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

Chapter 225 "Life"

Zhou Yanru kept looking at the two novels in her hands. When her eyes swept over "Mountains High and Rivers Long", she felt joy, but when she looked at "Red River Valley", she felt regret.

After Liu Yimin finished reading, he tried to take the manuscript back from her hands, pulling hard several times before finally managing to get it back. Afraid of tearing the manuscript, he didn't dare use too much force.

"Sigh!" Zhou Yanru sighed heavily again, reluctantly turning her gaze away from "Red River Valley".

If Zhou Yanru had to choose between the two novels, she would prefer "Red River Valley." Therefore, she wondered if Liu Yimin was rewarding the works based on merit, since "Yanjing Literature" had contributed less than "People's Literature," and thus gave the credit to "Mountains High and Waters Long."

In Zhou Yanru's words: "Yimin, your novels 'Red River Valley' and 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' are both excellent novels. The chapters in 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' vividly depict the humiliation of the invasion of their homeland and the urgency of the military situation. The chapters before the Tibetans went to war portray the customs of the Tibetan people, their high morale, their willingness to die on the battlefield, and their heroic sacrifice!"

"Red River Valley" not only depicts the fearless spirit of Tibetan soldiers defending their homeland, but also the precarious love between Han and Tibetan people amidst the flames of war.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; when the nation is destroyed, even the most beautiful personal feelings cannot be preserved. Without a nation, where does the individual come from?

"Romance on Mount Lu" elevates personal love to national love, depicting Chinese people at home and abroad joining hands to build their motherland. "Red River Valley" portrays the intertwined and interdependent relationship between personal love and love for the country, showing how people of all ethnic groups work together to defend their motherland.

From an emotional standpoint, I think it's more explosive!

Even at the very end, Zhou Yanru still asked, unwilling to give up, "Is it okay if we don't give it to People's Literature and Art?"

Liu Yimin walked out of "Yanjing Literature and Art" under the reluctant gazes of Zhou Yanru and Zhang Dening. Liu Yimin really dared not stay any longer!

After they left, Zhang Dening circled around Zhou Yanru. She hadn't even seen "Red River Valley" yet, but hearing Zhou Yanru say it was good made her feel incredibly eager.

Zhou Yanru patted Zhang Dening on the shoulder and said in a tone of someone who had been through it all, "Don't look at it anymore. Out of sight, out of mind. Just buy a few copies of 'People's Literature' to read later."

Back in the editorial office, a group of novel editors were already eagerly passing around "Mountains High and Rivers Long," and the person in charge, Li Qingquan, was also joining in the fun.

Pushing his bicycle onto the street, Liu Yimin looked at Zhang Manling and asked, "Zhang Manling, are you coming with me to 'People's Literature and Art' magazine, or are you going straight back to Yenching University?"

"I'm free this afternoon anyway, so I'll go with you to broaden my horizons. You've helped me so much, I have to treat you to dinner tonight!"

"No need for food, you've already washed the lunchbox. Besides, we're all comrades-in-arms, no need for talk of repayment."

Liu Yimin rode his bicycle toward People's Literature and Art Magazine, and Zhang Manling chased after him with a smile: "I heard your manuscript fee standard has always been the highest? Can you tell me? Is it true?"

"It's alright, it's just a few dollars more than others!" Liu Yimin hunched over, feeling the strong wind blowing in his ears.

Zhang Manling pursed her lips beneath her mask, her expression revealing nothing unusual: "What kind of royalty do you think I can expect?"

"Ten dollars!"

"Really?"

"Fake!"

“I knew I wouldn’t get it. The payment is secondary; I just want it published. You seem to have a really good relationship with them. Their eyes lit up when they saw you.”

With Zhou Yanru's guidance and the help of Banbufa, Zhang Manling became increasingly talkative in her happiness.

When they arrived at the People's Literature and Art magazine, Liu Yimin stopped on the wall of the building's entrance and carefully examined the big-character posters pasted on it.

"What are you looking at?"

"Let's see if anyone's cursing me!"

"Who would dare to criticize you now? Everyone says you can't touch a tiger's butt, and you can't mess with Liu Yimin's butt!" Zhang Manling joked before taking a serious look.

After looking for a while, I found that there were no people criticizing him now, only a few old big-character posters.

Liu Yimin ignored him and prepared to go upstairs. Zhang Manling, who was next to him, quickly tore up a few sheets of paper and threw them into the nearby trash can.

Liu Yimin remained calm, but a hint of approval rose in his heart. This Xiao Zhang is not bad; he's good material for joining the company!

The hallway was warm and cozy, but when we got to the editorial office, it smelled strongly of coal smoke, just like in previous winters.

However, apart from the smell of coal smoke, the aroma of sweet potatoes was the strongest. Liu Yimin went inside and saw sweet potatoes being roasted next to the coal stove.

Liu Yimin squeezed it and saw that the sweet potato was still a little raw, and immediately felt very disappointed.

"Yimin is here. Want some? If you do, wait a bit. It'll be ready soon. Oh, and who is this comrade?" said the female editor, Xu Yi.

Hearing the voice, Cui Daoyi looked up and said, "Yimin, we've finally waited for you! We reserved a spot for you in the February issue, and we were just worried you wouldn't come! Now that you're here, it's all good, you'll be featured in the February issue!"

Liu Yimin said to Xu Yi and Cui Daoyi, "This is Zhang Manling, an outstanding student in the Chinese Department. She ranks second in the department. She's come with me to get acquainted with the senior students so she can submit her work later!"

"Oh? Junior sister, hello, hello, I am Cui Daoyi!" Cui Daoyi stood up, stepped past Liu Yimin, and extended her hand.

Zhang Manling was flattered and gave a shy smile: "Senior Brother Cui Daoyi."

"If you have any questions about the manuscript, feel free to ask me. We're like senior and junior classmates, so I'll definitely help you if there's anything I can!"

Cui Daoyi then looked at Liu Yimin: "Where's your manuscript?"

"Senior brother, you're like a landlord collecting rent. Here, 70,000 words. See? That's generous enough!" Liu Yimin handed the manuscript to Cui Daoyi.

Xu Yi told Zhang Manling and Liu Yimin to sit and wait. After a while, the sweet potatoes were cooked, and the two of them each got one and sat down to eat them.

These are red-fleshed sweet potatoes, which taste sweeter than white-fleshed ones.

A few editors who had nothing to do were eating sweet potatoes and exclaimed, "This little sweet potato is amazing! It has fed so many people in our country. If it weren't for sweet potatoes, our population wouldn't have grown so fast over the past few hundred years."

"Yimin, do you grow sweet potatoes where you are?"

“Every household has a sweet potato cellar. In the past, when families were poor, we ate sweet potato buns, sweet potato noodles, sweet potatoes boiled with cornmeal, and in summer and autumn we would pick sweet potato leaves to eat as vegetables, either making vegetable pancakes or eating them directly as vegetables.”

"When you're hungry for a long time, you can eat sweet potatoes every day without getting tired of them. When you have enough to eat, why would you complain about anything else?" Liu Yimin said, his hands still peeling sweet potatoes.

His favorite part was the sweet potato skin, roasted until golden brown but not black, sweet and chewy. It took Cui Daoyi a long time to finish reading "Red River Valley." Cui Daoyi knew Liu Yimin had written two parts, but he didn't ask about the other part.

"The plot is fast-paced and engaging, the emotions are genuine and deeply moving; you'll have to write the novel. As for the royalties, shall I take you to collect them later? Or..."

"Get it in a bit!"

"Alright. Be sure to take a good look at the February issue; there's a surprise waiting for you. February 1st is just three or four days before the Spring Festival, so I think it would make a great New Year's gift!"

After Cui Daoyi finished speaking, a knowing laugh rippled through the editorial department.

Unfortunately, Liu Yimin didn't understand, and even after asking, Cui Daoyi wouldn't tell him.

Cui Daoyi led Liu Yimin to the finance office, where the finance officer withdrew 700 yuan and handed it to him.

Zhang Manling, standing behind him, stared at the stack of money, her eyes turning red with envy. After swallowing hard a few times, she turned her head away with great effort.

"Why don't you go see Lu Yao and Jiang Zilong? They're revising their manuscript on the fourth floor. Go and cheer Lu Yao up. He's been revising it so much that he's thinking of tearing it up again."

Liu Yimin followed Cui Daoyi to the fourth floor, with Zhang Manling close behind. Listening to the lively sounds upstairs, Liu Yimin wondered why this scene was so different from what he had imagined a writer revising a manuscript.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, Liu Yimin first heard the voices of Jiang Zilong and Feng Jicai. After pushing open the door, the voices stopped, and Lu Yao sat on the edge of the bed smoking, completely silent.

"Everyone, hurry up! We really want to spend the New Year at People's Literature and Art Publishing House!"

Lu Yao saw Liu Yimin behind Cui Daoyi, immediately stood up, and smiled slightly at Liu Yimin.

The people he knew nodded to Liu Yimin. Compared to his last visit, there were more unfamiliar faces and fewer familiar ones.

Cui Daoyi walked over to Lu Yao and asked if there was anything he didn't understand. The three of them exchanged ideas, and Jiang Zilong came over as well, ready to offer his own opinion.

“I always felt that Gao Jialin’s transition from the city to the countryside was not smooth, and it always felt a bit awkward to revise it.” Lu Yao frowned, his breath reeking of smoke.

The novel "Life" tells the story of Gao Jialin, a rural youth who is unsuccessful in his career. He was originally a teacher, but his job was taken by the son of the brigade secretary, and he could only return to work in the fields.

In his distress, a rural girl named Qiaozhen entered his heart, cheering him up and inspiring him to pursue his dream of writing.

Later, Gao Jialin got the opportunity to work in the city, where he met his classmate Huang Yaping. Huang Yaping was educated, and the two could talk about anything and everything, which made Gao Jialin feel that he had found a kindred spirit.

Compared to Qiaozhen from the countryside, Gao Jialin chose Huang Yaping.

Unfortunately, he lost his job because someone reported him for improper procedures when he went to work in the city, and he returned to the countryside. But things had changed. Qiaozhen was now married to someone else, but she still went to ask someone to arrange a teaching job for Gao Jialin.

Cui Daoyi said, "Actually, in my opinion, this novel is already excellent. Yimin, what do you think?"

"It is indeed very good. It expresses the sincerity of emotions and the confusion and hesitation of young people. It also tells us not to keep looking at distant goals and miss the most important people around us. It portrays the unwillingness of rural youth to leave the loess soil and the pain of the conflict between ideals and reality."

Qiaozhen's tragedy and her dependent position in relationships also serve as a critique of our traditional moral values.

“Yimin, I remember you used to be a teacher, right?” Jiang Zilong asked.

"Hey, I'm just a team leader office teacher!"

Lu Yao said with a troubled expression, "I still feel like something's not right!"

“The problem is that you think Gao Jialin must be unwilling to return to the countryside. The emotional shift after this series of blows and finally returning to the Loess Plateau is not intense. The emotions have not fully erupted! It’s like a storm is about to break, but it’s written like a light rain, isn’t it?” Liu Yimin said.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean. I think this incident has been a transformative experience for Gao Jialin, this young man."

Lu Yao quickly replied.

"Once you find the problem, things become much easier; find the problem and solve it."

The three men gave Lu Yao a lot of advice, and only when Lu Yao was satisfied with the changes did he excitedly hug Liu Yimin and express his gratitude.

Before leaving, Liu Yimin gave Lu Yao another suggestion: to change the title of his book to "Life," even though it wasn't titled "Life" yet.

Lu Yao praised the name, saying it was worthy of the vastness of the Loess Plateau.

After chatting for a while, as it grew dark outside, Liu Yimin and Zhang Manling walked out of the People's Literature and Art magazine. However, in the hallway, Zhang Manling suddenly said, "Yimin, could I touch this seven hundred yuan bill to see what it looks like?"

Liu Yimin chuckled and was about to take the money out of his bag when Zhang Manling quickly said, "No need to take it out. I'll just reach in and feel around. Let's not let anyone see."

Zhang Manling glanced around cautiously, then quietly slipped her hand inside. Feeling the thickness of the seven hundred yuan note, she couldn't help but touch it again and again, letting out soft sighs of appreciation. Only after she had touched it enough did she reluctantly pull her hand out.

"Okay, that's enough touching. If you keep touching me, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist!" The two walked onto the street, and Zhang Manling pulled Liu Yimin to go eat.

During the meal, they talked about Lu Yao and Jiang Zilong: "I never imagined that two great writers would be standing right in front of me!"

“If it’s not alive, then it is,” Liu Yimin rolled his eyes.

“Yanjing Literature and Art Magazine didn’t pay you your royalties today. If they had,” Zhang Manling counted Liu Yimin’s royalties on her fingers. After finishing, she cursed, “I need to learn from you and write more novels!”

“This is all the result of hard work. You’re making it sound like fruit on a tree that I can just reach out and grab!” Liu Yimin quickly said.

"Of course I know. Don't worry, I won't go out and make a fuss about it."

After finishing their meal, they reached the roadside. Seeing that Liu Yimin wasn't moving, Zhang Manling couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you going back?"

"You go back first, I'll be back in a bit!"

"What are you doing here?" Zhang Manling asked curiously.

"Girls shouldn't ask so many questions. You should go back first, and drive carefully!" Liu Yimin looked towards the direction of the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Zhang Manling said "Oh" three times in a row, each time with an increasingly sarcastic tone, and then said, "I'll go see Comrade Zhu Lin too."

When Liu Yimin looked at her, Zhang Manling had already ridden her bicycle toward Yanda University, waving her hand and saying, "Don't be late getting back to school tonight."

(End of this chapter)