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

Chapter 287 Congratulations, you've been accepted!

After lunch, Liu Yimin and Cui Daoyi returned to the guesthouse to rest. On the way, they ran into Zhou Yanru and Zhang Shouren from "October". Cui Daoyi looked at the two of them as if they were thieves.

Zhang Shouren joked, "Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws. Old Cui, you'd better be careful. If you're not careful, Yimin might end up in 'October' or 'Yanjing Literature'!"

"Hmph, Old Zhang, just you wait!"

Cui Daoyi pulled Liu Yimin back to the room, and the two of them stayed together.

Zhou Yanru and Zhang Shouren exchanged a glance. Zhang Shouren's eyes were filled with helplessness. He had known the brigade for quite a while, but he had never received a single manuscript.

"Old Zhou, you really have a way with things. You managed to get it once, and the novel 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' sold quite well back then!"

"Hey, don't worry, there will be more in the future!"

Zhou Yanru said with a smile, which made Zhang Shouren quite angry. He turned around and went back to his room.

After resting at the military guesthouse at noon, Liu Yimin and Cui Daoyi washed their faces and prepared to go to the meeting venue.

Cui Daoyi casually asked, "The postgraduate entrance exam interviews are about to begin, right?"

“It will be ready in a couple of days!” Liu Yimin replied.

"That's good. After the interview, you'll be a full-fledged graduate student."

"Senior, if you want to take the exam, it's not too late, and it won't affect your work!"

"Forget it, I won't compete with the young people for opportunities. Young people need this kind of education more!" Cui Daoyi shook his head with a smile, then asked, "How's your speech for this afternoon coming along?"

"Preparations are almost complete, but there's no need for overly elaborate preparations!" Liu Yimin said.

Cui Daoyi nodded, and the two of them walked into the conference room together. There were already quite a few people sitting inside.

Wei Wei had Liu Yimin sit on the stage, and after a short opening speech, he had Liu Yimin begin his lecture.

"Don't underestimate Comrade Liu Yimin just because he's young. For those of you who don't know him, let me warn you: don't look down on Comrade Liu Yimin."

Comrade Liu Yimin is now a teacher at Yenching University. Last year, when he was lecturing, I heard the students almost pushed down the classroom wall. So, comrades, everyone, prick up your ears and listen carefully!

After Wei Wei finished speaking, a murmur of discussion arose on the stage. As the buzzing grew louder, Wei Wei tapped the table, and the audience quieted down.

Wei Wei moved the microphone in front of Liu Yimin, patted it, and said with a smile, "Hello comrades, everyone is very sleepy this afternoon, so I will try to make my talk more interesting."

Liu Yimin first talked about a few things to cheer everyone up.

"The so-called problem of writing is actually a problem of thought. Everyone should change their writing mindset. As for the military, the writers in the military certainly understand it better than I do. I heard that in 79, a large number of military literary and artistic workers went to the front lines to record things. You are the ones who have first-hand information."

I only saw secondhand information, which came from the diary of my brother, with whom I grew up playing in the mud. He was a soldier, a brave soldier, who was discharged due to injury.

We've been together since we were little. We know each other's personalities, and we know the anguish and confusion he felt after being wounded. Our soldiers are lovely. They come from all over the country, speak different dialects, and have different personalities. They are a group of people with flesh and blood.

Therefore, we must portray the brutality of war and the vibrant spirit of the soldiers. How do we achieve vividness? Is courage enough? No, we must depict the soldiers in three dimensions.”

The writers below listened attentively to Liu Yimin's words, quickly taking notes with their pens.

Li Cunbao, an arts and culture cadre in the audience, kept pondering Liu Yimin's words, and opened his notebook, which contained several of his thoughts.

The first one is "Moonlight over the Barracks," which tells the story of soldiers' love life and praises the hardships and sweetness of love in the military.

The second is "A Hero's Life," which tells the story of an old general, from the War of Resistance against Japan to the liberation, his entry into Korea, and his heroic life to the present day.

The third is "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain," which tells the story of a border defense company before, during, and after the war.

Each of the three headings was only briefly mentioned, but there was detailed information at the back of the notebook.

He had been thinking about these three topics for a long time, but couldn't make up his mind. Hearing Liu Yimin's words, he kept circling the three topics with his pen.

The garland at the foot of the mountain has several more circles drawn on it than the other topics.

During Liu Yimin's speech, questions were allowed, or writers who had gone to the front lines to gather material were invited to share their thoughts and experiences.

Li Cunbao wanted to raise his hand, but after hesitating, he decided not to. He would wait until he "coincidentally" met Liu Yimin to talk about his writing ideas.

The afternoon meeting was lively and engaging. Wei Wei smiled and told Liu Yimin that this was the beginning of a free discussion, and he hoped that it would be even more exciting in the future.

The meeting was very long, and Liu Yimin did not attend all of it.

After the afternoon meeting ended, Liu Yimin went home and did not attend the poetry gathering that evening. Li Cunbao still hoped to "bump into" Liu Yimin, but after wandering around the venue, he helplessly sat down to the side and watched everyone recite and compose poems.

At Yenching University, a banner welcoming applicants to the graduate school interviews hung at the school gate. Liu Yimin arrived at the entrance of the Chinese Department's conference room, where fewer than twenty students were standing. A few were Liu Yimin's classmates, and the rest were students from other universities.

Liu Yimin stood to one side, nodding and greeting everyone. Those he knew nodded in return, and many looked at Liu Yimin with envy.

The postgraduate entrance examination is a competitive interview, and three or four unlucky candidates will not be admitted.

But everyone knew in their hearts that Liu Yimin was definitely going to be accepted.

Led by the Chinese literature department teachers, everyone pulled out small slips of paper from the box, which indicated the order in which they would be interviewed in the office.

Liu Yimin wasn't very lucky; he didn't draw the first one, but the fifth one, so he'll have to stay here for a while.

Interview time varies, but twenty minutes is the minimum. Liu Yimin would have to wait at least an hour.

The first person to walk out of the meeting room looked disheveled, which dampened everyone's spirits even further.

Someone tried to ask what the question was, but was immediately interrupted by a Chinese literature professor.

"Leave immediately after the interview. Do not linger or reveal the exam questions; this will be considered cheating!"

Upon hearing that the consequences were so serious, the others sat down, and the candidates who had already been interviewed hurriedly left.

"Number five, Liu Yimin!" With the call of the Chinese Department teacher, Liu Yimin walked into the interview room.

The interviewers were Yan Jiayan, Wang Yao, Wu Zuxiang, and Sun Yushi, in addition to several other teachers who took notes.

Liu Yimin slowly walked in and smiled slightly at the teachers.

Wu Zuxiang said, "This candidate is laughing so heartily; he's exactly the kind of student our Chinese Literature Department needs!"

“Professor Wu is right, candidate, please introduce yourself!” Wang Yao said to Liu Yimin. “Hello, professors, my name is Liu Yimin.”

"Great, congratulations! You've been accepted into the Chinese Literature Department. From now on, you'll be a graduate student in our department," Yan Jiayan said with a smile.

"Ok?"

"What? The candidate doesn't want to?" Sun Yushi asked with a smile.

Liu Yimin said, "No, Professor Sun, I actually prepared a lot!"

"Oh! Then why don't we listen to it?" Sun Yushi said, looking at Wu Zuxiang and Yan Jiayan.

"Just listen to it if you can manage!"

Yan Jiayan picked up a question from the table and asked with a smile, "What do you think is the most important thing in studying literature?"

Liu Yimin had only been speaking for less than five minutes when he was interrupted again. Yan Jiayan said that was enough.

After Liu Yimin left the meeting room, the group chuckled and then asked the Chinese literature department teachers to prepare to call the next candidate.

Liu Yimin looked at the other candidates who were looking at him expectantly and shook his head regretfully.

After he left the Chinese Literature Department, the others whispered among themselves, "What were the interview questions for the Chinese Literature Department? Even Liu Yimin looked like this after he came out!"

"Oh no, I think I'm one of those four unlucky ones!"

Liu Yimin lamented that it was too rough around the edges. It was like preparing a carefully crafted wedding night, only to fall asleep within three minutes.

However, Liu Yimin also understands that there is indeed room for manipulation in graduate school interviews. In the 21st century, a key university even had a case where the college leader directly changed a student's grades for admission.

Liu Yimin went straight back to his dormitory at Yenching University. Li Xueqin had already taken the re-examination at Renmin University, but the results had not yet been released.

Upon seeing Liu Yimin, Li Xueqin hurriedly asked him how his re-examination went!
"I didn't feel anything, it was just a bit fast!"

"What do you mean by 'fast'? Does it mean the teacher speaks fast when asking questions?"

"No, the admissions process was a bit too fast!"

The admission notices for the Chinese Department came out very quickly; within two hours of all the candidates having finished their interviews, the notices were posted in front of the Chinese Department building.

Liu Yimin's name was prominently listed at number one!
At the end of April, the standalone edition of "Triumphant at Midnight" was finally released to readers. People's Literature Publishing House printed 4 copies in the first run, which can be described as a huge gamble.

The book had barely entered the bookstore when Li Shu, an editor from People's Literature Publishing House, brought Liu Yimin more good news. He told Liu Yimin that various military units were purchasing copies of "Triumph at Midnight," and that central leaders had also bought a batch of copies to send to the frontline troops.

The news was met with widespread praise, and Liu Yimin personally bought two thousand copies and sent them to the troops at the front.

"This trip isn't just about this one thing; there's another. Our publishing house is planning to translate three novels—'Triumph at Midnight,' 'Red River Valley,' and 'Mountains High and Rivers Long'—into multiple minority languages, including Mongolian, Uyghur, and Tibetan!"

"The standalone publishing rights for 'Red River Valley' and 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' currently belong to The Commercial Press!"

“We publish versions in other languages, so it doesn’t conflict with The Commercial Press!” Li Shu said proudly.

“In that case, it’s a good thing, of course I agree!” Liu Yimin had no reason to refuse.

"In addition, we are planning to ask the comrades of the Artists Association to turn 'Triumphant at Midnight' into a children's book. We will pay you the royalties separately!"

"Fine, you guys figure it out yourselves!"

Li Shu was about to leave the courtyard house when Liu Yimin followed closely behind. Seeing him preparing to lock the door, Liu asked in confusion, "Yimin, where are you going?"

"I'm going to People's Literature and Art Magazine!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shu immediately perked up and quickly leaned over, putting his arm around Liu Yimin's shoulder and asking, "Is there another new work?"

"Yes, there is, but it has nothing to do with you!" Liu Yimin patted his shoulder and took his arm off him.

"Don't be like that, Yimin, what did I do wrong?" Li Shu hurriedly pushed his bicycle and caught up with Liu Yimin.

“Old Li, this has nothing to do with you. This is an essay. As I said before, the publication of the essay should be done by the Commercial Press!” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Essays? Of course, we agreed on that. Remember to think of me next time you have a novel!" Li Shuhao said readily.

The number of copies of an essay sold after publication is far less than that of a novel.

"A Record of Leaving Ru County" took a long time to write, with many revisions along the way, but it was finally completed.

The three parts, "Travels in France," "Travels in Aba," and "Travels Out of Ru County," are enough to be published as a standalone book.

In addition, Liu Yimin plans to discuss with The Commercial Press the possibility of including the reportage "Chinese Girl" in the book to enrich the content.

The two rode their bicycles to the foot of the People's Literature and Art building. Li Shu waved to Liu Yimin, and the two parted ways.

Cui Daoyi also returned to People's Literature and Art after the training course organized by the General Political Department and the Writers Association. When Liu Yimin handed him "Leaving Rucheng", Cui Daoyi asked him happily, "In a few days, we will all go to watch the target practice. Will Liu Yimin go?"

"Target practice? What's so great about targets? Yimin has hunted wolves before!" Xu Yi joked.

"Haha, I forgot! It's been so long since I've heard anyone mention him, I've completely forgotten about this wolf-fighting hero in front of me!" Other editors nearby chimed in with laughter.

"I'll check the time then! Senior, did you find a suitable author at the event?"

"Don't even mention it. Zhou Yanru and Zhang Shouren, along with several editors, were keeping a close watch on me. Forget about them, let's take a look at your essay and learn more about your growth process!" Cui Daoyi said with a smile.

The editors next to me each took a copy and sat down to read them attentively.

Xu Yi happened to receive the one about the college entrance examination, and kept sighing, "Yi Min, it really wasn't easy for you. You came out of a small mountain village and passed the college entrance examination, and step by step became a professor at Peking University!"

Liu Yimin said dismissively, "Most students in universities these days don't come from truly poor families. To be honest, my family is probably better off than many others. I heard that some students couldn't afford the tuition after getting into university, so the members of the production brigade each contributed an egg to help them go to school, collecting more than seventy eggs in total!"

"Really?" Xu Yi asked, looking up.

"There are indeed many such examples. It's not easy for a college student to come out of the countryside, and the neighbors are all willing to lend a hand. Especially in rural areas, people may bicker occasionally, but they will help each other out when something happens."

Before Liu Yimin could answer, Cui Daoyi spoke for him.

P.S. Sorry, only 8,000 words today. I've been busy taking the college entrance exams with my family! I wish all readers with children taking the exams the best of luck and hope they all achieve their goals.

(End of this chapter)