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

Chapter 222 Life is not short, but suffering cannot bring glory.

In his office, Xu Chi read through the manuscript again from beginning to end. After finding no problems, he put the letter in an envelope with satisfaction, ready to mail it out today.

He muttered to himself, "Good things come to those who wait!"

He put the envelope aside and focused on reading the newspapers he had collected, categorizing the literary reviews and gradually piecing together a main thread of events.

As Xu Chi stepped out of his office, the secretary of the Hubei Provincial Writers Association approached him and said warmly, "Old Xu, have you finished writing your literary work about Tibet in Aba? If you have time, let me have a look!"

"It can't be that fast, it will take some time. I need to fully reflect the changes in life in Tibet, which is different from writing works about individuals and specific events," Xu Chi said with a smile, feeling very happy to hear the other person mention his work.

"Works that reflect the changes of the times are quite difficult to write. The key is that you have to grasp many things yourself; if you write something wrong, the impact can be huge. Have you read Comrade Liu Yimin's latest poems? You two are on good terms; next time, I'd like to introduce myself to this outstanding young literary figure!"

Xu Chi walked closer, only half a step away from the secretary: "We are friends despite the age difference. Comrade Yimin is a talented and virtuous young man. Let's have tea together when we have time."

I've read his poems; they're very well written, with delicate and sincere emotions, conveying a strong sense of the passage of time and the changing of years. With just a few strokes, they resemble a landscape painting of his hometown, reminding me of my youthful days when I left home to fight in the north, the swaying awning boats on the river, and the clever, beautiful women washing clothes on its banks.

"You're really good at writing poetry reviews. Just a few words from you reminded me of my hometown, and I almost burst into tears. I have to go now, I'm going to head over there."

Xu Chi waved his hand, went to the mailbox, and stuffed his submission letter into it. The dark yellow envelope was addressed to "People's Literature and Art".

At Shi Tiesheng's home in Yonghe Temple, Lu Yao and Shi Tiesheng felt an instant connection, as if they had known each other for a long time. They felt that in a world that was both materially and spiritually impoverished, they should have been chatting and discussing everything under the sun in a cave dwelling in northern Shaanxi long ago.

Lu Yao marveled at Shi Tiesheng's resilience and literary talent. Hearing Lu Yao's familiar Shaanxi accent, Shi Tiesheng felt as if he were seeing a long-lost relative.

But after a while, the two began to argue about their differing literary views.

Lu Yao's writing style is realistic. The stories may be fictional, but they are all based on reality, and every detail is meticulously researched.

This is something he often says: one must never be careless about technical or experiential issues, otherwise it will not be realistic.

“A writer who lacks both experience and knowledge cannot become a realist writer. Take Comrade Yimin and Comrade Zilong as examples. When writing, Comrade Yimin would look up a lot of information and choose to go to Aba for field research. Comrade Zilong’s several novels about factories all rely on his understanding of the factory’s internal structure, operation, interpersonal relationships, and science and technology.”

Lu Yao said.

Shi Tiesheng is not considered a realist writer because, due to his wheelchair, he traveled to few places and could not conduct any so-called field research.

His works delve inward, exploring the human spirit and thought, ultimately rising to the level of life and philosophy.

“I think that the intellectual content of a writer’s work is very important. We need to keep thinking in our minds. Sometimes I even feel that literary writing relies not on experience, but on questions. Writers bring questions to guide literature toward the future.”

The two argued heatedly, their faces flushed. Liu Yimin and Jiang Zilong exchanged a smile, and Jiang Zilong said, "Each has their own reasons, which shows that literature is becoming more diverse. I still remember what Yimin said at the awards ceremony. He said that we should diversify literary works and truly achieve a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending."

"Isn't this just a debate?" Liu Yimin joked.

The two immediately stopped. Liu Yimin suggested that he treat them to dinner that evening. Shi Tiesheng was about to decline, but Liu Yimin said, "They have helped me so much, I should treat them to a meal. It will be more lively if everyone is together!"

Shi Lan, standing next to him, was already applauding wildly in her heart.

Jiang Zilong said, "Haha, Yimin, it's really not necessary, but since you're treating, I definitely have to go. A meal that you don't have to pay for tastes several times better than one that you have to pay for."

“The two of us have actually earned quite a bit of money from writing these reviews,” Lu Yao said with a smile.

"That little bit of royalties isn't even enough for your cigarettes!"

"That's true, Comrade Lu Yao, you should smoke less and take care of your health!" Shi Tiesheng said worriedly from the side.

"Sigh, if one can exchange their body for something extraordinary in this life, I think it's worth it! For a nobody like me from northern Shaanxi to have something to be proud of is already enough."

You don't know, but from the moment I started writing, I stood on the mountain ridge and secretly vowed that I would make a name for myself in the world of literature.

Life is short, but it's bitter to not have a glorious moment! Now when people see me, they no longer call me a brat, they all say I'm a writer. My whole life has been dedicated to literature!

Lu Yao's words made everyone understand that literature was what he cared about most at the moment, and he was willing to risk his life to do it well.

Lu Yao was adopted, so she called herself an unwanted child.

Shi Tiesheng shared a similar sentiment: "I'm so pitiful now that all I have left is literature. If I can no longer pick up a pen, I don't know how I'll get through the rest of my life!"

"Brother~" Shi Lan put her hand on Shi Tiesheng's arm and called out in a long voice, her voice filled with reproach and heartache.

Lu Yao offered to help push the wheelchair, and Jiang Zilong said, "Comrade Lu Yao's smoking habit is even worse than mine. I'm a seasoned smoker, but I feel like a greenhorn next to him!"

The group walked forward laughing and joking. Shi Lan wrote a note to her father, and Liu Yimin looked at the sky and said, "Winter is the best time to eat hot pot. It's a pity that we're a bit far from Donglaishun. Otherwise, we could go eat hot pot!"

Liu Yimin and the other two were fine, but the main problem was that they had to push Shi Tiesheng's wheelchair, so it would be inconvenient to go too far.

“Actually, eating at home is just fine!” Lu Yao said.

"We don't have a copper pot at home. We finally managed to find one last time. It would be great if we could buy a copper pot. What a pity!"

Jiang Zilong looked at Liu Yimin thoughtfully: "I'll have the comrades in the workshop help you make a copper pot. The masters in our workshop are experts at everything, and they're also good with copper, so it'll be a piece of cake for them."

Liu Yimin said, "I won't trouble you. The machine factory must be busy right now, right?"

"To be honest, there isn't much to do. To absorb the educated youth returning to the city, our factory has brought in quite a few people, as well as some who have taken over their parents' jobs. There are too many people and not enough work in the workshop. This copper pot seems like a good idea. Let's give it a try and see if we can put some effort into it."

Jiang Zilong saw a business opportunity in the "copper pot," but he didn't know if it could be made into a success. "If you make copper pots successfully, I'll be the first to buy them!" Liu Yimin laughed.

"With the reform and opening up, light industry is doing better than heavy factories like ours. Take the cotton textile factory in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, for example. It's about to experience a major boom. Once the unified sales of cotton cloth are liberalized, there will be a shortage of cotton cloth. After people have enough to eat, the first thing they want to improve is their clothing."

Jiang Zilong's analysis earned him a thumbs-up from Liu Yimin. Henan Province's cotton textile industry experienced rapid development in the early stages of reform and opening up, but began to fall behind in the 1990s.

Subsequently, a large number of cotton textile factories went bankrupt, were sold, or relocated and acquired.

On the way to dinner, we talked about everything from literature to the national economy, and the conversation went on and on.

Lu Yao and Shi Tiesheng fell silent. Since they had only a superficial understanding of economic issues, they rarely offered their opinions and simply listened to their conversation.

The food was served, and after taking a bite, Lu Yao said, "The food in Yanjing is indeed more refined than what we have back home!"

“I love Shaanxi noodles the most, but unfortunately, everyone was poor back then. The villagers didn’t even have enough noodles for themselves. If we wanted to eat them, we would learn to make them ourselves by going to the villagers’ homes, but even then, they didn’t taste very good,” Shi Tiesheng said.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Lu Yao said, "What's so good about it? There are plenty of noodles, but unfortunately, we don't have much seasoning at home. Just a handful of salt and a handful of chili peppers, that's about it. When you come to northern Shaanxi, I'll treat you to a proper noodle dish at a state-run restaurant!"

"The Kite Runner" was reprinted 200,000 copies, and the Commercial Press sent him more than 2,000 yuan in royalties. As soon as he received the money, Liu Yimin found a place for them.

He rode his bicycle to the post office, withdrew the money, and then sent it along with some of his own money directly to the old homeowner in the oil field, thus paying off the remaining balance on the house.

Recently, Aunt Liang introduced a house to Liu Yimin, but unfortunately, his brothers are still arguing and can't figure it out.

Besides, it was just a small two-courtyard house, and Liu Yimin found their arguing annoying, so he stopped paying attention to it.

Liu Yimin wrote a letter informing them that the money order would arrive after receiving the letter. He instructed them to have the other party sign the order and send back a receipt.

Liu Yimin provided a detailed format, and the other party just needed to follow it.

Although the house has been registered with the housing management department, Liu Yimin still has to be careful.

Liu Yimin sent some money home again. The wedding date for his elder brother, Liu Yiguo, had been set for the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month this year, which is mid-January 1981.

Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun were very satisfied with the date, as Liu Yimin would be home on holiday at that time, making it a good and smooth day.

In rural areas, there's a saying that getting married in the twelfth lunar month brings good fortune to the family. Nowadays, rural areas don't dare to openly follow the old customs of the past, but they can't control what people think.

Weddings cost money in many ways. Liu Yimin had money at home, and his older brother Liu Yiguo also had savings from his job, but it's always good to have some extra money in case of an emergency!
After sending the two sums of money, Liu Yimin walked out of the post office, rubbed his ears, and rode his bicycle toward the courtyard house.

I saw Zou Huofan and Lao Ma squatting next to the drum stone, smoking and leaning against the wall to block the wind.

"Uncle Ma, Comrade Zou, what brings you here?"

Old Ma's once green Lei Feng hat had turned black. Upon seeing Liu Yimin, he angrily threw a small stone at him: "You let two old men freeze outside, do you have no conscience?"

After Zou Huofan finished his last puff of cigarette, he stood up, squinted at Liu Yimin, and grinned, making Liu Yimin feel uneasy.

Liu Yimin quickly opened the door and let them in: "You didn't even call before you came. I just went to the post office!"

“We’ve come to bring you warmth. We know you don’t have coal coupons in Yanjing and can’t buy coal briquettes. It’s too cold inside in winter. Our Poetry Journal coordinated with the guesthouse to send you two hundred coal briquettes. It’s definitely not enough, but you won’t be in Yanjing much for the New Year, so you won’t need many. If you run out, go to the Poetry Journal and ask us to coordinate again.”

Liu Yimin lifted the tarpaulin and sure enough, the tricycle was full of dark coal lumps. Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Comrade Zou, Uncle Ma, you two really touched me. I was just worried about not having any coal in the house!"

"Right?" Zou Huofan said sarcastically, his hands behind his back, "I thought Bai Xing from 'Stars' would send you coal briquettes! This Bai Xing doesn't even care enough about the authors!"

After pushing the tricycle inside, Liu Yimin put his arm around Zou Huofan's shoulder and said, "Old Zou, you need to be more magnanimous! I only submitted one article to 'Stars,' but I've submitted a lot to 'Poetry Journal'!"

"I just can't stand Bai Xing's smug look!" Zou Huofan sneered.

They started moving coal briquettes with Liu Yimin. Liu Yimin told them to rest and that he could move them himself, but the two refused to do it.

After stacking two hundred coal briquettes, Zou Huofan rubbed his lower back and exclaimed, "Ouch, my old back!"

Liu Yimin smiled and looked at Zou Huofan, who immediately stopped rubbing his back: "Old Comrade Zou, you wouldn't be thinking of asking me for a 'moving fee,' would you!"

"Is that available?"

Liu Yimin said, "We have food, but no poetry!"

Liu Yimin asked Old Ma how much the coal briquettes cost, intending to pay accordingly. Old Ma replied, "Coal briquettes are three cents each, two hundred will cost six yuan in total. How about that? You won't lose out, will you?"

Liu Yimin took out six yuan from his pocket and handed it to Lao Ma: "It's not a loss, it's not a loss. Without coal capital, I couldn't buy it even if I wanted to!"

There are two ways for residents to buy coal: one is through their own coal ration book, and the other is through coal coupons issued by their work unit.

Liu Yimin's household registration is at Yenching University, so Yenching University would never issue coal certificates and coal coupons to its students.

After chatting in the courtyard, Zou Huofan and Lao Ma left the courtyard. As Zou Huofan left, he still held Liu Yimin's hand tightly: "If you have any poems, send them nearby, you don't need to send them so far away!"

Liu Yimin gave them a ride on his bicycle for part of the journey, and on the way, he bought a coal stove that had changed hands several times from a roadside vendor.

They brought in pipes, and after a lot of tinkering, the room finally started to warm up.

(End of this chapter)