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

Chapter 397 Poor parents in the world
The Paris Review was selling like hotcakes all over the world, and readers and the literary world around the world gradually began to know Liu Yimin.

Previously, the international students of Yenching University's Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press were scattered in various countries after graduation. They used their pens to provide their respective countries with the limited information about Liu Yimin.

For example, Liu Yimin's works have not been published in countries like Iceland and Malta, so readers and academics are naturally not familiar with them.

In a newspaper in Malta, Kliffe published an article titled "Liu Yimin in My Eyes: China's Most Talented Young Writer," introducing Liu Yimin to the Maltese.

An article by Miko Komikawa appeared in Japan's Asahi Shimbun, titled "Chinese Writers Through the Eyes of International Students: He Helps Us Understand China Correctly."

When Palestinian PLO students read Liu Yimin's novel, they held up the book and called Liu Yimin a world democracy fighter and a brave and fearless internationalist warrior.

"Hypocritical Americans, they should apologize to Allah! Thanks to the brave internationalist fighter, our Chinese friend Liu, who fought for freedom and equality!"

Two PLO students came to China to study, and the other has become a vital source of nourishment for the Middle East.

While students from Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press were actively introducing Liu Yimin to those around them, Mulatu from Ethiopia sent Liu Yimin a letter seeking help.

In his letter, Murat stated that he had encountered the darkest moment of his life. He had come to China full of confidence, intending to learn about governing the country and managing one's family, but upon returning, he found his country gone, having experienced a coup. The current tense situation in China left him feeling lost and uncertain about his future.

After reading his letter, Liu Yimin wrote a serious reply to Mulatu, telling him that he had not learned any real knowledge in China, did not understand what it meant to say "Are kings and generals born with a special destiny?" or "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun", and did not have the courage to "change the world".

Finally, he told him that since he hadn't studied deeply enough, he should come back to China to study more, get a master's degree, and stay useful so he could serve his country in the future.

After completing his master's and doctoral studies in China, Mulatu returned to Ethiopia in the early 4s and his career took off. He soon became the ambassador to Japan, then the ambassador to China four years later, and finally the president of Ethiopia in 2013.

After writing the letter, Liu Yimin placed it on the table, intending to mail it at a later time.

"Teacher Liu, there's a telegram," Zhu Lin called out from the doorway.

"coming!"

Liu Yimin opened the door, walked to the entrance, took the telegram from the postman, and signed his name.

"Teacher Liu, whose is it?" Zhu Lin asked, craning his neck.

Liu Yimin handed the telegram to Zhu Lin: "Our mother is coming!"

"Mom?" Zhu Lin took the ticket, glanced at it, and quickly calculated the date before saying, "Oh dear, the train is about to arrive at the station."

"I'll go pick you up now!" Liu Yimin quickly put on his clothes and rode his motorcycle to Yanjing Railway Station.

Upon arriving at the train station, Liu Yimin checked his watch and then asked a station staff member to confirm that the train hadn't arrived early before he felt relieved.

"Arriving early? You'd be lucky if you weren't late," a train station staff member joked.

"Thank you, comrade!"

"You're welcome. I understand you're picking up your parents. If you can't find them later, come find me and I'll take you to the radio station to broadcast a missing person notice."

After thanking him repeatedly, Liu Yimin bought a platform ticket and waited. After about forty minutes, the train finally arrived at the station.

The crowd was dense, so Liu Yimin didn't go in to look for her. Instead, he stood at the exit and stared intently. After a long time, Liu Yimin still hadn't seen Yang Xiuyun, and he started to panic. What if the old lady had really run away?

As fewer and fewer people arrived, Liu Yimin looked up anxiously, only to see a familiar figure standing on the platform a dozen meters away, wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket with a slanted collar and a right-fastening front, carrying a bamboo basket and looking around.

Liu Yimin ran up quickly: "Mom, you scared me to death! I thought we'd gone astray!"

When Yang Xiuyun saw that it was Liu Yimin, she said happily, "Mom isn't stupid. I'll stand here as soon as I get off the train. You'll always be able to find me."

"Mother, what brings you here?" Liu Yimin asked.

Yang Xiuyun rubbed her aching legs and back and said, "Mom has calculated the days, and Linlin should give birth in the next few days, so I have to come and take care of her. Your sister-in-law's baby is already a few months along, so it's no big deal for me to come for a while!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming sooner?" Liu Yimin complained.

Yang Xiuyun smiled slyly: "It's not that I'm afraid you won't let me come. Linlin's parents are both here, so they don't need me to take care of her. But Linlin is, after all, our daughter-in-law, and we can't always let her in-laws take care of her."

I don't usually have time to take care of her, but this time I absolutely have to make sure she's fully cared for during her postpartum period! I specifically told your father to send the telegram a little later.

Liu Yimin took the bamboo basket from Yang Xiuyun. The bottom layer was wheat straw, the middle layer was eggs, and the top layer was a towel.

Fearing she might get on the wrong train during the transfer, she specifically asked her older brother, Liu Yiguo, to buy her a direct train ticket to Yanjing. She was in a hard seat, and to prevent the eggs from breaking, she kept them on her lap the whole time.

When Liu Yimin looked at it, his legs were almost swollen from sitting.

"I'll be fine after a good night's sleep!" Yang Xiuyun found Liu Yimin and felt relieved. She looked around Yanjing Railway Station again.

As she walked out of the train station, she ran into the staff member who had asked her about the train schedule earlier. The staff member said to Yang Xiuyun, "Auntie, next time you come to Yanjing, remember to tell your son in advance. Yanjing is a big city, so don't get lost again."

"I'll definitely do it next time! Comrade, judging from your accent, are you also from Henan Province?" Yang Xiuyun asked.

“Auntie, I came to support the construction of the capital in 69. I’m from Nanyang!” The staff member held Yang Xiuyun’s hand tightly. Hearing her familiar accent, he couldn’t help but say a few more words.

Back then, workers were drawn from the local areas to build the capital. They came here shouting the slogan "Strive forward to build the capital." Later, some returned to their hometowns, while others stayed in Yanjing.

Liu Yimin rode his motorcycle with Yang Xiuyun on the back towards the Overseas Chinese Apartment. Yang Xiuyun asked in confusion, "Second brother, aren't we going north?"

"Mother, Linlin and I are living in the west side now. Do you remember that the courtyard house is in the north side?"

Yang Xiuyun only lived in the courtyard house and never went to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

“I remember, go north, then west to Tiananmen Square, and further north is the courtyard. I know the way. Even if you don’t come to pick me up, I can still find the courtyard.” Yang Xiuyun looked around Chang’an Avenue, marveling at how much Beijing had changed in just a few years.

"What has changed?"

“There are more people now, and more motorcycles on the road.” After saying that, Yang Xiuyun laughed and said, “Your mother is just illiterate and blind, but she’s not stupid.”

Upon arriving at the Overseas Chinese Apartments, Yang Xiuyun looked around the building and exclaimed, "Wow, this building is really nice, just like the ones I see on TV."

As she was about to enter, Yang Xiuyun patted the dust off her clothes, afraid of dirtying the house.

"My dear in-law, you've come all this way, aren't you tired?" Zhu's mother asked warmly.

As soon as Liu Yimin left, Zhu Lin called his mother and father, and the two of them came over specifically to wait for Yang Xiuyun.

"Not tired at all, this little distance is nothing, we can just sit down. In the past, we used to pull carts for dozens of miles a day, setting off before dawn and returning in the dark."

Yang Xiuyun walked over to Zhu's mother and replied with twice the enthusiasm. After speaking, she took out a towel from her bosom to wipe her face.

He walked over to Zhu Lin and asked her with concern if she felt unwell.

"Mom, I'm fine, it's just that I have some difficulty moving around right now."

Zhu's mother said, "Yimin has taken good care of Linlin. Linlin is also a doctor. You can rest assured that the child will be healthy when she is born."

Looking at Zhu Lin's belly, Yang Xiuyun subconsciously said, "Her belly is so big, could it be twins?"

Zhu's mother and Zhu Lin exchanged a smile but did not respond.

Liu Yimin took Yang Xiuyun to the bathroom to wash her face and taught her how to use the toilet.

Yang Xiuyun said, "It really is that foreign gadget from TV." After trying it a few times, Yang Xiuyun said in a low voice, "Is there anything else I need to be careful about? I don't want to ruin such a nice house."

"Mom, it's just a house, how can we damage it? This is the bathing area, this is the toilet, and the cooking area is in front. Don't worry, I'll cook. I'll tidy up a room for you in a bit, you can go inside and get some sleep first."

After leaving the living room, Zhu Lin pointed to the room next to the master bedroom and said, "Mom, this room has been cleaned up. Please have something to eat and then rest for a while!"

Liu Yimin gave Zhu Lin a thumbs up. Yang Xiuyun was indeed sleepy. To avoid breaking the eggs, she hadn't gone to sleep. As soon as she got home, she felt sleepy again. In the kitchen, Zhu's mother heated up the food she had brought back from the restaurant. After they finished eating, Liu Yimin fetched a basin of water and let Yang Xiuyun soak her feet before letting her go to sleep.

Sitting in the living room, Mr. Zhu sighed, "The hearts of parents are truly selfless!"

“You two need to be nicer to your parents back home. They haven’t slept for dozens of hours since they left. Sigh, it’s really tough on them,” Zhu’s mother chimed in.

After sighing, Zhu's mother said, "I calculated that the due date is this week. I'll take a few days off to stay home with Linlin and keep my in-laws company. What do you think, Yimin?"

"Mom, what do you think about sending Linlin to the hospital to prepare for delivery earlier?"

Zhu's mother said, "The hospital doesn't have that many delivery rooms. Let me ask. I'll have Linlin checked first, and we can go a day or two in advance."

Zhu's mother opened the medicine box and began looking for tools. Zhu's father and Liu Yimin came to the study. Looking at Liu Yimin's study, Zhu's father sighed, "The things you have collected in your study are comparable to those of an old writer."

"Dad, take whatever you like!" Liu Yimin said generously.

"A gentleman does not take what others love, except when there is a big rat in the house... Hmm, that rhymes quite well."

Zhu's father subtly pointed out that Zhu Lin had moved the asparagus fern and rockery from his own study to Liu Yimin's courtyard house all those years ago, showing that he hadn't forgotten it after all these years.

"Dad, Linlin feels that your mind has reached the point where you don't need any external decorations in your study."

"Oh, my daughter!"

After examining Zhu Lin, Zhu's mother went back with Zhu's father. They will pack their things and move in tomorrow.

It was past ten o'clock at night when Yang Xiuyun finally woke up, still half asleep. Stepping out of her room, she was completely disoriented.

"Mother, you're awake. Have something to eat!" Liu Yimin came out of the study.

Yang Xiuyun patted her head and washed her face, which made her feel much more awake. The food was still warm in the pot in the kitchen, and Liu Yimin served Yang Xiuyun a bowl.

At the dining table, Yang Xiuyun wolfed down her food: "This house is really nice, big and bright, and it's fine even when it's windy or rainy. It's much better than the house your brother was allocated."

“Brother’s house is free, but ours requires payment, so it’s naturally better,” Liu Yimin said.

"Is Linlin asleep?"

"She's asleep. She's been sleeping a lot lately. I was going to wait for you to wake up, but I didn't know when you would wake up, so I let her go to sleep first."

"Don't wait for me, Linlin's health is the most important thing."

After Yang Xiuyun finished speaking, she whispered again, "I think Linlin looks like a twin this time. I've seen her before; your second aunt was one of them back then."

"Mom, whether it's twins or just one baby, whether it's a boy or a girl, as long as they're born healthy, that's all that matters," Liu Yimin said.

"That's right, they're all from our Liu family. By the way, Lan Yong is getting married in the next couple of days. Lin Lin is giving birth, so you definitely won't be able to go back. Lan Yong also said you don't need to go back."

"So sudden?"

“There’s a pretty girl in the next brigade who’s taken a liking to Lan Yong. Her family isn’t too keen on it, but the girl is determined to marry Lan Yong and almost jumped into the river, so they finally had to agree. Your Uncle Da Shan is eager to have a grandson, so he can’t delay getting married anytime soon.”

Liu Yimin said, "I'll send a telegram to Lan Yong tomorrow."

"Lan Yong is a good person, that girl won't suffer if she follows him."

They chatted until midnight, and Yang Xiuyun got sleepy again. Liu Yimin told her to go to bed early.

The next day, as soon as Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin woke up, Yang Xiuyun was busy in the kitchen, wiping the floor and table clean.

"Mom, you don't need to do anything, I'll take care of the cooking."

"You're going to cook? Then I've come all this way for nothing!" Yang Xiuyun said, stretching out a rolling pin. "The flatbread is all set up, but how am I supposed to use this fire? There's no coal or firewood!"

Liu Yimin demonstrated to Yang Xiuyun: "Mom, this uses gas. Just twist it like this and the fire will come up. Let go after the fire is lit. Try it."

Yang Xiuyun tried it several times and said happily, "This foreign gadget is actually quite useful!"

In the office of the Chinese Department of Yenching University, the heads and vice presidents of the Chinese Departments of Zhengzhou University and Henan Normal University were sitting opposite the Yenching University Chinese Department, discussing cooperation.

"Comrade Yimin, in less than a month, your reputation in the literary world has grown even more!" Zhang Jing, the head of the Chinese Department at Zhengzhou University, said with a smile.

"They're all just empty titles!"

The vice president of Zhengzhou University replied, "A great reputation is well-deserved. Professor Liu is not only the pride of Henan's literary circles, but also the pride of the entire province. When I came here, my colleagues from the province asked me to send my regards to you and hope that you will make more contributions to your hometown."

After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business. Yan Jiayan handed a document to both Chinese departments outlining Yenching University's plans for the Chinese department.

After reading it, Professor Zhang Jing said, "The academic community knows about Yenching University's achievements in modern and classical literature. We would like to cooperate more in the fields of modern and classical literature, and it would be best if both sides could jointly study some topics."

“We are the same,” said Yu Anlan from Henan Normal University.

"Yes, we can send two teachers with more than five years of teaching experience to your school as part-time lecturers, and we can arrange regular classes. In addition, several professors can serve as part-time professors, depending on the professors' opinions."

Both families were overjoyed: "That's wonderful! We can provide subsidies and funding, and we can even raise the standards. Thank you to the Chinese Department of Yenching University for your support."

"Supporting our brother unit is only right and proper."

Yan Jiayan raised many more detailed questions, and both companies showed great sincerity by offering aviation subsidies and end-to-end airport-to-school transportation.

Finally, President Yu Shisun personally attended the signing ceremony, announcing that the three Chinese departments had officially become sister institutions.

Liu Yimin became an adjunct associate professor at Henan Normal University and Zhengzhou University, while the other energetic professors also chose Zhengzhou University and Henan Normal University respectively.

More people choose Zhengzhou University because it's conveniently located in the provincial capital, while Henan Normal University is in Kaifeng, requiring a long drive after landing.

Since the senior professors were unable to travel, they could only send a few of their students to serve as part-time lecturers, such as Qian Liqun and others.

The lecturers were very happy. They were a little tired from traveling back and forth, but they received a lot of subsidies. At their age, they were in the prime of their lives and needed to work hard to support their families.

As Liu Yimin and his group walked out of Yenching University, Professor Zhang Jing shook Liu Yimin's hand and thanked him, saying, "Comrade Yimin, thank you for your efforts. We know that without you, we might not have been able to cooperate successfully!"

"Professor Zhang, you're exaggerating my abilities!"

"This is not an exaggeration at all. The number of Chinese literature teachers in various places is limited, let alone the fact that the two places are so far apart. Cooperation is not an easy task."

The group shook hands in turn to express their gratitude and left Yan Garden happily.

Back in the Chinese department, Yan Jiayan said with a smile, "These two schools are quite generous; at least we can give our teachers and professors a satisfactory explanation."

“We are all honest people in Henan Province,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Yan Jiayan put his arm around Liu Yimin's shoulder as they walked into the office, and said with a smile, "You'll have a new article coming out soon, won't you?"

"I'm writing now. My wife is about to give birth, so I don't have much time to write usually," Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, show it to me after you finish writing it. Don't always keep me in the dark."

"Professor Yan, it's not a matter of scarcity but of inequality. We have so many professors in our Chinese department." Liu Yimin spread his hands to indicate that there were many people.

Yan Jiayan said helplessly, "Fine, it's the same whether I watch it sooner or later."

After getting off work, Liu Yimin went directly to Xiehe Hospital. Zhu Lin was lying in the ward at that time, with Zhu's mother and Yang Xiuyun taking care of her.

(End of this chapter)