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

Chapter 217 of the standalone book is about to sell out this month.

The interview with China Youth Daily was conducted by Yu Jiajia at Liu Yimin's request. Yu Jiajia is a very loyal friend; upon hearing Liu Yimin's request, she immediately promised to write a detailed and impactful report!
Liu Yimin poured her a cup of tea, picked up her notes and looked at them; they were indeed all praise.

But if you go to the readers who bought "The Kite Runner" and ask them, wouldn't that be more like a compliment or an insult? It's like going to a nursing home and asking the old man if he's retired.

After drinking a cup of tea, Yu Jiajia said, "I still need to interview you. How about it? Are you ready?"

In Yu Jiajia's notebook, there were also some interview outlines written down. The main questions were: What are your sales expectations for "The Kite Runner"? What were the difficulties in creating the book?

The focus is on what I want to say to young writers in the current literary scene and my own views and stance on the clashes in the poetry world.

An interview for the publication of "The Kite Runner" turned into an expression of Liu Yimin's views.

"Comrade Yu Jiajia, your skills are becoming more and more profound!"

"That's not what you said. Real journalists should avoid directly expressing their opinions in their reporting, but rather support their views and positions through the presentation of facts and background information!"

Yu Jiajia said, "Look, all my news theories are from you!"

Liu Yimin laughed: "The master leads you through the door, but the practice is up to you!"

“I think the one arguing the most is actually Huang Xiang, and he’s also the one who’s been the most vocal in criticizing Comrade Ai Qing. So now you and Mr. Ai Qing are on the same side!” Yu Jiajia said with a smile.

A toad crawling on your foot is disgusting! The poets in the editorial department of Today magazine have remained silent about Liu Yimin and have not expressed any opinions so far.

"Actually, I don't know much about him, and I've never even read the poetry journal he founded!"

"Comrade Liu Yimin, now you know what I mean by scolding you! Come on, we've already had a few cups of tea, it's time to get down to business."

Yu Jiajia smiled as she hung the scarf on the rack, then sat down solemnly opposite Liu Yimin, ready to begin the interview.

Liu Yimin answered the questions one by one, and Yu Jiajia began to admire him. He had only just read the interview outline, yet he answered so well and logically.

Even though she was conducting the interview, in the end, Liu Yimin even took control of the interview, and all she could do was nod repeatedly.

To write, one must become a true writer; to write poetry, one must become a true poet; whether writing poetry or writing, one must be a social observer and an observer of personal life.

Instead of being an angry bird, as if the whole society and all of humanity have wronged him! Losing your temper will only make your eyes sore and cause conjunctivitis, and you won't be able to observe life or society.

If roaring could make you a poet, then all the monkeys in the mountains would be poets, after all, Li Bai wrote of the monkeys' cries on both banks of the river!

Yu Jiajia was initially taken aback by Liu Yimin's last words, but then burst into laughter: "Comrade Liu Yimin, isn't your analogy a bit too sharp?"

"What's wrong? Are you feeling troubled?" Liu Yimin asked.

"I'm afraid people won't be able to handle it!"

"Haha, Comrade Yu Jiajia, you're actually quite nice! If you feel it's inappropriate, you can separate the street interviews with readers from my interview into two separate articles. I've been scolded by Angry Birds for so long, so I can be an Angry Bird too!"

Liu Yimin shared his thoughts with Yu Jiajia, and Yu Jiajia looked at the contents of her notebook and made her own plan.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, repeat what you just said. This is the first time I've heard you say something like that, and I didn't remember it all at once!"

Liu Yimin repeated it again, and after Yu Jiajia finished writing, she smiled and asked, "When do you think would be a good time to publish it?"

Liu Yimin calculated the time; in a few days, "People's Literature" would be on sale, and Lu Yao's commentary would also be available to readers.

So he said, "Let's do it in three days. It will be even better if we publish it after People's Literature comes out. Also, we can write about the Commercial Press's initial print run of 20 copies. And Stars will publish another poem next month."

By releasing individual volumes, poems, reviews, interviews, and other materials together, aligning the granularity, and forming a combined punch that focuses on a vertical field, it can deliver a decisive blow!
"I'll go back and write it down and discuss it with the editor-in-chief. I believe the editor-in-chief won't miss this opportunity! I also have to decline an interview!"

"What interview?"

"Hey, there's been a dog attack in Dongcheng lately, and my boss wants me to cover it up. I'm too busy, so I have to delegate it to someone else!"

"Is this even news?"

"Why doesn't it count?"

"News isn't news when a dog bites a person, it's news when a person bites a dog!"

Yu Jiajia looked at Liu Yimin thoughtfully, but after a while she still couldn't figure it out. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and said, "I'll think about what you're saying when I get back!"

Just as she stepped outside, she bumped into Zhu Lin. Yu Jiajia looked at Zhu Lin and exclaimed, "Isn't this Zhou Yun?!"

"Zhu Lin, this is Yu Jiajia, a colleague from the China Youth Daily!"

"Hello!"

"This is what you are doing?"

Liu Yimin introduced the two of them, and Yu Jiajia grasped Zhu Lin's hand and said, "Comrade Zhu Lin, Yu Jiajia, Comrade Liu Yimin and I are old friends. We've known each other since he first came to Yanjing!"

Yu Jiajia warmly shook Zhu Lin's hand and winked at Liu Yimin.

“Yes, we are good friends,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Zhu Lin said, "I've heard Professor Liu talk about you a lot. I've read your previous interview with Professor Liu, and it was very well written. I'd like to get to know you, but unfortunately, I haven't had the chance!"

“Great idea! Let’s find a time to talk about it and maybe do an interview,” Yu Jiajia suggested.

"Huh? Interviewing me?" Zhu Lin looked at Liu Yimin.

Yu Jiajia said, "Actually, everyone likes the movie you acted in. You can tell everyone about the filming story. I think everyone will like it!"

Liu Yimin stood to the side, hands in his pockets, watching Yu Jiajia. What a good apprentice! She knows how to seize interview opportunities. Isn't this more entertaining than a dog biting someone?
Zhu Lin hesitated on the side, unsure of what to say in the interview, afraid of making a fool of herself.

Yu Jiajia looked at Liu Yimin, who made a helpless gesture to her.

So she pulled Zhu Lin to stand in front of the courtyard house and said to Zhu Lin that he was interested: "Comrade Zhu Lin, this is just a casual chat. Comrade Liu Yimin and I have such a good relationship, don't worry, I will delete anything that is not suitable!"

Zhu Lin hesitated and asked, "When?"

"How about a week from now? I'll send you an interview outline then, so you can familiarize yourself with it first."

“Okay!” Zhu Lin nodded.

Yu Jiajia finally succeeded, her smile a mixture of nine parts honesty and one part cunning. Liu Yimin said, "Guess who I just saw?"

"Who did you see?"

"I see my senior brother, Cui Daoyi!"

"Hey, Comrade Cui Daoyi has taught me a lot. You're one of my teachers, and Comrade Cui Daoyi is another!"

After Yu Jiajia finished speaking, she made an "old-fashioned" motion as she got on a bicycle and left the alley entrance, her light blue cotton coat turning into a small gray dot.

Zhu Lin squatted on the ground, and Sanhua jumped onto his arm with a "bang," affectionately rubbing her head against the place she shouldn't be rubbing.

"Teacher Liu, what would you like to eat tonight?" Zhu Lin asked with a smile.

"There are so many things I want to eat!"

What do you want to eat most?

Liu Yimin chuckled and said, "I don't know whether I should think about it or not."

"You say it, I'll definitely do it!" Zhu Lin patted Sanhua's head and walked into the yard.

After a while, the two sat at the kitchen table and ate noodles with braised meat sauce.

"Your braised dish is really good. Teach me how to make it sometime. I'll make it for you sometime!" Liu Yimin said while eating.

"Teacher Liu, I'll cook for you from now on!" Zhu Lin said while eating.

How have rehearsals been lately?

"The rehearsals are going smoothly. All the costumes in the costume workshop are ready. We have to work overtime to practice every night. The intensity has been very high recently. Not to mention me, even the actors can't keep up. Yang Lixin, after stepping off the stage, almost fell asleep in his chair."

The Beijing People's Art Theatre has been working overtime lately to rehearse "Mountains High and Waters Long" and will begin rehearsing "Red River Valley" once the final version is completed.

At first, the actors could receive subsidies for rehearsing during the day and at night, which made them quite excited. If they practiced well, their salary for the month could be one-third more than the previous month.

But after practicing for only a few days, they couldn't smile anymore. They didn't even want to open their mouths after going offstage. They were so tired!
They couldn't stand the constant training, day and night.

The Beijing People's Art Theatre bought a lot of medicine to protect the actors' voices. Peppermint and Malva nut tea have become protective supplies for the actors.

After finishing his meal, Zhu Lin still had to go to the Beijing People's Art Theatre for rehearsal in a little while!
After dinner, the two sat in the study chatting. Zhu Lin's gaze was fixed on the draft on the table. Her shadow, cast by the light bulb, perfectly replicated her slender figure.

Liu Yimin moved his chair, and after a while, Zhu Lin said with a blush, "Teacher Liu, it's a bit hot sitting so close to you!"

"Really? I don't feel anything," Liu Yimin said with a grin.

"You," Zhu Lin said, looking at Liu Yimin's burning gaze, and quickly put her head back on the manuscript.

Liu Yimin joked, "You treat this draft better than you treat me!"

"Teacher Liu, I think you should be a little jealous. Besides, this is your manuscript!" After reading the contents, Zhu Lin tidied up Liu Yimin's desk.

Liu Yimin gently reached his left hand behind Zhu Lin on his left and slowly wrapped it around her waist.

Zhu Lin moved slightly and then made no further movements. Liu Yimin held Zhu Lin's hand with his right hand and smiled, "Why are you so nervous?"

Zhu Lin blushed and remained silent. Liu Yimin laughed heartily, quickly withdrew his arm, checked the time, and said, "Time to go to work!"

Zhu Lin raised his wrist to check the time, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. When Liu Yimin withdrew his hand, for some reason, a sense of loss rose in his heart.

Helplessly, she got up and wrapped her scarf around her neck. Looking at Liu Yimin beside her, she took a few steps with her head down, then quickly gave Liu Yimin a light peck on the cheek before turning and running out of the yard.

"See you tomorrow, Teacher Liu!"

Liu Yimin shouted, "Don't always launch surprise attacks! Next time, let me be prepared!"

The only answers she received were the clanging of the bicycle rack rising and the rattling of the chain.
As it turns out, the standalone edition of "The Kite Runner" was a huge hit. Huang Chunyu rode his bicycle through the cold wind from the editorial office in Wangfujing to Yenching University, where he found Liu Yimin and gave him a bear hug.

"Yimin, 'The Kite Runner' is selling incredibly well, you know? You know what? Wow, it's made me so proud! I can practically walk around the editorial department like a hog now!"

Liu Yimin struggled to break free from Huang Chunyu's embrace and looked at Huang Chunyu with disdain, saying, "Old Huang, do you think it's appropriate for two grown men like us to be hugging and cuddling in school? Look, don't wipe your snot on me!"

Huang Chunyu ignored Liu Yimin's teasing: "This is a milestone for me since I joined the Commercial Press as an editor. Most of the editors in the editorial department are veteran editors. I am the only one who joined after the press reopened. I feel a lot of pressure!"
"You don't know, when I first arrived, people asked if I was some leader's child who got me a job at the Commercial Press. Tell me, wasn't that unfair? I'm just a legitimate worker's child!"

Huang Chunyu poured out all her grievances. Huang Chunyu was about the same age as Liu Yimin, and many students at Yenching University looked older than Huang Chunyu.

Chen Jiangong, a senior professor in the Chinese Department, is one of them.

Liu Yimin understood Huang Chunyu's inner turmoil. Winning the publishing rights was the result of his own hard work, and the bestseller status clearly proved his ability.

Even though everyone knew it would be a bestseller, Huang Chunyu established himself at the Commercial Press with this achievement, beginning his journey towards becoming a senior editor.

"Yimin, thank you!" Huang Chunyu kept shaking Liu Yimin's hand.

Liu Yimin said, "You're welcome. I was shocked and moved when you came out from under the wall in the alley, covered in sweat. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given you the publishing rights!"

Huang Chunyu took Liu Yimin out to eat: "You don't know, in just over half a month, more than half of the first print run of 200,000 copies has been sold, and some Xinhua bookstores in other places are even saying they're out of stock! The general manager is so happy that the wrinkles on his face have lessened!"

She ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and exclaimed, "Little Huang, you've worked so hard! I absolutely have to treat you to a meal!"

When they met Liu Zhenyun and the others on the road, they greeted Liu Yimin warmly and excitedly invited the three of them to go and have something to eat together.

Liu Zhenyun muttered as he followed behind, "I saw it from afar and thought someone was going to attack Yimin, so I was about to rush over to help!"

“Great minds think alike. Didn’t you see I was about to make a move just now?” Li Xueqin said.

"When will an editor go to such lengths for me?" Chen Dazhi muttered to himself.

Huang Chunyu said loudly to the three people behind him, "Comrades, I heard from Yimin that you also write novels. If you ever get published, you can contact me. We're all friends."

Liu Zhenyun followed up and asked Huang Chunyu some questions about publishing the single volume. Li Xueqin, Chen Dazhi, and the other two listened very attentively.

When they were almost at the Long March Hotel, Liu Zhenyun said regretfully, "We don't need it for now, but Comrade Huang Chunyu, I've decided to be your friend!"

(End of this chapter)