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

Chapter 41: Poems Are Widely Recited (Please Read Further)

Liu Yimin's report was like an adrenaline injection into all the candidates. On the way home from the movie theater, they were all shouting and laughing. A group of people were laughing and crying at the same time, vowing to get into university next year.

The following day, the Ruxian newspaper published the full text of Liu Yimin's speech at the cinema under the headline "Inspiring a New Generation: Genius Writer Liu Yimin Encourages Examinees." This report was like a pebble thrown into a lake, causing a great stir not only in Ruxian but also throughout Luocheng.

The report was reprinted by the Los Angeles Daily and other county newspapers. When the Revolutionary Committee saw the great impact, it immediately arranged for a reporter to report on Liu Yimin again.

The report highly praised Liu Yimin, calling him "a descendant of revolutionaries and a trendsetter of the times!"

The poems in "A Generation" spread throughout Los Angeles even before the magazine "Poetry" was published.

People everywhere are talking about the lines, "The night gave me black eyes, but I use them to seek the light!" How can a person connect black eyes with light? Truly a genius poet.

All sorts of titles came one after another, such as genius poet, genius writer, the most talented person in Los Angeles, and the number one liberal arts student in Los Angeles. The titles became more and more outrageous, and finally, in the mouths of the street aunties, they became the number one in the country by a wide margin.

This isn't just a slight lead, it's a huge lead!

Liu Yimin's family background was also reported by reporters: his uncle was a martyr, and his father was a militia member who fought against bandits. There were even rumors that Liu Fuqing followed the army to fight bandits, and was surrounded by a group of bandits. In the end, he single-handedly turned the tide and killed the bandits, leaving none alive. They knelt down and kowtowed, calling him "Grandpa."

Liu Fuqing was unharmed. Facing everyone's concern, he dusted himself off and casually remarked that it was nothing more than a little hardship. Then, he heard a baby crying in his head; when he got home, he learned that his wife had given birth!

The rumors were so detailed and convincing that Liu Fuqing began to wonder if he had forgotten about it!
After spending a long time comparing accounts with Li Lanyong's father and his wife Yang Xiuyun, they still couldn't get them to match!

These discussions were just noise to Liu Yimin, but to Yang Yushan of the Revolutionary Committee, they were like a beautiful song! This achievement and ranking were likely unprecedented and unparalleled in Rucheng!
Since that's the case, we definitely have to squeeze every last drop of publicity out of them! Yang Yushan: "After all, leaders in this position have a lot to consider!"

In the cultural center's literary creation group office, six young faces appeared. These were all there to study with Liu Yimin: Yang Yushan's daughter Yang Tingting, Yang Chenglin's daughter Yang Xiuyu, and the others were all children of various leaders.

Looking at the girls earnestly asking Liu Yimin for advice, Old Sun sighed, silently put the lid on his teacup, and walked into the small garden for a stroll with his hands behind his back.

Old Zhang was tending to the peach trees when he saw Old Sun coming over. He called him over to help, but Old Sun didn't seem very interested. He also heard laughter coming from the creative team.

He patted Old Sun on the shoulder and said, "Don't sigh. I told you long ago, you want to find a son-in-law through the imperial examination, and so do others. Don't worry about your children and grandchildren."

Old Sun wanted to argue, but then he realized Old Zhang was right, so he stopped talking.

The ninth issue of *Poetry Journal* has just hit newsstands and Xinhua bookstores, and the two lines of poetry on the cover immediately caught readers' attention. Among the poets readers are currently most eagerly anticipating subscribing to *Poetry Journal*, Ai Qing, Gu Cheng, Bei Dao, Shu Ting, and Shi Zhi are particularly interested.

Misty poetry is especially popular among young people. Whenever young people gather, artistic youths always recite a few Misty poems aloud to compete.

Today, as usual, everyone flocked to the newsstand to browse newspapers and magazines. The first thing that caught my eye was the two lines of poetry on the cover of "Poetry Journal," with the name "Liu Yimin" highlighted in red.

"Liu Yimin? This is the first time I've seen this name in Poetry Journal?" a reader asked curiously.

"These two lines are well written, but they're too short. The author of 'Mr. Donkey' is also named Liu Yimin. I wonder if it's the same person. Comrade, here's two cents, give me a copy!" In Yanjing, a loyal female reader of a poetry magazine bought a copy and started flipping through it as she walked. When she came across a wonderful line of poetry, she would silently recite it a few times, wishing she could memorize it on the spot so she could show off at her next gathering with friends.

"My Motherland, My Beloved Motherland," a poem praising the motherland, huh? And the author is Liu Yimin again? Two poems published in the ninth issue of "Poetry Journal"? I'd like to see what you're capable of!

The female reader reached the factory gate halfway through her reading. The loudspeaker blared "The East Is Red," the call to start work. Reluctantly, she stuffed the magazine into her bag and hurried towards the workshop.

He seemed distracted at work, his eyes constantly glancing into the handbag on the workshop counter.

Seeing this, a coworker next to her put the wrench in his pocket and came over, asking helplessly, "Li Li, what's wrong? You're not paying attention at work. Take a break. If you keep going like this, you'll hurt your hand."

"I just read a poem today, only half of it. I haven't finished the second half yet, and I'm itching to read it. I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I'll finish it during my break." Li Li patted her work clothes, wiped her hands on them, and then solemnly took out the Poetry Journal.

Seeing this, the other workers also gathered around.

"Li Li, read it to us!"

"Yes, yes, read it aloud!" his coworkers jeered.

Li Li exclaimed that it was so well written, and that this kind of poetry was best read aloud. It was grand and magnificent, and if you didn't read it aloud, you would feel depressed and had to express it!

Li Li stood on the stool, and her coworkers around her looked up at her expectantly.

"My Motherland, My Beloved Motherland," by Liu Yimin. After finishing the poem, Li Li felt her blood boil, her face flushed, and her forehead covered in beads of sweat.

"It's so well written, it's really inspiring to read! Comrades, we workers are the leading class, we must have a higher level of consciousness. Just like the poem says, let us use our own flesh and blood to achieve the prosperity, glory, and freedom of the nation!"

A worker shouted loudly, clenching his fist and waving it upwards. The words "Workers' Assault Team" were prominently displayed on his vest inside his clothes.

The poem "My Motherland, My Beloved Motherland" became known to people all over the country through the publication of the poetry journal. People emerged from the shadows of the past ten years, and their depression, confusion, and patriotic enthusiasm were ignited at this moment, with people singing it in the streets and alleys.

The cultural center was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Old Zhang had subscribed to over a hundred copies of "Poetry Journal" this time, giving one to everyone at the cultural center. He also distributed copies to nearby organizations, making sure to turn to the page with "Motherland, My Beloved Motherland" when he did so.

With a smug smirk, he pointed to the small print and told the others, "See this, everyone? It's Liu Yimin's latest poem from the Ruxian People's Cultural Center. It's on the cover too. Both poems are being published at the same time. Think about it carefully, what kind of talent is this!"

"Comrade Liu Yimin is truly remarkable!"

"Look at what you're saying! Our cultural center is amazing too!"

(End of this chapter)