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

Chapter 267 Special Project of the Ministry of Culture

In early November, the rehearsal of "Button" was officially finalized. On that day, Lan Tianye invited several directors to come and see the rehearsal results. In addition to Ouyang Shanzun and Su Min, director Xia Chun and several screenwriters were also present.

Several screenwriters came to find inspiration. They wanted to watch the play "The Button" and think about whether there were similar or related reform themes they could write about.

One of the young screenwriters, who was in his forties, greeted Liu Yimin. Liu Yimin didn't interact much with the editorial staff at the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

However, the editorial staff were very familiar with Liu Yimin.

After exchanging greetings, the group sat down and began watching.

At Zhu Lin's tense starting command, the actors, fully made up, took to the stage and officially began the performance.

Zhu Lin put a lot of effort into the set design, striving to present the real scenery of the alleys in Jiangnan.

On the bluestone streets of Jiangnan, people dressed in blue-gray clothes walked back and forth, and a girl in blue clothes slowly appeared carrying a basket.

The directors and screenwriters acted as judges, while Zhu Lin and the crew were the candidates being tested.

Liu Yimin quietly grasped Zhu Lin's hand, his small palms sweating nervously.

If the first play goes well, I'll be able to get more directing opportunities later. If I mess it up, who knows when I'll be able to be an assistant director again.

The Beijing People's Art Theatre is not so harsh on new directors, not incurring any cost of trial and error, but it is also not so lenient, not caring if the rehearsal is a failure.

After watching the performance, Ouyang Shanzun remained silent and turned his gaze to director Xia Chun. Xia Chun glanced at Zhu Lin and Lan Tianye, then smiled and said, "The performance was quite good. The actors' emotional outbursts and the overall story direction were handled exceptionally well! For a new director, it's already quite impressive."

Of course, it's not without its flaws, but those flaws don't detract from its overall excellence!

After hearing Xia Chun's evaluation, Zhu Lin slowly exhaled and tightly gripped Liu Yimin's hand to express her excitement.

The other directors also said a few words and gave some pointers on the actors' movements.

Lan Tianye smiled and stood up, saying, "Then 'The Button' will be finalized today, and we'll rehearse accordingly from now on!"

When the actors arrived on stage and heard Lan Tianye's words, both the actors and Zhu Lin applauded happily.

Xia Chun smiled and looked at Liu Yimin: "Yimin, congratulations on becoming an associate professor at Yenching University. It's a pity you didn't join Beijing People's Art Theatre. Write more scripts, and let me show off my skills sometime."

Lan Tianye was startled. Why had his eyelids been twitching all day? Xia Chun's words hit him right on the nerves.

He thought to himself that he shouldn't have invited Xia Chun today, because now he has another competitor.

Ouyang Shanzun and Su Min felt the same way.

Liu Yimin chuckled to himself, thinking that if he really joined the Beijing People's Art Theatre, he might accidentally become its director. This wasn't a joke; it was a real possibility.

Liu Jinyun, the next director of Beijing People's Art Theatre, is still working in the propaganda department of Yanjing City. He just finished writing his first novel, "The Foolish Old Man Wang," and will not be transferred to Beijing People's Art Theatre by Yu Shizhi until next year.

I'll try my best!

"We can't just work hard; we have to go all out and move quickly!" Xia Chun said with a smile as he left the rehearsal room.

"Look at what you've done, Lan Tianye! You've let a wolf into the house!" Su Min said.

"You two, let's go!" Ouyang Shanzun waved his hand, and Lan Tianye and Su Min followed.

After the actors retreated backstage and the directors and screenwriters left, tears welled up in Zhu Lin's eyes without her noticing.

Liu Yimin gently wiped his face and teased, "Director Zhu Lin, who is usually so serious, should at least be able to keep his emotions in check. Why is he crying?"

Enraged, Zhu Lin punched Liu Yimin in the chest with her fist, then buried her face in his chest and sobbed softly.

Liu Yimin patted Zhu Lin on the shoulder and whispered, "Quickly wipe away your tears, don't let anyone see that Director Zhu Lin is still crying!"

"Assistant director!" Zhu Lin cried and laughed at the same time, "Whoever wants to watch it can watch it!"

The door to the rehearsal room was pushed open a crack, and just as someone was about to go in, they saw this and quickly closed the door.

"It suddenly occurred to me, wouldn't it be better to chat in the hallway!"

After waiting for a long time, Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin came out of the rehearsal room. Zhu Lin lowered his eyes, greeted everyone, and then left.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she casually pulled her collar up a little.

Liu Yimin went to Cao Yu's office. Cao Yu asked about "The Button" and put it down when he heard Liu Yimin say that it had been finalized.

"How come reporters know about your lectures at Yenching University?" Cao Yu asked.

"I don't know. It was probably just a simple record made by someone from the Yenching University student newspaper. I don't know how the reporter from Guangming Daily found out and published it!" Liu Yimin said helplessly.

Li Yuru had mentioned the content of the lecture to Cao Yu when she returned home, but since Li Yuru was not a literature major, she only talked about a limited amount of things.

He only told Cao Yu about how crowded and lively it was, how the applause was deafening, and even quoted lines from a play.

However, this report made it very clear, even quoting many of Liu Yimin's words at the scene!
"This report is relatively neutral, but there has been a lot of discussion surrounding it. Many people think you are talking nonsense, and there is a lot of debate both inside and outside literary circles!"

"I think I phrased it quite tactfully!"

Cao Yu was so angry he laughed, and slammed his hand on the table, saying, "You almost said that the future of the arts and literature world will produce traitors!"

"Time is the sole criterion for testing truth!" Liu Yimin said.

"You're quite assertive!" Cao Yu said.

"Teacher, you know how many people were Westernized before liberation, and of course, some were good and some were bad. I'm just offering my own perspective."

"Alright, that's enough. The higher-ups saw this report and are very interested. They want you to do a research project through the Ministry of Culture on the impact of cultural exchanges between China and the West on our country."

This matter is being handled directly through the Ministry of Culture, bypassing Yenching University, so please keep it confidential!

Looking at Liu Yimin's innocent eyes, Cao Yu smiled and said that he was just joking with Liu Yimin.

"The research funding isn't much, only two thousand yuan in total."

"Teacher, when did you learn this trick? I'm easily scared, don't frighten me!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Haha, this is for you to watch your words from now on!" Cao Yu handed a letter to Liu Yimin: "This project is a special project of the Ministry of Culture. The funding is not much, but you know what the Ministry means by this!"

This funding is actually equivalent to Liu Yimin's royalties!

Most research projects are conducted by specialized research teams, and it's definitely not possible to get them done with just two thousand yuan!

Furthermore, the use and approval of this funding are subject to strict restrictions, and many experts and professors in later generations have been imprisoned because of issues related to research funding.

The purpose of having Liu Yimin write this was to have him systematically organize the content he had presented and submit it to the higher-ups.

Cao Yu asked, "When will you be able to finish?"

"I plan to write it in more detail!"

"That's because I write slowly!" Cao Yu bluntly stated!

Liu Yimin chuckled; that was exactly what he meant.

Cultural invasion has always been a research topic, and by the time we realize it, the invasion has already become quite severe.

For example, the West used capital and film and television to stigmatize the word "comrade," and similar terms like "Miss" and "March 8th Sister" were also used. Later, the word "comrade" was rarely used in domestic films and television dramas, even military films and television dramas.

Liu Yimin took on this task from the Ministry of Culture. As for the two thousand yuan in funding, Liu Yimin estimated that he had already finished writing it by the time the approval came through.

Liu Yimin fiercely retaliated against the chaotic voices in the newspaper. Some of those whom Liu Yimin had retaliated against looked at their miserable state.

[Xie Baoqing, Xie Baoqing, why did you provoke Liu Yimin?!]

In a corner of the old Tianqiao area of ​​Yanjing, the August First Film Studio is filming "Wolf Smoke Over Beiping". The series began in late summer and early autumn, when the weather was perfect for filming, and the actors didn't feel hot even though they were wearing thick clothes.

Finding a location is easy; there's no need to build one. Once you find one, do a little tidying up, and you're ready to shoot.

Li Jun and Wei Lian were explaining the scene to the actors when Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin rode by on their bicycles.

As the crew waved from afar, the bicycle stopped to the side.

When the TV series was being filmed, the surrounding area wasn't fenced off, and many residents of Yanjing were watching with great interest, as if they were watching a variety show.

Even children were perched on the eaves of nearby houses, whistling occasionally in their direction, or laughing heartily at the actors' performance.

"Yimin, you're here!" Li Jun looked at Zhu Lin, scrutinized him carefully for a few moments, and pointed at Zhu Lin, saying loudly, "Zhou Yun!"

"Director Li, this is Comrade Zhu Lin!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Li Jun said with a smile, "If I hadn't seen her in person, I wouldn't have known that Comrade Zhou Yun is actually even more beautiful than in the movie, and I also wouldn't have known that Comrade Zhou Yun has started directing!"

"Director Li, I'm here today to learn from you. Our Beijing People's Art Theatre is staging a play called 'The Button,' and we hope you can come and take a look and offer some guidance!" Zhu Lin spoke with both generosity and humility.

"Was this arranged by Comrade Zhu Lin?"

"I'm the assistant director!"

Wei Lian, standing nearby, glanced at Zhu Lin, feeling incredibly envious. "I've been working my way up to assistant director for so long, and this girl is already one."

"Director Li, we're here to watch!" Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, Comrade Yimin, if you feel there's anything inappropriate, please let me know!"

After Li Jun finished speaking, he gave Wei Lian a wink and they began filming.

Zhu Lin watched with great interest, while Liu Yimin enjoyed the plot from the side, and the other crew members maintained order.

At noon, a group of people squatted in a courtyard and ate their meals.

Li Jun asked Liu Yimin how he felt, and Liu Yimin smiled and praised him.

The person next to him said to Feng Enhe, who was squatting down eating, "Look at that, a cultured person is a cultured person, even praising someone requires using poetry!"

"Yes, these lines of poetry are quite romantic!" Feng Enhe said with a smile, taking a big gulp of rice.

After saying that, he lowered his head and started eating again.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin spent the day on set on Sunday. On the way back, Zhu Lin patted his aching back and said, "It reminds me of the days when we were filming movies. Filming on location was so tiring!"

"Teacher Liu, what are you humming?"

"I remember you used to never feel tired. You would drag me up the mountain, panting and groaning. Saying you were flying would be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was like walking on flat ground!"

"Haha, wasn't that why you were so competitive back then!"

"Should we stop forcing it now?" Liu Yimin laughed.

Zhu Lin laughed and said, "No, thank you!"

The two hadn't eaten enough at the film set that evening, so they found another place to eat. This time, they didn't go to a state-run restaurant, but instead went to a privately owned restaurant in Yanjing.

The restaurant was run by a couple, and it was the first privately owned restaurant in Yanjing. Upon seeing Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin, the couple warmly invited them inside.

"Comrades, why aren't you off work this late?"

"Hey, it's our own business, there's no such thing as leaving get off work early. Leaving early would just be pushing our business away! What would you two like to eat?"

"Spicy duck, eight-treasure duck!"

"Alright, you two wait here!"

"The premiere date for 'The Button' has been set for December 12th!" Zhu Lin said with a smile.

"Director Zhu Lin, remember to give me a ticket!"

Zhu Lin curled her lip: "Even if there's no one in the audience, Teacher Liu, you still get it!"

"Don't worry, it will definitely be packed with people!" Liu Yimin said.

During the meal, Zhu Lin asked Liu Yimin again about how his novel was progressing.

"It's almost finished writing. Come over tomorrow and I'll show it to you!" Liu Yimin said to Zhu Lin.

"it is good!"

The next day, after Zhu Lin finished rehearsing, he rode his bicycle into the courtyard.

Liu Yimin was sweeping fallen leaves in the yard, while Zhu Lin was sitting in the study reading a novel.

Zhu Lin spent his entire lunch break reading the last 30,000 words.

"The cruelty of war and the heroism of heroes are intertwined with tender feelings, love and death, and the story of Lan Yong. Have you seen it?" Zhu Lin asked Liu Yimin outside.

"He hasn't even looked at it yet, so I have to let you take a look first!" Liu Yimin joked.

"Teacher Liu, you're all talk and no action!"

"Ha! You heartless bastard!" Liu Yimin laughed and cursed.

This 100,000-word novel is "Triumph at Midnight," one of the most classic TV series of the 1980s.

Zhu Lin won numerous awards in China for his role in "Triumph at Midnight," which also made him famous throughout the country.

The play of the same name won numerous awards at the All-Army Arts Festival.

"I think you should give it to Lan Yong to check. He knows the battlefield better than we do!" Zhu Lin suggested with a smile.

"Okay, I'll go to school this afternoon. If I don't show the novel to Lan Yong before submitting it, he'll definitely tear it to shreds when he finds out!"

Liu Yimin brought the meal into the study. Zhu Lin checked the time, exclaimed "Oh no!", hurriedly ate a few bites, and ran towards the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

He was also saying things like, "I'm doomed, I'm going to be late."

"Slow down, don't fall on the road!"

P.S.: Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Two updates today, taking a break.

(End of this chapter)