"White Deer Plain" was first serialized in two issues of "Contemporary", and then published by the People's Literature Publishing House, and the Central People's Radio and Xi'an People's Radio were broadcast almost simultaneously, which quickly aroused repercussions among readers and literary circles, which almost caught me off guard.

When the manuscript was written, of course, I also had a self-estimation that if it could be published, it would definitely not be quiet, but would have reacted.

However, I was not surprised by the rapid and strong reaction, especially the strong response from readers from all walks of life and non-literary circles, which made me feel so deeply for the first time that readers are the soil for the survival of literary works.

In August 1993, the seminar held in Beijing was also the most moving meeting I have ever experienced in my life.

One night after the meeting, Lao He and Gao Xian both found the hotel where I was staying and took the initiative to discuss with me about revising the original book publishing contract.

According to the original book publishing contract, 30 yuan per 1,000 words was the highest remuneration standard implemented by the People's Literature Publishing House in the early 90s.

According to this standard, nearly 500,000 words of manuscript can get about 15,000 yuan of remuneration, which is a clear calculation from the time of signing the contract, and I am also very excited to get a large amount of remuneration of more than 10,000 yuan at a time and leapfrog into the ranks of 10,000 yuan households.

Now, He and Gao are calculating another account for me, and if I use royalties, I will be able to get three or four thousand yuan more.

Nearly 15,000 copies of Bai were ordered according to the planned economy, which was an encouraging number in the 1993 Xinhua Bookstore Order.

According to the 10% royalty and the book price of nearly 13 yuan, it can be more than 3,000 yuan more than the original contract.

They've already done the calculations, and considering that I've spent six years writing this book, I'll try to get as much as I can.

I haven't received royalties yet, and it took me a long time to understand the benefits, so I'm naturally happy.

But what touched me even more was how carefully they had calculated for me. As the author of a book, in the face of such a thoughtful editor, saying something like thank you seems superfluous and cliché.

In the years since the publication of "Bai", there have been some serious or not-so-serious criticisms, and it is normal for me to maintain a calm mind regardless of whether I am old, old, high, or other editors of the Humanities Society.

There is, however, one kind of criticism that concerns the survival of the work, namely

On the question of "historical tendencies", I have regarded this opinion as a misreading from the time I heard it. In the years that have been misread and misunderstood, there have been some minor troubles involving the reviews and several awards of the "White" book.

In these processes, Lao He and Lao Gao adhered to their own views on the "Bai" book, and when I learned about some situations afterwards, I was really moved and admired, and even felt guilty because the "Bai" book caused them trouble, but comforted them.

They all said that this kind of thing was no longer a vulgar practice of friendship or care with me, but involved a major topic about literature itself.

Around the time of the sweltering heat of 1997, Lao He called one night and told me a piece of news that Chen Yong had confessed to a certain theorist that the book "Bai" did not exist

The question of "historical tendencies" has been circulating in literary circles. I listened to a refreshing feeling of fresh breeze through the chest, about

In the end, a respected literary theorist like Chen Yong was frank and straightforward in explaining the problem of "historical tendencies".

Lao He predicted from this that the evaluation of the Mao Dun Literature Award may have hope because of this. About half a year ago, when I met him in Beijing, Lao He was still doing comforting work for me, saying that it was unlikely that the Mao Dun Literature Award would be awarded, and that it was of little significance to the book "Bai" whether the award was awarded or not, and it was enough to have the recognition of readers and the literary community.

I'm basically in this state of mind, awards are one thing, and

The question of "historical tendencies" is another matter. He and I still have a normal mentality when it comes to awards.

Now, Chen Yong's words on the possible turning point of the Mao Dun Award for the book review of "Bai" are just a guess, and it is lifted for me

It is the doubts and misreadings of the "historical tendencies" that are the most realistic. I couldn't help but get excited, it doesn't matter if the award is awarded or not, just have Chen Yong's words.

Some people say that the process does not have to be considered, the key is to look at the result. After the result of the "White" book finally won the Mao Dun Literature Award, I was moved by that process.

Especially in the past few years of misreading, Lao He, Gao Xiaohong, and other editors of the People's Literature Publishing House who insisted on literary significance constituted the indelible and moving process for me.

At this point, this high gatehouse has been integrated into my sense of intimacy and warmth. The People's Literature Publishing House in Gaomenlou relied on the support of a group of literary saints such as Lao He Lao Gao Xiaohong to support the façade of a country's literary publishing industry.

As an author who thinks that literature is sacred, I am honored and proud to meet Lao He, Lao Gao, and Xiaohong.

Original, 20 February 2001