirit was lower than before.

Cheng Kaiyan couldn't help but frowned and asked with concern: "Old man...how have you been these days?"

"I'm in good health. I just caught a cold a while ago. I'm feeling better after taking some medicine."

Ye Shengtao sighed softly, not knowing what he was thinking about.

"Why are you sighing? You're still a long way to go. Aren't you still waiting for me to marry Sister Xiaoli and have great-grandchildren?"

Cheng Kaiyan encouraged.

"But a person's age is determined by fate. It all depends on whether he has the blessing."

Ye Shengtao shook his head. He thought that it was certain that the two little people would get married. They were going to get engaged in May.

But he didn't think the child would be able to see it.

"Let's not talk about these things so early in the morning."

Cheng Kaiyan quickly interrupted the old man's worries and sighs, and turned the topic to the purpose of today's visit. He said solemnly: "To be honest with you, old man, I came here today to ask you something."

"Thing? What's the matter?"

Ye Shengtao was surprised. "During the New Year, I unexpectedly found some inspiration. I have been busy looking up information and writing an outline recently. However, after writing some, I am not sure about it, so I would like to ask you to take a look and check it..."

Cheng Kaiyan explained patiently.

"Oh? New work?"

Ye Shengtao became interested and reached down to take out his glasses from his chest pocket.
"Bring it here so I can have a look. You have no idea how bored I am at home. The standards for publication in those literary magazines are becoming more and more popular. It takes a long time to find a few decent articles."

"Haha, this is what the times require. With such a large readership, there are only a few excellent writers. Isn't it the only way to discover new talents and give them opportunities?"

Cheng Kaiyan smiled, picked up the briefcase, and considerately handed the classified manuscripts to the old man.

"That's true."

Ye Shengtao nodded and took it.

What caught my eye was the title of the book and a brief introduction:
"Atonement?"

Ye Shengtao held the title of the manuscript in his hand, continued to look at the light blue handwriting below, and read in a deep voice:
"In 1934, Cao Hanyu, the young second daughter of the Cao family, caused her elder sister Cao Yanan and her lover Jiang Mingzheng to be separated and die in natural disasters and wars due to a self-righteous misunderstanding. Since then, she has spent her life writing the novel "Atonement" to atone for her early mistakes."

"The Republic of China? Kaiyan, how did you come up with the idea of ​​writing about the Republic of China? And this theme: writers attempt to atone for their sins through their creations?"

Ye Shengtao's eyes, which had been a little cloudy and tired just now, now lit up. This contradictory topic made him very curious.

The title of the book is Atonement, and the book written by the protagonist in the article is also called Atonement.

In addition, the heroine attempts to atone for her sins by making up a story.

Is this kind of atonement really atonement?

Isn't it easy for a writer to invent a perfect life?
Ye Shengtao frowned and thought carefully. This involved a profound discussion of literature and ethics, and it would take some time to come to a conclusion.

To be honest, the title and introduction alone aroused his interest. Kaiyan was indeed a writer who could not be compared with other writers.

He is worthy of being the student I chose!
Ye Shengtao raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

"The core story of this work is actually Xiaoli's mother's personal experience of having a younger uncle. He was the son of a housekeeper in his early years and was framed and imprisoned. Later, he joined the National Army to fight against Japan... This epic experience gave me inspiration."

Cheng Kaiyan gave a brief explanation.

"The foundation of this story is very good. Apart from fictional stories, the biggest source of material for us writers is the real world. I am very pleased that you can capture inspiration from it."

Ye Shengtao praised.

"hehe."

Cheng Kaiyan smiled and said, "Then you take a look. I'll go take a look around."

"go Go."

Ye Shengtao waved his hand and asked Cheng Kaiyan to go play aside, while he leaned back in his chair and began to read from the outline impatiently.

In the first chapter, the focus is on the character, growth and knowledge of the second lady Cao Hanyu.

The first play she wrote, "Lianxiang Ji", clearly hinted at the fate of the eldest daughter.

Ye Shengtao had some impression of the work "Clarissa" by Samuel Richardson that she was reading. This work tells the story of the pure girl Clarissa being deceived, imprisoned and finally died tragically by the rake Lovelace.

Apparently, this 18th-century epistolary novel was an important factor in leading Cao Hanyu to misunderstand Jiang Mingzheng when she saw her sister taking off her clothes and jumping into the water.

The details are quite well done.

Ye Shengtao raised his eyebrows, he felt that this work was not simple.

Before I knew it, an hour had passed.

After reading the entire outline of this unfinished novel, which only has more than 2,000 words, Ye Shengtao felt both excited and gratified.

"Have you finished reading it?"

A voice suddenly came from beside me.

"Ah."

He hummed, shook the manuscript paper, looked up at his young student, and sighed:

"I didn't expect that Kaiyan, you already have the demeanor of a literary master! Although this novel is not yet completed, its literary context and atmosphere are already revealed!"

"Your work follows the path of modernist literature, right?"

Having said this, the old man's expression suddenly became serious.

"That's it."

Cheng Kaiyan was somewhat surprised by her teacher's evaluation of him as a literary master, but she did not take it to heart.

In fact, the subsequent volumes of "Atonement" also involve metafiction, a postmodern literary creation technique, and each volume is a different metafiction.

But now he has only written the beginning, so naturally there is no way to get a glimpse of the true face.

Modernist literature is part of 20th century capitalist culture. The industrial revolution crushed centuries-old cultural traditions, and industrial society caused unprecedented alienation in people.

After World War II, Western universal values ​​of freedom, peace and benevolence collapsed in the war.

Countless writers and artists have been caught up in this unprecedented crisis.

This kind of literature does not advocate using works to reproduce life, but advocates starting from people's psychological feelings to express the oppression and distortion of life on people.

In modernist literary works, characters are often distorted, stories are often absurd, and themes are often desperate.

Franz Kafka, an Austro-Hungarian writer, Marcel Proust, a French writer, and James Joyce, an Irish writer, are three writers known as the pioneers of Western modernist literature.

This is not realism, nor is it educated youth literature, nor is it some crappy scar literature.

Although the influence of modernist literature has gradually given way to postmodernist literature, it is now absolutely a mainstream in the international literary trend that cannot be underestimated.

Even after another fifty years, it will still be the unremitting pursuit of many literary masters.

The old man analyzed on his own: "The tragedy between Cao Yanan and Jiang Mingzheng originated from Cao Hanyu's limited and distorted subjective perspective.

The heart of this 13-year-old adolescent girl is full of literary fantasy, moral absolutism, love and desire for the adult world.

These seemingly correct but actually distorted cognitive misunderstandings interpreted the fountain incident and the library incident and constructed a completely wrong reality. "

“You really understand this!”

Cheng Kaiyan was surprised and laughed.

You have to know that the teacher only looked at the outline of volume one or two and an introduction, but he was able to get so much information. He is worthy of being a literary master.

"It seems that my guess is good."

Ye Shengtao caught his surprised look and smiled.

But Cheng Kaiyan soon showed a bitter smile on her face: "Although you praise me, I actually don't have much confidence."

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have confidence. No writer can have absolute confidence in all the words they write.”

Ye Shengtao consoled him, and he thought for a moment, then analyzed it seriously and calmly: "The current domestic literary genre is still at the end of the scar literature, while reform literature and educated youth literature are emerging.

When it comes to keeping up with the international trends, domestic writers are still far from being able to catch up. Only a few writers have dabbled in magical realism and stream of consciousness.

But you, Cheng Kaiyan! I am very optimistic about this "Atonement", and I hope you can treat it well.

Chinese writers have officially integrated into the international trend, and it is up to you to go abroad with dignity. "

"call……"

Cheng Kaiyan took a deep breath for a long time, and finally nodded silently.

"Take your time, you are still young. I will take you to see someone later, while he is still here."

Ye Shengtao pondered for a long time, patted him on the shoulder, and spoke meaningfully.

"Meet someone? Who?"

Cheng Kaiyan asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon."

A hint of sadness flashed in the old man's eyes.

"It's time to eat! We've been chatting for a long time this morning! Do you want to eat?"

At this time, Aunt Yao Cheng's angry roar came from the kitchen.

"I'm coming!"

The two were startled by the sudden roar, and quickly stopped communicating and trotted over.

(End of this chapter)