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

Chapter 160 The True Kingdom of Women and Zhu Lin's Inferiority Complex

Inside the editorial office of Poetry Journal, Liu Yimin glanced around and realized that Ge Luo was indeed no longer there. Upon asking, he learned that she had been transferred to People's Literature and Art as the deputy editor-in-chief.

"I took office a few days ago!" Zou Huofan said with a smile.

Both *Poetry Journal* and *People's Literature* are national-level magazines, so their levels should be roughly equivalent. However, *People's Literature* holds a more prominent position in terms of publicity than *Poetry Journal*, and this importance determines its status.

In addition, compared with People's Literature, Poetry Journal was really too poor. So poor that the editor-in-chief Yan Chen and his wife had to live in their office for a while.

Zou Huofan looked at the poem, then at Zhu Lin beside him, and like Zhang Guangnian, he quipped, "It's so good to be young!"

The other editors chuckled softly when they saw it, and some even reminisced about their own love stories.

"Comrade Zou, stop laughing! Can it be published?"

Standing behind Liu Yimin, Zhu Lin was even more nervous than Liu Yimin.

"Of course, our Poetry Journal also needs to connect with young people. We can't keep being criticized as a gathering place for old folks. Your poem really hits the mark with young people. When I read it, I felt a tingling sensation all over my body."

Zou Huofan's teasing made the editorial staff laugh again.

Several newly arrived young editors read the poem and felt something throbbing deep within their hearts.

It's something I've always longed for but never had!

Lying in bed at night, tossing and turning, I finally realized that it was love!

The more I thought about it, the more restless I became, but after a moment, I felt regretful.
"Yimin, our Poetry Journal's Youth Poets' Creative Learning Conference is about to begin. You are welcome to come and join us."

"Who is there?"

Zou Huofan read out more than a dozen names, including well-known ones such as Shu Ting and Gu Cheng. He had heard of the names of the others, but was not very familiar with them.

"Thanks to the recommendation from Poetry Journal, otherwise I wouldn't have won the first Poetry Prize," Liu Yimin said when talking about winning the award.

"Saying thank you is too formal. If we didn't recommend your poems, not only would you be upset, but the readers would be too. We look forward to your speech at the awards ceremony; Ge Luo says you're particularly good at giving presentations!"

Zou Huofan chuckled. Ge Luo was from the same hometown. Although he was now in Yanjing, he must have many old friends back home, so it was normal for them to keep in touch frequently.

As he was leaving, Liu Yimin put his arm around Zou Huofan's shoulder and asked with a smile, "As for the author, you don't need to write about just me. Write about both of our names. Her name is Zhu Lin!"

"Write about two people?" Zou Huofan repeated subconsciously, then looked Zhu Lin up and down. Goodness, they're really going all out!
Zhu Lin quickly waved his hand to refuse, but before he could say anything, Liu Yimin said, "This was created by the two of us. We owe a lot to Comrade Zhu Lin for making it possible."

It's uncommon for poems to be signed by two names, but it does happen. Zou Huofan didn't hesitate for long before readily agreeing.

Watching Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin's retreating figures, Zou Huofan chuckled softly a few times before getting back to work.

On the way back, Zhu Lin expressed her gratitude from the editorial office of "Poetry Journal" to "People's Art Theatre," and only stopped thanking Liu Yimin when they parted. Once out of Liu Yimin's sight, Zhu Lin hummed a song with a smug grin, her smile barely concealed.

That evening, at Cao Yu's house in Muxidi, after dinner, Li Yuru placed a brand-new tape recorder on the table and said to Liu Yimin, "Yimin, what do you think?"

In those days, tape recorders were all from small brands like Panasonic, Sharp, Hitachi, and Sanyo. After the establishment of diplomatic relations, these small brands were the first to open up the Chinese market, and thanks to their technology, they gained considerable trade advantages.

Color TVs, tape recorders, and other household appliances are mostly for everyday life, and cars and motorcycles are no exception.

This was a Sharp single-cassette dual-cassette recorder, much more expensive than a single-cassette recorder, and it looked very sturdy. Li Yuru thoughtfully took out a cassette tape, inserted it, and played it in the living room.

Music filled the living room as the tape resonated. Cao Yu listened intently, comparing the sound of the tape recorder with the quality of his phonograph.

To be honest, the sound quality is pretty good!

Liu Yimin estimated that Li Yuru must have spent two or three hundred yuan. This amount was really too high, and Liu Yimin secretly wondered when he should buy something else to pay her back.

The gift is too expensive; it represents several months' salary for an average person.

Seeing Liu Yimin's expression, Li Yuru said with a smile, "Your teacher and I don't spend much money these days. It's a great thing that you bought a house. It will be more convenient for you to come here now that you live in Yanjing. Just come and keep us company more often."

Cao Yu chimed in, "This 'Xiao Ri Zi' thing is really good! I wonder when our country will be able to make something even better than Xiao Ri Zi. We can't let others keep making the money."

"Teacher, I believe we will definitely be able to build even better ones in the future."

No one expected that in just two or three decades, China would become the world's factory. This forced the Americans to shout, "Give the factories back!"

The tax king had to use a little trick to sell a few "My God" hats and water bottles, covering up the "Made in PRC" label!

The tax king had just covered up the country of origin label on his hat when he looked at the label on his hand again, and hey, it was also Made in PRC!

So, in a fit of rage, he frantically pressed the Coke button on his desk. "My esteemed Mr. President needs a glass of '82 Coke, made in the USA, to calm down!"
“Your teacher is also an economist!” Li Yuru joked.

Cao Yu smiled but didn't reply. He kept thinking about Liu Yimin's words, wondering when he would finally be able to build something even better.

“In a few months, ‘Wolf Smoke in Beiping’ and ‘Mr. Donkey’ will be going to Hong Kong with the troupe. Now it has been approved by the higher authorities, and they will go together with ‘Wang Zhaojun’.”

Liu Yimin frowned: "If he leaves, won't the entire Beijing People's Art Theatre be hollowed out?"

Three theatrical performance teams, a large group of people, how many were left after they left? The key point is that many of the actors were also actors from other theatrical productions.

With him gone, the other groups are also unable to perform.

“Go for a month, and the rest of the team can put together whatever they can perform. Besides, the Beijing People’s Art Theatre can also perform operas and plays,” Cao Yu explained.

That evening, after discussing things for a while in the living room, Liu Yimin picked up a brand-new tape recorder and left Muxidi!

It's so great to have teachers!
Liu Yimin patted the tape recorder, which was thinner than a brick. The only pity was that there were no good tapes.

Liu Yimin stood in the center of the courtyard, looking at the group of girls. He rubbed his eyes; anyone who didn't know better would think they had stumbled into Zhu Lin's Land of Women. From time to time, bursts of laughter from the girls echoed through the courtyard.

The middle-aged women wearing red armbands peeked out from the doorways, secretly keeping an eye on everything.

He took the tape recorder to the center of the yard, inserted the only two cassette tapes, and immediately beautiful songs began to play.

If Liu Yimin were to hold a purple clay teapot in his hand at this moment, occasionally pouring tea into his mouth, he would perfectly embody the image of a tyrannical landlord.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, cleaning the room is something we girls have to do!" Zhu Lin's roommate, Chu Hong, said with a smile. These people were all called by Zhu Lin. Although her nine roommates had all graduated, they still worked at a nearby research institute, just a few steps away from Liu Yimin's place.

Besides a few roommates, the others were friends of the roommates. Zhu Lin introduced them all, but still couldn't recognize them all.

The dazzling world is so captivating that he's become a little face-blind!

They were all working with great enthusiasm, occasionally glancing up to discuss literature with Liu Yimin. Upon learning that Liu Yimin's essays were about to be published, they excitedly asked him what they were about.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, after the essays are published, will you be publishing a collection of essays next?" Zhu Lin's roommate Liang Yu asked.

Liu Yimin replied with a smile, "It's still a long way from publication. It needs at least a few hundred thousand words of prose!"

"We'll definitely buy it to collect when the time comes!"

The chattering sounds in the courtyard were quite pleasant. Just as Liu Yimin was about to help, the other girls immediately stopped him, laughing and saying, "Comrade Liu Yimin, we'll take care of these. If you feel bad about it, just read us one of your published poems!"

"Yes, yes, Comrade Liu Yimin!"

Damn, this is the real Kingdom of Women!

Liu Yimin turned and went back to his study, intending to write something. Zhu Lin followed him in, boasting, "Aren't I capable!"

“They are indeed capable, but I feel bad letting them work for nothing. I’ll go out and buy some things later, rent a copper pot, and we’ll have hot pot together,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Zhu Lin smiled and left the study, joining the cleaning crew.

These free laborers don't want material rewards; they want spiritual rewards more. Liu Yimin sat on the bench, thinking of motivational copywriting from later generations, and revised it, adding a comparison.

While living a busy life in Yanjing
Perhaps Alaskan cod are leaping out of the water.
Earth's polar circles are becoming increasingly colorful.
Seagulls from the South Pacific happened to fly over the coast.

The Antarctic penguins have just opened their sleepy eyes.

It's also possible that a whale is stranded in Zhoushan.

The newly emerged seals became the Inuit people's dinner.
but no matter

young people

You need to see these things for yourself!

After Liu Yimin finished writing, he looked at it and thought it was alright, enough to serve as spiritual nourishment for this group of free laborers. Liu Yimin put the manuscript under the tape recorder, said goodbye, and rode his bicycle to the street.

I bought a few pounds of beef and mutton and some greens. There aren't many greens available at this time of year, but blanched cabbage will do. It's always good to have something to garnish your food.

Buying all sorts of miscellaneous items was quite a hassle. The hardest part was finding the copper pot; it was a real struggle to finally rent one.

The bicycle, laden with belongings, came to a stop at the gate. Seeing the middle-aged woman peering inside, Liu Yimin smiled and asked, "Auntie, would you like to come in and have a bite before you leave?"

"Well, young man, I'm just checking to see what's going on. Young people should be mindful of their boundaries and make friends in a healthy way," the older woman warned, then swayed her hips, still covered by cotton trousers, and left.

It seems they were checking if there was a sex party going on here, but judging from the noise inside and seeing the middle-aged woman who hadn't gone far outside, they thought to themselves that they should still be careful.

He pushed his bicycle inside, and a group of girls came up to help him. Those who hadn't gotten anything praised Liu Yimin for writing so well.

"It's so beautiful. After seeing it, I felt my breathing become much easier."

"Unfortunately, the second half is a bit sad, as the seals become the Inuit's dinner."

"Speaking of the Inuit, I think I've heard of them in geography class!"

"Comrade Liu Yimin, how did you come up with such a beautiful sentence!"

Liu Yimin dusted himself off and said with a smile, "This isn't really a poem, it's just a gift to everyone. Thank you all for your help!"

In the kitchen, Zhu Lin and Chu Hong were chopping meat, while others outside were busy preparing vegetables, discussing literature as they worked. The guests enjoyed a delicious hot pot meal.

"The back room isn't finished yet. We'll clean it up after we finish eating, and then everything will be fine," Chu Hong said with a smile while eating.

"Thank you all for your hard work!"

"It's no trouble at all, Comrade Yimin. Whenever you need help, just let us know!"

No wonder Huang Rui from "Today" always invites a bunch of young girls when he goes out drinking; with young girls around, the atmosphere is definitely there.

After finishing their work in the afternoon, Liu Yimin treated everyone to a meal. As they left, each person copied down a few inspirational quotes written by Liu Yimin and departed contentedly.

On the way, Chu Hong walked with Zhu Lin. Chu Hong smiled and inquired about her relationship with Liu Yimin. Zhu Lin nudged Chu Hong's shoulder and whispered, "He's just an ordinary comrade."

"Oh, is it normal? Zhu Lin, we're roommates. Comrade Liu Yimin looks at you differently than he looks at others. You'd better hurry up! You're at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, so you'll have a lot of opportunities to interact. If it were me, I would have confessed my feelings long ago!"

Chu Hong's words were incredibly bold. Even though there were only two of them on the street, she kept her voice extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard.

Zhu Lin sighed: "I feel I'm not good enough for Comrade Liu Yimin! Do you know who I met here yesterday?"

"Who?"

"Zhang Guangnian, the author of 'The Yellow River Cantata,' is now the chairman of the Writers Association."

Zhu Lin decided to speak up while he was in Lushan, but after returning, he hesitated and stammered.

"Believe me, love doesn't discriminate based on these things!" Chu Hong patted Zhu Lin on the shoulder, encouraging him.

Zhu Lin shrank his head further into his thick clothes, and after reaching the main intersection, he parted ways with Chu Hong.

On April 1st, with the publication of the latest issue of *People's Literature and Art*, Liu Yimin's *Travels in France* officially met readers. Many people were openly or secretly paying attention to the direction of readers' discussions, especially those who had argued with Li Ji and his group before.

The People's Literature and Art magazine included a commentary, which Li Ji had written specifically for Liu Yimin before his death. Upon receiving the sample copy, I saw Li Ji's name and the enthusiastic text commenting on Liu Yimin's actions in France.

(End of this chapter)