Chapter 18 Why do white-haired people take the case?

When the writing of the novel "Comrade Yang Lin" was about to be completed, the weather in Shanghai became hotter. At this time, social activities also increased.His thoughts could not be concentrated, and the manuscript was not written smoothly.Under the arrangement of relevant parties, he continued to attend foreign affairs activities and gatherings related to him. 1977 became the busiest year for Ba Jin.This was unexpected by Ba Jin, who has lived a quiet life for more than ten years.Lying down and thinking about moving for a long time became a strong desire of the old man.In the spring of that year, when he attended the symposium commemorating the 65th anniversary of Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" held by the Shanghai literary circles, a group of old friends in the literary and art circles who had been isolated for many years met for the first time. The reclusive Ba Jin.

Ba Jin, who appeared in front of his friends, hardly changed much.Although he suffered all kinds of embarrassing treatment and the mental suffering of losing Xiao Shan, the old man still had a gentle smile on his face.It's just that his hair was all white, which surprised all the friends who reunited after the disaster.They saw that although Ba Jin's hair was silvery and white like snow, the hair represented a person's character. Those white hairs still stood upright stubbornly, as if telling all the friends attending the meeting: "I am still the same Ba Jin as before. Change!"

In addition to further contacts with domestic friends, Ba Jin began to meet foreign guests while writing.In the summer, he attended a banquet for the Japanese delegation.It was a visiting delegation composed of the Japan-China Friendship National Association and Japan's activists demanding the return of the Northern Territory.Before these Japanese friends came, they had heard that the writer Ba Jin had committed suicide during the "Cultural Revolution". However, when Ba Jin sat at the banquet in good spirits, the Japanese guests cheered up and applauded desperately.Afterwards, everyone came over to shake hands with the author of the famous novel, wishing the old man finally survived the catastrophe;

Soon, Ba Jin met Nakajima Kenzo, a famous Japanese social activist, at his residence on Wukang Road.They talked very well. Although Ba Jin had the freedom to meet foreign guests at that time, he still had lingering fears in his heart, so he was quite cautious when talking.Later, he attended the grand reception hosted by Yugoslav President Tito in Shanghai. Next, he accepted the visit of Mrs. Loua, a French guest.In short, Ba Jin regained his former life order.His heart was full of joy.The shadow seemed to be quietly dissipating in my heart, and the loneliness I was used to before was gone.Ba Jin also hopes to communicate with others, especially those friends who have not seen each other for many years.He began to write letters non-stop, and he continued his relationship with friends who had disappeared and heard from him for more than ten years.

After Ba Jin walked out of his quiet courtyard, the old man was no longer greeted by indifference and frost on the street.However, Ba Jin was not intoxicated by flowers and smiling faces.He knew that he was a writer after all, and he had lost 11 precious years because of the catastrophe.Now Ba Jin is soberly aware that he can no longer spend a lot of time in some frequent social interactions.He wants to calm himself down and devote all his limited time to writing.Ba Jin is not the kind of person who is willing to let time go to waste easily.At that time, his translation of Herzen's "Past Events and Thoughts" had just finished one-third of the way. However, Ba Jin's thoughts were not diverted by his own will, but shifted to the most important work in his twilight years. It is the writing of "Capricious Thoughts".

No one knew that Ba Jin's voluminous masterpiece "Following Thoughts" could have happened by chance. One day in April 1978, Ba Jin suddenly received a letter from Hong Kong.He was very surprised. He had almost no contact with Hong Kong for more than ten years. Who would suddenly send him a letter from the Victoria coast?Excited, the old man took the letter back to his small building, sat in the sun and opened the special letter, which turned out to be a letter of invitation to write in small letters with a brush.He looked at the signature of the drafter again, and it turned out to be Pan Jidong, an old friend he had met when he was in Shanghai.Shortly after he wrote the novel in Shanghai, Pan Jidong, a literary editor, asked Ba Jin for a manuscript. Since then, they have become good friends at first sight.What surprised Ba Jinyou was that Pan Jidong had been living in Beijing for the past few years. His friend Huang Tang told him that during the "Cultural Revolution" Pan Jidong had been working in the Beijing Water Supply Company.

However, Ba Jin had no way of knowing that after several years of ignorance, Pan Jidong suddenly came to Hong Kong again, and according to his letter, he returned to the "Ta Kung Pao" where he used to work, and was appointed to host the supplement "Grand Park".Pan Jidong told Ba Jin that he missed him very much.As early as when Ba Jin first published it in Shanghai's "Wen Wei Po" after he regained his freedom, Pan Jidong in Beijing was quietly observing and watching the changes of this old friend in Shanghai.While he was secretly happy that Ba Jin returned to write at the writer's desk, he secretly hoped that one day he could edit and distribute Ba Jin's manuscripts as before.Now he has finally returned to Hong Kong "Ta Kung Pao" as he wished, so the first thing Pan Jidong wants to do now is to write for "Grand Park" hosted by him.

Ba Jin was very happy.Because he knows that although there is room for publication in China, some things are not easy to write or publish in Shanghai.Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao" is undoubtedly an ideal place to publish articles.So he took a break from his busy schedule to write an essay while translating "Past Events and Thoughts".The topic is called "Talking about "Looking at Hometown".The reason why Ba Jin wrote this topic was not only because he recently watched a Japanese film "Looking Home" that was being staged in China at the time, but he was by no means a writer who likes to write film reviews.The reason why Ba Jin wanted to express his emotions for a Japanese film was completely aimed at the ultra-left trend of thought in China at that time.

In Ba Jin's view, "Wangxiang" was originally a realistic work that faithfully reproduced the fate of women during the Japanese war, and he was particularly interested in the last scene of the film.The tombstones of the Japanese military prostitutes who died in Nanyang all turned their backs to the direction of the Japanese mainland.Ba Jin felt that this shot had a special allusive significance, and the silent picture made the old man fall into deep thought for a long time.He knows that this group of shots is enough to show that the filmmaker takes justice as the keynote of the whole film.However, when "Wangxiang" was released in mainland China, those who were accustomed to watching the eight model operas and "Spring Seedlings" and other movies during the "Cultural Revolution" could not accept such a real movie picture.Ba Jin had many truths in his heart, so he hoped to find a place to pour out in Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao".In this way, he replied to agree with Pan Jidong's opinion, and decided to send the manuscript over immediately.

Ba Jin's "Talking (Looking at Hometown)" became the first article in his "Caprice Records"! After this article was published in Hong Kong's "Grand Park", it immediately aroused applause.In addition to Ba Jin's sophistication in writing, sharpness in seeing issues, and of course Ba Jin's extraordinary reputation, all of these will surely arouse the welcome of Hong Kong readers who are familiar with him.So Pan Jidong asked for another manuscript, and Ba Jin wrote the sequel "Talking Again (Wangxiang)". Next, Pan Jidong decided to continue writing about Bajin.And he also hoped to create a column of essays especially for Balao in Ta Kung Pao.At that time, Ba Jin had already had the idea of ​​​​whether he could write a "Thinking" with hundreds of thousands of words.He felt that while translating Herzen's "My Past and Thoughts", he should also write a similar work for himself and leave it behind him.Herzen is a Russian, he can write a "Past Events and Thoughts" that people appreciate, and Rousseau can write a "Confessions" that alarms future generations, so why can't Ba Jin write a book of his own kind? What about writings?After having this bold idea, Ba Jin decided to translate Herzen's "Past Events and Thoughts" as his practice in the later period of the "Cultural Revolution", and then wrote his own "Thinking Records" with a large number of essays. In this way, the two drafts went hand in hand. The long-cherished wish of many years can also make my writing have a happy ending.

When Pan Jidong in Hong Kong heard about Ba Jin's huge writing project, he immediately wrote a letter to express his congratulations, and immediately named the column on "Ta Kung Pao" "Capricious Thoughts", which was exclusively for Ba Jin to publish regular or irregular essays . However, what Ba Jin never dreamed of was that shortly after his column was launched in Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao", he heard some gossip.Of course there will be some reflections in Shanghai, but the response is not strong, but it is different in Beijing. At that time, some friends from the north wrote to Balao or sent letters to him, asking him not to continue to publish in Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao". We announced essay.Because some people have regarded Ba Jin as a "dissident". After hearing these rumors and criticisms, Ba Jin did not waver in his writing plan, but just smiled lightly.He is no longer the Ba Jin who was at a loss during the "Cultural Revolution", nor is he the Ba Jin who blamed himself in "Caprice".He remembered the inscription written by his friend Xiao Qian not long ago: "Ba Jin's greatness lies in daring to deny himself." Of course, Ba Jin did not decide to tell the truth in the article because he heard Xiao Qian's words. I have realized this truth after the road I traveled in the past year: "In my old age, I can no longer tell lies. In those endless campaigns, I have told many lies against my will, and now I can't do that again." Done!" Now when Ba Jin heard some unexpected noises and did not change his plan to write "Caprice Records", he took it calmly and said to his friend with a smile: "Others like to twitter, let him twitter." Now, since I want to write, I have to write the truth!..." Among those friends who are familiar with him, Ba Jin has always been a modest and gentle old man.He has always lived a low-key life, with a weak and reserved personality, and of course he writes like a man.Few people see Ba ​​Jin losing his temper over a trivial matter.However, when some unpleasant chattering voices grew louder, Ba Jin finally spoke his mind in front of his friends. He said: "I couldn't write "Caprice" in the 1950s, and I couldn't write it in the 1960s." I cannot write them, and only after being deprived of my liberty, and living in a cowshed for ten years, do I remember that I am a 'human'!  …” When Ba Jin said these words, his face was serious.There seemed to be a fire burning in the old man's eyes, which was the expression of his true feelings.He excitedly wrote his true feelings for <<Caprice Record>> in a letter to a friend: "I have not been able to post an article for eleven years, but I have prepared myself. As long as I have I will write when I get the chance, and I will never let it go. This time, I have taken responsibility for myself, and I will go my own way when I pick up the pen. What I want to say, I don’t need others to give me advice!..." Ba Jinna was like fire and iron Never thought that his tenacity would be revealed in this sensitive incident.It turns out that he is not a person who obeys orders, has no thoughts and no subjective will! Ba Jin didn't take it seriously at the time. At that time, although the "Gang of Four" was smashed, the ultra-left trend of thought did not disappear because these four representatives entered the dust of history.So Ba Jin doesn't take those secret criticisms seriously. He always thinks that he should tell the truth. He didn't dare to tell the truth in the past 11 years, and he already feels a little sorry for the readers.If he doesn't dare to speak now, how can he make himself feel at ease?Therefore, Ba Jin continued to contribute to Pan Jidong in Hong Kong.The essays he wrote were still published as usual in the column "Capricious Thoughts" of Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao".However, something unexpected happened, so that Ba Jin's face flushed with anger after he knew the truth.This was an anger the old man had seldom expressed over the years. It turned out that at the time of the 100th anniversary of Lu Xun's birth, Ba Jin wrote an article "Remembering Mr. Lu Xun" out of his love for Lu Xun.Originally, he did not write any sensitive words in this article, but only revealed Ba Jin's sincere feelings for this senior teacher.However, when this essay with only a few thousand words was published in the column of "Records of Random Thoughts", Ba Jin couldn't help but secretly startled when he read it. Before that, almost all the articles he wrote for Ta Kung Pao were reproduced in full without any difference.However, many parts of this small manuscript were deleted, and Ba Jin did not agree with the deletion of some words.However, it was also rudely deleted.He knew that Pan Jidong would never be so rude to him.Even if he wanted to delete or modify it, he would seek Ba Jin's opinion.But what happened this time?Is there any background behind the article that the author does not need to know? What surprised Ba Jin was that in this manuscript commemorating Lu Xun, almost all the words and phrases in his pen involving the Cultural Revolution were severely punished.He really didn't understand that the country had already begun to set things right, and the discussion that practice is the only criterion for testing truth was also vigorously launched in the newspapers.However, why do some people still dislike hearing him criticize the "Cultural Revolution" that has been verified by practice in his articles? Ba Jin repeatedly read and read the article that was deleted by the newspaper, and he came to the top floor of the small building alone.Here he can condescend and look down at the small quiet courtyard downstairs. The swing set when Xiao Shan was there has long since disappeared, and the flowers and plants have also become sparse and withered after experiencing the disaster. Two magnolia trees that Xiao Shan and he planted together.The old man stood in the gray sunset, his stern face was covered with a touch of golden light.His mood was very complicated, and there was that usual slight sadness in his eyes.This kind of expression was once seen during the anti-Japanese war. The melancholy in Ba Jin's eyes in the later period of the "Cultural Revolution" had long since disappeared and faded away. However, now this window of his soul once again reflects the worries in his heart. "I can't face it silently like this. I want to fight." Ba Jin went back to his study downstairs, re-opened the manuscript under the lamp, and decided to write a letter to Pan Jidong in Hong Kong immediately.In a fit of rage, the old man decided not to write any more articles for the "Caprice" column of "Ta Kung Pao".In Ba Jin's writing, there is such a sentence: "I will not send you any more manuscripts. I stopped writing to express my protest against unreasonable deletions. Let readers and future generations criticize right and wrong! It is so disrespectful to an old writer who has been writing for more than fifty years. Respect, this is discrediting our country and I will never forget it. I will let my readers know too!  …” Ba Jin's angry protest surprised Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao.Because they have never seen Ba Jin get angry, and it is surprising when he gets angry.They also don't want to delete Ba Jin's works. Pan Jidong, as the responsible editor and friend of Ba Jin's "Capricious Thoughts", certainly doesn't want to change the original text of the actors casually, but because of some unexpected pressure, he has to do so in the end. Do.But now when Ba Jin showed rare anger for an article, everyone in the newspaper was shocked by it.Only then did they realize that there was no need to abridge the article "In Memory of Mr. Lu Xun". Ba Jin's smiling face appeared in front of Pan Jidong's eyes again.As early as decades ago, he had the honor to meet this great writer who is famous at home and abroad for his "Cold Night" by asking Ba Jin for a manuscript.Decades have passed, and the impression Ba Jin left on this senior editor seems to have always been related to words such as smile, gentleness, humility, and tolerance.But now he got angry because of a trivial matter, and it is not difficult to see from the words in the old man's letter that Ba Jin's anger cannot be contained. He seemed to see a pair of angry eyes glaring at him and the person who unreasonably deleted his article.What exactly is this for?Could it be that Ba Jin has no self-cultivation?No!No one knew Ba Jin better than Pan Jidong.So, because of Ba Jin's bullish status after the end of the "Cultural Revolution", will he change his humble character for many years and become arrogant and rude?Nor is it.Pan Jidong knew that a kind old man like Ba Jin would never change the inherent things in his character, that is, kindness and humility. That being the case, why did he prefer to cut off his connection with Ta Kung Pao as a condition for venting?Obviously, this seemingly trivial matter that ordinary people don't care about has deeply hurt the old writer's heart.Nothing makes the old man more angry than tampering with his writing for no reason, because in Ba Jin's view, this is a kind of infringement and insult to him! Pan Jidong, of course, was unwilling to interrupt the "Capricious Thoughts" which could almost be regarded as a famous column of "Ta Kung Pao".He still wrote letters to Ba Jin, and he continued to send requests for drafts to the old man.Pan Jidong understood Ba Jin's self-esteem. There is nothing more serious than a person's self-esteem being stabbed.Pan Jidong didn't mind the old man's angry words. He knew that the reason why Ba Jin set up a column in the "Great Park" hosted by him, and published essays, prose and brilliant essays continuously, was of course not for fame and fortune.As early as the beginning of his publication, the old man has clearly stated: "I don't ask for remuneration!" The old man is busy writing under the lamp for the realization of a very great writing plan.He wants to take back the time he has lost. He hopes to leave his experience, feelings and thinking about life for more than 60 years to future generations through his writing.And the heavy editorial responsibility that he, Pan Jidong, is unmatched by any editor.Thinking that Ba Jin would eventually write a huge novel with hundreds of thousands of words, and thinking that his "Caprice Record" would finally be assembled and published, Pan Jidong was determined to bring the old man back to "Ta Kung Pao".He didn't want to suspend the completion of a historical masterpiece because of temporary unhappiness.Doing that would not only be detrimental to Ta Kung Pao, but would also bring unresolved regrets to Ba Jin in his later years.Pan Jidong knew very well that Ba Jin's intention in doing this was undoubtedly to maintain the inviolable personality of a writer with determination and tenacity! Ba Jin read Pan Jidong's letter in Shanghai, and his anger subsided a lot. The old man also knew in his heart that it would be against his original intention to give up the writing of "Caprice Records" that he had concentrated his efforts on in this way.It is not that Ba Jin is narrow-minded, nor is he facing the negligence of editors with his qualifications in the literary world for half a century, but that he cannot continue to tolerate others' challenges and contempt for his personality.Since Pan Jidong still hopes to continue his "Capricious Thoughts", why does Ba Jin have such a little magnanimity? The old man decided to live up to the other party's grand invitation, and he took up his pen to write essays again. However, after the "Song of the Eagle" he wrote was sent out, the old man was disappointed again.After the manuscript was sent to Hong Kong, there was no chance of publication.Of course, it is not that Pan Jiming does not want to publish this article, nor does it mean that he disagrees with Ba Jin's sharpness in the article, but that after he compiled the manuscript, the editor-in-chief dared not sign it.He said to Pan Jidong: "It's better not to publish such an article for the time being?" "Why?" Pan Jidong didn't understand the cautiousness of the editor-in-chief.In his opinion, this "Song of the Eagle" was an appointment with great difficulty.Ba Jin, who had just been hurt, wanted to vomit the indignation in his heart, which is also reasonable.For this reason, he argued to the editor-in-chief: "Ba Jin compares himself to the eagle in Gorky's novels. What's wrong with that? He is a writer who is used to telling the truth. He said that the eagle with its broken wings is a Because he was injured, he had to fall into the sea, although the tone is a bit sad, but his articles will still inspire readers!" The editor-in-chief has his own reasons.He frowned, and finally sighed to Pan Jidong: "For the time being, don't post it. I believe that Mr. Ba Jin will forgive us in the end, but in the future, once his "Caprice Record" is assembled and published, he can still publish his "" "Song of the Eagle" was added to the collection. There's nothing wrong with that!" Ba Jin didn't care about it.He has gradually calmed down from his anger, and he has begun to restore his former calmness and tolerance.After ten years of suffering, he finally began to calmly face everything around him.Ba Jin began to understand the kind-hearted Pan Jidong, and he began to understand the editor-in-chief and colleagues of Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao".Ba Jin knew that he should not easily give up what he wanted to do most in his later years because of this little unpleasantness.His works are already worth a lifetime. Even if Ba Jin did not write this "Caprice", he is worthy of the glory of a famous contemporary writer.However, he has a lot of things to say, and whether these random articles can be published one by one before he enters his twilight years, and finally assembled into several "Caprice Records" that can be handed down to the world, it is a question of It is what he regards as the most important thing.So, after Ba Jin calmed down, he began to write frequently again, and he still wrote down his random thoughts with a peaceful mind as before.