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

Chapter 233 A Good Family's Son!
After watching "Red River Valley," a group of people sat in the small conference room of the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Zhu Lin was also there. Lan Tianye pulled her to sit in the conference room and told her to broaden her horizons and improve her resilience.

Everyone present had two copies of the finalized script, and the sound of pages being turned back and forth in the meeting room was louder than the sound of discussion.

Neither Zhou Yang nor Xia Yan offered any opinions; they simply kept saying things like encouraging artists to unleash their creativity and be bold in their work.

The people from the United Front Work Department knew this was directed at them, and they all cursed inwardly, thinking that coming to watch the rehearsal today was not a good job.

Now that intellectuals have a greater voice, their voices have become relatively smaller.

Comrade Wu remained silent, sitting beside Liu Yimin and asking some mundane questions. For example, how did he feel about visiting Aba? What changes had occurred in the country? How was his family? What was the countryside like now?

Liu Yimin answered in a low and cautious voice. Comrade Wu said, "Don't mind them. Let them discuss it. Your family is from Henan Province, where there are many rural people. You can say whatever you want. Once you leave this meeting room, you don't have to admit it!"

“The countryside has changed a lot now. This year I went back home.” Liu Yimin told me about everything he saw and heard at home.

When Comrade Wu heard about Liu Yimin's elder brother's marriage, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? Your uncle and your father were both revolutionary soldiers. What year did your uncle join the army, and on which battlefield did he die?"

He's from a good family!

"I used to deliver messages to the guerrillas in our area a few times. Later, in 44, I went to Yichuan alone and joined the Western Henan Anti-Japanese Detachment. The Western Henan region is located near the Funiu Mountains, which are high and densely forested, making it very suitable for guerrilla warfare."

“I know, I know, Old Pi’s troops, this is a troops with a glorious tradition, they made great contributions in the Central Plains Breakthrough, please continue!”

"Actually, I don't know where I died. The army later told me that I died while breaking out in the Yangtze River area. I don't know the exact time, the exact location, or where I was buried. I only know that it was in 47."

"In 47, the Western Henan Guerrilla Detachment fought along the Yangtze River... I was in Inner Mongolia in 47, so I'm not very clear about the specific battles near the Yangtze River. But the enemy's encirclement and suppression at that time made the fighting truly fierce!"

The two chatted in hushed tones, ignoring the script discussion. Ouyang Shanzun and Lan Tianye were arguing, with Zhou Yang and Xia Yan offering words of support when they were at a disadvantage; the overall situation was one-sided.

"Transforming rural work is both difficult and easy. Our primary task right now is to ensure farmers have enough to eat. The tide of reform is surging forward, and you young people must study hard and shoulder the responsibilities of the future!"

After speaking, he looked at the gradually calming meeting room and asked in a kind yet authoritative voice, "Comrades, how did the discussion go?"

Zhou Yang smiled and said, "Comrade Wu, what do you think?"

"I think Yimin is a good young man, he has a lot of ideas. You in the arts should cherish young people like him. Comrade Jiabao, you've found a good student, so don't feel pressured when the Beijing People's Art Theatre is rehearsing. Our comrades, don't make a big deal out of it, after all, we are not professional artists."

We must respect the opinions of our colleagues in the arts and culture departments, and of course, our artists and cultural workers must also be mindful of this. As long as we aim for the national goal, our artistic works will not stray from the intended path.

We won't bother you any longer, we're leaving now!

As they walked out of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Comrade Wu pointed to the slightly swaying trees beside them and said, "Comrade Jiabao, look, Comrade Zhou Yang is right, the wind isn't strong at all!"

Cao Yu said, "Spring is coming, and the southeast wind will follow!"

The group exchanged smiles, got into their car, and left the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Cao Yu looked at Ouyang Shanzun and the others, turned around first, waved to signal everyone to follow, and said in a casual tone, "Now that you're all gone, comrades, don't be so serious!"

"Old Wan, does this count as passing the test?" Ouyang Shanzun asked, but didn't seem to express any opinion afterward, feeling uneasy.

"Let's rehearse first. I don't think there will be any problems," Cao Yu said with a smile.

Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin hung behind the group. Zhu Lin let out a long breath: "I almost suffocated in the meeting room just now. I didn't dare to breathe. Teacher Liu, were you nervous?"

"What do you think?" Liu Yimin patted Zhu Lin on the back when no one was looking, signaling her to relax.

"You didn't seem nervous at all. You spoke calmly and slowly, and when you got to the touching parts, you were even quite emotional. I kept my ear to you the whole time, and I didn't hear a thing about what they were talking about!" Zhu Lin thumped his back with his hand.

In the meeting room, Zhu Lin tried her best to make herself invisible, wishing that no one would notice her.

Once inside the Beijing People's Art Theatre building, Cao Yu held another meeting to discuss and make arrangements for several areas that needed to be modified.

The debate was heated, but neither side could reject all of the other's opinions. At least they had to save face, since the United Front Work Department was one of the clients.

"The next step is to improve. The basic skills of the two script production teams are already solid, so the next step is to improve. The 50,000 yuan funding from the Ministry of Culture will arrive soon. For actors who perform well, their subsidies and benefits can be appropriately increased to create a competitive atmosphere."

"Old Wan, how about letting the actors rest for half a day today? They've been exhausted lately!" Ouyang Shanzun said.

"Sure, you're the director, you can decide these things!"

As they left the conference room, Cao Yu looked at Zhu Lin and said, "You acted well. Your acting skills are getting better and better. This is how actors from the Beijing People's Art Theatre should be. They should train themselves to be able to adapt to any role."

After offering a few words of encouragement, he asked with concern, "Aren't you tired from rehearsing and learning directing from Shan Zun and the others?"

"Teacher Wan, I'm not tired!"

"Good, good, good!" Cao Yu said "good" three times in a row, and Ouyang Shanzun also praised Zhu Lin. Lan Tianye acted as a strict teacher, not letting Zhu Lin get too complacent and overly happy.

Zhu Lin was already used to this teaching method of encouragement and gentle persuasion, so he nodded modestly, showing no signs of discouragement.

Upon entering the rehearsal room, the actors were still rehearsing spontaneously under Yu Shizhi's guidance. Seeing this, Ouyang Shanzun was extremely satisfied.

At Cao Yu's signal, he clapped his hands to gather the actors together: "The leaders were very satisfied with our rehearsal just now, and only raised a few minor issues. Some of our lines and actions may need to be changed a little, but don't worry, it won't be a big difference."

Everyone has worked hard lately. Dean Wan is giving you all a day off. Take this afternoon off and do whatever you want, just don't forget tomorrow's rehearsal!

After Ouyang Shanzun finished speaking, the actors immediately relaxed from their tense state, and some of them cheered and sat down on the benches exhausted.

The actors were excitedly discussing what to do in the afternoon. The unmarried ones wanted to take a good rest, while the married ones were thinking about what to do with their families at home in the afternoon.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin arrived at the courtyard house. Looking at the afternoon sunlight, the two began to loosen the soil in the small garden and vegetable garden, while also thinking about what to plant this year.

Music filled the courtyard, and Sanhua squatted next to the tape recorder, enjoying a musical sunbath.

“We also need to get the neighbor’s yard repaired. Even though we don’t live there, we can’t just ignore it, otherwise it’ll get old quickly,” Liu Yimin said with a smile. Zhu Lin’s mind wasn’t on repairing the house; instead, she asked, “Teacher Liu, how do you say ‘repair a house’ in English?”

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After tidying up the garden, the two sat in the middle of the yard, sipping tea. Zhu Lin hummed a song, while Liu Yimin gently massaged Zhu Lin's small hands.

As you massage, you realize there are more areas you want to massage.

Zhu Lin blushed and struggled to stand up from the stool. Suddenly, she said playfully, "It's like the insatiable Qin state, taking one city today and ten cities tomorrow."

"Hahaha!" Liu Yimin burst into laughter at Zhu Lin's analogy.

After exchanging a few words, Zhu Lin went off to do other things by himself, while Liu Yimin went to the study and began writing his essay about his trip to Aba.

During my 35 days in Aba, I plan to divide my travels into several parts, similar to my travelogue of France.

The first article is about the Braided Tomb in Sanjiang Town.

The second article is about Zhuokeji Official Residence.

The third part is about the trip to the grasslands.
The fourth piece is about a trip to a temple, which was a difficult part for Liu Yimin to write, since religion is too sensitive.

The fifth article is about the Wangguo Festival and Ma'erkang County.

The sixth article discusses Xu Chi.

The six articles were compiled into "Travels in Aba". However, even with the publication of "Travels in France", it would still be too thin. He planned to follow Cui Daoyi's advice and write a few articles called "Leaving Rucheng", which would tell the story of a rural team office teacher who gradually left Rucheng.

This is a good time to get busy with this matter.

Including the royalties from "Green Book," Liu Yimin now has over five thousand yuan in hand. Wan Fang also gave Liu Yimin the script fees for "Red River Valley" and "Mountains High and Rivers Long."

In total, I had about seven thousand yuan.

There is still a lot of passive income that has not been settled. The last two books of the "Homeland Trilogy" have not yet been printed. Once they are printed, it will be another large sum of royalties.

In the evening, just as Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin were about to have dinner, Zhou Yanru and Zhang Dening from *Yanjing Literature and Art* arrived, carrying letters from readers on their bicycles. They beamed with joy upon seeing Liu Yimin, as if they wanted to give him a comrade-like hug.

Zhou Yanru's cheerful and unrestrained voice echoed in the courtyard: "Yimin, this month our 'Yanjing Literature' magazine sold a million copies, all thanks to the novella 'Mountains High and Rivers Long'."

"It's a pity that if it had been published last December, you would have definitely won this year's novella prize. Is this your study? May I come in and take a look?"

When Zhu Lin came out of the kitchen, Zhou Yanru exclaimed "Huh!" and her attention was drawn to Zhu Lin again. She thought to herself, "What a beautiful girl."

He patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder: "This lady is!"

"Comrade Zhou, have you eaten yet? Want to grab something to eat together?" Liu Yimin asked.

Zhou Yanru and Zhang Dening were happily chatting with Zhu Lin in the kitchen, while Liu Yimin quietly went to the study and put away his manuscript.

After the conversation, Comrade Zhou went to the study and saw that there were no drafts on the table. He left with a regretful look after finishing his meal.

With sales of 1.5 million copies for *People's Literature and Art* and nearly 1 million copies for *Yanjing Literature and Art*, the sales of the standalone editions are expected to be quite good.

In previous years, the most attention-grabbing events in the literary world at this time of year were the novella and short story awards, but this year the Mao Dun Literature Prize has garnered the most attention.

Mao Dun's status, the fact that it was the first time a long-form literary prize was established, and the highest prize money made the Mao Dun Literature Prize regarded by the entire literary world as the highest-level literary award.

Few people knew that Comrade Mao Dun was already lying in the hospital at this time.

Wei Tao told Liu Yimin that after Mao Dun finished compiling his memoirs, he started to have a fever. At first, he tried to stay home and didn't go to the hospital, but it got worse and worse, so he finally went to the hospital.

In the hospital, Liu Yimin, Xia Yan, Cao Yu, and others stood beside Mao Dun's hospital bed. When they first arrived, Wei Tao was helping with the final deletions and revisions to Mao Dun's memoirs.

"I've disturbed you all, Yimin. I've read Xu Chi's article. My fellow villager is becoming more and more skilled in reportage."

Mao Dun and Xu Chi lived more than 20 kilometers apart, and when they interacted, they always considered themselves fellow villagers.

In the hospital ward, Mao Dun was in a stable mood, as if he already sensed that his life was about to come to an end. He had Wei Tao write down his will on his behalf.

Mao Dun was telling everyone about his youth. When he got to the part about his trip to Japan, he paused for a moment and didn't continue with the details of his daily life.

In his memoirs, Mao Dun also avoided mentioning this part of the story.

"Yimin, you should practice your chess skills more. Who knows, we might need to play against you sometime!"

"I'll be waiting for you!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Even after leaving the hospital, Mao Dun was still concerned about the selection process for the Mao Dun Literature Prize, as the final list of nominees selected by the Writers' Association had not yet been finalized.

On their way back, Cao Yu and Xia Yan were not in a good mood. Among them, Mao Dun was the oldest, and looking at Mao Dun on the sickbed, neither of them felt good.

Xia Yan did not return to the Ministry of Culture, but instead went to the Writers Association to inquire about the progress of the selection process.

Cao Yu and Liu Yimin returned to the Beijing People's Art Theatre and continued to oversee rehearsals. That evening, Cao Yu took Liu Yimin to his apartment in Muxidi, wanting to read some of Liu Yimin's essays.

After dinner, the two sat in the study and chatted back and forth.

"Essays are written at a leisurely pace. Do you think essays should first gain the approval of the readers or the approval of the writer?" Cao Yu asked, holding the draft.

"Teacher, I think we should first gain the author's approval. Novels are different from essays. Essays are narrated in the first person by the writer, and to a certain extent, they have a self-admiring quality. We should first gain the author's approval, and then the approval of the readers."

Liu Yimin believes that whether readers like an essay is largely related to the author's own fame.

Even a fart from a famous writer gets analyzed – what kind of impact will that fart have on the literary world!
(End of this chapter)