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

Chapter 438 National Book Translation Award

[Only kindergartens, primary schools, and junior high schools should be burned; high schools and universities will be preserved. Rice mills and vegetable markets should be burned as cleanly as possible.]

Why keep high schools and universities? Was it because the bald man's second son was merciful? No, it was because high school and university students could go to the battlefield to fight. Without schools, they would naturally join the People's Liberation Army.

"Look how clever the second young master is!" Liu Yimin continued sarcastically, "It would be against all reason for heaven and earth if such an army were not defeated!"

“We have made contributions in the War of Resistance, but we have committed crimes against the people!” Zheng Dongguo said.

Many people say that movies and television shows smear the GMD, but in some aspects, they are still conservative!
Upon hearing Liu Yimin's words, everyone present agreed, and Zheng Dongguo led the applause.

Around ten o'clock, Zheng Dongguo spoke to the crowd, and then several other experienced people also stood up and said a few words.

“We recently got in touch with Song Xilian. Old Song set up a reunification promotion association in the United States to work for peaceful reunification. Comrade Yimin told me this news. I think we old folks, educated historical sinners, should make some contributions in our later years.”

After Zheng Dongguo finished speaking, the others echoed his sentiment, saying that they should also establish a reunification promotion association to make some contributions to cross-strait relations.

“Okay, since everyone agrees, I’ll start preparing the necessary procedures after the New Year and report to the higher authorities to establish this association,” Zheng Dongguo said happily.

Liu Yimin stopped sitting next to Shen Zui and went to chat with other people. Sitting next to this guy always made him feel like he was being chilled by a cold wind.

When Liu Yimin walked up to Li Xianzhou, Li Xianzhou gave Liu Yimin a standard military salute: "I watched your Battle of Taierzhuang. Everyone else and I think it's a very realistic script. I can't wait to see how it's filmed."

Liu Yimin held Li Xianzhou's hand and said, "I estimate we'll be able to see the movie by the end of next year."

"I have no regrets if I can see this movie before I die." Li Xianzhou is now ninety years old, which is considered a long-lived general.

Li Xianzhou was in Jinan before the Battle of Taierzhuang broke out. After Han Fuqu retreated, he retreated with Liu Zhi and then went directly to Xuzhou to participate in the Battle of Xuzhou.

Liu Yimin asked him a lot about the Battle of Wuhan. Zheng Dongguo saw the two chatting from afar and said to Li Xianzhou, "Old Li, don't hide anything. Tell us what's going on. We're leaving soon, so we need to leave something real for future generations."

"Don't worry, Guiting!" Li Xianzhou, leaning on his cane, explained to Liu Yimin in detail: "The Battle of Wuhan was fought by the Fifth War Zone and the Ninth War Zone after the fall of Xuzhou. Li Zongren, the commander of the Fifth War Zone, commanded the troops to be responsible for the battle north of the Yangtze River, while Chen Cheng, the commander of the Ninth War Zone, was responsible for the battle south of the Yangtze River. Not only the army was deployed, but also the navy and air force."

Cheng Siyuan joined in, recounting the details to Liu Yimin. As he spoke, the others began to offer their own perspectives on the war. With so many people talking at once, Liu Yimin ended up not getting any useful information.

Seeing Yang Botao approaching, Liu Yimin inquired about the situation of the Huaihai Campaign, mentioning that 30,000 men of the 18th Army were trapped at Shuangduiji.

Yang Botao snorted and said, "Who told us to have an amateur commander!"

Huang Wei paused for a moment and said, "A soldier's duty is to obey orders. If the superior makes a mistake, don't keep blaming me."

"Hey, this is something else. Damn it, I'll never forgive you, even if I die. The lives of 30,000 men in the 18th Army are at stake. If you don't have the ability, why are you commanding the 12th Army Corps?"

"I was appointed to this position in a time of crisis, caught in the infighting between factions. At that time, I had been away from the front lines for many years. He Yingqin and Bai Chongxi did not want our Civil Engineering faction to grow too powerful, so they rejected Hu Lian's position as commander of the army corps. Chen Cheng had no choice but to choose me," Huang Wei said calmly, as if he were talking about someone else's situation.

Yang Botao said, "Once you arrive at the Twelfth Army Corps, you sit in your central command tent. Apart from your superiors—what a load of crap, they're none other than your principal—you don't answer any telegrams from anyone else except your damn principal."

"Yang Botao, stop calling me a damn principal! He's still your principal!" Huang Wei cursed.

"I don't need a principal like him!"

Zheng Dongguo slammed his hand on the table, silencing the crowd: "Alright, what's done is done, let's not say anything more. Haven't we lost enough soldiers? Whether it's your fault or his, the tide of history is unstoppable!"

Zeng Kuangqing tugged at Liu Yimin's hand, winked, and whispered, "These things happened in Gongdelin. Let me tell you about Gongdelin; it's quite interesting. Many of us were classmates when we were young, and we're still classmates in our prime. Isn't that fate?"

These words enlivened the atmosphere considerably, and everyone began to reminisce about their time studying at Gongdelin.

Liu Zhenxiang stood up and said, "Speaking of Gongdelin, we must mention our Meishan Victory. This was the last battle between China and Japan, and the fuse was ignited by me."

When Liu Zhenxiang saw the Japanese playing ball, he was very dissatisfied with the fact that the two Japanese did not have to work. In addition, the Japanese provoked him, so he joined forces with the others to launch an attack on the Japanese.

Despite its small size, it was of high rank, commanded by a lieutenant general, with the lowest rank for the charge being a major general.

After the victory, everyone held a small celebration. Du Yuming took the outcome of the battle very seriously, fearing that his brothers might suffer losses.

Afterwards, Huang Wei recounted the three major battles of Gongdelin, including the Battle of the Dining Hall and the encirclement of Liu Zhi. He spoke with great enthusiasm about the chaotic battles with the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Civil Engineering Bureau.

Later, there was the incident where Huang Wei was slapped in the face by Dong Yisan, who was from the Military Intelligence Bureau. Shen Zui, who was also from the Military Intelligence Bureau at the time, did not help Dong Yisan. Overall, Shen Zui showed a better attitude in admitting his guilt.

The factional struggles within GMD are very traditional. Even after joining the Gongdelin, they are still divided into the Civil Engineering faction and the "Bull" faction.

Such experiences might be difficult to recount in a solo interview due to their sensitivity, but when so many people are together, exposing each other's secrets, it's a lively and joyful affair.

"Later, we even had an interest group. Old Huang even researched his perpetual motion machine. Old Huang, how's your perpetual motion machine research going?" Shen Zui teased.

Huang Wei said with his neck stiff, "As long as we keep researching, it's not a failure."

"I don't know about Lao Huang's fighting skills, but he is absolutely honest and incorruptible, which is evident to everyone in our group," Shen Zui praised.

In the afternoon, the class reunion ended, and the people from Huangpu left one by one. The snow outside had long since stopped.

Zheng Dongguo said, "I'm sorry you had to see this."

“Nowhere can you find such authenticity in an interview,” Liu Yimin said.

"What are you planning to write? I've noticed you haven't stopped," Zheng Dongguo asked curiously.

"Hey, I'm just writing nonsense. Today we're talking about important historical materials, including the Battle of Wuhan, the Huaihai Campaign, and the Laiwu Campaign. But I think many people will also be interested in what life is like at Gongdelin."

"You wrote this?"

"Oh dear, you've made these people lose face." Zheng Dongguo laughed quite happily, after all, he had never studied there.

After chatting for a while at the door, Liu Yimin prepared to leave, and Zheng Dongguo had someone wipe the snow off Liu Yimin's car seat.

Liu Yimin was very careful when riding his motorcycle, afraid of slipping and falling.

Around 7 o'clock, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment together. When Xi Mei saw the two of them return, she immediately ladled out the hot porridge from the pot and put it on the table.

Yang Xiuyun placed a package on the table: "Try these melon seeds and Luosheng."

Luosheng is peanut, and peanuts falling from their roots is called Luosheng.

Liu Yimin wiped his hands clean, picked it up and tapped it: "It smells quite good, and it also has a different aroma."

"Isn't it delicious? Doesn't it smell a bit like wheat?" Yang Xiuyun said happily.

Zhu Lin cracked a few sunflower seeds and asked, "Mom, did you go out and buy this?"

“Where did I buy these? They were sent from my hometown. These are roasted melon seeds from our village. Lan Yong had your dad send them. Here, have a taste.” Xi Mei read the letter aloud and said, “These are wheat-flavored melon seeds.”

Liu Yimin picked up the opened package and looked at it. The transparent bag had the words "Maixiang Melon Seeds" written in red on the outside. The name Maixiang Melon Seeds comes from the character "Mai" in Maiji Brigade, and also implies that it has a hint of wheat fragrance.

"I don't know how Lan Yong cooked it," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Sunflower seeds sell well during the Spring Festival. I wonder if Maiji Brigade can make some money from sunflower seeds this year.

The factory has been operating for a long time and it sells products at other times as well. At the beginning, because there was no formula, sales were not good.

Li Lanyong also sent a letter, stating his decision to use "wheat-flavored melon seeds" to open up the market.

Liu Yimin prefers caramelized sunflower seeds, but most of the sunflower seeds sold at the time were rather bland, so it was good if they were even available.

Currently, the roasted seeds and other nuts from Maiji Brigade are only available in a few counties and cities around Henan Province. Once the business expands further, Liu Yimin will then advertise for them.

Advertising in newspapers these days is really overkill.

There are no sunflower seed factories around Ru County, so having sunflower seeds with a unique flavor will make selling them much easier. "If they're good, write back and ask your dad to send some more. We can use them to entertain guests during the New Year, and also send some to Linlin's family," Yang Xiuyun said.

Liu Yimin looked at the full bag, which must have weighed about ten pounds: "No need, Mother, this is enough."

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Liu family celebrated the Little New Year according to their hometown customs, but Yang Xiuyun's thoughts had already drifted back home.

In the afternoon, Liu Yimin bought Yang Xiuyun a soft sleeper ticket for the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month and saw her off on the train the next day.

Fearing she wouldn't know where the sleeper compartment was, I escorted her to her seat before leaving.

"Mom, if you're hungry, go to the dining car for a meal. Don't be stingy with the money. When you're not busy, just lie in bed and rest. Don't wander around," Liu Yimin instructed.

Yang Xiuyun said, "Mother knows. You should go back quickly, the carriage is about to leave."

“Okay, I’ve sent a telegram to my brother. He’ll meet me at the train station after I get off the train.” Liu Yimin said and quickly got off the train.

Yang Xiuyun looked around at the soft sleeper she had never ridden in before. Having seen high-end accommodations like the Overseas Chinese Apartments, she wasn't too timid; her eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Sister-in-law, your son is quite filial; he even bought you a sleeper berth!" someone nearby asked.

Yang Xiuyun said with a smile, "My son is very filial. He originally wanted me to take a plane, but I'm alone and I don't dare to."

"An airplane? Your son's quite high-ranking!"

"Not high-ranking, just a schoolteacher."

"A teacher? Teachers can travel in soft sleeper carriages now? Your son isn't very old, is he? Where does he teach?"

"He teaches at Yenching University."

Yang Xiuyun took out a boiled egg from the bag and asked the other person if they wanted one. The other person took one and started chatting with Yang Xiuyun.

To prepare for the Chinese New Year, while Zhu Lin was at work, Liu Yimin went to buy a lot of groceries and put them at home. The groceries couldn't fit in the refrigerator, so they had to be placed on the balcony.

Fearing the vegetables would overheat in the heated room and freeze on the balcony, I had to put a blanket over them.

"Professor Liu, this dish is more delicate than a person," Xi Mei said with a smile.

Liu Yimin said, "This apartment is great in every way, except it lacks a basement storage room. Aren't you tired taking care of two children by yourself?"

"Not tired, but the two of them were a little unaccustomed to not seeing Aunt Yang at first."

The two little ones are a bit older now. Liu Lin doesn't like sitting on the sofa as much anymore; he prefers to crawl around on the mat and sometimes even tries to walk while holding onto the sofa.

Liu Yu calmly tore apart the fairy tale book, babbling incoherently.

Liu Yimin grunted in acknowledgment and returned to his study, where he put the true story of "The Battle of Taierzhuang" into an envelope, ready to mail it.

His next book is a non-fiction novel about Gongdelin, which is also the subject of a movie and a TV series.

The movie is called "After the Final Battle," and the TV series is called "Amnesty 1959." The movie was filmed in the 90s, while the TV series aired in 2019.

Both works are about Gongdelin, but they have different perspectives. "After the Decisive Battle" mainly tells this history from the perspective of these war criminals. It is adapted from a documentary novel called "The General Is More Than Just on the Battlefield". The author chose the perspective of these war criminals because his uncle, Qiu Xingxiang, had first-hand information.

While "Amnesty 1959" highlights the transformation of these GMDs, it focuses more on the perspective of discipline, emphasizing how our Party disciplined and reformed these people, transforming them into new members of society through education.

Since "Generals Are Not Just on the Battlefield" was published earlier, Liu Yimin naturally couldn't write it, so he could only write "Amnesty in 1959".

However, the content of "Amnesty 1959" could be enriched by adding the "Three Battles of Gongdelin".

"Amnesty 1959" tells the story of how, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, people from war criminal management centers across the country were concentrated in Gongdelin Prison. These people were like frightened birds, believing that they were doomed to die. After several tests, it was discovered that there was no intention to execute them. Gradually, some people began to cooperate with the guards to educate them, among whom Wang Yaowu, Du Yuming, Song Xilian and others were the most active.

Wang Yingguang, the director of the war criminal management center, took a series of measures to make them understand the policies of our Party, which enabled some of them to complete their reform and were finally released in 1959.

In a later interview, Huang Wei said with emotion, "Director Jin was a member of the Red Army, yet he was willing to waste his youth on people like us who seem meaningless. I was deeply moved."

In 85, Huang Wei visited the Gongdelin War Criminals Management Center and even stayed overnight in the center's cell.

Thinking of this, Liu Yimin made a phone call to the relevant departments to ask when they would send these people back for a visit and whether he could go with them.

The other party initially denied it, but upon hearing Liu Yimin's name, they immediately said, "Comrade Liu Yimin, this matter is not something I can decide alone; I need to contact my superiors."

"I understand. This is my home phone number. Please contact me if you have any news."

The other party readily agreed, but did not call Liu Yimin until the Chinese New Year.

Liu Yimin was busy celebrating the New Year and didn't think about the matter anymore.

On New Year's Eve, Ximei had already gone home for the holiday. After Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin finished cooking, they each held a child. The sound of firecrackers set off by the children outside startled them, and they would occasionally let out a scream.

Zhu Lin patted Liu Yu's bottom and said, "Our mom is really tired usually, but she's more patient than me."

"When will this guy finally fall asleep?" Liu Yimin asked helplessly.

"You're not planning to keep watch, are you?"

"Don't talk nonsense." Liu Yimin was afraid he really would stay up all night.

Fortunately, around 12 o'clock, the noise of children playing outside stopped, and the two little ones finally fell asleep.

Around 5 a.m., the incessant sound of firecrackers frightened the two of them to tears again.

Zhu Lin put thick hats on the two little ones, covered their ears, and told Liu Yimin to go down and set off firecrackers.

Inside the apartment building, everyone was setting off fireworks downstairs, and for a moment the building was filled with smoke and the smell of explosives.

Fortunately, Ximei returned in the third year of junior high school, and a haggard Liu Yimin gave her a red envelope.

"Professor Liu, that's too much."

"It's alright, your sister-in-law gave it to you, take it. It's hard on you to take care of two people by yourself."

Liu Yimin gave Ximei two hundred yuan, which was equivalent to an extra month's salary.

During the Chinese New Year, many people came to our house every day, which made the two of us very tired.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, fewer people came, but another piece of good news crossed the Pacific Ocean to China.

The Paris Review informed Liu Yimin that he had won the National Book Award, the highest honor in American literature, on par with the Pulitzer Prize, which is awarded only to American citizens.

However, there are exceptions, namely, the translation award can be given to literary works published in the United States by foreigners.

Liu Yimin won the National Book Award for Translation. The China Writers Association learned of Liu Yimin's award through relevant channels, and Zhang Guangnian personally called to congratulate him on winning the award for "Beloved".

Before long, a bunch of people from the Ministry of Culture and the Writers Association arrived, and there weren't enough sunflower seeds left at home.

"Yimin, on behalf of the Writers Association, I congratulate you on winning the award!" Zhang Guangnian said excitedly.

Xia Yan said, "On behalf of the department, I congratulate you."

"Alright, we're all family here, please sit down and don't be so formal," Cao Yu said with a smile.

Inside the Writers' Association office building, everyone was thinking about how to celebrate Liu Yimin's award when the office phone rang again. The staff member who answered suddenly raised their voice: "What? Another new award? Didn't he just win one in the US?"

(End of this chapter)