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

Chapter 368 The Old Chief's Envy
In his study, Xu Chi spent a long time commenting on "The Legendary Manager." Besides the plot, he also highly praised Liu Yimin's descriptions of famous dishes from Beijing restaurants.

In Xu Chi's words, the writing is flavorful; even those who haven't tasted it will know what "braised sea cucumber with scallions" tastes like after reading it.

“Yimin, your observation of life is definitely not that of an observer; you are an insightful observer who delves deeply into life.”

After praising Liu Yimin's article, Xu Chi began to talk about his current thoughts and attitudes toward writing.

“After returning from France with you, I became acutely aware of the gap between us and the Western world. We are far behind in modernization. I plan to focus my writing efforts on science from now on. Literature is emotional, while science is rational. I hope to convey rational science to the general public and improve everyone’s understanding of science. What do you think?” Xu Chi asked humbly.

Liu Yimin first praised Xu Chi for his dedication to popularizing science, but then reminded him: "Ordinary people lack knowledge of science and engineering, and they won't be able to understand articles that are too 'scientific'; they will only find them boring."

Old Xu, you can't stray into the mindset of purely scientific writing.

Xu Chi's dedication to scientific writing in his later years was also one of the factors contributing to his tragic end.

His overly rational writing style makes his articles "hard science," which is difficult for ordinary people to understand and find boring. Apart from people with relevant professional knowledge, no ordinary people will follow Xu Chi's articles.

The reason why "Göchbad's Conjecture" became a popular work that was eagerly read for a time was because it brought the person of "Chen Jingrun" to life, and more importantly, it was a tribute to Chen Jingrun's scientific spirit.

Once the focus shifts from "scientists" to "science," the readership will decrease significantly.

Xu Chi's pursuit of pure literature reached an extreme. When the Writers Association and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles separated, there were opinions to give "Jin Gu Chuan Qi" to the Writers Association. It was founded in Hubei Province in 81 and was a representative magazine of popular literature.

As a leader of the Writers Association, Xu Chi directly rejected "Legends of Today and Yesterday".

Liu Yimin carefully analyzed for him why "Göchbad's Conjecture" became a phenomenal work of reportage, and talked about the reading threshold of "pure science" articles.

Liu Yimin handed Xu Chi a cup of coffee and, seeing him deep in thought, continued, "Comrade Xu, your thinking is dangerous."

"Where is it dangerous?" Xu Chi felt that Liu Yimin's words were a bit exaggerated, even going too far.

“Elite literaryism. Literature is also a form of ideological education. Since it is ideological education, we should seek out the broadest possible readership. If you do that, you will become detached from the broadest possible readership,” Liu Yimin said bluntly.

Xu Chi was about to say something when Liu Yimin interrupted him again: "As the old man said, if we don't occupy the cultural and ideological front, the enemy will. If the enemy occupies it, then all we will hear is the world's denial of us."

"Yimin, you think there's a problem with my literary ideas, so what do you suggest I do?" Xu Chi continued to ask for advice.

"Your conjecture in 'Göttingen's Conjecture' is very well written. To write scientific reportage, you need to combine people and science to increase the reader's interest. You should even make it understandable for people with little cultural knowledge, thus lowering the reading threshold."

The goal is to let the broadest masses of people understand the progress of national science and the efforts of national scientists. In fact, "Göttingen's Conjecture" shares a similar approach with so-called "nonfiction writing" in the United States, possessing both literary merit and factual accuracy.

Xu Chi didn't reply, but instead paced back and forth in the study. Liu Yimin didn't disturb him, and sat alone in the study, silently writing "The Legendary Manager".

After writing about a thousand words, Xu Chi walked over excitedly and said, "Yimin, I understand, I understand! My thinking was too narrow. A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study."

If I continue down this path of thinking, I'm truly going astray. "Yu Xin's writing improved with age," but if I were to follow my own logic, it would probably be "Yu Xin's writing became increasingly difficult!"

Seeing that Xu Chi had accepted his suggestion, Liu Yimin put down his pen and smiled, "Actually, there is a way to verify this. You write one of each, Comrade Xu, and you will be able to see which one has a higher readership."

Xu Chi smiled and said he would try it when he had time. Liu Yimin asked Xu Chi if he would come to the courtyard to attend the gathering during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"I don't have many days left. I'll stay in Yanjing for the Mid-Autumn Festival before I leave. My sister and I are getting old, and every time we meet, it will be the last time we see each other. I want to settle down and spend some time with her."

"Great, that'll make it even more lively."

Liu Yimin took the manuscript and delivered Xu Chi back to the courtyard house, then rushed to the Beijing People's Art Theatre. Before the workday ended, Liu Yimin went into Cao Yu's office.

"Why are you here?" Cao Yu asked in surprise.

"I've finished translating 'Beloved,' and I brought it to show you specially," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Cao Yu stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, "Let me see how it is. Three great translators working together on this translation. How interesting!"

Cao Yu took the translated manuscript and began to read it carefully. Liu Yimin got up and went to check on the rehearsal in the rehearsal room. Four directors stood in front of the stage, their expressions meticulous.

After Liu Yimin approached, Xia Chun turned to him and asked, "Yimin, what do you think of these actors?"

Yang Lixin has now become a pillar of the Beijing People's Art Theatre's young acting force, and naturally, he plays the role of Lu Guangda, a young man who has returned from abroad.

Lu Guangda's wife is played by Yan Minqiu, who played Abbess Miejue in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber".

Although Yan Minqiu is a little older than Yang Lixin, it's not noticeable after makeup. Moreover, Wang Ruhui, Lu Guangda's wife in the script, is actually around that age, making the age difference extremely accurate.

The nuclear commander Feng Shi is played by Zhu Xu, who is best known for his role as the old artist in Wu Tianming's film "The King of Masks".

He joined the Beijing People's Art Theatre in 52 and has been active on its stage for thirty years. His age and weathered demeanor fit the image of a soldier who has fought both at home and abroad.

"Where are we in the queue now?" Liu Yimin asked curiously.

Xia Chun pointed to the stage and introduced, "The casting process started in September and only ended on the 7th. We only had 8 days of rehearsals in total, and it was still a makeshift team!"

“Teacher Liu, we’ve only gone through the first act, ‘Accepting the Mission,’ once,” Zhu Lin added.

"Directors, I think the characters' temperaments are quite suitable, and I believe the rehearsals will go very smoothly."

Hearing that Liu Yimin was very satisfied with the director's casting and the actors' costumes and makeup, the directors smiled knowingly.

It was almost time to get off work, but Cao Yu hadn't finished watching yet, so he invited Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin to his house for dinner.

Back home, Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin helped Li Yuru cook, while Cao Yu sat alone on the sofa reading his manuscript.

Unlike Liu Yimin, who only skimmed through the translation, Cao Yu treated the translation of "Beloved" as a serious English work.

Li Yuru broke a pea in her hand and glanced at Cao Yu in the living room: "Look how captivated he is by your article, his eyes are practically popping out of his head."

"Teacher's wife, this proves that Teacher Liu wrote well!" Zhu Lin said.

Li Yuru laughed heartily a few times and went to get busy. Cao Yu only finished reading the meal after it was cooked and placed on the table.

"The translation is excellent. The vocabulary and grammar are authentic, without any flowery language or overly simplistic translation. The English writing is fluent, and Zhongshu's style is evident in the beginning."

After Cao Yu finished his comments, he asked how Qian Zhongshu was doing. The two were classmates, but Qian Zhongshu was staying at home and they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

“Professor Qian is in good health and spirits. I’ve invited him to the courtyard to admire the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as the person whose portrait hangs in your study,” Liu Yimin said.

Cao Yu was puzzled for half a minute before realizing that Liu Yimin was referring to "Huang Yongyu".

“Yongyu, he and Zhongshu are good friends, and we haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

After dinner, Cao Yu inquired about the progress of Liu Yimin's new work. Li Yuru complained that Cao Yu only cared about the work and didn't even let Liu Yimin rest.

"Teacher's wife, I've brought the manuscript over. Teacher, it's not finished yet, please take a look at the beginning first."

"Wow, what an unexpected bonus." Cao Yu took Liu Yimin's manuscript and went into the study. He hadn't expected Liu Yimin to write so quickly.

Zhu Lin took Li Yuru's hand and told her about Liu Yimin's apprenticeship at Fengzeyuan. Li Yuru smiled at Liu Yimin and said that she wanted to eat his "Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions" when they admired the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Don't worry, there's absolutely no problem," Liu Yimin assured him. Cao Yu came out of the study after reading it, holding the manuscript in his hand and shouting at Liu Yimin, "I just finished eating, but after reading this, I'm hungry again. I miss the taste of Fengzeyuan's braised sea cucumber with scallions."

“Perfect timing! Linlin said Yimin learned it, so let him cook for us on Mid-Autumn Festival.” Li Yuru teased Cao Yu.

Seeing Cao Yu looking at Liu Yimin, he braced himself and said, "As long as everyone has good teeth, I will definitely do my best."

When Zhu Lin got home, he saw the painting in the study, a dark blob that looked like black yarn, and said, "Teacher Liu, what is this? It doesn't depict anything."

Liu Yimin pointed to the signature below and said, "With these few words, everything is fine."

"A gift from Huang Yongyu?" After reading it aloud, Zhu Lin stood in front of the painting and looked at it again. He solemnly said, "The brushstrokes are simple, but the meaning is rich! Teacher Liu, look, the black represents black people and also the dark system of racial discrimination. These hands represent people struggling in suffering."

"Hahaha!" Liu Yimin rolled up the painting and said, "This is the skill of a master! Zhu Lin, just do as you please. If you can't appreciate some abstract things, that's fine too. Actually, I think it's just so-so."

Zhu Lin, blushing, pushed Liu Yimin back to the bedroom to rest.

Outside the room, the shadows of trees swayed in the dead of night, and from inside came a few scattered sounds of "No!"
The following day, Liu Yimin rewrote the original English manuscript again, keeping the copy as a backup. The newly copied translation was sent out via airmail to the international mail counter of the post office.

Airmail is the fastest form of communication; it should reach the editorial office of *The Paris Review* within a week. If they value it, *The Darling* will be published in the winter issue of *The Paris Review* in 1983.

Since its release on August 15th, "The Birth of a Nation" has been on the market for one month and five days.

The Shanghai-based Wenhui Daily was the first to disclose the sales figures for the August issue of Harvest magazine, displaying the figure of 8 million sales in the largest print on the front page.

The sales volume in one month had already reached the sales volume of "Triumph at Midnight" in two months. Wenhui Daily boldly predicted that by October 15, the sales volume of the August issue of Harvest would reach about three million copies.

"How do you feel when you see these numbers?" The old leader smiled and handed the Wenhui Daily to Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin took the newspaper and said, "The sales volume has exceeded my expectations. This is all thanks to the scientists and soldiers."

"Don't take credit for it. The character development and plot arrangement in the novel are all your doing. Old Zhang and Director Aiping loved it so much that they each bought two thousand copies of the 'Harvest' magazine and sent them to the base, the school, and the soldiers in the vicinity."

The response was overwhelming; some comrades read it several times in a row, and the magazine practically fell apart after a month of reading.

The old commander told Liu Yimin in detail about the reactions of the base's scientists and soldiers to "The Birth of a Nation".

"Really? Thank you so much everyone."

"I always said that written language has enormous power. Don't underestimate these seemingly insignificant square characters; the power they contain is no less than that of a nuclear bomb with a yield of one million kilotons. I told the comrades at the People's Education Press that when the middle school Chinese textbooks are revised next time, we must select a passage from 'The Birth of a Nation' and include it in the textbooks so that our children can learn from our scientists."

If a section from "The Birth of a Nation" were to be included in a textbook, it would definitely be the part about the base personnel's arduous efforts and celebrations of success before and after the atomic bomb explosion.

Liu Yimin said expectantly, "Then I'll wait for the day when it's used in the textbook!"

"The articles in our textbooks must be carefully selected, because they are related to the education of the next generation."

After the old leader finished speaking, he called out "Little Li," and Secretary Li immediately walked in from outside, carrying a box in his hand.

The old leader said, "Yimin, let me show you a little gadget."

Secretary Li gave Liu Yimin an envious smile, quickly placed the box on the table, and opened it.

Inside, a cannonball made of stacked brass bullet casings was visible, but the more you looked at the cannonball, the more it resembled "Miss Qiu".

Once it was served, it looked even more like it. Liu Yimin looked at the old leader next to him, who nodded in acknowledgment of Liu Yimin's guess.

Secretary Li gently pressed the top of the "bullet," and a powerful and majestic song immediately came out, singing "The Motherland Will Not Forget."

"Old Chief, what's this?"

"This is a gift from your comrades at the base, to thank you for your contributions to the Malan base. Do you like it?"

"A gift for me? I thought it was for you." Liu Yimin got up and carefully examined the anatomy of this 'Miss Qiu'.

Although the model is made of bullet casings, they are glued together so tightly that the internal structure is not visible from the outside.

"Don't show off in front of me, kid. It's just a little gadget that a few scientists made when they had nothing better to do. I don't want it at all. There's a musical device in here that can not only play music but also broadcast signals. If you turn it on, the radio next to you can hear it if it picks up this channel. It's a little device like a satellite!"

Secretary Li found a radio and tried it, and it actually received the channel.

"Take it away quickly, don't linger in front of me." The old commander waved his hand, but couldn't help glancing at it a couple more times as Liu Yimin packed it up.

"Goodbye, old commander. Please thank the comrades at the base for me when you have time," Liu Yimin said, shaking the wooden box.

"Xiao Li, see the guest out!"

After Liu Yimin left, Secretary Li returned to his study, where the old leader muttered to himself, "I wondered why he didn't make two, one for Yimin and one for me."

The music device inside "Miss Qiu" is designed similarly to the music transmitter inside the original satellite. However, it's a smaller version, with a signal transmission distance of only about thirty meters.

The commemorative value is much greater than the physical object itself.
"Commander, let me talk to the comrades at the base."

"Never mind, they have more important tasks. We can't let them get distracted," the old commander said helplessly, waving his hand.

Liu Yimin arrived at the courtyard house with the gifts. He thoroughly cleaned the three courtyards. Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the withered flowers and fallen leaves from the ginkgo trees were scattered all over the ground.

They bought several more sets of tables and chairs, so Liu Yimin wouldn't have to borrow them from Aunt Liang's house when there were many people.

On the afternoon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the courtyard gate was wide open. Zhang Guangnian was the first to arrive. He was no longer in charge of "People's Literature and Art" and had less work, but he still had a lot of worries. He came first because he wanted some peace and quiet.

Zhang Guangnian and his wife Huang Yelu walked into the second courtyard and saw Liu Yimin soaking sea cucumbers. They asked him in confusion what he was doing.

"I'll make braised sea cucumber with scallions for everyone."

Zhang Guangnian asked in surprise, "When did you learn Shandong cuisine?"

"I just learned how to make it, so I can't guarantee it will taste good."

Huang Yelu went into the kitchen to help, and Zhang Guangnian praised, "The influence of the novel 'The Birth of a Nation' is too great. It will reach three million copies in sales. Even if it doesn't reach that number, it's close. Comrade Wang Meng, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of 'People's Literature and Art,' came to me specifically because of this."

"What do you want?" Liu Yimin asked.

"He wanted to reform the magazine and asked for my opinion. Since I'm no longer in that position, of course I shouldn't interfere!" Zhang Guangnian said.

The two hadn't been chatting for long when Xia Yan pulled Xiao Yun'er in by the hand. Like Zhang Guangnian, he first congratulated "The Birth of a Nation" on its sales in the market.

"Please don't praise me too much, the other articles in Harvest are also very good."

"Haha, with such high sales, isn't it because of 'The Birth of a Nation'? Don't we understand?"

"Brother Yimin, I also really enjoy watching it. I know all the parts, especially that line."

Liu Yimin pinched Shen Yun's face and said, "Alright, you don't need to say that!"

(End of this chapter)