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

Chapter 245 Father-in-law and Mother-in-law Visit the Set
Is it acceptable or not?

The heavy rain outside grew heavier and heavier. The battle inside the house had just subsided, and it was pitch black outside, with only occasional glimpses of light and shadow reflected from the bubbles in the courtyard.

Zhu Lin stood by the window, enduring the pain in his body, feeling depressed and wondering how he was going to get home!
The rain is a minor issue; the real problem is that my parents will definitely notice my unusual physical condition when I get home. If they do, I'll be in big trouble, and Teacher Liu will be in big trouble too.

After thinking for a while, a good idea came to mind. He ran to the phone, picked it up, and called home to tell his parents that he had won the Hundred Flowers Award and the Golden Rooster Award, and that he was attending a meeting of the Film Association that evening. The meeting ended too late, so he was staying at the Ministry of Culture's guesthouse, and he had another meeting the next morning!
Overjoyed, Zhu's mother shouted to Zhu's father that her daughter had won both the Hundred Flowers Award and the Golden Rooster Award!

"Hey, keep your voice down! I'm right across from you, it's like I'm downstairs!" Mr. Zhu's ears were ringing from the noise.

"How did you know? I let the people downstairs hear!" Mrs. Zhu said smugly.

Gripping the phone receiver tightly with both hands, he said to Zhu Lin, "Linlin, rest well at the guesthouse. Don't be nervous when you see the leaders. Your dad and I are at home, so don't worry. Come back early after your meeting, and we'll celebrate. Oh, and remember to bring Yimin along!"

"Mom, I understand. You and Dad should get some rest!" Zhu Lin felt a little guilty.

"Okay, okay, get some rest after your meeting!" Zhu's mother excitedly hung up the phone. Zhu's father, who had been waiting to answer, found himself empty-handed.
Unaware of her husband's embarrassed withdrawal of his hand and aggrieved look, Zhu's mother loudly praised her daughter to him, saying how outstanding she was and how well she had inherited his genes.

Mr. Zhu snorted coldly: "Back then, I was the one who supported my daughter coming to the Beijing People's Art Theatre!"

"Old Zhu, you're right, she's a good daughter you raised!" Zhu's mother's tone suddenly became lighter, and she smiled gently at Zhu's father.

Old Zhu sensed something was wrong and rubbed his hands on the raincoat in his arms, staring intently at a corner of the raincoat: "Zhenzhen, look at this raincoat, isn't it different from before?"

"can not tell!"

"This raincoat, this material..."

"Get rid of that tattered raincoat right now!"

"Okay, sure."

Zhu's father was just about to deliver a raincoat to Zhu Lin when the phone call came in time; he would have already left home.

"Let's go, Lao Zhu, get some rest early tonight!" Zhu's mother pulled Zhu's father into the room.

"Zhenzhen, this behavior is an insult to scholarship."

"No, no, no!"

"I'll have a sip of the wine Yimin gave me."

After a while, Zhu's mother rested her head on Zhu's father's shoulder and said with a smile, "It's really quite nice!"

For once, Zhu's father's voice was stern: "Xiao Zhen, are you saying the wine is better or the person who delivered it is better!"

"Teacher Liu, your cooking is getting better and better!" In the kitchen, Zhu Lin smiled at Liu Yimin and quickly shoveled food into her bowl.

The two of them were so hungry that they ran from the house to the kitchen to start cooking. Luckily, they had some ingredients, otherwise they would have gone hungry all night.

"Eat quickly, then go back to the bedroom. Don't catch a cold!" Liu Yimin picked up a piece of meat and put it into Zhu Lin's bowl.

Zhu Lin was wearing Liu Yimin's clothes; the white shirt and blue Zhongshan suit made Zhu Lin look more dashing.

"No, we need to find some medicine, otherwise we won't be able to perform on stage tomorrow!"

"Is there any more medicine?"

Zhu Lin chuckled and said, "Teacher Liu, I'm a doctor, I know more than you do!"

"That's not entirely true. I have a lot of experience myself!"

After finishing her meal, Zhu Lin busied herself in the cabinet in the study for a while, found several medicines that she thought would be useful, gave Liu Yimin a reassuring look, and returned to her bedroom.

Liu Yimin kindly offered to help, but Zhu Lin refused.

"Would you like me to rub it for you to reduce the swelling and pain?"

"You should rest now!" Zhu Lin said in the tone of an old lady from Yanjing.

When Zhu Lin felt it was about time, she turned off the light, lay down on the bed, and told Liu Yimin to keep his distance.

Liu Yimin, of course, did not obey, but he did not make any violent movements either. When it came to the crucial moment of the performance, he was able to distinguish between what was important and what was not.

After a while, the two lay facing each other. Zhu Lin couldn't sleep and kept asking Liu Yimin all sorts of questions, seemingly trying to evade the issue.

When Liu Yimin was getting sleepy from all the talking, Zhu Lin suddenly asked, "Teacher Liu, why don't you seem like it's your first time? People say a man's first time is..."

"Hmm! Hmm?" Liu Yimin came to his senses, then pretended to be dazed and mumbled, "There are always some people who are different from ordinary people, extraordinary people do extraordinary things!"

"That's right, Teacher Liu is no ordinary person. How could an ordinary person write so many good works!"

The voices grew softer and softer until only faint breathing could be heard in the room.

Liu Yimin's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that serving a ruler is indeed like serving a tiger!

I woke up in the early morning to find the courtyard shrouded in a light mist after the rain, and the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen.

Liu Yimin draped his Zhongshan suit over his shoulders, looking quite like the brigade party secretary, and leaned against the kitchen door frame, smiling as he asked, "Why are you up so early!"

"Those who go to bed early will wake up early. Teacher Liu, please wait a moment, the food will be ready soon."

Liu Yimin stepped forward to help, while Sanhua jumped around, making the courtyard less empty in the early morning.

Zhu Lin put some food in Liu Yimin's bowl and said earnestly, "Teacher Liu, after thinking about it carefully, I think my award this time is actually due to the film script, and not so much to me personally. It's because 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' has a novel theme, and everyone loves to watch it, so they got to know me through the film!"

"You can't say that. Actors and the script complement each other. You added a lot to the script!" Liu Yimin comforted her when he heard a hint of disappointment in her words.

"Teacher Liu, don't worry, I'm so happy for your script! It won the Best Feature Film Award! I'm sure I'll be able to direct great plays and movies and play great roles in the future!" Zhu Lin said confidently, her eyes shining with determination.

Liu Yimin praised, "That's ambition! As the instructor said, nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it! But don't push yourself too hard!"

"Alright, Teacher Liu, let's eat!"

After lunch, the tape recorder played music in the study. Zhu Lin rested in the rocking chair, while Liu Yimin read a book when he got tired of writing. After noon, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre for rehearsal.

At this crucial moment in rehearsals, Liu Yimin, though mostly just a figurehead, still had to show up. Upon arriving, Lan Tianye saw the radiant Liu Yimin and asked with a smile, "Yimin, it's a cloudy day, how come you're so energetic!"

"Of course I'm happy that the article is showing some promise!" Liu Yimin replied with a smile.

"Really? But don't overwork yourself. Just make sure you can submit the draft by tomorrow!" Lan Tianye pulled Liu Yimin to sit in the front row and began watching the rehearsal.

Today, posters for "Mountains High and Rivers Long" and "Red River Valley" have been hung at the entrance of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and banners have been hung on the building with slogans celebrating the 30th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

Correspondingly, major newspapers have begun to promote the play, and some newspapers have even printed photos of the actors rehearsing.

The actors' efforts and makeup were highly praised. An interview with Liu Yimin was also published in the China Youth Daily.

Tickets for the Beijing People's Art Theatre sold out instantly, and those who couldn't get tickets were lamenting why there were so few available this time.

Those inside the Beijing People's Art Theatre knew the reason: central leaders were coming to watch, and the seats in the front rows of the first and second floors were not sold.

The front seats were all reserved for leaders and security personnel. Tickets were only available to the general public from the fifth row onwards.

As rehearsals continued into the evening, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin were about to leave when Zhu's parents arrived, carrying lunchboxes to deliver their meal.

This was the first time Zhu Lin had ever received such treatment in his life.

Zhu's mother said warmly, "Yimin, you two should try it quickly before it gets cold. Linlin said you like braised tofu, why don't you try how Auntie made it?"

"Mom, what brings you here?" Zhu Lin asked.

"I got off work early today, so I had nothing to do. You've been rehearsing all day, and Yimin has been working even harder, having to think about the script every day. So your dad and I decided to make something nice for you two to help you recover," Zhu's mother said with a smile.

Mr. Zhu chimed in from the side, "You two should try it. Your mother really put in a lot of effort today; we've almost run out of our allotted oil!"

"Yimin, don't listen to your Uncle Zhu's nonsense, try it!"

"You can tell it's delicious without even tasting it. The color, aroma, and flavor are all there, and the chili peppers add a touch of spice. It's so appetizing!" Liu Yimin praised.

"Haha, just looking isn't enough, we have to try it to know if it's good or not!"

Liu Yimin took a bite and, with an expression of pure bliss, praised again, "It's just as good as the chefs at the Beijing Hotel!"

"Yimin, is it really that delicious?" Zhu's mother said happily.

"Worse than that!"

"Next time you come to our house, Auntie will cook for you again. Linlin won an award, which should be a celebration, but she's busy rehearsing right now. Come over for dinner in a few days around the Dragon Boat Festival!"

"Okay, Auntie, I'll definitely come!"

Mr. Zhu said to Mrs. Zhu, "Let's not talk, let the two children eat in peace!"

"Alright, you two hurry up and eat. We'll go outside and take a look at the rehearsal hall of the Beijing People's Art Theatre!"

"Mom, don't go up to the third or fourth floor. Those are the trainees' dormitories and some actors' families' quarters," Zhu Lin instructed.

"I know, I know!" Zhu's mother quickly agreed, and went straight to the third floor. She chatted with some actors who were cooking and inquired about various gossip.

Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin were eating in a corner of the rehearsal room. Zhu Lin glanced at Liu Yimin and said, "Teacher Liu, you were really good at flattering me just now. Look how happy you made my mom!"

Liu Yimin said seriously, "Zhu Lin, that's not right. I'm saying it's delicious from the bottom of my heart!"

"Okay, try this pork rib soup. My mom makes pork rib soup with a few Chinese herbs in addition to pork ribs, so it's very nutritious."

After the two finished eating and washed the lunchbox, they couldn't find Zhu's parents. It wasn't until rehearsals were about to start that they saw the two chatting and laughing with Yu Shizhi, calling him "Teacher Yu" and "Old Yu" repeatedly.

So Zhi was also very happy, and spoke to the two of them with wit and humor.

"Mom, we told you not to go up to the third floor!"

"We've gone to the wrong place! We've gone to the wrong place!" Zhu's mother stubbornly argued.

So Zhi said to Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin, "Professor Zhu and Dr. Fang discussed many interesting things with me. There is always something to learn from each other in a group of three. I have learned a lot!"

Mr. Zhu smiled and said, "Teacher Yu, let's learn from each other. The roles you played were all excellent. We are very happy to see you and hope that you can create even more classic roles in the future!"

"More classic roles? Hahaha, that's not me, it's your son-in-law Yimin! He needs to write more scripts for us, so we can act well with good scripts. Professor Zhu, Dr. Fang, your future son-in-law is amazing. Among all the young people I've met, he's the best."

So Zhi chuckled and said to the two of them, his gaze sweeping over Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin. Judging from their expressions and those of Zhu Lin's parents, the marriage was practically settled.

After a while, Ouyang Shanzun, Lan Tianye, Su Min and others also arrived. When they heard that they were the parents of their students and Liu Yimin's future in-laws, they all came over and chatted for a few minutes.

After seeing off Mr. and Mrs. Zhu, Zhu Lin said to the directors that he had delayed the rehearsal time.

Ouyang Shanzun said, "It's alright, it only takes a few minutes, there's no rush."

After the rehearsal, the directors gathered the actors from both plays together and gave them some encouragement: "Comrades, the premiere is coming soon. Let me give you a pep talk in advance. No matter how hard or tiring it is, we actors from Beijing People's Art Theatre must give our best performance."

The academy gave us more subsidies for rehearsals than those who actually performed. With more pay comes more responsibility.
Comrades, do we have confidence?

"Have!"

As they walked out of the theater, Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Dean Shanzun's mobilization was like something he learned from the military."

Zhu Lin laughed and said, "Teacher Shanzun often says that going on stage is just like going to war. You have to have a breath left, otherwise you will run into problems when you go on stage."

Liu Yimin escorted Zhu Lin home before returning to his own courtyard house.

The following day, Huang Chunyu found Liu Yimin and handed him sample copies of "Mountains High and Rivers Long" and "Red River Valley": "These two books have been printed, but the collection will have to wait a little longer. We plan to make the cover of the collection hardcover paper, so that it will look more exquisite and more in line with the magnificent name of 'Homeland Trilogy'."

"I don't know anything about printing books, so just do your job. The printing cost of the collection will definitely be more expensive, but I'll buy the sample copies myself," Liu Yimin said with a smile after flipping through a few books.

Huang Chunyu didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)