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

Chapter 248 The Real Thing About Getting Rich First

At the end of May, Liu Yimin received another royalty payment from France, which was about the same amount as the last one, more than seven thousand francs.

In reality, the number of copies of the novel sold represented by this portion of royalties is higher than the first payment, but it lacks the basic word count fee.

In a letter, Marseille Dani, an editor at Flammarion Publishing, told Liu Yimin that he was preparing to come to China to meet with Liu Yimin to discuss other books that could be published in France, and that the meeting was expected to take place in mid-June.

Marcel Danny told Liu Yimin that he wouldn't be coming alone, but with other people.

As for who else, Masai Dani did not tell Liu Yimin in the letter.

Liu Yimin took the remittance slip to the bank, withdrew the money, and deposited it into his savings account, keeping it in a current account.

After depositing the 9,100 yuan, the teller thoughtfully put the remittance certificates into an envelope and handed them to Liu Yimin.

This time, I finally didn't "forget".

Liu Yimin stopped by the Beijing People's Art Theatre on his way. Inside the main performance hall, colleagues from the television station and film studio were still filming some additional scenes.

"Is it not finished filming yet?" Liu Yimin asked Ouyang Shanzun.

Su Min's words carried a hint of complaint: "I thought we could just set up a camera and shoot, but the comrades from the TV station and the film studio suddenly had a strange idea and wanted to shoot it like a movie, including close-ups and extreme close-ups, which slowed down the progress all of a sudden!"

"Our actors have been through a lot these past few days!" Lan Tianye said.

"It's all for work, can you two complain less?" Ouyang Shanzun said disdainfully.

Lan Tianye pulled Liu Yimin aside and said with a smile, "Before you came, Shanzun complained even more than we did. The actors are exhausted during the day, so they are prone to making mistakes during the night performance. These past few days, we've been performing 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' and 'Red River Valley' in turn, it's been incredibly strenuous!"

Several people were talking in the back, so they walked over and said to Liu Yimin and Ouyang Shanzun:

"Because the higher-ups highly praised these two plays, the Tianjin People's Art Theatre, the Shanghai People's Art Theatre, and the General Political Department Drama Troupe will all be performing them. To ensure a good performance, they won't just buy our scripts directly; instead, they'll send directors to our People's Art Theatre to learn for a period of time. Jiabao asked me to tell you that when our colleagues from other units arrive in a few days, we must make sure to do a good job of receiving them!"

"Haha, is there a specific list? Who's coming to study?" Ouyang Shanzun laughed heartily, looking extremely smug.

When other organizations come to learn from them, it's a sign of recognition of their directing abilities.

No one will give up the opportunity to teach their peers.

"They haven't sent over the specific list yet, so it's probably not finalized. You must treat them well and not always act like teachers; that's not good!"

Seeing their smug expressions, Zhi knew what they were thinking, so he offered some words of advice.

"We all understand, we'll definitely teach them how to be directors!" Lan Tianye said, as if he were the only one capable of doing it.

So, having no other choice, he stopped talking to the three of them and instead gave Liu Yimin the script fee for "Red River Valley".

“The script fee for ‘Red River Valley’ is seven hundred yuan. Count the money!” Yu Shizhi said.

Liu Yimin counted the money in front of him to make sure there were no problems, then put the money in his pocket.

Now, his savings have reached 16,000 yuan, making him a genuine first to get rich.

Then Zhi said to Liu Yimin, "Jiabao is waiting for you in his office. He has something to tell you."

Liu Yimin arrived at Cao Yu's office, and Cao Yu smiled and said to Liu Yimin, "I've almost finished being busy lately. I'm planning to go to Beidaihe with your teacher's wife to rest for a while. We might come back for the May Day holiday, or we might not. Do you want to come with me?"

"Teacher, I won't bother you and your wife," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"I wasn't planning on taking you either," Cao Yu joked. "The films 'Mountains High and Rivers Long' and 'Red River Valley' were huge successes. I invited you here to tell you not to be arrogant and to continue creating even better works!"

"Teacher, please tell me! I was really touched when you asked me to go to Beidaihe!"

"Haha, I recently saw an article in the newspaper written under the pseudonym 'A Person Who Loves Drama,' did you write it?"

Cao Yu took out the latest issue of the China Youth Daily and said seriously.

"Teacher, you have such sharp eyes, nothing can be hidden from you!"

This article is Liu Yimin's proposal to establish awards for stage directors and actors. In it, he talks at length about how important it is to establish awards to promote the development of stage plays, and gives examples of awards in the film industry.

In the end, he did not use his real name, but instead used the name "a person who loves theater".

“I can tell you didn’t intend to hide it. A little analysis tells me it was you. Was this your own idea, or…?” Cao Yu asked.

"When the news of the Hundred Flowers Awards and Golden Rooster Awards came out that day, it suddenly occurred to me. Our theater world needs it too. Besides script awards, these well-known directors and actors also need encouragement, so..."

"So you started spreading rumors in the newspapers?"

Liu Yimin chuckled, and Cao Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Many of us in the literary field have read your article, and everyone supports it. Of course, our own people definitely support it! I asked Lao Yu for his opinion, and he also said it should be."

Even if not for our fellow theater enthusiasts, it's still necessary to expand the influence of theater! But we still need to see the reaction from above, so you shouldn't write so much yet.

Cao Yu said not to write too much yet, meaning that it was okay to write, so it seems that he also approves of this matter.

Cao Yu planned to wait until there was more and more discussion in society before bringing it up in one go.

Liu Yimin nodded, indicating that he understood, and would write a few more articles when he got back.

Stepping out of Cao Yu's office, I found Yu Shizhi still waiting for me in the rehearsal room. The others seemed to know what Cao Yu had wanted to discuss, and they all curiously asked about Jia Bao Gong's attitude.

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "The teacher dedicated his entire life to drama. What do you think of his attitude?"

Ouyang Shanzun leaned back and said with a smile, "What Jiabao says carries more weight than what we say."

“Don’t just make me write, you can also give your opinions!” Liu Yimin said.

So the four of them smiled and nodded in agreement.

In the bedroom, Liu Yimin was still asleep when Zhu Lin called out from the yard. Liu Yimin groggily got dressed, leaned against the door frame, and rubbed his eyes.

"Teacher Liu, look what this is!"

Summer has arrived, and Zhu Lin is wearing her favorite pink floral dress, her canvas shoes sparkling clean. In the morning mist and sunshine, Zhu Lin proudly shows off the glittering items in her hands in the yard, happily posing them in various ways.

At first, Liu Yimin didn't know what it was, but he walked over and saw what it looked like.

In her left hand she holds the Hundred Flowers Award trophy, adorned with a bouquet of flowers, while in her right hand she holds a golden rooster crowing at dawn—the Golden Rooster Award trophy.

Both trophies are made of plastic bronze, so they look very bright and sparkle in the sunlight.

"When did the trophy arrive?" Liu Yimin took the Golden Rooster Award and examined it carefully. The proud rooster stood tall, crowing to the sky with an arrogant expression.

"The film industry association members delivered it last night. They took the trophy to the awards ceremony and brought it directly to my home when they came back!"

Zhu Lin said with a smile, then placed the two trophies on the stone table and stared at them carefully: "Last night, I was so happy that I couldn't sleep. Teacher Liu, it's strange, I originally thought it wouldn't matter if I didn't go to the ceremony to receive the award, but after seeing these two trophies, I inexplicably regretted it."

"Then I'll give you another choice, are you going or not?"

“I’m definitely not going!” Zhu Lin said, resting his chin on his hand.

"So, don't think about it anymore, it's no use thinking about it!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Hmm, I don't want to think about it anymore!"

After Zhu Lin finished speaking, he placed the Hundred Flowers Award trophy in Liu Yimin's study and asked, "Teacher Liu, this Hundred Flowers Award trophy is for you. Thank you for your script!"

"Why are you being so polite!" Liu Yimin patted Zhu Lin's waist.

Today is Sunday. Zhu Lin had nothing to do in the morning, so he took Liu Yimin to the mall to buy things.

Liu Yimin initially thought she was buying things for herself, but after wandering around for a while, he realized that Zhu Lin was buying things for her future parents-in-law and her older brother and sister-in-law.

"Summer is coming, so I'm going to buy some summer clothes for my uncles, aunts, older brother and sister-in-law. There are definitely more styles of clothes in Beijing than back home."

At the department store, Zhu Lin bought a set of clothes for each of the four people from his hometown, and he paid for all of them.

Liu Yimin also bought her two dresses, but Zhu Lin had seen those beautiful dresses in Hong Kong and didn't feel anything about the ones currently sold in China.

On the way back, Zhu Lin pointed to a group of young people next to Liu Yimin. They were wearing floral shirts, wide-leg jeans, and large sunglasses, looking every bit the fashionista.

"Teacher Liu, why don't you try this outfit on too?" Zhu Lin asked with a smile.

"Forget it, you might as well kill me!"

"Hahaha!"

After mailing the package at the post office, the two had a meal outside. In the afternoon, Yu Jiajia had arranged to meet Zhu Lin, who was to be interviewed inside the courtyard house.

After dinner, we returned to the courtyard house. The room was already very stuffy. Turning on the fan and taking out popsicles from the refrigerator made us feel much better.

After a peaceful afternoon nap, Yu Jiajia knocked on the gate of the courtyard house.

"Did I disturb you? I originally wanted to come later, but I was afraid that if I came late I wouldn't be able to finish the interview, so I came early!"

Seeing that Yu Jiajia's head was covered in sweat, Liu Yimin quickly invited her in to cool off under the fan and offered her popsicles.

The coolness of the popsicle, along with its sweetness, entered her stomach, and Yu Jiajia instantly felt the heat in her limbs dissipate. She exclaimed, "It's so good to be rich!"
Big fan, big refrigerator, what a treat!
Seeing Yu Jiajia's delighted expression, Zhu Lin got her a few more. Only after they had almost finished eating did the formal interview begin.

This was an in-depth interview, and Yu Jiajia dug up all of Zhu Lin's childhood experiences, which Liu Yimin listened to with great interest.

At first, Zhu Lin was quite nervous, but with Jiajia's patient guidance, the conversation gradually opened up, and Zhu Lin became less nervous.

In addition, Zhu Lin has good literary skills, and his choice of words in the interview was quite appropriate.

Yu Jiajia's story mainly revolves around her decision to forgo receiving the award in person, making this part particularly important.

Zhu Lin's answer was quite clever, and he even quoted the saying from inside the Beijing People's Art Theatre, "The play is more important than anything else," which made Yu Jiajia nod repeatedly.

"Comrade Zhu Lin, there have been reports in the newspapers about the drama awards. What do you think?" Yu Jiajia smiled at Liu Yimin, then turned her gaze back to Zhu Lin.

Liu Yimin had already explained this issue to Zhu Lin. She is both a stage actress and an award-winning actress in the film industry, so her words are quite representative.

Zhu Lin believes that there are many excellent actors and directors in the drama industry who have jointly produced many excellent plays, such as the recent "Mountains High and Rivers Long" and "Red River Valley". In order to encourage the creation of excellent plays and enhance their influence, relevant departments should establish a drama award.

After the interview, I reviewed Yu Jiajia's notes and made some revisions to address any inappropriate parts.

Liu Yimin brought out ice cream from the kitchen, and the three of them sat in the study chatting.

Yu Jiajia told Liu Yimin that after she finished writing this interview, she would go to the south to conduct interviews, mainly about local new policies and the business operations of individual business owners.

“Comrade Yimin, I’ll show you my notes when the time comes. Maybe you’ll have some new ideas! Let’s use literature to advocate for these groups.”

Liu Yimin held Yu Jiajia's hand and said thank you. Zhu Lin told her to be careful when she went to the south alone.

Highway robbers have started to appear in some places. When Yu Jiajia went to the south for interviews, she couldn't stay in the city all the time; she would definitely go to the counties and townships, so the roads were not safe.

Yu Jiajia said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm a well-known iron lady in the China Youth Daily, nothing will happen to me!"

In the evening, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin treated Yu Jiajia to hot pot in the courtyard. Jiang Zilong brought Liu Yimin a copper pot, which was perfect for hot pot.

Their factory recently started selling hot pot, but Liu Yimin hasn't inquired about the specific sales figures.

In the courtyard after dusk, the three of them feasted. Yu Jiajia ate with gusto, her mouth greasy, never before had she eaten meat without limit like today.

The fresh mutton flavor filled her mouth. Looking at Zhu Lin's enthusiastic expression, Yu Jiajia secretly vowed that when she returned this time, she would definitely write an outstanding interview and properly mold Zhu Lin into an actor who takes acting seriously and strives to learn directing.

"Jiajia, eat more!" Zhu Lin said with a smile.

After Jiajia let out several burps, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin smiled and saw her off from the courtyard house.

(End of this chapter)