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

Chapter 241 Mao Dun's Death
After Liang Xiaosheng left Zhu Dexiong's office, Wang Yang quickly arrived.

Zhu Lin wouldn't believe it if you said Liang Xiaosheng didn't go to work for the second newspaper.

In fact, after Liang Xiaosheng left Zhu Dexiong's office, he immediately ran to Wang Yang's office and told Wang Yang that Zhu Lin, an actor from "Romance on Lushan Mountain," had arrived.

Liang Xiaosheng, who usually speaks in a calm and unhurried voice, said in a thick Northeastern accent, "Factory Manager Wang, guess who's here? Comrade Liu Yimin brought Zhou Yun. That girl is really beautiful, even more beautiful than Liu Xiaoqing from our factory. Those big eyes are so bright!"

Wang Yang walked into the office with a smile, looked Zhu Lin up and down, and thought she was indeed very beautiful and suitable to be recruited to the Beijing Film Studio.

"Yimin, Wang Yan did a pretty good job directing 'Mr. Donkey.' Old Zhu and I both watched it. We think this art film will be very appealing to audiences. In a little while, I'll have Old Zhu take you in to see it."

Is this Comrade Zhu Lin? How is his work at the Beijing People's Art Theatre?

As Wang Yang spoke, his gaze fell on Zhu Lin. Zhu Dexiong smiled knowingly, knowing that Wang Yang was preparing to poach someone again.

"Director Wang is doing very well at the Beijing People's Art Theatre!" Zhu Lin said with a smile.

Liu Yimin watched this scene with a smile. If Wang Yang wanted to poach Zhu Lin, he was really wasting his time.

Actors from the Beijing People's Art Theatre always have an air of arrogance. Even without Liu Yimin, they wouldn't easily come to the film studio, though they might be willing to temporarily film a movie.

"Plays are ultimately different from movies. Movies are seen by a large audience, but plays only have a small audience. Comrade Zhu Lin, I think if you came to the film studio, you would definitely have a vast world to explore and a great opportunity to make a difference."

Our film studio is paying close attention to the Hundred Flowers Awards selection. We think you're a shoo-in for this one. What do you say? How about considering coming to our Beijing Film Studio? Don't worry about the Beijing People's Art Theatre disagreeing; we'll give them a transfer fee!

Wang Yang is a professional at poaching talent from various film studios; as long as he wields his hoe well, there's no corner he can't dig up.

We won't release them, but we'll give you enough money!
Faced with his earnest words of advice, Zhu Lin slowly shook his head without the slightest hesitation.

"Aren't you going to reconsider?"

"Factory Manager Wang, thank you, but I won't consider it!"

"why?"

Zhu Lin quietly moved closer to Liu Yimin and looked at him with a smile.

Wang Yang and Zhu Dexiong exchanged a glance and understood the relationship between the two. Wang Yang said, unwilling to give up, "Comrade Yimin can also come to our Beijing Film Studio and be our regular screenwriter."

However, when Wang Yang said those words, he already felt it was impossible.

What makes Liu Yimin qualified to work at the Beijing Film Studio? He's a disciple of Cao Yu from the Beijing People's Art Theatre. With that title, he could practically do whatever he wanted in the theater world.

Besides, he's very capable; employers will be vying for him in the future…

"Yimin, you're so lucky!" Zhu Dexiong winked at Liu Yimin and teased him.

Seeing that there was no hope, Wang Yang stopped trying to win them over. He checked the time and said with a smile, "Old Zhu, you go have lunch with Comrade Liu Yimin and Comrade Zhu Lin!"

The three arrived at the canteen of the Beijing Film Studio, where many actors and employees of the studio were already eating.

Zhu Dexiong introduced Zhu Lin, saying, "Our Beijing Film Studio has many actors and produces many films, undertaking a large number of filming tasks every year. Many of our colleagues admire you greatly and think your acting skills are excellent!"

The two had given up hope, but that didn't stop them from trying to win Zhu Lin's favor.

In the cafeteria, many actors focused their attention on Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin, secretly wondering about their backgrounds.

Someone else recognized him and whispered, "The handsome man is Liu Yimin. His award-winning photo was just published in the newspaper. The one next to him looks like Zhou Yun from 'Romance on Lushan Mountain,' but I'm not sure. The clothes are different. He looks more fashionable in the movie!"

Upon hearing "Zhou Yun," some actresses felt a sense of crisis, wondering if someone else was trying to steal their roles.
Hearing the surrounding chatter, Zhu Lin looked at Liu Yimin, who gave Zhu Lin a faint smile.

The three of them sat down to eat, and Liang Xiaosheng also sat down in the middle.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Director Zhu, the food at your Beijing Film Studio is pretty good!"

"You like it? Then come often. It's close to Peking University, so just treat this place as your canteen!" Zhu Dexiong said with a smile.

Knowing it was just a polite remark, Liu Yimin waved his hand and said, "Alright, I appreciate what you say, but it's a pity I don't have that kind of luck!"

The screening room at the Beijing Film Studio was small. After a few people sat down, the projectionist began the film screening...

On the desolate grassland, a few unidentified birds flew by.

A winding dirt road leads to a primary school with only a few brick and mud classrooms. A donkey cart slowly approaches from a distance, carrying a young girl. The bells around the donkey's neck jingle, and dust flies up behind the cart.

"How was it? Yimin, the opening shot was pretty good, wasn't it? Wang Yan's use of that shot was excellent!" Zhu Dexiong said in a low voice.

"It's very good, and it echoes the ending where Jiajia is riding a donkey cart towards the northwest!"

"you're right!"

The group watched again, and Zhu Lin looked at the actress who was playing the same role as her and carefully observed her performance.

Guan Zongxiang's portrayal of Pei Kuishan at this moment shows no trace of weakness.

The transitions and camera work throughout the film are excellent, and some shots are particularly well-executed. Wang Yan has transformed what was originally a feature film into almost an art film.

The shots embody classical Chinese aesthetics. Regardless of the actors' performances, these few shots alone are enough to be talked about for generations to come.

Liang Xiaosheng, who was standing next to him, said, "Many directors criticized Director Wang after watching the film. He made it so well and saved so much money, making it impossible for them to work!"

It took Zhu Lin a long time to recover after watching it.

Zhu Dexiong asked Zhu Lin what he thought, and Zhu Lin sighed, "The stage set was very well done, but it can't compare to the real scene. The visuals of the movie are much stronger than those of the stage play!"
However, our actors at the Beijing People's Art Theatre can make up for this disadvantage through their performances.

"The actors at Beijing People's Art Theatre are all top-notch; they can convincingly portray any role. If your entire cast from Beijing People's Art Theatre were to make this film, I believe the result would be even better!" Zhu Dexiong praised.

Liu Yimin was relieved and mentally gave Wang Yan a thumbs up: "Comrade Wang Yan took great photos!"

"Comrade Wang Yan has written several times, showing great interest in this film. I believe he will be very pleased to hear your evaluation!" Zhu Dexiong said, patting Liu Yimin on the back.

"Old Wang must be very busy in Sichuan Province!"

"We're so busy. We and the August First Film Studio are racing against each other to meet the deadlines. Because of this, the two production teams, which are not far apart, have become completely estranged."

"Sigh, I hope that after this movie, we can restore our original brotherly relationship with the August First Film Studio!" Zhu Dexiong told Liu Yimin that the film's prints were being prepared for sale by China Film Group, and it should be released by the end of April.

Liu Yimin was very curious. These kinds of art-house films are always critically acclaimed but not commercially successful in later generations. Would they have been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful in the 80s?

When Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin came out of the Beijing Film Studio, it was already around nine o'clock, and the night wind was still quite cold.

Zhu Lin kept thinking about the movie and the stage play version of "Mr. Donkey" and comparing them: "Teacher Liu, who do you think performed better, me or the actors from the Beijing Film Studio!"

"It must be you!"

"I knew you'd say that! Teacher Liu is only saying that because she's close to me!"

"Haha, you really acted well. Although movies and plays use the same script, they are two different performance styles, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. When people go to see a play, they see the actors performing on stage with their own eyes, which makes them feel closer to the actors emotionally. But when people watch a movie, there's still a sheet separating them from the actors!"
"I say you're amazing because actors can stop filming if they're not doing well, but you can't do that in a stage play!"

"What Teacher Liu said is both right and wrong. There are many rehearsals for stage plays, but there are no rehearsals for movies, so there are more mistakes when filming."

"You put it perfectly well!"

Because of the film project, he delayed submitting the essay to Cui Daoyi for a day. He first went to the People's Literature Publishing House and gave them the preface he had written for Xu Chi.

When Li Shu saw Liu Yimin, he warmly pulled him aside and tried to secure another publishing opportunity.

Liu Yimin held Li Shu's hand and told him affectionately that he would never forget him, which made Comrade Li Shu so happy that he almost jumped for joy.

In the editorial office of People's Literature, Cui Daoyi was admiring Liu Yimin's essay with a look of utter delight. Liu Yimin, seeing his expression, joked, "Senior brother, is that expression an occupational hazard of yours?"

Xu Yi, standing nearby, said to Liu Yimin, "Yimin, this isn't an occupational hazard; it's an editor's occupational hazard!"

Xu Yi, with a dark expression and furrowed brows, said, "Let's revise it again!"

"Old Cui thinks your essays are well-written and a pleasure to read!" an editor nearby said.

Liu Yimin felt that Cui Daoyi's expression was an invisible encouragement to the author, with a psychological PUA effect.

Cui Daoyi took down the manuscript and said to Liu Yimin, "You guessed right, my tactic is called appeasement! But you really wrote well. Sigh, I also want to ride a horse across the grassland and enjoy the feeling of being told a story in a gentle and detailed way. You can get absorbed in it without even realizing it."

"With the uniqueness of the stories from my travels in Tibet, and the mutual support of Comrade Xu Chi's reportage works, the novels 'Red River Valley' and 'Mountains High and Rivers Long,' I believe this essay will have a large readership."

Xu Yi interjected.

However, Cui Daoyi raised a few points and exchanged opinions with Liu Yimin, who then revised the writing logic of one paragraph.

"Zhuoma reminds me of the dance 'Grassland Women Militia' performed by the PLA Academy of Arts. It makes me want to see it again. I'll ask a friend to get me a ticket to the PLA Academy of Arts sometime and go see it."

The other editors all asked Cui Daoyi to help them get some tickets, but Cui Daoyi quickly refused, saying that he wasn't sure he could get them himself.

"Has Lu Yao's 'Life' not been published yet?" Liu Yimin asked.

Cui Daoyi said with a smile, "It will be published next month. The payment for the manuscript was already given to him when he left for the New Year. You left early this year. As soon as you left Yanjing, he couldn't stay in Yanjing anymore. He finished revising it and left."

I've been thinking about topics again lately, and I've written to him several times to discuss it, but unfortunately, it hasn't worked out!

"I think this 'Life' is well-written. Senior brother, did you raise the royalty rate for it?"

Cui Daoyi said, "Of course, I'm never stingy with royalties. Even for newcomers, as long as the manuscript is good, the royalties are high. You are the best example. Lu Yao's royalties were paid at the highest standard of 10 yuan per thousand words, for a total of 130,000 words. In addition, he also received a subsidy of several tens of yuan, which is already a very high income."

But I think Lu Yao is the type who can't keep a meal in his kennel; he spends money like water. When he left, he even asked me where he could buy coffee. Coffee? That stuff, just the smell of it makes me think it's expensive!

"That's why I only drink what others give me!"

"You, hahaha."

Even if Lu Yao asked about coffee, he couldn't buy it because he didn't have a ticket! While in the courtyard, Lu Yao didn't show that he liked coffee that much.

As the weather gradually warmed up, the smell of coal in the editing room began to dissipate, and Liu Yimin was happy to stay there a little longer.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Guangnian suddenly rushed out of his office. Seeing Liu Yimin there, he said to Liu Yimin with a serious expression, "We have news from the hospital that Mr. Mao Dun is critically ill and his condition is very bad!"

Everyone in the editorial department stood up upon hearing this, but Zhang Guangnian waved his hand at them and said, "Sit down and get back to work!"

Then he said to Liu Yimin, "Yimin, come with me to the hospital!"

"it is good!"

On the way, Zhang Guangnian asked, "Yimin, when was the last time you went to the hospital?"

"I went there the day before yesterday morning. I was in okay condition then, but sometimes I couldn't recognize people," Liu Yimin said.

After the award ceremony, Liu Yimin went several times. Every time they met, Wei Tao would openly express his concerns to Liu Yimin.

"My father hadn't finished writing his memoirs, and I could tell he was very unwilling to give up. On the 18th of last month, while he was running a fever and working on his memoirs, after I finished writing, he suddenly said to me, 'I'm not writing anymore, I need to rest. I'm going to the hospital tomorrow.'"

We both had a feeling that we wouldn't be leaving the hospital this time!

When Liu Yimin and Zhang Guangnian arrived at the hospital, some other people had already arrived. Someone was crying softly outside ward 119.

Several doctors outside were discussing emergency plans. One doctor kept saying that the blood pressure was dropping and that no amount of medication could raise it.

Wei Tao and his wife wiped away their tears, while people around them kept telling the doctor that they must do everything possible to save him.

Cao Yu then arrived, took Liu Yimin's hand, and said, "Sigh, Old Shen thanked me for visiting him a while ago!"

After 10 p.m., the situation became increasingly serious, and the sound of doctors walking in the corridor was almost constant.

At 5:50 a.m. on March 27, the hospital officially announced Mao Dun's death. A little over an hour later, Zhou Yang arrived by car.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Zhou Yang announced Mao Dun's death at a meeting of literary and art workers held by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and read a will on the spot.

[If I were posthumously recognized as an honorary GCDD member, it would be the greatest honor of my life!]

Four days later, the organization decided to reinstate Comrade Shen Yanbing's D nationality.

(End of this chapter)