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

Chapter 138 script adaptation complete
Zhang Mengzhao found her stay at the Yenching University guesthouse quite pleasant, far away from the mountains of scripts. Apart from worrying about Liu Yimin's revisions, she spent the rest of her time attending classes at Yenching University, particularly in the philosophy and history departments.

Alternatively, they would go to publications like "Script Monthly" and "Literary Gazette" to see if there were any suitable manuscripts that could be used to revise a script.

"Yimin, you're revising so fast!" Zhang Mengzhao couldn't hide his delight as he watched Liu Yimin revise the script at an increasingly rapid pace.

Liu Yimin sat by the window in the library, where the leaves blocked most of the sunlight. He handed the revised version to Zhang Mengzhao. After reviewing it, Zhang Mengzhao sent it to the factory via telegram.

The studio would then review and compare the original script with the revised version, and once they agreed, they would send a telegram in reply. The Shanghai Film Studio was eager to begin filming and couldn't afford to send people back and forth; this was the only method they could use.

Fortunately, the Shanghai Film Studio is a large and well-established company, and they didn't care about this small amount of money.

"We have to hurry, you're sitting right here!" Liu Yimin joked.

“You think I’m having an easy time? I have a bunch of people urging me on. The studio has already decided on the director, Huang Zumo. He’s a veteran director who has been working in the film industry for many years, so you can rest assured about his abilities. He will definitely be able to make ‘Romance on Lushan Mountain’ a success. I think at your speed, you’ll have it all done in three more days.”

The film studio has approved the revised scenes from a few days ago. In the end, only a small part remains. The Shanghai Film Studio wants to further highlight the reconciliation of the previous generation's grudges and the difficulty of finally accepting the relationship between the two young people.

Huang Zumo is a director in his forties. Among the directors at the Shanghai Film Studio, he is considered young and belongs to the younger generation of directors.

He graduated from a directing program in 46 and directed a series of [unknown] films, including "Severing the Demon's Claws" and "The People of Huai River".

Just as the two were talking, Liu Zhenyun and Li Xueqin and a few others came over and greeted Zhang Mengzhao. They had heard from Liu Yimin that the screenwriters from the Shanghai Film Studio were here with him revising the script, and they had been wanting to meet them.

Liu Zhenyun and his two companions held notebooks in their hands, deliberately showing off the novels they had written.

As expected, this action aroused Zhang Mengzhao's curiosity. After asking a question, he picked up the novel that the three of them had written several thousand words and started reading. The three of them smiled and asked Zhang Mengzhao for some guidance.

"I'm not a professional literary novel editor, I'm a script editor. I wouldn't presume to offer guidance, but I can offer some of my personal opinions." Zhang Mengzhao was just bored. A student in the Chinese Department of Yenching University, surely that's better than most schools!

"The story is rather naive, and the writing is a bit affected. Realistic literary works like this should have simpler language and not need all sorts of fancy embellishments. Eating is eating, and snoring is snoring."

Zhang Mengzhao commented on Liu Zhenyun's novel. The story and content of Liu Zhenyun's current work differ greatly from his later work, *Tapu*.

Liu Zhenyun hurriedly asked how to make the changes.

Zhang Mengzhao said, "Be realistic. Think about how you feel when you're hungry and you're still hungry after you finish eating."

"At the time, I felt like I wanted to eat the whole bowl. I even had to use my chopsticks to pick up the bits of food hanging on the bowl, chew them, and swallow them," Liu Zhenyun said embarrassedly.

"That's right, write it out like this."

Zhang Mengzhao was very patient, revising the document for the three of them almost word by word.

They chatted until 6 p.m. before reluctantly leaving the library. The four of them went to the cafeteria for lunch, but Zhang Mengzhao, who didn't have a cafeteria ticket from Peking University, had to eat at a restaurant outside.

After Zhang Mengzhao left, Li Xueqin said to Liu Yimin, "Thank you, Yimin. After Editor Zhang gave us some pointers, I feel like I've suddenly seen the light. Maybe after we finish writing, we can submit it to a big magazine. Even if that doesn't work, our literary society's 'Weiming Lake' should be fine."

Liu Yimin used his satchel to shield his eyes from the slanting sunlight: "Why thank me? I wasn't the one who gave the instructions. The person who should be thanked the most is Editor Zhang."

“Editor Zhang deserves our thanks, but you should also thank him. If it weren’t for you, how could Editor Zhang have revised our manuscript so diligently? This isn’t even part of his job,” Liu Zhenyun quickly said.

Chen Dazhi nodded: "It's mainly because of you!"

"Keep writing, maybe you'll get published this year and win a literary award next year," Liu Yimin encouraged the three of them as he walked in the middle.

They write short stories, more than 10,000 words long. A few thousand words is like halfway through a long march, but they don't know when they will be published.

The three of them went to the cafeteria. Unlike before, they ate separately. Liu Zhenyun was in a good mood and, unusually, ordered a meat dish for 15 cents and ate it with the other three.

"The school chef's knife skills are getting better and better!" Liu Yimin joked as he watched the meat getting thinner and thinner, holding it in the air with his chopsticks.

"For a dish that costs 15 cents, there should be more meat." Liu Zhenyun reluctantly picked up a bite of the dish and stuffed it into his mouth, followed by a mouthful of rice. He ate more rice than meat, afraid that he would finish the dish but still have rice left.

"There's a revolution going on in Triangle Area. Many students are complaining about the food being unpalatable and having limited variety. They are demanding that the school address the issues, and some are even cursing the principal."

"I don't know if the principal should be scolded, but the cooking needs to be improved," Chen Dazhi chimed in, picking up where Li Xueqin left off.

Liu Yimin nodded in agreement, appearing to share the same hatred as everyone else. Li Xueqin gave Liu Yimin a disdainful look: "Yimin, stop nodding. Changzheng Restaurant is like your second canteen. I've seen you eat out more often than you eat at school."

“Slander! Utter slander!” Liu Yimin said angrily.

"Senior Brother Liu?"

A girl holding a lunchbox stood next to the four of them. Liu Yimin glanced at her and realized he hadn't seen her before, so he looked at Liu Zhenyun with a questioning look in his eyes.

Chen Dazhi took a bite of his steamed bun, and surprisingly, he, who was usually the most clumsy with words, blurted out without thinking, "Which of the two Senior Brother Lius are you referring to?"

Liu Zhenyun quickly said, "You called me, you called me. Xiao Guo, what brings you here?"

The girl walked up to Liu Zhenyun and put down the lunchbox she was holding: "Of course I came to eat, and I just happened to see you."

The girl's words left Liu Zhenyun speechless. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, so he stammered, "Eat well, eat well!"

Seeing his expression, Liu Yimin prompted, "Zhenyun, aren't you going to introduce him?"

Liu Zhenyun then found a way to start the conversation and quickly said, "This is Guo Jianmei, Yimin. She's from our hometown, but she's closer to us than yours. She's in the law department." Liu Zhenyun then began to explain how he met Guo Jianmei.

Following his mother's advice, Liu Zhenyun visited her friend and met Guo Jianmei. During their conversation, they discovered they had both been admitted to Yenching University. As alumni, they naturally had common topics to discuss. Since Guo Jianmei had never been to Yenching University before, Liu Zhenyun, a seasoned student, began telling her about the university.

The flowers of Yenching University, the lake of Yenching University, the people of Yenching University. Especially his roommate, the famous writer Liu Yimin.

"So you're Liu Yimin, right? I especially love your poems and novels; I never get tired of reading them. When I was in my second year of high school, I would recite your poems to relieve stress when I was too tired from the college entrance exam. Zhenyun said you two are very close, but I didn't believe it at first."

Guo Jianmei awkwardly extended her hand with a smile, and Liu Yimin briefly shook her fingers before letting go. No wonder Liu Zhenyun hadn't been talking much lately; he'd found his "wife."

Liu Zhenyun interjected smugly, "I'm telling you the truth. Yimin's novel is going to be adapted into a movie, and we might even see it in the cafeteria next year. My novel will be finished soon too; I'll show it to you when it's done." Li Xueqin and Chen Dazhi exchanged a glance, their unspoken meaning clear.

"Yimin, what do you think of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina? I recently read it and it touched me deeply. Especially the line, 'Man's most vulnerable point is not his body, but his soul.'"

Liu Yimin, Li Xueqin, and the other two glanced helplessly at Liu Zhenyun. Was it really necessary? They were just discussing the meat in the cafeteria; this was such a huge leap.

Guo Jianmei looked at Liu Zhenyun with a bewildered expression, then glanced at Liu Yimin. As a law student, she loved literature, but her reading volume in high school certainly couldn't compare to that in college.

Tolstoy? She wouldn't understand!

"I don't quite understand, can you explain it to me?" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Liu Zhenyun enthusiastically began recounting the novel *Anna Karenina*, effortlessly quoting classic lines from it. Liu Yimin repeatedly exclaimed in admiration, expressing his respect for Liu Zhenyun's erudition. Guo Jianmei, unfamiliar with the book, nodded repeatedly upon hearing Liu Zhenyun's famous quotes, even attempting to write them down on the spot.

"Guo Jianmei, no need to memorize it. In a few days, Zhenyun will just copy the famous quotes he has copied down for you."

When Liu Zhenyun came out of the cafeteria, he looked like he hadn't had enough. Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Want me to buy you an ice pop?"

Why buy popsicles?

"You've said so much, aren't you thirsty?" Li Xueqin laughed.

Liu Zhenyun tried to hide his expression, pursed his lips, and admitted that he was indeed a little thirsty, but he still forced himself to say, "Yan University is so big, it's not easy to meet someone from our hometown, so we ended up talking a lot!"

Liu Yimin looked up at the sky and said nothing more.

Chen Dazhi had a rather slow reaction time, and after a while he raised his finger and said, "There are two people from Henan Province in our dormitory, that's not bad. I haven't met anyone from Shanxi Province in so long, I've become quite reserved."

On September 15th, Liu Yimin finally finished revising the script for "Romance on Lushan Mountain". After Zhang Mengzhao checked it with the factory, he felt that the script was fully mature and did not need any further revisions.

"Yimin, you've worked hard these past few days. The factory is in a hurry to film, otherwise there wouldn't be such a rush. Casting is already underway, and the factory has also sent people to Lushan to start looking for filming locations."

Zhang Mengzhao looked at the script in her hand and breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed to be having a relaxed time at Yenching University these days.

Actually, I'm under a lot of pressure. I've gained weight and my face is much rosier.

“Editor Zhang, as an author, revising manuscripts is a matter of course. It’s not about whether it’s hard or not; the most important thing is to revise a good script. This is my first film, and I hope that the audience will like it.”

"Don't worry. There's something else. Last time I saw a girl come looking for you, she was quite pretty. Who is she? I've been wanting to ask you, but I haven't been able to say it!"

Zhang Mengzhao put the notebook into his bag and asked with a smile.

"That one by Weiming Lake? Editor Zhang, you're not following me, are you?" Liu Yimin joked.

“What? Who else? I don’t have the time to follow you. I was taking a walk by Weiming Lake and happened to see this scene. I wanted to say hello, but I was afraid of being too forward!” Zhang Mengzhao said.

As Liu Yimin helped Zhang Mengzhao pack his things, he said, "That's Zhu Lin, an actor from the Beijing People's Art Theatre."

Last time Zhu Lin came to Yenching University, he gave Liu Yimin

Zhang Mengzhao pressed further, "What kind of role are you playing?"

"Playing Yu Jiajia in 'Mr. Donkey'!"

"It's still your script. You two seem to know each other well. Don't worry, I'm not from your school, so I can't interfere in your young people's affairs. Speaking of which, I've been in Yanjing for quite a while now and haven't seen 'Mr. Donkey' yet. I should see it before I leave. What about the tickets?"

Zhang Mengzhao turned his gaze to Liu Yimin, his words carrying a strong implication.

"Let's go then! We can't watch it without tickets, so let's do it tonight!"

So Zhang Mengzhao stayed at Yenching University for another day. In the afternoon, he borrowed a bicycle from Li Xueqin and they went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre together.

The script fee for "Romance on Lushan Mountain" has not yet been determined; the studio is waiting for Zhang Mengzhao to return before making a decision.

However, Zhang Mengzhao confidently assured Liu Yimin that the script's standards would absolutely surprise him.

"Our Shanghai Film Studio may lack money, but it doesn't lack script fees. We are willing to invest in good scripts."

When they arrived at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Liu Yimin went to Lan Tianye to ask for tickets. Lan Tianye had two tickets delivered and said with a smile, "If you had come any later, these tickets would have been gone. You two would have had to find a bench and sit in a corner to watch."

Liu Yimin thanked him and handed the ticket to Zhang Mengzhao.

"Great spot! You really have a lot of influence at the Beijing People's Art Theatre!" Zhang Mengzhao joked, taking out six mao from his pocket and handing it to Liu Yimin without further ado.

The two of them were seated in the fourth row of the first floor, not too far apart but not too close either. Liu Yimin had already checked, but as his client's representative, Zhang Mengzhao still needed to keep her company.

I'm happy, maybe I can get an extra hundred or so yuan in royalties.

"The moment you step into the Beijing People's Art Theatre's theater, you feel a difference. I've seen plays in Shanghai before, and we have a drama troupe, but I don't get this feeling." As for what that feeling is, Zhang Mengzhao couldn't explain it.

Liu Yimin knew that, on the one hand, the facilities were indeed excellent, and on the other hand, she had a certain pilgrimage mentality; the image of the Beijing People's Art Theatre in her heart was already lofty.

"Is that the girl?"

After the opening ceremony, Zhang Mengzhao looked at Zhu Lin after Liu Yimin.

"Yes, that's her!"

"You have a good foundation. What did you do before?"

(End of this chapter)