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

Chapter 146 The Concerns of the "Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law"
Before departing, Liu Yimin made a special trip to the Beijing People's Art Theatre. In his telegram, Zhu Lin informed his parents that Liu Yimin was going to Lushan and asked them to pack some of their winter clothes so that Liu Yimin could bring them to them.

They specifically instructed Zhu's parents that they didn't need many clothes, just two sets to change into.

At the entrance of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, amidst the howling wind, Mr. and Mrs. Zhu arrived hand in hand and found Liu Yimin. Mr. Zhu had deep-set eyes, a scholarly air about him, and wore a gray cotton-padded jacket and glasses.

Zhu's mother was dressed quite nicely, in a long coat and a scarf, and her demeanor was elegant.

He smelled of hospital disinfectant and various Western medicine pills, and always had a faint smile between his brows.

"You must be Comrade Liu Yimin. Oh my, you're so young. Linlin has praised you a lot at home. My daughter and I both love reading your works. I've read every single one of them, and I can even recite some of your poems."

Not only is he a good writer, but he's also handsome and upright!

Zhu's father held Liu Yimin's hand and praised him enthusiastically, leaving Liu Yimin speechless!
"Uncle, Auntie, thank you for your kindness. What did you bring?"

Zhu's mother reminded Zhu's father and said with a smile, "Yes, these are some clothes, and I also brought some of Linlin's favorite snacks. You can eat them together when we get to Lushan, but I didn't prepare too many, as it would be difficult to carry them on the road!"

Liu Yimin nodded, packed his things into a large suitcase, and boarded the train to the train station amidst Zhu's mother's polite greetings and Zhu's father's praise.

Just as Mr. and Mrs. Zhu waved goodbye and were about to leave, someone ran down and handed them two tickets, saying with a smile:

"Hello, comrades, these are theater tickets for you two, given to you by our dean. It's for Liu Yimin's 'Mr. Donkey,' and you have good front-row seats. The dean also said that if you want to see 'The Flames of War in Beiping,' you can come and get them from me later."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhu exchanged a glance and thanked Cao Yu.

Back home, Zhu's mother and father sat on the sofa and discussed Liu Yimin:
"He's a really nice guy, polite, talented, and tall too. Wow, isn't he a perfect match for Linlin? Old Zhu, is he the one Linlin is dating?"

Mr. Zhu crossed his legs and said, "I don't know. Linlin doesn't tell us anything. On the other hand, Liu Yimin is a well-known writer now, and there are countless people who like him, including many beautiful ones. I observed this young man today, and there aren't many young women who don't find him attractive."

"Yes, girls all like writers. I heard they receive sacks full of letters. Some young people are shameless and put photos in the letters and write cheesy things."

Mr. Zhu agreed wholeheartedly, and said with a smile, "Our Linlin is reliable; the letter was about literature. However, he's too famous; I'm afraid our Linlin might not be able to handle it."

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions filled with deep worry. They knew far too much about what was happening in the literary world.

After sitting for a while, Zhu's mother suddenly said, "Look at your attitude today. If you really start dating someone, what are you going to do with Linlin? Comrade Liu Yimin, you wrote well!"

Zhu's mother mimicked the words and actions Zhu's father had when he met Liu Yimin, which made Zhu's father laugh heartily: "Is it really that exaggerated? It's just that his writing is indeed very good!"

"Yes, even you are like this, let alone those young women."

"Ugh!"

After two days and two nights of travel, Liu Yimin finally got off the train. It was a little after 3 p.m. when he arrived at the train station, and the film crew specially arranged for someone from the local cultural department to send a car to pick him up.

Zhang Mengzhao helped Liu Yimin lift his luggage and put it in the back of the jeep, then said with a smile, "We've been waiting for you for so long, Comrade Yimin."

“Editor Zhang, there are indeed things to do in Yanjing.” Liu Yimin told her about the Yanjing Literary Congress and Symposium.

Zhang Mengzhao exclaimed in surprise, "You're so young, yet you're already holding seminars! That's amazing!"

Writers who can hold seminars are all great writers! "It's not a large-scale event, not a large-scale event!"

"It's alright, you're young, take your time. Who's participating?" Zhang Mengzhao asked with a smile.

"Li Ji, Ai Qing, Wang Zengqi"

Zhang Mengzhao wanted to slap himself twice. Who told him to talk so much? With Zhang Guangnian gone, the literary world was now dominated by Li Ji and Ai Qing, and not even that was a big deal.
"This isn't even a large scale? What counts as large? Does it have to be a gathering of Lu Guo Cao Lao Mao Ba and a few others to open a large-scale event for you?" Zhang Mengzhao said irritably.

Liu Yimin said hesitantly, "You don't have to come all of them!"

Zhang Mengzhao thought about it and realized that it might actually be possible, after all, he was now Cao Lao's student and had even gone to France with Mr. Ba Jin.

Having been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Liu Yimin, Zhang Mengzhao stopped discussing the topic and instead started talking about the progress, asking Liu Yimin how many days he could stay there.

"We'll be going back in a week, are you almost done filming?"

"The outdoor scenes are basically finished, but the indoor scenes are not yet. Winter is coming, so the indoor scenes will be easier to film, but the key is the outdoor scenes."

After Zhang Mengzhao finished speaking, the comrade from the local cultural department turned around and said, "Comrade Liu Yimin, welcome to Lushan. Many people in our area read your novel. Since you wrote this novel, quite a few people have come here specifically to visit. We're about to reach Kuling, and I'll tell you about Lushan."

As the jeep drove along the highway, the cultural officials kept introducing the road to Liu Yimin. This road was built in 52, mobilizing tens of thousands of workers and taking ten months to complete.

"Our Lushan Mountain boasts beautiful scenery and beautiful people; it's a perfect summer resort."

By the time they arrived at their destination, Liu Yimin's buttocks were already throbbing with pain from the impact.

The car drove for several more hours from Jiujiang to Lushan.

The staff from the cultural department continued to enthusiastically introduce Guling Town and its villa complex.

"This is a two-story villa in the style of a private residence. We will stay here. The conditions inside are better than many guesthouses in Yanjing."

This is a relatively large residential building, which may have originally housed several families before being combined into a residential complex. It can even accommodate the needs of a film crew, with one or two people sharing a room.

"The comrades from the cultural department are very caring towards our film crew. Thank you for arranging such a nice place for us to stay." Zhang Mengzhao took the opportunity to express his gratitude. Local cooperation is not an obligation, and saying a few words of thanks doesn't cost anything.

Not long after entering the room, the film crew came down from the mountain. Zhu Lin ran into the courtyard, but when she got to the door, she felt it was inappropriate and stopped her hand that was about to knock.

Zhang Mengzhao and Huang Zumo walked over and saw Zhu Lin standing at the door. Zhang Mengzhao smiled and said, "Why didn't you knock?"

Zhu Lin was a little embarrassed. Huang Zumo glanced at Zhang Mengzhao, who replied with a "you know what I mean" emoji. The two had reached a consensus.

“After traveling for several days and nights, I think Comrade Liu Yimin must be very tired, and maybe he’s resting, so…” Zhu Lin said, blushing.

Zhang Mengzhao slapped his forehead, wondering why he hadn't thought of that, and then tentatively knocked on the door.

(End of this chapter)