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

Chapter 213 of "The Kite Runner" is available in the standalone volume.

Inside the state-run restaurant, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin chatted while eating.

"A peacemaker?" Liu Yimin said with amusement, "When two sides fight, the peacemaker is the one who dies the fastest!"

Zhu Lin tilted his head and thought for a moment: "That makes sense. Maybe both sides will start cursing at you!"

"We really need to think about this carefully!"

"If only I could write it, I'd curse them for you!" Zhu Lin said.

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Let's not worry about those things for now, let's eat!"

Early in the morning, Liu Yimin opened the door to the courtyard house. It wasn't until around 10 a.m. that two post office workers arrived, both wearing blue overalls. One was carrying a wooden ladder, and the other was carrying a large box.

"Comrade, is this the place where you want to install a telephone?" a worker knocked on the door and called out to Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin quickly walked to the door and said, "This is it!"

Finally, there were extra telephone lines available in the alley, and the telephone company staff contacted Liu Yimin to ask if he still wanted a telephone installed.

Liu Yimin, of course, wanted to get it installed. He went to the telephone exchange without hesitation and paid the 500 yuan installation fee. After paying the fee, he took the receipt and slip and waited for the post office staff to come and install the telephone.

Two workers stood outside the gate, looked at the blue brick wall of the courtyard facing the street, and then looked at the telephone line outside. After exchanging a few hand gestures, they found the location to run the line.

The two workers' actions attracted a lot of attention, and people sat around watching the rare sight of a telephone being installed.

There's a public telephone at the entrance of one of the several alleys nearby, and sometimes there's a long queue when people are calling.

It's inconvenient to answer the phone or wait for someone to call back. There are also two other people next to the phone, who go from house to house to relay messages.

Some messages were simply shouted out and passed on, while others were personal messages where the family member answering the phone was called over to wait for the call.

For long-distance calls, it's inconvenient for post office staff to come to your home to deliver the mail, and it's even more inconvenient to go to the post office.

Unfortunately, even with the telephone installed, it could only serve as a source of information within the city of Yanjing; it couldn't reach any further.

Liu Yimin placed the phone in his study. When the workers were installing it, they looked at Liu Yimin's study with amazement, noting that it was even bigger than their own bedroom.

"Comrade, there's something else I'd like to ask. If I install another telephone in the main room, connected to a telephone line, do I only need to buy a separate telephone set?"

Liu Yimin installed the telephone in his study, but at night in his bedroom, it would be inconvenient to answer calls, let alone hear them.

I didn't think about this when I was at the telephone exchange, but I remembered it now that I'm getting the phone installed.

While installing the telephone, the worker, without looking up, said, "That's how it is. We only charge for labor and materials. We've always charged only for labor and materials when installing telephones. The initial installation fee is something we only started doing recently."

Another worker said, "If you want to install it, go to the telephone company and pay first. We'll come back to install it next time. We have another customer who needs a phone installed this afternoon. The policy has been relaxed now, and more people can afford to install phones."

The nationally standardized initial installation fee was announced in June. The funds for the initial installation fee will be used as special funds for telecommunications construction and will be used for this purpose only.

Previously, the two line technicians might not be able to install a single phone line in half a month. Now, they install at least ten or more in a month.

Liu Yimin responded and prepared to go to the telephone exchange to pay for another telephone shortly. He then poured two cups of tea for the two workers, who drank them down heartily.

He patted the dark bump next to the table: "Comrade, give it a try, make a phone call and see if it works!"

The worker said with a smile, his words brimming with confidence.

"Hello, this is the switchboard. Where are you calling?"

Liu Yimin uttered a string of numbers, and after a while, Li Yuru's voice came through the phone.

“Master’s wife, it’s me!” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Yimin, where are you calling me from? What's the emergency?" Li Yuru asked hurriedly.

In Li Yuru's subconscious, Liu Yimin would only make a phone call in an emergency.

"Madam, we've installed a telephone in our courtyard. The first call I made was to you. Listen to your voice; is there any problem?"

"They installed a telephone in the courtyard? That's great, it'll be much easier to contact you if anything comes up. The sound is fine. Are you coming to Muxidi for dinner today? I just bought a carton today."

And so, the two started chatting on the phone.

Two workers stood in the study, watching Liu Yimin chatting animatedly into the receiver. They didn't seem impatient; everyone did it this way.

They are happy to see everyone happy, as it gives them a sense of accomplishment.

After a while, Liu Yimin told Li Yuru that there were people on the other end of the line, and she reluctantly hung up the phone.

Looking at the two workers, Liu Yimin said apologetically, "Thank you both for your help!"

"It's alright, all phones are like this when they're first installed. If you want to get another one installed, remember to go early, the telephone company only gets a limited number of calls each month. We're off!"

Liu Yimin saw the two out, and then rode his bicycle to the post office to pay 200 yuan for the telephone machine and telephone line.

"Goodbye, Comrade Liu Yimin. I'll arrange for the technician to come to the yard to install the telephone tomorrow!"

The telephone exchange staff waved to Liu Yimin and said politely.

The next day, early in the morning, the same two workers knocked on the gate of Liu Yimin's courtyard house and installed a telephone on the side wall of the main room.

Then, when you go out to chat with people, you have to say before leaving, "Call me if you need anything!"

In the few days after the telephone was installed, apart from Li Yuru calling, very few other people made calls.

Some people who want to contact him don't know Liu Yimin's phone number.

Huang Chunyu, an editor from The Commercial Press, rode his tricycle into the courtyard in the autumn wind and rain. Inside the tricycle were sample copies of "The Kite Runner" wrapped in kraft paper and covered with a raincoat.

Huang Chunyu was already wearing a blue coat and sweater, with a red scarf around her neck. Seeing Liu Yimin, she exclaimed, "One autumn rain brings a chill! It's gotten cold so quickly after just one rain!" Liu Yimin looked at the sparse autumn rain and said, "It's still raining. Why did you come today? It's okay if you're a little late!"

As Huang Chunyu laboriously pushed the book into the yard, he said, "The bookstore is about to open for sale, so I need to send you the sample copies as soon as possible so you can give them away. Giving away copies before and after the sale is completely different!"

They pushed the tricycle into the yard, and the two of them worked together to unload the books into the study. Huang Chunyu tore open the kraft paper to check, and only felt relieved to find that the books were not wet.

Liu Yimin took out a towel and handed it to Huang Chunyu, telling him to wipe the water droplets off his head and clothes: "Old Huang, why don't you get yourself a raincoat too!"

Huang Chunyu pointed to the raincoat he had just taken off the train: "I thought the distance here was quite close, so I came over during a break in the rain. I didn't expect it to be like this. It started raining as soon as I came out. I can't let the books get wet. I dried them after a while. It would be difficult to give the books away if they got wet."

After wiping the dense water droplets off his body, he laughed and said, "I, who was supposed to be a spring rain, have been drenched by the autumn rain!"

Liu Yimin poured him a cup of hot tea to ward off the chill. Old Huang, the editor, was getting increasingly demanding; when the sample copies from People's Literature Publishing House came out, Liu Yimin had to find a tricycle to haul them away himself.

He was great; he just pulled us over there. With such excellent service, anyone who came would have to say it was great.

After drinking hot tea, Huang Chunyu looked at the bookshelves in the study and said, "Yimin, when I came last time, there weren't this many letters on your bookshelves, were there? It's only been a few months, how come there seem to be more than double?"

Liu Yimin stood up and pointed: "These were mainly sent over by Poetry Journal!"

"I understand, it must be those two poems, 'Just Right' and 'The World.' These two poems have a great influence and are very popular among young people, so it's no wonder that so many readers have written to us."

Huang Chunyu looked at the study with a curious expression, constantly examining it.

Liu Yimin picked up a sample copy of "The Kite Runner" and began to read it. In addition to the title and Liu Yimin's name, the cover also featured a picture of someone riding a horse and chasing a kite on the grassland.

One of the boys, dressed in fancy clothes, was Zhuoke Ciren, and he walked side by side with another boy, Losang, who was dressed simply. They looked very close to each other.

However, from another perspective, the two were actually quite far apart, and the one wearing Losang's clothes was always half a body length behind Zhuoke Ciren.

This reveals a friendship between the two that appears genuine, but is also somewhat insincere.

"This is a painting by an old painter from the China Artists Association!"

“An old painter is an old painter!” Liu Yimin said, then opened the book cover. After the table of contents was the preface, with Mr. Mao Dun’s preface at the beginning, followed by photos of the manuscript.

Next is Xia Yan's preface, which looks much more exquisite. It would be even better if it were a color photograph.

Huang Chunyu handed him the manuscripts by Mao Dun and Xia Yan, stroking them reluctantly: "These are manuscripts, you must keep them safe, they might become important historical materials in the future!"

"Of course, Lao Huang, if you can't bear to look at it, take a few more glances!" Liu Yimin joked.

"I thought they were going to say they were going to give it to me!" Huang Chunyu snorted.

"A gentleman doesn't take what others love. Old Huang, aren't you a gentleman?"

The manuscripts by Mao Dun and Xia Yan are invaluable materials. Liu Yimin was naturally reluctant to give them to Huang Chunyu. When he took them to the Commercial Press, he repeatedly instructed them to keep the manuscripts safe and not to damage them.

Huang Chunyu took out a copy from the sample book and asked Liu Yimin to sign it. After signing, his eyes scanned Liu Yimin's desk: "Yimin, I heard you're about to have a new work published?"

"Well, your tail has finally been revealed. I told you, you were looking around furtively when you came in, that's what you were up to!" Liu Yimin said with a smile as he handed the signed book to Huang Chunyu.

"I'm an editor, what else can I think about besides this? Seriously though, how about coming to our Commercial Press?" Huang Chunyu asked earnestly.

Liu Yimin lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "Personally, I have no objections! We can discuss the specifics after the announcement!"

Huang Chunyu was overjoyed. He had no objections, which meant he had no objections!
After the Beijing People's Art Theatre proposed the "Homeland Trilogy," Liu Yimin even considered whether to publish a combined edition of the three books.

Or at least the cover design and the printing style of the book should be consistent with the current "The Kite Runner".

Specific details can only be discussed with the Commercial Press after the publication.

Seeing that the rain outside was gradually subsiding, Huang Chunyu got up and said that he should go. He put on his military green raincoat, rode his tricycle, and left the courtyard.

My heart felt warm; I felt that coming in the rain today was worthwhile, and I also secured the publishing rights for the next round!

After seeing Huang Chunyu off, Liu Yimin returned to his study, picked up a sample copy of the book, and headed towards Mr. Mao Dun's house.

Knocking on the door, the nanny opened it. Wei Tao hadn't returned from work yet. Mr. Mao Dun was sitting in the main room, gazing absently at the autumn rain in the courtyard.

Seeing Liu Yimin arrive, he stood up from his chair with a smile: "Yimin, you're here. Perfect timing, no one's been talking to me. Come, come, let's have a chat!"

Liu Yimin went inside, took off his raincoat, and handed the book to Mao Dun with a smile: "This is a sample copy of 'The Kite Runner.' The editor from the Commercial Press just delivered it, and I brought it here for you to take a look!"

"Oh? Let me see!" Mao Dun happily took the sample copy, savoring the new book's feel: "This is what a new book feels like!"

He flipped through the pages again and saw that his manuscript had been printed on paper. He looked at it with a magnifying glass for a while and laughed, "How did the Commercial Press come up with the idea of ​​doing this?"

"It was editor Huang Chunyu who suggested that we work on the book's aesthetics. I thought it was a good idea, and the Commercial Press agreed!"

Liu Yimin said.

"This new editor has some great ideas!" He flipped to Xia Yan's manuscript page and said smugly, "Isn't my manuscript better than Comrade Xia Yan's handwriting? Hahaha!"

Liu Yimin played chess with Mao Dun for a while before leaving his courtyard. They played several games, and Liu Yimin lost the first three games badly, but won the fourth game by a single move.

Mao Dun exclaimed, "This is what they mean by 'talented people emerge in every generation'! When I was a child, I loved playing shuttlecock and chess. It's a pity I can't play shuttlecock anymore, so I can only play chess. Remember to come and play chess with me more often in the future, and I'll teach you how to beat your teacher!"

When they left the courtyard, the rain had stopped. Liu Yimin saw Xia Yan, Cao Yu, and several people from People's Literature and Art and Poetry Journal off.

Looking at his handwriting, Xia Yan said self-deprecatingly, "If I had known the Commercial Press would do this, I would have written it more neatly."

In the end, he still had more than a hundred sample copies left. Cao Yu took thirty of them, saying he wanted to give them away.

Liu Yimin selected thirty books and dragged them into the Beijing People's Art Theatre office. As soon as he brought them inside, Ouyang Shanzun and several others gathered around, looking at the books without saying a word, waiting for Liu Yimin's response.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Should we have everyone sign and stamp their names?"

(End of this chapter)