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

Chapter 203 Do you believe in light?
Inside the hard sleeper carriage, several people were having a lively discussion about their impressions of Liu Yimin. Apart from Lao Zhang, none of them had ever seen Liu Yimin before.

"I've always heard about Liu Yimin, a writer from our province. I never expected to meet him today. Old Zhang, we're so lucky to have met you!"

"Although he is young, he is first-rate in speaking and doing things. Most importantly, he is talented. I think that our literary circles in Henan Province will really have to rely on this young man to support us in the future!"

"Yes, Comrades Wei Wei and Yao Xueyin from Henan Province have written some good articles recently, but they are getting on in years, and the literary world needs successors."

"According to the chairman of the Writers Association, when Comrade Li Ji was alive, he wrote to him to discuss Comrade Liu Yimin."

Listening to their praise, Old Zhang leaned against the carriage, a look of enjoyment on his face. As the conversation gradually subsided, Old Zhang opened his eyes and said, "Go on, why did you stop? You told it so well, I hadn't had enough!"

"Old Zhang, look how smug you are. In recent years, only one comrade, Liu Yimin, has emerged from the literary scene in Ru County. No, he's the only one in the entire Luocheng area!"

Old Zhang said dismissively, "So what? We don't care about quantity, we only care about quality! Look, the national treasures were all discovered in our area, which is enough to prove that Ru County has been a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery since ancient times."

"."

"What? You don't believe me?" Old Zhang took a puff of his cigarette and said, "But then again, we've finally completed our mission. On the way here, I was terrified that something might happen. It's a national treasure; we can't afford to take even the slightest bump or scratch. To be honest, I was so scared on the train that I didn't dare close my eyes."

"Me too!"

"Who isn't?"

Besides the provincial museum staff and Lao Zhang, there were also several police officers escorting the shipment with their equipment.

After a few tense days, the group chatted happily in the car before finally lying down to rest, exhausted.

Old Zhang was thinking about Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin. This girl was really good-looking and spoke very openly.

The thought that some people at the cultural center were trying to find a son-in-law through the examination list made me laugh out loud.

Zhu Lin went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and Liu Yimin went to People's Literature and Art Publishing House, returning the tricycle to their logistics department.

Cui Daoyi pulled Liu Yimin aside and said with a smile, "Our People's Literature magazine is going to reprint 'The Kite Runner' in this issue. I'll have the finance department give you the reprint fee directly in a bit. You've received quite a few reprint fees lately, haven't you?"

Liu Yimin said, "So far, there really is only one copy of 'People's Literature and Art'."

"That probably hasn't arrived yet. I saw that 'Yanhe,' 'Huacheng,' and 'Zhongshan' have all reprinted it. I'm not sure about the other magazines. These are hard to compare with the original manuscript fee, but when added together, it's definitely not a small amount."

Cui Daoyi's tone was slightly excited. What mattered was not the amount of the manuscript fee, but the fact that so many magazines had reprinted it, which was an affirmation of the quality of his work.

Of course, there is some misappropriation of reprint fees. Authors of major magazines might notice this, but some smaller magazines simply don't.

Whether or not to pay depends entirely on conscience, and the standards for paying reprint fees also vary greatly, ranging from around 30%, but there are also cases where magazines pay less than the average.

"Senior brother, I've memorized these names, hahaha. Don't let me contact them. But these companies are all big names, they wouldn't do something like this!"

Cui Daoyi patted his shoulder and said, "That makes sense! But large magazines are still better, like our People's Literature and Art, which is a state-owned publication."

Liu Yimin clicked his tongue: "Senior brother, you never forget to promote your products, no matter what."

"I haven't forgotten my job. I heard you've already started rehearsing your script?" Cui Daoyi asked curiously.

"Yes!" "Will the script still be published in 'Script Monthly'?"

"Oh dear, senior brother, you're even thinking about this. I've already submitted the manuscript to Senior Sister Wanfang, but it won't be published so soon. It will only be released after the novel is finished," Liu Yimin said helplessly.

"Okay, I understand. There's one more thing, about your essays. Remember to write more, you can write about Aba, and about your pre-school years. Try to publish a collection of essays as soon as possible, I'm looking forward to collecting them!"

"Understood. We'll keep busy with these few things until the end of the year! There's one more thing: before the Mid-Autumn Festival, let's go visit Comrade Li Ji's wife, Comrade Li Xiaowei!"

September 23, 1980 was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is only a few days away from today.

Although Cui Daoyi's expression didn't change much, Liu Yimin still caught the surprise in his eyes: "Okay, let's go together. I think this Sunday is fine, the editorial department is closed."

"OK!"

The standard reprint fee for Liu Yimin's articles published by People's Literature and Art magazine was 40%, which brought him back 800 yuan.

Liu Yimin put the money into his satchel; People's Literature and Art magazine really was his cash cow.

Back in the courtyard, Liu Yimin revised the script for "Mr. Donkey". Wang Yan from the Beijing Film Studio came by a few days ago to inquire about the progress of the script.

They want to take advantage of the second half of this year to turn it into a movie.

Seeing that the script was almost finished, Liu Yimin sent it to the Beijing Film Studio. The Beijing Film Studio was on the way back to Yenching University, now called Taipingzhuang, later No. 77, North Third Ring Road, Yenching.

This is the third studio of Beijing Film Studio. After Liu Yimin greeted the gatekeeper, the gatekeeper made a phone call inside, and soon after, Wang Yan ran out of the studio.

"Yimin, is the script ready?" Wang Yan said as he ran.

The security guard next to him stuck his head out and said, "Xiao Wang, you're so old, yet you're still so loud and boisterous. You're not as steady as this young comrade."

"What a remarkable young comrade! He's so young and already able to write a proposal!"

Wang Yan said, "Comrade Lao Huang, this is no ordinary young comrade, this is an extraordinary young comrade!"

Wang Yan took the script and couldn't wait to squat down by the roadside to read it. After reading it, he pulled Liu Yimin inside and said, "Yimin, I want to film this script. Let me tell you, this is what I suggested to the factory. If they don't give me the script, I'll be furious with them!"

"You really think this script is so good?"

Wang Yan paused and said, "Yimin, some movies are good at the time, while others may only be recognized as good after a long time. This is called a lasting impact; the longer it's around, the more flavorful it becomes. To be honest, even if people don't think highly of this movie right now, they will definitely watch it years or even decades from now! Do you believe that?"

Wang Yan's earnest expression made it seem as if someone were asking, "Do you believe in light?"

Liu Yimin did not deny his statement. In fact, the more satirical and critical a film is, the stronger its vitality. Of course, this does not mean that all critical films are like that. Some films are biased and people are busy criticizing them!

Liu Yimin grasped Wang Yan's hand and patted the back of his hand, saying, "I believe it! The profound themes and absurd stories of 'Mr. Donkey' are enough to support everyone's understanding and willingness to delve deeper into it."

P.S.: I overslept today, I'll try to reach 12,000 tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)