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

Chapter 159 It’s great to be young!
Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin walked down the stairs of the Beijing People's Art Theatre one after the other. Liu Yimin's words were still echoing in Zhu Lin's mind, making her head spin. She had completely forgotten what she wanted to say when she had been waiting for Liu Yimin there.

As he went downstairs, he encountered people from the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and Liu Yimin greeted them all with a smile.

After exchanging greetings, everyone looked curiously at the blushing Zhu Lin. By the time they reached the door, Zhu Lin's face looked like a crayfish that had been dipped in boiling water.

It wasn't just his face; everything above his neck was red, but below that, you couldn't see anything!
Liu Yimin invited Zhu Lin to visit his new home. Zhu Lin then remembered that she had contacted Liu Yimin earlier to give him a housewarming gift. She asked for the address of Liu Yimin's courtyard house and planned to go there later.

"Gifts don't matter, the thought is what counts," Liu Yimin said, waving his hand.

Zhu Lin stubbornly insisted, "No, I absolutely have to give it to you. But don't look down on what I give; it certainly won't be as nice as what others give."

"Anything you send is fine."

This time, Zhu Lin didn't think much of it. When he saw Liu Yimin to the entrance of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, he grabbed Liu Yimin and asked him curiously.

"Teacher Liu, was that a poem you just read aloud that you wrote?"

This poem makes me blush, but if I don't ask about it, I feel itchy inside.

Liu Yimin turned to Zhu Lin, still thinking about this: "It's just a spontaneous thought, not yet refined. If you refine it, it could be considered a poem."

Zhu Lin said with admiration and a touch of shyness, "Your words are poetry. I'll definitely buy it when it's published. Compared to 'Far and Near,' I think your poem is more direct and expressive, and I'm sure more people will like it."

To be more direct and expressive is simply to be more straightforward and bold.

Okay, you've learned to use fancy words now.

"It's not that every poem I write is a poem; I just happened to see your post and that inspired me to write this. As for when to publish it, we can discuss how to refine it in a bit," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lin happily ran back to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, secretly thinking that he had also participated in the creative process.

After the poem was published, friends came to discuss it with me, and I pretended to be seeing it for the first time, listening to their praises and feeling secretly pleased.

After listening, she would casually mention that she had also participated in the creation of the poem. Thinking about this, Zhu Lin could already imagine the complex mix of surprise, envy, and curiosity on their faces when they found out.

No, it's not enough to just tell my friends; I also need to give them a subtle hint when I get home.

Comrade Zhu Lin deserves much credit for Comrade Liu Yimin's poem!

Liu Yimin rode his bicycle to Liulichang with Cao Yu's calligraphy and found a state-owned framing shop. Liulichang used to deal in cultural relics, and now even ordinary bookstores also handle framing services.

This is the framing shop where I bought the painting last time.

"Oh, isn't this Comrade Liu Yimin? Here to buy paintings again?" The shop assistant walked to the door and welcomed Liu Yimin in.

Liu Yimin asked curiously, "You still recognize me?"

They only met once, and it's been a year since then. You have a good memory.

"Hey, what are you saying? What do we in this business rely on to make a living? We rely on recognizing people. Before liberation, when you stood at the door, the shopkeeper would teach you how to spot people. Whether they were rich or poor, whether they had good stuff or were just trying to fool you, you had to be able to tell them off at a glance. You also had to remember what customers who had come once bought and sold."

"I started as an apprentice when I was thirteen, and it took me seven years to start receiving goods." The shop assistant recounted his past experiences with great familiarity, and after a while, he finally asked Liu Yimin what he had come for this time.

"I have a piece of calligraphy here that I'd like you to frame." Liu Yimin spread out Cao Yu's calligraphy and displayed it to the shop assistant.

"Is this Mr. Cao Yu's calligraphy?"

"Exactly!"

"The calligraphy is impressive. Leave the framing to me; I'm an expert at it, and I'll definitely frame it beautifully for you. But what about the price?"

"What's the price?"

Six yuan!

"make a deal!"

"Comrade Liu Yimin, next time you come, if I'm not here, just have someone look for me. My name is Li Baoqi!"

"The seventh child in the family?"

"You know perfectly, it's the seventh one!"

Back at the courtyard house, Cui Daoyi hired a few people to move his belongings into Liu Yimin's house; the tricycle was filled with letters from readers.

Cui Daoyi was covered in sweat from exhaustion, and Liu Yimin quickly handed him a cigarette, saying with a smile, "You've worked hard, senior brother."

Cui Daoyi, smoking a cigarette, said nonchalantly, "These things take up space in People's Literature and Art magazine anyway. The sooner we move them here, the sooner we'll save ourselves the trouble. Also, I went to the nearby recycling station and bought a used bookshelf. I checked it, and it's perfect."

The bookshelves had already been carried in; now all that was left was to carry in the letters. There were steps at the entrance to his courtyard house, so the two men found some blue bricks to cushion the steps before pushing the tricycle in with all their might.

While the two were busy, Zhang Guangnian walked in. After staying in the hospital for so long, even though he was a special care nurse, the illness had still made him lose some weight. He was dressed in thick clothes, and his scarf wrapped tightly around his entire body.

He held a calligraphy scroll in his hand, which read, "Listen to the wind in spring, the cicadas in summer, the insects in autumn, and the snow in winter."

The characters are imbued with imagery; the character for "wind" is written like clouds ruffled by the wind, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.

"This is?"

"I asked Mr. Qi Baishi for this piece back then, but unfortunately, it wasn't signed by him. If it had been signed, I wouldn't have been willing to give it to you," Zhang Guangnian said with a smile.

Sitting in his study, looking out the window at the bare tree trunks in the courtyard, Zhang Guangnian smiled and said, "Once spring arrives, this yard will be lively, with trees, flowers, and insects."

After Li Jiyi's death, Zhang Guangnian could no longer hide away in the hospital for peace and quiet. He had no choice but to come out; Zhou Yang personally invited him out. In addition to being in charge of the Writers' Association, he was also in charge of "People's Literature and Art".

Chen Huangmei handled the daily work of the Writers' Association on his behalf.

"People's Literature and Art should be run by someone else. This old man is just sitting here as a decoration and can't do much work."

As Zhang Guangnian spoke, he mentioned several editors-in-chief of People's Literature and Art magazine that he wanted to choose. His first choice was Sha Ting, one of the current vice chairmen of the Writers Association.

Sha Ting is a renowned writer and currently the director of the Institute of Literature and Art at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He is known as one of the "Five Elders of Sichuan" along with Ba Jin, Zhang Xiushu, Ma Shitu, and Ai Wu.

"But Comrade Sha Ting has been hesitant, and I don't think he'll take the position. 'People's Literature' is also a hotbed of controversy; it's not easy to sit on it. Yi Min, is Ge Luo also from your hometown?"

Zhang Guangnian asked.

“Yes, our hometowns aren’t far apart!” Liu Yimin said without turning his head as he wiped the bookshelf. “Comrade Ge Luo is also a good candidate, what do you think?”

Liu Yimin turned around helplessly. Was he supposed to listen to the personnel arrangements made by People's Literature?

"Comrade Ge Luo is certainly a good comrade. Comrade Lao Zhang, this is a matter for the Writers' Association. As for me..."

In fact, after Li Ji, Zhang Guangnian selected several people, but none of them were successful. Ge Luo was someone Zhang Guangnian agreed to, but some people objected. It wasn't until 1983, when Wang Meng became the editor-in-chief of "People's Literature and Art," that Zhang Guangnian was finally relieved of his responsibilities.

Wang Meng, after years of hard work, finally became a mother-in-law, and her career took off from there.

"Just rambling, feel free to listen. Someone has to listen to this old man's ramblings, right? Your essay will be published in a few days. Any expectations?" Zhang Guangnian said cheerfully.

"Just enjoy reading, and as for any expectations, we hope that People's Literature and Art will outsell other magazines in April!"

Cui Daoyi smiled and said, "I like hearing you say that, and Comrade Zhang likes hearing it too!"

"Don't just say what we want to hear; offer some suggestions!"

……

Zhu Lin's voice rang out at the main gate. Liu Yimin said, "Comrade Zhang, Senior Brother, you're here. I'll go greet you!"

Cui Daoyi and Zhang Guangnian nodded and watched Liu Yimin walk out. Zhu Lin stood at the door, staring at the house number, hesitant to go in. He thought he had bought a small courtyard house, but he hadn't expected it to be so big.

Good heavens, this must have been a high-ranking official back then!
Liu Yimin stood in front of the screen wall and waved to her. Only then did Zhu Lin boldly walk in, her eyes constantly scanning every corner of the courtyard, and she made faint sounds of amazement.

"Teacher Liu, your place is huge!"

"Living alone is a bit of a hassle, but you can come here often and make this place your home!"

Zhu Lin looked at the ginkgo tree and thought to himself that he was not worthy of living in such a nice courtyard house!
“Such a big courtyard house, someone needs to help you tidy it up. How can you manage it all by yourself?” Zhu Lin said subconsciously.

In the study, Zhang Guangnian and Cui Daoyi watched everything happening in the courtyard through the window. Cui Daoyi introduced Zhu Lin to Zhang Guangnian, starting with "poor eyesight," and spoke in a very low voice. Zhu Lin in the courtyard didn't hear anyone talking at all.

"It seems this courtyard not only has trees, flowers, birds, and insects, but also a beautiful woman!"

Zhang Guangnian watched the scene unfold with amusement. No one made a sound to disturb them; they simply watched quietly, occasionally exchanging glances and revealing a mysterious smile.

"Teacher Liu, that poem... I just thought about it carefully... Oh dear, why is someone here?" Zhu Lin followed Liu Yimin into the study and, seeing the two people staring at him, instinctively called out.

Liu Yimin took the thermos from her hand; it was kind of like an early wedding gift.

"This is Comrade Zhang Guangnian, Chairman of the Writers Association. You must have sung his 'Yellow River Cantata'. Take a closer look at this person, does he look familiar? He is Comrade Cui Daoyi from 'People's Literature'."

Cui Daoyi said with a smile, "Hello, Comrade Zhu Lin, I was the one who received the letter you wrote back then. You handed the letter to me and then ran away, do you remember?"

Zhu Lin quickly greeted them, feeling a little embarrassed by Cui Daoyi's teasing. While helping to tidy up, Zhu Lin recounted her past experiences singing "The Yellow River Cantata."

Feeling the youthful energy emanating from Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin, Zhang Guangnian became much more talkative, sharing anecdotes about writing the Yellow River Cantata.

After the conversation, Zhang Guangnian asked, "Young comrade, what poem did you recite when you came in?"

Zhu Lin stammered and turned to Liu Yimin. Seeing that he couldn't fool him anymore, Liu Yimin simply said, "This is a poem I just came up with. It's not perfect yet. I'll just write it down!"

Liu Yimin was still somewhat resistant to reading it aloud to the two men.

I walked through the spring breeze
I just happened to meet you in the wind

You just happened to glance at me.

just
I glanced at you too.

just
We glanced at each other.

Not a second earlier

Not a second late

You said
What a coincidence!
I said
Everything is just right.

After reading it, Cui Daoyi looked at Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin with a strange expression. Neither of them commented, but just stared at them. Finally, Zhang Guangnian said, "Youth is truly wonderful!"

The four of them stood in the courtyard. Before leaving, Cui Daoyi said, "The courtyard needs to be tidied up and cleaned. I'll find a few people in a few days!"

Zhu Lin volunteered, "Leave it to me, I'll find a few people to clean!"

Cui Daoyi didn't speak, but nodded meaningfully and followed Zhang Guangnian out. On the way back to *People's Literature*, Zhang Guangnian thought about the poem from earlier, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

He sighed again, "Youth is wonderful, with its romance, poetry, and the beauty of nature. We've grown old all along."

"Yi Min's other poems are grand and magnificent, and they are no less so when it comes to expressing emotions. Perhaps, in the future, countless young men and women will begin to use this poem as a love poem!"

"Haha, I'll go back and read it to Comrade Huang Yelu!"

Huang Yelu was Zhang Guangnian's wife, and the two had a very good relationship.

In the courtyard, Zhu Lin looked at the poem on the manuscript and couldn't contain his joy. Could the "you said" in the poem be referring to me?
"Teacher Liu, you've won three literary awards?"

Before leaving, Zhang Guangnian told Liu Yimin the date of the literary award ceremony: April 7th of next month, at the Great Hall of the People. He also asked Liu Yimin to give an acceptance speech.

"That's really something, three of them, only three in total," Zhu Lin said.

Liu Yimin smiled and showed her around the courtyard house. As she toured it, she pondered how to tidy it up. Liu Yimin suggested he hire a few people himself, but Zhu Lin firmly refused, saying she had already made her promise and couldn't take it back.

Let him watch, I'll definitely take good care of myself.

Over a thousand square meters, how could she possibly manage to clean it all by herself? Liu Yimin thought to himself, "Just wait until she suffers a bit, then she'll know that trains aren't pushed!"

After leaving the courtyard, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin went to the editorial office of Poetry Journal and handed the poem "Just Right" to Zou Huofan, asking if it could be published.

"Yimin, you've kept me waiting so long! Comrade Ge Luo has already left, but you still haven't come!"

(End of this chapter)