Chapter 104 Why is mountaineering not the top

More than 10 years ago, at a "party" at a friend's house, I met Yan Wenjing and his wife.I remember that it rained heavily that night, and it was difficult for the guests to go home, so the host simply brought out more drinks and side dishes, and warmly invited everyone to change glasses to reopen the banquet. Right as the accompaniment of the music, chatting more cheerfully.I don’t know who talked about traveling to Mount Emei. The fellow travelers went through untold hardships and finally climbed to the top of the golden summit. Braving the cold, they waited hard on the top of the mountain, waiting for the appearance of the Buddha’s light. The people who returned to the top were unlucky, and when they had to evacuate from the Golden Summit, they also missed the appearance of the perfectly circular iridescent Buddha light, so they went down the mountain with a sigh. Someone asked, let's not say that we have not seen the Buddha's light!" This gossip elicited laughter.After the laughter died down, someone said in a deep voice: "I never seek the top when I climb mountains." I followed the sound and found that it was Yan Wenjing who said this.

Before I was born, Yan Wenjing had already published a collection of essays "Twilight in the Mountain Temple" and participated in the revolution in Yan'an, where he wrote many fairy tales and a novel "A Man's Troubles". After 1949, he served as a leader in several cultural and publishing departments for many years. To me, he is an old-timer in the literary world and a veteran in the revolution.After the reform and opening up, I was lucky enough to meet him.I remember that in the summer of 1978, when newspaper editorials emphasized the "two whatevers", the Chinese Writers Association and the Institute of Literature of the Academy of Social Sciences jointly held a seminar on my novel "The Class Teacher".At that meeting, I met Feng Mu, Chen Huangmei, Zhu Zhai and other well-known critics for the first time. They all spoke highly of "The Head Teacher", which greatly encouraged me who was uneasy.After several speeches, Feng Mu, who presided over the meeting, said: "Comrade Yan Wenjing, please speak." That's when I knew that Mr. Yan was also present.He made a very lively speech.He did not analyze the gains and losses of "The Class Teacher" more theoretically, but used some perceptual examples he witnessed and experienced to affirm the true degree of the novel's reflection of social life.His speech seems to lead people to climb a mountain, with scenery at every step, luxuriant trees and clear streams, but he stops in moderation, does not make a final conclusion, does not have a peak, but leaves plenty of room for thinking for those who follow the climb.Later, I participated in the founding work of the Beijing Publishing House's "October" series. I also held a meeting and asked for comments on the draft title of the first issue. Mr. Yan also attended the meeting. He didn't make a long speech, but just pointed at the catalog with his fingers. I read my unfinished novel "The Position of Love", and said happily: "Okay, love has its place again!" Later, I had some sporadic contacts with Yan Lao, and I felt that he had a sense of being old and me. It is a rare courage to completely break with the old ways, and I know that he often has strong support for new literary trends and new literary figures, but most of them have not been put into writing and made public, and most of them are private and year-end friendships. The form of spiritual giving.

At that "party", Old Yan casually mentioned a characteristic of his character, which reminded me of more impressions of him.When he lived in a one-story house, the walls were never repainted for many years after he moved in. When I saw it, it was almost gray-black.Later, he moved into a building with a rather large living room, which quickly became shabby because he kept a cat all the time and allowed the cat to play with its claws on the furniture.Although he bald early, his complexion is still rosy after sixty years, and his body is in good shape, but he doesn't deliberately preserve his health for longevity.Once I saw me smiling and said: "I have become a toothless person." Another time I saw a big lump on his neck, and before I could say anything to persuade him to go to the hospital for examination, he said first: " It’s more beautiful, isn’t it? Benign, absolutely benign!” His writing throughout his life has generally taken marginal genres and themes, writing slowly but infrequently, exquisitely and elegantly, without pursuing a grand and wanton atmosphere.

The "party" lasted until the middle of the night and the rain was still heavy. The younger ones of us planned to have a carnival all night, but Mr. Yan said that he wanted to go home, so a few of us went to the street with umbrellas, and it took a lot of effort Only to find an empty taxi.After sending Mr. Yan and his wife away, while continuing to drink and chat, I kept asking myself: "Why is climbing a mountain not the very top? Naturally, someone should congratulate him for reaching the peak, but if I can climb to the middle of the mountain with my best and enjoy myself, I can't help myself." Is it good?"