The essay 'Back View' can be said to be the most perfect embodiment of "loose form, united spirit" from his previous life.
Even though he had only read it once in middle school and hadn't seen it again for decades, this piece remained deeply etched in Huang Yifan's mind.
Thinking back to his previous life, wasn't his own father just like the father described in Zhu Ziqing's writing?
Simple and not good with words, yet his love for his children was always shown through countless actions.
That was exactly what 'Back View' portrayed. It described only small, trivial things the father did, yet it was precisely within those little details that a father's greatness shone through the most.
The entire essay was only a little over a thousand words. Originally, Huang Yifan could have typed it out on the computer in just over twenty minutes. But for some reason, perhaps because of his thoughts, or perhaps because the essay was too moving, it took him more than an hour to finish typing it all out. After tidying it up and correcting a few typos, he sent it to Ji Ziping from Youth Literature.
However, after receiving the essay, Ji Ziping didn't respond at all.
Huang Yifan found it a bit strange and sent a few question marks. "Editor Ji, what's wrong?"
After quite a while, Ji Ziping finally replied.
"Mr. Qiushui, after reading your 'Back View', I was reminded of my own old father."
"Sorry, I lost my composure a bit."
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen my father for quite some time. Mr. Qiushui, your article is truly excellent. But after reading it, I feel deeply ashamed. I've already arranged for it to be published as soon as possible. However, I may need to take a few days off. I need to go visit my father."
"That's only right. Go ahead, don't worry about it."
Huang Yifan felt a surge of emotion. He couldn't help but think of his father from his previous life, wondering how he was doing now.
But now that they were no longer in the same time and space, a sense of sadness inevitably filled him.
Soon after, Huang Yifan picked up his phone and called his father in this world, Huang Yuan.
"Dad."
Ever since coming to this world, Huang Yifan felt somewhat unfamiliar with Huang Yuan. On one hand, they hadn't met often; on the other, he hadn't fully accepted him yet.
This was different from his mother. After all, his mother Li Shuhua, with her boundless maternal love, had given him endless care during his middle school years, and he had gradually accepted her. Huang Yuan had been working away from home, so Huang Yifan hadn't felt much connection before. But in this world, his closest relatives were still his parents. Feeling stirred, he wanted to talk to his father.
He wanted to ask how his father was doing, whether the shop was running smoothly.
After the call connected, Huang Yuan didn't say much, quietly listening as Huang Yifan spoke.
Only when the call was about to end did Huang Yuan finally speak a little.
"Your mom wants to ask if you're adjusting well at No. 2 High. You need to take good care of yourself and not argue with your classmates. Also, the money you earned from writing… we originally planned to use it to open a shop. But after thinking it over, we decided against it. Your mom and I are both simple people, not good at business. It's better to save it for your future marriage. You know how expensive bride prices are here; even over a hundred thousand isn't enough. Your dad isn't very capable. I'm afraid that if we open a shop and lose money, we won't have anything left for your wedding… Anyway, don't worry about home. Everything is fine here. Your mom also wants to know, will you come back for the Mid-Autumn Festival? If you are, let us know in advance. If not, that's fine too. Just focus on your studies at school."
These words of concern nearly brought Huang Yifan to tears.
Still, he wiped his eyes and nodded firmly. "Dad, don't worry. I'll come home for Mid-Autumn Festival."
"That's good."
…
"Sigh, this is probably the most embarrassing literary battle I've ever fought."
Looking at his own words calling for Qiushui to write a prose piece, scholar Li Qi adjusted his glasses, feeling deeply ashamed.
In his heart, Li Qi already knew that his side had ultimately lost.
And lost completely, without any doubt.
But even so, for reputation, for status, for personal interests, Li Qi still joined other writers who had criticized Qiuhuo before, shouting for Qiushui to produce a classic essay.
He wondered if Qiushui had written anything today.
Or would he call them shameless?
Or simply ignore them altogether?
All of that was possible.
But literary battles were like this. Even Li Qi felt his actions were indeed rather shameless.
Picking up the newly received Youth Daily, he didn't even need to search. Right in the center of the front page was Qiushui's essay.
'Back View'.
So, he still chose to respond.
Why bother?
Shaking his head, Li Qi sighed.
Regardless of how well you write, we won't acknowledge it anyway.
Still, let's see what you've written.
"That winter, my grandmother passed away, and my father lost his job. It was a time when misfortune came in pairs…"
That was the opening.
Li Qi muttered to himself, "It's average… I don't see anything special."
But just as he said that, the next few lines left him momentarily stunned.
"My father was busy and had originally decided not to see me off, asking a familiar hotel porter to accompany me instead. He repeatedly instructed the porter, being extremely careful. But in the end, he couldn't feel at ease. Worried the porter might not handle things properly, he hesitated for quite a while. In truth, I was already twenty that year and had traveled to BJ two or three times, so there was nothing to worry about. After hesitating, he finally decided to take me himself. I tried again and again to persuade him not to go; he only said: 'It's fine. They won't do it properly!"
As a well-known essay researcher, Li Qi immediately recognized this style. It seemed casual, almost scattered, yet there was an invisible thread tying everything together. Just a few simple actions of the father painted a vivid image. Especially that final line, "It's fine. They won't do it properly!" Such plain words, yet they struck straight to the heart.
Even Li Qi felt a tremor in his chest upon reading it, as if something inside him had been touched.
He continued reading.
"We crossed the river and entered the station. I bought the tickets while he busied himself watching over the luggage. There was too much luggage, so we had to tip the porters to get through. He then went to bargain with them. At that time, I was overly clever, always feeling his way of speaking was clumsy, so I insisted on interrupting. But in the end, he settled the price and saw me onto the train. He picked a seat for me near the door; I spread out the purple fur coat he had made for me. He told me to be careful on the journey, to stay alert at night, and not catch a cold. He also asked the porter to take good care of me. I secretly laughed at his foolishness; those people only cared about money, and entrusting them was pointless! And at my age, couldn't I take care of myself? Looking back now, I was truly far too clever."
If the previous passage had merely touched Li Qi, then after finishing this one, he completely lost control of his emotions.
His right hand holding the newspaper began to tremble slightly, and he kept murmuring two lines:
"I was truly far too clever."
"Looking back now, I was truly far too clever."
Each mention of "clever" felt like a blade cutting into his heart.
A great figure slowly emerged before him.
That figure was the father.
"Father…" Tears blurred Li Qi's vision.
Before even finishing half the essay, he was already completely overwhelmed.
He remembered when his own father had sent him off to university. Wasn't it just like this? How ridiculous. Back then, he, too, had been "far too clever." Thinking his father spoke poorly, always interrupting him. Thinking his father's words were useless, things he already knew. Thinking his father, at his age, couldn't possibly understand the younger generation… Ridiculous… He had truly been far too clever.
Tears streamed down his face, and Li Qi could no longer bear to continue reading.
Only after a long while did he calm down.
Looking at the earlier debate, he had started over prose.
Looking at his demand for Qiushui to produce a classic essay.
Looking at how he had resolved to deny Qiushui, no matter how good the work was.
But at this moment, at this very instant, Li Qi did something unprecedented. He called several fellow writers and said, "Sorry, I no longer have the face to continue this battle. I withdraw."
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Glossary
'Back View' "背影" is a famous Chinese prose essay written by the renowned modern writer Zhu Ziqing in 1925. It was created during a turbulent period in early 20th-century China and is based on the author's personal experience of parting with his father at a train station. The essay is relatively short, just over a thousand Chinese characters, yet it is widely regarded as one of the greatest works in modern Chinese literature. Its importance lies in its subtle and deeply emotional portrayal of paternal love through ordinary details, especially the iconic image of the father's back as he struggles to buy oranges for his son. 'Back View' is often praised as a classic example of the prose style "loose in form, united in spirit," and it has been included in school textbooks for generations, leaving a lasting impact on readers and becoming one of the most influential and beloved essays in Chinese literary history.
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