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

Chapter 163 The Struggle for the Right to Describe Literature in Reform

In early April, the temperature in Yanjing was still rather cold. Cui Daoyi rubbed his hands and explained to Lu Yao that Liu Yimin had just bought a courtyard house, and now there was hardly anyone living there except for himself, so it was definitely more comfortable than staying in a guesthouse.

"Editor Cui, are you saying that Yimin bought a courtyard house?"

"Bought a 1200-square-meter three-courtyard siheyuan?"

"How much will that cost?"

"What, seven thousand five hundred yuan?"

Lu Yao looked at Liu Yimin, who nodded slightly, finally confirming that Cui Daoyi wasn't lying to her. She kept swallowing to moisten her throat, but her dry throat still couldn't produce any words.

As Liu Yimin led him into the courtyard house, Lu Yao kept looking at the green tiles, red pillars, and wooden eaves. It took them quite a while to walk through the entire courtyard, which was over a thousand square meters.

"Yimin, you are definitely the richest person I have ever met!" Lu Yao exclaimed.

Jiang Zilong spoke in the Tianjin dialect, as if he were performing a crosstalk routine: "Yimin, you're really awesome, you're truly capable!"

After listening to just a few sentences, the aroma of fried dough twists came through.

"My goodness! If I were walking here alone, I might get lost! Really? It really cost more than seven thousand yuan?" Lu Yao said, patting the solid pillar.

Liu Yimin led him to a guest room and asked him to stay. Lu Yao hurriedly tried to pay the rent, using this as an excuse to show that he wasn't short of money.

Liu Yimin patted his shoulder and said, "No money needed!"

"It has to be paid!"

Liu Yimin glanced at him and said, "I haven't finished yet, but we have to get some work done. We need to plant bamboo in the yard and some other things for decoration. Hiring someone to do it would cost me money, so how about we work together? You can stay in the house and help me with the work, okay?"

"It works!"

And so, Lu Yao moved into the west wing of the second courtyard of the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) and began living together with Liu Yimin for half a month.

Lu Yao was a skilled worker. The two of them turned over the open space in front of the screen wall where bamboo had been planted. There were still a few empty spaces, which Lu Yao said could be used to grow vegetables.

The Chinese people's talent for growing vegetables is something they never lose, no matter where they go.

The two chose to plant purple bamboo and golden-inlaid jade bamboo, both of which are suitable for viewing in the courtyard. They will not only plant them in front of the screen wall, but also some along some connecting corridors.

Since they didn't have any bamboo seeds, the two of them borrowed some bamboo roots from a nearby park and transplanted them directly.

As Lu Yao dug, he whispered, "Does this count as stealing?"

Liu Yimin stood by, keeping watch, and pretended to be a passerby, saying in a low voice, "How can a scholar's business be considered stealing? It's borrowing, don't you understand? We're borrowing!"

Lu Yao's hands were trembling, and she couldn't feel the coldness of the soil at all. Instead, she felt a warm current flowing through her body.

"Borrow? You need their permission first, right? Did you ask?"

“I asked!” Liu Yimin said.

"How did you ask?"

"I asked it if it wanted to live in a courtyard house. If it did, I told it to wave. It just waved its paw, so that means it agreed!"

Lu Yao: "."

"Look, even the bamboo knows how good a courtyard house is!"

Next, Lu Yao focused all her attention on the bamboo, no longer caring whether stealing it was legal or not, since she was already there anyway.

Since we're already here!
The two chose small bamboo. After digging it up, they left through the gap in the park and swaggered back to their courtyard house on their bicycles with the bamboo in their hands.

After this happened three or four times, the courtyard finally came to life again. Liu Yimin had to teach classes, so the important task of watering the plants was left to Lu Yao.

"Don't worry, if one dies, I'll just go to the park and steal another one!" Lu Yao patted his chest and assured him.

Liu Yimin quickly corrected him, "It's borrowing one tree. Besides, are you addicted to borrowing them? Old Wang, I'm not criticizing you, but a gentleman loves bamboo, and there's a limit to how much he can borrow!"

Several parks in Yanjing city looked at the missing bamboo and exchanged glances. "Damn it, even bamboo gets stolen these days."

Yuyuantan Park took the lead in calling for the most powerful voice of our time to catch bamboo thieves!

Zhu Lin went to Liu Yimin's courtyard house to deliver something to him and unexpectedly ran into Lu Yao. There was a misunderstanding when they first met, but they cleared it up after explaining to each other.

Upon seeing Liu Yimin, Zhu Lin quipped, "Everyone else keeps a mistress in a golden house, but Teacher Liu, you're keeping a writer in a golden house!"

Lu Yao then said, "What you see is a writer hidden away, what I see is a beauty."

Zhu Lin squatted down beside the bamboo, looking at the bamboo that was already about the height of a person, and asked in surprise when it was planted and how it had grown so big.

Lu Yao suppressed a smile, and Liu Yimin glared at him before laughing and saying, "These are transplanted bamboo stalks; we don't even know if they'll survive!"

Where did you buy it?

Lu Yao couldn't hold back: "I borrowed it from the park."

Zhu Lin nodded without saying anything more. Lu Yao felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but mutter again, "Aren't you going to ask why we had to borrow it from the park?"

"Oh dear, Teacher Liu must have his reasons for borrowing it like this!" Zhu Lin waved his hand, looking unconcerned.

Lu Yao thought she didn't understand the meaning of "borrow," so she hinted again, "Borrow without permission!"

Zhu Lin caught up with Liu Yimin and asked, "Teacher Liu, why didn't you call me to come along? I know where there are even prettier bamboos!"

Lu Yao was dumbfounded. You can't expect two different kinds of people to sleep in the same bed. They really do look like a married couple.

In the study, Lu Yao talked about the results of his recent thoughts.

"Last year I wanted to write a novella about the story of rural youth, but after finishing it I always felt like I hadn't grasped the essence, so I tore it up. After listening to your ideas about reforming literature, I've been thinking about it more and more lately, and I feel like I'm finally getting to the point."

"Let me tell you the general story." Lu Yao was talking about the novel that was eventually named "Life," and the initial theoretical proposals for reforming literature helped him to clarify his basic ideas.

I feel that my thinking last year was too narrow. I should have placed the protagonist's life in a larger historical context and compared it to the ups and downs of the times.

Liu Yimin listened attentively, not readily expressing his opinion. His current thoughts differed greatly from the original novel, *Life*. There was an overemphasis on the grand scale of the era, neglecting the details of the narrative.

"Comrade Lu Yao, grand stories have their advantages, while stories written in detail allow for more focused writing. Each has its own merits. However, if you want both a grand story and details, you need to think about how to balance them. If you pursue form too much, you will easily neglect the content and end up with a hodgepodge."

Lu Yao lit a cigarette and pondered how he should write.

In Liu Yimin's view, Lu Yao was poisoned by his own inspirational quotes. Heeding Liu Yimin's call, he took on the responsibility of being a writer bestowed upon him by the times and wanted to offer his opinion on the overall situation.

Following the Lu Xun Literary Prize award ceremony, the term "reform literature" quickly took hold in literary circles thanks to Liu Yimin's pronouncements. Major newspapers began publishing commentaries on "reform literature," and as is often the case with any new literary trend, it was accompanied by heated debates.

Some are expressing their views on "reform literature," while others are attacking it. The pro-government and pro-independence factions in the literary world generally welcome the emergence of "reform literature," as it represents a synthesis of their respective viewpoints.

Literary newspapers praised it extensively, while local newspapers criticized it extensively.

"Reform literature" is about the present, so it inevitably involves people and events from different places. This can easily cause misunderstandings in the local areas, who may think it is criticism of their work.

Otherwise, why would the Tianjin Daily keep criticizing "The Appointment of Factory Director Qiao"? It's because Jiang Zilong was a worker at the Tianjin factory.

Liu Yimin received dozens of letters requesting manuscripts, all asking him to share his views on "reform literature." Liu Yimin suggested first that his opinions were more important.

At that time, it was no exaggeration to say that even if Liu Yimin farted out something about "reform literature," it could be published.

Liu Yimin never imagined that he would one day be so beloved by the literary world.

Several literary groups in Yenching invited Liu Yimin, but he declined them all, citing his busy school schedule. He said he would rather spend that time writing a few words.

Inside People's Literature, Zhang Guangnian approached Liu Yimin, hoping he would boldly express his opinions on literary reform in People's Literature and Art, People's Literature and Art, and other newspapers.

"Yimin, this is an important turning point for you. Although literary trends are a general concept to some extent, they are a style that emerges as a whole after the appearance of many works. For example, scar literature, left-wing literature, and so on."

However, the development of these literary trends also requires theoretical development. Since you have proposed the concept of 'reformed literature,' you should boldly express your own views, play a promoting role in the development of 'reformed literature,' and make theoretical attempts. Your comments now will become material for future research.

Zhang Guangnian explained from various perspectives. After listening, Liu Yimin took a sip of tea and said, "You want me to take up the banner of 'reform literature'?"

Zhang Guangnian tapped the table with his fingers, smiled at Liu Yimin, and said nothing, but the meaning was clear.

After a while, Zhang Guangnian said, "This is the literary world's expectation of you, and it is also our expectation of you."

Zhang Guangnian first spoke of the literary world, then of "us," and this "us" is quite interesting. Who exactly are "us"?
Liu Yimin didn't ask, and Zhang Guangnian naturally wouldn't tell either; asking would only make things worse.

"Speaking behind closed doors, do you think that 'scar literature' has no future?" Zhang Guangnian pondered for a moment before asking the question that was deep in his heart.

As a member of the "Cherishing Spring" school, he was closely associated with the rise of "Scar Literature," but he never brought up such topics when talking with Liu Yimin. Of course, he knew that this young man in front of him didn't have a good view of "Scar Literature."

That's what I think!

"What's the reason?"

"The past is like the past dead, and the present is like the present being born. Two or three years have already passed, and compared to ten years, a third of that has already passed. Our literary world cannot continue to criticize these ten years now and in the future."

For some veteran comrades and for you, Lao Zhang, the past ten years have been unforgettable. But what is the purpose of our criticism? Is it criticism itself, or is it for progress? I believe criticism is for better progress, to let go of burdens and move forward with a lighter load.

If we keep criticizing, we'll never be able to let go of our burdens. If the burdens have already been criticized away, does actively seeking out more burdens to criticize in order to continue criticizing align with the natural course of things?

Should we critique the previous decade using the present and the next ten years, or should we critique the previous decade using twenty years? Reform is the trend, and the development of literature should naturally follow the times.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, left-wing literature vehemently criticized the old era. After the founding of the PRC, it entered the "Seventeen Years of Literature," praising the new era. I think the reform and opening up is also a turning point; the literary world needs to pay attention to its current situation and look ahead.

Zhang Guangnian listened carefully to Liu Yimin's words, his voice echoing in his mind. After a while, a smile of appreciation appeared on his face: "Your words are sharper and more jarring than when you were receiving the award, but it's not a bad thing to clean your ears."

"I wanted to say a lot during the awards ceremony, but I was afraid some people would get angry just from hearing my voice!"

Since Zhang Guangnian was willing to say this, and given Liu Yimin's understanding of him, he simply said everything he wanted to say.

"The comrades as a whole are generally able to listen to different opinions. Your writing is very insightful. If you were to join the Writers' Association, it would be good for the literary world, but it might not be good for you personally."

Zhang Guangnian's words were also a summary of his own life. In his later years, he often regretted that his writing was hampered by the system and official documents. He often revised official documents for Zhou Yang, and later, when he wrote what he wanted to write, he found that he had lost the inspiration he had in his youth.

In the following period, Liu Yimin published several reviews on "reform literature" in the Wenyi Bao (Literary Gazette).

It allows them to both make money and compete for the right to speak on "reform literature." The right to speak is a rather abstract concept, yet it certainly exists.

Sometimes, even if you don't fight for it, someone will still want you to fight for it.

Following this, Liu Yimin published several reviews on "reform literature" in newspapers and magazines such as the "Literary Gazette".

What is reform literature? Why will reform literature be the next major battleground for literary creation?

Why Do We Need to Reform Literature?

"The Appointment of Factory Director Qiao"—A Pioneering Work of Reform Literature

The Issue of Stance on 'Praise' and 'Criticism' in Reform Literature

The people need reform, and readers need literature reform.

Each published literary review sparked heated discussions. Many newspapers watched with growing anxiety, sending out countless requests for articles, only to have them all disappear without a trace.

If soliciting articles by letter is useless, then blocking the door in person will work! Many editors came to the dormitory of Yenching University to ask for articles, but unfortunately Comrade Liu Yimin slipped away and lived in his own courtyard house except for attending classes.

Chen Dazhi and Li Xueqin, on the other hand, got a fast ride; their rejected manuscripts were miraculously sold after several attempts.

Chen Dazhi's article was taken by the Yanjing Evening News, while Li Xueqin's article was taken by the Radio and Television News and published.

(End of this chapter)