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

Chapter 68 "Ideals"

This poem, "Ideal," was originally written by Liu Shahe and published in the Poetry Journal in 81. Liu Yimin brought the poem to the public a few years earlier. I often memorized it in high school, and every time I recited it, I was filled with passion.

Ideals are like stones, striking sparks of inspiration.

Ideals are fire, igniting extinguished lamps;
Ideals are lamps, illuminating the path in the night;
Ideals are the road that leads you to dawn.

In times of hunger and cold, the ideal was to have enough to eat and wear.

In an era of basic needs being met, the ideal was civilization.

In times of turmoil, the ideal is stability.

In times of peace and stability, the ideal is prosperity.

Ideals are like pearls, one after another.
Connecting the past and present, linking the future, its shimmering light is endless.

A beautiful pearl necklace, the backbone of history.
The past illuminates the present, the present illuminates the future, and our ancestors illuminate their descendants.

An ideal is a compass, guiding a ship's direction;
Ideals are ships, carrying you on long voyages.

Mount your ideals, whip your horse, and set off on your journey.
The spring scenery along the road is beautiful, and the sun shines brightly in the sky.

After finishing his poem, Liu Yimin felt sleepy, rolled over onto his bed, and quickly fell asleep. When he woke up early the next morning, Zou Huofan was already standing in front of his door, eager to see the completed poem.

Liu Yimin yawned and pointed to the manuscript paper on the bedside table: "Old Zou, you can take a look yourself. It's right by the bedside. I'm going to wash my face."

When they arrived at the public water room, Old Ma was cursing and swearing about the drainpipe. He didn't know what was going on, but someone had dragged him out of bed early in the morning, saying that the water room was clogged.

"How are you?" Old Ma asked with concern while working.

"It's nothing, just a slight headache!"

“You drink like a parrot in Yunnan and Guizhou drinks water. Your alcohol tolerance is terrible. The little bit you drank yesterday is nothing compared to my usual capacity. Normally I can drink a lot.” Old Ma gestured the number “three” with his free hand.

Yun Gui was a Manchu bannerman he often pulled when he used to pull a cart. He always carried a bird in his hand. Later, the bird died and he didn't have money to buy a new one, so he carried the birdcage. In the end, he sold the birdcage.

Fearing being looked down upon by others, people in Yunnan and Guizhou insist that their birds are divine birds, invisible to others but visible only to themselves.

Liu Yimin watched Lao Ma boasting without calling him out. Based on his observation, if Lao Ma drank another two ounces, he would probably not remember anything when he woke up in the morning.

The water room was unusable, so Liu Yimin helped Lao Ma with the work, but unfortunately, they couldn't get it working after a long time.

"Ideals are like stones, striking sparks of inspiration."

Ideals are fire, igniting extinguished lamps;
Ideals are lamps, illuminating the path in the night;
"

As the two worked, Zou Huofan's recitation grew louder and louder until it reached the washroom. Old Ma scratched his ear; the echo from the washroom made his eardrums hurt.

"Yimin, you are not only a role model for young people, but also a spur to them. You called on everyone to bravely move forward for their ideals. You embodied ideals as 'stone, fire, and lamp,' which illustrates the significance of ideals to us. What follows is the concretization of ideals in different eras."

The language is concise and clear, with parallelism and rhyme, and a lively tone, making it suitable for everyone to recite, with its own rhythm and intonation. When I recited it just now, I felt my heart gradually opening up, and finally, my small ideals transformed into a grand ideal.

Ah! So beautiful! The last sentence elevates the whole thing. "Spring colors are beautiful on the road, the sun shines brightly in the sky," meaning to tell everyone, "Go forth bravely now, don't miss this wonderful season."

Zou Huofan looked completely absorbed, and as he finished speaking, he leaned against the door, as if he were about to have a beautiful dream about his 'ideal' life.

Just then, the drain in the washroom suddenly cleared with a "plop." Old Ma washed his dirty hands, opened his mouth to reveal his yellowed teeth, and said proudly, "This poem is good, I understand it!"

Zou Huofan, as if he had found a kindred spirit, happily said, "Even Old Ma understood it, which means this poem is really good. Poetry is written for the people; what's the point if the people can't understand it? Old Ma, tell us about it!" "I didn't remember anything else, just those few lines. In times of hunger and cold, the ideal is to have enough to eat. I was starving back then, and all I wanted was a bite to eat." Old Ma wiped his washed hands on his clothes, walked up to Zou Huofan, and began to speak earnestly.

"Go on, Old Ma, what about when you're full?"

"When I'm full, all I think about is the Eight Great Hutongs!"

Zou Huofan's face darkened, his hands trembled, and he gritted his teeth as he said, "Old Ma, in an era of basic needs being met, the ideal is civilization!"

"Civilization? Hey, can't I think about things more after I'm full? I didn't think about anything uncivilized, I did. For example, after I'm full, I have the energy to take care of myself, wash myself, isn't that civilized?"

Old Ma said earnestly.

"That's right, cleanliness and hygiene are also signs of civilization!"

"Once I've finished setting everything up, I'll go find a kiln."

"Alright, Lao Ma, Lao Zou understands what you mean," Liu Yimin said with a smile. Actually, what Lao Ma said wasn't wrong. When people are well-fed and clothed, they think of lustful desires, but many people are just unwilling to talk about it.

Zou Huofan walked out of the water room and told Liu Yimin that he must write a poem review for this poem. In addition to its content, the poem is also beautiful in form, using various rhetorical devices, which he must analyze one by one.

"Old Zou, I'll be waiting for your poetry critique next time. Also, writing poetry is very mentally and physically demanding; I couldn't eat or sleep for days before I even got a clue. You're a poet, you should know that."

"Seven yuan, don't say anything else, I'm going to tell the editor-in-chief, or I'll tear the editorial office down!" Zou Huofan said confidently.

Liu Yimin was taken aback. Old Zou was so ruthless. He joked, "Just a little demonstration is fine, don't actually tear it down!"

"You really love making things worse!"

Back at Yenching University, Liu Zhenyun and the other two saw Liu Yimin return, exchanged glances, and then came over to ask him what he had been doing last night.
“Guess who we ran into at the literary society yesterday?” Liu Zhenyun said mysteriously.

"Who?"

“Zhou Yanru, the editor of ‘Yanjing Literature,’ and our senior sisters Zhang Dening and Chen Jiangong specially introduced us,” Li Xueqin said happily.

"and then?"

"Then they asked why you didn't go?" Chen Dazhi said.

"What did you say?"

Liu Zhenyun pondered for a moment and said, "Of course we'll tell the truth and say that you took the manuscript to People's Literature and Art. I originally wanted to cover it up, but then I thought that this could help you get a better price from Yenching Literature and Art, so I chose to tell the truth."

"Guess what they said?" Li Xueqin quickly interjected.

"How to say?"

Chen Dazhi, hands on his hips, mimicked Zhou Yanru's words and said, "Who exactly is in *People's Literature and Art*? How come you just write a manuscript and submit it to *People's Literature and Art*? You just write one and submit it?"

"Hahaha!"

Chen Dazhi's antics amused the others in the dormitory. Liu Zhenyun rolled his eyes at Chen Dazhi; he had wanted to learn from him, but Chen Dazhi had beaten him to it. Sure enough, Old Chen, who seemed honest enough, also wanted to improve.

Here are two chapters together, please vote twice! It's almost the end of the month, everyone should clear out their inventory!

(End of this chapter)