Chapter 543 Touching Works
Feng Xiaogang made a movie called "Big Shot", which contains a classic shot of Li Chengru. This shot also created a golden sentence that has been popular for decades - don't seek the best, but seek the most expensive.
Many people in later generations will find this movie ridiculous, but this scene in the movie just reflects the real social environment after the initial results of reform and opening up in the 1990s.
Many people who have been poor for a long time and suddenly become rich inevitably have the attitude of nouveau riche.
Ma Dudu has been doing a lot of business in the past two years. He does anything to make money and knows all kinds of people in society. Naturally, he knows what kind of people they are. What he said to Lin Weimin may seem absurd, but it is closely related to the psychology of a group of people who have purchasing power today.
Ma Dudu has known Lin Weimin for many years and is very familiar with his financial strength. To be frank, those so-called "entrepreneurs" jumping around in society today are not even worthy of carrying Teacher Lin's shoes.
When these people were still digging for food in the soil, Teacher Lin was already driving a Mercedes-Benz.
Teacher Lin is not short of money, but he certainly doesn't want to open a museum and have to keep spending money on it.
Ma Dudu likes the antique business, and he is happy to use Teacher Lin’s things to do what he likes.
The museum was now run well, and both of them had gained what they wanted.
"Okay, I'll leave this matter to you. But you can't work for free. Five hundred yuan a month is enough for you as the 'curator'."
"Hey, Teacher Lin, your salary is too high." Ma Dudu said with a smile.
Although people's wages have increased a bit in the past two years, the increase is very limited. Many people can't even earn 200 yuan a month. Lin Weimin offered Ma Dudu a salary of 500 yuan, which is considered a high salary.
"Come on, this little money is nothing compared to what you earn from business. I just want you to not work for nothing."
It is no exaggeration to say that there was gold everywhere in the 1980s. As long as you dared to do it, it was rare that you did not make money. What's more, Ma Dudu was not only daring, but also had courage, scheming and ability. He made a lot of money by doing business in the past two years.
The two of them boldly expanded their thinking and talked about some specific construction and management measures of the museum, and Ma Dudu talked incessantly.
"Okay, I'll feel relieved to leave this to you!" Lin Weimin said with a smile.
After the two of them finished chatting, Lin Weimin handed over the museum matters to Ma Dudu.
There is no such thing as private museums nowadays, and the government does not even have a set of regulations. It is not an easy task to do this well, and it may take a lot of time, energy and money.
Until the museum is established, the antiques still need to be moved.
During these days in late March, the Beile Mansion, which had been under construction for more than two years, suddenly became bustling with cars coming and going in front of the gate, and there were a few young men who looked like they were from military backgrounds guarding the gate.
The neighbors around were very curious and would look inside from the gate when they had nothing to do. Some of the brave ones even asked the security guards about the situation.
Unfortunately, these guards ignored Lin Weimin's instructions and said nothing in response to the group's questions, which disappointed the onlookers.
The more unclear the situation is, the more likely it is to become a breeding ground for rumors.
On the seventh day after the car carrying the antiques appeared in Beile Mansion, a rumor spread among the people living around Beile Mansion.
The renovation and reconstruction of the Beile Mansion in the past two years was done by ZY in order to entertain Prince Sihanouk from Cambodia. He has been busy recently just to prepare for Prince Sihanouk to stay there when he visits China in the future.
The rumor is true. This was originally the Beile Palace. A Cambodian prince would be at the same level as a Beile in China. It is reasonable to renovate the Beile Palace for him to live in.
Combined with the few energetic soldiers who had just been discharged from the army standing at the gate of Beile's Mansion, his credibility soared.
Time flies and it is early April. The fourth issue of "Contemporary" is officially on sale.
Since Cheng Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain" was published in the first issue of January, the sales of the second and third issues of "Contemporary" have remained at a very ideal state, with an average sales volume of nearly 300,000 copies higher than this time last year. This is of course closely related to the publication of the hit novel "White Deer Plain" in the magazine.
The editorial department also has high hopes for the fourth issue of "Contemporary" in April, because this issue publishes Lin Weimin's latest work "No One Left Behind".
In the first few days after the publication, the public opinion and impact caused by the publication did not cause much splash.
It wasn't until a week later that letters from readers began to reach the editorial office.
To simply summarize the plot of the novel "No One Less", it is a story about an underage substitute teacher who goes through untold hardships to fulfill a promise.
There is nothing novel about the creative technique; the style is traditional and plain, not at all pleasing.
Tong Zhonggui discussed this issue with Lin Weimin when he was reading the manuscript. Compared with his previous novels, the style of "Not One Less" is too simple, and many readers who like Lin Weimin may find it difficult to adapt to it.
"In fact, it's not that the style of this novel is plain. What you feel is actually what the story brings to you. A novel about rural education is destined to have no ups and downs in its story, and its style cannot be so gorgeous and moving.
The simplicity of this kind of story is exactly what makes it most touching.
Xiao Tong, you have to remember that the waves on the sea are never as fierce as the undercurrents on the seabed. "
Since the 1980s, Chinese literature has not lacked eye-catching literary works. We have been madly absorbing all new things from outside, which is reflected in literary creation and appreciation, and we also demand innovation and change.
But now it is the 1990s, and the pursuit of innovation and change is no longer possible for many writers, and even readers don’t like to read anymore.
It is easy to raise the reading threshold, but difficult to lower it.
The style of "No One Less" means that it is not a heart-stirring epic like "White Deer Plain". It is like a stream. As long as readers are willing to read it, it will constantly wash their souls and allow them to gain spiritual peace and touch in this increasingly impetuous era.
The great elephant is invisible, the great sound is inaudible; the weight of a literary work is often not brought by the work itself, but rather a real power gradually accumulated by thousands of readers in the process of reading.
Lin Weimin also firmly believes that readers' tastes are not always consistent and single. In addition to its literary and ideological qualities, it is also important for a novel to be interesting. Lin Weimin is confident that the core story of "Not One Less" is touching enough.
The fourth issue of Contemporary has been on sale for more than a week, and there have been more and more reader feedback on No One Left Behind. Among the many letters from readers received by the editorial department, letters from students account for a very large proportion and the feedback is the strongest.
One of the letters from a reader attracted the interest of the editorial department and Lin Weimin.
“…Reports on poverty-stricken areas in China are always on the front pages of major media outlets. Sometimes we seem to have become numb to this situation. I often see reports on people’s livelihood issues, and when I feel distressed, I also feel extremely helpless.
There are too many difficulties before us, and no matter how hard we try, it seems that we cannot solve any of them.
What touched me most about the story of "No One Left Behind" is that Teacher Wei is alone and powerless, and her words carry little weight, but she is willing to take action for the simplest idea. Maybe her starting point is not noble, but the hardships she has endured for this matter prove her nobility.
After reading the novel, I felt ashamed, because compared with Teacher Wei, I, who always seemed to be concerned about the country and the people, had not taken any practical action to change the poverty and backwardness of this country.
I can't help but reflect that I have lived in the city since I was a child, and I did not catch up with the Up to the Countryside Movement and the Buzzing Movement during the most critical period of my growth. Compared with my older compatriots, I am happy.
But it is precisely because of this happiness that I seem to become dogmatic, arrogant, and ignorant of the sufferings of the world.
I would like to thank Teacher Lin for using such a touching work to awaken my conscience and sense of responsibility as a new-age college student.
I am a junior this year, studying at a normal school. According to the normal trajectory, I will be assigned back to my hometown in more than a year. That is where I grew up, a provincial capital city.
There, I might become a junior high school or high school teacher and spend my whole life teaching and educating people.
But today, as I write this letter, I have made a decision.
I want to be like Teacher Gao and Teacher Xiao Wei, go to the places where the motherland and the people need me most, go to those impoverished areas, and light a light for those children whose ancestors have not been able to afford food or education for generations.
I hope I can use my knowledge and ideals to change their lives and help them escape from generations of poverty and backwardness.
..."
The reader who wrote this letter is obviously a college student. After reading "No One Left Behind", I don't know if he was acting on impulse, but it seems that he is planning to go to a poor area to be a teacher.
At that time, there was no concept of remote teaching. When Lin Weimin was writing the novel, he was more thinking about advertising the Hope Project. He did not expect it would have such an effect.
The college student naturally had good intentions, but Lin Weimin was afraid that he was acting on impulse. After thinking about it, he decided to write a letter back to explain the pros and cons to the other party, telling him not to be impulsive before making a decision, and it is best to think carefully to avoid regrets later.
After replying to the letter, he told his colleagues in the editorial department about the incident. "Recently, everyone should read more letters from readers. We should pay attention to letters like this one. Novels are literary works. It is a good thing if they can touch people's hearts, but we are afraid that some young people will become impulsive because of them. In the future, if you see such a situation in the letters, you must write a letter to advise these young people not to make decisions on impulse."
The colleagues nodded in agreement.
At the same time, everyone was somewhat proud when talking about this matter. Regardless of whether the young people were impulsive or not, this was after all the positive impact caused by the works published in "Contemporary". For this group of editors, nothing could make them feel more fulfilled than this.
Thanks to Lin Weimin's reminder, colleagues in the editorial department began to pay attention to letters from readers. As the number of letters increased, everyone discovered an astonishing situation.
In more and more letters from readers, young people's desire to devote themselves to education in poor areas is no longer just an individual impulse, but a sign of a stampede.
At this moment, no one expected that the letter sent by Lin Weimin would appear in a place no one could have imagined.
(End of this chapter)
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