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

Chapter 269 Rainbow After Storm, Resilient Rose

With tears in their eyes, the students sang the national anthem and spread the good news in various places.

On the evening of November 16, students from Yenching University gathered at the May Fourth Playground for a grand bonfire party.

Students sang and danced on the playground. The school sent a congratulatory telegram to the Chinese women's volleyball team and invited them to visit Yenching University for exchanges.

Surrounded by the bustling crowd, Liu Yimin's blood boiled with excitement, and he joined the students in chanting the slogan, "Unite and revitalize China!"

In the early days of reform and opening up, what was most needed was spirit. The victory of the women's volleyball team gave the Chinese people a spirit that went beyond just sports.

The women's volleyball team's victory, which was seen by the students as a national honor, greatly boosted their national confidence and increased national cohesion.

At the bonfire party, everyone suggested that Liu Yimin write a congratulatory letter on behalf of everyone to express the sentiments of Yenching University students and publish it in the newspaper.

Liu Yimin stood in the middle of the playground, under the expectant gazes of the surrounding students, and accepted this important task.

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted on the playground, and the students sang the national anthem once again.

The lively atmosphere on the May Fourth Square continued until late at night before the students began to disperse.

The next day, the People's Daily reported the news of the women's volleyball team's victory in full coverage and published a commentary entitled "The Spirit of the Women's Volleyball Team: Revitalizing China".

The jubilant people of Beijing gathered in Tiananmen Square from all directions to celebrate the victory.

Zhu Lin, holding Liu Yimin's hand, watched this scene from the side of the street and said with a smile, "Teacher Liu, I've been doing gymnastics since elementary school. If I had become an athlete, I don't know if I could have won an award!"

“You can bring glory to the country just as well as you can as a director!” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

After participating in the celebration for a while, the two returned to the Beijing People's Art Theatre. The actors and directors at the theatre were very excited, and Lan Tianye and Su Min were riding their bicycles to the front to join the celebration.

The Beijing People's Art Theatre is not far from Tiananmen Square, and on the road in front of the theatre, there were many people running towards the square.

"If you two are going, please don't ride bicycles, walk there!" Liu Yimin advised.

Lan Tianye laughed and said, "When we get nearby, we'll find a place to lock up our bikes. Don't worry, we're not stupid! This isn't the first time we've done something like this!"

"Hahaha! We participated in quite a few when we were young!" Su Min laughed and chimed in.

"You two should go quickly!"

There were no rehearsals at the Beijing People's Art Theatre today. After taking a walk around the theatre, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin returned to the courtyard house.

Liu Yimin hadn't been to the courtyard for a long time, and Sanhua felt quite unfamiliar with him.

"Come here, Sanhua!" Zhu Lin gently reached out, and Sanhua immediately jumped into Zhu Lin's arms.

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Alright, you two are closer!"

The two were cooking in the courtyard house, talking about recent events.

In the afternoon, Liu Yimin sat in his study and wrote the eight characters "Rainbow After Wind and Rain, Resilient Rose".

Liu Yimin began by writing a congratulatory letter on behalf of the students of Yenching University. In the letter, he first expressed his congratulations to the women's volleyball team for their victory.

Next, we discussed the history of the women's volleyball team, including its low points, until yesterday when it won its first World Cup title.

The excitement and celebration surrounding the women's volleyball team's victory led to discussions about its impact on the country and its people.

[Striving tenaciously in adversity, forging honors with sweat, and witnessing the rainbow after the storm, the Chinese rose blooms in Osaka.]

After finishing writing it, he showed it to Zhu Lin and then gave it directly to Yu Jiajia at the China Youth Daily.

Yu Jiajia was very happy after receiving it, because they were looking for related articles to publish. This article expressed the excitement of young people after the women's volleyball team's victory.

"Comrade Yimin, you've really helped me a lot!" Yu Jiajia excitedly shook hands with Liu Yimin and ran back to the editorial department.

In Shanghai, at the editorial department of "Harvest" magazine, Li Xiaolin was overjoyed when he saw the three words "Liu Yimin" on the envelope. He quickly opened the envelope and picked up the manuscript to read it.

When I saw the words "Triumphant at Midnight" on the manuscript, I immediately thought of Mr. Mao Dun's novel "Midnight," but only for a moment before I started reading.

There are quite a few articles about military life on the front lines, but most of them are written by writers within the military.

The army trained a large number of cultural and artistic workers, who were active on the front lines from the very beginning of the war, creating works to boost morale.

However, most of the writings consisted of reports and commentaries, making the heroic deeds of frontline soldiers public.

After reading more than five thousand words, Li Xiaolin realized that this was a completely different military literature work from his previous ones, and his desire to continue reading grew stronger.

The editing room was noisy, so she went to an empty room and focused on reading.

The captivating story, the soldiers' sacrifices, and the love and death on the battlefield all convinced Li Xiaolin that this was a masterpiece.

After finishing reading it, Li Xiaolin let out a breath and looked out the window at the pedestrians. She felt very uneasy and conflicted. On one hand, she thought it was a good work, but on the other hand, she was unsure whether the content was suitable for publication.

In a dilemma, Li Xiaolin consulted the deputy editor-in-chief, who was also unsure about the subject. So Li Xiaolin then approached the editor-in-chief, Ba Jin.

"Can't make up your mind again?" Ba Jin smiled at his daughter Li Xiaolin and took the manuscript from her.

"This is a novel by Yimin, which is about the events on the front lines."

"Oh? What's wrong? Did you go a bit too far?"

"Well, how should I put it? You see, it's different from previous military-themed novels. I personally think it's a good novel, very moving. But I'm afraid that if it's published, it will have a bad impact."

Li Xiaolin left Ba Jin's office first, and it wasn't until several hours later, after Ba Jin had finished reading, that he called Li Xiaolin back in.

"Xiaolin, what are your concerns?" Ba Jin asked.

“I’m afraid some people will say I’m smearing the military!” Li Xiaolin thought for a moment and said cautiously.

"Has it been smeared?"

"In my opinion, no, but others may not see it that way!"

"I think your concerns are unnecessary. It's a very good novel, a groundbreaking work. The writing boldly touches on some taboo areas, but it's not slander; it's reality, a multi-faceted and in-depth description."

Heroes, too, are born of mothers and fathers; they are flesh and blood, with wives and children to feed. The soldiers' lives, the tension before war, and the playfulness and conflicts during lulls in the fighting all show that they were human beings with flesh and blood. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things—that's what makes a great hero!

Ba Jin added, "At last year's Ministry of Culture meeting, it was said that we should dare to confront the darkness; this is not a place that cannot be written about. If it can be written about, then it can be written about every place!"

Li Xiaolin smiled and nodded: "Then let's publish it. Also, to prevent anyone from taking things out of context, shouldn't we make some preparations?"

“Well, you guys prepare a few reviews!” Ba Jin said.

Li Xiaolin left Ba Jin's office happily with the manuscript in her hand. As an editor, she not only had to know how to appreciate good novels, but also had to maintain political sensitivity at all times.

Li Xiaolin handed Liu Yimin's manuscript to the other editors for review, and then began writing a handwritten letter to Liu Yimin, in which he also thanked him.

After writing the letter, I transferred 1,000 yuan of royalties to him in Yanjing through the finance department.

Liu Yimin finally received Yu Hua's second letter. Seeing the name and address on it, Liu Yimin guessed that it was from that scribbled little dog.

Thinking that Yu Hua had written a letter to express his respect, Liu Yimin tore open the letter and was immediately puzzled.

When did I see Yu Hua's manuscript? I scratched my head for a long time, but I couldn't remember ever seeing it.

Seeing the pitiful look in Yu Hua's letter, Liu Yimin began searching through the study.

Since Yu Hua's second letter was sent to Yenching University, the first letter must have also been sent to Yenching University.

All the mail received at the mailroom over the past month or so has been placed at the Overseas Chinese Apartment. Liu Yimin searched for a long time and finally found a letter that appeared to be from Yu Hua among dozens of letters.

Upon tearing it open, it really was!
Yenching University's mailroom receives many letters each time, some from readers and others from families.

The reason Yu Hua's letter was treated as a regular letter was because Yu Hua did not write his real name on the envelope, but instead wrote "Admiring you, Yu".

Good grief, he thought it was some die-hard fan!
However, after opening the letter and reading Yu Hua's letter, I immediately got goosebumps all over. It was quite fanatical!
However, given Yu Hua's "fervor," Liu Yimin opened his manuscript. It was a short story, and the language was rather crude.

The rough and unpolished style reveals a lack of skill, which is typical of a novice writer.

After reading it, Liu Yimin wrote a reply to Yu Hua.

Comrade Yu Hua:
Your letter went through several hands before I finally received it today. Reading your words has given me much to think about. Your writing has the potential to make you a well-known writer, but not now.

I hope you practice more and strive to publish your work soon. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by letter. Please indicate "Yu Hua" on the envelope.

The subtle way of saying "the less skilled you are, the more practice you need" is Yu Hua's first published work, "The First Dormitory," which tells the story of a group of young people from different regions who come together in a dormitory.

This is the story of how this group of young people experienced the confusion of youth, the sweetness of love, and the tests of friendship and humanity.

First published in Haiyan Literature in 1982, and then in West Lake in 83, this marked Yu Hua's first appearance in the literary world.

His subsequent novels and essays were published in small publications. However, some of them achieved some success, and he later fulfilled his dream of working at the local cultural center.

It wasn't until 1987, when he went to the Lu Xun Academy of Literature (now the Writers Association's Literature Institute) to study, that he published a piece titled "Leaving Home at Eighteen," which made him a rising star in the literary world.

Subsequently, Yu Hua published several works, becoming a famous "avant-garde" writer. His extreme depiction of "violence" shocked the entire literary world.

In his letter, Liu Yimin gave Yu Hua some specific advice on his novel, noting that the violent language style was already evident.

It is said that Yu Hua's violent language style was deeply influenced by the "big-character posters".

After writing it, I dropped it directly into the mailbox downstairs.

Liu Yimin's article "Rainbow After Storms, Resilient Roses," published in the China Youth Daily, has been widely circulated among Yenching University students and young people, and the women's volleyball team's spirit of daring to fight and strive has inspired everyone.

Amidst a deluge of articles and congratulatory messages, Liu Yimin's article went largely unnoticed, except among young people.

In early December, the women's volleyball team sent an invitation letter to Liu Yimin, inviting him to visit the Yanjing Gymnasium.

Liu Yimin was quite surprised by the women's volleyball team's invitation letter, but three days later, he still arrived at the Yanjing Gymnasium on time.

Besides Liu Yimin, there were also many people from the arts and culture circles in the stadium, such as Zhang Nuanxin, the director of "Seagull," who made the first film about the women's volleyball team.

The film "Seagull," produced by the Youth Film Studio under the Beijing Film Academy, was released this year and received praise from the Ministry of Culture.

It tells the story of the great spirit of female volleyball player Shaou, who, despite suffering from injuries, hardships, and the loss of her loved one, still managed to regain her spirit and dedicate herself to the cause of volleyball.

Despite suffering from numerous injuries, Shaou returned to the competition with the support of her fiancé, Shen Dawei, but lost to the Japanese team and only won a silver medal.

Back in Yanjing, Shaou and Shen got married. Shen was a member of the national mountaineering team, and Shaou was overjoyed to hear that the team had summited Mount Everest. However, not long after, the State Sports Commission came to tell her that Shen had died in an avalanche on his way back to base.

After experiencing the pain of losing her husband, Shaou stood up again and returned to the women's volleyball team to become a coach.

Zhang Nuanxin was wearing a gray-blue cotton coat and a red scarf. She had short hair, was forty-one years old, and had very bright eyes.

Upon seeing Liu Yimin, he took the initiative to come over and greet him, smiling and saying that he was looking forward to the filming of the movie "Red River Valley".

"How do you know?"

“Hi, I used to work at the Shanghai Film Studio and was even an assistant to Director Xie Jin. I know a lot about things at the Shanghai Film Studio, and I hope we have the opportunity to work together,” Zhang Nuanxin said generously.

Speaking of which, Zhang Nuanxin and Liu Yimin's classmate Zhang Manling will have some interaction in the future.

Zhang Manling's upcoming novella, "There Is a Beautiful Place," was later adapted into the film "Youth Sacrifice" by Zhang Nuanxin.

Liu Yimin and Zhang Nuanxin walked towards the stadium, where there were still many reporters.

"Coach Zhang, what's the main reason the women's volleyball team invited us here today?"

"They're thanking us, of course. We promoted the women's volleyball team, and they're going to hold a celebration when they go back to China, so naturally we got included," Zhang Nuanxin said with a smile.

The women's volleyball team was wearing thick clothes, a very classic style, with the word "China" written on them.

They sat to the side, their expressions constantly smiling. Zhang Nuanxin knew quite a few of them; they had interacted frequently during the filming of the movie.

Pointing to a tall girl with short hair in the middle, he said, "Look, that's Lang Ping, the 'Heavy Hammer'!"

(End of this chapter)