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

Chapter 59 A Great Writer Among the Freshmen
"Just like eating candy, peel off the outer paper and put it in your mouth to chew. At first, it tastes similar to candy. When the candy taste is gone, don't spit it out. I'll teach you more in a bit!"

Liu Yimin was holding a box of chewing gum and teaching Liu Zhenyun how to eat it. The student from Yanjing had been chewing gum, which Liu Zhenyun had never seen before. He thought that constantly chewing something was something that only happened in the cowsheds of his hometown.

Liu Yimin glanced at the box in the female classmate's hand and realized it was chewing gum. He turned back to ask the sales clerk, who said they only had Tianshan brand bubble gum produced in Shanghai, costing three yuan a box with 100 pieces. Three yuan could buy a week's worth of meals at Yenching University—definitely a luxury item.

Liu Zhenyun had already thought Liu Yimin was very generous, but now he realized that Liu Yimin was truly generous. He took out three yuan without even blinking, and the way he pulled out money felt like something he could never learn in his entire life.

After buying a bicycle at home, Liu Yimin had 200 yuan left. He also earned 300 yuan in royalties for his 50,000-word novel, "The College Entrance Examination in 1977," which was paid at 6 yuan per thousand words. He had a total of 500 yuan in his pocket. He had left 100 yuan with his family when he came to Yanjing, and he had spent some money on daily necessities and other expenses. Now he had 370 yuan left.

Liu Yimin plans to redeem the bicycle voucher in his pocket for goods soon, after which he'll have less than two hundred yuan left. He sighed, remarking that he earns money very quickly, but he spends it just as fast!

Back in the dorm, Li Xueqin found her roommate Chen Dazhi banging away, a small hammer in his hand and a nail in his mouth. Li Xueqin told them that the desks and chairs in the next dorm were broken; a Chinese literature professor had come to visit the new students and found that some desks, chairs, and bed boards were not repaired. Chen Dazhi happened to be a carpenter, so he had asked him to fix them.

Liu Yimin let everyone try the bubble gum. None of them had ever seen this novelty before; it was only available in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. There were few companies producing chewing gum and bubble gum, firstly because of low production volume, and secondly because a significant portion of the production was directly pre-ordered by the Civil Aviation Administration, with only a very small portion ending up in major shopping malls and supply and marketing cooperatives.

After the reform and opening up, things did improve, but these factories also took on the task of earning foreign exchange, with most of the sugar exported, leaving the domestic market still scarce. With their eyes always on foreign markets, they turned around and found their home had been invaded – foreign sugar companies had entered the market.

Next, the entire dormitory, led by Liu Yimin, started blowing bubbles. Chen Dazhi, who had a nail in his mouth, now had one too. When the Chinese literature professor came in, sweating profusely, with another bag of nails, he laughed out loud at the sight of the rising and falling bubbles.

"Which one of you is Liu Yimin?" The Chinese literature professor looked at Liu Yimin and Liu Zhenyun and asked with a smile.

"Teacher, I am Liu Yimin!"

The Chinese literature professor warmly extended his hand and said, "Welcome to Yenching University, Liu Yimin." Then, looking at Liu Zhenyun, he said, "So you must be Liu Zhenyun?"

Liu Zhenyun, who was leaning against the iron frame chatting with everyone, quickly straightened up and nodded.

"Your dorm is amazing! You've got either the top liberal arts students in the province or the top liberal arts students in the region. Especially Liu Yimin, our Chinese department has the highest admission score at Yenching University, and Liu Yimin's score is the highest in our department. As far as I know, I haven't heard of anyone in our school who scored higher than Liu Yimin."

I don't know if you're familiar with him yet, but Liu Yimin not only excels in exams, but he's also a great writer. He's the author of *Mr. Donkey* and *The College Entrance Examination 1977*. Li Xueqin, don't glare at me like that; aren't you holding this issue of *People's Literature* right now?

The Chinese literature professor took the issue of "People's Literature" from Li Xueqin's hand, turned to the page on "College Entrance Examination 1977," and pointed to the three characters "Liu Yimin" for everyone to look at.

"Our Chinese department doesn't train writers, it trains literary critics, because true writers can't be trained. But for a writer, attending Peking University's Chinese department will be extremely important for improving their literary level. You should all learn more from Liu Yimin and improve your own literary skills. Professors Wu Zuxiang, Zhu Guangqian, Yang Hui, and others from Yenching University are all masters. I hope you will grow at Yenching University."

The Chinese literature professor handed the magazine back to Li Xueqin and asked Chen Dazhi with concern if he could fix it; otherwise, they would have to find the school janitor the next day. Chen Dazhi wiped his sweat and confidently assured him that he could definitely fix it.

The Chinese literature professor left satisfied, and the dormitory erupted in excitement afterward. It turned out that the Liu Yimin in the upper bunk was the same Liu Yimin from the magazine. As avid literature enthusiasts, they meticulously studied the works of any famous author featured in a magazine.

Liu Yimin's poems appeared in two consecutive issues of "People's Literature and Art," and "Poetry Journal" even published two of his poems in one issue, allowing them to study them in greater depth.

Looking at Liu Yimin, Liu Zhenyun thought to himself, "No wonder this kid is so rich; it's all from his writing fees." His desire to write novels reached its peak. Although Liu Zhenyun was a well-known writer, he was still in his developmental stage during his time in the Chinese Literature Department, only completing his development in 1987.

His consecutive publication of several novels in People's Literature and Art magazine caused a strong reaction, which made people realize that there was a Liu Zhenyun in the Chinese literary world.

Li Xueqin, holding a magazine, leaned over to Liu Yimin and asked with a smile, "Yimin, I've always been curious about something: why didn't Pan Zhiyou return to the city by taking the college entrance exam in 'College Entrance Exam 1977'? If it were me, I would definitely choose to take the exam."

"Because Pan Zhiyou's performance on the farm shows that he has a very complex personality. He thinks very rationally about the country and society. Sometimes he understands the problems, but he still chooses to loyally accept the orders of his superiors and lead everyone to complete the tasks without fail. In addition, he takes care of the educated youth on the farm within the scope of his responsibilities, which shows his warm side."

He was incredibly devoted to love, willing to sacrifice himself for Chen Qiong—this demonstrates a spirit of self-sacrifice. This complex character adds depth to the story and reveals the complexities of human nature, making him more than just a stereotypical, cookie-cutter figure.

“I really like ‘A Generation’. Has Yimin written any new poems recently?” Chen Dazhi asked.

"Yes, it will be published in the next issue of Poetry Journal!"

"Tsk!"

How could a group of literature enthusiasts not talk about literature? Soon, the atmosphere in the entire dormitory was lively, ranging from Liu Yimin's novels to the recently popular "The Wounded." Liu Zhenyun started by mentioning Tolstoy and ended by mentioning Pushkin.

The conversation was quickly overheard by students passing by outside, who eavesdropped for a while before joining the discussion.

"I heard that the Triangle Area on our campus is very lively, with everyone discussing literature there. I'll definitely go check it out sometime!"

As more and more people entered the dormitory, all the freshmen in the Chinese department learned that there was an extraordinary freshman in their year—a great writer!

His name is Liu Yimin!
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(End of this chapter)