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

Chapter 46 Passionate Editing

"Passengers, you are aboard the No. 61 express train from Zhengzhou to Yanjing. We will arrive in our great capital, Yanjing, at 8:00 AM tomorrow. The People's Railway serves the people. We are the March 8th Youth Team from the Zhengzhou Railway Section."

There is no direct train from Ruxian to Yanjing (Beijing); you have to transfer in Zhengzhou. The trains along this route through the small county town are generally not crowded. Ruxian is a small station, and many of the trains are used for transporting coal.

When Liu Yimin boarded the train at Zhengzhou Railway Station, he realized what crowding meant; it was almost as bad as the Spring Festival travel rush.

The carriage was very crowded, and there was almost no room for people to stand. Some people had their feet stepped on and kept saying "Ouch!"

Who stepped on my foot?

"It's clearly because your shoes are too big that you're making it harder for my feet to land."

Liu Yimin, carrying luggage on his back and in his hands, with his train ticket dangling from his mouth, finally found his hard seat. Hard sleeper tickets were hard to get, and as for soft sleeper tickets, forget about them—you needed a certain class of accommodation to buy them.

I boarded the train around 11 p.m., and it was pitch black outside when we left the station. The green train, accompanied by a creaking sound, pierced the night fog and headed towards Yanjing at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour.

This speed was considered fast for a train in the 70s! The designed speed was over 50 kilometers per hour, but due to various reasons such as stops, the average speed was only around 50 kilometers per hour.

This is still an express train, which doesn't stop at small stations. Slow trains from Zhengzhou to Yanjing sometimes stop at thirty or forty small stations and take one or two dozen hours.

The most outrageous ones are those that stop at over seventy stations. Liu Yimin would rather die than take them; after ten or twenty hours, his buttocks would probably be rotten. Seeing the densely packed timetable, Liu Yimin really had to applaud the railway workers.

Liu Yimin sat on the hard seat, wiggled his buttocks to feel the hardness. The hard seat was indeed "hard," a long wooden bench that made his buttocks uncomfortable. He found some clothes and put them under his buttocks before slowly leaning back in the carriage and falling asleep.

Around 5 a.m., after adjusting his posture countless times throughout the night, Liu Yimin was finally awakened by the sound of roosters crowing inside the train.

Liu Yimin was about to get up to go to the toilet when he felt something was wrong under his feet. He looked down and saw someone's hand quickly withdrawing. He heard a sound of groaning and complaining coming from below.

"Comrade, I'm sorry, I didn't know someone was sleeping downstairs!" Liu Yimin apologized.

The person lying below knew he was in the wrong, so he said nothing more.

I went to the restroom, then ate a meal in the dining car. The food was really good!

The station was supposed to arrive at 8:00, but it actually didn't arrive until 9:30. As the arrival announcement came over the loudspeaker, Liu Yimin frantically crawled towards the train exit.

"Passengers, we have arrived at our great capital, Yanjing! We come from all over the country and work in different positions. We hope that we can learn from the spirit of model workers, shine in our own positions, and contribute to the modernization of our motherland!"

Sometimes I feel like I'm not moving at all, but I'm being carried forward by the people in front and behind me.

The person in front of him was carrying luggage, the bulging bag rubbing against his head. A rooster crowed beside his ear, and then someone roared, "Whose chicken pooped? Pooped?"

"What are you yelling about? Don't you know your luck has turned around?!"

Once he stepped out of the train station, Liu Yimin was finally able to breathe in some fresh air. There were still some construction workers on the square of Yanjing Station, and photographers from a state-run photo studio were taking pictures of people.

Behind it are the towering Yenching Railway Station and the huge clock tower. The buildings are decorated with portraits of leaders and various revolutionary slogans. Some cadres who come to Yenching on business or for meetings like to take photos here as souvenirs.

Next, Liu Yimin found the bus that led to the editorial office of "Poetry Journal". The bus was even more crowded. It was an old-fashioned articulated bus with two carriages connected together, and there were a couple hundred people crammed inside.

The carriages behind were very unstable, and many people were uncomfortable. Some older passengers, in particular, were groaning and complaining of motion sickness. Fortunately, Liu Yimin didn't have to sit for long. Less than ten minutes later, he got off at Chaoyangmen Inner Street. Continuing west along this street would take him directly to the North Gate of the Forbidden City, and behind the North Gate was Nanluoguxiang.

The editorial office of *Poetry Journal* is located at No. 85 Dongsi South Street, less than a five-minute walk from the bus stop. *People's Literature* is located at No. 166 Chaonei Street, also very close, about a five-minute walk.

The editorial office of "Poetry Journal" was located within the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association. In his letter, Zou Huofan told him that his accommodation had been arranged at the Writers Association's guesthouse.

Liu Yimin carried his heavy luggage to the entrance of Building 85 and then breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled at the old gatekeeper in the guardhouse and said, "Uncle, where is the editorial office of Poetry Journal? This is my letter of introduction. Comrade Zou Huofan invited me here."

The elderly man, dressed in well-fitting work clothes, looked Liu Yimin up and down with a suspicious gaze. He took the letter of introduction, glanced at it, and verified Liu's identity.

"Are you a poet?"

"That's right!"

"So young? Wait here, I'll call the editorial department to confirm. Lately, a lot of people have been pretending to be poets trying to get in and meet the editors. If you're real, they'll come pick you up in a bit. There are quite a few courtyards inside, so it might be hard for you to find."

The security guard quickly dialed the editorial department's number. The person on the other end asked for his name. The old security guard shouted at Liu Yimin, "What's your name, Min?"

Before Liu Yimin could speak, the person on the other end of the phone exclaimed in surprise, "Is that Liu Yimin? Comrade Liu Yimin, is that you?"

"Yes, his name is Liu Yimin. You should come and pick him up right away!"

About three minutes later, Zou Huofan ran out, wiping his glasses with a handkerchief as he ran.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, right? I'm Zou Huofan. I've come all this way by train, thank you for your hard work!"

"Hello Editor Zou, I am Liu Yimin!" Liu Yimin said with a smile, extending his hand.

Zou Huofan took the letter of introduction, glanced at it, and happily took the luggage from Liu Yimin, repeatedly telling him how hard he had worked.

“Our editorial staff have been eager to meet you, and one of them is from your hometown. I’ll take you to the guesthouse first and arrange your accommodation.”

The guesthouse is much better than the one in Ru County; the rooms are fully equipped with all kinds of amenities.

“A writer stayed here a few days ago, revising manuscripts for People’s Literature and Art. Comrade Liu Yimin, our editorial department has arranged your food and lodging here. I’ll give you some meal tickets later. You can eat at the canteen with the tickets. It’s free. Just let me know if you need anything. This area is very convenient. Wangfujing is right next door.”

Zou Huofan said to him warmly.

"Us?" Liu Yimin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I haven't been working at Poetry Journal for long. A few days ago I stayed at the Ministry of Culture's guesthouse, but it was converted from an air-raid shelter and was too damp. So I moved to the Writers Association's guesthouse, which is right next to yours."

Zou Huofan wanted to help Liu Yimin tidy up the room, but Liu stopped him.

"Okay, you can start packing. After you're done, take a break, and I'll come and call you for lunch."

Before leaving, Zou Huofan didn't forget to instruct the waiter to take good care of Liu Yimin.

(End of this chapter)