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

Chapter 155 Revolutionary Mentor. Liu

Liu Yimin told Zhou Yanru about the novel's content over the phone. Zhou Yanru was very interested and kept thanking Liu Yimin on the phone.

“Editor Zhou, no rush. Just go see Comrade Wang Zengqi tomorrow. I haven’t told anyone about this except you, and People’s Literature and Art magazine hasn’t either.”

"Comrade Yimin, thank you for thinking of our *Yanjing Literature and Art*. We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate directly in the future. What *People's Literature and Art* can give you, *Yanjing Literature and Art* can also give you! You are welcome to come and visit us when you have time. Also, I heard that you are about to win a literary award, so I would like to congratulate you in advance!"

"Do you know everything?"

“How could such a thing be covered up? Our Yanjing Literature and Art also has entries for the competition, and we have judges. Besides, even if it could be covered up, we could guess that you were going to win an award.”

After offering a few words of congratulations, Zhou Yanru hung up the phone. Liu Yimin put his letter into his bag from the mailroom, greeted the old man at the mailroom, and returned to his dormitory with a smile.

The other people in the dormitory had also returned to school one after another, and Liu Zhenyun would occasionally give Liu Yimin a meaningful smile.

Seeing that he didn't react, he hinted, "Yimin, are tickets for 'The Flames of War in Beiping' easy to buy now?"

Liu Yimin then remembered what he had promised him, so he patted Liu Yimin's strong chest and said, "Leave it to me!"

Li Xueqin and Chen Dazhi chimed in, replying to Liu Zhenyun, "They must be hard to buy, right?"

Li Congren and his colleagues from Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press also approached Liu Yimin, saying they wanted to read "The Flames of War in Beiping." Through Lao Ma, they learned about the customs of old Beiping and the lives of ordinary people.

"The Flames of War in Beiping" is about this topic, so naturally I wanted to watch it. I contacted Liu Yimin before the New Year, but tickets were so sought after at the time that the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press had so many people that they simply couldn't give me any.

They approached the teachers at the Overseas Students Affairs Office, but they also said they couldn't help. They could still get tickets for plays from other drama troupes, but tickets for popular plays from the Beijing People's Art Theatre were not something that teachers like them could get by the theatre.

"I'll buy tickets for the next game for you guys!" Liu Yimin said to Li Congren, Kelifu, and the others.

"Liu, the way you say that is so charming!" Li Congren put his arm around Liu Yimin's shoulder, and his intimate manner made Liu Yimin feel a chill.

"Stay away from me!" Liu Yimin said.

Xiao Meihezi said, word by word, "I wonder if my Chinese level is good enough to understand 'The Flames of War in Beiping'?"

"He Zi, try not to talk while you're watching!"

"Why, Mr. Liu?"

"He's easy to get beaten up," Li Congren said for Liu Yimin.

“Yes, the Chinese, like us, deeply hate the invaders.” Mulatu from Ethiopia was wearing an L-shaped hat with a bright red five-pointed star on his head, which looked somewhat comical.

The office had funds for the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, and originally intended to use those funds to make the purchase, but Li Congren suggested that everyone pay their share, which Liu Yimin happily accepted.

Fernando, a French student, told Liu Yimin some good news: his book, "The Brave Old Man and His Dog," was selling like hotcakes in France, and Le Figaro predicted it might become one of the top ten best-selling books in France in 1980.

Liu Yimin was thrilled, but then he thought, "Damn it, the Frenchman hasn't paid me my royalties yet! I need to find some time to call and ask what's going on. Is he embarrassed to give me more than he should have?"
"It's not just the French who are reading it; people in other European countries are reading it too. In 77, the United Nations Environment Programme listed Yanjing as a city on the verge of desertification. Your book allows Europeans to see the efforts that the Chinese are making to improve the environment."

When I went home this year, many friends brought me this book and asked me, "Do you Chinese plant trees in the desert?"

"what do you say?"

“I told them it was true. When they heard that, they shook their heads and walked away, thinking it was a pipe dream!” Fernando mimicked his friend’s expression, which amused a large group of people.

“I told them that there are countless ‘Old Xues’ in China who have been planting trees in the desert for almost twenty years, and the places where Old Xue planted trees are about to succeed. They went from not believing it at first to praising how amazing the Chinese are.” After Fernando finished recounting his experience at home, other people from the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press also started talking about their friends’ stereotypes about China.

Some stories that sound utterly absurd are actually believed by foreigners.

"So you have a heavy responsibility. You have come to China to understand China, and we hope that when you return, you will explain the real China to your friends and country. We must use our own strength to break down the shameful and evil media propaganda and declare war on the capitalists and the dogs kept by the bourgeoisie."

"Good, well said!"

"There is nothing easier than telling the truth, and there is nothing more difficult than telling the truth!"

"Liu, you are simply like a revolutionary mentor! I hope that one day your works will be as great as Hemingway's and as full of revolutionary spirit," Li Congren said, clapping his hands.

"Your words sound like those of a Hemingway lackey!"

Liu Yimin greeted the ticket seller at the Beijing People's Art Theatre and bought more than twenty tickets. After giving the tickets to the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, he gave two more tickets to Liu Zhenyun, and one each to Li Xueqin and Chen Dazhi.

Guo Jianmei and Liu Zhenyun's tickets were for a separate time slot, so I couldn't meet them and shouldn't disturb Comrade Liu Zhenyun's appointment. Although, at this point, it was far from being a date.

On the day of the play, a large group of people headed towards the Beijing People's Art Theatre. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were about to fight.

"You guys go in and watch the play, don't worry about me," Liu Yimin waved to them.

Upon arriving at the rehearsal room of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Zhu Lin saw her and quickly ran over: "Teacher Liu, it's been a long time!"

"Hello, Comrade Zhu Lin, this is the first time we've met since 1980!"

Zhu Lin grasped Liu Yimin's hand, thinking to himself, "Why is he being so formal?" They first met in 1980...wow, writers really know how to talk!
Zhu Lin talked about the film "Romance on Lushan Mountain," explaining that they had to reshoot many indoor scenes at the Beijing Film Studio.

"Director Xu has stricter requirements for 'Romance on Lushan Mountain,' and his review is extremely thorough," Zhu Lin said helplessly.

Do you have rehearsal today?

"no!"

"Let's go see a play together!" Liu Yimin handed the play tickets to Zhu Lin.

"Teacher Liu, did you come all this way to see a play with me?"

"You waited here especially for me to come and see the play?"

Zhu Lin thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I would say yes!"

"Let's go, I specifically asked you to come see the play."

Before even reaching the performance hall, Liu Yimin ran into Su Min. Upon seeing Liu Yimin, Su Min approached him and whispered, "I just heard that something happened at the Writers' Association!"

"what happened?"

"Comrade Li is in trouble!"

(End of this chapter)