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

Chapter 235 Teacher Liu, when are we going to meet the parents?

In the days that followed, in addition to receiving congratulations from friends and teachers in Yenching, Liu Yimin also received several telegrams.

Besides Xu Chi, Lu Yao, Jiang Zilong, Huang Zumo from the Shanghai Film Studio, and others, there was also a telegram from the curator, Lao Zhang, and his elder brother and sister-in-law.

When the eldest brother and sister-in-law saw the news in the newspaper, they immediately rode their bicycles home to tell Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun. The two of them didn't know what the literary award was, but they knew one thing: their second son had made something of himself again.

Liu Fuqing carried a hoe and walked around the ancestral graves, but to his dismay, he didn't catch any rabbits this time.

After receiving the telegram, Liu Yimin sent a telegram to each of them, expressing his gratitude once again.

In his telegram, Xu Chi told Liu Yimin that when Comrade Yao Xueyin came to Beijing to receive the award, he should give him a copy of the magazine "The Paris Review" to take to Hubei Province.

Liu Yimin finally breathed a sigh of relief after replying to all the telegrams.

Yu Jiajia approached Liu Yimin and asked to interview him. Liu Yimin agreed to the interview, expressing his excitement after receiving the award and his gratitude to his leaders, friends, and readers who cared about him.

I also recommend Yao Xueyin's "Li Zicheng". As for why, the phrase "reading history can enlighten one's mind" sums it all up.

This is a short news article. Yu Jiajia originally wanted to make a longer one, but he refused.

The benefits of winning a literary prize are obvious. Huang Chunyu told Liu Yimin that the sales of the standalone edition of "The Kite Runner" had once again reached a new high, with some people buying all the standalone editions of the award-winning works at once to read at home.

By mid-March, the discussions surrounding the award had significantly decreased, and even when they did occur, they weren't as widespread as when the news first broke.

Inside the dormitory, Liu Zhenyun smiled as he closed the door: "Finally, some peace and quiet. Yimin, even my dad wrote to me, telling me to learn more from you!"

Liu Yimin lay on the bed and glanced at him: "Don't worry, I think you can make a living from literature."

Chen Dazhi and Li Xueqin raised their heads and asked together, "What about the two of us?"

"I'm going to have a chat with the Duke of Zhou (a figure in Chinese mythology associated with dreams) tonight!"

The group was amused by Liu Yimin. Li Xueqin pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket and gestured to Liu Yimin, saying, "Yimin, want to play a couple of rounds? You look exhausted lately, relax a bit!"

Liu Yimin jumped off the bed and sat on the lower bunk: "Come on, let's have a couple of rounds!"

Liu Zhenyun wasn't in the mood to play, so Liu Yimin, Li Xueqin, and Chen Dazhi started playing games together.

After a while, Chen Dazhi, his eyes blazing with anger, shouted, "Yimin, how come you have such a good hand? I can't beat you at writing, and I can't beat you at cards either. Is there no justice in this world?"

Li Xueqin chuckled: "Yimin, you've been having a lucky streak lately! Yimin, while we're playing cards, why don't you tell us about your relationship with Comrade Xu Chi?"

“Yes, anyone else is fine too. We’re interested in exchanging ideas with senior figures in the literary world!” Chen Dazhi tossed out an “A” and asked gossipily.

Liu Yimin nodded and began to speak. As he spoke, Liu Zhenyun stopped reading his book and came over to listen to Liu Yimin.

These are all important conversation topics when you're out and about, especially useful when you're communicating with people in the literary society.

After getting tired of playing cards, Liu Yimin conceded the throne to Liu Zhenyun, who had been watching the game for so long and was itching to play himself.

While they were playing bridge, Liu Zhenyun suddenly asked Liu Yimin, "Yimin, have you ever played bridge?"

"I would never play that stuff, I'm not at that level yet!" Liu Yimin shook his head. Bridge is no longer just a form of entertainment.

"I don't even know how bridge is played!" Li Xueqin muttered.

Liu Yimin sat to the side, pondering how to write the award speech!
In Dongcheng, at the Zhu family home, Zhu Lin sat on the sofa, while his parents sat opposite him, scrutinizing him as if interrogating a criminal.

Mr. Zhu couldn't maintain this pose for long before he burst out laughing. Mrs. Zhu angrily poked Mr. Zhu in the back and looked at Zhu Lin.

Zhu Lin, who was holding a newspaper, saw his parents like this and instinctively sensed a danger. Just as he was about to leave, a cold shout startled him so much that he sat down on the sofa.

"sit down!"

"Mom? What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!"

Mr. Zhu smoothed things over by pressing Mrs. Zhu's shoulder and smiling at Zhu Lin: "Linlin, who was that man who used to drive you home so often before the New Year? I haven't seen him much since."

"Huh?" Zhu Lin looked at his father blankly, wondering how his father knew.

"Don't think we don't know. We wanted to give you a chance to confess. Who knew you'd be so tight-lipped, not saying a word for so long!" Zhu's mother said coldly.

Seeing Zhu Lin's expression, his tone softened involuntarily.

"Mom and Dad, how did you know?" Zhu Lin asked, pursing her lips.

"Of course," Zhu's mother paused, "we saw it by chance." She was too embarrassed to say that she had been watching it the whole time, so she could only say that she saw it by chance.

Zhu Lin was no longer in a hurry, and instead leaned back on the sofa in a relaxed manner: "Mom and Dad, don't ask anymore, I'll tell you later."

As he spoke, he clenched the newspaper in his hand into a tube shape, then slowly unfolded it. The news on the front was the list of winners of the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

"Your mother means that you should bring the other person over to our home sometime!" Mr. Zhu said.

Zhu's mother's expression softened: "Yes, dating is such a big deal, as your parents, we have to help you make the right choice!" "Okay!"

"good?"

"What do you mean?"

"It means it's good. Let's wait until the time is right! Mom and Dad, I'm not stupid. Your daughter is smart enough that no one can fool me!" Zhu Lin got up and sat down next to her mother, hugging her neck and acting coquettishly.

Zhu's mother patted Zhu Lin's hand: "I'm just afraid you'll be deceived. Men in the arts are the best at sweet talk, and the most affectionate people can be the most ruthless. Aren't some of the professors in your father's workplace like that!"

"My dad isn't!"

Seeing that the conflict was turning against him, Zhu's father quickly said, "Linlin, your mother and I are truly in love. You work at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, so you should know that, just in your department. Of course, there are definitely couples who stay together until the end."

Zhu Lin said a few words in a coquettish tone, and Zhu's father and mother exchanged a glance and stopped discussing the topic.

Anyway, we've already gotten the most important information out of her: my daughter is indeed in a relationship.

As for who it is, we don't know yet, but there are guesses. We'll find out when we meet.

That night, the couple couldn't sleep in the house, and Zhu Lin next door couldn't sleep either; they were both thinking about the same thing.

Sitting by the window, bathed in moonlight, I counted on my fingers. My father's words held some truth; Teacher Liu's allure was indeed quite strong.

She tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling into a deep sleep around 3 a.m. The clock on her desk chimed several times in the morning before she realized what was happening. She quickly got dressed, ate a few bites of food, ran downstairs, and hopped on her bicycle in a few strides.

Fortunately, today's rehearsal was for "Mountains High and Rivers Long," which didn't include Zhu Lin's scenes. Otherwise, given her condition, she would probably have been scolded by several directors.

After rehearsals, we arrived at the courtyard house at noon. Seeing that the door was unlocked, we knew that Liu Yimin had come to the courtyard house.

Liu Yimin came out to greet Zhu Lin. Seeing her exhausted appearance, he asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"I didn't sleep well last night, Teacher Liu, can I borrow your bedroom for a nap?" Zhu Lin closed the door and lay down in the bedroom to rest.

Liu Yimin cooked some food for himself, and when he saw that it was almost time, he woke Zhu Lin up: "Hey, Zhu Lin, if you don't eat soon, you'll be late for work!"

Zhu Lin struggled a few times to sit up in bed, and took the quilt to the yard, where he hung it in the sun to air it out.

"Teacher Liu, your cooking skills have improved a lot. Not bad, you've surpassed your teacher and have some of my talent!" Zhu Lin said while chewing noodles.

“Look, you’re getting smug now that you’ve had a good sleep! Hurry up and eat your food, then go to work!” Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, I'll come again this evening!" Zhu Lin said nervously as he ate, "I have something to tell you then."

"whats the matter?"

"we'll talk about it then!"

"Can't you say it now?"

"I haven't figured out what to say yet!"

"Alright!" Liu Yimin nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

In the afternoon, Shi Tiesheng came over to congratulate Liu Yimin, and said with a self-deprecating smile, "I have difficulty walking, so I can't squeeze in right away. I can only come over when there are fewer people!"

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Tiesheng, you're too kind!"

“We are all happy for you. Several of my writer friends in Yenching speak highly of you. They are completely convinced that you won the literary prize, and they all say they would like to invite you over for a visit sometime!”

"Haha, I also like making more friends!"

"Brother Yimin, how does it feel to win an award?" Shi Lan asked curiously.

Shi Tiesheng laughed and said, "That's how it feels when you're praised by your teacher at school, and that's how it feels when you win an award!"

“Your brother is right, it’s just a compliment. It’s just that we have different statuses, so the way we receive compliments is different.”

In the evening, the two left. Because Zhu Lin said he had something to tell him, he didn't ask Shi Tiesheng and the others to stay for dinner.

When Zhu Lin got off work and arrived at the courtyard house, he was no longer tired; instead, he was full of energy. He busied himself in the yard and kitchen, but kept making mistakes.

Looking at her like this, Liu Yimin teased, "Zhu Lin, are you overdoing it?"

It took Zhu Lin a while to realize what Liu Yimin meant, but she didn't say anything. When it was time to eat, she smiled and kept putting food into Liu Yimin's bowl.

"Enough, Zhu Lin, just say what's on your mind. I can't stand this!"

Zhu Lin chuckled: "Teacher Liu, then I'll get straight to the point. My parents want to meet you. How about it? When can you come to my house with me?"

Liu Yimin stared straight at Zhu Lin, who assumed Liu Yimin was unwilling, so she said, "If you feel it's not appropriate, we can find another time. Teacher Liu, please eat!"

"I'm wondering how you managed to sound like you were asking for my opinion, but also like a bandit king kidnapping his wife!"

(End of this chapter)