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

Chapter 311 The American newspapers are full of arrogance
On December 3rd, it was already quite cold in Yanjing, with the northwest wind howling. This year's sandstorms were much weaker than in previous years.

Zhu Lin rode his motorcycle to take Liu Yimin to the Ministry of Culture building, with two boxes strapped to the back, containing gifts and books.

It's like Confucius moving house – it's all books!
Looking at Liu Yimin, who was still full of energy, Zhu Lin thought to himself that it wasn't that he couldn't collect the taxes, but that he was incapable of collecting them!
Xu Chi walked over with a smile to help Liu Yimin carry his suitcase: "These two suitcases are old acquaintances! Comrade Zhu Lin, you've been married for a few months now. Has Yimin been bullying you? If he has, just tell me!"

Zhu Lin greeted Xu Chi with a smile, and Zhang Guangnian said with a smile, "Old Xu, don't talk nonsense. The two of them have a great relationship. I think they are a model couple in our literary world. One shines in the entertainment industry, and the other burns brightly in the literary world."

Wei Junyi and Chen Yuan didn't know Zhu Lin, so they came over to greet him and introduce themselves.

"President Wei, General Manager Chen, hello! Thank you for printing so many good books!"

Wei Junyi said with a smile, "Don't call me President Wei, just call me Sister Wei."

"Comrade Zhu Lin, if you want to read foreign literary works, just have Yimin get them from the Commercial Press. They're hard to find on the market, but our editorial department has some in stock!" Chen Yuan said.

The enthusiasm of the group made Zhu Lin feel embarrassed, so after chatting for a few minutes, he left the Ministry of Culture. When he arrived at the gate of the Ministry of Culture, he turned back and gave Liu Yimin a deep look, his eyes seeming to have many things he wanted to say.

Liu Yimin waved his hand, moved his lips towards Zhu Lin, and Zhu Lin smiled after understanding his lip movements. She then twisted the accelerator and disappeared from sight.

"Stop looking, let's go, there's something else I need to tell you at the ministry!" Zhang Guangnian patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder and went inside first.

In the conference room, Zhou Yang and Xia Yan were already waiting. After everyone sat down, Zhou Yang said, "Comrades, in the past few years, we have sent several delegations abroad to countries such as France, Japan, Canada, and the United States."

Some were official exchanges, and some were with non-governmental organizations. Even with the non-governmental organizations, many of our veteran comrades were happy to participate. Why? Because we were eager to engage with the outside world, to get to know them, and for them to get to know us. These exchanges all yielded fruitful results.

But this is my first time going abroad to receive an award. The first time isn't scary; there will be many more times to come. Comrade Yimin, are you nervous?

"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to get a little nervous!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Haha, it's okay. Don't be nervous. You won't be nervous once you get there. Some of our comrades have been on overseas trips many times before, while others are doing it for the first time. When you're traveling, you must maintain a sense of organization and discipline."

Then, several rules of conduct for the delegation were announced, which everyone was instructed to strictly abide by once in the United States. Any unclear situations were to be reported promptly.

Things that harm national interests must never be done.

Xia Yan said, "Comrades, you are all going out on behalf of the country, and your actions reflect the face of the nation!"

Considering that everyone involved was a prominent figure in the country, the department did not continue the discussion.

Zhang Guangnian, the head of the delegation, also made a speech: "Comrades, the situation abroad is complicated. Let's strive for a complete success in this visit. Of course, the main task is to receive the award, and the secondary task is to exchange ideas! Comrades in the publishing industry should learn from America's advanced publishing experience, and comrades in the literary field should exchange creative ideas."

Xia Yan glanced at his watch; there wasn't much time left before boarding the plane. "Comrades, let's go!"

Cars were already waiting downstairs at the Ministry of Culture. The group of six got into the cars one by one, and the six of them drove to the airport in two jeeps, braving the northwest wind of Yanjing.

At 10:00 AM, the plane officially took off from Yanjing. This route includes a stop in Shanghai before flying to San Francisco, with a refueling stop in Japan.

On the plane, Liu Yimin watched from the window as Yanjing grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared from sight.

Xu Chi sat down next to Liu Yimin and said with a smile, "Looking down from the plane, the view is so tiny. It would be so much better if every city had an airport in the future, it would be so much more convenient to get around."

Zhang Guangnian said, "As long as we are willing to work hard, we will definitely be able to turn one airport into two airports, and eventually have airports in every province."

“By then, people in our country won’t need letters of introduction to fly!” Wang Meng interjected.

Wei Junyi, who was standing next to her, looked the passengers up and down and said to them, "So many people are flying abroad, I wonder how many of them are willing to fly back!"

The group fell silent upon hearing Wei Junyi's words.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, where the landing time was relatively long, they went outside to rest. Some smoked, while others breathed in the fresh air.

"Comrade, are you from the Ministry of Culture's delegation to the United States?" a colleague from the venue ran over and asked.

"Who are we? Comrades? What can I do for you?" Zhang Guangnian asked.

"This is a letter from Comrade Ba Jin of the Shanghai Writers Association!" After checking Zhang Guangnian's identification and confirming that it was genuine, the airport staff handed the letter to Zhang Guangnian.

Then, at the flight attendant's announcement, the group reboarded the plane, which would then proceed directly to San Francisco, except for a refueling stop.

On the plane, someone shouted loudly, "Hey, America, I'm here!"

These words were met with scattered applause from the passengers. Hearing this, the group's expressions turned rather sour.

Xu Chi pulled two decks of cards out of his bag and said, "If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, she wants to remarry—we can't control that. The journey ahead is long, so let's play cards!"

Chen Yuan asked the flight attendant for a bottle of Moutai. Whoever lost had to drink a glass, or at least take a sip.

The plane reached the Pacific Ocean, below which lay the azure blue expanse, with only a few scattered islands barely visible from above.

After playing cards for over an hour, everyone started to feel sleepy. Plus, they'd had a bit of alcohol, their heads were spinning, and they slept surprisingly well.

None of them realized they had arrived in Tokyo, and when they woke up again, the plane had already reached the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Liu Yimin asked the flight attendant for the time and adjusted the time on his watch.

"We'll be there in three hours?"

"Yes, comrade, please sit down, you'll be able to enjoy the sunrise soon!" the flight attendant said with a smile.

After a while, the plane started to stir. The sun leaped up from the sea, and the thick clouds were dyed in a gradient of colors, from orange and gold-edged to deep blue.

The engine noise and commotion in the cabin contrasted sharply with the tranquil sea of ​​clouds outside. Xu Chi groggily opened his eyes, but because he couldn't see clearly, he could only ask Liu Yimin questions while wiping his glasses.

"It's just sunrise!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"The sunrise happens every day, but you can't see it from an airplane every day!"

When the American coastline came into view, the rest of the passengers became even more excited, and all sorts of English pronunciations filled the cabin.

Liu Yimin calmly gazed at the American coastline, pondering what problems he would encounter during his trip to the United States.

"Passengers, please remain quiet in your seats. The plane is about to land, please be careful!" "Old Zhang, how are you sobering up?" Liu Yimin asked with concern.

Yesterday, Zhang Guangnian lost the most cards, and even though he only took a sip each time, he drank the most among them.

"It's alright, it's alright! Comrades, our first stop is the China Publishing House. Ms. Niki Noyce has already arranged accommodations for us."

After the plane landed smoothly, the group waited until most people had disembarked before getting out of the cabin.

After arriving at the baggage claim area and collecting our luggage, we followed the signs and exited the airport. Many people were waiting to pick up passengers on either side of the passageway.

People from the China Book and Periodical Publishing House were holding up signs that read "Welcome the Chinese Writers Delegation." Liu Yimin saw them and greeted them.

“Ms. Noyce!” Liu Yimin waved with a smile.

As she approached, Nikki stretched out her arm and gave Liu Yimin a gentle hug: "Liu, it's so nice to see you in America!"

"Me too!"

After everyone greeted each other, they followed Niki Noyce outside. Once outside the station, everyone quietly observed America, and no one spoke first.

After a while, Wang Meng spoke first: "San Francisco is still the same as always!"

"Comrade Wang Meng, where did you go last time you came to San Francisco?" Xu Chi asked.

“We visited the International Writing Center in Iowa, gave a speech at a university, and met with Chinese students and overseas Chinese communities. That’s about it. Lacking experience in the US, we didn’t dare to wander around.” Wang Meng turned to look at Xu Chi.

Niki Noyce took several newspapers from the passenger seat and handed them to Liu Yimin: "These are some California newspapers, Liu, you can take a look!"

Liu Yimin laughed when he saw the headline: "That young man from the East is coming!" A California newspaper read, "[The young man from the East is coming!]"

A note reads, "Readers of 'Green Book' will meet their favorite Chinese person—Yi Min. Liu."

That young man from the East will see the real world!

"Ms. Noyce, it seems the American newspapers aren't very welcoming to me!" Liu Yimin thought to himself. He had already experienced the arrogance of the Americans as soon as he arrived in America.

"That's how American newspapers are; they serve politics and also sales. Different newspapers serve different political purposes."

Noyce smiled and turned around to explain.

The others didn't speak English, so Xu Chi took the newspaper and began translating for them. Zhang Guangnian and Wei Junyi's brows furrowed involuntarily; this newspaper was clearly a warning shot at them!

"Rest assured, the Book and Periodical Society stands behind you!"

Seemingly afraid that everyone would feel uneasy, Niki Noyce quickly said something.

Upon arriving at the hotel, reporters were already crouching at the entrance with cameras in hand. Nicky Noyce cursed under her breath and tried to go to the hotel's back door, but it was already blocked.

Left with no other choice, the group got out of the car and, led by employees of the China Publishing House, headed towards the hotel.

They had no identification on them, and without actively revealing their identities, the reporter suspected but was not certain that they were members of the Chinese writers' delegation visiting the United States.

After the photos were taken, reporters came up, but were stopped by the bookstore staff.

The hotel was a mid-range hotel, but everyone was quite satisfied with the environment. When I visited the United States in 81, many of us stayed at the homes of local friends to save money.

Most of the time, accommodation expenses are covered by local organizations such as publishing houses, universities, or overseas Chinese associations.

“Are you hungry now? There’s a buffet on the third floor, and there’s also a restaurant outside,” Niki Noyce asked.

Zhang Guangnian said, "Ms. Noyce, thank you for your hospitality. Let us arrange your accommodation first!"

Niki Noyce then handed out several sample copies of the English translation of "Victory," and they ultimately chose the title "Victory."

The cover was made of coated paper and laminated. The cover's colors were quite eerie, depicting a blood-red mountain outline with a blood-red military flag standing atop it, and several soldiers wearing red collar tabs and helmets charging towards the mountain.

The letters "Victory" were completely covered on the cover, looking...
Wei Junyi touched the cover and exclaimed, "Just the cover feels better than our books."

The covers of books in China nowadays are made of thicker paper, so they feel different to the touch.

Several people each took a book; those who couldn't understand English could only look at how good the book's material was.

Back in his room, Liu Yimin didn't rush to pack his luggage. Instead, he opened a book and carefully examined its contents.

Liu Yimin's preface was at the very beginning. Seeing that it was basically unedited, I felt relieved. Then I glanced at the contents and, finding no problems, got up, took a shower, and lay comfortably on the bed.

After resting until noon, Xu Chi knocked on Liu Yimin's room to go eat. Led by Zhang Guangnian, everyone wandered around the hotel area, not because they didn't want to go far, but because they were afraid of getting lost and not being able to find their way back.

If they really got lost, the next day's American newspapers would have headlines like, "Chinese visiting writers' delegation lost in modern San Francisco."

The group looked at the tall buildings lining the American streets, their eyes revealing undisguised envy.

I walked into a Chinese restaurant serving Sichuan cuisine. However, it truly lived up to Zhu Lin's words: the cooking methods had long forgotten their roots, and the food wasn't very tasty.

The group ate a little bit, then left amidst the waiter's disdainful gaze.

Because none of them gave a tip.

Everyone had limited US dollars, so giving them away really hurt. Liu Yimin had the most, but only a little over a thousand US dollars.

Those who haven't been here don't know, and those who have are pretending not to know.

After they left, Zhang Guangnian curiously asked the waiter what was going on with the look he'd received. Liu Yimin, being in the US for the first time, naturally couldn't explain.

Wang Meng explained to Zhang Guangnian, who then realized what was happening and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face: "Oh dear, I'm so sorry to that waiter. It's probably best if we eat out less often in the future!"

Back at the hotel, everyone grabbed some newspapers and started discussing how to answer tricky questions.

(End of this chapter)