Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 107 Joining the Writers' Visit to France

Beside the Drum Tower, a girl was pushing a wheelchair to sunbathe in a corner. In the wheelchair sat a disabled man with a sallow complexion, pale lips, and long hair that almost covered half of his face.

Because he often turns his wheelchair himself, his arm strength is much greater than others. His hands are clasped in front of his lower abdomen, and his palms have some calluses.

Since his paralysis, Shi Tiesheng has been able to accept the strange looks he receives, but whenever someone deliberately stares at him, he will still subconsciously turn his face away or lower his head.

"Brother, aren't we going to 'Today' magazine?" Shi Tiesheng's sister, Shi Lan, asked from the side.

Shi Tiesheng looked at his younger sister beside him and said with a look of affection, "I'm not going!"

"You're not going anymore?"

"not going!"

"Why? If we don't go, Brother Beidao and the others will miss us," Shi Lan asked curiously.

"Do you like going?"

Shi Lan replied, "I just thought it was lively there."

Spring is coming, and the flowers in Beihai Park will soon be in bloom, but the chrysanthemums will still be blooming for a while. My mother asked me before if I wanted to go to Beihai Park to see the flowers, but I didn't go. Later, when the chrysanthemums bloomed, my mother asked me again, but I still didn't go. Later, when I wanted to go, she was no longer there.

Shi Tiesheng said sadly.

Shi Lan's eyes stung with tears, but she still said, "Brother, when the flowers bloom, I'll take you to Beihai Park to see them!"

“Okay, Lanlan, what Mom showed me wasn’t flowers, it was hope, the hope of living!” Shi Tiesheng’s eyes were already brimming with tears, but because of his thick hair, no one could see them.

"Then let's live well from now on!" Shi Lan held Shi Tiesheng's hand and squatted down in front of his wheelchair.

“Yes, live life to the fullest!” Shi Tiesheng continued, “I’ve been reading Liu Yimin’s poems published in Poetry Journal lately, they’re so passionate and full of hope. I especially like his recent poem, ‘Love of Life’—as long as you love life, everything is within your control!”

Shi Lan laughed and said, "No wonder you specifically collected these issues of magazines containing Liu Yimin's poems, that's why. So how do his poems compare to those of Brother Bei Dao and Brother Mang Ke?"

"The styles are different. Now I'm thinking, should a person who is being played by fate continue to complain, or should they choose to love life like Liu Yimin's poems! I've figured it out, the more you complain, the more you complain. I used to smash a window to vent, and later I smashed all the windows in the house."

They complained, but I couldn't complain anymore; I had to cherish life. To me, their poems weren't flowers; Liu Yimin's poems were the true flowers of Beihai Park. If Mom were here, she would definitely want me to read these.

There's a difference between complaining while standing and complaining while lying in a wheelchair. Standing, you can go anywhere to complain, but I'm confined to a wheelchair.

Bei Dao: Who are you subtly referring to?
Shi Lan was still young and didn't quite understand, but she knew that her older brother was changing, and she was overjoyed: "Brother, will I push you in my wheelchair to see the flowers in Beihai Park from now on?"

"Hmm, do you think Yenching University has flowers?" Shi Tiesheng asked with a smile.

"there must be!"

"When shall we go visit Yenching University?"

March arrived quickly, and newspapers began to reveal plans to withdraw troops. The lesson learned in South Y had been effective, and on March 5th, a formal withdrawal was announced. However, a complete retreat would take time, and it wasn't until March 16th that all troops had returned to the country.

Li Congren and his men asked why they were retreating. According to their usual practice, they would not retreat unless they had encountered a major setback while advancing triumphantly within Y South.

"That's the difference between us and you. We are punitive and just. Weren't you worried that we couldn't win at the beginning? Old Li, you've been in China for so long, you should have heard the saying, 'A just war will always be victorious.'"

Liu Yimin patted Li Congren on the shoulder, leaving him standing there lost in thought.

Klif caught up: "Liu, nothing to do today, let's go to the bathhouse!"

"it is good!"

People's Literature and Art went on sale today, and Liu Yimin didn't pay much attention to the sales of "Wolf Smoke in Beiping". Klifu's bath invitation was the most important task at the moment.

It's getting hot soon, and taking a bath won't be comfortable anymore!

Liu Yimin thought to himself, "It's hot, so swimming is a good idea. Comrade Zhu Lin said he would teach me to swim last time, but I don't know when he'll actually do it. I'll have to find a chance to hint at it next time."

Now that I've said it, how can I not teach it?
That evening, a group of people left the Haidian Bathhouse and returned to Yenching University. Since the last time they had worked to unite the international students, the International Students Office had become increasingly satisfied with Liu Yimin's work and had even allocated a batch of activity funds to help him run the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press well.

In Liu Yimin's dormitory, a bespectacled, bookish man was sitting, constantly checking his watch and occasionally anxiously asking Liu Yimin when he would return.

Liu Zhenyun and the other two exchanged glances and then shook their heads.

The man was a member of the Writers' Association. He had been waiting for Liu Yimin in the dormitory for a long time.

As soon as Liu Yimin pushed the door open, the man jumped up from the bed: "You must be Comrade Liu Yimin?"

"I am, and you are?" Liu Yimin asked in confusion.

"I'm from the Foreign Affairs Office of the Writers' Association. I'm here to inform you that Comrade Ba Jin will be visiting France in April at the invitation of the French literary community. Based on Comrade Ba Jin's recommendation and with the approval of the leaders of the Writers' Association, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Ministry of Culture, it has been decided to include you as a member of the writers' delegation. Comrade Liu Yimin, it is a great honor to represent the literary world on this visit!"

Liu Yimin was also shocked by the news, and the dormitory fell into a deathly silence.

After a while, Liu Yimin asked, "Comrade, we didn't get the wrong person, did we?"

"No, Comrade Liu Yimin. Comrade Ba Jin recommended you, but the higher-ups hesitated for a while because they thought you were too young. They only decided to approve it after seeing your article published in the China Youth Daily recently. Comrades Zhou Yang and Shen Yanbing from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles praised your article highly. I need to take your documents with me to process the relevant travel documents."

Also, you should learn some basic French so you can communicate with people abroad. Comrade Ba Jin has returned to Shanghai and will come to Yenching before you depart; you will travel together then.

"Excuse me, sir, the Chinese literature department professors should be leaving get off work by now."

"I've already notified them to start work!"

So Liu Yimin followed him and prepared his documents, which he then took to process. These days, the procedures for individuals traveling abroad are cumbersome and time-consuming, but these departments are different; they handle special cases with special consideration!
Back in the dormitory, Liu Zhenyun and the other two gathered around and asked, "Yimin, are you really going to France?"

(End of this chapter)