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

Chapter 581 A Thoroughbred Meets a Discerning Eye
At midnight, Liu Yimin woke up hungry. Zhu Lin felt the movement and immediately opened her eyes. Seeing that it was past midnight, she yawned, threw back the covers, and prepared to get up.

"Teacher Liu, how's it going? I'll make you some noodles." Zhu Lin said, and then heard Liu Yimin's stomach rumbling. She immediately burst out laughing.

"Teacher Liu, you wait!"

"I'll go find something to eat first!" Liu Yimin said weakly, rubbing his stomach.

Zhu Lin got up, put on slippers, and without changing out of her beige pajamas, washed up first, then went into the kitchen to boil water and cook noodles.

There was only fruit in the refrigerator. Liu Yimin was about to eat some when Zhu Lin turned around and said, "Teacher Liu, don't eat it. The noodles will be ready in ten minutes. The fruit is too cold, and it's evening. It's not good for your stomach. You're always traveling for work and don't eat well. Your stomach's capacity is already weakened. You should pay more attention to this."

"Let me eat something lightly." Liu Yimin closed the refrigerator door and plopped down on the sofa.

Seeing that Liu Yimin wouldn't listen, Zhu Lin walked to the sofa, took the fruit from his hand, and said gently, "Teacher Liu, listen to me! You need to take care of your health, otherwise people will say that Teacher Liu has a doctor at home but still can't take care of himself. It's not that you're unhealthy, but that I'm not skilled enough!"

"Alright, I'll have some tea; I'm a little thirsty too." Liu Yimin didn't resist any further.

Zhu Lin put the fruit in the refrigerator and poured Liu Yimin a cup of tea: "It'll be ready soon, Teacher Liu. I'll make you some braised meat too, it'll be quick!"

Zhu Lin went into the kitchen and started cooking both the hot water and the braised meat simultaneously. Before long, the aroma of meat wafted out of the kitchen.

The aroma was so enticing that Liu Yimin swallowed hard, got up, and went to the balcony. He opened the window and gazed at the quiet Overseas Chinese Apartment, greedily inhaling the fresh air.

Around midnight, people occasionally drag their weary bodies past under the streetlights, drawn by the aroma wafting from Liu Yimin's house, constantly looking around to find the source of the scent.

"Teacher Liu, what are you looking at?" Zhu Lin walked over to Liu Yimin and rubbed his shoulders with both hands.

Liu Yimin put his arm around Zhu Lin's waist and said, "Get some fresh air. It's easy to drool indoors."

Zhu Lin rested her chin on Liu Yimin's shoulder and playfully rubbed her cheek against Liu Yimin's ear: "Teacher Liu, did you miss me while you were abroad?"

"Think about it!"

"So, guess if I've missed you?"

"I've thought about it too."

"Teacher Liu, you guessed wrong. I miss you, I think of you, I long for you." Zhu Lin hugged Liu Yimin's waist from behind, giggling incessantly.

"Zhu Lin, you've become quite cultured!" Liu Yimin grasped Zhu Lin's hand, which was resting on his waist. "Thank you for taking care of me and our family while you're busy with work. I never expected you to be so caring."

Zhu Lin said softly, "Teacher Liu, it's not that I'm good at taking care of people, it's that I want to take care of you!"

Liu Yimin turned to look at Zhu Lin: "Wow, you can even write poetry now!"

Zhu Lin raised his eyebrows smugly: "Just as you said back then, true poetry comes from genuine feelings."

After saying that, Zhu Lin took Liu Yimin's hand and walked inside. The steam from the noodles on the table gradually dissipated, making it the perfect time to eat.

The aroma of the braised food filled his nostrils, and Liu Yimin took a deep breath, his face full of delight: "It smells so good!"

"Eat more if it smells good. There aren't many chilies in the braising liquid. It's not good to eat too much spicy food at night." Zhu Lin was practically turning into a family health doctor.

"You should eat something too." Liu Yimin wolfed down his food, while Zhu Lin kept telling him to slow down.

After taking several large bites, his hunger was temporarily relieved, and Liu Yimin began to eat noodles at a slower pace.

Zhu Lin took a bite of the noodles, frowned, and said, "It's a little oily."

"Is it oily? I think it's just right." Liu Yimin smiled and picked up another noodle and put it in his mouth.

After dinner, Zhu Lin told Liu Yimin to brush his teeth and go to bed, while he stayed in the kitchen to clean.

When he woke up again at 5:30 in the morning, Zhu Lin's warm body was pressed tightly against him, and Liu Yimin couldn't help but touch her again.

After a while, Liu Yimin chuckled: "What? Still pretending to be asleep?"

Her trembling eyelashes had already betrayed her, so Zhu Lin simply opened her eyes: "Teacher Liu, you really have energy, fooling around again so early in the morning!"

"Haha, to borrow a phrase from yesterday, I only have energy for you."

After joking around for a while, Zhu Lin got up with a smile and left the room. Liu Yimin put on his clothes and gently rubbed his lower back.

After dinner, Zhu Lin went to work at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, while Liu Yimin went to visit Zhu's parents.

Zhu's mother went to work, while Zhu's father was at home playing with the two little ones in the courtyard of the family compound. There were many children in the compound, and the two of them were having a great time.

As the weather got warmer, Liu Yu wore a white long-sleeved shirt and overalls, while Liu Lin wore a children's shirt and trousers. The two of them ran around in the yard.

Mr. Zhu sat under a tree nearby, chatting with others, while keeping a close eye on the two little ones to prevent any unexpected situations.

"Old Zhu, you're so lucky to have found such a good son-in-law. My son and daughter-in-law are always arguing," someone said enviously.

"Haha, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Zhenzhen and I can't do much, except take care of the children."

"Hey, Lao Zhu, you're a professor, and Zhenzhen is a doctor. What are we supposed to do if you two say you can't do anything?"

"Dad!" Liu Yu and Liu Lin's clear voices interrupted Zhu's father's conversation with the others. The moment they saw Liu Yimin, the two little ones dropped what they were holding and ran towards him.

Liu Yimin laughed and squatted down, opening his arms wide. The two bumped into each other, their laughter echoing in their ears.

"Dad! Daddy!"

"How was it?" Liu Yimin wiped the sweat from Liu Yu and Liu Lin's foreheads. "Did you have fun?"

"I'm not happy, I miss my dad!" Liu Yu said, pouting.

Liu Lin quickly said, "I miss my dad!"

"What do you want to eat later? Dad will take you there!" Liu Yimin said happily.

Upon hearing this, the two swallowed hard, but after thinking for a long time, they still couldn't decide what they wanted to eat.

When Zhu's father saw Liu Yimin return, he said to the others, "My son-in-law is back. Old Liu, you rest, I'll go see him."

"Okay, go ahead and go. You've been abroad for over a month, traveling all over Latin America and the United States, and you've won two awards. Go see your precious son-in-law!"

"Look how sour you are, Lao Liu. Relax, young people's conflicts will be resolved eventually. Aren't you happy taking care of your grandson every day?"

After finishing speaking, Zhu's father waved his hand, straightened his clothes, and walked over to Liu Yimin. He didn't disturb them when he got to the side, but stood there looking at Liu Yu and Liu Lin with affection.

"Dad, you and Mom have worked so hard," Liu Yimin said as he stood up, holding the hands of the two little ones.

Mr. Zhu smiled and said, "It's no trouble at all. I don't have any classes anyway, so it's only right that I help you take care of the kids. Besides, we miss the two little ones after a while!"

"Dad, didn't you go to visit the car manufacturing base? When did you come back?" Liu Yimin asked curiously.

Mr. Zhu said, "Hey, I've been back for a while now, about a week. First, I went to see Yanjing Jeep, a joint venture between BAIC and an American car company. Then I went to FAW in Northeast China, and then I went to Dongfeng and SAIC Volkswagen."

Two joint venture automakers and two established automakers. Comparing the two, it's clear that our once-proud automotive industry is far too weak. It has many shortcomings, but these joint ventures offer hope for learning technology and development.

American automakers have considerable experience in assembly line manufacturing and standardized parts processing, which are things we can learn from. Of course, there are also drawbacks. Many managers are overly optimistic, believing that joint ventures can solve all problems. This is what reform and opening up, this is the manifestation of market-oriented cooperation.

While pleased with the rapid progress of the domestic automobile industry, Zhu's father also felt that the situation was dangerous: "It's like nuclear weapons; it's better to have your own than to have your parents'." "Dad, how's your thesis coming along?" Liu Yimin asked.

When Zhu's father heard Liu Yimin mention the thesis, he immediately became happy: "The progress is going quite smoothly. After this field trip, we have more information on hand, making it easier to write."

Liu Yimin pulled Liu Yu and Liu Lin by the hand and walked towards home. Zhu's father called Zhu Lin and Zhu's mother, telling them to come home as soon as they got off work so the family could have a meal together.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin sat on the sofa watching TV, while Liu Yimin and Zhu's father prepared a meal.

"I'll go buy some more spare ribs." Seeing that they were still a little short of ingredients, Mr. Zhu put down his apron and prepared to go out.

"Dad, I'll go!"

“You’re at home, and you’re not familiar with the neighborhood, but it’s not far. I’ll be right back,” said Zhu’s father before leaving the house.

At noon, when Zhu's mother and Zhu Lin returned, the table was already full.

Zhu's mother said happily, "It smells so good, Yimin. You've worked hard. We'll cook for you when we get back. How are you doing abroad? You've only been reading the newspapers. Not everything in the newspapers is true!"

"Aside from being a little tired, everything else is fine." Liu Yimin brought out the pork rib soup he had just cooked and called everyone to start eating.

At the dinner table, as usual, the family talked about what had happened abroad, and everyone listened with great interest. Having not seen each other for almost a month, Liu Yu and Liu Lin had now learned to pick up their spoons on their own and call for food when they wanted it.

After finishing his meal, Zhu Lin leaned back on the sofa and said to Liu Yimin, "Teacher Wan wants you to go to the Beijing People's Art Theatre this afternoon."

"Okay, let's go together in a bit!"

After their afternoon nap, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin left the two little ones with their father again.

"Dad will pick you up tonight. You have to listen to Grandpa." Liu Yimin pinched the two little ones' cheeks.

When he arrived at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Cao Yu hadn't come home yet, so he sat in the rehearsal room for a while. Li Xuejian was rehearsing on stage, performing a military-themed play, which was probably newly written by another playwright at the theatre.

"Professor Liu? You're back?" A familiar voice rang out from the side. Liu Yimin looked up and saw it was Captain Jia.

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "It's you? You've been transferred here?"

"No, the Beijing People's Art Theatre is a place you can transfer to whenever you want. But, when my workplace found out I was going to act in a play, everyone was very supportive. Our state-owned store has been around for decades, and we've only produced one worker like me with an artistic talent. How could they not support us?"
"As long as the Beijing People's Art Theatre needs me, I can come to rehearse anytime. A one- or two-month secondment is no problem at all. Right now, my main job is acting, and my side job is washing clothes for others," Captain Jia said smugly, enthusiastically pulling Liu Yimin along, offering to treat him to dinner that evening.

"It's rare for a thoroughbred horse to find a discerning eye, and you are my discerning eye; I am that thoroughbred horse."

Liu Yimin asked with a smile, "Are you that fast?"

"Me? I'm just one opportunity away from success. Don't worry, I definitely won't let you down in the future." Captain Jia glanced at the stage: "Comrade Zhu Lin isn't rehearsing today, so what are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for Dean Wan. He wasn't in his office just now, so I'll sit here for a while."

"Oh my, you're looking for Dean Wan? Hurry up and go, Dean Wan just arrived. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

"Another day, I just got back to China and I have a lot to do."

"Alright, then you go ahead and get busy!" Captain Jia said regretfully.

Liu Yimin walked into Cao Yu's office, where Cao Yu was already making tea and waiting. As Liu Yimin pushed open the door, Cao Yu pointed to the sofa and said, "Please sit down. Did your return yesterday go smoothly?"

"Successfully, teacher." Liu Yimin sat down with a smile.

Cao Yu asked, "How does the Oscar trophy feel? You didn't bring it for me to see?"

“I was at my father-in-law’s place this afternoon. Linlin told me to call her, and I came over after I finished eating. Actually, the trophy is nothing special. It’s no different from the Hundred Flowers Award and the Golden Rooster Award trophies. They’re all just plated with gold paint.”

"Hey kid, you want pure gold?"

"Hahaha!"

Cao Yu said seriously, "Although no domestic films won awards, your screenplay did, which is an encouragement for domestic filmmakers. It lets everyone know that Western awards, especially top awards, aren't so mysterious. However, I heard that they do a good job of keeping their awards secret. Old Shen said that our country's film awards should be like that in the future, with the secrets revealed on the spot."

We used to keep things secret, but the level of secrecy wasn't very high.

After discussing the awards, Cao Yu talked about the trip to Latin America. Liu Yimin returned late, and after Cao Yu and his team returned, they had already reported the entire visit to the Ministry of Culture, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Writers Association, and even higher-level leaders.

"All departments are very satisfied with the results of this visit, so all our hard work was worthwhile. The Latin American literary community and the domestic literary community have established connections, and the exchanges will become more frequent in the future."

Furthermore, the higher authorities also attach great importance to the establishment of an international literary federation, but it is not appropriate to make too many political statements. Their intention is to let the literary community handle it as it sees fit, granting them maximum freedom.

"Teacher, have the invitations for Márquez and several other writers to visit been sent out?" Liu Yimin asked.

Cao Yu smiled and said, "We started working on this after we got back. The Writers' Association sent out an invitation, and Márquez has already given a formal reply. The specific time hasn't been finalized yet. Old Ba was especially happy to know that Márquez was coming. When we landed in Shanghai, we talked with him for three or four hours."

Liu Yimin and Cao Yu chatted until four o'clock in the afternoon when the Ministry of Culture called and asked them both to come to the ministry. Liu Yimin also had to give a report.

When they arrived at Xia Yan's office, Wang Meng and several other vice chairpersons of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles were already there.

"Yi Min, Oscar for Best Screenplay, not bad! Not bad!" Xia Yan picked up a newspaper and pointed to the photo of Liu Yi Min standing on the stage to accept the award.

Wang Meng joked, "If Comrade Yimin had returned to China earlier, he really wouldn't have been able to win this award, just as he said."

"However, I think this Venezuelan literary prize is more valuable than the Oscars. For writers, novels should be the main focus," said an elderly member of the literary association.

"Not to mention its value, even the reward can't compare. One hundred thousand US dollars! Comrades, we should be happy for Yimin. He is the pride of our domestic writers."

Xia Yan helped Liu Yimin sit down and said happily to the others.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xia Yan asked Liu Yimin about the "International Federation of Literary and Art Circles," and Liu Yimin repeated his previous explanation to them.

They had already agreed that this conversation was more about hearing what Liu Yimin had to say. Seeing that Liu Yimin spoke logically and persuasively, everyone felt relieved.

"Yimin, regarding the location of the International Federation of Literary and Art Circles, my idea is to try to locate it in Beijing or Shanghai. We need to make an effort." Wang Meng glanced at Xia Yan, who nodded slightly in agreement.

Liu Yimin said, "If it can be implemented in China, in my opinion, Shanghai is more suitable than Beijing."

“Tell me your reasons!” Xia Yan said with a smile.

Liu Yimin said, "The International Federation of Literary and Art Circles is an international literary organization, and most international literary organizations are currently emphasizing getting rid of political influence. If the address were in Beijing, it would have a strong political connotation. Shanghai has a strong international flavor and is a very famous Chinese city, which is convenient for exchanges with foreign countries. If the address were in Shanghai, it would not have such a strong political connotation in the eyes of outsiders."

After the words were spoken, the group thought for a while without saying yes or no, presumably needing to consider it internally.

"Let's not think too much about it. We should get married first and then have a grandson. We can't be thinking about what to name our grandson before we've even gotten a wife," Cao Yu said with a smile.

Xia Yan also realized, "Yes, it's too early to talk about that. The most important thing next is the visit of the island's writers. It's almost May, and they will be arriving one after another."

I visited the Institute of Literature a few days ago. There were some oversights in the arrangements, but overall it's fine. Yenching University is also helping with the preparations, so I believe there won't be any major problems in the end.

“I’ll go to the Institute of Literature and Art tomorrow,” Liu Yimin said.

Xia Yan nodded and told Liu Yimin some good news: "The movie 'Deng Jiaxian' was released a few days ago. It sold more than 900 copies, which is a very good result. It was also released in Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. Although foreign distributors have not shown much interest, several countries want to buy the rights to 'Deng Jiaxian'."

Since the broadcast, Comrade Jiaxian's deeds have once again sparked a wave of enthusiasm for learning from him, and the Babaoshan Cemetery has been filled with flowers.

"Deng Laoben should have received these flowers and praises long ago!"

(End of this chapter)