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

Chapter 212 The Homeland Trilogy

Liu Yimin sat in the Beijing People's Art Theatre office, listening to the four people speak and thoughtfully pouring tea for each of them.

Even so, the discussion left them hoarse. They drank several glasses in a row, and not a single person went to the restroom.

Who would dare say this bladder belongs to an elderly person!
Several hours later, the discussion finally ended. Cao Yu stretched, and the others followed suit, with Lan Tianye's neck cracking loudly.

Ouyang Shanzun joked, "If you didn't know better, you'd think it was like setting off firecrackers for the New Year!"

"I'm getting old, but my body is getting stronger!"

Lan Tianye was only fifty-three years old, making him the youngest besides Liu Yimin. Upon hearing him say he was old, both Cao Yu and Ouyang Shanzun gave him unfriendly looks.

Su Min is older than Lan Tianye, but only by one year.

The two of them belong to the most energetic and promising group of directors at the Beijing People's Art Theatre!
Liu Yimin took the manuscript and looked at it: "There weren't many changes, even though the discussion was so heated just now!"

"Hey, Yimin, you still think it's not enough? If it's not enough, I'll make it a little more for you!" Ouyang Shanzun laughed!
Liu Yimin smiled and hugged the script to his chest.

Lan Tianye said, "The discussion was intense. After many discussions, we felt that there was no need to change it, so we didn't change it! Your scriptwriting skills are quite good, much better than when you wrote 'Mr. Donkey'."

"When you pulled me out of bed, I didn't even know what the script format was!"

"Old Lan just likes to do things that disturb people's sleep!" Su Min complained, recounting how, when he was young, he was dragged out of bed by Lan Tianye during rehearsals in the dead of winter before dawn.

“Yi Min is fast and of high quality. We just need a few more of them at the Beijing People’s Art Theatre!” Su Min said.

"Back then, I went to Comrade Qingchun's house to ask for a script. Comrade Qingchun was in a dilemma because he had no ideas. I told Comrade Qingchun, 'Just write the script, and I will agree to any conditions you have! The script is the lifeblood of our Beijing People's Art Theatre, and it is always the most difficult thing to write."

Yimin, please bring more fresh ideas to the People's Art Theatre in the future!

Cao Yu spoke earnestly to Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin nodded, indicating that he would do his best in the future.

“Oh right, let’s go, Yimin, let’s go check on the rehearsal again!” Ouyang Shanzun said, pulling him along.

Cao Yu followed the four people to the rehearsal venue. Ouyang Shanzun and the others went to Cao Yu's office, but the rehearsal did not stop. Zhu Lin acted as the eyes and ears of the three teachers, imitating and guiding the rehearsal.

Liu Yimin asked in a low voice, "Are you three really so at ease?"

Lan Tianye laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? If the casting goes wrong, there are still the three of us. Let me tell you, I started working as an assistant director as soon as I submitted my director application!"

Su Min smiled at Liu Yimin, indicating that it was true!
"Time flies, it's been almost twenty years since I started directing," Lan Tianye exclaimed.

Time is like a wild donkey; once it starts running, it never stops!

"Haha, your metaphor is quite romantic!"

The five people walked to the front of the stage with smiles. Zhu Lin quickly stepped off the stage, but the actors continued their performance without stopping.

Five people sat in the front row, and Zhu Lin whispered to the three teachers about what had just happened.

Ouyang Shanzun nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. Zhu Lin smiled and sat down next to Liu Yimin, giving him a smug glance before pretending to be humble again.

"Yimin, what do you think?" Ouyang Shanzun asked.

“The slaves bowed too shallowly to the chieftain; in fact, they bowed quite deeply, and the way their robes were arranged was also problematic. Although the steward is not a member of the chieftain's family, he is highly trusted and can bow a little less, but not too shallow,” Liu Yimin said.

Zhu Lin laughed from the side, "We know that, it's just that the rehearsal time was long and the actors' backs couldn't take it, so we changed it so that they would bend more deeply during the actual performance."

Su Min said, "Take a look, are there any other problems?"

Liu Yimin pointed out a few more, and Zhu Lin wrote them all down in his notebook.

Every few days, Liu Yimin would be brought here to talk to the actors or point out their flaws.

Liu Yimin only knew what the people of Aba had told him, and he was afraid that he might have given the wrong directions. So he went to the library and found a lot of information.

They studied the matter thoroughly with Ouyang Shanzun and the others, constantly guiding the actors to help them become true "Tibetans".

In comparison, the actors who played Han Chinese had it much easier.

“Since there are no problems, you should get to rehearsals in a hurry. ‘Mountains High and Rivers Long’ is the first part of the ‘Tibet Anti-British Dual-Part Series.’ This is the beginning, and we must lay a solid foundation. How can we film the second part well if the first part is not well rehearsed?” Cao Yu said with a smile.

"The two-part anti-British movement?" Zhu Lin repeated subconsciously.

Su Min smiled at her and said, "Little Zhu, Jia Bao Gong combined my two scripts and named them 'The Two-Part Anti-British Trilogy in Tibet.' After all, the two parts are consistent in content, share the same main storyline, and face the same enemy. We all think it's very appropriate!"

"Wow, amazing, Teacher Liu!" Zhu Lin praised, but then added, "If you include 'The Kite Runner,' it would actually be a trilogy, but unfortunately, the main theme of 'The Kite Runner' isn't about resistance!"

I thought it would be perfect if it were a trilogy, which would match Ba Jin's Torrent Trilogy - Family, Spring and Autumn, and in terms of script, it would match Dean Cao Yu's Life Trilogy - Thunderstorm, Sunrise and Wilderness.

The "Life Trilogy" was proposed internally by the Tianjin People's Art Theatre and was naturally well-received.

Cao Yu laughed and said, "It's not exactly a script, but in the realm of novels, that's a fair term!"

“Teacher Wan, I think that’s a good idea too!” Zhu Lin said.

"Yimin, if you were to name the trilogy, what would you choose?" Su Min asked.

Liu Yimin thought about it for a moment. The themes of "The Kite Runner" are different, so it's hard to come up with a common feature!

After a while, Liu Yimin said, "I think naming it 'Homeland' is a good idea. After all, 'The Kite Runner' also left Tibet because its homeland was destroyed, and returned to Tibet peacefully after liberation. It is also a journey of rebuilding homeland and rebuilding family and friendship."

"Excellent, the 'Homeland Trilogy' is very fitting!" Lan Tianye clapped softly.

Cao Yu said with a hint of excitement, "Yes, homeland! In the two dramas, 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' and 'Red River Valley,' the heroes who bravely sacrificed themselves were not protecting the homeland of any one ethnic group, but the homeland of our Chinese nation, our common homeland!"

"Haha, Yimin is also an author with a lineage of works!"

Ouyang Shanzun raised his voice, startling the actors who were rehearsing upstairs. Everyone stopped and looked at them!
Ouyang Shanzun waved his hand: "Rehearse, comrades, rehearse! I'll tell you some good news after we finish rehearsing!"

The rehearsals on stage resumed, but after a brief pause, it took several sessions for everyone to get back into the swing of things.

Cao Yu patted Ouyang Shanzun's thigh: "Shanzun, you're already in your fifties, and you still have such a loud voice!"

"A director can't be quiet! If I'm not loud, no one can understand me when I speak on stage. How can that be possible!"

Everyone smiled and continued to watch the rehearsal attentively.

"Teacher Liu, aren't you happy? So many publications at such a young age!" Zhu Lin made an exaggerated expression as they walked out of the Beijing People's Art Theatre. Liu Yimin said, "The pressure is immense! It hasn't been long, and people are already criticizing me again!"

Zhu Lin gently nudged Liu Yimin's shoulder: "This is called being a big tree that catches the wind. You are the biggest tree, and everyone is waiting for you to raise your arms and shout, but you remain unmoved no matter which way the wind blows."

"They see no hope in you, so they'll definitely criticize you relentlessly!"

Liu Yimin turned to Zhu Lin and said, "Okay, you can be an analyst now. From now on, you can analyze the literary scene for me, and I won't read these awful newspapers anymore!"

Fallen leaves littered the roadside. As the two walked on them, the sounds of the withered leaves breaking and rubbing against each other were incessant, like the sound of a cassette tape turning in a tape recorder.

Despite being busy with rehearsals and learning to be a director, Zhu Lin reads literary magazines and newspapers whenever she has free time. Even if she doesn't read them, the people around her will tell her about them.

She was from Beijing and a college student, so she didn't need to ask around; people would tell her about the underground poetry scene!

Actors are also part of the arts and culture scene, and they pay just as much attention to new works and trends as writers and poets.

Others have a natural inclination to watch the excitement. When they see a literary debate, regardless of whether the arguments are reasonable or not, they just want to watch the excitement. After watching, they will enjoy the discussion and then analyze it themselves.

“You treat me to dinner, and I’ll help you analyze this!” Zhu Lin said.

"Sure, what do you want to eat? Pig's trotters, pig's knuckles, pig's tail, or something else?" Liu Yimin said cheerfully.

Zhu Lin waved his hand dismissively: "Ugh, if I keep eating like this I'll turn into a pig. I may be surnamed Zhu, but I'm not a pig!"

"So, Comrade Zhu, what would you like to eat?"

Zhu Lin looked at Liu Yimin: "Teacher Liu, why do I feel like there's something hidden in your words?"

"Nothing to say!"

Why is the character "朱" pronounced so heavily?

"I swear to God, Zhu and Zhu are the same person!"

"From today onwards, Zhu will be pronounced with a third tone!"

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Little Zhu (woo)."

Zhu Lin bit her lip and stomped her foot: "Fine, Teacher Liu, call me whatever you want!"

After stomping on a pile of leaves, the two arrived at the restaurant. Upon seeing them, the waiter smiled and said, "Writer Liu, it's been a long time!"

Liu Yimin shushed him, and the other party immediately understood.

When it was time to eat, Liu Yimin looked at the extra dish and asked, "We didn't order this dish!"

"A colleague paid for your meal last time!"

The waiter took out money and food coupons from his pocket: "This is for him." After saying that, he smiled and put the food coupons and money into the cash register drawer.

Liu Yimin shook his head helplessly and accepted the gift from the unknown comrade.

“Look at our lovely readers!” Zhu Lin said enviously, “I even found a lot of money in the readers’ letters.”

Liu Yimin said, "When we publish it next time, we should add a few words at the end. We can put letters in the letter, but not money! We'll send it back when we see money in the future!"

Liu Yimin is not short of money now. He receives royalties, unlike before when he didn't. Readers can contribute money to help the author.

The amount of money in the wallets was quite substantial, representing a significant expense for an ordinary family. Of course, ordinary families wouldn't send money over like that!

"And one more thing: don't send any more photos!" Zhu Lin said, pursing her lips.

"What if it's a landscape photo!"

"What? Look, these are all photos of girls!" Zhu Lin said subconsciously, then immediately regretted it.

"Why did not I see?"

Zhu Lin mumbled, "Maybe it's because I happened to have one when I dismantled it!" Sometimes when she was in the study, she would secretly put the photos in places that were basically unnoticed.

She's seen so many envelopes with photos that she can tell just by touching them whether there's a photo inside or not—she's developed a lot of experience with them!

Liu Yimin pushed the vinegar in front of her: "This is good stuff, put in a lot!"

After laughing and exchanging a few sarcastic remarks, Zhu Lin began to analyze the situation while eating.

As more and more underground publications closed down, those who ran them grew increasingly angry. Adding to this, the poets of the "Return to the Countryside" and "Misty Poets" factions were attacking each other, and older and younger poets were constantly clashing, turning the entire poetry scene into a chaotic mess.

There are endless calls to criticize Ai Qing as a tyrant of the poetry world, a zombie-like old man, and to vacate or occupy the territory he has occupied.

These remarks, which bordered on personal attacks, angered Ai Qing, who then made some offensive statements during a newspaper interview, revealing a strong intent to attack.

Fortunately, after the newspaper interviewers left, they cut this part out and didn't put it in the newspaper.

However, the interview content still leaked out, naturally triggering another wave of attacks.

This is a generation you don't dare mess with.

Liu Yimin's problem is that he didn't join the flame war. Young poets, oh dear, our young poets are being suppressed like this, and you, a young poet so popular with readers, are still silent.

What else is this but a cowardly coward? All sorts of surrenderist and fence-sitter rhetoric have come out.

The various heated remarks annoyed Liu Yimin, but the impact wasn't too serious.

This debate will eventually come to an end, but when it does, the scene will be something no one wants to see.

In 83, non-literary forces brought this discussion to an end, and the Misty Poets simply dispersed.

Liu Yimin said, "Actually, they had a good relationship. Comrade Ai Qing had introduced Bei Dao before, and it was through him that Shu Ting got her job at 'Today' magazine. I think Comrade Ai Qing was right to criticize the 'one-word poem,' but the subsequent almost obsessive personal attacks changed the whole thing."

What could have been a more rational discussion turned into a frenzied war of words.

"I think Teacher Liu, you still need to speak up. Let people know that you are not someone to be bullied. If you don't speak up, it's appeasement, and the enemy will become even more rampant. If you don't fight, they won't fall!"
The best negotiating table is on the battlefield!

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Our Comrade Zhu Lin is also a female general!"

Yes, if we don't fight, the tax king won't obediently return to the negotiating table and become a tax collector!
Even if the immortal drinks Ganges water, he won't shout that he loves peace!
(End of this chapter)