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

Chapter 123 Red Beans Grow in the South

As the official hotel for receiving foreign guests, the Yanjing Hotel boasts comprehensive facilities, magnificent decor, and exquisite daily necessities.

I checked into the Yanjing Hotel a month too late. If I had come in April, I might have run into the old man who was visiting.

Apart from Xu Chi, who left, Liu Yimin had lunch with Ba Jin and the other members of the delegation. The Yanjing Hotel offers classic dishes from various Chinese cuisines, as well as some of Yanjing's long-established restaurants.

"Finally, I can eat authentic Chinese cuisine! Look at this braised pork knuckle, it's so tender. The twice-cooked pork is also cooked to perfection." Luo Sun picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle and couldn't wait to put it in his mouth.

Ba Jin picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork and said, "The Sichuan cuisine at Yanjing Hotel is made by authentic Sichuan chefs. You should try it. I have to eat it every time I come here."

Ba Jin was from Sichuan and had a particular fondness for Sichuan cuisine. Having lived in Shanghai for many years, he often couldn't find authentic Sichuan food.

Luo Sun then said, "Old Xu is out of luck with this!"

“Right now, color TVs are the best thing for him!” Liu Yimin joked.

Li Xiaolin asked curiously, "Yimin, you guys are really something! We're here for exchange, but you two are doing exchange and earning foreign exchange at the same time. How much have you two earned?"

"Not much, Comrade Xu earned five hundred and fifty francs!"

"Wow, that's not much. Tell me, how come I don't know French?" Luo Sun laughed at everyone, his tone tinged with envy.

After dinner, everyone was a bit tired and prepared to go back to their rooms to rest. They were staying in the East Wing of the Yanjing Hotel, which was newly built in 74 and was said to have originally been designed as a 100-meter-tall building.

However, when construction reached the 14th floor, it was discovered that the building offered a direct view of the national political center, posing a safety hazard, and construction was immediately halted.

The room had a private bathroom. After taking a hot shower, Liu Yimin lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. He didn't wake up until evening.

He opened the box, took out the record he bought for Cao Yu, the brooch he gave to his teacher's wife, and a box of chocolates, and prepared to go to Cao Yu's house. He had arranged to meet Ba Jin at dinner time, around 7 o'clock, to go to Cao Yu's house for dinner together.

Cao Yu knew Liu Yimin and the others had arrived at the Yanjing Hotel. He returned home early and started cooking dinner with Li Yuru. In the kitchen, Cao Yu was preparing vegetables, while Li Yuru was thinking about what to cook.

"Brother Ba likes Sichuan cuisine, so let's have a plate of Kung Pao Chicken. Xiaolin likes fish, so let's make this fish into sweet and sour carp. Yimin likes braised eggplant, but we didn't have any in winter. Now that we do, let's make him some braised eggplant."

Li Yuru looked at the ingredients and started making plans.

"Make more braised eggplant; young people have big appetites," Cao Yu said, looking up.

Just as we were cooking, Wanfang returned with tofu, saying she wanted to make braised tofu herself.

"Dad, I wonder how Yimin has been doing in France these past ten days?" Wanfang asked, turning his head as he cut tofu.

Don't worry, you'll find out soon!

At 7 p.m., Liu Yimin and his two companions arrived at Cao Yu's house on time. Wan Fang opened the door and happily welcomed them inside.

Liu Yimin wanted to go into the kitchen to help, but Li Yuru pushed him out; the dishes were already cooked.

"Your teacher's wife made your favorite braised eggplant," Cao Yu said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Master's wife. You're the best to me!" Liu Yimin said from the kitchen doorway.

Wan Fang, holding a rolling pin, pointed at Liu Yimin and said, "What? Is your senior sister not good to you?"

"Hello, senior sister. I've been thinking about you ever since I came back from France. I didn't know what you liked, so I brought you a box of chocolates," Liu Yimin quickly said.

"He still has some conscience!"

At the dinner table, Ba Jin and Li Xiaolin talked about what they had seen and heard in France, and also brought over greetings from their French friends to Cao Yu.

After finishing these things, Li Xiaolin steered the conversation to Liu Yimin: "My father gained friendships from France this time. Guess what Yimin gained?"

Cao Yu, his teacher's wife, and Wan Fang turned their attention to Liu Yimin, and then quickly asked Li Xiaolin what had happened in France.

"Yimin, you've really made us proud!"

Li Xiaolin vividly recounted to Cao Yu and the other two what had happened since their first day in France: discussing literary ideas with a famous French writer, giving an interview, submitting articles to newspapers, and angrily confronting a reporter from Le Monde, among other things.

"The most impressive thing is that Yimin's book is going to be published in France, and he has secured a royalty contract. In France, Yimin will receive one or two francs for every book sold."

Li Yuru was overjoyed and said with a hint of pride, "Yimin, you're amazing! Lao Wan, Yimin's books have even sold in France!"

"I heard it!" Cao Yu looked at the excited Li Yuru and said helplessly. Then he asked for the specific details. Liu Yimin didn't speak, but Li Xiaolin next to him talked on and on about what had happened.

As Cao Yu listened to Li Xiaolin's explanation, he kept nodding to Liu Yimin.

"Well done. Now that the country is preparing for reform and opening up, for the arts and literature circles, it means their works are going global. Royalties are a new thing for our country, but someone always has to be the first to try it."

"Uncle Wan, what do you think about implementing royalties in our country?" Li Xiaolin asked.

Cao Yu shook his head and said, "It's already quite remarkable that our country has been able to restore royalties based on print runs. The royalties that writers receive for their books being published are far higher than the income of ordinary workers. If we were to add royalties, it would be even better for writers and the arts, but it would easily widen the income gap and cause dissatisfaction."

Reforms must be carried out step by step!

Ba Jin nodded; he shared the same sentiment.

After dinner, Liu Yimin went to Cao Yu's study, turned on the phonograph, and played the "Zigeunerweisen" record that he had bought.

"Yimin, what are your thoughts on this trip to France?" Cao Yu asked, sitting at his desk.

"What impressed me most was France's abundance of literary awards, whose influence extends far beyond France and is renowned worldwide. In contrast, our country currently has relatively few literary awards, and their influence is limited to the domestic sphere."

I believe that the influence of literary awards on the world literary scene is closely related to the influence of a country's literary scene on the world stage.

Currently, there is only one national literary award in China: the National Short Story Award.

Ba Jin glanced at Liu Yimin, assuming that Liu Yimin would discuss French literary thought.

“I didn’t expect you to think of this question. I know a lot about French literary prizes, and they have a very long history. There is indeed a lack of similar awards in China. Currently, there are many short story awards in China, but they cannot represent the highest level of Chinese literature at all.”

"The establishment of literary prizes can promote the production of outstanding works and revitalize the domestic literary market. Not to mention the world-class Nobel Prize in Literature, even if there were an award of the level of the French Goncourt Prize, it would be of great benefit to the development of the literary world."

Liu Yimin explained carefully.

After listening, Cao Yu smiled and said, "Establishing a literary prize requires the accumulation of funds and time; it's not something that can be done overnight. When you report to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles about this trip to France tomorrow, you can mention how you can help promote the establishment of our country's 'Goncourt.' The Nobel Prize in Literature is a bit too far away for us."

"However, Yimin, you are young, perhaps you can do it in the future." Leaving the study, Liu Yimin retrieved a brooch and gave it to Li Yuru. Li Yuru happily took the brooch and pinned it to her clothes, admiring herself in the mirror.

“Your teacher’s wife didn’t spoil you for nothing!” Li Yuru turned around and smiled at Liu Yimin.

Wan Fang took a bite of the chocolate and smiled, "Your senior sister didn't spoil you for nothing!"

On the way back, Ba Jin asked Liu Yimin to write down his thoughts on the literary prize and submit them to the leaders of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, as a summary of his trip to France.

Liu Yimin nodded in agreement, thinking about what Cao Yu had said: "You are a young man, maybe you can do it in the future."

How about we establish our own "Yimin Literature Prize" in the future? With some effort, we can make it a world-class literary award.

Thinking of this, Liu Yimin could barely suppress the smile on his face.

If we can make it, that would be absolutely amazing!

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Yanjing Hotel, the three got out of the car and prepared to walk into the hotel.

Liu Yimin caught a glimpse of a figure standing by the wall out of the corner of his eye. In the dim light of the street lamp, the figure seemed extremely familiar.

Liu Yimin stopped in his tracks. Li Xiaolin noticed and looked over as well, instinctively asking, "What? You know him?"

“They seem to be friends! Teacher Ba, Senior Sister Xiaolin, you go in first, I’ll go take a look!” Liu Yimin said.

Li Xiaolin nodded and helped Ba Jin into the restaurant.

Liu Yimin took a few steps and got closer, finally seeing who the dark figure was. It turned out to be Zhu Lin.

"Comrade Zhu Lin? What brings you here?"

Under the dim streetlights, Zhu Lin stood by the roadside, holding his bicycle and looking at Liu Yimin. Because of his nervousness, he kept fidgeting with the handlebars, and his shadow was stretched long by the light.

During rehearsal today, she heard from Lan Tianye that Liu Yimin had returned and was staying at the Yanjing Hotel tonight.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, is that you? I came out of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, rode my bicycle to get some fresh air, and somehow ended up here!" The pale yellow light shone on his face, making it impossible to see the tension and blush on his face.

Tsk! What a lame excuse.

"Is the wind bothering you? Did I come over and disturb you?" Liu Yimin said as he walked to the side.

Zhu Lin hurriedly waved his left hand: "No, no."

Today, Zhu Lin wore a belted long dress and a long-sleeved white shirt, with her forearms rolled up. This outfit really accentuated her figure.

In March, the Cultural Palace hosted French Fashion Week. After seeing the French people's outfits, it became clear that Chinese women, who have always dressed in a monotonous style, are increasingly pursuing beauty.

However, it was still a little chilly to wear this outfit on a mid-May evening.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, did you know that the premiere of 'Mr. Donkey' will officially begin on June 1st?" Zhu Lin tried his best to justify his appearance at the entrance of the Yanjing Hotel.

"Really? How are your preparations going?" Liu Yimin followed up on her question.

Seeing that she was a little cold and would shiver unintentionally, Liu Yimin led her into the lobby of the Yanjing Hotel. This was Zhu Lin's first time here, and the layout of the Yanjing Hotel deeply impressed her.

Liu Yimin told her about his experiences in France, and Zhu Lin listened intently to the novel things she had never seen before.

"You brought gifts for Dean Cao and your roommates!"

Zhu Lin thought Liu Yimin had only brought gifts for Dean Cao and other seniors, but he didn't expect that even his roommate had received one.

"Yeah, it's not easy to go abroad. If I don't bring back some gifts, my roommates will kill me," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"When you go abroad, you should bring back some gifts." Zhu Lin's words carried a hint of disappointment.

Then he turned around and took out a handkerchief from his bag and handed it to Liu Yimin: "Comrade Liu Yimin, it's getting hotter and hotter, and it's easy to sweat outside. This is a handkerchief I embroidered. I embroidered an extra one, so I'll give it to you!"

Liu Yimin took the handkerchief from Zhu Lin's slightly trembling hand. The white checkered handkerchief had a slender-leaved tree embroidered on one corner, with some small red balls dotting it.

I looked at it for a long time but still couldn't figure out what kind of plant it was.

"You mean you accidentally stumbled upon the entrance of the Yanjing Hotel and specially brought me a handkerchief?" Liu Yimin asked with a grin.

Zhu Lin stammered, unable to speak. Liu Yimin stood up and said:
"Comrade Zhu Lin, please wait a moment!"

When Liu Yimin came down from the fourth floor of the hotel in the elevator, he was holding two cardboard boxes and handed them to Zhu Lin.

"Comrade Zhu Lin, this is a gift I brought back for you from France. Take a look!"

Zhu Lin's eyes lit up immediately. She said she was sorry, but her hand obediently took the box. One box contained chocolates, and the other box contained a silk scarf.

"Take it, I really like the handkerchief you embroidered."

He saw Zhu Lin off as she left the restaurant, telling her to be careful on her way back. Only when Zhu Lin reached the main road did he turn back to prepare to return to the restaurant.

Zhu Lin rode his bike for a while, then turned around and ran back: "Comrade Liu Yimin, Xiheyuan is a good place for boating lately. How about I teach you to boat at the end of the month?"

"Didn't we agree to teach you to swim? Comrade Zhu Lin, I can't swim. What if I fall into the water one day? Swimming is an essential survival skill. I should use my precious time on the knife handle!"

"Oh dear! Oh dear!" Zhu Lin exclaimed a few times and hurriedly rode away on his bicycle.

Liu Yimin watched the hastily fleeing figure, humming a little tune as he returned to his room. Before he even opened the door, Li Xiaolin's head popped out: "Hey, Yimin, what's wrong? You're walking so lightly?"

"Senior sister, you're still awake? I'm so happy to finally be back in my motherland!" Liu Yimin said quickly.

"Really?" Li Xiaolin walked over to Liu Yimin, circled him a few times as if interrogating a criminal, then snatched the handkerchief from his hand, looked at it, and said with a smile, "Oh, isn't this embroidered with a red bean tree?"

Holding a handkerchief and waving it in the air, she looked at Liu Yimin meaningfully and said, "Red beans grow in the south; how many branches will sprout in spring?"

"Send nine branches!" Liu Yimin said casually after snatching the handkerchief.

"Hmm? I meant how many branches will sprout in spring?"

"Senior sister, give out nine branches!" Liu Yimin exclaimed, his eyes wide open, looking completely innocent!

(End of this chapter)