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

Chapter 40 Meeting at the Summit (Please continue reading)

Yang Chenglin was the director of the Luocheng Mining Bureau. He wasn't required to attend this meeting, nor was he invited. However, upon hearing that the top official in the region was to give an experience report, he shamelessly brought his second daughter, who hadn't passed the exam, along.

"Hello, Director Yang, I've heard so much about you!" Liu Yimin said with a smile as he shook hands with Yang.

Yang Chenglin raised an eyebrow with interest: "Oh? Comrade Liu Yimin, you've heard of me?"

"I often saw it in the newspaper on the bulletin board when I took my older brother to work at the Third Mine," Liu Yimin said without batting an eye.

Yang Chenglin nodded. It turned out that Liu Yimin had some connection with the coal mine. He continued to ask about Liu Yimin's situation and learned that he had won the title of model worker in the last coal mine skills competition. He gradually remembered that the award was personally presented by the leaders of the mining bureau.

"My older brother bought this watch for me with his prize industrial vouchers!" Liu Yimin turned the Shanghai brand steel watch on his wrist, which made Yang Chenglin remember it even more.

Before the meeting was scheduled to begin, Yang Yushan didn't let the atmosphere become dull. Instead, he started to deliver his speech, which consisted of slogans calling on everyone to contribute to the country.

Yang Chenglin kept asking Liu Yimin about his study methods, and finally said with a little embarrassment, "Old Yang and I are from the same place, and we both have the surname Yang. Comrade Liu Yimin, I won't stand on ceremony with you. I heard that you are creating works at the cultural center, and I have a favor to ask. I would like my daughter to study with you for a few days."

"Director Yang, you're too kind. Anyway, I don't have much to do at the cultural center, so I can come anytime."

Yang Chenglin nodded in satisfaction. This young man is a good match! If he could also get along with our daughter, that would be even better!

By 9 o'clock, Yang Yushan's throat was dry from talking, and the staff had to refill his tea several times.

"Yimin, don't be nervous, just do it like me!" Yang Yushan was setting an example for him, afraid that he would be nervous.

"I will learn from you!"

After the meeting began, an inspiring song played in the movie theater. Liu Yimin was adorned with a big red flower, and under Yang Yushan's leadership, thunderous applause erupted from below.

The cinema's auditorium has 39 rows of seats and 1134 fixed seats. Now, not only are the seats full of people, but the aisles and back rows are also full of people.

The applause continued for a long time, so loud it hurt my eardrums.

"Now, please welcome Comrade Liu Yimin to give a report!"

Liu Yimin got up and went outside the podium, using an old-fashioned standing wired megaphone. Sitting on the podium was too much of a hindrance to his performance!

"Hello comrades, I am Liu Yimin. Those of you standing in the corridor, please sit down. I'm nothing special, just an ordinary person, dark-skinned and thin. My nose isn't crooked, but I have a mouth down there, so please sit down. You can listen while sitting!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Hahahaha!"

"The topic of my report to you today is 'Standing Tall and Looking Forward.' I'm nothing special compared to you; I'm just one of the millions of test takers. At this time last year, I was still working in the fields."

Of course, there's nothing wrong with working hard, but going to university would open up a whole new world for me! China's college entrance examination is a massive undertaking, and I'm just lucky enough to be at the forefront of it for now.

How do we look forward? For us, the college entrance examination is about looking forward. Where is the future? The future lies on those exam papers, on those tiny report cards! The future is vast; it encompasses the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, the North and South Poles—the wonders of the world can only be seen by venturing out. Beyond the mountains of Ruxian County lie more mountains, but as long as we keep walking, we will surely see the boundless sea.

To see the wonderful world, what should you do? That's to calm your mind and study, do problems and do more problems!

The Revolutionary Committee sent Liu Yimin to encourage everyone, so naturally he had to promote the importance of the college entrance examination. However, in 78, this was the only path for ordinary people; doing business was not an option.

"No one is born number one; my achievements are the result of my own hard work. Have you ever seen Ruxian at 4 a.m. in winter? I have. The sky at 4 a.m. is really dark, but a score of 450 is truly dazzling. While you're feeling tired and taking a break, I'm studying; while you're eating, I'm also taking the opportunity to study."

In Maiji Brigade, Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun squatted under the loudspeaker and exchanged a glance: "Did Yimin get up at 4 o'clock?"

"You should...you should get up and get up!"

"Last year during the college entrance exam, heavy snow blocked the mountain roads. By the time I arrived at the school gate on my bicycle, I had fallen and was bruised and battered, missing the entry time. I felt like the sky had fallen, and it was the proctor who took me to the hospital. But this year, I came in first. I'm not bragging, I just want to say that life's margin for error is higher than you can imagine. If you don't do well this time, we can just try again next time."

Hundreds of thousands of people go to university every year, why not you?

Yang Yushan and Lao Zhang wiped away their tears. This child has such a hard life!

"The fact that you can come here to listen to this lecture already puts you ahead of many others! Before, we buried ourselves in our work; now we should look up at the stars! I wrote a poem: the night gave us black eyes, but I use them to seek the light. We all have black eyes, and we should all go and seek the light!"
Comrades, my dear comrades! Nothing comes easily; you must work incredibly hard to appear effortless! There's always a part of the road you have to walk through while crying. Head down, it's a sea of ​​problems; head up, it's the future. Head down, it's a sea of ​​problems; head up, it's the future!

Liu Yimin practically shouted on stage. He felt a little awkward at first, but gradually got into the spirit of it. No wonder those motivational speakers don't feel awkward; it turns out they feel great when they're fired up!

"Daily News reporter, take notes! Publish the full article tomorrow, don't miss a single word!" Yang Yushan excitedly ordered. "That's excellent! Excellent!"
"The place where you stand is China, and your heartbeat is the heartbeat of China. For the nation, a new era has arrived. Young comrades, let us stand tall and set off for the future!"
Remember the lofty ambitions of youth, aspiring to be among the best! Let us ride our dreams like steeds, and live up to our youthful years!

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, he felt something was missing, something wasn't quite right. So, after thinking for a while, he raised his right fist and shouted, "Comrades, those who chase the light will surely shine brightly!"

At this moment, only Liu Yimin's voice echoed throughout the entire movie theater, traveling along the power lines to every production brigade and every mountain and river in Ru County!

The applause lasted for a long time, and everyone's soul seemed to be amplified, making the movie theater feel so crowded!
The newspaper reporter's hands were almost numb from taking notes, but he was still excitedly shouting for a few more sentences!

"Comrade Liu Yimin, you will surely become a great person, a great writer!" someone shouted from the audience, and then everyone joined in.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, I'd like to ask you a question: Were you happy the moment you saw your achievements?" the reporter asked, raising his hand.

"There's nothing to be happy about; this is the result of hard work. Besides, there are even higher peaks waiting for me to climb, and the view from the summit is always more beautiful than from the halfway point. So, comrades, I wish us a happy meeting at the top!"

Yang Yushan clapped excitedly and said to Yang Chenglin beside him, "This kid, I was worried about him, but he's more talkative than me. I should learn from him sometime!"

"Come on, with your limited knowledge, don't bother trying to learn. My second daughter is better suited to learn from you!"

"If I can't do it, then I have my eldest daughter. As for your second daughter, forget it, she looks like freshly dug coal!"

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(End of this chapter)