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

Chapter 198 Swimming is great!
Stepping off the train at Beidaihe Railway Station, Zhu Lin immediately sensed the city's unique character. The comfortable temperature and humidity made breathing feel like opening a window in the early morning to breathe in the fresh air, mingled with the morning mist.

Liu Yimin's odd hat and Zhu Lin's floral dress immediately drew everyone's attention. The two boarded a bus and headed straight for the Writers' Association's Creative Center.

The Writers' Association's creative home is located at No. 9 Anyi Road, Beidaihe, right next to the beach—a true sea-view property. The place that *Poetry Journal* took us to last time wasn't here; it was at the guesthouse next door, or what could now be called a hotel.

In 79, in order to earn foreign exchange, sanatoriums and other facilities that were previously exclusively used by leaders or government agencies began to be transferred to newly established tourism companies and converted into hotels for tourists.

Most of the rooms are used half for the original government offices and half for business operations.

This is also the first tourism company in China, and more and more foreign tourists are coming, providing the country with a steady stream of foreign exchange.

The entrance to the Writers Association's Creative Home was bustling with activity. The iron gate was wide open, with a sign for the Instrument Factory on one side and a sign for the Writers Association's Creative Home on the other.

The security guards at the gate were from the instrument factory. After Liu Yimin showed them his letter of introduction, they kindly pointed to the building belonging to the Writers' Association.

An old man sat at the entrance; he was the security guard at the creative center. He looked them over as if conducting an inspection. After reading the letter of introduction, he smiled and said, "Writer Liu, please come in. There's a registration desk inside; just go in and register to check in."

Inside the courtyard stands a two-story Japanese-style wooden building, with several small bungalows along the north wall. Numerous apple trees grow in the open space, and September marks the apple harvest season. It's said that writers from the Writers' Association used to frequently receive apples from here.

Zhu Lin said in a low voice, "It's so quiet in here!"

Compared to the instrument factory, it was indeed deserted. Liu Yimin even felt that the two of them might be the only people living here.

The receptionist glanced at the letter of introduction Liu Yimin handed over and nodded. Liu Yimin pointed at Zhu Lin and took out five yuan as payment for the room.

"Writer Liu, actually, it's not necessary," the staff member said with a smile.

"One thing at a time!"

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, the other party stopped refusing and said, "Every room is available. There's no one here right now. The bungalow next door is where a few of our staff members live. There are six staff members in total now. Look, they're here!"

Several people walked into the bungalow. The leader was a middle-aged man, and next to him was an older worker.

"Hello, Comrade Liu Yimin, the Writers Association called. My name is Li Ji."

“Li Ji?” Liu Yimin repeated.

"Yes, I was transferred from the hotel next door by the Writers Association. Before, there was only Comrade Zhao Xiuwen here. Last year, when the National Congress of Writers was held, we originally wanted to entertain members from all over the country here, so we added a lot of staff. But since this building has been closed for a long time, we haven't been able to let everyone come here."

Zhao Xiuwen continued, "I used to manage all the work here, and I was responsible for their daily lives and meals. Every year, I would also give apples to the comrades in the Writers' Association. In the past, these few acres of land were planted with apples, but now there are fewer. When you leave, take some with you."

The group was very enthusiastic. Although it was supposed to be a creative home, it wasn't easy for a writer to come. The conditions here were poor; so poor that when Liu Yimin went up to the second floor, the wooden stairs trembled slightly, and the creaking sound made the calico cat that Zhu Lin was holding perk up its ears.

"The conditions are poor and the facilities are inadequate, so many people are unwilling to come. There are other sanatoriums nearby, and people go wherever they can. Plus, it's September now, and the weather is getting cooler, so even fewer people are coming."

"Sorry to bother you, Comrade Li, Comrade Zhao," Liu Yimin said in turn.

"No need to bother us, no need to bother us. Just call us if you need anything!" Li Ji from the Creative Home led everyone away.

Liu Yimin watched Li Ji's retreating figure as he went downstairs, sighed, and pushed open the door to enter the house. Zhu Lin lived in the next room. Through the window, one could see the Bohai Sea in the distance.

The cabin was quite old, with a musty smell mixed with the fishy odor, but its good points included its tranquility. When on vacation, peace and quiet are paramount.

There were very few people on the beach in the distance, only a few lying on the sand sunbathing. Looking to the right, the beach next to the tourist company was more crowded.

Bus-train-bus, the journey took six hours. I left Yanjing in the morning, and it's already around 4 pm.

After sleeping in the room for a while, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin got up and went to the beach to watch the sunset.

Zhu Lin pointed to the Bohai Sea and said happily, "Teacher Liu, I used to be very silly. When I was a child, I thought Beidaihe was just a river. Later I learned that when people say swimming in Beidaihe, they are actually swimming in the sea."

"Everyone thought that when we were kids, but the Daihe River is right next to us!" Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin walked on the beach, watching the tide rise and fall in the distance, the golden light of the setting sun dyeing the seawater red.

"A setting sun spreads across the water, half the river shimmering green, half crimson red." Zhu Lin excitedly recited Bai Juyi's poem, then, remembering Liu Yimin beside him, turned and said, "Teacher Liu, I don't mean to show off. My dad used to teach me literature, and I thought I could become a writer too!"

"It seems your uncle wasn't a very good teacher, so I'll be teaching him from now on. I'll definitely live up to the title of 'Teacher Liu'," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"So, what is Teacher Liu going to teach me?"

Liu Yimin said casually, "Teacher Liu can teach a lot!"

Zhu Lin smiled and, taking advantage of the afterglow of the setting sun on the beach, gently twirled the hem of her floral dress, stretching out her arms, wanting to dance, but feeling a little shy.

Liu Yimin asked, "What kind of dance can you do?"

"I know a lot!" Zhu Lin glanced around; there were hardly any people on the beach anymore, so he boldly said, "Teacher Liu, let me dance for you!"

After graduating from junior high school, she joined a model opera troupe, and later, after being sent to the countryside, she performed in model operas. Her dancing style is both graceful and masculine, but because she wears a skirt, it adds a lot of charm.

Liu Yimin sat comfortably to the side, holding a camera in his hand: "Keep the music playing, keep dancing."

Hey! I've been collecting folk songs for months, can't I enjoy them a bit?

The calico cat ran to the nearby rocky reef, seemingly having spotted fish in the water. It gently probed the water with its paw before quickly withdrawing it, then turned its head towards Zhu Lin: "Meow~"

"Hahaha, Sanhua wants to eat fish!" Zhu Lin laughed heartily when he saw the cat's expression.

The two of them tried to catch the small fish near the rocks, but unfortunately, they were too difficult to catch. However, on the way back, Sanhua suddenly ran to a puddle and used her claws to catch a fish that hadn't managed to escape after the tide went out.

Back at the Creative Home that evening, their comrades had prepared dinner for them, which included local seafood, though the variety was much smaller compared to later generations.

Thank you all for your hospitality!

"Thank you!"

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin each said thank you. Li Ji said, "It's what we should do. Writer Liu, please try it and see if it suits your taste. These seafoods were all picked up by Lao Zhao from the seaside. This fish was obtained by Lao Zhao using his own secret method, so it's absolutely fresh."

"Why didn't we see Comrade Zhao picking up any?" "Haha, I went to a different place than you did," Comrade Zhao Xiuwen said proudly.

The four of them sat down and started eating. Liu Yimin kept praising how delicious the food was. Old Zhao was very happy. He had cooked for writers many times, and everyone always said that, which always made him happy.

Li Ji went to the yard and picked a few more apples, washed them, and put them on the table: "You absolutely can't eat apples fresher than these."

Liu Yimin joked, "I guess the apple hasn't realized it yet, and doesn't know it's been picked."

Zhao Xiuwen thoughtfully prepared small fish for Sanhua. Sanhua tasted them and was very satisfied, saying they were much tastier than raw fish.

That evening, only Li Ji and Zhao Xiuwen were there. Actually, usually only Zhao Xiuwen was there, and everyone else had gone home. Li Ji only stayed because Liu Yimin was there today.

As they walked out of the kitchen, Liu Yimin shook Li Ji's hand and said, "Comrade Li, Comrade Zhao, you can just make something casually at other times, there's no need to make so much."

"It's alright, we can satisfy our cravings too," Li Ji said nonchalantly.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Zhu Lin began to pace around the room, rummaging through her luggage. She put on her swimsuit, looked at it carefully, and, finding it wasn't as revealing as she thought, nodded with satisfaction.

As she tidied up the house, the floorboards creaked and groaned, waking Liu Yimin up shortly afterward. Sanhua was also disturbed, running around the house, the sound of her claws scraping against the wooden floorboards enough to scare away all the mice.

Zhu Lin took off her swimsuit, put on ordinary clothes again, gently knocked on the wall, and asked in a low voice, "Teacher Liu, are you awake? Are you awake?"

Liu Yimin could imagine how furtive she must have felt when she spoke to him from the other side. Liu Yimin tapped on the partition in response.

Zhu Lin walked out of the room with peace of mind and knocked on the door. Liu Yimin opened it, but she didn't come in. She just stood at the door, her eyes constantly looking inside.

"Come on, Teacher Liu, I'll be your teacher today!" Zhu Lin said with great enthusiasm, his eyes shining with eagerness.

Liu Yimin glanced at the sun, still hidden behind the clouds: "Isn't the seawater quite cool at this time?"

"Don't worry, it's fine. I'm confident. I used to be a great swimmer at the sports school. Even old folks dare to go into the water in big waves, let alone today when the water is calm."

Zhu Lin couldn't wait to leave, mainly because there were few people swimming now, so she could properly teach Liu Yimin. If there were more people watching, the thought of it made her scalp tingle.

However, for safety's sake, Liu Yimin still took Zhu Lin to the kitchen to wait for the meal to be ready. The two of them hurriedly finished eating and headed straight to the beach.

Zhao Xiuwen instructed, "Come back when you've swum enough. Don't go back into the sea if you're tired."

"Comrade Zhao, I will definitely keep that in mind."

Keep walking straight ahead and you'll find a bathing beach called Tiger Stone Bathing Beach. The beach has a long history, and the boss even specially approved the construction of a small pier there. Inside the bathing beach, Liu Yimin changed into his swimsuit; it was simple, just a pair of striped shorts. Zhu Lin took a long time to emerge from the changing room, wrapped in a towel, his body hunched over.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "What, you've become a teacher too?"

Zhu Lin blushed and chuckled twice, then slowly relaxed and followed closely behind Liu Yimin.

"Teacher Zhu, how can you teach me to swim if you're following behind me?"

"Hey, don't say that, let's go, let's go." Zhu Lin pushed Liu Yimin's back and walked forward. Liu Yimin's back immediately felt a cool and soft touch.

There is a sun umbrella on the beach, but there is no one there yet, only a few scattered staff members.

Zhu Lin placed the towel on the rocks and went down first, allowing Liu Yimin to see her swimsuit clearly. It was a purple, one-piece swimsuit with two straps, and underneath were shorts with a flat top, covering her completely.

"Zhou Yun's swimsuit is still the prettiest!" Liu Yimin said regretfully.

Zhu Lin splashed some water with his hand: "Really? Oh dear, that can be called a swimsuit?" After trying it a few times and finding the water temperature was about right, he gestured for Liu Yimin to come down.

Liu Yimin likes playing in the water, but he really can't swim.

Once in the water, feeling the buoyancy, I felt a little unsteady, but luckily I had a lifebuoy with me.

"You weren't afraid of wolves when you were hunting them, but you're afraid of water?" Zhu Lin teased Liu Yimin from the side.

"Come on, relax and lie back. Don't strain your body. Feel the water. Don't be afraid. I'm right here with you. Teacher Liu, even if something happens to me, I won't let anything happen to you!" Zhu Lin kept correcting Liu Yimin's posture.

Unfortunately, every time I try to lie back or forward, my body sinks down, and my hands frantically try to pry things out.

"Oh dear, Teacher Liu, stop touching me! You've touched me!" Zhu Lin said, blushing.

"Really? I thought I was just scrambling for water?"

Using the lifebuoy, Liu Yimin floated back to the surface, wiped the seawater off his face, and looked at Zhu Lin, whose face was flushed.

The two were already some distance from the shore, and there was no one around. They felt cold at first, but their bodies had completely adjusted now.

After a while, Liu Yimin was able to maintain his balance in the water.

Zhu Lin smiled and said, "Teacher Liu, you wait here, I'll go swim for you."

After saying that, a mermaid dived into the water, floated up a few meters later, and swam away into the distance, turning back to give Liu Yimin a provocative look as she swam.

Enraged, he pinched his nose and tried to chase after him, but after struggling a couple of times, he stopped his futile efforts and continued to think about how to float in the water.

Even the fish were nearby, defiantly blowing bubbles at him.

"Hi, Teacher Liu!" Zhu Lin emerged from the water, shook his head in the sunlight, and the water droplets in his hair were flung into the sea, like a dense drizzle.

The morning sun shone on my profile, making my heart feel yellow.

"Is this the Land of Women? This looks more like the Spider Cave where Pigsy was caught while taking a bath!"

At this moment, Liu Yimin finally understood Pigsy.

(End of this chapter)