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

Chapter 208 The Party Branch Secretary's Despondency

As darkness fell, almost no one came anymore. People didn't go into the living room; they all sat under the ginkgo tree.

Liu Yimin had two stone tables made under the tree, and now they came in handy. He also brought out the eight-immortal table from inside, but since they didn't have enough stools, they borrowed a few from Aunt Liang.

Aunt Liang asked, "Is this enough? If not, I'll shout again, and I'm sure I can get a few more!"

Liu Yimin looked at the stools, then counted the heads, and said helplessly, "Then could you please shout for me again? There are quite a few people!"

"That's easy. I can still get some use talking in the alley!" Aunt Liang shouted, and borrowed a few more stools. She even kindly helped Liu Yimin carry the stools into the yard.

Each family's benches are marked, so there won't be any mistakes later. Adding our own benches, tables, and chairs, that's enough.

Aunt Liang and her neighbors were surprised to see so many people: "Comrade Yimin, what are you doing at your house? Are you having a secret gathering?"

Seeing this scene, Aunt Liang couldn't help but think the worst. There were usually people coming and going in this courtyard, but never this many!

Liu Yimin quickly said, "They're all elders, look how old they are. Isn't it the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August? Let's all get together!"

"Really? So many people came for the Mid-Autumn Festival? It must be a big family!" a neighbor said.

The older generation calls the Mid-Autumn Festival the August Festival, because it is a festival in August.

The Dragon Boat Festival falls in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, so it is commonly known as the May Festival.

Cao Yu stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, comrade, I'm from the Beijing People's Art Theatre. We're just friends chatting here. This is my student. I heard you've been very kind to him. Thank you. He lives here alone, so we need your neighbors to take good care of him!"

Aunt Liang and her neighbor looked at Cao Yu: "Oh my, from the Beijing People's Art Theatre! I didn't expect this young comrade to be from the Beijing People's Art Theatre too. Okay, you two have a good chat. Old comrade, your student is quite good. To use a phrase from the movies, he's very reasonable!"

"Knowledgeable and reasonable!"

"Yes, well-educated and reasonable!"

After the group left, the courtyard became even more lively. All sorts of dishes were served, and their aromas could be smelled even through several alleys.

Zhu Lin whispered to Liu Yimin, "I didn't expect so many people to come. The Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association are empty."

Looking at Zhu Lin with concern, Liu Yimin said, "You must be exhausted?"

"Absolutely! This is the most tiring time I've had lately!" Zhu Lin pounded his lower back with his fist.

When we started eating, someone asked about the play, and Liu Yimin gave everyone a brief overview.

The group clapped and said, "We'll definitely go to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to support them! Lao Wan, don't be stingy with your tickets!"

Cao Yu laughed and said, "You're slow, who can you blame?"

Today, Liu Yimin ate all kinds of cuisines, including Hangzhou cuisine, Shanghai cuisine, Northeastern cuisine, and local Beijing cuisine.

Some people who cook poorly will be singled out and criticized. Everyone knows each other's hometown; you can tell whose family cooked it just by looking at the dishes.

After they finished eating, Zhang Guangnian said, "Yimin, is your 'The Kite Runner' single-volume edition almost ready to be printed?"

Liu Yimin replied, "I estimate sales will start next month!"

Xia Yan and Mao Dun exchanged a smug look. Mao Dun laughed and said, "Old Xia and I wrote the preface for this book. We'll have Yimin give a copy to everyone here!"

"This novel, I'd like to discuss it with Yimin in front of him?"

Cao Yu said, "Let's chat for a while, then we can digest our food. The moon is full, it'll be a while before we know it!"

"I think that apart from the overall story, there are many sentences in this book that are particularly well written. The word choice and sentence structure are not particularly elegant, but it is precisely because of their simplicity that they show the depth of the writer's skill."

"The greatest truths are the simplest!"

"Back then, we wrote more angry articles than calm ones. Sometimes it's good to calm down and talk about our past in the form of a memoir, like 'The Kite Runner'!"

"Let's analyze ourselves. None of us are perfect. Sometimes, when we think about it, we realize we've made quite a few mistakes. Yes, there are things we were thinking at the time!"

These words were spoken by Zhang Guangnian. After he finished speaking, the people around him turned their gazes to Zhang Guangnian, their eyes flickering as they seemed to be thinking about something.

Of course, most people also interpreted it as a formal apology!

Liu Yimin placed mooncakes and fruit on the table, along with some melon seeds. The ration coupons for these mooncakes were given to him by Cao Yu.

The mooncakes inside were mostly five-nut mooncakes, a classic mooncake that couldn't be more so. Liu Yimin didn't really like them, but he did eat a few red bean paste ones.

When the moon was about to rise, it wasn't a good time to admire it under the ginkgo tree, so everyone went to the third courtyard.

The three-courtyard space is large and there are no tall trees, so the view is exceptionally clear.

The night sky was almost cloudless, and the moonlight shone on the earth. When people talked to each other, their expressions and everything else were clearly visible.

The children played around nearby, while the adults chatted while gazing at the moon.

When the full moon arrived, applause rang out in the courtyard, and some people even recited a few songs.

"Come on, everyone, recite a poem about the Mid-Autumn Festival!" Mao Dun suggested, then recited his own poem: "This night is fleeting, where will we see the bright moon next year?"

Xia Yan said, "Old Shen, why are you playing such a mournful tune? The bright moon will still be here to watch next year!"

Mao Dun laughed and said, "I wish I could too!"

When it was Liu Yimin's turn, he added, "The bright moon rises over the sea; we share this moment though we are far apart!"

Zhu Lin said, "May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart."

After he finished reciting the poem, everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter. Zhang Guangnian said, "When you get married, we will definitely drink your wedding wine!"

Zhu Lin looked at Liu Yimin, who secretly grabbed Zhu Lin's hand when no one was looking. Unexpectedly, Shen Yun was behind them and chuckled, which startled Zhu Lin so much that she quickly shook him off.

"We'll all come then!"

Xia Yan said, "I will be your witness!"

"You're going to be the witness? What am I supposed to do?" Cao Yu said, dissatisfied.

The others watched the two bickering and laughed out loud.

We chatted until very late before everyone left. Before leaving, we all tidied up the courtyard, leaving the trash piled in the corner to be cleaned up tomorrow. The group dispersed from the courtyard house in all directions.

"Yimin, you rest well at home. Xiao Zhu will come back with us!" Li Yuru said with a smile.

Wanfang gestured to him, indicating that he could rest assured.

Liu Yimin returned to the courtyard house. The shadows of the ginkgo tree branches covered the entire second courtyard, making the whole courtyard look a bit messy.

The following day, Liu Yimin returned the stool to Aunt Liang and the other neighbors, and also gave them some small gifts to express his gratitude.

In Ruixian County, Maiji Brigade, Liu Family House, a group of people are watching television in Liu Family House's newly built brick house.

The entire Maiji Brigade was no longer shrouded in darkness; scattered lights from incandescent bulbs could be seen in the mountains.

The electricity was on, but some members were worried about electricity consumption, so they only turned on the lights on very rare occasions.

A jeep came to the Liu family a while ago, and everyone has seen the people who got out of it before; they've been here several times.

When they arrived at the Liu family's door, they brought down a device called a "television," which could also play movies, except that the people in the movies were a bit smaller.

When Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun heard that it was brought back by their second son in Yanjing, they were overjoyed.

Even the commune director didn't have a television, that foreign thing; it was probably the first one in the entire commune.

No, it's called a township now, and this is the first one in the township.

The curator, Old Zhang, had someone help set up and adjust the antenna. He then sat down by the millstone in the courtyard and chatted with Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun.

Yang Xiuyun kept asking her second son how he was doing in Yanjing and whether he had lost weight there.

Old Zhang smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you haven't lost weight, you're still very strong, just a bit tanned. He went on a field trip and hasn't been back since summer vacation, but he's been thinking about you all."

Look at this TV and fan. The fan can't be used now that it's cold, but it'll be fine next year. This is a radio; you can hear lots of interesting things when you turn it on!

Upon hearing the news, Li Dashan rushed over and fiddled with the radio: "I've seen it at the homes of the commune director and the township head. This thing is pretty good; you can listen to operas, newspapers, and even the radio."

"Yimin said this TV and fan are gifts for his older brother Yiguo's wedding. Brother and sister-in-law, when is your eldest brother getting married? I'll come to have a drink at his wedding!" Old Zhang said with a smile.

Yang Xiuyun glanced at the newly built brick house: "This was built for the eldest son's wedding. The eldest son works at the mining bureau, and his girlfriend is also there, but they just can't get a house, so this brick house was built. He wanted to get married, but the second son is always in Yanjing, and his eldest brother was afraid of delaying his plans, so he wanted to wait until the winter vacation to hold the wedding, so that neither of them would interfere with the other."

Old Zhang glanced at the brick house and said, "It's a nice house. Brother and sister-in-law, you two have two good sons!"

Liu Fuqing took a puff of his pipe: "I never expected this either. We were so poor before, we never dared to dream of a brick house! Before we knew it, my second son went to university, my eldest son got a better job, and the brick house was built. It all happened in the blink of an eye!"

Li Dashan tapped Liu Fuqing's pipe and laughed, "You, Liu Fuqing, are you deliberately trying to annoy me? Everyone knows this is all thanks to you, Yimin!"

Liu Fuqing chuckled: "Li Dashan, don't be so jealous, your boss and Lan Yong are pretty good too!"

The two old buddies started bickering on the side.

Old Zhang thought of the girl he met in Yanjing, so he patted Liu Fuqing on the shoulder and said, "Brother, don't talk about your eldest brother's good news. I think your second brother's good news is coming soon too!"

Liu Fuqing didn't react, but Yang Xiuyun did: "Director Zhang, the second son has found a girlfriend?"

"Found her! Hey, I'm not kidding, she's absolutely gorgeous! I bet you've never seen anyone as beautiful as her!"

Yang Xiuyun happily wiped her hands on her clothes: "Director Zhang, did you bring back any photos?"

Old Zhang said regretfully, "I forgot, I forgot. I left in too much of a hurry. But let me tell you, your daughter-in-law is very good. She's a college graduate, well-educated and reasonable. Ah, you two old folks, you'll enjoy your retirement from now on!"

Yang Xiuyun and Liu Fuqing immediately asked Lao Zhang to help them write a letter to ask Liu Yimin in Yanjing for a photograph to take back with them.

Old Zhang immediately agreed and helped mail the letter at the post office. Back at the cultural center, he told everyone about his experiences in Yenching.

"The Beijing People's Art Theatre is the Beijing People's Art Theatre, you don't know that, you really don't know, oh dear."

"Director, hurry up and tell us, tell us all at once, what's the Beijing People's Art Theatre like?" Old Sun and the others next to him were pacing anxiously.

"It's like the characters in the book have stepped right out of the book! It's amazing, amazing! You've missed it, that's your regret! But I guess you'll never have the chance in your lifetime!"

Old Zhang took a sip of tea and hummed a few lines from his lines.

"By the way, Lao Sun, I also saw Yimin's girlfriend. Guess what she looks like?"

When Lao Sun heard Lao Zhang bring up the topic again, he said with dissatisfaction, "What does it look like? What could it possibly look like?"

"Beautiful, like a fairy! Oh, I say, Lao Sun, Yi Hong is pretty, but it depends on who you compare her to!"

"I refuse to believe that anyone can be better than my Yihong!"

"Hey, look at you, Old Sun is getting impatient. Oh dear, Old Sun, how old are you? What's the rush?" Old Zhang said with a smile.

The entire cultural center was bustling with activity; it had never been this lively in recent times.

After the television was installed in Liu Yiguo's room, the villagers would often gather in the room to watch it in the evenings. Some people arrived late, and there wasn't enough room left.

After the TV was installed, it became a novel gadget that the whole brigade talked about with great interest.

Now, the Maiji Brigade has begun to distribute land to individual households, and every household is cultivating their own land, which has indeed greatly increased their enthusiasm for production.

As the Party branch secretary, Li Dashan clearly felt the benefits of land redistribution and also witnessed the changes in the villagers after the land redistribution.

The once united brigade has slowly begun to fall apart. The word "brigade collective" is mentioned less and less.

Liu Fuqing, as the team leader, didn't really feel it, but Li Dashan felt it completely.

Li Dashan hesitated and said to Liu Fuqing, "I wonder if anyone will still care about public affairs in a few years! Have you even asked Yimin what the future policies will be like?"

"Sigh, Lao Li, since things have already come to this, the land distribution is a major trend that can't be stopped. Let's wait two years and see if everyone can live a decent life before making any further decisions."

Li Dashan said, "Yes, let's focus on living our own lives first and not worry about this. No matter how things change, we still have to keep going. I wonder how my two kids are doing. My eldest wrote to me saying he met a girl in the army, and from what I heard, they're both interested in each other!"

“Isn’t this great!” Liu Fuqing said.

"Yes, that's good, but the second brother hasn't written a letter in months. Let's not talk about it anymore. The autumn harvest is coming. After the land is distributed, some families don't have carts, and some have oxen but no carts. I think we can't just watch; we have to organize the commune members."

Li Dashan patted his behind and prepared to hold a branch meeting that night to discuss what to do!
(End of this chapter)