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

Chapter 470 The Legend of Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Swordsmen

The two chatted for about an hour when Yang Yushan walked in, wearing a coat and shaking it off. "It's fucking cold! Old Zhang, I knew you'd be here."

Xie Chensheng was there during the day, so the two of them couldn't talk to Liu Yimin, and they came here at night.

However, upon seeing Yang Yushan, Old Zhang said, "Yimin, you need to teach Old Yang about the importance of protecting cultural relics. In the past two years, our county's coal mines have been contracted out to private individuals, who are digging everywhere. They even want to dig on the old kiln site of Ru porcelain."

“Old Zhang, don’t complain to Yimin. The 50,000 yuan I fined them all went to your cultural center as cultural heritage protection funds.” Yang Yushan tightened his coat and sat down to the side, continuing, “If it weren’t for them, where would the 50,000 yuan fine come from?”

"If you had been any later, the kiln site would have been gone." Old Zhang was so angry that he went around asking for help. Old Zhang is now a member of the county's RD Standing Committee, but he is not in the law enforcement department. He has no way to force these people and has to ask for help from all sides.

When the topic of coal mines came up, Liu Yimin thought of his older brother, Liu Yiguo. Old Zhang said, "Yiguo is a good man, but he has connections above him, sigh!"

Old Zhang spent 50,000 yuan to buy many stone tablets for the protection of cultural relics and erected them at all the places in the county where cultural relics were discovered.

Yang Yushan said, "Our county has sent several students to Tsinghua and Yenching Universities this year, one more than last year. Yimin's class produced Yimin. Our current educational achievements rank among the top in the entire Luoshi City."

Last year I met two students who were admitted to Yenching University.

“I heard that you treated them to a meal.”

“A place is like a family; it needs to produce talented people continuously. We, the children of Henan Province, cannot disgrace our ancestors. After all, this place is the capital region of Luoyang, the eastern capital.” Old Zhang turned on the stove in the house, and the red coal briquettes reflected on his face.

Yang Yushan steered the conversation toward reform and opening up and economic development, emphasizing that the roasted melon seed factory in Maiji Brigade was doing well and now not only roasted melon seeds, but also any kind of roasted goods.

From last year to this year, the annual output value has reached nearly 300,000 yuan. Sales within Ru County are unbeatable, and it has completely captured the surrounding market.

“Township and village enterprises are developing rapidly across the country. Everyone is doing it, competing to see who can do it the most and the best. It won’t be long before sunflower seed factories appear as well.” Yang Yushan asked Liu Yimin whether the county should provide loans or policy subsidies to township and village enterprises like other counties.

In Ru County, which has coal mines, the tax revenue from township and village enterprises is not high. In other areas, however, township and village enterprises account for the majority of tax revenue.

"That depends on whether you are a short-term or long-term thinker. Short-term subsidies and loans can certainly help township enterprises develop. However, some township enterprises lack the ability to generate their own revenue. Once the county's finances become tight and the banks have no money to lend, the enterprises will quickly go bankrupt, leaving a mess."

Profitable township enterprises may require less borrowing and grow more slowly, but they are more stable.

The collapse of township and village enterprises left behind too many unclear accounts; their rise was swift, and their fall was equally sudden.

Its greatest overall role was to absorb a large number of jobs during the era of the great liberation of rural labor. After the development of private enterprises, the labor force released after the collapse of township and village enterprises began to flock to the cities.

They chatted until the early hours of the morning before leaving. The next day, when they woke up, their elder brother Liu Yiguo, sister-in-law Gu Ping, nephews Liu An and Liu Fuqing, and others came to the guesthouse. They had been picked up by a car from the cultural center.

Liu Yimin said to Lao Zhang, "Lao Zhang, thank you."

Old Zhang waved his hand, telling the family to have a good get-together, and instructed the driver to follow Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin took Liu An from his sister-in-law Gu Ping and led them to the nearby Dongfanghong Restaurant for a meal.

"Yimin, when are you going back to Yanjing this time?" Liu Yiguo asked.

Liu Yimin said, "I was planning to go home for a while after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but since you've come, I won't go back. I'll come back for the New Year."

“It’s fine if you come back for the New Year. Your mother is taking care of two children by herself, so you need to go back earlier,” Liu Fuqing said.

"Dad, how's the harvest this year?"

“Good, good every year. The granary at home is overflowing. Now individuals can sell grain. I even sold the extra grain by oxcart, but it was too cheap, I only made forty or fifty yuan. However, I made over a hundred yuan from the cotton I grew. I won’t sell the pigs and chickens I raised, I’ll save them for when you come back for the New Year,” Liu Fuqing said, recounting the story with great familiarity.

The younger generation in the village works at the nut and seed processing plant, while the older generation stays at home to farm.

Sister-in-law Gu Ping rubbed Liu An's cheek: "Dad raises two pigs and five or six chickens by himself. Every few days he brings us some eggs or a chicken. Look how fat Liu An is!"

Sister-in-law Gu Ping is very satisfied now. Although the two of them don't earn much, they also spend little. Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin often buy things for them in Yanjing.

The eldest brother, Liu Yiguo, taught Liu An to call him "Second Uncle," but Liu An was too shy and refused. The eldest brother said helplessly, "Just like me, we're both a bit introverted."

The family spent the morning in the park. The next day, the eldest brother had to go to work, so they went back at noon. Liu Fuqing stayed at the guesthouse until he watched Liu Yimin cut the ribbon before going back.

In the afternoon, the county invited Liu Yimin to visit the factory of a representative of the county's private enterprises, and then he went to the county high school to meet with the students.

On the playground, Liu Yimin braved the cold wind to give a speech to the students, encouraging them to study hard.

During his visit to the classroom, Liu Yimin saw "motivational slogans" that he had once uttered hanging all over the walls.

"In the county high school, the 'Yimin Class' is the class that every student wants to get into, with a 100% undergraduate admission rate," the principal said to Liu Yimin, standing beside him.

Yang Yushan said, "This achievement was hard-won. The history of Yimin Class is the history of education development in our county."

Yang Yushan encouraged the principal to continue his efforts and strive to ensure that all students in the "Yimin Class" can be admitted to top universities, at least those at the level of Zhengzhou University or Hebei University within the province.

"We will strive to achieve that by the year after next," the principal assured Yang Yushan.

At 6 p.m., the group left the school and returned to the guesthouse, where Li Lanyong was standing at the entrance.

Yang Yushan said, "This kid's legs are pretty fast."

Li Lanyong, as a model of collective economic development, had met with Yang Yushan quite often. Liu Yimin quickly got out of the car and said with a smile, "Lanyong, why don't you go upstairs? My father is at the guesthouse."

"It's nothing, I just arrived." Li Lanyong patted the dust off his clothes.

Yang Yushan said, "I won't disturb your reminiscing any longer!"

Liu Yimin led Li Lanyong upstairs and into a room where a stove was burning. Liu Yimin told him to go in and warm himself by the fire.

Li Lanyong took out sunflower seeds, peanuts, and even roasted sweet potatoes and fried walnuts from his handbag for Liu Yimin to try.

The sunflower seeds are packaged in yellow kraft paper. Instead of a machine seal, there are metal strips along the edges that can be used to roll up the opening of the kraft paper bag.

Liu Fuqing, who lived next door, came over when he heard the noise. When he saw that it was Li Lanyong, he asked curiously, "Lanyong, weren't you at the factory?"

Winter is the peak season for roasted nuts and seeds, and the factory is extremely busy.

“Yimin is back, and I have to come over no matter how busy I am.”

Liu Yimin grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and looked at the words on the packaging: "Why don't you use a sealing machine?"

“We mainly deal in wholesale of loose goods in the market; we rarely do wholesale of these small packages,” Li Lanyong said. “We still have to go for retail in bags; the profit margin is higher, so we can give it a try, but it’s difficult to distribute the goods. If we want to make money consistently, retail is essential. Adding two words before ‘wheat-flavored sunflower seeds’ would be better.”

What character?

"Traditional wheat-flavored melon seeds, paired with this kraft paper bag, look like they have a history."

Li Lanyong slapped his thigh and said, "That's it. You're the smartest one. Do you think we should keep making roasted nuts and seeds, or do something else? I see the other brigades are doing a great job with cement and stuff."

"I think that if you focus on developing your expertise in the food industry, you might not be as profitable as making sunflower seeds as you are in the cement industry."

The three of them went out to eat together. Li Lanyong talked about the situation in the brigade. The village primary school was still inside the brigade headquarters. Now there were more and more children, and the space was no longer enough.

Liu Yimin pondered for a moment and said, "There's nothing else I can do, but I'll donate a primary school to our brigade!"

"Donate a primary school?" Li Lanyong was taken aback at first, then said happily, "Yimin, are you serious?"

After a brief moment of blankness, Liu Fuqing chimed in, "Building a primary school is fine; the village's place has been leaking for ages."

"Really." Liu Yimin nodded.

Liu Fuqing was particularly happy, feeling that this was a good deed. Li Lanyong smiled and said that he would entrust the school construction project to Liu Fuqing, as he would definitely put in more effort than anyone else.

“Leave it to me, leave it to me. Back when we were building the reservoir during the Great Battle, your father was sick, and I was the one who led the team to build it. It’s solid now. If we’re going to build one, let’s build a solid one.”

After finishing his meal, Li Lanyong rode his bicycle away from the county town, as he still had to deal with shipping the sunflower seeds that evening.

Liu Fuqing regained his composure as he watched Li Lanyong's retreating figure: "Yimin, is the money enough?"

"Dad, don't worry, we still have the money to build a school. You should talk to Lan Yong more and build a better one."

Liu Fuqing felt a pang of heartache, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Okay!"

"Also, let's rebuild our yard!"

Liu Fuqing waved his hand and said, "We won't build any more houses. A few brick houses are good enough for us now. If we build anything too nice, no one in the brigade will want to visit us."

"Okay, you should get some rest."

The next morning, Liu Yimin got dressed, and the county sent him a red flower with the words "Liu Yimin" written on it. Liu Fuqing also received one, which, in addition to his name, read "Representative of the Veteran Militia." Liu Fuqing was so happy that he kept touching those words.

After lunch, we arrived at the newly renovated Ru Porcelain Museum. The original site was the Ru County Confucian Temple, and the words "Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations" are written above the gate.

The museum in the county town is not large; there is a sign hanging at the entrance, covered with a red cloth.

Liu Yimin first stood on the stage as a guest and spoke about the importance of cultural relic protection. Finally, he said, "Congratulations, Comrade Lao Zhang. I used to call him Director Lao Zhang, but from now on he will no longer be the director of the cultural center, but the director of the museum."

I have a very deep friendship with Comrade Zhang. He has also moved me a lot, traveling all the way from Beijing to attend my wedding.

Old Zhang clapped his hands with joy upon hearing this. Then Xie Chensheng, representing the Cultural Relics Administration Bureau, gave a speech and presented Old Zhang with a medal for "30 years of service in cultural relics and museums".

"Next, please welcome Professor Liu Yimin, Professor of Yenching University and First Deputy Director of the National Institute of Cultural Relics, Xie Chensheng, Advisor to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Yang Yushan, County Party Secretary, and Zhang Jiuyi, Museum Director, to cut the ribbon!"

As the cannons fired, everyone picked up scissors from the tray and gently cut the red silk. Then, he and Xie Chensheng unveiled the museum together.

Amid applause and cannon salutes, the museum was officially inaugurated.

After the unveiling ceremony, Yang Yushan had someone send Liu Fuqing back. Liu Yimin originally wanted to go directly back to Zhengzhou, but someone from Luocheng's "Peony" magazine invited him to attend the magazine's "Liu Yimin Literature and Poetry Symposium".

Old Zhang said to the newcomers, "You guys really know how to pick your time."

Both Lao Zhang and Liu Yimin attended the seminar. The seminar concluded that Liu Yimin is a representative of contemporary realist and reformist literature, and together with Lu Yao, Jiang Zilong, and others, forms the largest group of realist and reformist literary writers in my country.

After the seminar, Liu Yimin went to Zhengzhou and immediately bought a plane ticket back to Yanjing. He figured if he stayed any later, Zhengzhou University would have stopped him.

It was December 4th when I returned to Yanjing. The comic book version of "Huo Yuanjia" had been on sale for four days, and children were already crowding around the small bookstalls in the alley to rent the book.

Xi Mei told him that when the children passed by the gates of the primary and junior high schools after school, they would hear a group of people shouting that they were Huo Yuanjia and wanted to kill the Japanese.

“Professor Liu, my neighbor’s second son is still practicing the five-step boxing routine from the back of the movie ‘Huo Yuanjia’,” Xi Mei said while picking vegetables.

"That's interesting." Liu Yimin looked at Liu Yu sitting on his lap with affection.

Before long, the comic book version of "Huo Yuanjia" will take over the book rental stalls outside most primary and secondary schools in China, becoming a type of "idle book" in the eyes of teachers and parents.

When Zhu Lin returned, the family celebrated properly. After dinner, the two of them celebrated separately.

"Teacher Liu, I'm going to Shanghai the day after tomorrow. I estimate I'll be back in about a week. Is there anything you need me to bring?"

Liu Yimin stroked Zhu Lin's smooth shoulder and said, "I don't need to bring anything, but do you want to bring a few bottles of Yangrong wine for our dad?"

"Me? It's not easy for me to bring along either. What if people think you're the one who wants to drink it?" Zhu Lin hesitated.

"Then I won't bring it. I can't do something like this that would be suspicious and damage my reputation."

The next day, Zheng Yuanjie called Liu Yimin to subtly inquire about the progress of his fairy tale writing, as a new issue was scheduled for release in January.

Zheng Yuanjie attached great importance to the first issue in 1986, after all, it was the second year, and under the indifference of countless people, "King of Fairy Tales" had entered its second year.

He thought that at the beginning of the following year, he would definitely publish a few heavyweight articles to give the other children's magazines a shock.

“Come here. I’ve never finished writing a long novel, but it’s enough for one issue.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuanjie immediately rode his motorcycle over. Now that he had money, he had bought his own motorcycle. With a vehicle, it became much more convenient to visit the publishing house and printing plant.

Upon arriving at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Zheng Yuanjie eagerly rubbed his hands together and entered Liu Yimin's study: "Yimin, where is he?"

"I'll get it for you, look how anxious you are."

Liu Yimin opened the drawer and handed two pages of manuscript to Zheng Yuanjie.

"Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Swordsmen?"

(End of this chapter)