Chapter 275

As a high-level secret agent of the KMT and one of the "Four Great Vajras" under Dai Li, Shen Zui had personally captured and killed hundreds of people. In the Gongdelin prison, he had written statements confessing to two or three hundred people, and there were many names he couldn't even remember.

Hearing the name Jiang Jiang Limin all of a sudden, he really couldn't quite recall it.

"What about Jiang Jiang Lizhong?" Shen Shen Meijuan asked again.

Shen Zui was puzzled: "I can't remember. Are they brothers? What do they do?"

"Nothing, they're just characters in the novel. They are indeed brothers," Shen Shen Meijuan said sheepishly.

"Isn't that nonsense? How could I know characters from a novel? Why did you suddenly ask this?"

Shen Shen Meijuan: "It's just that this novel writes about you, and it feels quite realistic."

"What? It writes about me? Let me see." Shen Zui perked up and took *Harvest* from her.

"Dad, I've only read half of it. Let me finish it first."

Shen Zui: "You have a long life ahead of you; of course, I'll read it first."

Shen Shen Meijuan looked helpless. Shen Zui continued from where she had just been reading and saw his own name, "Shen Zui," directly. Good heavens, he was using his real name directly without even trying to avoid it, right?

However, he couldn't understand the context since it was in the middle of the story, so he flipped directly to the front and saw the title of the novel: *The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes (Part I)*.

Wasn't this a line from the Great Man's poem? Seeing this line, he felt as if he had returned to the years in Yunnan when he was forced by Lu Han to stage an uprising.

Shen Zui declared that he must criticize it; although he was already dark enough, he couldn't let people smear him just like that.

In the high-ranking cadre ward of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Ba Jin was visiting Mr. Mao Dun. He had arrived in Yanjing a few days ago, but Mr. Mao Dun's condition had been relatively serious at that time, and it had only eased slightly today, allowing him to see guests.

Although the doctor said his condition was not suitable for visitors, he felt that his days were numbered and that every meeting was one less. Moreover, he had already finished his memoir, *The Road I Have Traveled*, and the final task of his life was complete; now he just needed to sit and wait for that day to come.

This meeting with Ba Jin was also to discuss the future work of the Writers Association. Looking at Ba Jin, who was eight years younger than him and looked spirited, Mr. Mao Dun teased him: "Your physique is really good. I think you can live to be at least a hundred."

Ba Jin waved his hand: "What's the use of living that long? As a writer, your most vigorous energy is in your youth. If you asked me to write a novel now, I couldn't do it, and even if I did, no one would read it."

"Yes, one can only write memoirs."

After saying this, the two looked at each other and smiled.

After laughing, Mr. Mao Dun asked: "Has this issue of *Harvest* been published?"

"Yes, can you still read?"

"Fortunately, my eyes still work, and my fingers can turn the pages."

Ba Jin sighed: "I actually brought it with me; I even bought it myself. I hadn't intended to take it out."

"Give it here," Mr. Mao Dun laughed, "I am a loyal reader of *Harvest*. Let me see what the young writers are writing about now."

He opened the table of contents and was immediately attracted by the words "The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes (Part I)."

"If heaven had feelings, heaven would also grow old; the human righteous path is vicissitudes." He instantly thought of the poetic Great Man. The first half of these two lines borrowed from Li He's poem, while the second half was original. Seeing this line, many memories flooded back.

He looked at the author's name again: "Wei Ming?"

"You still have an impression of him, right?"

Mr. Mao Dun thought for a moment: "At the Literature Congress, I was the oldest, and he was the youngest, right?"

"He asked you for a group photo, didn't he?" Ba Jin asked with a smile.

Mr. Mao Dun's memory was quite good: "Not just me; you, me, and Xiao Shi (Cao Yu, courtesy name Xiao Shi), plus this kid—the four of us even took a group photo."

"That's him. *The Herdsman* and *Spring in the Sheep-Herding Class* were both written by him. The key is that he's not even twenty yet. A true young genius with a limitless future."

"I know, I know. And the ox, the donkey, the duck—I've read them all. I heard they were even made into movies," Mr. Mao Dun asked again, "Is this a full-length novel?"

"Yes, over 600,000 words, a family history and KMT-CCP history spanning more than twenty years," Ba Jin briefly introduced the content of the novel, "I was a bit worried at first about him writing on this subject at his age. I didn't expect him to complete it so well. The writing is mature, the historical materials are detailed, and it only took him a year. That's young people for you. If it were me, it would be good if I could finish it in ten years."

Mr. Mao Dun did not read the novel directly. He remembered something. His son, Wei Tao, was not there, so he said directly to Ba Jin: "I mentioned to Wei Tao before that I wanted to establish a full-length novel award named after me, using my inheritance as the prize money. Wei Tao and the others agreed, but I still feel a bit uneasy in my heart, thinking it's not very appropriate."

"Where is it inappropriate?"

"Using my name."

Ba Jin asked with a smile: "How much are these royalties of yours?"

"About 250,000."

Ba Jin was slightly surprised. So much? That's twice as much as mine! Ba Jin began to reflect on whether he had been a bit too extravagant in his daily life.

He then said: "To be able to donate such a huge sum of money—this is the income of a lifetime—and not leave it to your descendants, but choose to contribute it to the literary cause, what's wrong with putting your name on it? You don't need to worry about this matter."

Hearing his old friend comfort him like this, Mr. Mao Dun breathed a sigh of relief, held Ba Jin's hand tightly, and said: "Then please take care of this award in the future."

This tone felt like a final entrustment. Ba Jin nodded solemnly and agreed.

At this time, Mr. Mao Dun's son, Wei Tao, and daughter-in-law, Chen Xiaoman, came in. Ba Jin knew he had been there for a while, so he stood up to say goodbye and urged Mr. Mao Dun to rest well.

Mr. Mao Dun patted his hand one last time with an earnest look in his eyes. Ba Jin nodded; as long as he was still in that position, he would definitely keep an eye on this Mao Dun Literature Prize for him.

The next day, Ba Jin was preparing to return to Modou when he received a call from Wei Tao. Hearing that it was him calling, Ba Jin's expression was sorrowful; he was already prepared to hear that bad news.

As it turned out, Wei Tao said: "Ba Jin, I shouldn't bother you with this matter, and it's not according to the rules, but I still want to ask if the subsequent manuscript of *The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes* can be borrowed for a look."

"Ah?" Ba Jin didn't expect to hear this.

Wei Tao explained: "Yesterday and today, when my father was conscious, he was reading *Harvest*—to be precise, he was reading Wei Ming's full-length novel. While reading, he would recall the past with us, mentioning many comrades and offering praise many times. But I know that's only the first part and it's incomplete. I don't want my father to only be able to read an incomplete story before he leaves. I just don't know if Comrade Wei Ming has finished writing this novel."

Ba Jin breathed a sigh of relief; he thought it was something else.

"The manuscript exists, it's just that the follow-up hasn't been revised yet. But Xiao Wei's handwriting is clear, so it won't hinder reading. You just wait, I'll make a call."

Wei Ming and Wei Hong were packing their luggage, and Liu Liu Rulong was there too. The three of them would fly to Modou together.

A plane!

Wei Hong was incredibly excited. Her brother, grandmother, and mother had all already flown on a plane.

Lao Lao Lao Wei, on the other hand, was indignant. After today, he would be the only one in the whole family who hadn't flown on a plane. If he had the chance, he really wanted to take one.

Just then, the phone rang. Wei Hong nimbly stepped over the luggage to answer it.

"Hello, hello, this is Wei Ming's home. May I ask who is calling? Looking for... Ba, Ba Jin! No, Ba Jin, hello, please wait..."

Wei Ming had already walked over, picked up the phone, said a few words, and hung up.

"Brother, what did Ba Jin want with you?" Wei Hong asked. A-Long and her parents also crowded over.

Wei Ming took the subsequent manuscript of *The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes* out of his bag: "Mr. Mao Dun just read my novel and is anxious to see the plot that follows. Dad, don't go out for a while. I gave the address to Ba Jin, and Mr. Mao Dun's son will come over to pick up the manuscript in a while."

Lao Lao Lao Wei didn't know the situation and laughed: "This Mr. Mao Dun has quite a temper."

Of course, he was also happy that his son could receive the appreciation of such a great literary giant—Lu, Guo, Mao, Ba, Lao, Cao, after all.

However, Wei Ming was clear that a generation of literary giants was about to fall. He remembered very clearly that it should be shortly after the 1981 Spring Festival, and *The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes* wouldn't finish serialization until the end of May. He definitely wouldn't be able to wait for it.

Being able to let Mr. Mao Dun finish reading his novel in advance and have it become the last novel he read in his life could be considered his own honor.

Wei Ming gave a few more instructions, telling Lao Lao Lao Wei to hand the original manuscript to Mr. Wei Tao. As for returning it, there was no rush; he could also revise the manuscript using the backup copy. Moreover, Lao Lao Lao Wei and Xu Xu Shufen would soon be taking Grandmother back to their hometown to prepare for the New Year, and there would be no one at home during that time.

Xu Yunyun would be spending the New Year at her in-laws' for the first time, and with the first third-generation member of the Mei family in her belly, there was no need to worry about her being wronged.

As for the Black Cat Detective, Lao Lao Lao Wei decided to move it to the courtyard and let it get familiar with Ginkgo for a few days. From then on, this cat and dog would be entrusted to Seeing Biaozi and Xiao Mei.

Wei Ming couldn't wait to meet Wei Tao; the three of them had to catch their flight.

*The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes* had just been published, and the letter from Editor Li urging him to go to Modou to revise the manuscript had arrived. In addition, the royalties had also been credited.

A-Long was also urging him; after the final exams, he couldn't wait to go to Modou to find his girlfriend. If Wei Ming hadn't said he would cover the plane tickets, A-Long wouldn't have wanted to wait for him.

Wei Ming hugged his bag tightly, and the three set off.

Inside the bag was also a letter that Lao Gui had just sent from Hong Kong. The most important thing inside was a land deed—the land deed for the garden villa at No. 2 Jueyuan.

Back then, when his great-aunt's family left Modou, they entrusted it to a distant relative of the Shi family to look after. Later, the house was confiscated, and this distant relative didn't leave any descendants, so it had been used as an office space for government units.

Lao Gui told his sister in the United States about the matter. She mailed the land deed back, saying that if it could be reclaimed, then reclaim it; if not, it didn't matter. Her husband had already passed away, she had no children herself, and she had no attachment to this old villa; she likely wouldn't come back to live in it anyway.

If it could be reclaimed, it would be considered a gift to the younger generation, meaning Lao Lao Lao Wei and his little sister, whom he had never met, should discuss how to divide it.

This house was much larger than Wei Ming's; it was estimated that half of it would be worth his own. It was just that his father didn't know yet that he was about to inherit half of a top-tier luxury mansion in Modou.

Of course, it also depended on whether the documents in Wei Ming's hands could be used to claim the house. Generally, in such cases, it seemed that the descendants of the parties involved needed to return to the country to handle it.

Besides the ownership of the old Jueyuan house, Lao Gui also mentioned seeing Shen Zui in Hong Kong and asked if Wei Ming knew about Shen Zui's recent movements. Lao Gui was worried that Shen Zui was targeting him.

Shen Zui, well, he was currently fully immersed in reading the novel, even to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. It had to be said that the reading experience of this novel was so smooth that he simply couldn't stop.

It wasn't until he saw the second half of *The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes (Part I)* that he saw himself appear, and his interest immediately increased greatly, although his screen time wasn't much at first.

But the feeling of seeing one's own name in a fictional novel was quite wonderful.

Of course, this novel wasn't entirely fictional. The highlight at the beginning was the plot of the Whampoa Military Academy. The male protagonist, Jiang Jiang Limin, was from the third cohort of Whampoa, and his eldest brother, Jiang Jiang Lizhong, was a Whampoa instructor and later a big shot around Chiang, even more impressive than his direct superior, Boss Dai.

Shen Zui had spent ten years in Gongdelin, and the one thing that wasn't lacking there was Whampoa people. Shen Zui liked listening to them tell their stories, so even though he had never attended the Whampoa Military Academy, he knew a lot about it.

What this author said basically matched up, which showed that he had put a lot of effort into collecting materials.

However, as he continued reading, Shen Zui started to sweat. Damn it, how did this person know so many of his little secrets, even some of his verbal tics, micro-expressions, and habitual small actions were known like the back of his hand!

With just a few strokes, it was as if the two were old friends.

You have to know that Shen Zui hadn't published his memoirs yet. The reports he confessed were all submitted directly and were not circulated externally; people at ordinary levels couldn't see them at all.

It seemed this author had considerable influence!

Wei Ming had indeed checked a lot of materials, including the Literature and History Materials Museum of the CPPCC, but this was mainly due to the fact that he had read enough and widely enough in his previous life, accumulating a wealth of knowledge.

Shen Zui's *My Thirty Years*, published in 1983, *My Secret Agent Career*, published in 1986, and *Between Man and Ghost* in 1993—Wei Ming had read them all. Coupled with some unknown inside information revealed by Lao Gui, the writing felt very realistic, leaving Shen Zui stunned, as if there were a pair of invisible eyes beside him.

His daughter asked him if he knew Jiang Jiang Limin. Now Shen Zui was a bit uncertain. Could it be that there really was such a person among the Communists back then, and this was actually a work of documentary literature?

As he read, he thought. In the novel, when Jiang Jiang Limin was young and couldn't make it in his hometown, he went to Modou to seek refuge with his brother-in-law and sister, who were KMT veterans.

What a coincidence, when Shen Zui was eighteen, he couldn't make it in Changsha and was expelled from school, after which he went to Modou to seek refuge with his sister and brother-in-law, and it was also under his brother-in-law's recommendation that he embarked on this path of being a secret agent.

It was just that Jiang Jiang Limin was recommended by his brother-in-law to go to Whampoa.

After he became a secret agent, he was soon appreciated by Boss Dai and became one of the "Four Great Vajras."

And in the novel, the brothers Jiang Jiang Lizhong and Jiang Jiang Limin also had a close relationship with Boss Dai, and both brothers were also involved in underground work.

Suddenly, Shen Zui thought of a possibility: could this Jiang Jiang Limin be written based on himself as a prototype!

Shen and Jiang—both had the water radical!

Although there was already a Shen Zui in the novel, some of Jiang Jiang Limin's experiences really matched his own, and their personalities had similarities; it was just that the two had different stances.

If he were also a believer in Communism, perhaps he would be Jiang Jiang Limin.

Don't look at him as a secret agent; when he was young, he had also been hot-blooded. He had once brought classmates home and shouted "Down with the local tyrants and evil gentry" at his father, and in the novel, Jiang Jiang Limin had also done similar things.

The more Shen Zui thought about it, the more he felt this possibility existed. At the very least, this male protagonist had his own shadow. So, his interest in this novel grew, and he read every paragraph very carefully, as if he could dig out Jiang Jiang Limin's true identity from it.

However, after a brief appearance, Shen Zui soon had no more screen time. The plot continued to develop from Jiang Jiang Limin's perspective, and then it ended.

Ah, why did it end here! It's too short!

Actually, it wasn't short; it was over 200,000 words. Half of the space in this issue of *Harvest* was given to *The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes (Part I)*.

It was just that even if Shen Zui desperately wanted to see the subsequent plot, he didn't have the ability to get the subsequent manuscript. Did you think you were Ba Jin?

Seeing him close the magazine, his daughter ran over and asked: "Dad, can I read it now?"

"Here," Shen Zui thought for a moment and asked, "Juanjuan, how much do you know about this writer?"

"Wei Ming, don't you know?"

"Is he very famous? Why should I know?"

"The *Same Song* that you like to listen to is written by him. Of course, he is mainly a writer. Director Xie Jin's *The Herdsman* was written by him. I've always wanted to accompany you to see it."

"Then how old is he? Where is he from?"

*China Youth Daily* had introduced Wei Ming, this young model, many times. Shen Shen Meijuan opened her mouth and said: "Comrade Wei Ming works at Peking University. It seems he is from Hebei, and he's only about twenty years old."

"Is Wei Ming his real name or a pen name?"

"Real name."

"Real name? Surname Wei? From Zhili?" Shen Zui stood up abruptly. Going to Modou to seek refuge with his sister, and his eldest brother was a high-level KMT official—suddenly, a name popped into Shen Zui's mind.

Wei San'er!

Wei Ming, Xiao Hong, and A-Long bought three copies of *China Youth Daily* while waiting for their flight at the airport. The "Top Ten Youth Screen Images I Love Most" selection activity was still ongoing, and they could vote for Gong Xue after buying the newspapers.

As for Zhu Lin, forget it; even if they voted for her, she wouldn't be selected. Her popularity base was too far behind.

They were whispering when Ba Jin arrived. Wei Ming hurried over to help him with his luggage; they had known they were on the same flight when they were on the phone.

After Ba Jin arrived, the first question was: "Does that newsstand still have *Harvest*?"

Wei Ming shook his head: "No more."

Ba Jin laughed: "It seems I still underestimated your strength. I'm afraid a circulation of 600,000 can't satisfy the readers."

He only thought that *The Human Righteous Path* wasn't the currently popular "educated youth reflection" subject matter, but he forgot that Wei Ming was the most popular writer at the moment, the kind that brought his own heat.

Wei Ming said modestly: "The works of several other colleagues are also excellent; it's everyone's credit. I think the novella by Teacher Chen is quite good."

Besides urging him to revise the manuscript, Editor Li had also mailed him a copy of this issue of *Harvest*. Wei Ming had read it all; he always maintained awe for writers of the same era who could make a name for themselves.

Ba Jin smiled and nodded. Although he felt that young people should have some sharpness, Wei Ming's introverted sharpness was even more commendable.

Afterward, Wei Ming expressed concern about Mr. Mao Dun's health. Ba Jin praised Wei Ming even more: "Mr. Mao Dun thinks very highly of this work of yours. If it weren't for his poor health, I would have wanted to ask him to write a preface for you to use when it's published in the future."

After hearing this, Wei Ming hurriedly said: "It's the same if you help me write it. In my heart, you are all the greatest writers of the current age."

Ba Jin laughed out loud this time.

At this time, on the desk of Mr. Cao Yu, who had been squeezed out, was placed the newly written stage play script for *The Tale of Two Donkeys*. This was the final version, and after he reviewed it, rehearsals could begin.

As for Li Li Guangfu and other members of the *Teahouse* crew, they had returned from their European tour last month, but the content of *The Tale of Two Donkeys* required a group of young actors; Li Li Guangfu was considered old.

He asked Yu Yu Shizhi again about the situation of the People's Art performance training class this year. The recruitment advertisement had to be put out; otherwise, good materials would all run off to the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama.

At the home of Song Fan, a member of the Yanjing Writers Association and a fairy tale writer, his youngest daughter, Song Dandan, had been distracted by falling in love. She didn't pass the college entrance exam last year, and it didn't look like she had a chance this year either.

Today, when he returned home, he found her still lazily sitting on the sofa reading a novel, not putting her mind on her studies at all.

"You child, can't you just apply yourself? You only know how to read novels," Old Song said, heartbroken.

"I'm reading *Harvest*; I'm currently receiving cultural edification," she said, having her own logic.

"So it's *Harvest*!" Song Fan said happily. When he went to buy it today, there was no stock left. How many days had it been on the shelves?

"Song Dandan, why don't you let Dad see it? You should go review your textbooks. You can't relax just because it's the holidays."

Song Song Dandan stared tightly at the magazine: "No, I've already decided not to take the college entrance exam."

"What!" Song Fan's volume increased abruptly.

Song Song Dandan moved *Harvest* aside: "Don't get excited. I said I'm not taking the college entrance exam, not that I'm going to be a professional drifter and wait for death. I've already thought it through. I plan to take the exam for the People's Art performance training class. People said that those with excellent grades can stay at People's Art and have an iron rice bowl to eat from."

"Are you so sure you can have excellent grades?"

Song Song Dandan said optimistically: "What's hard about that? Isn't it just talking? That's what I'm best at."

Song Fan thought for a moment; it seemed to be true. His daughter was only in her early twenties, but she could imitate her grandmother speaking Shandong dialect quite well, and she could even imitate the tone of an old person. And it had to be said, his daughter had a high nose bridge, big eyes, and looked quite pretty.

"Then are you thirsty? Are your eyes tired?" Song Fan was plotting against his daughter again, wanting to snatch her *Harvest*.

Song Song Dandan was unmoved: "Old Song, save it. I'll let you read it after I finish *The Human Righteous Path is Vicissitudes*. I've been waiting for this novel for a year. I can read other articles another day."

Song Fan: "Sure enough, you're reading this novel too. Tell me, how is it written?"

Song Song Dandan replied: "You say, how is this person's brain grown? I heard he's not even older than me. How can he be so talented? And he looks outstanding too. After I finish reading, I have to write him a letter and ask if he has a partner."

Forget it. After she said that, Song Fan was even more thirsty and impatient. No, why are you asking if he has a partner?

…………

(Minimum quota for today)

(End of chapter)