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

Chapter 224 Rewards based on merit
Buying a courtyard house for five thousand yuan is a slightly bargain. Because the price of courtyard houses keeps rising at the beginning and end of the year, after paying five thousand yuan...

Liu Yimin's savings are not much anymore, only about three thousand yuan.

He would carry these three thousand yuan into 1981.

On New Year's Day, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin left the Beijing People's Art Theatre. On New Year's Day, the theatre performed four plays in a row, starting from the daytime.

Because there weren't many entertainment options, tickets for several venues were sold out.

Of course, many young people attend dark parties in private, where men and women close the curtains at night, listen to music, and move their bodies to the music under the lights.

If we get caught, it will be a huge problem.

Of course, when sexually repressed, men and women dance continuously in the room, displaying their graceful figures, and their bodies touch each other constantly. It's all so innocent, but Liu Yimin doesn't believe it either!
Restless men and women, ambiguous melodies—this is practically a breeding ground for bad deeds.

Because of the ban on ballroom dancing, coupled with people's old-fashioned ideas, children in the alleys often make up rhymes to criticize those who dance ballroom.

[So-and-so's wife was eighteen years old when she joined the US swing team...]

The streets were filled with people leaving the event. Because there were so many people, bicycles were too difficult to ride, so Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin pushed their bicycles along the road.

After a while, the crowd gradually thinned out. The two men got on their bicycles and rode towards the east side of the city.

On the way, Zhu Lin hummed a few lines of the sweet melody, then whispered to Liu Yimin, "Sweet, sweet, your smile is so sweet."

"Do I look that sweet?"

"Teacher Liu, this is a song!" Zhu Lin said disdainfully.

"Of course I know. Don't let anyone hear you. Where are you listening? You weren't eavesdropping on enemy radio, were you?"

"No, I listened to it at Chu Hong's place. She bought a cassette tape and said she wanted to give it to me so we could listen to it together in the courtyard, but I refused. You're a writer; you have to be mindful of your image!"

Zhu Lin said.

"Tian Mi Mi" is a banned song. If this song were to be played in the courtyard, Aunt Liang might just turn against her own family for the greater good.

However, there were hardly any people on the road, so no one would hear Zhu Lin sing softly: "Teacher Liu, how can this song be sung like this? It makes people feel warm all over. Chu Hong said that it made her bones feel weak. It's like your poem 'Just Right'."

Liu Yimin said, "You should tell Chu Hong to be careful and find a boyfriend!"

"Chu Hong has high standards. She comes from a cadre family, and many people pursue her, but she looks down on them all. She says those people are all good at bragging and have no real talent or ability!"

Zhu Lin spoke fluently and knowledgeably about Chu Hong's affairs.

"Chu Hongren is a good person. Tell her not to rush and to search carefully!"

"Teacher Liu, of course that's what I said, and Chu Hong thinks so too."

When they arrived at Zhu Lin's house, the wind was blowing even harder. Zhu Lin supported himself on the bicycle with his legs, tightened Liu Yimin's thunderbolt hat, and said considerately, "Teacher Liu, drive carefully!"

Liu Yimin nodded, watching her quietly, waiting for her next move.

Zhu Lin looked around, then gently leaned in and kissed him.

"Let's go!" Liu Yimin waved his hand.

Watching Liu Yimin's retreating figure, Zhu Lin pursed her lips and pushed her bicycle toward the courtyard of her home.

"Sweet, sweet, your smile is so sweet."

After New Year's Day, Yenching University was in its final exam period. Liu Yimin had nothing to do these days and wouldn't be coming to the courtyard house anymore.

Back in his dorm, Liu Yimin chatted with a few people for a bit before lying down and falling asleep. The next morning, feeling the strange sensation in his body, he cursed and unconsciously ejaculated again.

This dream is really annoying; it always ends abruptly at the crucial moment.
Liu Yimin quickly tidied up the mess, got up and jumped off the bed. Liu Zhenyun, who was on the lower bunk, was still half asleep, but when he heard the bang, he was wide awake.

"Yimin, why are you up so early?"

"Give a hug to the sun!" Liu Yimin said dismissively.

When I arrived at the water room, it took quite a while for the faucet to start leaking water. It was common for the faucet to be frozen when I woke up in the morning.

The icy water made Liu Yimin shiver. After washing up, he washed the baby clothes and hung them on the balcony.

"Today is the exam for 'Modern Literature,' and after that, we have a class on literary history. Get up quickly!"

After a group of people dressed neatly and finished eating at the cafeteria, they sat by Weiming Lake, gazing at the lake covered with a thin layer of ice, and began reciting their lecture notes.

They weren't the only ones reciting their lecture notes by the lake; more and more people joined in. Only when the wind picked up did the group head towards the classroom.

"Yimin, how many points do you think you can get this time?" Liu Zhenyun asked.

"eighty?"

Liu Zhenyun said smugly, "Only eighty? I think I can get ninety this time."

Li Xueqin, who was standing next to Liu Yimin, said, "Yimin, you don't know, Liu Zhenyun has been studying 'Modern Literature' a lot lately. He's really putting in a lot of effort!"

Inside the classroom, the cold pen barrels, combined with the weather, made Liu Yimin's hands so cold that he could barely use them; even the slightest movement was painful.

His handwriting was crooked and messy. Zhang Manling next to him raised her eyebrows provocatively and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

Zhang Manling was unwilling to accept this; she was the top scorer in Yunnan Province, yet she was always outdone by Liu Yimin.

However, she is a persistent girl who never gives up despite repeated failures, and her spirit is commendable!
After the results for "Modern Literature" came out, Liu Yimin looked at his score and asked, "Zhenyun, what was your score?"

"Sigh, just one point short of the goal!"

However, he was already very satisfied with the score of 89. Last year, he only scored 79 in the course on modern literature.

"What about you?"

Liu Yimin said sadly, "I accidentally helped you achieve your little goal!"

"What? You're ninety?"

Several people looked at the scores on the test papers. Li Xueqin patted Liu Zhenyun on the shoulder and said, "Zhenyun, you're quite accurate. Tell me what score you're aiming for in the next subject. By the way, say it in front of me."

"roll!"

The exam time was both tight and easy. It was easy because there weren't many classes, but difficult because there was a lot of stuff to memorize.

The students at Yenching University weren't worried about failing; they studied hard and failing was impossible. But everyone wanted to get high scores.

After finishing the "Foreign Literary Thought" exam, Liu Yimin slung his bag over his shoulder and ran towards the cafeteria. Zhang Manling called out from behind, "Liu Yimin, wait for me!"

After Zhang Manling caught up, Liu Yimin assumed she wanted to talk about foreign literature. Foreign literature was considered a difficult course in the Chinese Department of Yenching University, and many students would score very high marks in it.

However, when they arrived at the cafeteria and ate, Zhang Manling didn't talk about it, but instead brought up her novel.

"Yimin, why were you running so fast just now?" "Because I was hungry!"

"Then you eat a few bites first, and I'll tell you after you're done."

"Go ahead and say it, it won't affect my eating!"

"Didn't I show you my novel? I've written over 10,000 words, but I feel like I've hit a roadblock and don't know how to continue. How about we talk?"

Liu Yimin listened carefully and shared his thoughts. Suddenly, Zhang Manling asked, "Yimin, do you think my novel can really be published?"

"I told you, if you don't publish it, I'll give you another one!"

"cut!"

"How about this, I'll take you to meet the editors and hear their opinions. Generally, they read a few thousand words of a novel, get a general idea of ​​the plot, and then they'll know if it's suitable for publication. Besides, they've read a lot of novels, so their opinions will definitely be fair!"

Liu Yimin thought for a moment and then said.

Who should it be given to? Of course, it's for Zhou Yanru of "Yanjing Literature and Art"!

Zhang Manling was both happy and scared. Liu Yimin pointed to Liu Zhenyun, who was eating in the corner: "Zhenyun is the author of the 'Yanjing Literature' magazine that I recommended. Your writing is much better than Zhenyun's. Moreover, it has uniqueness, and uniqueness is more important than good writing style."

Liu Zhenyun was eating his pan-fried tofu when he accidentally sneezed. He looked around and wondered who was talking about him behind his back.

Finding no one, he lowered his head and began to savor the pan-fried tofu. He didn't dare eat too much, just a few bites of rice followed by a small bite of tofu, enough to leave a taste in his mouth.

Zhang Manling nodded, finished her meal, quickly grabbed Liu Yimin's lunchbox, and ran over to wash it.

Liu Yimin leaned against the table and sighed, "Zhang Manling, the friend who washes lunch boxes, is back again!"
After washing up, they hung their lunchboxes on their bicycles and left the dining hall. Twenty minutes later, the two met at Weiming Lake and rode towards the "Yanjing Literature and Art" magazine.

The entrance to the Cultural Bureau, where Yenching Literature and Art Publishing House is located, is unusually lively now, with slogans for a prosperous 1981 posted everywhere, and red lanterns hanging high, which will remain up until after the Lunar New Year.

After passing through the Cultural Bureau building and down the narrow, antique-style corridor, we finally arrived at Yenching Literature and Art Publishing House.

Zhang Manling looked at the plaque at the entrance of "Yanjing Literature and Art": "I never expected that 'Yanjing Literature and Art' would be located in this dilapidated brick building!"

"You'll see when you come more often!"

When Zhang Dening saw Liu Yimin at the door, her eyes lit up instantly. He had come to report back!

"Comrade Yimin, you've come to submit your article! Sister Zhou, Sister Zhou, Yimin is here!" As soon as Zhang Dening finished speaking, Zhou Yanru walked over quickly.

The two of them had been waiting for a long time, thinking that Liu Yimin had forgotten about them. When Zhou Yanru saw Liu Yimin's smiling face, she almost couldn't hold back: "Yimin, we've been waiting for you!"

"Yes, you've finally arrived! We've been talking about it for so long!" Zhang Dening said happily.

Zhou Yanru reached out her hand directly: "Yimin, where's the manuscript? Let me take a look!"

Liu Yimin stepped aside, revealing Zhang Manling's face behind him: "Comrade Zhou, Comrade De Ning, this is Zhang Manling from the Chinese Department. She wrote an article."

Zhou Yanru's head was buzzing, and she couldn't hear what Liu Yimin said next. She also forgot how she got back to her seat.

Once seated, Zhang Dening took the manuscript first, glanced at Liu Yimin with a wronged expression, and then helplessly shrugged at Zhou Yanru.

Zhou Yanru came to her senses and looked at the manuscript with Zhang Dening, then listened carefully to Zhang Manling's explanation of the general direction of the story.

After she finished speaking, Zhou Yanru gave her some reasonable suggestions and told her to follow this line of thought.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Manling nodded gratefully.

"If you write this well, it can be published in our 'Yanjing Literature and Art' magazine. Your writing is delicate enough, but remember to add more storytelling and avoid overly sentimental sentences."

After Zhou Yanru finished speaking, she looked at Liu Yimin and said, "Yimin, Yimin, what should I say? What should I say? Sigh!"

Zhang Manling looked at Zhou Yanru and wondered why there was a hint of resentment in the editor's tone.

"What's wrong, Lao Zhou?" Liu Yimin asked.

Zhang Dening angrily drank a large glass of water and put the teacup on the table: "It's nothing, Lao Zhou thinks you've been too good to our 'Yanjing Literature and Art'!"

"Look at what you guys are saying! If there's anything good happening, I'll definitely be thinking of you!"

"Hmph, is that so?" Zhou Yanru said with a forced smile.

"Old Zhou, Comrade De Ning, I had another novel I wanted to submit, but what's with this attitude? Should I leave?"

Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"let's go!"

"Huh? A novel? Yours? Really? Show it to me!"

Zhou Yanru and Zhang Dening stood up instantly, and Liu Yimin handed them his manuscript.

Zhang Manling also wanted to watch it, but she was too embarrassed.

After the two of them squeezed together to read for a while, Zhou Yanru couldn't help but say, "What a good novel, what a good novel! You little rascal, you're teasing this old woman. It's really... well written."

Zhang Dening was also speechless, but you could see the joy on her face: "Yimin, you really are something! Your 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' is very good and very touching. Please submit more of these kinds of manuscripts to us in the future! I heard that the Beijing People's Art Theatre is already rehearsing a play?"

"Correct!"

Zhou Yanru rubbed her hands together: "I heard it's two stage plays? Is the novel just one piece?"

"Comrade Zhou, I can't give you the last one. I promised my senior brother that I was going to publish both of them in People's Literature and Art!"

Zhou Yanru said regretfully, "Alright then, let Cui Daoyi get the benefit. But it's only right, considering he's your senior. Sigh... We... I'm looking forward to your play!"

"Can it be published next month?"

"Of course you can, but why do you ask that!"

"Here's the thing, Lao Zhou, I've grouped 'The Kite Runner,' 'Mountains High and Rivers Long,' and 'Red River Valley' together as the 'Homeland Trilogy,' and I plan to release all three parts next month."

Zhou Yanru perked up immediately: "Could you let us see the manuscript of 'Red River Valley'? 'The Homeland Trilogy'? That's great! We can promote it like that, with 'The Homeland Trilogy' on the cover. Sales will definitely be good!"

Seeing that Liu Yimin didn't take it out, Zhou Yanru snorted: "What? Are you afraid we won't return it if we take it?"

Liu Yimin smiled sheepishly. It wasn't that he was stingy; he was genuinely afraid, as Cui Daoyi had recounted many stories of stealing manuscripts.

"I guarantee with my D-level status, okay? I guarantee it will be given to People's Literature and Art."

Liu Yimin handed "Red River Valley" to Zhou Yanru, who read it carefully. She looked up and said, "You're rewarding people for their contributions. To be honest, I really don't want to give it to 'People's Literature' anymore."

Thanks to reader 20257420792 (ED) for the 100 reading coins.

(End of this chapter)