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

Chapter 539 Liu Yimin's Film Year (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Liu Yimin didn't expect that the completion of this project would bring such a pleasant surprise. However, while the joint training of talents sounds simple, it is actually quite complicated, as it involves training undergraduates or graduate students.

At this time, graduate students are all in their own academic domain, and most of them become teachers after graduation. If it comes to actually going to the front lines to report news, not many people are willing to go.

Jointly trained undergraduate students undergo a four-year program.

The two of them discussed it and had a preliminary idea, but if they wanted to develop it in detail, they still needed to discuss and agree on the various details.

Mu Qing invited Liu Yimin to his house for dinner. Liu Yimin originally wanted to go home early, but he couldn't resist Mu Qing's enthusiasm and since he was the client, he had no choice but to go to Mu Qing's house for dinner.

"My wife is a great cook; she can make Henan cuisine!"

Mu Qing's wife, Xu Lei, was from Shanxi Province. Her father, Xu Fanting, was a famous anti-Japanese patriotic general and an early member of the Tongmenghui. Born in 1893, she became the captain of the Shanxi Expeditionary Force during the Xinhai Revolution and later participated in the National Protection Army's campaign against Yuan Shikai.

After the September 18 Incident, Xu Fanting demanded resistance against Japan, but unfortunately, Sun Yat-sen refused to listen. Seeing the peaceful and prosperous Nanjing, and the corrupt officials pursuing power and profit, he was in despair and prepared to awaken the nation with his blood. He went to Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, knelt three times, took out a short sword, and committed suicide by disembowelment. He wrote a letter to the people: "I am now in despair, so I give up my body. I hope my compatriots will unite sincerely and rise up to kill the enemy."

His friend, noticing he hadn't returned home for a day, sensed something was wrong and rushed to Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, saving his life. Afterwards, he made contact with our Party and together they trained the new army in Shanxi Province. When Yan Xishan created friction, he led his troops to counterattack alongside our Party.

He died in 1947. Before his death, he wrote an application to join the Party and was later posthumously recognized as a Party member.

"Hello," Liu Yimin said, shaking Xu Lei's hand.

"Haha, no need to be so polite, Yimin, please sit down. Xulei, this is my fellow townsman, Liu Yimin. We must bring him over for a meal after our meeting today," Mu Qing said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xu Lei glanced at Liu Yimin a few times and said happily, "Comrade Yimin, come on in. I've read all your works, and they're very well written. Old Mu finally thought of bringing you back for a visit. The book and the person finally match up."

Several more dishes were added to the table, including Henan cuisine and a Shanxi dish of braised mutton with astragalus.

Mu Qing showed Liu Yimin around the study, where a photo of Xu Fanting during his lifetime was hanging on the wall.

Liu Yimin walked up to the photo and bowed three times. Mu Qing patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder and said, "Let's go eat!"

At the dinner table, Mu Qing took the initiative to bring up the story of his father-in-law, and Xu Lei would occasionally add some details.

"My father's only regret was that he didn't live to see the founding of the People's Republic of China. If he had, I think he would have been even happier. He was already ill, and his health was extremely poor after the cesarean section. Alas, it was fate!"

Mu Qing said, "It's a pity, but the old man always believed that victory belonged to us. In his last words, he wrote, 'If I could be posthumously recognized as a member of the Party, it would be my greatest wish in life!'"

After finishing his meal, Liu Yimin stayed in the study for a while before leaving. As he was leaving, Liu Yimin grasped Xu Lei's hand and said, "Please stay! I apologize for disturbing you today and bringing back memories. I believe Xu Lei's spirit in heaven has already seen the liberated China and is happy for us!"

"Comrade Yimin, take care. Don't worry, it's been decades."

Mu Qing escorted Liu Yimin downstairs, and they chatted for about ten minutes under the streetlights before Mu Qing saw Liu Yimin off.

"Drive slowly, don't rush!" Mu Qing waved his hand and said.

Liu Yimin waved his hand in return: "Don't worry, I drive incredibly fast and incredibly steadily!"

"It's good to be young!"

Liu Yimin drove away from Mu Qing's residence and returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment at around 10 p.m. Zhu Lin was playing with the two little ones.

Seeing Liu Yimin return, Zhu Lin hugged Liu Yu and asked, "Teacher Liu, how was the meeting today?"

"It went very smoothly. The project presentation went well today, but the final acceptance results won't be available until the day after tomorrow. I just had dinner at President Mu's house, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Oh, so you went through the back door?" Zhu Lin teased.

"Look, you don't believe Teacher Liu? I can easily win with my own strength, but having a meal together is like winning on top of winning. Alright, enough joking. President Mu is also from Henan Province. When fellow countrymen meet, tears well up in their eyes." Liu Yimin smiled and hugged Liu Yu.

Zhu Lin placed his hand on the back of Liu Yimin's neck and gently rubbed it: "That's good. With Director Mu here, the Institute of Literature and Art will have a much smoother time dealing with Xinhua News Agency."

"These people are all shrewd. Besides... never mind, let's not talk about it. Come on, my darling daughter, were you a good girl today?"

"Good boy!" Liu Yu raised her eyebrows and said forcefully.

"Well, judging from your appearance, you've been quite mischievous."

Liu Yimin put Liu Yu down and then picked up Liu Lin, trying his best not to show favoritism.

After playing in the living room for a while, Liu Yimin went to the study to write a letter home. He then called out to the living room, "Linlin, do you want to send something to Mom and Dad? I just happened to be writing a letter home."

Zhu Lin walked in, followed by two bodyguards: "I sent a letter home around the beginning of December, Teacher Liu. What kind of letter did you write home?"

"I wrote this on the side, mainly to write a letter to Lan Yong. During my trip to the front lines, I saw many wounded and disabled soldiers, and I couldn't accept it. I felt depressed and even had suicidal thoughts. I would like to invite Lan Yong to do a radio program to encourage these soldiers."

"It's almost the end of the year, a time when sunflower seeds sell very well, so this is a good opportunity to advertise them," Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, then you write it. I'm going to give them both a bath." Zhu Lin turned and walked out.

Liu Yimin briefly recounted the events to Li Lanyong, and Liu Yimin believed that Li Lanyong would definitely come after seeing it.

After finishing the letter, Liu Yimin didn't write anything more; he was tired enough from a day of meetings.

I slept soundly through the night and woke up fully refreshed the next day. Back at Yenching University, the graduate students who had attended the conference the day before bid farewell to Liu Yimin. Their research had come to an end, and they had nothing else to do there, so they prepared to go back and work on their graduation theses.

"Okay, if there's anything you don't understand in the paper, you can come to me anytime."

"Thank you, Professor Liu."

Once the group dispersed, the space in the Institute of Literature and Art became much more spacious. Liu Yimin took some time in the morning to give a lecture to the teachers who came for training, making up for the classes he had missed recently.

The second group consisted of many people, including quite a few who were able to focus on academic research. Liu Yimin made a simple summary of the learning abilities and personalities of the thirty people.

After the crowd dispersed, Dai Jinhua walked over and said, "Teacher Liu, your teaching skills have improved by leaps and bounds. I listened to your trial lecture back then, but now you are much more at ease."

"What? Didn't I handle this with ease before?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

"Haha, now I'm even more at ease."

Liu Yimin said, "Don't call me teacher anymore, it sounds weird. Just call me Yimin!"

"No, I have to be like everyone else. Otherwise, I should say that we are old classmates and that I got in through connections."

"As you wish!"

Liu Yimin was quite relaxed, but Mu Qing was not so idle. Mu Qing spent half a day in Zhonghai with Liu Yimin's report, sending the report from one office to another.

The meeting wasn't over by noon, so the report continued in the afternoon. The leaders all thought it was very insightful, and some felt it should be published in internal reports, but ultimately it wasn't published and was only circulated among relevant leaders.

In the evening, Mu Qing called Liu Yimin to tell him about this, but did not mention the research funding.

Mu Qing felt that this required special funding and could not be approved from Xinhua News Agency's existing budget.

"Yimin, as for the joint talent training program, we'll discuss that in detail later, let's take it slow!"

"Okay, don't worry, I'm ready to serve you anytime."

"But forget about that Mu Qing talent development program, I think it's not suitable."

Liu Yimin smiled and didn't insist any further: "Alright, we can discuss the specific name later."

After get off work, Liu Yimin went to the August First Film Studio. Inside, the film crews of "Brotherhood of Blades" and "The Overseas Chinese" had already finished filming.

Liu Yimin came over to see how their editing was going; these are currently the two most anticipated films in China.

When Liu Peiran saw Liu Yimin, she grinned from ear to ear and hugged him tightly, gripping his shoulders: "Yimin, we're rich! We're rich!"

"Did 'Hachi: A Dog' sell well in Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia?"

"It's selling exceptionally well. So far, it has grossed over HK$10 million in Hong Kong alone and US$13 million in Southeast Asia. Newspapers such as Lianhe Zaobao have considered this film to be excellent and one of the few classic works from my country in the international film market in recent years."

The article also argues that Chinese filmmaking styles are aligning with international standards and makes a bold prediction regarding box office returns in Europe and America, estimating it to be no less than forty million US dollars.

Liu Peiran was overjoyed lately, but without seeing Liu Yimin, she felt that she hadn't expressed her joy enough.

"Director Liu, are you happy now?"

"I'm so happy! So happy! So satisfying!" Liu Peiran's voice could be heard throughout the entire building.

Liu Yimin asked, "Will 'Brotherhood of Blades' and 'The Overseas Chinese' still be able to be released before the end of the year?"

"Yes, of course we can. Before you left, 'Brotherhood of Blades' was already being edited. 'The Overseas Chinese' was edited a little later. The editor worked all night and it's almost finished. 'Brotherhood of Blades' can be watched today."

"Really?" Liu Yimin found it hard to believe, and was also afraid that the August First Film Studio would cut things haphazardly in order to speed up the process.

"Don't worry, Yimin, I care even more than you do!" Liu Peiran said with a smile.

Liu Peiran led Liu Yimin to find Zhai Junjie, Wei Lian, Li Wenhua, and Li Jun, the directors of "Brotherhood of Blades" and "The Overseas Chinese".

Li Jun's face was tanned dark, and he had bandages on his head. He said that his car had crashed into a tree because of the rain on the way back.

"Director Li, you'd better be more careful when you're directing in the future. I don't even dare to give you scripts anymore after what you've done," Liu Yimin said.

Li Jun took off his hat and said, "It's all settled now. You should still hand it over to me!"

"Hahaha!"

Liu Yimin looked at Li Wenhua, who was smiling the most: "Director Li, how was the filming this time? We're going to break out of Asia and go global."

"Don't worry, I can't speak for other things, but 'Brotherhood of Blades' is definitely the best martial arts film in China right now. The costumes, kung fu, and cinematography are all top-notch. As for the box office, I dare not make any predictions." Li Wenhua's tone softened at the end.

"It's okay. As long as the filming is good, I believe the audience will vote with their hands."

The group chatted in the conference room about their experiences filming the movie, gesturing excitedly with their hands. Zhai Junjie and Li Wenhua talked about the scenery of the Ulan Butong Grassland, while Li Jun described the treacherous Yunnan-Burma Road.

Li Jun found a shell casing at the old site, made a small handicraft out of the copper casing, and gave it to Liu Yimin.

"Director Li, you're really good. You're still so dedicated even when filming in such harsh conditions." Liu Yimin packed the things into his bag.

Zhai Junjie looked at Li Wenhua: "If I had known, we would have brought some local specialties for Comrade Yimin when we were on the grassland."

"It's alright, I don't hold grudges!" Liu Yimin joked.

"Hahaha!"

After the lively atmosphere in the conference room subsided, Liu Yimin looked at "Brotherhood of Blades" and asked, "Did you color grade it in post-production, directors?"

"Yes, we used a little bit of potion to create that atmosphere, but the overall change isn't significant. Do you think it's inappropriate?"

"Okay, that's good. This makes the night look more intense, with flashing swords and a great atmosphere."

"That's fine then. Your question just now startled me."

"The Overseas Chinese's Son" is not finished yet, but Liu Peiran told him that it will be available to watch in a couple of days.

"If the first draft of 'The Overseas Chinese' is approved, there will be no need for a delay. If it is not approved, it may not be released before the end of the year."

Liu Yimin didn't think there was a problem with the timing; the main issue was that the August First Film Studio was in a hurry and wanted to release two popular movies in December to celebrate.

People from China Film Group were also waiting, calling August First Film Studio from time to time.

Liu Peiran handed a newspaper to Liu Yimin: "This is the Popular Cinema magazine after you left. Look, it lists all your films this year, even the foreign-made film 'Redemption of a Slave'."

Look at the ending: "Popular Cinema says this year has been full of great films, all thanks to your scripts. This year is Liu Yimin's film year!"

"This year's hot film market started with 'Fearless,' and we'll end with 'The Overseas Chinese'," Li Jun joked.

Li Wenhua said, "The beginning is Liu Yimin, the end is Liu Yimin, the beginning and the end are both Liu Yimin. Popular Cinema's summary is good. 1986 was the year of Liu Yimin's films!"

Of course, what Liu Peiran is most looking forward to now is the success of "Hachiko" in Europe and America. It will be released soon, and people at home and abroad are watching.

"Director Liu, how's China Film Group's overseas promotion going?"

"Ding Daming said they promoted it heavily, and the response in newspapers and on television was very good. Because of you, 'Hachiko' already had a fan base in Europe and America. However..."

"But what?"

"But it seems the Japanese are protesting?"

“What are they protesting?”

"They protested, saying the movie insulted Japanese people. Didn't the movie call the dog 'Little Baka'?"

P.S.: There will be another update around 3 PM!
(End of this chapter)