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

Chapter 185 A Novel That Brings Tears to Your Eyes

The next morning, Zhuoma didn't get out of bed. After knocking on the door and asking, Liu Yimin learned she was sick. When the door opened, he looked at her listless appearance and teased, "The master of the grassland has turned into a kitten!"

Zhuoma touched her forehead and said, "Even an iron bird can't fly anymore, and the master of the grassland can also lie down!"

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor told them that they had oxygen intoxication.

Aba is at a high altitude, and Zhuoma was used to living in a low-oxygen environment. When she arrived at the high-oxygen environment of the Sichuan Basin, she was so lively that she became oxygen intoxicated after a few days.

Liu Yimin confirmed repeatedly, "Doctor, she's been here for several days. If she were going to get oxygen intoxication, she should have been intoxicated by now, not today!"

"I don't know, but her symptoms are typical of oxygen intoxication!"

Zhuoma smiled wearily: "It seems the true masters of the grasslands must return to the grasslands. I should go back!"

Seeing her like this, Liu Yimin said with pity, "Rest at the guesthouse for a few days and get used to it before going back!"

Xu Chi also tried to persuade her, fearing that something might happen to her on the way back. Zhuoma didn't say anything. The doctor gave her a few simple instructions, and Lao Wang drove them back to the guesthouse.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, I'm sorry to have troubled you!" Zhuoma said in a low voice.

Liu Yimin smiled easily and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you in Aba. We're all family, no need to be so polite. Please rest in your room first!"

After helping Zhuoma rest, Xu Chi said helplessly, "She was fine yesterday, how did this happen today!"

"Comrade Xu, oxygen toxicity isn't a big problem. Let's go buy some fruit and other things. Even if Comrade Zhuoma recovers and goes back, we should still buy her some gifts to take with her."

This time, they couldn't find Lao Sun, so Lao Xu took Liu Yimin to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles to find Ma Shitu and get a lot of tickets. When Ma Shitu saw the two of them, he wanted to invite them to dinner.

"Old Xu, how long has it been since we last met? The last time was at the Writers' Congress, right? We haven't had a proper chat yet. Let's have dinner tonight and have a good talk! Your reportage pieces are all outstanding; they've ushered in a new era for reportage writing!"

Ma Shitu said excitedly.

A hint of pride flashed across Lao Xu's face; he could almost be considered the undisputed leader in the field of reportage.

Ma Shitu pointed at Lao Xu and Liu Yimin and continued, "Look at the state of you two are in! If I didn't know better, I'd think you were both Tibetans. With your high-altitude ruddy complexion and dark skin, you could easily pass for comrades from the Third World. It seems you two have really put in a lot of effort. It's thanks to this kind of spirit that literature can flourish!"

Just as Liu Yimin was about to say that there was still a patient at the guesthouse, Ma Shitu added:

"There's one more thing, Yimin. You're in the mountains of Aba, but the news about you hasn't stopped. Let's not even talk about the movies; they were so popular that the streets were packed with people. Harvest published your novel, 'The Kite Runner,' a full-length novel that's the most wonderful full-length novel I've read this year."

"Old Xu, you don't know yet, do you?"

Xu Chi waved his hand and said smugly, "Who says I don't know? I read Yimin's novel back in the spring, and my reaction was the same as yours!"

"You've already seen it?" Ma Shitu said in surprise.

“Not only did I read it, but I also offered a few suggestions. I made a small contribution to Yimin’s novel!” Xu Chi gestured with his hands.

"I guess you just came down and haven't seen the relevant newspapers and magazines yet. Comrades Mao Dun and Ba Jin both published reviews, praising this novel highly. The fate of the times and the fate of individuals are intertwined, especially the fate of the snow-covered areas. The subject matter is novel enough, and the story is captivating enough. The two stories are touching enough on their own, and together they are extremely moving."

"The fate of ordinary people in a great era, and the complexity of human nature are all vividly portrayed!"

"This is a novel that will bring tears to your eyes. After reading it, tears just streamed down my face. Suffering and pain, sorrow, hope and redemption—no praise is too much!" Ma Shitu took two pages from the table and handed them to Liu Yimin, saying, "This is a letter I wrote to Comrade Ba Jin. In it, I congratulated him and his book *Harvest*, and shared my feelings about the novel. As the original author, please take a look. If I've said anything inaccurate or biased, please give me your feedback."

Seeing Ma Shitu's attitude, Liu Yimin quickly said, "Mr. Ma, I accept all your opinions, including criticisms. The success of this novel is inseparable from the help of Comrade Xu, Comrade Mao Dun, and Teacher Wan."

Liu Yimin looked at it and found it mostly praise, though he felt that some details were lacking and that more details would have been better.

"More than 200,000 words is still too short. You should write it longer and write all the details properly."

Ma Shitu talked with Liu Yimin for a long time, and only then did Liu Yimin and Lao Xu realize how popular "The Kite Runner" was.

"Of course, there are also many criticisms! No matter what the issue, there will always be different opinions!"

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Don't worry, I have a good attitude!"

“I can testify to this, Yimin’s heart is so broad! I told my fellow Tibetans that Yimin’s heart is like the white snow on the snow-capped mountains, and as broad as the ever-flowing Yarlung Tsangpo River.”

Liu Yimin patted Old Xu's hand, stopping him from bragging any further, and said, "Old Ma, we have to go now, we have some things to take care of. Old Xu and I will treat you to dinner another day!"

“You call him Comrade Lao Xu, but I call me Lao Ma, Yimin, don’t be so formal!” Ma Shitu said, standing up.

After saying goodbye, Liu Yimin and Lao Xu went to the department store and bought a lot of things, including all kinds of food, as well as some fruit and canned goods. They still had a lot of the funds given by the United Front Work Department left.

He paid for his accommodation and meals during his field trip.

After buying a bunch of things and putting them in the jeep, when they returned to the guesthouse, the waiter told Liu Yimin, "Writer Liu, the Tibetan girl who was with you has left! She asked me to give you a letter and a knife!"

"gone?"

"Yes, as soon as you left the guesthouse, she went to the back and led two horses away. When she left, she even cleaned up the horse manure and hay for us! We tried to stop her from cleaning up because we saw that she wasn't feeling well, but she was very stubborn and wouldn't leave until everything was clean."

The waiter led them to the guesthouse’s backyard, which had just been cleaned.

"The masters of the grasslands don't want to trouble others!"

Zhuoma's two horses were tied up in the backyard, and the hay was brought by Lao Wang from elsewhere. Normally, the guesthouse doesn't allow horses to be tied up, but the guesthouse manager made an exception for them.

Liu Yimin held a heavy curved sword, which looked like it was made of silver, but otherwise it did not appear particularly fancy.

The letter read: "Comrade Liu Yimin, the masters of the grasslands are going back to the grasslands, so we won't be able to watch the movie tonight. But Zhuoma has memorized everything! When we have time, Zhuoma will ride her horse to the capital to see you. I also want to see Tiananmen Square!"

In addition, there were a few Tibetan phrases attached, which Liu Yimin and Xu Chi could not understand. Old Wang's literacy class was at a level where they had never learned Tibetan.

Xu Chi said, "Why don't we drive after her? I'm really worried about Zhuoma's health!"

Old Wang looked at the street in the distance and said, "It's been several hours. Zhuoma rode two horses, switching between them. They're very fast; we can't catch up. It's fine; she'll be fine once we get back."

"Hey, Zhuoma, that girl..." Xu Chi patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder.

PS: Thank you to reader 20191101100224417 for the 100 Qidian Coins reward.

(End of this chapter)