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

Chapter 305 Unprecedented Sales

Cao Yu's office was filled with a joyous atmosphere. Cao Yu, worried that Xia Yan might not understand the importance of the award, carefully explained it to him.

After reading it, Xia Yan patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder with delight: "Great, great, great! You've really brought honor to the Chinese literary world! Our country's writers can't just win awards domestically; they should also try their hand at something abroad!"

"How about that? You still have to see my student!" Cao Yu proudly crossed his legs and gently patted his knees with his hands.

"Didn't you say that Yimin is a student of our literary world? Jiabao, hahaha, look how smug you are."

After Xia Yan finished speaking, Zhou Yang also called to inquire, and Xia Yan explained the situation to him in detail.

Zhou Yang said happily on the phone, "This shows that our country's writers are becoming more and more international, going out of China, out of Asia, and into the West!"

The Ministry of Culture immediately called the publicity department, asking them to conduct an interview and give the story prominent publicity.

Winning an international literary award is a significant achievement in the literary world this year, and it deserves to be highlighted.

Upon receiving the news, the People's Daily immediately sent someone to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to interview Liu Yimin.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, when did you write this novel? It wasn't published in China, was it?" the reporter asked.

"No, this is a novel published directly in English in the American magazine The Paris Review. It was written a long time ago and was published last year!"

"Could you give us a brief overview of the main content? The name is rather strange; why is it called 'The Green Book'?"

Liu Yimin said with a smile: "It tells the story of an African American musician and a white driver. Racial discrimination is very serious in the United States. Black people are often a symbol of the lower class. So when a 'noble' white person meets a 'lowly' black employer, their change of status will bring about different contradictions and conflicts."

During their months-long tour, misunderstandings and understandings arose between them, and they eventually became friends. However, in an atmosphere of racial discrimination, many African Americans still suffer from discrimination.

Why is it called "The Green Book"? Because "Green Book" represents the color of the action guidebook for Black Americans; it's a book of discrimination!

At the end, Liu Yimin's voice was tinged with indignation.

The reporter asked several more questions, finally culminating in the classic one: "Comrade Liu Yimin, who would you most like to thank for winning the O. Henry Award?"

Upon hearing this question, Xia Yan coughed, Cao Yu sat up straight, Zhang Guangnian, the secretary of the Writers' Association who had rushed over, looked expectantly at Liu Yimin, and Zhu Lin pretended not to care as he gripped his teacup and took a small sip.
"I am grateful to the Party and the country for their nurturing and policies, which enabled me to attend university. I thank my parents, my teacher Cao Yu, the Ministry of Culture and the Writers' Association for their support, and many seniors and friends who have provided support and encouragement. Finally, I thank my wife, Zhu Lin."

"call"

Everyone except Liu Yimin breathed a sigh of relief. Xia Yan and Zhang Guangnian exchanged a pleased glance, while Cao Yu smiled and sipped his tea.

Zhu Lin smiled at Liu Yimin, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists, his chest heaving with excitement.

"Comrade Zhu Lin?" The reporter looked at Zhu Lin and thought to himself that they were truly a talented man and a beautiful woman, and a loving couple.

Then he asked Zhu Lin another question, praising the couple for their contributions to the country's arts and culture.

Next, Cao Yu, Xia Yan, and Zhang Guangnian were interviewed in turn. While praising Liu Yimin, they also patted their own units on the back.

Xia Yan said, "This year, Liu Yimin has contributed many excellent works to our literary and artistic circles, such as 'Triumph at Midnight,' which has sold four million copies. His stage performances are deeply loved by comrades in society and the military. Our Ministry of Culture must encourage writers like Comrade Liu Yimin to go out and make their mark."

After the interview, as the reporter began packing up, he suddenly asked, "Comrade Liu Yimin, is racial discrimination in the United States really that serious?"

"how?"

"Everyone says America is great now, like it's paradise. It's like if you go to America, you'll have everything!"

"Haha, if racial discrimination in the United States wasn't so severe, this novel wouldn't have won an award. It was worst in the 1950s and 60s. There has been some improvement in the United States today, but it's impossible to completely eliminate it. Moreover, in a developing society, these problems are easily covered up."

This contradiction will become even more acute once economic growth slows. Chinese people in the United States are ultimately a group marginalized from mainstream society; no matter how successful they become, they will always be outsiders!

Cao Yu said, "I've been to the United States and interacted with Chinese people, so I can say for sure that the United States is white supremacist. When I visited the United States in the 1930s and 40s, it was even more serious!"

“To white people, black people are all slaves released from plantations and should all be picking cotton!” Liu Yimin said.

After the reporter left, Xia Yan looked at Liu Yimin and said with great concern, "You can tell from what the reporter said how serious the trend of going abroad is in society!"

"If a father wants to rain, a mother wants to remarry; there's no stopping her!" Cao Yu said.

Cao Yu gave Zhu Lin a half-day off. When they came out of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Zhu Lin's excitement burst out. She couldn't show too much happiness in front of Xia Yan and Cao Yu at the theatre.

"Teacher Liu, you're amazing!"

"I've heard that phrase so many times I'm sick of it, try something else!" Liu Yimin said with a grin.

"No, Teacher Liu, whatever you want to eat today, I'll make it for you as a good reward!"

Liu Yimin, riding his motorcycle, said, "Zhu Lin, you like to ask questions you already know the answer to!"

"Be serious, Professor Liu, you're a professor now!" Zhu Lin gently pinched Liu Yimin's waist and said with a righteous expression.

Confucius said that food and sex are human nature!

Liu Yimin rode his motorcycle to the post office, signed the remittance slip, and then went directly to the bank to withdraw the money.

The $8,000 was the royalties for "Green Book"; the other books have not yet been published, so the royalties for those books have not yet been settled.

"Teacher Liu, so much money!" Zhu Lin's eyes lit up when he saw so much money.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Let's go, let's spend some money!"

He took four thousand yuan and deposited the rest in the bank. Zhu Lin sat on the motorcycle, clutching his bag tightly, afraid that someone would rob him of his money.

Upon arriving at Wangfujing Department Store, Liu Yimin led Zhu Lin directly to the motorcycle dealership, where several domestic and foreign motorcycles were on display.

"Teacher Liu, what are you doing here? Didn't we have a motorcycle?" Zhu Lin asked.

"I'll buy you one too, it'll be more convenient for commuting, otherwise it's too far. Take a look and see which one you think is better!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Give it to me? I don't want it. It's better to save the money! I can just ride a bicycle."

"It takes almost an hour to ride a bicycle, it's too tiring! Money is meant to be spent, otherwise why earn it?"

Liu Yimin taught Zhu Lin to ride a motorcycle in his spare time, and she rode it quite well. She even occasionally rode it to the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

But two people on one motorcycle is ultimately not that convenient.

Zhu Lin thought about it and agreed, wanting to choose the Happiness 250 because it was cheap. Liu Yimin, without further ado, chose the Suzuki. He originally wanted to choose the more advanced AX100, but the model was too large and powerful, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle it. "Teacher Liu, let's choose this one!" Zhu Lin patted a slightly oddly shaped motorcycle next to him.

This is an imported Suzuki A50, a 50cc light motorcycle. It looks like a scooter or underbone motorcycle from a later era, and it's more than enough for Zhu Lin's needs.

“Okay, this is good. Although it’s a bit slow, it’s safe and easy to control!” Liu Yimin said.

"Comrade, this Suzuki A50 costs 1400 RMB!" the salesperson said with a smile.

Zhu Lin counted out 1400 yuan and some remittance certificates from her bag, handed them over to the cashier, and successfully received the invoice.

Liu Yimin took 4000 yuan, originally planning to buy a large-displacement engine.

"Is there anything else you want to buy?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

"Teacher Liu, let's go buy some more fabric, a few sheets and duvet covers! There's nothing else we need to buy. My mom said we should be thrifty!"

Zhu Lin happily went to other floors to buy some fabrics and other household items. Afterwards, the two rode their motorcycles to the Dongcheng Public Security Bureau and got a license plate for Zhu Lin's motorcycle.

After returning home, Zhu Lin handed the remaining two thousand yuan to Liu Yimin.

"What are you doing for me?"

"We already agreed that you'd manage the money in our family!" Zhu Lin stuffed the money into Liu Yimin's pocket without further ado.

Liu Yimin said helplessly, "I've put the money in the cabinet in the study. Take it yourself if you need it!"

"Okay, I'll put my money in there next month when I get my salary!"

“You can keep your own!” Liu Yimin said casually.

"Hmm?" Zhu Lin walked over to Liu Yimin, put his hand on Liu Yimin's shoulder, and leaned closer to ask, "Teacher Liu, do you think I don't earn enough money? Yeah, it's not right for me to put my meager earnings in there!"

"Hahaha!" Liu Yimin put his arm around Zhu Lin's waist and said, "How could that be? Zhu Lin's contribution cannot be measured by money. He has brought excellent works to all the people of China. His value is not measured by how much money he has!"

"Teacher Liu, you're so eloquent, here's a reward for you!"

The two started playfully fighting in the living room, and then casually lay down on the sofa.

Zhu Lin thought to herself that it would be more comfortable to live alone after marriage. If she lived with her parents, she wouldn't be able to be so carefree!

The following day, news of Liu Yimin's award was published as the second headline in the People's Daily, demonstrating the newspaper's emphasis on the award.

The top headlines are usually about national affairs, so naturally Liu Yimin wouldn't be in the running. The second headline is right next to the top headline, with those big characters standing out prominently.

Warmest congratulations to our young writer Liu Yimin for winning the first prize of the O. Henry Award for Literature in the United States.

Below the title, a line of smaller print reads: "[The winning entry is Comrade Liu Yimin's 'Green Book,' published last year in the magazine 'The Paris Review.']"

The second headline is usually very brief and cannot contain a lot of interview content. The second page published a detailed interview with Liu Yimin, Zhu Lin and others.

The publication of the article in the People's Daily immediately caused a great stir in society and the literary world. It was the first time I had ever heard of a domestic writer winning a foreign literary prize.

It turns out that writers from our country can also win foreign literary awards.

After seeing the words "Green Book," everyone's head was spinning; they'd never heard of it before.

Some people thought they hadn't paid attention, so they specifically contacted their friend—Liu Yimin's most loyal reader—and found that the friend hadn't heard of him either.

This is strange, but no one thinks it's fake news, after all, it's the People's Daily, the country's largest newspaper.

Then, after reading the detailed interview, everyone discovered that this novel had never been published in China.

As a result, everyone's curiosity reached its peak, wanting to know what kind of works could win foreign literary awards.

Huang Chunyu of the Commercial Press had the keenest sense of smell. Not long after seeing the news in the newspaper, he realized this possibility and quickly rode his bicycle to find Liu Yimin, hoping that the Commercial Press could publish it.

"How are my collection of essays, 'Youth Collection,' selling?" Liu Yimin asked Huang Chunyu with concern.

"It sold better than most essays!"

"How much better is it?"

Huang Chunyu said, "Current sales are nearly 90,000 copies!"

Liu Yimin clicked his tongue, and Huang Chunyu quickly said, "This is already good enough. Many well-known authors from the Writers' Association only sell 40,000 to 50,000 copies of their essay collections over the entire period. Essays are different from novels, after all. Novel readers are interested in the author and the author's story."

What essays need most is for the reader to be interested in the author himself.

Liu Yimin sighed helplessly. Huang Chunyu was right; this was the result of Huang Chunyu integrating content from multiple sources.

"This is the draft of the Green Book. The publication of the Green Book is now in your hands!" Liu Yimin extended his hand and shook hands with Huang Chunyu.

"Don't worry, I'll take a look first!"

Just as Huang Chunyu finished reading, Cui Daoyi and Li Shu rushed over. When Li Shu saw Huang Chunyu in Liu Yimin's study, he said helplessly, "Young people are always quick on their feet!"

"Comrade Xiao Huang, how about we publish it in 'People's Literature' first, and then you publish it?" Cui Daoyi said cheerfully.

Huang Chunyu readily handed the manuscript to Cui Daoyi, who picked it up and sat down beside Li Shu to read it.

Li Shu watched without any interest, glancing at Huang Chunyu every now and then.

Huang Chunyu said helplessly, "Comrade Li Shu, your People's Literature Publishing House has made a fortune with 'Triumphant at Midnight,' it's time to let us have a share!"

The news that Xia Yan mentioned that "Triumph at Midnight" had sold four million copies is old news. Currently, the sales of "Triumph at Midnight" have reached four million three hundred thousand copies.

This sales figure is considered by many to be unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated.

"Xiao Huang, your Commercial Press also published it. Besides, what does it mean to make a fortune? Can cultural people make money from their work? We are the transporters of culture, the messengers of culture."

After Huang Chunyu said that, Li Shu was no longer angry and spoke much more amiably.

(End of this chapter)