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

Chapter 151 of *People's Literature* won't be published; we will.

Chapter 151 of *People's Literature* won't be published; we will.

Logically speaking, at Old Ma's age, he should have retired long ago and could no longer work at the guesthouse. But ultimately, he lives alone, and the guesthouse management felt that if he went back alone, there would be no one to take care of him. At least at the guesthouse, there was a canteen, so he didn't have to cook.

"You look increasingly energetic, sir?" Liu Yimin asked, puzzled. This wasn't just a compliment; it was genuine. His movements were still somewhat clumsy, but his complexion had become much rosier.

Zhou Xing, holding a coal shovel, said with a smile, "Comrade Liu Yimin, I also think that Master Ma insisted I was lying to him. He's been in good spirits lately!"

Liu Yimin put down the things he was carrying for Lao Ma. He had seen Lao Ma acting strangely when he came out of the Beijing People's Art Theatre last time, and he wanted to come and see him, but he hadn't had the time. Seeing that he was in such good spirits, he was relieved.

"Little meat with wine, let's drink until we're ninety-nine!" Old Ma shook his head proudly and sang in a theatrical voice.

After chatting for a while, Liu Yimin gave him a ticket to a Peking Opera performance by the Yanjing Peking Opera Troupe.

In February, Yenching University was preparing for its summer break, and the decision on whether or not People's Literature would publish the essays had not yet been made. Liu Yimin heard that the discussion was very heated, and even the possibility of it causing foreign affairs disputes was raised.

It started as a discussion within the editorial department, but given the editorial department's relationship with the Writers' Association, it was impossible for the Writers' Association members to ignore it. First, the editorial department argued, and then the Writers' Association started arguing.

As the argument escalated, even the Writers' Association's affiliated newspaper, *Wenyi Bao*, got involved, and the discussion grew louder and louder. The number of people involved snowballed, growing larger and larger.

Cui Daoyi was caught in the middle and found it very difficult to handle, so he went to Liu Yimin to ask if he wanted to make changes.

Liu Yimin treated Cui Daoyi to a meal at the Changzheng Hotel and said with a beaming smile, "Still not changing. Senior brother, I'll change what I can, but how can I change the facts? Senior brother, have you ever eaten at the Changzheng Hotel?"

Cui Daoyi glanced at the surrounding layout, unsure of his meaning: "I've been here a few times, why has it changed? I don't see anything amiss!"

Liu Yimin pointed around, including the kitchen: "Change is inevitable. The biggest constant in the world is change, but no matter how much it changes, it will still be the Long March Hotel, the Long March Hotel!"

Liu Yimin emphasized the words "Long March" very much, and Cui Daoyi immediately understood what he meant: the spirit of the Long March remains unchanged.

In reality, Liu Yimin didn't think there was any major problem here; he didn't expect the discussion to be so heated. When the question was asked, they hadn't considered foreign affairs, but their answers seemed to express concern about potential foreign disputes.

Liu Yimin felt that this was being too cautious.

Cui Daoyi said, "That's normal. France and we have a pretty good relationship, so..."

Stepping out of the restaurant, Liu Yimin stretched out his palm to feel the snowflakes and said with a smile, "It's snowing again!"

"Yes, it's been snowing for several days!"

"Look, those bamboo stalks are almost bent over by the weight!"

"It'll straighten out once the snow melts!"

Liu Yimin waved to Cui Daoyi and returned to Yenching University.

"The wind and snow have weighed me down for two or three years, yet I laugh as the wind blows lightly and the snow falls like cotton." After reciting this, Liu Yimin shook his head; he felt his recitation of these lines was too sentimental.

Cao Yu found Liu Yimin and talked about the matter. Liu Yimin shared his thoughts.

"Teacher, instead of some people analyzing me through my novels every day, I'd rather express who I am directly through my essays. It's tiresome for me to keep guessing, and it's exhausting for them too!"

Liu Yimin's words amused Cao Yu: "You're a really nice person, worried about tiring others out!"

"Put others before yourself!"

"Shouldn't I praise you a bit? I'll even write you a calligraphy piece: 'Be the first to worry about the world's troubles, and the last to enjoy its pleasures!'" Cao Yu's words were very serious, but his face showed no sign of seriousness whatsoever.

"I'll grind the ink for you, sir!"

"You're so irresponsible! Come over for dinner tonight, your senior sister made braised beef especially for you, take some home with you."

"it is good!"

That evening, he went home with Cao Yu. Wan Fang had been waiting for a long time, and when she saw Yi Min, she actually reached out and pinched Liu Yi Min's cheek.

"Senior sister, what's wrong with you!"

"What's wrong? Junior brother, let me see if you've lost weight recently. It's good that you haven't lost weight."

Li Yuru told Liu Yimin to take off his coat and wash his hands before eating. Then, she and Wan Fang brought the food to the living room, laughing and telling him some funny stories about cooking.

Liu Yimin, smelling the fragrant aroma of the braised beef, smiled and said, "I've been craving my senior sister's braised beef for a long time, and my master's wife's braised pork is delicious too."

"I've wanted to eat this for a long time, why didn't you say so sooner? The sooner you said so, the sooner we could have eaten it." Wan Fang handed Liu Yimin a pair of chopsticks, urging him to try it quickly.

Li Yuru praised Wan Fang's braised beef, saying it was better than her own braised pork: "You should learn from Xiao Fang when you have time."

Wanfang's braised beef is very flavorful, tender and juicy, with the sauce and meat flavor lingering on your palate without being greasy. It tastes even better when chopped up and eaten with a sesame flatbread.

"Senior sister, your braised beef is even better than Fushunzhai's. If you were to sell braised beef, all the braised beef shops in Yanjing would have to close down."

Liu Yimin gave a thumbs-up in praise.

Wan Fang was very pleased and squinted her eyes happily, putting a large piece into Liu Yimin's bowl: "It's delicious, eat more!"

"While others struggled to get enough to eat while in school, I gained a lot of weight." Now, all the signs of malnutrition, such as the sallow complexion on Liu Yimin's face, have disappeared.

Her face has become much rounder, but her overall figure is still not very fat. Her skin isn't fair, though; she's still a proper member of the Plain Yellow Banner.

"Eat without worry, nothing will happen!" Cao Yu said, referring to the manuscript rather than the food.

The following day, Liu Yimin met Zhou Yanru from "Yanjing Literature and Art" and Zhang Shouren from "October". Looking at the two, Liu Yimin wondered how they had gotten together.

Liu Yimin had met Zhang Shouren, the founder of the magazine "October." Liu had approached Zhang to commission an article during the literary congress, but Zhang refused, saying he didn't have any articles on hand.

The magazine's name, "October," represents several major events that occurred in October, so they simply named it after them.

"Why did you two come together today?"

"Who came with him/her?"

"Then this is?"

Zhang Shouren stroked his beard and said, "I ran into him at the door."

Zhou Yanru laughed heartily: "We've got the same idea! We both came here today for your essay. If People's Literature won't publish it, we'll publish it in Yanjing Literature."

So that's what they came for. With so many people discussing it, it's normal that "October" and "Yanjing Literature" heard the news.

Zhang Shouren narrowed his eyes and glanced at Zhou Yanru. "That sounds nice," he said. "When we came together, all we talked about was *Yanjing Literature and Art* being willing to publish, without mentioning *October* at all." Thinking about this, Zhang Shouren began to feel a headache coming on. Liu Yimin had connections with both *People's Literature and Art* and *Harvest*, and *Yanjing Literature and Art* had even held a seminar, which also brought them into the picture.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd most likely go with *Yanjing Literature and Art*. Oh, if only I'd known sooner!
"People's Literature and Art represents the Writers' Association, so it's normal for them to have concerns. Our Yanjing Literature and Art is willing and dares to publish these controversial manuscripts. Last March, Fang Zhi's 'The Traitor' was even rejected by Harvest, but we published it. Comrade Qingquan took the lead in preparing several review articles to deal with possible situations, and as it turns out, the novel was very popular."

Zhou Yanru said smugly.

"Our October is also good. Although it is a new publication, it is like a newborn calf that is not afraid of tigers. In less than two years, its influence among pure literature magazines in the country has already ranked among the top."

The three magazines, *October*, *Contemporary*, and *Flower City*, were founded relatively recently, but they were young, energetic, and fast-growing. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been collectively known as the "Four Great Literary Masters."

Of course, piggybacking on the popularity of "Harvest" magazine is also a form of publicity.

Neither of them would back down, and if Liu Yimin didn't express his opinion soon, they might start arguing: "Editors, thank you for your high regard for my essay, but I made an appointment with Comrade Cui Daoyi, and I can't go back on my word. I'll wait and see what their attitude is."

The fact that they're arguing shows that the people at *People's Literature and Art*, led by Li Ji and Cui Daoyi, all want to publish it; otherwise, they could have just said they wouldn't publish it.

Zhang Shouren and Zhou Yanru sighed and made it clear that if they didn't want it, they should contact them.

As Zhou Yanru pushed her bicycle out of Yenching University, she scoffed at Cui Daoyi: "Cui Daoyi is really all bravado—he has quite the nerve."

"A chicken that escaped from the weasel's jaws is really lucky," Zhang Shouren said.

The two exchanged a smile and rode towards the city, both clamoring for Cui Daoyi to treat them to a meal and to find out the attitude of "People's Literature and Art".

Filming for "Romance on Lushan Mountain" was originally scheduled to wrap up in early January, with the crew disbanding and everyone returning home. However, Zhu Lin still hadn't returned to Yanjing by February.

In the letter, Zhu Lin told Liu Yimin that he might not return from Shanghai until one or two days before the Spring Festival, and that he was currently filming in the Shanghai Film Studio.

When Liu Yimin returned to the dormitory, he saw Liu Zhenyun packing his luggage and said with a smile, "Comrade Zhenyun, I'm going home with you this year. Have you bought your ticket yet?"

Liu Zhenyun glanced at Liu Yimin in surprise, a hint of panic flashing across his face, and stammered, "Aren't you going to stay in Yanjing for a few days before going back this year?"

"No, what's so great about staying in Yanjing? Just come early for the New Year!" Liu Yimin said with a smile, glancing at his luggage, which seemed to have nothing much to pack.

Bringing too much will make the journey too tiring.

"I haven't bought the ticket yet, I'm planning to leave tomorrow," Liu Zhenyun said honestly.

Li Xueqin and Chen Dazhi left yesterday, and they should both be home by tomorrow.

“Let’s go buy tickets together!” Liu Yimin said happily.

Liu Zhenyun stopped unpacking his luggage: "Don't you usually travel in a soft sleeper or sleeper berth?"

"I'm not some delicate person, why can't I sit in a hard seat? What's wrong with you? You used to ask me to travel with you, why don't you want to come with me today?"

Liu Yimin stared at Liu Zhenyun with a scrutinizing look, and he quickly said, "Let's go together, as long as you can handle it. Let me tell you, after more than ten hours of hard seat travel, your butt will hurt so much that you can't even walk."

After saying that, he started packing his luggage again.

Liu Yimin looked around for a while and, finding nothing unusual, climbed the ladder to his upper bunk.

Although nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Liu Yimin knew that something was definitely wrong with Liu Zhenyun!

I only found out why when I went to buy the tickets!
"Heh, going home with a law school freshman, huh? No wonder he didn't want me to come along." Liu Yimin's ambiguous gaze swept over Liu Zhenyun repeatedly, making him feel extremely uncomfortable, as if ants were crawling all over him.

"Zhenyun, in the end I misplaced my trust and was presumptuous. Is it too late for me to say I'm not leaving today?" Liu Yimin nudged Liu Zhenyun's shoulder and said in a low voice.

Liu Zhenyun quickly made a defensive gesture: "Don't talk nonsense, I'm just taking her home with me!"

"Oh!" Liu Yimin nodded, and said thoughtfully, "They don't know how to get home, they need you to lead the way."

"No, no, it's for protection!"

"Alright, I'll get some of your protection too," Liu Yimin said with a smile. Then he put his arm around Liu Zhenyun's shoulder, winked at him, and whispered, "I'll give you two theater tickets for the New Year."

Liu Zhenyun said seriously, "Hey, what's with all this talk about theater tickets? Which play are you giving me tickets to? Are they for adjacent seats?"

Which one do you want to watch?

""thunderstorm""

"It's not 'The Flames of War in Beiping'? I'm not giving it to you!"

Liu Zhenyun quickly grabbed Liu Yimin's hand and said, "I was just afraid of making things difficult for you. I heard that tickets for 'Smoke Over Beiping' are still hard to buy after a month. Let's go with 'Smoke Over Beiping'!"

"Row!"

"I'll talk to Xiao Guo about it."

"Don't say anything, wait until the tickets arrive. You know what a surprise is, you have to give her a surprise!" Liu Yimin personally imparted his experience in pursuing Liu Zhenyun's wife.

Liu Zhenyun nodded hurriedly, "I understand, I understand!"

See? Comrade Liu Yimin will not only not cause trouble, but will also help!
On the way back, Liu Zhenyun took out his novel and showed it to Liu Yimin and Guo Jianmei. Guo Jianmei read it very carefully, and Liu Zhenyun asked Liu Yimin to give some comments.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "I think it's ready to be published. Let's try submitting it to some of the major magazines in Beijing. If Editor Zhou and Senior Brother Cui come next time, we can also let them take a look."

Liu Zhenyun and the others got off the train north of the Yellow River, earlier than Liu Yimin. After they got off, Liu Yimin still had to sit for several hours. When he finally got off the train, he found that he could barely walk.

This suffering is unbearable!

When Liu Yimin arrived in Ru County, he went to the cultural center first. The snow was too heavy to go home. Old Zhang was shoveling snow with the people from the cultural center. When he saw Liu Yimin, he stuck his shovel into the snow and quickly came over to take Liu Yimin's luggage.

"Look who's here!" Old Zhang shouted.

The others who were shoveling snow looked up at Liu Yimin, but some of the older comrades couldn't see him clearly for a moment because the snow was too dazzling.

Li Jian'an, who discovered the stork-fish stone axe painting, was also transferred to the cultural center, where he met Liu Yimin and expressed his gratitude.

“Comrade Li Jian’an, there’s no need to thank me, you deserve it. Our Central Plains region has many cultural relics, but many of them have been ruined because of ignorance. With you transferred to the cultural relics protection group of the cultural center, our cultural center’s cultural relics protection capabilities will be strengthened.”

That evening, Liu Yimin was arranged to rest at the guesthouse and would go home when the weather cleared up.

(End of this chapter)

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