Father's Land Mother's River

Chapter 35

I got off work at [-] o'clock in the middle of the night, and slept until [-] or [-] o'clock the next morning before waking up one after another. It was the first time I worked on shift work, and I didn't quite adapt to it.

I have to work the night shift tonight, and after lunch, many people go back to sleep, afraid that the night shift will not be able to refresh their heads.Liu Xiaonan lay on the bed and read for a while, guessing that it was almost time, put on her coat and got out of bed, took out the manuscript of "The Teacher" from the closet, and walked out of the dormitory alone.

When she got off work in the middle of the night yesterday, Wu Yanli taught her experience face-to-face like a master.The few hours of sleep at night during the night shift are the most important. No matter how much sleep you get during the day, you have to hold on no matter how sleepy you are in the afternoon. If you sleep steadily at night, you will not be sleepy when you work on the night shift.

Liu Xiaonan felt that what Wu Yanli said was reasonable, so he decided to use the afternoon to go to the editorial department of "Haiyan" and visit the editor Mr. Zhao Guangzhi, whom he had never met before, but who gave him enthusiastic advice.

He walked slowly towards the bus station along the avenue of the factory area, his heart pounding all the way.Countless thoughts were churning like a sea, and he didn't dare to predict the result.

Can the door of the editorial office be entered casually?How will the editor teacher treat himself and his own works?I started to be nervous and worried when I was far away from a hundred and eight thousand miles away, and it was nothing more than going through fire and water. I couldn't help complaining about my timidity and cranky thinking.

When I got on the bus, I kept a high level of vigilance, looked left and right, and hugged the big envelope tightly to my chest.I was afraid that someone would mistakenly think that there was money in the big envelope in his hand and snatch it with a knife.

After getting off the bus and walking up the hillside street to the gate of the small building of the editorial office, I felt calmer.Already at the gate, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and break in.

I explained my purpose to the guard at the gate, and the uncle registered and told him that the editorial office was on the second floor.

It turned out to be so simple, and the mysterious color of the editorial department disappeared immediately.It was quiet in the small building, and I didn't meet anyone when I went up to the second floor.There are wooden signs marking each department on the door, and the editorial department is in the middle. The wide wooden door is not closed tightly, leaving a finger-wide gap.

Liu Xiaonan looked in through the glass on the door, and there were six or seven people inside who were either working at their desks or talking softly.He wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants, lowered his head slightly and raised his hands, took a few deep breaths, paused for a moment before knocking on the door three times.

Hearing someone shout "Please come in", Liu Xiaonan opened the door and walked in, bowed blankly, and asked, "Excuse me, who is Teacher Zhao Guangzhi?"

"I am." A middle-aged man sitting against the wall turned around and looked at him.With a short back, wearing a gray suit and casual clothes, he looked like a high school Chinese teacher, and a girl who looked like a student was sitting opposite him.

Liu Xiaonan walked over, stretched out his hand and said, "Mr. Zhao, hello, my name is Liu Xiaonan. I have contributed manuscripts before, and you have sent me books and periodicals."

Zhao Guangzhi smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry, there are too many authors, so I can't remember them at the moment."

Liu Xiaonan handed over the big envelope in his hand: "Mr. Zhao, I brought a manuscript, do you have time to read it?"

Zhao Guangzhi took the envelope.The female student stood up and said, "Mr. Zhao, you are busy, so I will take my leave first."

"Wait a minute, I'll take a photo of you and publish it with your essay." After talking to the female student, Zhao Guangzhi lifted an empty chair, put it on the side of the desk, and said to Liu Xiaonan, "Sit down."

Liu Xiaonan sat down anxiously, and the female student nodded to him.At a glance, he saw clearly her chest, wearing the white school badge of the Provincial Normal University, becoming more anxious and ashamed.

Zhao Guangzhi took out the manuscript and read a few pages, thought for a while and said to Liu Xiaonan, "I remember. I don't remember your name, but I remember your characters. It's very unique, like a knife and a halberd. It has an ancient style and charm. If I remember correctly, you used lined letter paper for the submission."

Liu Xiaonan nodded ashamedly and said, "Yes, I didn't understand anything at that time. You wrote me a long letter and sent books and periodicals, reminding me that in the future, I should use a ruled manuscript to transcribe my manuscripts."

Zhao Guangzhi said to the two young people in front of him: "You two can communicate first, and I will read it soon."

Zhao Guangzhi lowered his head and read the manuscript carefully.Liu Xiaonan himself was not good at talking to strangers, and the female student had a cold and arrogant face, rejecting people thousands of miles away, so he had no choice but to keep silent.

Time is tough.Teacher Zhao was expressionless, and Liu Xiaonan was flustered and flustered, like a prisoner waiting to be sentenced.

The editorial room is large, with six desks and rows of filing cabinets along the walls.The editors were busy with their copywriting, and the female students were reading a publication alone, all of which created an invisible pressure on Liu Xiaonan.He felt that the air was stagnant, and the silence seemed to be stagnant.

Finally finished reading, Zhao Guangzhi gently closed the manuscript, raised his head and asked Liu Xiaonan, "Are you here on a special trip to deliver the manuscript?"

Liu Xiaonan said: "I just came to work in Bincheng Textile Factory, and I want to ask you for advice in person."

Zhao Guangzhi smiled: "You have reached the gate of literature."

The heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and the blood rushed all over her body. Liu Xiaonan was so excited that she said, "Mr. Zhao, can you publish it?"

"Of course it can be published." Zhao Guangzhi patted Liu Xiaonan on the shoulder, comforting him and said, "We plan to publish a special issue of our first novel in January next year, and it will be called Xiao He. Your novel deserves its title."

Liu Xiaonan stood up, bowed deeply to Zhao Guangzhi, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhao! Without the instruction from your letter a year ago, I wouldn't be able to write this novel."

Zhao Guangzhi pulled Liu Xiaonan to sit down: "It's nothing. It is our responsibility to support young literature lovers. I just happen to be in charge of your area. As a beginner writer, it is not easy to write to this level. The starting point is very high, because of this , I want to put higher demands on you. Your novel is not perfect, for example, Mr. Guan in the beginning, is it too perfect and magical, not so real?"

Liu Xiaonan explained: "Mr. Guan did have pigtails, and he did save dozens of people in the village. He was indeed my teacher for a day. It's a pity that he only taught me how to do it for a long time, and then he fell ill and passed away. I wrote The characters are just copied from his old man's calligraphy style."

"No wonder." Zhao Guangzhi picked up Liu Xiaonan's manuscript again to look at it, and handed it to the female student who had been listening to his conversation with Liu Xiaonan: "Xiaoyue, as a college student in the Department of Chinese, are you interested in sharing your views? "

Xiaoyue took the manuscript and smiled faintly at Liu Xiaonan: "Then I'll have a sneak peek."

Liu Xiaonan replied, "Please give me more valuable advice."

Zhao Guangzhi said to Liu Xiaonan: "The reality of life is not equal to the reality of art. It gives people the feeling of unreality, precisely because the details are not well described. I give you some advice, read more classics, and ponder carefully, and you will be able to comprehend the description from it over time. The rules and skills of literature. Literature needs talent, but also need to persevere. Beginners writing should not be eager for success, greedy for more than one can chew, write an article, and each article will make progress, and if you stick to it, you will succeed."

Liu Xiaonan kept nodding and said, "I bought a set of "The Quiet River on the Don" that you recommended to me, read it twice, and really benefited a lot."

Zhao Guangzhi asked Liu Xiaonan another topic: "Don't you live in the countryside, why did you come to work in a textile factory?"

Liu Xiaonan said: "Typhoon No. [-] brought disasters to our village, and the textile factory went to recruit farmers to rotate workers, so that we have the opportunity to get out of the countryside."

"Farmer rotation worker" Zhao Guangzhi pondered: "A fresh term, an opportunity of an era, may also be a turning point in your life. First arrange your work and life, find inspiration from work and life, and never be separated from work and life. Live, to engage in literary writing blindly, after all, you are not a professional writer.”

Teacher Zhao's warning calmed down Liu Xiaonan's mind.

Zhao Guangzhi got up and opened the filing cabinet, found a file bag, put some manuscript papers and periodicals in them and gave them to Liu Xiaonan, and took out two manuscript papers and gave them to Xiaoyue.

Xiaoyue took the manuscript paper, returned Liu Xiaonan's manuscript to Zhao Guangzhi, and said humbly: "I can't write such characters and novels, so I dare not make rash comments."

Zhao Guangzhi didn't force it either, he put away the manuscript and picked up his camera and said, "Come on, let's go outside and take pictures of you two."

On the mountain road up the mountain beside the editorial department, Zhao Guangzhi took full-body portraits of Liu Xiaonan and Xiaoyue from different angles.When they broke up, Zhao Guangzhi said to the two of them: "I look forward to your new works, and you are welcome to come to the editorial department often."

Liu Xiaonan said, "I'm afraid of disturbing the teacher's work."

Zhao Guangzhi said: "Communication with the author is also part of the editor's work."

Liu Xiaonan said, "I feel like I have nothing more to write about."

Zhao Guangzhi held Liu Xiaonan's hand and laughed, both jokingly and pointedly: "Experience life with your heart, make more accumulation, or talk about a vigorous love. Literature cannot be separated from great love."

Xiaoyue said on the side: "Love is an inexhaustible writing material."

Liu Xiaonan said in her heart, I am a rotation farmer, so I am not qualified to have a vigorous love affair.

After bidding farewell to Teacher Zhao, Liu Xiaonan and the female college student Xiaoyue walked to the bus station together.After walking for a while, Xiaoyue handed the two manuscripts to Liu Xiaonan: "I don't use it very much, so I'll give it to you."

Liu Xiaonan declined. This is a special manuscript paper with the name of the editorial department printed on it, which is very precious.

Xiaoyue said lightly: "Our school also has special manuscript paper, you just keep it. If you refuse to accept it, I can't comment on your novel."

Of course Liu Xiaonan wanted to hear the opinions of contemporary college students on her novel, so she had no choice but to accept the two manuscripts.

Xiaoyue looked ahead and said solemnly: "Don't you think that the characters in your works are not wearing clothes? You don't describe their clothes at all. Kong Yiji still has a tattered gown, let alone the three teachers you respect. By."

Liu Xiaonan couldn't help laughing and said, "Yeah, why didn't I realize it at all? I usually dress casually, and I don't pay attention to what other people wear. Maybe it has something to do with it."

"It's purely an excuse." Xiaoyue said bluntly: "You don't need to pay attention to your own clothes. The clothes of the characters in your writing must have characteristics and conform to the identity and personality characteristics of the characters."

"Thank you for your advice." Liu Xiaonan said in embarrassment: "Dressing and wearing a hat are familiar to others, but it is difficult for me. I will not pay attention to things that are not of interest. However, I think external characteristics, especially clothing , does not fully reflect a person's inner world and character traits. For example, I am still a farmer even in a suit and leather shoes, and I can't get rid of the identity and habits of a farmer in my bones; for example, you are still a farmer even in a sack College students, the best of their time."

Xiaoyue gave Liu Xiaonan a cold look and said, "It's not the cow who plays the piano that is sad, but the person who plays the piano."

Xiaoyue walked away alone and got on the bus without even waving his sleeves.Liu Xiaonan only remembered that she had a pair of pointed canine teeth, which were half hidden and half exposed when she spoke, shining like porcelain.

(End of this chapter)