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

Chapter 227 Mao Dun's Last Moments

In the office, Liu Yimin handed Cao Yu the remittance slip and a letter, which detailed the royalty standards and some taxes that needed to be paid.

"The Americans have very comprehensive tax regulations. They collect so much tax, five cents per word. Otherwise, even a short story shouldn't only cost one thousand two hundred dollars."

Cao Yu felt a pang of regret at the dollars that had been deducted from his account. This wasn't just his students' money, but also the country's foreign exchange reserves!
If I earn a little more here, I can spend a little more on things over there!

Liu Yimin handed the sample copy to Cao Yu: "The Green Book was placed neither too far forward nor too far back. It was mentioned on the cover, as if they wanted to put it at the front, but then hesitated for some reason and put it in the middle."

"You can tell this from the sample copy?" Cao Yu took it and flipped through a few pages. Instead of commenting on Liu Yimin's words, he said, "The Americans' printing is quite exquisite. The paper is better than ours. Ours is yellowish, while theirs is whiter."

Cao Yu kept flipping through the spring issue of The Paris Review, looking quite fond of it. So Liu Yimin said he would give the issue to Cao Yu for his collection.

"No need, you should keep it. This is a significant step forward for you, and it means more to you this way. But don't get too excited; stay humble and keep moving forward. Tonight, let's go see Old Shen and make them happy too!"

"Which Old Shen?"

"Old Shen, who lives nearby, right?"

"Am I closer, or are you closer, teacher?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

Cao Yu laughed twice: "Then let's find them all!"

Mao Dun's surname was Shen, and so did Xia Yan's. Mao Dun lived near Liu Yimin's house, and Xia Yan lived near Cao Yu's house.

Liu Yimin walked out of Cao Yu's office, intending to return to the courtyard house, but Lan Tianye and the others dragged him into the rehearsal room, insisting that Liu Yimin watch their rehearsal.

Left with no other choice, I could only sit in the rehearsal room and share the joys and sorrows with the drama troupe of "Red River Valley".

Fortunately, the rehearsal space was relatively small, so it didn't feel cold even with so many people.

"After polishing the script several times, there were indeed far fewer problems with the lines during the actual rehearsals," Ouyang Shanzun said. "Yimin, once you return from Henan Province, you'll definitely have a play like 'Red River Valley' in full swing!"

Lan Tianye and Su Min laughed and said, "We're just waiting for the two plays to premiere at the same time, to give the audience a surprise!"

"Then I wish the three directors great success on that occasion!"

“It’s not just the three of us, it’s you, and all of our actors!” Su Min said.

On stage, Zhu Lin and the actors were engrossed in their performance, while Liu Yimin watched with great interest from the audience.

At noon, the two returned to the courtyard house. Liu Yimin handed the sample copy to Zhu Lin to look at, but unfortunately, Zhu Lin didn't understand English very well.

"Teacher Liu, I wish I could understand this!" Zhu Lin picked it up and kept flipping through it. After a while, she ran to the kitchen to start cooking.

He had Liu Yimin stand beside him and translate the rest of the English novels for him, and he saw the names of several well-known American authors in them.

For example, Stephen King. People may not be familiar with him, but most people have seen the movie "The Shawshank Redemption," which was adapted from his novel.

By now, the other party has probably finished writing "The Shawshank Redemption".

"Teacher Liu, do you think Americans like reading your novels?" Zhu Lin asked curiously during dinner.

"How would I know?" Liu Yimin said helplessly.

"Take a guess!"

"I bet some people in America like it, but I don't know how many. America is different from China; they have more forms of entertainment, so fewer people read books. Before Americans had television and movies, they had many readers and lots of rural speeches. Some people could give a speech anytime, anywhere. Now, Americans' public speaking skills are starting to decline!"

Why are they giving speeches?

“What we do, they do too!” Liu Yimin said.

"I think Americans would definitely love your novel. Many people say that literature knows no borders. Just look at that novel of yours that was published in France, wasn't it very popular?"

"Even though it was very popular, it only sold tens of thousands of copies. 'The Kite Runner' sold one or two hundred thousand copies in a month. Magazines in our country now sell hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies a month, which is unimaginable in foreign countries!"

After dinner, Zhu Lin went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre for rehearsal, while Liu Yimin wrote in his study. After the theatre closed for the day, Liu Yimin received a call from Cao Yu, who was also at the theatre, asking him to meet at Mao Dun's house shortly.

Liu Yimin closed the door and walked towards Mao Dun's house. He greeted the nanny, who told him that the old man was waiting for him in his study.

"Comrade Yimin, the old man has been in a good mood lately. Hearing that you were coming, he even set up the chessboard!" the nanny said warmly.

Liu Yimin walked into the study with a smile and saw Mao Dun sitting at his desk tidying up his things.

So he went in and asked, "What are you doing, sir?"

"Yimin's here? Please have a seat. I'll tidy up my old things. Once I'm done, I won't bother anyone else. It's too cold to go out, so I can only move around inside!"

Mao Dun was dressed very warmly, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, which made it difficult for him to move around.

"Please take extra care in winter, and don't catch a cold!"

"Yes, as you get older, what you fear most is winter and summer. Once you get through summer, winter comes!"

"We can go to Haihe Province, it's warm there, and we can come back when the weather gets better!" Liu Yimin said.

"They're not that delicate! It would cost a lot of money to come and go! Come on, let's play a game of chess and wait for them!"

Mao Dun sat down at the chessboard and began to play chess with Liu Yimin: "Do you need me to let you win?"

"No need, come and kill!" Liu Yimin laughed.

While playing chess, Mao Dun pointed to the manuscripts on the table and said, "Those are my memoirs. If I persevere a little longer, I think I'll be almost finished writing them!"

Liu Yimin said, "Health is the most important thing. If I'm healthy, I'll have plenty of time to write!"

"General!" Mao Dun chuckled. "Time is running out. At our age, every day that passes is one less day we have left."

The entire study was filled with the sound of chess pieces clashing together. After Liu Yimin was completely checkmated, the sound of a door being pushed open came from outside.

Cao Yu spoke first: "You two seem to be having a great chat!"

“Yes, I heard your laughter at the hanging flower gate.” Xia Yan followed closely behind.

Mao Dun stood up to greet the two, and said with a smile, "With Yimin here, I've absorbed a lot of the youthful energy. How could I not be happy to be surrounded by such energy!"

Cao Yu said, "I have some good news for you. One of Yi Min's novels has been published in the United States, in The Paris Review. This literary magazine has a great influence in the United States and the West." Cao Yu winked at Liu Yi Min, who quickly took out a sample copy from his bag.

Xia Yan took it from Liu Yimin's hand first, and Mao Dun laughed and said, "Don't you know how to take care of an old man like me!"

"Come on, let's watch together!"

"This is a good thing. Yimin helped the country earn more than a thousand foreign exchange. Although it is not much, it is unique in the current literary world."

Cao Yu pointed the article to the two men, explaining it to them while speaking with a hint of pride and boastfulness in his voice.

In the study, Cao Yu was still talking when Mao Dun interrupted him, complaining that he was too noisy. So Cao Yu shut up and began to look at the draft of Mao Dun's memoirs.

Mao Dun and Xia Yan would read it together, and then discuss it for a while afterward.

Liu Yimin idly fiddled with the chess pieces, pondering how he could have turned a hopeless situation into a winning one and successfully escaped.

The nanny and Wei Tao came in briefly to ask what they wanted to eat for dinner. Mao Dun waved his hand, signaling him not to speak and to just do what he wanted.

Outside, Wei Tao instructed the nanny, "Make some noodles, some rice, stir-fry two mild dishes, and also stir-fry a dish of Beijing cuisine."

After the two finished reading, they said wearily, "They put a lot of effort into analyzing American society, and the story is also very engaging. Foreigners should appreciate this kind of thing."

Mao Dun stood up and walked around the room a few times to stretch his body. He then began to praise Liu Yimin: "Being able to earn foreign exchange is a skill! If all the writers in the Writers' Association could publish their works in the United States or abroad, our country wouldn't be so short of foreign exchange!"

"Haha, what a wonderful idea! But it's detached from reality. There's only one Yimin in our literary world!"

After speaking, Cao Yu realized he had been a bit too smug, so he put his legs down and said, "Perhaps in a few years, many domestic novels will be published abroad. But, judging from the number of works published in English, I think it's still..."

"So, after all this time, Lao Wan, you're here to show off, are you? Are you trying to bully us because we don't have a student like Yimin? To be honest, Yimin has been practically my student for the past year!"

Mao Dun gently tapped the table and said with a smile.

Xia Yan clapped her hands, and the study became quite lively. Wei Tao pushed open the door and said that the food had been ready for a while and they should eat quickly.

"Old Wan, Old Shen, Yimin, the judging for the long-form literary prize is already underway. The Writers' Association brought over several novels and asked for my opinion. I told them I'm not a judge, so they don't need to ask for my opinion, but I told them to be fair and impartial." Mao Dun slowly sipped his rice porridge with a spoon.

"Comrade Yanbing, you probably have a general idea by now!" Cao Yu looked at Mao Dun.

“There are only a few, just a handful! Yimin, do you know Comrade Yao Xueyin from your Henan province?” Mao Dun asked.

"Comrade Yao Xueyin is the chairman of the Hubei Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Although he is from Henan Province, he has not worked in Henan Province for a long time, so there has been no chance to meet him. However, I have read his book 'Li Zicheng'."

Liu Yimin said.

"The third volume of 'Li Zicheng' is expected to be published soon. We have a good relationship and correspond frequently. His novels are very detailed. I once advised him that when writing about historical figures, he must be careful not to exaggerate their historical status. He usually listens to my advice."

The novel "Li Zicheng" took thirty years to write, totaling 2.3 million words in five volumes, and only the first two volumes have been published so far.

When Mao Dun mentioned Yao Xueyin at this time, he was telling everyone that Yao Xueyin was one of the writers with a relatively high probability of winning the award.

Its influence was considerable; when the first volume was first written, it received praise from the teacher and caused quite a stir in the community.

"Comrade Yao Xueyin is good at writing tragedies!" Xia Yan said.

After dinner, Mao Dun shared his memoirs with everyone, and then the group left Mao Dun's house.

Before leaving, Cao Yu pulled Wei Tao aside and said, "You should persuade your father to rest more and not work so hard. He's burning himself out!"

Outside the courtyard house, Wei Tao's eyes immediately reddened: "Uncle Wan, I can't persuade him! My father is afraid that he won't be able to finish cleaning up, and that it will become his regret!"

Xia Yan patted Wei Tao on the shoulder helplessly, without saying a word.

Cao Yu learned from Lan Tianye that Liu Yimin was going home to attend his elder brother Liu Yiguo's wedding, so he told Li Yuru.

Li Yuru also bought a gift and asked Liu Yimin to take it back. She also put the money in an envelope with the words "Presented by Wan Jiabao and Li Yuru" written on it.

Looking at the gifts inside the box, Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Master's wife, you've gone to so much trouble!"

"No, I just picked out a few things at the department store. Take them home and see if your future sister-in-law likes them!" Li Yuru said with a smile.

"Of course I'll like it!"

"Don't leave yet, have some food before you go. Have you bought your train tickets?" Li Yuru asked.

"I've bought it; I still benefited from the teacher's deal!"

“What’s the point of taking advantage? This is also contributing to the country’s economy. On some trains, the soft sleeper berths are often not full. Don’t you think that’s a waste of resources?” Li Yuru said with a smile in the kitchen.

"I agree with your point of view, Master's wife. When did you start reading books on economics?"

“You silly child, Master’s wife, it’s not like I only know how to sing opera. I just feel that it’s a waste if no one uses it. A train running from north to south costs a lot of money!”

After chatting for a while, Cao Yu returned with his bag, placed it next to the sofa, and asked them, "What were you talking about? You seemed to be having a great time!"

"My master's wife is carrying out the anti-waste campaign, one of the three anti-corruption campaigns!"

"What? What did you waste?"

Li Yuru recounted their discussion to Cao Yu, who smiled and said, "What you two said makes some sense!"

During the meal, Cao Yu poured Liu Yimin a glass of wine and said with a smile, "It was published in the United States, and we haven't even celebrated yet!"

Cao Yu was about to pour himself a drink when Li Yuru stopped him, smiling as she took out a bottle of Ginseng and Cinnamon Nourishing Wine: "Old Wan, you drink this!"

"Teacher, how's this wine?"

"This wine is good; I've seen it on TV!"

"Then I'll ask the comrades from the Shanghai Film Studio to buy a few more bottles and send them to Beijing!"

Li Yuru said, "No need, it's enough that you have the intention!"

After dinner, we chatted in the study until after nine o'clock before leaving Cao Yu's house.

(End of this chapter)