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

Chapter 122 Returning to Yanjing
On the evening of May 15th, the embassy's restaurant was filled with a joyous atmosphere, with attendees including not only embassy staff but also people from all walks of life in Paris invited by the embassy.

The farewell party lasted until very late, as the embassy treated it as an opportunity to connect with various sectors of Parisian society.

At the farewell party, people kept coming up to talk to Liu Yimin. Some international students also expressed their longing for their country to the members of the delegation.

Of course, there were also some sharp voices mixed in. Not everyone was missing someone, and Liu Yimin just thought they were talking nonsense.

Some people come to Liu Yimin for autographs, but since they don't have his books, they can only bring books by other authors for autographs. Liu Yimin will then sign his name next to the book title.

If the other party agrees, Liu Yimin will also sign the original author's name.

Early on the morning of the 16th, embassy staff escorted the delegation to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Liu Yimin's suitcase was full of books when he arrived, and it was also full of various other things when he left, its weight only increasing.

Looking out of the plane, Paris was getting further and further away from them.

"Finally, I can go back!" Xu Chi exclaimed, looking out the window.

Luo Sun joked, "I haven't had the fermented mung bean juice and fried dough rings from old Beijing in a long time. I wonder if I'll taste the bread flavor when I go back and try them!"

The journey back only involved one layover in Pakistan before the plane returned to Yanjing.

Liu Yimin kept the two bottles of Moutai that were delivered by plane, planning to take them home to Liu Fuqing sometime so that he could also taste the flavor of Moutai.

On the plane, Xu Chi kept calculating how many inches of color TV he could buy with the francs he earned. The thought of going home and knocking on the door with a color TV made him so excited that he couldn't sleep.

At Yenching University, in the boys' dormitory, Liu Zhenyun, Li Xueqin, and two others returned to their dorm after class. Every time they came back, they would always take a look at Liu Yimin's bed.

“It’s been 24 days since Yimin left, and I still miss him!” Liu Zhenyun sighed.

Li Xueqin said with a smile, "You've forgotten the times when you were depressed. When Yimin comes back, it'll be time for us to feel inferior again. I missed Yimin these past few days, but since there was no one to compare myself to, I was actually quite happy."

"I've already written a thousand words of my novel, Zhenyun, what about you?"

Liu Zhenyun said without changing his expression, "It's already 1,200 words!"

"Huh, you have more than me? Dazhi, what about you?"

Liu Zhenyun said with dissatisfaction, "Don't imitate me and say 'Eh!'"

“Fourteen hundred words!” Chen Dazhi said firmly.

Li Xueqin:
I reported my word count a little too early!
If Liu Yimin were here, he would surely say, "With that time spent checking the word count, you could have written a few more lines!"

Liu Zhenyun sat on the bed, counted on his fingers and said, "Three weeks is almost up, he'll be back soon. I have a feeling Yimin might be back today!"

Li Xueqin let out a wail and collapsed onto the bed: "Let's do it tomorrow then, I'm not ready yet!"

Chen Dazhi moved closer to Liu Zhenyun and started discussing with him whether Liu Yimin would be any different from others when he returned from France, and what he would bring back.

"What could be different? I can't come back as a Frenchman!" Liu Zhenyun scoffed.

"You know what, even though Yimin is in France, it's no different from having him around us. We hear people talking about him all the time. So many people have read 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'. I've noticed that everyone in our school is reading 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' now, even more than 'The Flames of War in Beiping,' which is clearly more literary."

Liu Zhenyun couldn't help but take out two magazines from his bag and compare them again. After looking at them for a long time, he still felt that "The Flames of War in Beiping" was better.

"You don't understand, this is called the power of love. Which young person doesn't yearn for love? Its literary value certainly isn't as high as 'The Flames of War in Beiping,' but think about it. If you were to dream, would you rather dream of drinking with Wen San'er or of traveling to Mount Lu with Zhou Yun, who has returned from America?"

Li Xueqin peeked out from the upper bunk and looked down at Liu Zhenyun and Chen Dazhi.

“Of course it’s Zhou Jun, just like my favorite school is on Saturdays,” Liu Zhenyun replied.

When the other two asked him why he liked school on Saturdays, Liu Zhenyun blushed and refused to answer. He knew it was because Saturdays were when the male and female students at Yenching University showered, and there was only one shower stall, so they took turns showering.

Walking through the campus on Saturday, the scent of Seagull shampoo wafted everywhere—yes, the same scent as Liu Yimin's hair.

A minority of boys use Seagull shampoo; most use soap. Girls, on the other hand, almost all use Seagull.

For Liu Zhenyun, that was the taste of happiness.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhenyun lay down on the bed, snuggled under the covers, and started reading "Romance on Lushan Mountain" again.

The actors at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, who were rehearsing "Mr. Donkey," received a notification from Lan Tianye that the play would premiere on June 1st.

Lan Tianye said with a smile, "It takes ten years of practice offstage for one minute onstage. The time has come to test our skills offstage. Everyone should practice more in their spare time. If you have any good moves or ideas, you can come and talk to me anytime."

During the break, Zhu Lin quietly walked over to Lan Tianye's side, carrying a thermos to add water to Lan Tianye's teacup.

"Xiao Zhu, just say what you have to say!" Lan Tianye said calmly, taking a sip of tea.

"Director Lan, I'm fine!" After saying that, Zhu Lin sat down next to Lan Tianye. Seeing that Lan Tianye didn't say anything more, he couldn't help but ask, "Director Lan?"

Lan Tianye uttered a soft "Hmm?" at the corner of his mouth.

"Director Lan, when will Comrade Liu Yimin return from France? Do you know?" Zhu Lin asked casually.

Lan Tianye asked with a smile, "What's wrong? When are you coming back? That's a secret. Besides, we're not in the same system as the Writers' Association."

"Nothing, nothing. I just recently watched 'Mr. Donkey' and had some different feelings about the character Jiajia," Zhu Lin hurriedly said.

"Then tell me, I'm the director, it's the same if you tell me!"

Zhu Lin: ...

On May 17, the delegation finally disembarked from the plane. It was already hot in Yanjing, and the sun was shining uncomfortably on the runway.

The Writers Association's car was waiting at the airport. After getting in the car, the group was taken to the Yanjing Hotel to rest. After resting, they had to go to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles to report on their work.

Xu Chi couldn't wait to go to the Overseas Personnel Service Department to carry the color TV home, and the Writers Association didn't seem to require them to stay at the Yanjing Hotel to rest.

The last payment for the manuscript was two hundred francs, which the two split equally. Xu Chi then had five hundred and fifty francs plus thirty US dollars, which he exchanged for foreign exchange certificates. With the tax exemption, he could buy a large-sized color TV.

"Yimin, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I don't know when I would have been able to scrape together enough money to buy a color TV!" Xu Chi said, sporting panda eyes and deep-set eye sockets.

This color TV is definitely a "Panda" brand!
"Comrade Xu, I'll say it again: with your rank, you should have been eyeing a color TV long ago!"

(End of this chapter)