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

Chapter 21 Giving a Report in the County
"Speed ​​up, especially the young men in the brigade. They're not even as hard-working as these old folks. This is nothing! When we were learning from Dazhai and going out to build the reservoir, it was much harder than this!"

Li Dashan shouted at Liu Yimin and the others who were rubbing their shoulders, then directed the others to drive the oxen. They had been hauling too much water uphill, and the oxen had been working for too long. When hauling water uphill, the oxen stopped in the middle of the road, refusing to move despite being whipped.

Liu Fuqing frowned, looking at the bloody welts on the cow's rump, and said to Li Dashan with heartache, "Dashan, this won't do. People can go without rest, but I'm afraid the cow will get sick if it doesn't rest."

Han Shaomin, the team leader of the third team, also said, "Yes, Party Secretary! Our team only has a few oxen and donkeys. If they die from overwork, we will be held responsible if the commune investigates!"

Some lazy people even hoped that the oxen would die from overwork, so that every household could get some beef to eat.

Just as Li Dashan was about to speak, he turned his head and glanced behind him and saw three strangers pushing bicycles.

After thinking for a moment, he wondered if they were cadres sent by the commune to support the drought relief efforts. So he quickly stepped forward, excitedly shook Old Sun's hand, and said, "Welcome, welcome! You must be cadres sent to support us. I am Li Dashan, the Party branch secretary of Maiji Brigade."

Old Sun adjusted his glasses with a look of astonishment, glancing at the commune member who had led the way. Sweat streamed down his face, blurring his vision for a moment.

“Secretary, there’s a mistake. They’re not here to offer support. They’re writers too, and they’re here to see Yimin,” a member of the commune quickly said.

"Huh?" Li Dashan didn't understand for a moment.

Old Sun hurriedly said, "Hello comrade, we are from the county cultural center. We would like to invite Comrade Liu Yimin from your brigade to give a report for us at the cultural center."

"Give a report?"

Li Dashan knew how to give reports. He was injured while suppressing bandits in the mountains, and after recovering, he gave reports to both the commune and the county committee. A few years ago, during the "Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture" campaign, they successfully transformed the sloping land into terraced fields.

They also dug irrigation canals on both sides of the Kuye River, turning these lands into irrigated fields. As a result, they received commendation from the county and were given a special report at the Revolutionary Committee's four-level cadre meeting, introducing the Maiji Brigade's experience in learning from Dazhai.

Back then, he stood on the stage of the county's People's Cinema, wearing a red flower, full of vigor and ambition. The leaders of the Revolutionary Committee shook hands with him one by one.

Yimin is so young and he's already as old as me? He can even give a report now?
Li Dashan's scalp was a little itchy, so he scratched his sweat-soaked hair hard.

"Yes, Comrade Liu Yimin published a novel in People's Literature and Art, did you know that?"

"Yes, I know, he's writing about the donkeys at the old commune school before liberation. Tell me, kid, why don't you write about the donkeys in our production brigade? That way, our brigade would be famous throughout the country."

Li Dashan couldn't figure this out for several days. "Our brigade's donkeys can do it too. They pull the millstone very well."

"Cough cough!" Old Sun and Xiao Liu and Xiao Wang behind him were both choked by Li Dashan's words and coughed violently.

"Old comrades, are you feeling unwell?"

"No, no, Comrade Party Secretary. Comrade Liu Yimin's article has broken the record in our county's literary circles. Our cultural center director attaches great importance to it and hopes that he can come to the cultural center to share his experience with us and improve the overall writing level of the cultural center."

After hearing this, Li Dashan enthusiastically pulled Lao Sun toward the group of people working, and pointed to Liu Yimin, who was trying to slack off, and said, "Look, that's Yimin. I watched him grow up. I always knew this kid was destined for greatness."

"Yimin, my father is counting on you, get up and get to work!" Li Lanyong said in a low voice.

Liu Yimin took a sip of soda and wiped his mouth: "I'm not afraid of your dad. He still owes me wages!" "Yimin, come here!" Li Dashan shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hey, Uncle Dashan's here!" Liu Yimin hurriedly hung the water bottle on his waist and quickly replied.

Just as he was about to run over, Li Lanyong said again, "Yimin, don't go over there yet, give me the water!"

"Here, drink, drink! I'll drink you to death!"

Liu Yimin laughed and hung the water bottle around Li Lanyong's neck. He then turned and ran towards Li Dashan. Li Lanyong took a sip with pride, only to find that there was only one sip left.

"Yimin, let me introduce you. This is a writer from the county cultural center. He wants to talk to you about something. You two can chat under the tree. I'm going to get back to work." Li Dashan kicked the commune member who was still trying to listen in.

Then he yelled at the commune members who were looking up at him, "Get to work! If you neglect the land for a while, the land will ruin your year. Whether we can have a good New Year depends on us. The commune said that heavy rain is coming soon."

Li Dashan looked at the sky, which was completely cloudless, and spat out a mouthful of saliva, thinking to himself, "This doesn't look like it's going to rain at all!"
The three men looked at the young man in front of them. His skin was so dark that he looked like someone from the Third World. The straw hat he was wearing had a hole in the edge, and his beige vest was stuck tightly to his body with several small holes on the hem that looked like they had been bitten by insects.

His trousers were rolled up to his thighs, his legs were covered in river sand and yellow soil, and the soles of his liberation shoes were almost falling off. He looked no different from an ordinary farmer.

"You are Comrade Liu Yimin?" Old Sun asked incredulously.

"Hello, I am Liu Yimin."

Liu Yimin stretched out his calloused hand, and Old Sun fell silent for a moment. This was a little different from what he had imagined. An author who could write for publication in People's Literature and Art magazine should at least be a refined and cultured person, full of literary flair.

If Liu Yimin knew what Lao Sun was thinking, he would definitely make Lao Sun try what it's like to carry two large buckets of water uphill on a shoulder pole to irrigate the land.

A burden shatters the spirit of production; I, the Party Secretary, am a scholar.

"Did you write 'Mr. Donkey'? Comrade Liu Yimin, my name is Wang Youwen. The comrades at the cultural center all call me Little Wang, but given our age difference, you can call me Old Wang from now on!"

"Old Wang (right), I wrote it."

"Comrade Yimin, you wrote very well and have brought honor to our county. The director of our cultural center was thrilled when he heard about it. After so many years, our Ru County has finally produced a writer who has been published in national magazines. So we would like to invite you to give a report."

Old Sun quickly realized the reality and hurriedly revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Give a report, great!" Liu Yimin grinned, patting the dust off his hands. He'd really had enough of carrying this water.

Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun were overjoyed to learn that Liu Yimin was going to give a report at the cultural center. They took Lao Sun and the others home for lunch and helped Liu Yimin pack his luggage.

“Our Yimin is really promising. He used to be the Party Secretary when it came to giving reports, but now he can give reports in the county. He’s even more capable than you, his father!” Yang Xiuyun said excitedly.

Liu Fuqing squatted on the threshold, smoking his pipe, and said with a smile, "Going to the county is good too; the work in the team is really tiring!"

(End of this chapter)