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

Chapter 524, "The Patriots of the South China Sea," brought tears to the entire audience.

Upon hearing about the additional benefits, the atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became lively. People who were planning to leave Beijing to go home decided not to go back, but instead planned to enjoy a good time in Yanjing and go to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to see a play during the National Day holiday.

"Comrades, we must learn to make a fortune quietly. Other groups don't get this treatment." Yuan Weizi coughed, implying that everyone should keep a low profile.

He Dongchang's secretary distributed the theater tickets to the attending committee members one by one, based on the number of people who raised their hands.

The secretary was about to hand it to Liu Yimin when Liu Yimin smiled and said, "I don't need it."

“Haha, no need to give him a ticket, he can get in without one,” He Dongchang said.

As soon as He Dongchang left, a group of people surrounded Liu Yimin to inquire about the play's arrangement.

"Comrades, the Beijing People's Art Theatre's production is naturally well-arranged. We welcome you all to attend, and please remember to bring your own handkerchiefs."

"why?"

"Because I need to wipe away my tears."

The final meeting ended early today, allowing Liu Yimin to finally go home and rest for a while. He had spent a lot of time exchanging words with these people in the meeting room lately.

Back in the courtyard house, Liu Yimin saw Liang Xiangdong sitting in the yard. As soon as Liu Yimin entered, Liang Xiangdong immediately stood up nervously.

Liu Yimin was also taken aback for a moment, then realized that Liang Xiangdong must have come to see Ximei, since it was Sunday.

"Don't be nervous, Xiao Liang," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Liang Xiangdong sat down with a flushed face. Xi Mei, who was preparing ingredients in the kitchen, hurriedly came out when she heard the noise: "Professor Liu, I'm a bit busy today, so I asked Liang Xiangdong to come and help out."

"It's alright, it's alright. You two should talk more, since you don't see each other often," Liu Yimin said.

Zhu Lin is off today and took Liu Yu and Liu Lin to visit his parents, so he wasn't home.

Liu Yimin sat at the stone table and chatted with Liang Xiangdong for a while, discussing the current financial situation of "King of Fairy Tales".

Liang Xiangdong had memorized all the data, and Liu Yimin was very satisfied. The September issue of *King of Fairy Tales* had already sold 400,000 copies to date.

“Professor Liu, I suggested to Editor-in-Chief Zheng that we talk to the distribution center, publishing house, and printing plant again. The higher the sales volume of our magazine, the more favorable the price we should be able to get. If we can reduce printing costs, our profits will have considerable room for growth,” Liang Xiangdong suggested.

After Liang Xiangdong finished speaking, he noticed Liu Yimin staring straight at him and wondered if he had said something wrong: "Professor Liu? Did I say something wrong?"

“Yes, that’s right. You can look into the printing costs of other magazines and calculate the profit margin that would increase if you lower the cost. Then talk to Lao Zheng, and once the profits increase, he’ll give you an extra bonus,” Liu Yimin encouraged.

Liang Xiangdong said happily, "Thank you, Professor Liu."

"It's alright, keep up the good work." Liu Yimin yawned. "I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to lie down inside for a while, you guys chat."

Liang Xiangdong chatted with Ximei in the courtyard for half an hour before leaving the courtyard.

When Liu Yimin woke up again, he saw Liu Yu flailing her arms and legs, trying to pull at his blanket. Then he was slapped on the head: "Dad, Mom told me to wake you up for dinner."

Liu Yimin glared at Liu Yu and then deflated: "Fine, fine, get up and eat."

Liu Yimin put on his clothes, picked up Liu Yu, and walked out of the bedroom: "She's so young and she's pulling my blanket. When I get old, she'll probably pull out my oxygen tube."

"Teacher Liu, what nonsense are you talking about? Come and eat! Ximei made stir-fried green peppers, cucumbers, and corn. It's super delicious." Zhu Lin said, then couldn't help but pick up another bite with his chopsticks.

Late September is the perfect time to enjoy tender corn. Stir-frying corn with green peppers creates a wonderful fusion of spiciness from the peppers and sweetness from the corn, stimulating your taste buds with a variety of flavors at once and making it a perfect accompaniment to rice.

"Not bad, not bad, it's delicious, spicy and sweet." Liu Yimin said to Zhu Lin and Xi Mei.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin also wanted to eat, but they hesitated when they saw the green peppers. Xi Mei brought out a plate of corn without peppers from the kitchen: "Here, Xiao Yu, eat this."

Seeing the two little ones eating so happily, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin smiled at each other and said, "Ximei, thank you for your hard work."

"It's nothing, Professor Liu, Sister Lin, it's what I should do."

After finishing his meal, Liu Yimin took a shower and returned to his study to get busy.

The next morning, I rushed to attend the closing ceremony. Even more leaders were present at the closing ceremony, and overall, they were very satisfied with the achievements of the conference.

"Comrades, this time we must commend the Chinese language group. They uphold patriotism as their core value, cultivating students with ideals, morality, culture, and discipline—the 'four qualities' (ideals, morality, culture, and discipline). These students will become well-rounded citizens upon entering society. Comrades, education is a fundamental national undertaking."
The newly formulated syllabus for primary and secondary school textbooks will be officially distributed to schools and compiling units starting today.

Comrades, the meeting is officially adjourned. Let's go outside for a group photo. All committee members will take a group photo together, and then each group will take their own group photos.

The closing ceremony officially ended at 11:30 a.m. Most of the attendees planned to go home after the National Day holiday, and many invited each other to have lunch and tour Yanjing together.

Someone invited Liu Yimin to the Forbidden City, but Liu Yimin declined, saying he had a class at Yenching University that afternoon.

After lunch and a leisurely nap, Liu Yimin went to Yenching University for his class. As soon as the meeting ended, Liu Yimin felt relaxed and returned to his unhurried lifestyle.

By the end of September, the freshmen at Yenching University had completed their military training. When he was lecturing, he often saw first-year students running over to listen to his lectures.

Since Liu Yimin teaches courses for second- and third-year students, first-year students may not necessarily understand them, but most students come just to see Liu Yimin.

As soon as the bell rang, Liu Yimin quickly packed his things and left the classroom.

Inside the research institute, a group of people were engrossed in studying documents, and no one noticed Liu Yimin walking in.

Yan Zhen saw Liu Yimin first. Liu Yimin waved his hand, signaling him not to speak, and pointed to a student next to him, asking Yan Zhen to bring her in.

Liu Yimin walked into the office, followed closely by Yan Zhen and Liu Ping.

Liu Ping is another student who was admitted to Liu Yimin's graduate program this year. She also studied at Yenching University for her undergraduate degree. Liu Yimin taught her, but he was not familiar with her.

"You two sit down. I've been quite busy since the start of the semester in September and haven't had much time to chat with you. First of all, congratulations on being admitted to graduate school and beginning your three-year master's program."

Humanities graduate studies are less demanding than STEM fields, but one cannot afford to slack off. The academic path is not easy, and one faces academic pressure most of the time. (Liu Ping?)

Liu Ping immediately sat up straight and looked at Liu Yimin: "Teacher."

"Yan Zhen graduated early, started working early, and has been at the Institute of Literature and Art for so long. Her research ability is beyond your reach. If you have any questions in the future, please consult Yan Zhen when I am not around."

This is my first time being a supervisor, and I have high expectations for my graduate students. I will personally review their theses upon graduation, and if they fail, they will not be able to graduate normally.

Currently, there is no system for extending the graduation period for postgraduate students. A Master of Arts degree takes three years. Even if the graduation requirements are not met, students can still graduate normally, but they will only receive a graduation certificate and will not be awarded a degree.

Liu Ping immediately straightened up and said, "Teacher Liu, I understand, I will definitely study hard."

"Yes, if you have any difficulties in life, you can also ask me for help."

"No, Teacher Liu."

"Alright, the most important thing for you two right now is to improve your reading skills, read more materials and literature. Yan Zhen, you are more capable, you can do some research that you want to do. If you want to be aligned with the institute, you can also apply to join the institute for research." After Liu Yimin finished speaking, he let the two leave the office.

Liu Ping closed the office door, immediately feeling a sense of relief. She patted her chest to calm herself down.

Yan Zhen laughed and said, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

“How could it not be? I used to just watch from afar during class, and Professor Liu was very kind and his lectures were interesting for undergraduates. Now that I'm a graduate student, I'm seeing his strict side. After what Professor Liu said just now, I suddenly have a feeling that I won't be able to get my degree,” Liu Ping said with lingering fear.

Yan Zhen comforted her, "Professor Liu is strict, but he's also very good to his students. The subsidies are paid in full, and he even gives extra subsidies from time to time. Compared to other graduate students in the Chinese department, we're like millionaires."

"Senior Brother, please help me with any questions I may have in the future," Liu Ping said.

"Sure, come to me if you have any questions. If I don't know the answer, our Institute of Literature has so many trained teachers, and there are plenty of experienced professors who can teach classes." Yan Zhen sat down in her seat.

After finishing processing the documents on his desk, Liu Yimin checked the income and expenditure of the Institute of Literature and Art. The broadcasting was generating more and more profits, and the textbooks they were compiling were also starting to turn a profit, but unfortunately, they were far from breaking even. At 5:30, Liu Yimin left his office and handed Yan Zhen a stack of Palace Museum tickets: "Tomorrow is National Day. These are Palace Museum tickets. Many comrades have just arrived in Yanjing; remember to go out and have a look around."

"Thank you, Teacher Liu." The office erupted in applause.

"You're welcome. Have fun when you're having fun, and work hard when you're working."

Amid cheers, Liu Yimin walked out of the Institute of Literature. It was drizzling outside, so Liu Yimin quickly put on his raincoat.

The autumn rains have gradually become a continuous pattern, and the temperature is dropping again and again.

Back at the courtyard house, Zhu's mother was arguing with Liu Yu and Liu Lin in the yard. It was raining, and the two of them kept running to the eaves to play in the water, getting their clothes all wet.

"Mom, are the two little ones being naughty again?" Liu Yimin asked.

Zhu's mother was so angry that she slapped the two of them on the bottom a few more times: "Look, the clothes you just changed are wet again. It's raining, and clothes don't dry easily to begin with. You just won't listen to anything I say."

Instead of crying, the two giggled, which angered Zhu's mother so much that she had no choice but to take them to change their clothes.

With the holiday approaching, Zhu's mother swapped shifts with her colleague, taking three days off: the 30th, the 1st, and the 2nd. Today, she spent the entire day in the yard taking care of the two little ones.

As the two grew older, they became increasingly mischievous and naughty.

When Zhu Lin returned home that evening, her mother complained to her, and Zhu Lin was helpless about it.

On October 1st, Liu Yimin was writing the script for "The Founding Ceremony of the People's Republic of China" at home in the morning. At ten o'clock, he received a phone call from a screenwriter in the military, who again advised Liu Yimin not to write it, and if he did, not to include so much of the daily life.

"Comrade Yimin, are you going to make a mistake by doing this? You're giving the FD faction a positive image!"

Liu Yimin started off in a calm tone, believing that although the other party disagreed with his views, it was for his own good.

But after hearing the rest, Liu Yimin couldn't help but say, "Comrade, let's discuss this again when the script is finished. A historical figure is multifaceted. Besides, it only depicts the family; where is the positive aspect? On the contrary, a formulaic approach will only lead to audience fatigue."

The bald man in "The Battle of Taierzhuang" was portrayed in a positive light; neither the superiors nor the audience said anything about it.

“Taierzhuang is Taierzhuang, and the part can never represent the whole, but what you wrote is the whole. Many comrades who heard your line of thinking expressed their opposition, believing that your tendency is extremely harmful.”

“I won’t tolerate being labeled! You won’t let me write! You won’t let me write, but I’ll write anyway, and I’ll write long ones.” Liu Yimin angrily hung up the phone.

Hearing the noise from the study, Zhu's mother quickly opened the door to ask what had happened, and Zhu's father also came over.

"Mom, it's nothing, just a little disagreement about writing," Liu Yimin said casually.

"Okay, be careful." Zhu's mother looked worried.

At noon, Zhu Lin came back briefly. After lunch, he rushed back to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to rehearse without taking a break.

After 3 p.m., Liu Yimin went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to attend the premiere of "The Overseas Chinese Son". The actors of the Beijing People's Art Theatre were making their final preparations, and everyone looked solemn and dared not slack off in the slightest.

Ouyang Shanzun did not go to stage "Deng Jiaxian" again, but came here to make final preparations.

Seeing that everyone was almost ready, Ouyang Shanzun sat down next to Liu Yimin and asked, "Yimin, I'd like to invite some of Comrade Jiaxian's former colleagues, as well as his wife and son, when 'Deng Jiaxian' premieres. What do you think?"

“Colleagues are fine, but family members need careful consideration. Professor Xu hasn’t recovered from her grief yet, and I’m afraid it might upset her,” Liu Yimin said thoughtfully.

Ouyang Shanzun praised Liu Yimin for his thoughtfulness: "Then we'll decide later!"

In the evening, a long queue formed outside the Beijing People's Art Theatre. People looked at the posters hanging at the entrance that read "Overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia donate money to the motherland and go to the mainland to fight against the Japanese invasion" and discussed them.

Many of the people watching the play today are overseas Chinese living in China. Some of them are elderly overseas Chinese with gray hair, and they come to watch the play with their families.

There were businessmen and overseas Chinese professors.

Ye Shengtao appeared at the theater entrance with his ticket, accompanied by Cao Yu. The two had known each other for a long time and held similar positions in the literary world.

Cao Yu had many friends in the literary world, but his closest friend was Ba Jin. He considered Mao Dun, Xia Yan, Lao She, and others to be a level below him.

"Old Wan, you have a wonderful apprentice that everyone in our literary world envies!" Upon seeing Liu Yimin, Ye Shengtao couldn't help but pat Cao Yu's arm.

Cao Yu did not feign modesty, but said with a smile, "That's what everyone in the arts and literature circles is saying."

The three of them went inside and sat in the front row, only ending their conversation when the performance officially began.

Compared to the last final rehearsal, this performance showed improvement. The large audience added even more charm.

The actors' cries of "Save the nation!" rang out on the stage, and Ye Shengtao watched with great focus.

Upon seeing Chen Jiageng emerge, Ye Shengtao wiped his eyes with a handkerchief: "Back then, Mr. Chen Jiageng founded many schools in Xiamen. These schools all respectfully addressed Mr. Chen Jiageng as 'School Founder.' Among all these educators, none could surpass Mr. Chen Jiageng."

"Old Ye, you're so easily moved to tears. By the end, your handkerchief will probably be soaked with sweat," Cao Yu said in a low voice.

The actors perform their hearts out on stage, and whenever they have a chance to leave the stage, they immediately take a sip of glucose water or other energy-boosting food.

Glucose is a diuretic, so they dare not drink too much.

When the performance ended, the audience stood up and applauded. Many elderly overseas Chinese, their clothes soaked with tears, walked shakily to the front of the stage and shook hands with the actors.

During the audience's departure, the backstage announcer read out the entire announcement, "Recruiting Auto Repair Personnel to Return to China for Service," over a loudspeaker. After the announcement, the "Qiongya Overseas Chinese Returning Home Service Corps Song" was played.

We are soldiers protecting our hometown.
We are the vanguard in defending our country!
Qiongya is at a critical juncture.

Get up and fight for your hometown!
We want to return to our hometown to serve.
[Awaken our compatriots]

Among the overseas Chinese returning to their hometowns, those from Hainan Province are one of the most important forces.

Ye Shengtao grasped Ouyang Shanzun and Xia Chun's hands and said, "It's so touching, so incredibly touching! You did a wonderful job, so very good. And this song is wonderful too!"

Many elderly overseas Chinese shed tears and were reluctant to leave the Beijing People's Art Theatre after listening to the songs.

After seeing Ye Shengtao off, Cao Yu looked at Liu Yimin and Ouyang Shanzun and Xia Chun beside him and said, "Today's performance was a great success. You've worked hard."

Ouyang Shanzun and Xia Chun said, "It's all thanks to Yimin's excellent writing; our contribution was really minimal."

Cao Yu smiled and led Liu Yimin into his office to inquire about the script for "The Founding Ceremony of the People's Republic of China".

"Teacher, you know too?" Liu Yimin asked in surprise.

Cao Yu curled his lip and said, "How many things in the arts and literature world can be kept from your teacher? Several people have told me about this. At first, I didn't think much of it, but after hearing it so many times, I started to wonder and decided to ask you for clarification."

"It's nothing, the script just leans towards personal life," Liu Yimin said.

Seeing that Liu Yimin didn't take it seriously, Cao Yu tapped the table and said, "Don't be so dismissive. Public opinion can be devastating, and slander can destroy even the strongest. Your teacher knows all too well how terrifying public opinion can be."

"Then after I finish writing it, please check it out for me," Liu Yimin said.

Cao Yu said, "Fine, but will you listen to me when I speak?"

"Of course I'll listen, but you also allow me to have my own opinions," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Haha, okay, young people need the space to create freely, so here's the space for you to create freely. As soon as the joint meeting between the General Political Department and the Film Bureau ended, the debate reached the Ministry of Culture, and even some members of the Central Advisory Commission expressed their concern after hearing about it."

However, Mr. Shen from the Ministry of Culture withstood the pressure, and many leaders also supported your work.

(End of this chapter)