Chapter 26: The "Iron and Blood" Army
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“I’ve met Mr. Wang Zengqi. And one or two newer writers as well... I’ve seen Liu Xinwu twice, though we never exchanged greetings,” Li Yousi said mildly.
Taking that as his cue, he went on to say a little more.
...
“You mean Lu Yao? He’s a writer from the northwest, not from Beiping.”
He only mentioned it in passing.
These young literary enthusiasts were obsessed with the “masters” of the literary world in much the same way later generations would idolize celebrities. Their admiration for Li Yousi deepened a little further.
“Oh... So you’ve even received guidance from Mr. Wang?”
Li Yousi smiled. “Yes. Mr. Wang is very approachable.”
The two of them chatted as they entered Li Yousi’s office.
Although the bedroom was a private room, the office clearly was not. After all, the art troupe did not have that much space.
He had arrived just as the lunch break was ending, so naturally none of the other colleagues were there.
Li Yousi took his seat, while the crew-cut man continued, “This is the Literary and Artistic Creation Office. Besides you, there are more than a dozen other teachers here. They’re all outstanding musicians and writers from the troupe.”
They continued chatting.
Before long, the crew-cut man glanced at the office clock and said, “Then I’ll be going now, Teacher Li.”
He hurried out of the office.
...
After the crew-cut man had left, Li Yousi found himself bored and began wandering around the office.
Apart from the desks assembled from more than a dozen wooden tables, there was also a bookcase against the wall, filled with books and, of course, numerous document folders.
Some concerned military life, while others contained records of the War of Resistance.
After all, they were artists and writers from an army art troupe, and most of what they created was related to the troupe.
The most famous example was Garland beneath the Mountain, published in last year’s October magazine.
Garland beneath the Mountain had been written by Li Cunbao, who at the time was a playwright and director with the Jinan Military Region Art Troupe.
In 1984, it was adapted into a classic film—a military movie about the Vietnam War, the one featuring that “all-powerful lady.”
Because of its sensitive subject matter, it was banned for a period during certain later years. Yet that did nothing to prevent it from being passed down through the generations. It was an excellent film.
Only soldiers from art troupes like theirs were permitted to consult materials concerning the Vietnam War.
Li Yousi began reading through the files with great interest.
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One of the books suddenly caught his attention.
“The Iron-Blooded Army—the Sichuan Army.”
The Battle Flag Art Troupe was the largest art troupe in Sichuan and Chongqing, as well as the largest in the entire southwest, so it naturally possessed materials of this kind.
The documents ran to several hundred thousand words and dealt entirely with the Sichuan Army. Though they contained only superficial information, they were more than enough to captivate Li Yousi.
“What are you doing? Outsiders aren’t allowed in here without permission!”
A sharp reprimand rang out as he was leafing through the book.
Somewhat surprised, Li Yousi looked toward the doorway and saw a middle-aged man with thick brows and large eyes walking over.
The materials in their Literary and Artistic Creation Office were considered confidential archives. Ordinary soldiers truly had no right to look through them.
The man snatched the file from his hands.
Li Yousi froze for a moment, then quickly explained, “Comrade, you’ve misunderstood. I was just transferred to this office.”
“My name is Li Yousi. Director Wang must have mentioned me to you, right?”
Upon hearing his name, He Dehua paused briefly.
Li Yousi had submitted a manuscript that had been accepted by Beiping Literature, and the news had become fairly well known in the publicity section of the Battle Flag Art Troupe.
Everyone there worked in the arts; they understood exactly what such an achievement meant.
A trace of embarrassment appeared on He Dehua’s face as he smiled. “I’m sorry, Comrade Li. I made a mistake.”
He was slightly surprised. He had assumed that a writer capable of producing such an impressive novel would at least be a young man in his late twenties. Yet this face looked barely past twenty.
“It’s all right,” Li Yousi said. “We haven’t gotten to know each other yet.”
He Dehua slapped his forehead. “Let me introduce myself. My name is He Dehua. I’m the stage designer in the Literary and Artistic Creation Office.”
After arriving at the Battle Flag Art Troupe, Li Yousi had naturally familiarized himself with its well-known figures.
He Dehua was one of them. He was a renowned stage designer for the Battle Flag Art Troupe and a national first-class artist.
“Pleased to meet you, Comrade He.” Li Yousi shook his hand.
Only then did he point to the file and ask, “May I take a look at this?”
He Dehua smiled. “Of course! Here you are, Comrade.”
Li Yousi took the file back to his seat.
He Dehua followed him over. Their seats happened to be close together, and seeing how intently Li Yousi was reading, He Dehua became curious.
“Comrade Li, are you thinking of writing a novel about the Sichuan Army?”
Li Yousi stared at the bloody figures recorded in the file. At that moment, he felt a faint stirring of interest himself.
He nodded slowly. “I have that thought in mind, but I’ll need to study the materials first.”
He Dehua immediately felt a little more favorably toward him. The Sichuan Army was naturally a source of pride for them. If a writer of Li Yousi’s ability were to write a novel praising the Sichuan Army, that would certainly be a good thing.
“Do you need any other files? I’ve already read through most of the materials in the office. There are several more books over there about the history of the War of Resistance,” He Dehua asked with a smile.
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“Would you like me to bring them over?”
Before Li Yousi could answer, He Dehua cheerfully rose to his feet, walked over to the bookcase, and, relying on his memory, pulled out several books and brought them back.
Li Yousi accepted them and said, somewhat surprised, “Thank you, Comrade. But for now, I only have an idea. I still don’t know how I’ll turn it into a story.”
“I know,” He Dehua said. “You writers are all like that. People from the art troupe say they have no inspiration every single day.”
“Read more. It might come to you.”
The door slowly opened again.
This time, a thin middle-aged man walked in.
“Old He! Finished eating?”
“Who’s this?”
He Dehua immediately introduced him. “The legendary writer from our art troupe!”
“Comrade Li, this is Chen Xiaotao, one of the backbone creators of the Battle Flag Art Troupe!”
Li Yousi greeted him. “Pleased to meet you, Comrade Chen.”
“Pleased to meet you, Comrade Li. Director Wang said the genius writer was a young man, but I never imagined you’d be this young! If only my son were half as capable as you.”
Chen Xiaotao came over and shook his hand.
He Dehua laughed. “Old Chen, I feel the same way! I never expected the Battle Flag Art Troupe to gain such a young talent.”
After they finished eating, the other colleagues gradually returned.
Apart from the two of them, several others were key members of the troupe in dance, music, and creative work.
He Dehua happily introduced them to Li Yousi from the center of the room.
“This is Mei Qijie, who writes novels just like you!”
“Comrade Mei!”
Mei Qijie gave a slight nod.
~
Li Yousi had suddenly met so many people that he pondered for a moment.
He had been promoted!
He had never expected to be elevated straight into the inner circle.
That was far too strange.