Chapter 17 The second part, after coming and going, tossing the times

"Post-tossing era!" Zhuang Zizhong, one of the founding fathers of "Dushu" magazine, often thought of this word.He is deeply grateful that he can live to this day, has survived the tossing years, and witnessed this happy new era and the post-tossing prosperity of China.He often said to himself: The most important thing for a person is to live a long life. The other veterans of "Dhushu" magazine are gone, and he is the only one left, and all the glory will belong to himself.During the Spring Festival, members of the Politburo in charge of cultural propaganda came home to see him, and brought a reporter from CCTV with him. Although it was not as good as when Mr. Ji Xian was visited by the Prime Minister like before, it has become a top priority in the cultural publishing industry.Zhuang Zizhong is not a great country scholar or laureate novelist. A few years ago, if someone heard the news that a state leader visited a magazine veteran at home, he would definitely say: What a joke, it is impossible.From this, it can be seen that this leadership attaches great importance to the intellectual and ideological circles, which has not been done since the 1980s.From that day on, Zhuang Zizhong humbly told everyone that the honor belonged to "Dushu" magazine, which showed that the efforts of several generations of the magazine for more than 30 years had not been in vain, and finally won the affirmation of the central leadership comrades.Zhuang Zizhong remembered that the party once misunderstood the magazine and blamed the orientation of the magazine. Although it was peaceful with the party later, it never got the party's true trust.Everything has changed in the past two years.First, there was a miraculous reconciliation between previous editors and editors, and then authors with different positions reached a consensus on the concept of governing the country, especially after the new co-editors planned the New Prosperity Discussion two years ago. Lost the status of the benchmark magazine in the intellectual and cultural circles, and has been highly valued by the above.

Zhuang Zizhong thought about the ten national policies of New Prosperity, namely, democratic dictatorship led by one party, rule of law with stability first, authoritarian government that governs for the people, market economy regulated by the state, fair competition led by central enterprises, and Chinese characteristics The scientific development of China, the harmonious diplomacy with self-centeredness, the multi-ethnic republic of single-ethnic sovereignty, the post-western and post-universal Juche thought, the unparalleled national revival of Chinese civilization, etc.These propositions now seem to be ordinary and natural common sense. Why did it take so long for "Duoshu" to reach a conclusion?For Zhuang Zizhong, no matter what, the recognition of "Dushu" by the party means that he has finally confirmed that he loves the party and the country.Zhuang Zizhong felt that this was his greatest achievement in his later years.

Now he is in a wheelchair, pushed by his new young wife, to his car.After the national leaders visited him during the Spring Festival, the party committee of the unit decided to provide Zhuang Zizhong with an official car with a driver.One of the duties of this car is to take Zhuang Zizhong to the Sanlian bookstore to read books every Saturday afternoon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When Zhuang Zizhong went out, Lao Chen, a Taiwanese writer who lived in Beijing for a long time, had just stepped out of the Xingfu Ercun community and started his routine every afternoon, walking to one of the three Starbucks within a two-kilometer radius of his home.Because it is Saturday afternoon, the Starbucks in Sanlitun Taigu Village and Ginza outside Dongzhimen must be overcrowded, so I can only go to the one in Yingke Center on Gongti North Road. I hope that those yuppie white-collar workers will go to the gym on weekends and will not occupy too many sofa seats. Watch computer wirelessly.

The only difference from the past two years is that Lao Chen did not go out happily. His sense of happiness has disappeared recently. It can even be said that when Lao Chen went out, he was in a very bad mood. Ever since Xiaoxi walked out of his home in Happy Second Village, Lao Chen has not been in a good mood. Xiao Dong's departure from Beijing made things worse.A few days later, Lao Chen went to Wudaokou to find Sister Song.He very wisely chose the young talent Wei Guo, a graduate student of the Peking University Law School, who might be in class at ten o'clock in the morning, went to the back door of "Five Flavors", waited for Sister Song to open the shop in an inconspicuous alley, and wanted to ask her There is no news of Xiaoxi.That day he wore a long beige trench coat called a wet coat in Hong Kong, like the private detective played by Wu Mengda in a funny film, or the exhibitionist and salty guy played by Luo Jiaying, but at that time, Chen didn't think so at all. Wet and dry jackets will look like Hollywood superstar Humphrey Bogart or British tough guy writer Graham Green, but because of such a cognitive gap, when he saw Sister Song turning into the alley, he jumped out anxiously , but the young girl walking in front of the elder sister was frightened and screamed.

After the commotion subsided, Lao Chen asked the eldest sister if she had Xiaoxi's contact information. The eldest sister took out a small note from her underwear and said, "I knew you would come, and I was able to communicate with Xiaoxi by e-mail a while ago." At that time, she still said that she didn't know whether she should meet with you, and I persuaded her to find you, but she didn't tell me whether you have met after that. I received a text message on my mobile phone a few days ago, and I don't know where it came from. I just left this pile of pinyin letters, and I copied them down, so I knew you would come."

Old Chen looked at the note and asked, "What do these letters mean?" Sister Song said: "I don't know." Old Chen said, "Did Xiaoxi send it to you?" Sister Song said: "It's guaranteed to be true, it must be." When Old Chen was dubious, Sister Song held his hand, bent her knees slightly and said, "Old Chen, you must save Xiaoxi, save Xiaoxi." Lao Chen helped the elder sister up and said, "Elder sister, get up, get up." The eldest sister stood crying.Old Chen's eyes were also wet, so he took out a white handkerchief to wipe his eyes.

The eldest sister said: "I know that you, Lao Chen, will save Xiaoxi. You are a good person, Lao Chen, and you will save Xiaoxi." Lao Chen said: "I try my best, I try my best." After returning home and sitting by the computer, Lao Chen looked at the note and worried. Maizibusi.In the last feichengwuraook, Lao Chen could tell at a glance that it was the pinyin of If You Are the One OK.What does this maizibusi mean?Showing off Booth?Buried words to make up for heirs?The problem with Chinese Pinyin is that the four tones are not distinguished, and one sound has multiple characters.

Lao Chen suddenly remembered that when he lived in Tiujingling when he was a child, his mother usually worked as a cook in a Catholic church during the day, and took Lao Chen to a Protestant chapel on Sunday morning, because after listening, he could receive a pack of white donated by the American people. flour.Of course, old Chen's mother dozed off when she was listening to the church, but old Chen liked listening to the pastor's sermons since he was a child.Once, when mourning a dead church member, the pastor said that if a grain of wheat does not die, it is just a grain of wheat. When it falls to the ground, it will produce more wheat. Therefore, the wheat that falls to the ground does not die.Could it be that Xiaoxi changed her screen name to Immortal Maizi?However, I have never heard that Xiaoxi has religious inclinations.

Lao Chen searched for the words "wheat never dies", and found a collection of essays "The Wheat That Falls to the Land" written by Harvard University professor Wang Dewei on Zhang Ailing and Zhang's successors, and a novel-style autobiography "If the Wheat Never Dies" by the French writer Gide. The translation, a short film called "The Wheat Never Dies", and many literary and religious links.Old Chen searched more than a dozen web pages, but didn't see a post like Xiaoxi's, so he lost confidence and patience to continue searching.After promising Sister Song to save Xiaoxi in the morning, it was like carrying a cross.However, no matter how heavy his heart was, he still had to live, so Lao Chen went out to Starbucks to drink Longjing Longjing Latte.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Lao Chen didn't expect was that Fang Caodi, whose original name was Fang Lijun, had been waiting for him on Xindong Road for nearly two hours.Fang Caodi once met Lao Chen on Xindong Road, took his business card, and wrote an email, but Lao Chen didn't reply. Today Fang Caodi decided to go back to the place where he met last time, pretending to meet again by accident, so that he can enter the future. Refundable. Fang Caodi can now almost judge whether a person is the same as Zhang Dou based on his demeanor.The old Chen I met last time looked leisurely and contented, which is really not like him.However, Fang Caodi once thought that Lao Chen was a wise man, and Fang Caodi rarely changed his view of people.Today, what surprised Fang Caodi was that Lao Chen had a sad face when he walked out of Xingfu No. 2 Village.

Fang Caodi took off his baseball cap, stepped forward and said, "Ms. Chen, Mr. Chen, Fang Caodi, Fang Caodi". He patted his bald head, as if awakening someone else's impression. Fang Cao said: "Mr. Chen, your complexion is right today." Lao Chen said: "Old Fang, I'm not in the mood to chat with you today." Fang Cao said: "It's right if you're not in the mood, Mr. Chen, I haven't seen you for a month, how can you be in the mood?" Lao Chen said: "Old Fang, I really have something to do, let's talk about it another day." Fang Cao said, "Mr. Chen, where are you going?" When Lao Chen thought about it, he couldn't say go to Starbucks for coffee: "I'll go to Sanlian Bookstore". Fang Caodi immediately said, "I'll see you off, Mr. Chen. Get in my car."Fang Caodi opened the front door of a Cherokee beside him. Lao Chen also wanted to push: "No, really no, I called, you are busy." Fang Cao said: "I'm not busy, I don't have anything to do, I just came here to talk to you, Teacher Chen." Lao Chen got into the car helplessly. Fang Caodi spoke while driving: "Mr. Chen..." Old Chen said with a bit of a temper: "Don't call me Teacher Chen anymore! The Bible says that when teachers are everywhere in the world, it will be the end of the world." Fang Caodi said seriously: "That's not a joke. I won't call you Teacher Chen anymore, I'd better call you Old Chen." Old Chen said indifferently: "What do you want to say to me, tell me!" Fang Cao said: "Old Chen, I haven't seen you for a month, what should we do, we have to look for it." Old Chen was annoyed: "If you don't see it, you will disappear. What does it matter to you? Who cares about a month!" What Fang Caodi said further attracted Lao Chen's attention: "It's okay to disappear, Lao Chen, have you noticed that the people around you have changed in the past two years?" Old Chen thought, this seems to be the original words of Xiao Xi and Xiao Dong. Fang said: "Before and after that month, the whole of China changed, and so did the people." Mr. Chen felt that Fang Caodi was exaggerating. Fang Caodi continued: "Now China has been divided into two types of people, one is the vast majority of people, and the other is the very small number of people." Old Chen asked: "How many people are there in a very small number?" Fang Cao said: "So far I know, there are only two, namely me and Zhang Dou, my hard-core brothers, we believe there are others of the same kind, and we hope you are one of them." Old Chen asked, "Why do you think I'm one of them?" Fang Cao said: "Because you are in a bad mood, because your complexion is bad, because your appearance is as loose as soaked bread." Old Chen asked: "If you are in a bad mood, is it your kind?" Fang Cao said: "That's just a symptom. Based on my observations over two years, the key is whether I can remember what happened that month." Lao Chen thought of Xiao Xi and Xiao Dong, and tentatively asked, "Old Fang, have you been taking any medicine for a long time, such as..." Fang Caodi said in amazement: "Then you are indeed our kind!" Old Chen said: "Don't worry, answer my question first." Fang Cao said: "Both Zhang Dou and I are long-term asthmatics, and we have taken steroids." Old Chen said "Oh!", and Fang Caodi immediately said: "Don't wait, I have investigated, and the vast majority of asthmatics who take steroids are not our kind. So far, the only one I have found is Zhang Dou." . Old Chen said while thinking: "Maybe it will be the same with other medicines." Fang Caodi asked, "Old Chen, what did you say?" Lao Chen himself reasoned: "Steroids, anti-anxiety drugs, painkillers with narcotic ingredients, drug use, and perhaps other drugs all have such and such effects, but not all people who take drugs for a long time will have such and such effects. , However, taking drugs may increase the probability of such and such, and it may also depend on related variables, such as: what kind of drug is taking, or what she usually eats, maybe personality and personal circumstances are also related, it is possible Will it affect her like this? So what? If it happens like this, first, she feels that the people around her have changed in the past two years, and second, the so-called change means that the people around her are happier than before There was a little more in the past, hey, three, at least in one case, she herself remembered a lot of things that others didn't remember, that's all."Lao Chen thought that Xiao Dong remembered a lot, but Xiao Xi said that he didn't remember many things. Fang Caodi echoed: "Incisive, old Chen, incisive! It's true, and I will remember many things that others don't remember, especially the month when I disappeared." Old Chen remembered: "The missing month? So you keep saying that one month is gone, one month is gone?" Fang Cao said: "Yes, collective amnesia." Old Chen said, "Which month is it?" Fang Cao said: "It is the one month between the world economy entering the period of ice and fire and the official start of China's prosperous age, strictly speaking, it is 28 days." Lao Chen was briefly distracted, thinking of his own detective novel "Thirteen Moons".Then he immediately came back to his senses and said: "The world economy has entered a period of ice and fire and China's prosperous age has officially begun. Aren't the two events connected in no particular order?" Fang Cao smiled: "Old Chen, you are really humorous." Lao Chen kept silent, thinking about that time desperately, but his memory was blurred, maybe all of this was Fang Caodi's wild imagination, and there was no twenty-eight days missing.Only then did Fang Caodi realize that Old Chen was not joking: "Old Chen, you really don't remember? Old Chen, I really thought you were our kind just now." Fang Caodi and that Zhang Dou might be the same kind as Xiao Xi and Xiao Dong, Lao Chen thought of this. Fang Caodi said disappointedly: "That really bothers you." Old Chen said: "No, no, listen to me...Let's put it this way, you are a few aliens, and you can't go to the earth by mistake. I am an earthling who can communicate with you. Friend, do you understand that?" Fang Cao said: "Understood, you are a traitor to the people of Earth." Old Chen didn't bother to argue, he just said: "I know more than one person, maybe they are your kind." Fang Cao said, "Great, where are they?" Lao Chen said: "I don't know where they went, and I'm looking for one of them." Fang Cao said, "I'll help you, let's go find it together." Lao Chen looked at Fang Caodi, wondering if Fang Caodi should join in, and whether joining would add to the chaos. Fang Cao said: "I am very professional. I have been doing this for the past two years, searching for moons, people, and evidence. Lao Chen, let me help you." Lao Chen said: "Old Fang, let me think about it." Fang Cao said: "OK". Fang Caodi was quiet for a while, and when he was about to reach the Sanlian Bookstore, Fang Cao said: "Old Chen, you don't need to look at the bookstore now. I have traveled all over the country, and all the official clean books are sold. Don't try to find the truth in the bookstore, don't believe it." You can go and read it yourself later, don’t talk about the book about the month of disappearance, 89 June 4th and so on, there is definitely no one, not even a decent book on the anti-rightist movement and the Cultural Revolution, it’s all lies.” Old Chen didn't respond, he was annoyed by Fang Caodi, why don't you guide me when I go to the bookstore to read?There are tens of thousands of good books in the Sanlian Publishing Store, have you read them?The memoirs of contemporary celebrities alone are sure to fill several shelves.I used to come to Sanlian every other week, and every few months in the past two years. Am I better at finding books than you?I am a professional in reading and looking for books!This old Fang, as always, is just annoying. Outside the Sanlian Taofen Center, Lao Chen got off the car, Fang Caodi dialed his cell phone immediately, when Lao Chen's cell phone rang, Fang said: "You have my cell phone number, 24 hours, call me anytime."Fang said he was waiting for his call, and before driving, he turned sideways and said: "Old Chen, I bet they don't even sell Yang Jiang's books." After finishing speaking, Fang Caodi drove away, and Lao Chen thought to himself: Leaving aside those banned books that were only published in Hong Kong and Taiwan and illegal books that were self-published underground in the mainland, among the books officially and legally published in mainland China, Xiao Shu's " Heralds of History, Zhang Yihe, Yu Luoke’s Posthumous Works and Memories co-edited by Xu Xiaodingdong and Xu Youyu have long been banned, and are definitely gone now. Yang Xianhui’s Chronicles of Jiabiangou, Wu Si There may or may not be, but Yang Jiang's "Six Chapters of Cadre School", "Walking to the Edge of Life", how could there be no long-selling books! , Triptych edition, don't you have any?impossible. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . As soon as Lao Chen entered the bookstore, he asked the clerk to look up some of Yang Jiang's books on the computer, and the clerk said to the computer: No. Old Chen thought that the young shop assistants are not familiar with books, so he said, "Is it out of stock?" The clerk said: "Without this bibliography, there is no purchase." Old Chen said, "What about before?" The clerk said: "There was no record before." Old Chen said: "It's your triptych book." The clerk said: "I don't know, it's not on the computer." Old Chen asked: "Where is your store manager?" The clerk said: "Take a look at the cafe on the second floor." Lao Chen is still a person with a little introspection ability. He thought that he had not read the history of the Communist Party of China or the history of the Republic in the past two years. , Travel Notes of Famous Masters, and rereading Jin Yong, Zhang Ailing, and Lu Xun, it has been a long time since I paid attention to the documentary books and memoirs about anti-rightism and the Cultural Revolution on the shelves of Sanlian Bookstore.So, Lao Chen decided to go down to the basement to check. The basement of Sanlian was changed two years ago.At the bottom of the stairs, there used to be the original book area of ​​Sanlian, but now it is changed to the novel area, followed by the book area of ​​Chinese studies, religion, and film and television media.Today, there are quite a lot of customers in the novel, Chinese studies, religion, and film and television media book areas, although they cannot compare with the bestsellers, business books, personal inspirational books, and travel books on the ground floor.However, if you go all the way in the basement, after passing an L-shaped corner, the customers are obviously sparse, that is the philosophy, history, and politics book area.On the day of the Sanlian Spring Festival last time, Lao Chen walked here and felt depressed in his chest. Today, Lao Chen's head exploded in labor pain.Old Chen Wei just gave up looking for books and walked up to the ground in a hurry. His headache subsided a little. He thought of finding a place to sit down, so he went straight to the coffee shop on the second floor. Lao Chen only wanted to find a seat in the back of the coffee shop, but he didn't expect to hear "Xiao Chen!" Lao Chen turned his head and saw that it was Zhuang Zizhong, the veteran of "Reading", who was calling him, and the manager of the bookstore was sitting next to him. A half-familiar face in the cultural world, and a young woman.At the last "Reading" gathering, Lao Chen felt that there were too many people surrounding Zhuang Zizhong, so he didn't go to say hello, but now he was stopped and couldn't escape, and he held Zhuang Zizhong's hand with guilt and enthusiasm and said: "Zhuang Gong! See you So happy". Zhuang Zizhong pointed to the young woman beside him: "My wife is my current leader, you haven't seen it." Old Chen lightly shook the woman's hand: "Mrs. Zhuang, call me Xiao Chen." Zhuang Zizhong asked several others: "Do you know each other?" They all said they knew each other very well. Zhuang said: "Xiao Chen interviewed me for Hong Kong's "Ming Pao". I still keep the newspaper clippings. It was a quarter of a century ago." Everyone looked at each other differently. Zhuang said, "Xiao Chen, sit down. I have something to ask you. This time the central government leaders came to visit me at home. What does the Ming Pao report say?" The website of "Ming Pao" is blocked in the mainland, so Lao Chen couldn't see it at all, but he said, "Oh, it's similar to the report of "Beijing News", and the length is quite large." Duke Zhuang was very happy. Old Chen couldn't help asking a question from his heart: "Mr. Zhuang, are intellectuals really willing to reconcile with the party now?" After finishing speaking, Lao Chen was afraid that his words would be too aggressive. Zhuang Gong said: "Whether intellectuals are willing to reconcile with the party? It is whether the party is willing to forgive intellectuals!" At this time, someone came to say hello to Zhuang Gong again, and Lao Chen took the opportunity to ask the store manager sitting next to him in a low voice: Why are there no more books for Yang Jiang? The store manager asked back, "Which General Yang?" Old Chen said: "Qian Zhongshu's wife, Yang Jiang". The store manager seemed to remember: "Ah, you mean that Yang Jiang, probably no one has seen it." Lao Chen's headaches intensified again. Why did the tastes of ordinary readers change after he hadn't read this type of book for several years? Old Chen said to Zhuang Gong: "Zhuang Gong, I have to say goodbye today. I am very happy to see you. Take care."Old Chen said to Mrs. Zhuang again: "Mrs. Zhuang, please leave. Please take good care of Mr. Zhuang. He is a national treasure." Old Chen walked out of the Joint Publishing Store, still wondering if he was too badass, and if it was a bit too much to call Duke Zhuang a national treasure.But when he thought about it, he remembered a sentence that Wei Xiaobao often talked about in Jin Yong's novels: "Thousands of wears, ten thousand wears, flattering never wears."How about making someone else happy?