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

Chapter 99 is in the local county annals.
The commotion in the courtyard gradually subsided around 11 p.m. After leaving the Liu family's house, the commune members walked together in twos and threes, their excited discussions echoing along the banks of the Kuye River in Maiji Brigade.

The interesting things Liu Yimin told them were things they couldn't hear or see in Maiji Brigade. The older members encouraged their children who were following behind them to study hard so that they could one day leave Maiji Brigade like Liu Yimin.

"Look at your Uncle Yimin, he's doing so well in his studies. You all should study hard too, so you can make our family proud in the future!"

Li Dashan hadn't left yet; he was talking to Liu Yimin about Li Lanyong. In early January, Lanyong had sent a letter home saying he was doing very well in the army and that his family shouldn't worry. Li Dashan's face lit up with a smile when Li Lanyong was mentioned.

However, when I saw Liu Yimin, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, I still couldn't suppress my longing for him.

After seeing Li Dashan off, Liu Yimin dragged his tired body back to his room. The room had been cleaned again, and Yang Xiuyun had made a new bed. After not seeing him for several months, the room felt much smaller than before.

The next day, Liu Yimin started helping in the kitchen, assisting Yang Xiuyun when she was rendering lard or cooking meat.

"Yimin, check if the radishes are cooked yet. If they are, mix the radish filling together!"

"it is good!"

Yang Xiuyun watched the busy Liu Yimin, occasionally smiling and reminding him to be careful. But when her gaze swept across the roof beam, her face darkened with anger. The chicken she had painstakingly slaughtered hadn't even been eaten by Liu Yimin; someone's cat had jumped up and devoured it.

"Don't let me find out whose cat it is!" Yang Xiuyun slammed the kitchen knife down heavily on the cutting board, cursing angrily.

Liu Fuqing was also puzzled. Whose cat was so wild that it could jump up and snatch a chicken while hanging from the roof beam? He recalled the heavy thud he had vaguely heard a few nights ago while he was half asleep and half awake, and thought that must have been when the chicken was snatched away.

January 28, 1979, the first day of the Lunar New Year. As everyone in Maiji Commune woke up and began to get busy, they didn't know when the heavy snow had covered the entire village. From time to time, the sound of branches breaking could be heard from both sides of the Kuye River, crackling and popping as if the Kuye River itself was setting off firecrackers to celebrate the New Year.

Liu Yimin got up early and shoveled snow with his older brother Liu Yiguo. Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun were busy cooking dumplings inside the house. Yang Xiuyun looked happily at her two sons outside from inside the house.

"Yimin, why don't you take a rest? I'll clear a road for you!" Liu Yiguo said with a smile.

"Brother, don't underestimate me. I've held a hoe handle for so many years, I can't have forgotten how!" Liu Yimin put the shovel on his shoulder, blew on his palms, rubbed them together, and continued working.

"Alright, you two stop working, the dumplings are ready!"

Liu Yiguo ran into the main room, took out a string of firecrackers, placed them in the middle of the courtyard, and lit them with a match. The sound of firecrackers in the courtyard, along with the laughter of the Liu family of four, announced the official arrival of 1979.

"Big brother, give me a sister-in-law in 1979!" Liu Yimin bit into a hot pork dumpling, the aroma of meat immediately filling his nostrils. It was a rare treat for the dumplings—more meat than radish—and he ate with gusto, his mouth greasy and flavorful.

Yang Xiuyun kept adding dumplings to Liu Yimin's plate. In the end, Liu Yimin begged for mercy, saying he really couldn't eat anymore.

After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Liu Yiguo returned to the mining bureau to prepare for work. Liu Fuqing also got busy. This year, Maiji Brigade planned to raise some pigs collectively so that by the end of the year, every household could slaughter pigs, divide the meat, and sell it for money.

Li Dashan would convene the brigade's two committees from time to time, and Liu Fuqing, as the squad leader, naturally had to attend each one.

Sometimes Liu Yimin would sit with Yang Xiuyun in the corner, basking in the sun and chatting. After they finished chatting, he would go back inside to write his novel. He finished writing "The Flames of War in Beiping" during his time at home, adding some of Lao Ma's personal experiences to it.

For example, stealing beans from the stables or collecting horse manure. The arduous wait for customers at the entrance of Quanjude and the Eight Great Hutongs is depicted through conversations with other rickshaw pullers.

"Yimin, the brigade has your phone number!"

"Okay, wait a minute!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yimin put down his pen and ran towards the brigade headquarters of Maiji Brigade. As he reached the entrance, a familiar feeling washed over him. The former junior high school classroom had been used by the brigade to store miscellaneous items, and the wooden door was locked.

The blackboard from Liu Yimin's last class was not erased; you could still see it by looking through the window.

Liu Yimin ran to the room where the telephone was located, picked up the phone, and heard a familiar voice.

"Yimin, why haven't you come to the cultural center yet during the holiday? The staff at the cultural center are all thinking of you. If you don't come, we'll go to Maiji Brigade to look for you!" Old Zhang, the director of the cultural center, asked with a smile.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the others at the cultural center shouted into the phone, "Yimin, if you don't come, I'm coming right now!"

Old Zhang joked, "Did you hear that? Yimin, if you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been able to keep these people from the cultural center from coming to your house for lunch!"

"Comrade Zhang, the road is difficult to travel. I plan to visit the cultural center when I go back to school in a few days, so I won't have to go through all this trouble!"

It hasn't snowed recently, and the roads are much easier to travel on.

"Here's what we'll do. Whenever you're going back to school, I'll have the Revolutionary Committee's car pick you up a day in advance. You can stay at the guesthouse for a day and give some guidance on the work," Old Zhang said cheerfully. He figured a trip to the cultural center that day would only take a short time, enough for a cup of tea.

After thinking about it, Liu Yimin made an appointment with Lao Zhang.

After Liu Yimin hung up the phone, Li Dashan said to the members of the two committees who were having a meeting: "Old Zhang from the Cultural Center is still a member of the Revolutionary Committee. I met him when I went to the Revolutionary Committee last time, and he warmly invited me to sit at the Cultural Center and asked me to tell him about Yimin's childhood."

"Haha, what did you say, Party Secretary?"

“I said, ‘When we were kids, we were all just peeing and playing in the mud. Who knew we’d grow up to be writers and get into Yenching University?’ He disagreed and insisted on asking if I was different from others when I was a kid. I could only sit there and think and think. From then on, whenever I had a meeting, I would stay far away from those people at the cultural center.”

Liu Yimin didn't know why Lao Zhang was asking this until he met Lao Zhang before leaving for Yanjing, and then he learned that Lao Zhang wanted to include him in the county annals.

"Old Zhang, isn't this going too far?"

Liu Yimin never imagined that he would appear in the county annals. Old Zhang had been thinking about this ever since Liu Yimin started school.

"What's there to be proud of? You're the first person from Ruxian County to get the highest score in the province's liberal arts exam and be admitted to Yenching University. You're also a writer. Your novels and fame are among the best in our province. If you can't be included in the county annals, then there aren't many people who can be included in our county annals."

Old Zhang even showed Liu Yimin the stories he had collected in his notebook. Old Zhang was absolutely serious; he had even talked to his middle and high school teachers. According to the descriptions from his middle and high school teachers, Liu Yimin was incredibly poor but determined, never losing sight of his lofty ambitions. They wrote down things like how he was poorly dressed and poorly fed, but remained calm and composed without feeling inferior.

Liu Yimin glanced at it a few times, then felt he couldn't bear to look any longer, so he returned the notebook to Lao Zhang: "Lao Zhang, even I don't think the description of me is accurate."

It's true that once someone becomes famous, everything they do is right. If you can spit farther than others, then you must have been exceptionally gifted since childhood.

“Yimin, don’t be modest, I think I look a lot like you.”

Old Zhang smugly pocketed the notebook and put it in his briefcase. He then inquired about other things, such as whether Liu Yimin had ever been to the National Writers Association and what it was like inside. Liu Yimin answered all his questions one by one.

When Liu Yimin arrived at the cultural center, the staff had already gathered together, brewed tea, and sat around the stove, waiting for him.

Liu Yimin walked into the creative team's office. On the wall facing the door were several magazines. Old Zhang introduced them, saying, "These are all articles published by the cultural center in various magazines."

Old Zhang pushed aside the other people from the cultural center who had gathered around him and began to introduce the magazines and newspaper articles to Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin stared at it carefully, and by the time he realized what it was, it was too late to regret looking.

The Eve of Comrade Liu Yimin's Creation of "The College Entrance Examination 1977"

"The Inspirational Location for the Novel 'Mr. Donkey': A Visit to the Former Site of a Primary School Before Liberation"

An Analysis of the Artistic Value of Poetry by a Generation: A Confused Poetry Scene and a Confused Era

Comrade Liu Yimin in His 'Ideal': An Analysis of Comrade Liu Yimin's Personal Literary Ideals

Numerous anecdotes about Liu Yimin's diligent writing have been published in major newspapers, serving as an encouragement. Liu Yunsheng wrote about waking up in the middle of the night to find Liu Yimin still writing, and how the starlight at midnight illuminated Liu Yimin's creative journey. Book reviews and poetry critiques have been published in magazines such as *Yu Sheng Wenyi* and *Luocheng*.

Upon seeing these articles, Liu Yimin felt no less disgusted than seeing those bizarre short play titles. He quickly looked away and said to the people at the cultural center, "You guys write really well, comrades!"

Old Li excitedly held up two fingers and said proudly, "I published two articles last year. Of course, I know that this is not the result of my efforts, but the result of Yimin's efforts."

Liu Yunsheng warmly offered him a cup of tea to warm his hands: "Yimin, you don't know, about the story you created at midnight, after I wrote it down, all the junior and senior high schools in our county posted the story to encourage students to learn from you."

"Everyone, sit down on the stools and let Yimin sit down so we can chat," Old Zhang said, trying to get him out of the tighter crowd. It wasn't just the arts and literature group members who were there; the cultural relics protection group and the folk art instruction group were also present.

"Yimin, how many writers did you meet in Yanjing?" Old Song asked impatiently.

"On the first day I went to Poetry Journal, I met Zou Huofan. On the second day, I met Ai Qing in Poetry Journal. Mr. Ai Qing had just returned to Yenching. We took a photo together, along with Zhang Guangnian, who is now in charge of People's Literature."

Liu Yimin took out a photo of himself and Ai Qing from his bag and handed it to everyone.

"The literary scene in Yanjing is like the difference between a vast ocean and a tiny puddle compared to the literary scene in our Ru County. Yimin, you can only unleash your full creative potential in Yanjing," Old Zhang said happily.

These were names they could only see in magazines. Liu Yimin, at such a young age, was already standing alongside them. In their minds, given time, he would definitely go further than these people.

“Mr. Ai Qing, his poems are my favorite, it’s a pity I never had the chance to meet him,” Old Li said regretfully, then looked at Liu Yimin: “Yimin, when you see Ai Qing again, tell him that he still has a reader in Ruxian County.”

“It’s not just you, it’s all of us,” Liu Yunsheng retorted.

Old Zhang invited Liu Yimin to talk to them about the current creative trends in the literary world and the creative methods he learned at Yenching University. At noon, the cultural center's canteen cooked a table full of delicious dishes. In the afternoon, as usual, Liu Yimin sat in the creative group's office and wrote with everyone, mainly giving pointers to the others.

Yang Yushan, the director of the Revolutionary Committee, also came over to visit Liu Yimin: "Good lad, you didn't embarrass our county. Later, when they found out you were the top student in the province, the Provincial Admissions Office even asked me to go to the province to attend a meeting and share my experience. What experience do I have? It's all your own ability. I really have nothing to say, so I just summarized and refined the report you were giving."

"Haha, Director Yang, I hope our county can achieve excellent results in this year's college entrance examination. Then you can give a report. As Comrade Lu Xun said, reports should be given often, so that they can always be fresh and new."

"Don't try to fool me, did Comrade Lu Xun really say that?"

When Liu Yimin checked into the guesthouse that evening, he met Sun Yihong, Old Sun's granddaughter. Upon seeing Liu Yimin, Sun Yihong warmly led him to his room, made up his bed, and told him to settle in comfortably.

"Yimin, if you need anything, just call me!"

"it is good!"

Sun Yihong nodded and left the room. Thinking of how her grandfather had tried to match them up, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. After laughing, she returned to the front desk of the guesthouse with a dejected expression. Her colleagues noticed that she was not in a good mood and asked her questions, but she didn't answer.

The next day, Liu Yimin got up and went to the cultural center. Everyone at the cultural center was going to work especially early today. When eating in the canteen, the cook specially boiled more than a dozen eggs for Liu Yimin to take with him on the train.

Liu Yimin's train is in the afternoon; Lao Zhang will find someone to take him to the train station.

After dinner, Lao Zhang led Liu Yimin for a stroll in the cultural center. Suddenly, Liu Yimin noticed a broken pottery shard in the corner. He picked it up and examined it. The pottery shard was very rough, as were the lines on it, and it was nothing like the exquisite pottery of later generations.

"Yimin, are you interested in this?" Old Zhang leaned over, hands behind his back, looking at the pottery shards, wondering what was so interesting about them.

"Old Zhang, where did this come from?"

"It was sent by the commune below. They said it was dug up in an apple orchard. Nobody in the museum knows anything about it. There are also many jars. The lower-level authorities requested that the cultural center preserve it, but the comrades in the cultural relics protection team all felt that it had no value."

Looking at the red pottery shards, Liu Yimin said to Lao Zhang, "Lao Zhang, this thing is even more precious than the cultural relics you protected back then. It could very well be a national treasure. You're so eager to publish articles, this treasure is enough for you to publish several."

(End of this chapter)