"Beijing News Book Review Weekly" featured "For the Memory of Forgetting".
The living dig pits for the dead on the mass graves... The cemetery is the outline of the dead city, there is no fragrance of flowers, no insects, even if there are flowers, even if there are insects, it is all singing parting songs, accompanying the eternal loneliness of the inexhaustible dead.
Mass graves are the houses where landlords give alms to poor peasants after their deaths. But the living peasants were often expelled by the landlords, who carried their burdens, carried their children, and went from broken houses to even more broken houses. Sometimes they were chased to spend the night in a horse barn. The children were crying at their mothers in the stable.
——Xiao Hong, "The Field of Life and Death"
In 1935, in Shanghai, where the left-wing ideological trend was in the ascendant, a set of "slave books" including Ye Zi's short story collection "Harvest", Xiao Jun's long novel "The Countryside in August" and Xiao Hong's long novel "The Field of Life and Death" came out, making Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun famous in the Shanghai literary circles at that time.
At this time, Erxiao's hometown northeast fell under the iron hooves of the Japanese army four years ago. In Shanghai, they are both interlopers in the literary world and exiles who have left their homes. For Shanghainese at that time, Erxiao's novel was a deeper and more visible existence for the northeast in addition to the popular anti-Japanese salvation songs in the streets and alleys.
"The sorghum field seems to be about to be folded upside down, and the elm trees at the end of the ground are blowing, a bit like the sound of metal, and for the sake of flashing, the whole village suddenly appears naked and suddenly sinks down."
The description of this rainstorm coming but not yet coming in "The Field of Life and Death" is also like the fable of Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun, two lovers who grew up in the northeast land. The bond between them, like this rainstorm, after releasing the power of light and electricity, only the "cloud of wet smell sweeps over people's heads", like a "red dream" in the sorghum field.
Written by | Xiao Shuyan
Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun.
The budding of love
In the summer of 1932, Xiao Jun's "International Association" received a letter of help from a female reader, saying that she was under house arrest in the Dongxingshun Hotel outside Harbin Road, and because she could not repay the accommodation fee of several hundred yuan, the owner of the hotel planned to sell her to the brothel of the "Circle Building" to pay off the debt, so he hoped that the newspaper could help him to uphold justice and save her from danger.
The letter was written poignantly, and all the members of the newspaper were impressed, and the editor Lao Pei (Pei Xinyuan), together with the reporter Shu Qun and others, found the hotel and visited the reader of the letter, Zhang Naiying, that is, the "future" Xiao Hong. Xiao Hong's actual situation was even worse than what she wrote in her letter— she was pregnant with Liujia, abandoned by her fiancé who had lived with her for half a year, and then taken hostage by the hotel owner, living in a cold and damp storage room in the corner of the hotel, and her daily meal was only a small half bowl of sorghum rice.
After knowing Xiao Hong's situation, Lao Pei and others were indignant, but they were helpless. Until three days later, Xiao Hong wrote again to ask for a few literary books to pass the time, and Lao Pei asked Xiao Jun, who happened to be nearby, to take a trip. Xiao Junjun recalled the scene when he first saw Xiao Hong, almost stunned: "She was wearing only a single long shirt that was originally blue and now faded... Her calves and feet were bare, dragging a pair of deformed women's shoes; to my surprise, she already had noticeable white hair in her splurges, shining in the light, and her pregnant figure, which seemed to be in labor before long. ”
If Xiao Hong's depressed and pitiful appearance at this time aroused the infinite sympathy of Xiao Jun, who was already macho and easy to fight, then the short poems she wrote on the letter paper scattered on the bed and the pattern of boring paintings stirred up Xiao Jun's soft love: "At that time, I thought that my thoughts and feelings were also changing... What appeared in front of me was the most beautiful of the women I have ever known! ...... I must save her at all costs and sacrifices ,——! Save this beautiful soul! ”
Xiao Hong, on the other hand, was also encouraged by the arrogance that Xiao Jun showed when he stepped into his moldy and wet hut, and raised "the joy that can only be felt when the scarred warriors meet each other." For her at that time, Xiao Jun was spring, hope, and all reliance.
On the second day, xiao jun visited Xiao Hong again, and the two married in the small room of the Dongxingshun Hotel, and "everything on the journey of love was done." For such a galloping love, Xiao Junjun's conclusion was "unusual meetings, ordinary combinations!" ”
It's just that Xiao Jun himself is also staying in the editor Lao Pei's home, "except for the hair that has not been cut for several months on his head is surplus", he has nothing, and he is unable to redeem Xiao Hong's debts. All he could do was walk twenty miles a day to visit Xiao Hong, and Xiao Hong's response was one love poem after another: "Your waist is whatever I hug, your lips are free of my kiss, don't you dare to come to my side?" O poet, sooner or later you will not be able to escape a woman! ”
The days of first love lasted for more than half a month, but Xiao Hong's "prison period" seemed to see no end. It was on the other hand that the heavy rain in August of this year caused the Songhua River to break the embankment, and the flood flooded the area outside the road, and the owners of the Dongxingshun Hotel all fled, and Xiao Hong took advantage of the chaos to sneak out of the room where she had been imprisoned for a long time, and took a passing firewood boat to touch the old Pei family where Xiao Jun was staying. Xiao Jun and Xiao Hong finally had the first place for the couple to stay in the living room of the old Pei family.
The beginning of creation
Although the tiger's mouth escaped from danger, Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun faced the poor couple Pepsi lament - Xiao Hong was in labor, due to the cold and hunger in the previous period, hair loss and headaches came to her; because they could not afford to pay the hospitalization fee, the doctors and nurses treated her coldly, "even a fly will abuse me"; and the child born in September was also detained by the hospital, offset as a medicine fee, and could not recognize each other (there is also a saying that xiao Jun sent people); in the end, Xiao Jun did not control his temper, and the old Pei family who stayed overnight turned against each other. They even lost the living room where they stayed.
With the only luggage they had, dragging their weak bodies after childbirth, Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun found a hut in Harbin's Shangshi Street several times. Xiao Jun paid the price of being a tutor for free and teaching martial arts and Chinese languages in exchange for the right to live in this hut. With a place to live, food is still not guaranteed, hunger is the eternal theme of Erxiao's life during this time, and the landing time of the next meal of bread is in front of their eyes, "I am afraid of bread, it is not that I want to eat bread, I am afraid that bread will swallow me" (Xiao Hong).
Sentient drinking water is full. At this time their material life is scarce, but their spiritual life is rich. At the end of 1932, the International Association Held a New Year Essay Contest, and Xiao Hong, encouraged by Xiao Jun and his friends, began to write novels, and completed her first short story "The Death of Wang Auntie" in May of the following year. This novel draws from the low-level rural peasant life that Xiao Hong witnessed when she was a child, and describes the tragic fate of the industrious and kind widow Wang Auntie. Since then, the life of the rural low-level working people has almost become the creative theme that runs through Xiao Hong's life.
In addition to writing, Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun often went to the "Morning Glory Room" with Bai Lang, Luo Feng and other CCP members to carry out secret anti-Japanese activities. Here they printed anti-Japanese leaflets, rehearsed anti-Japanese dramas, and prepared exhibitions of disaster relief paintings.
Before Xiao Hong fled to dongxingshun hotel, she was enthusiastic about literature and art, and once formed a "field sketching club" with her classmates to paint and sketch, and also was keen on "new literature", collecting Lu Xun's "Scream" and Mao Dun's "Pursuit". In the "morning glory room", she is like a fish in the water and progresses rapidly. Yuan Shijie, the mistress of the "morning glory room", once pulled her: "If a woman wants to turn over, she must stand up on her own and participate in the revolutionary cause, and not be a 'civilized stick' for men and a 'bar dog' for men."
This experience of living at No. 25 Shangshi Street was later written by Xiao Hong into an autobiographical collection of essays, "Shangshi Street". In the view of the American sinologist Ge Haowen, the literary value of "Shangshi Street" is far undervalued, and the "essence" of Xiao Hong's life in this book "often has penetrated the back of the paper".
It was also in this hut on Shangshi Street that Xiao Jun obtained the writing material for the book "The Countryside in August". Through Shuqun's introduction, Xiao Jun became acquainted with Fu Tianfei, an underground member of the Communist Party of China. After the "918" incident, Fu Tianfei and the famous anti-Japanese general Yang Jingyu founded China's earliest anti-Japanese guerrilla group in the Panshi area of Jilin Province. In the spring and summer of 1933, Fu Tianfei found Shu Qun and Xiao Jun and told the process of the expansion and development of the Rock Guerrillas for a day and a night, in case he sacrificed himself, he could leave two "belly drafts". On the basis of his narrative, Xiao Jun completed "The Countryside of August", which was later praised by Lu Xun as "a banner of literature against Japanese aggression".
But the quiet days of the shopping street did not last long. The activities of the "Morning Glory House" eventually attracted the attention of the "Manchukuo" government, one member was arrested, and the names and addresses of Xiao Jun and Xiao Hong were discovered by the Japanese gendarmerie, who had to flee Harbin in June 1934 for refuge in Qingdao. However, the white terror in Harbin once again continued to Qingdao, but the perpetrators changed from Japanese invaders to Kuomintang reactionaries, and in November of that year, Erxiao had to flee to Shanghai again.
Farewell and reunion
Shanghai is the place where Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun really appeared in the literary world. One of the important reasons is that Lu Xun became their literary mentor and gave Erxiao care and help in life like an elder.
Lu Xun has always been strict with people, and among those who have close contacts with him, there are very few who are not criticized or accused by him, except for Erxiao. Even if they do stupid things because they are not familiar with the world and unrealistically, Lu Xun is still caring for and seducing them everywhere. In the later period of Shanghai, Xiao Jun and Xiao Hong simply moved their homes to the vicinity of Lu Xun's residence, and Xiao Hong visited every day, or talked with Xu Guangping about a few homely dishes, or played games with Xiao Haibao for a while, or cooked a few northern dishes that Lu Xun loved to eat.
Before leaving Qingdao, Xiao Hong sent the first draft of the book "The Field of Life and Death" to Lu Xun, and after arriving in Shanghai, he met with Lu Xun for the first time, and Xiao Jun brought Lu Xun a copy of "The Countryside in August", which was carefully revised and corrected by Lu Xun. "The Countryside in August" takes the anti-Japanese theme and cannot be published publicly, while "The Field of Life and Death" was recommended by Lu Xun, and all parties changed hands for half a year without getting the opportunity to publish. At Xiao Jun's suggestion, and with Lu Xun's consent, they formed the "Slave Society" with Ye Zi, who was also unable to publish the short story collection Harvest, and secretly published three "Slave Books": Harvest, The Countryside in August, and The Field of Life and Death. The title page of the first edition of this series of books bears a notice: We are trapped in the position of "slave" and "quasi-slave", at least we should make a little slave cry, do all our strength, all patience...
"The Countryside of August" and "The Field of Life and Death" became the masterpieces of Xiao Jun and Xiao Hong, making them famous in the Shanghai literary world. Although they are always compared, Xiao Jun and Xiao Hong's writing techniques and creative talents are very different, Xiao Jun's writing position is clear and profound, and Xiao Hong's novels, although loosely structured, are delicate, fresh and direct to the hearts of the people. As Hu Feng said: "Xiao Jun climbed to the peak of art by hard work, and Xiao Hong relied on her genius." Although Lu Xun was pleased that the two books were widely acclaimed, he also frankly pointed out that "The Field of Life and Death seems to be more mature than "The Countryside in August", and Xiao Hong looks more promising in terms of the future of writing." ”
The difference in this writing style stems to some extent from the difference in personality and concept between Xiao Jun and Xiao Hong, and the gap in feelings is also generated. Due to the misfortune of the past, Xiao Hong desperately needs to be loved and loved, and her personality is delicate and sensitive and almost cowardly, but Xiao Jun, who is born in the military, has a machismo style, often ignoring Xiao Hong's feelings, or even laughing at Xiao Hong's writing in front of everyone.
After the two officially broke up, Xiao Hong once confided in Nie Cyan: "I love Xiao Jun, and I still love him, he is an excellent novelist, ideologically comrade, and he has struggled together in the tribulations!" But being his wife was too painful! I don't know why you men have such a big temper, why you make an air bag with your wife, why you are unfaithful to your wife! ”
In 1936, the relationship between the two was almost broken, and Xiao Jun had another relationship in addition to Xiao Hong. But Lu Xun's sudden and long death gave the two a painful blow, and after suffering, they did not break up after all. Until Shanghai was also in the crisis of white terror, Erxiao followed Hu Feng to Wuhan to participate in the founding of the "July" magazine, and responded to Li Gongpu's invitation to teach at the National Revolutionary University in Linfen, Shanxi. In 1938, the Japanese invading army launched an all-out attack on Shanxi, whether to go or to stay, the two always quarreled, and bid farewell.
Xiao Jun had the spirit of a soldier, and insisted on staying in Linfen to join the anti-Japanese guerrillas, but Xiao Hong believed that this was "heroism and strong-handedness" and hoped that he would join the Northwest Field Service Corps led by Ding Ling and go to Xi'an. - "Are you going to fight guerrillas?" That wouldn't be worth more than a real guerrilla, in case... Sacrificed, to your age, your life experience, your literary talents... This loss is not only your own. ”
"We often disagree like this, and everyone is not happy, so it is better to go our own way..." So Xiao Jun officially proposed to break up.
After the separation, Xiao Hong fell in love with and married Duanmu Hongliang, who was also in the field service group, traveled to Wuhan, Chongqing, and Hong Kong, and died in Hong Kong at the age of 31 due to poverty and illness, leaving behind works such as "Ma Bole" and "The Legend of Hulan River"; and Xiao Jun, under the persuasion of Ding Ling, did not join the anti-Japanese guerrillas, but left Linfen for Yan'an, where he met Wang Defen, who was only 19 years old, and combined with her to spend the remaining 50 years of his life.
Resources:
Two Stubborn Souls, by Qiu Shi, Writers Press, 2000
Xiao Hong's Self-Description, by Xiao Hong, Elephant Press, December 2004
"Man and Man: Memoirs of Xiao Jun", by Xiao Jun, China Federation of Literary and Art Publishing House, June 2006 edition
"Xiao Hong's Commentary", by Ge Haowen, Northern Literature and Art Publishing House, March 1985 edition
Commentary on Xiao Jun, by Wang Ke/Xu Sai, China Society Publishing House, January 2008
Author | Xiao Shuyan
Edit | Qingqingzi Luodong
Proofreading | Xue Jingning Liu Jun