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

Chapter 374 Yu Hua Arrives in Beijing
Due to technical limitations, the stage set couldn't fully depict the swirling yellow sand, but the actors' lines and shouts still allowed the audience to feel the harshness of the environment and the scientists' and soldiers' determination to fight against nature.

Each powerful line of dialogue touched the softest spot in the audience's hearts, and no one dared to blink for fear of missing a wonderful moment.

As the atomic bomb was about to explode, the entire theater was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Both the actors and the audience were tense, as if everyone was on a test site, anxiously waiting for the mushroom cloud to rise in the sky.

The loudspeaker continuously emitted a cold, mechanical countdown: "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, detonate!"

A deafening explosion rang out in the theater, and the actors on stage cheered and celebrated this great victory.

Several groups of soldiers carrying red flags rushed out from behind the audience seats, shouting victory slogans as they ran along the aisle to the stage.

In an instant, red flags fluttered on the stage, billowing in the west wind, turning the entire stage into a sea of ​​red flags.

The audience erupted in cheers, the sound so loud it seemed to pierce the roof of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and the actors' families who were resting upstairs felt the tremors.

Amidst the red flags, the actors embraced each other, tossing their hats into the air and down to the audience. Below, the leaders in the front row clasped hands tightly, as if reliving the day of their victory.

As the music began, the actors sang "The Motherland Will Not Forget" in unison.

"Let's sing together!" The old commander straightened his military cap and collar insignia, stood in the front row of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and sang loudly.

In the long river of a glorious career
That which is forever surging forward is me.

I don't need your praise

I don't expect you to repay me.

I blended the brilliance into
Integrate into the mountains and rivers of the motherland

The mountains know me, the rivers know me

The motherland will never forget me.

After the play ended, Liu Yimin greeted Zhu Guangqian and Yan Jiayan. Zhu Guangqian's eyes were filled with tears as he told Yan Jiayan about the hardships he faced when he studied at the University of Edinburgh in England, where the country was backward and students were like rootless grass.

"Professor Zhu, Professor Yan, please take care on your way back."

"Don't worry, go ahead and do your thing!" Yan Jiayan said.

The actors backstage, still immersed in their roles, all had red eyes. Ouyang Shanzun's voice rang out: "Comrades, the leaders want to come and see you!"

Liu Yimin followed a group of leaders into the backstage area and shook hands with each of the actors who were still wearing makeup.

"Comrades, you are remarkable, your performance was wonderful, I thank you!" the old commander said loudly.

The actors eagerly shook hands with the leaders, and finally someone suggested taking a photo.

“Great, let’s take a picture together on the stage.” The old leader readily agreed.

The audience had all left the theater, and all the lights on the stage and in the audience area were turned on. Cao Yu had someone bring in the best camera in the theater.

After taking the photos, the old commander shook Cao Yu's hand and said, "Old Wan, you have a group of good soldiers under your command. The rehearsals were excellent. I originally thought that compared with the military drama troupe, your soldiers' iron will would be too weak. I didn't expect you to bring it to life so well, especially the last part, which was excellent and made the audience feel like they were there."

"This was the idea of ​​director Zhu Lin from our directing team. We did this to make the audience feel like they were there. Also, because the stage is limited, we wanted to find a way to expand the experiential space on stage," Cao Yu explained with a smile.

The last scene refers to the row of soldiers carrying red flags rushing onto the stage from the back of the audience.

"Oh? Where is Comrade Zhu Lin?" The old commander looked around, and Zhu Lin walked out from the side.

The old leader shook hands with Zhu Lin: "Not bad, this is our reserve force of directors for the Beijing People's Art Theatre. Comrade Yimin writes the script, and you direct it. Husband and wife working together, hahaha. I heard from Yimin that you are pregnant. You two must cultivate good successors for the country's literary and artistic cause."

"Thank you for your concern, old commander," Zhu Lin said, blushing.

"Alright, if Yimin bullies you, remember to come find me. It's getting late, everyone, let's get ready to go home!"

Comrade Zhang and Director Aiping patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder, praising him with smiles for the excellent book and script, and for the even better performance by the comrades from the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

After seeing the group of leaders off, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin said goodbye to Cao Yu and prepared to go home.

Cao Yu held onto Liu Yimin's arm, preventing him from leaving, and instead turned to announce to the actors and director: "The actors and director who participated in today's performance will receive a bonus of thirty yuan at the end of the month."

The actor, who only earned thirty or forty yuan a month, jumped up excitedly, and several directors grinned and thanked Cao Yu.

"Comrades, we must continue to create even better plays. We must not be arrogant, but guard against complacency and create more masterpieces."

After Cao Yu finished speaking, he waved for everyone to leave work.

"Yimin, you two drive carefully!" Cao Yu said.

"Teacher Wan, don't worry!"

Liu Yimin then left the Beijing People's Art Theatre with Zhu Lin. After passing Tiananmen Square, the streets were very quiet, with the evening wind whistling and the occasional bark of a dog.

Back at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Liu Yimin immediately turned on the air conditioner in the bedroom.

"Teacher Liu, the temperature of the heating pipes is higher than it was a couple of days ago. It seems that the heating has started, but it will take some time for the water temperature to rise," Zhu Lin said, touching the heating pipes.

Liu Yimin said, "We won't need to turn on the air conditioner in a couple of days. It should be quite warm by the 15th."

Nowadays, heating systems cover fewer areas, and the hot water circulation paths within the pipes are shorter, so the heat rises quickly.

In addition, the places that can be heated are all important units and apartments, so the heating system dares not cut corners on this.

Unlike some later heating companies that always tried to cut corners on heating supply.

"Teacher Liu, those leaders are really so kind." Zhu Lin placed his hand next to the air conditioner vent, warming it as if he were sitting by a fire.

"The main thing is that the arrangement is good," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

If the rankings are bad, who can still laugh?
Liu Yimin didn't go back to his study to write anything; instead, he took a hot bath with Zhu Lin. The tub bath had been changed to a combination of shower and tub bath, which was much more convenient than before.

That night, the two lay in bed chatting idly, and when they woke up the next day, they had no idea when they had fallen asleep.

Liu Yimin patted the blanket next to him and found no one was there. He pushed open the door and heard Zhu Lin busy in the kitchen.

"Teacher Liu, how many eggs would you like to eat?" Zhu Lin asked.

"One, please!"

"it is good!"

After washing up, breakfast was laid out on the table. After eating, Liu Yimin took Zhu Lin to the Beijing People's Art Theatre and then went to Yenching University.

Zhu Guangqian was sitting in his office reading the newspaper when he heard Liu Yimin come in. He looked up and said, "Look, the People's Daily is reporting on the play 'The Birth of a Nation,' using the word 'shocking' several times in a row."

"Professor Zhu, what time did you get home last night?" Liu Yimin asked.

"When was it? I've forgotten. The old man went home, soaked his feet, and went to sleep. He's really getting old. In the past, I could ride from the Beijing People's Art Theatre to Yenching University without stopping, but I can't do that now." Zhu Guangqian handed the newspaper to Liu Yimin and took out some documents from the drawer to prepare for work.

Liu Yimin took the newspaper and glanced at it. There was also a commentary on "The Legendary Manager".

"The people below are really making a mess of things. Now some units consider perming hair and applying face cream as capitalists, even though that's not what the higher-ups mean. The people below have gone astray." Zhu Guangqian couldn't help but complain, recalling the absurd things that happened recently during the purge of capitalists.

"This also reflects the issue of the quality of grassroots workers. When documents are issued from above and implemented below, they can't distinguish between them, so they resort to a one-size-fits-all approach. However, such examples are not numerous, and I believe this will be corrected in a while," Liu Yimin said.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Guangqian finalized the materials and awaited the convening of the textbook compilation and review committee. In fact, the higher authorities had already taken note of this issue, emphasizing the need to separate personal pursuits of a better life from capitalism, and prohibiting any attempt to influence people's interests or hobbies.

As Liu Yimin said, the article "Pollution Must Be Eliminated, Life Must Be Beautified" published in the China Youth Daily on the 17th stated that perming hair and wearing fashionable clothes to dance in groups should not be banned as pollution.

"Yi Min, let's go to court!" Zhu Guangqian said as he stood up in the office.

On November 18th, the textbook editing and review committee meeting of the Chinese Department of Yenching University was officially held. Zhu Guangqian and Liu Yimin, along with several graduate students, walked into the editing and review room with their chests puffed out.

Zhu Guangqian and Liu Yimin greeted the members of the editorial committee. Qian Zhongshu and Ji Xianlin, who were chatting, smiled and nodded when they saw the two.

Qian Zhongshu and Ji Xianlin sat at the head of the table, followed by Wang Zuoliang, Yan Jiayan, Wu Zuxiang, Wang Yao, and others. Sun Yushi, as the editor and host, sat in the middle.

"Professor Zhu, Professor Liu, are you nervous?" Qian Zhongshu asked with a smile.

Zhu Guangqian said arrogantly, "We can only deal with soldiers when they come and dam water when it comes."

"Thank you for attending the textbook editing and review meeting, professors," Liu Yimin said.

Qian Zhongshu praised, "It's not hard work. I went to see the play 'The Birth of a Nation,' and it was very impressive. Professor Liu, you are amazing! Also, last time Jiabao told us that there was a plate of braised sea cucumber with scallions that hadn't been served yet. Later I found out that he was referring to the novel 'The Legendary Shopkeeper.'"

Wang Zuoliang interjected, "I returned to China in 49 and have lived in Yanjing ever since. Yimin's 'The Legendary Shopkeeper' is truly unique. In the words of old Yanjing residents, it's 'exceptionally authentic'!"

Liu Yimin waved his hand, and the graduate students behind him walked towards the chairs at the back.

The meeting room tables and chairs were arranged in a rectangle, with several stools behind the rectangle. There were no tables, and the graduate students sat in the back as observers.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Guangqian sat opposite the editorial committee, next to an empty seat with a nameplate for "Yang Hui" on it.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Professor Sun Yushi cleared his throat and said, "Professors, today is the editorial meeting for the textbook 'Western Modern Literary Thought' of the Chinese Department of Yenching University. The chief editor of the textbook is Professor Liu Yimin, the deputy chief editor is Professor Zhu Guangqian, and the late Professor Yang Hui is the deputy chief editor."

Thank you to Professor Qian Zhongshu and Professor Ji Xianlin for attending the textbook editing and review meeting of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Yenching University.

After Sun Yushi's lengthy opening remarks, the review process officially began. To put it bluntly, it was one side finding fault, while the other side frantically offered explanations.

Qian Zhongshu and others had already read the textbook, so they asked questions directly.

Wang Zuoliang was the first to open his notebook and ask a question: "In the section on Latin American literature, I noticed that there is not only literary content, but also background information on Latin American literature, which is based on the history of colonial aggression and the current turbulent situation in Latin America."

I'd like to ask why this background was emphasized; is there too much political content in the literary work?

Liu Yimin was about to answer when Zhu Guangqian clapped his hands, signaling him to speak: "I'll answer the part that Lao Yang wrote."

"Distinguished professors, let me explain. Before we began editing the textbook, our guiding principle was to create a textbook on modern foreign literature suitable for socialist youth."

While introducing students to foreign literature, we should also cultivate their correct values. The modern history of the world is a history of enslavement and being enslaved, a history that has impacted, and even destroyed, every aspect of people's lives.

The rise of magical realism in Latin America is due to the region's unique cultural and historical background, as well as its current social context. Therefore, we cannot study literature in isolation; we should delve into the reasons behind it. As one of the important reasons, I feel this discussion will not take up much space.

We believe that the study of foreign literary thought cannot stop at the level of literature itself. Otherwise, if we understand the theory but not the underlying reasons, our understanding is far too superficial.

Wang Zuoliang nodded and didn't ask any further questions. It's a well-known fact that textbooks from various countries contain ideologies.

“The state of literature in modern and contemporary countries is inseparable from politics. In the 1950s and 60s, the left-wing movement swept across Europe and had a profound impact on literary works. I think what your German part lacks is the idea of ​​resistance against the economy and industry, or resistance against the government and society as a whole.”

Qian Zhongshu showed everyone the contents of the German section and pointed out the inaccuracies in the textbook.

Post-war West Germany experienced economic boom, but social distortions were severe. Germany was divided, former Nazis returned to the political stage, and Nazi ideology remained deeply entrenched.

Literature intensified its critical approach, which was termed "dissentism."

"Professor Qian, we accept your suggestion. Because Germany is divided into the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, we analyzed both countries, which resulted in each country being relatively short. In fact, we mentioned this issue on page nine, but we did not analyze it in depth."

Liu Yimin turned to this part and explained it to everyone.

Qian Zhongshu insisted that it should be analyzed in more depth, since it is a university textbook and students should be able to understand more about it.

Ji Xianlin proposed adding more comparative literature content: "Ideally, it should be a separate article comparing contemporary mainstream Western literature with Chinese literature. Comparative literature is a hot topic now, and our textbooks should keep up with it."

Only in this way can our textbooks be universally applicable in universities across the country.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Guangqian exchanged a glance and accepted Ji Xianlin's suggestion.

Next, several professors raised numerous questions, which Zhu Guangqian and Liu Yimin answered one by one. Besides the questions, everyone also praised the textbook content.

“If your textbooks can pass the ministry’s review, it will fill a gap in the current domestic textbooks, and all the universities will use your books,” Qian Zhongshu said.

Yan Jiayan then asked, "Professor Qian, Professor Wang, what do you think about this textbook being adopted by Tsinghua University and the School of Foreign Languages?"

Wang Zuoliang and Qian Zhongshu exchanged a glance. "Alright, let's checkmate them directly."

"You should get it approved by the ministry first. As long as it's approved, we'll use it," Qian Zhongshu assured him.

Textbooks are generally more expensive than standalone books on the market, and since Yenching University has its own publishing house, it sells more and earns more. Since the Chinese Department provides the funding, it naturally receives a larger share of the profits.

At this point, the "interview" officially ended. After sorting out the problems that might arise during the internal editing and review process, the textbook was directly submitted to the ministry.

The Chinese Department treated the members of the editorial board to lunch at a restaurant outside, and all the graduate students in the office also attended.

Liu Yimin introduced them one by one, and Wang Zuoliang immediately took a liking to one of the graduate students and asked if he could teach at the School of Foreign Languages ​​after graduation.

"Professor Wang, it's time to eat," Yan Jiayan said with dissatisfaction.

Wang Zuoliang chuckled: "Let's eat, let's eat."

The graduate student that Wang Zuoliang valued was a student under Yan Jiayan.

Several graduate students looked at Liu Yimin gratefully; indeed, honors are not meant to be enjoyed alone.

After Qian Zhongshu and Wang Zuoliang left, Yan Jiayan said with a smile, "Professor Zhu, Professor Liu, let's work hard again and try to get the parts that need to be revised or added out by the 22nd, and send them to the ministry on the 23rd."

Zhu Guangqian and Liu Yimin nodded, indicating that there was no problem.

Ji Xianlin said, "Don't be nervous about the department's review; it's the same people reviewing everything anyway. Once your textbooks are finished, the Western Languages ​​Department will also need them. Jia Yan, you've done a good job. The appointment for the head of the Chinese Department will be coming soon; I hope you can lead the department to rapid development."

After Ji Xianlin finished speaking, he left immediately. Liu Yimin congratulated Yan Jiayan, saying, "Professor Yan, next year when we meet again, you'll be Director Yan."

Zhu Guangqian, Wang Yao, and the others patted Yan Jiayan on the shoulder with smiles. Yan Jiayan's expression didn't change much; in fact, it was somewhat bitter.

As Liu Yimin and others celebrated their first successful "trial," a young man from Haiyan, Zhejiang Province, stepped off the train.

As he stepped onto the platform at Yenching Station, his legs involuntarily began to tremble. He had boarded the train in Shanghai and stood all the way to Yenching.

Because of his identity as a "writer", he did not crawl under the seats to sleep like the other people who did not have seats.

After all, he is a writer, and should have some of the integrity of a scholar.

So, as I was getting off the train down the iron steps, my legs gave way and I almost fell onto the platform.

Actually, I wanted to crawl away after standing there for three hours, but there was no space left to crawl under.

"Damn, Yanjing is so cold!" Yu Hua tightened his coat.

(End of this chapter)