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

Chapter 583 Yu Hua: Why didn't I think of becoming a disciple?

Chapter 583 Yu Hua: Why didn't I think of becoming a disciple?
At Yanjing Airport, Liu Yimin, Yan Zhen, and several staff members from the Institute of Literature and Art stood outside quietly waiting for Li Ao's arrival. Yan Jiayan was not supposed to come, but he insisted on representing the Chinese Department to greet him.

In his words, he wanted to see what the people who frequently criticized Yu Guangzhong looked like.

At 11 a.m., Li Ao, dressed in a white shirt and baseball cap, strode confidently out of the airport carrying a suitcase. Looking at the bustling crowd, he shouted, "I, Li Ao, am finally back!"

Yan Jiayan frowned, glanced at Li Ao, then at Liu Yimin: "Him?"

"It's him!" Liu Yimin waved to Li Ao, and Yan Zhen presented him with flowers.

“Professor Liu, you came to pick me up in person? I’m so happy. It’s been a year since we met in Singapore last year. So much has happened in this year, and the veteran’s return home is a historic achievement.” Li Ao hugged Liu Yimin and patted him on the back happily.

"Mr. Li Ao, come here, let me introduce you. This is Professor Yan Jiayan, the head of the Chinese Department at Yenching University."

Li Ao grasped Yan Jiayan's hand and said, "Professor Yan, I heard about you when I was in America. You are a very good lecturer. You are good at lecturing on 'Water Margin,' and I also know a little about it. Maybe I can lecture on it better than you."

Li Ao's blunt words did not anger Yan Jiayan; instead, Yan Jiayan smiled and said, "That's right!"

"What's right?" Li Ao asked, frowning.

“It sounds like something out of the Chinese Department at Yenching University; he speaks like one of our old professors,” Yan Jiayan said loudly.

The professors in the Chinese Department of Yenching University were all quick-witted and unwilling to be outdone. In Yan Jiayan's view, Li Ao's personality was very similar to that of many old professors at Yenching University.

Li Ao laughed and said, "Then this time I'll have to give a lecture to the students of Yenching University. Maybe I can become a professor at Yenching University."

Then Liu Yimin introduced Yan Zhen and others to Li Ao. Upon learning that Yan Zhen was Liu Yimin's student, Li Ao stared intently at Yan Zhen and asked, "Professor Liu's graduate student, how is your studies going?"

“Professor Liu is very knowledgeable and excels in both literary theory and writing. It is my good fortune to be able to become Professor Liu’s graduate student,” Yan Zhen quickly said.

Li Ao patted Yan Zhen on the shoulder: "Professor Liu, your student knows how to talk. Learn well from Professor Liu. When you have time, the two of us can also have a chat."

Sitting in the car, Li Ao looked at the buildings, cars and pedestrians on both sides of the road and sighed that he had finally returned to his motherland: "This is the Beijing I have been longing for. Compared with before, I can hardly recognize it."

Li Ao was born in Northeast China and lived in Yenching (Beijing) from a young age, residing at No. 44, Jia, Neiwubu Street. This was no ordinary courtyard. It was once the residence of the Grand Eunuch Li Lianying, and later, Hong Jun, the husband (and concubine) of Sai Jinhua, a famous courtesan in the late Qing Dynasty, lived there. Hong Jun served as an ambassador to a foreign country in the late Qing Dynasty.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it served as the embassy for North Korea, and a high-ranking leader stayed there for a period of time.

“The alleyways are still there, but this is the newly built airport and Airport Road, so of course you don’t recognize them. You’ll be familiar with them once you get to the city,” Liu Yimin explained.

Li Ao excitedly said, "After more than 30 years, I'm setting foot on the mainland again and returning to Yanjing. Guess what I want to do most?"

Yan Jiayan and Yan Zhen made their guesses in unison, while Li Ao shook his head.

"Oh my, I'm a true old Beijinger. You guys can't tell at a glance. You wouldn't guess it." Li Ao proudly mentioned his identity as a native of Beijing.

Liu Yimin glanced at him: "Oh my, are you going to drink soy milk and eat fried dough rings?"

"Professor Liu, you guessed it, it's about drinking douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and eating jiaoquan (deep-fried dough rings). This trip back wasn't easy, I'm going to eat my fill, this is a taste I can only dream about at night." Li Ao wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth as he mentioned douzhi.

“We outsiders really don’t understand. In our eyes, this soy milk is only slightly better than swill.” Liu Yimin shook his head helplessly.

Li Ao straightened up and immediately retorted, explaining how delicious douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and jiaoquan (fried dough rings) were, and how they also had the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying.

Yan Jiayan said, "I've been in Beijing for decades, and I'm not used to this douzhi (fermented mung bean juice). But old Beijingers never get tired of it. If you want to tell whether someone is from Beijing or from out of town, just look at what they eat at the breakfast shops on the street."

Once the car entered the city, Li Ao wanted to visit Tiananmen Square first. So they drove to Tiananmen Square, where Li Ao stood in the square, bowed three times to the Monument to the People's Heroes, and then turned towards the Tiananmen Gate Tower.

"This is the demeanor and magnanimity of a great power. You can tell the size of a country just by looking at its architecture. In South Korea, the Blue House is tiny. The South Koreans invited us to see the largest waterfall in Korea. After seeing it, I felt that even if I took a pee, it would be bigger than that!" Li Ao spoke without any regard for his image.

Liu Yimin laughed: "Once you've rested, I'll take you to the city gate tower. The city gate has changed a lot compared to before. Strictly speaking, the main road has changed a lot too. The courtyard houses in front and behind are relatively well preserved."

The Yanjing Hotel is right next door, and the conference organizers have arranged for someone to be there to help with the reception and resolve any issues.

Upon entering the hotel, Liu Yimin told Li Ao to rest and that he would take him sightseeing in Beijing over the next few days. Li Ao declined, saying he wanted to explore Beijing alone.

"I need to take a good look around and see what's changed in Beijing and the achievements of our country's development. When I came from Hong Kong, I met many Hong Kong businessmen who wanted to invest in the mainland. They were very satisfied with the policies the mainland is currently offering. I need to see if what they say is true."

Liu Yimin originally wanted to wait until Li Ao had rested before talking to him about other writers from the island coming to the mainland. However, Li Ao showed no signs of fatigue upon arriving on the mainland and excitedly began talking to Liu Yimin and the others.

"Most people didn't have family visit permits; they landed in Hong Kong from the island and then transferred to the mainland from Hong Kong. Only a very small number of people had family visit permits issued by the authorities. Among the people invited, I admire Chen Yingzhen and Sister Qi Bangyuan."

Chi Pang-yuan now supports the development of Taiwanese literature, writing based on the island's history and background. I believe she genuinely wants to promote the further development of Taiwanese literature within the world of literature and Chinese-language literature.

Li Ao looked heartbroken at the end, saying that sometimes he was most afraid of doing bad things with good intentions.

Qi Bangyuan's father was an official from a powerful family in Jiangnan. He had once followed Guo Songling in the rebellion against Fengtian.

Liu Yimin said, "I think that to understand Qi Bangyuan, we should look at her background. She is a daughter of an official, and her narrative system is mixed with too many of the emotions of a daughter of an official. It is definitely inaccurate to look at the world from their perspective."

We welcome you, and we also welcome people like you to come and see the mainland. If it can change her views, we would naturally be happy to see that.

Li Ao chuckled: "Professor Liu, that's true magnanimity! Not shy and timid, but open and generous. Bai Chongxi's son, Bai Xianyong, and Qi Bangyuan have a close relationship; one is a noble young man, the other a daughter of an official. However, they still have some differences in their views."

Liu Yimin had already planned this out when he was drafting the list: left-wing writers plus writers who could be persuaded.

Yan Jiayan questioned Li Ao about the island, and Li Ao launched into a tirade of profanities, giving Yan Zhen and Yan Jiayan a real sense of his fighting prowess. They chatted in the room for two hours, during which Liu Yimin gave him the institute's phone number and his home phone number, telling him to call if anything happened.

“If you want to go out for a walk, you can find someone to go with you if you don’t mind the trouble. You’ve been away for decades and are unfamiliar with the place, so be careful.” Liu Yimin asked Yan Zhen to find someone who could act as Li Ao’s guide.

It would be troublesome if Li Ao got into trouble while wandering around Yanjing alone.

Li Ao said, "Then I shall respectfully comply."

As Liu Yimin and Yan Jiayan walked out of the Yanjing Hotel, Yan Jiayan said with a smile, "I've really learned something new. People who use witty banter and insults will never lose out in a verbal battle."

"Hahaha!" Liu Yimin laughed, "Professor Yan, you should learn from him. If you learn from him, our program's listenership will rise even more."

"Isn't it high enough now? My retelling of 'Water Margin' may not be amazing, but it still has a large audience."

When the "Youth Night Talk" column was mentioned, Yan Jiayan couldn't stop smiling, and he became more and more enthusiastic as he talked about "Water Margin".

With Liu Yimin away these days, "Youth Night Talk" has been entirely carried by Yan Jiayan. He not only talks about "Water Margin," but also about the real historical background of "Water Margin," as well as the common people, historical events, and social customs at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty.

"Professor Yan, now everyone says you're a historian, that you've done all the work of the history department."

"History Department? I only applied to the Chinese Department back then. If I had applied to the History Department, there would be no place for those people in the History Department."

Liu Yimin clicked his tongue: "No wonder you and Li Ao get along so well, how could you not?"

In the afternoon, Liu Yimin was busy at the Institute of Literature and Art when Yu Hua pushed Shi Tiesheng along, all excited.

"Yu Hua?" Liu Yimin asked in surprise the moment he saw Yu Hua and Shi Tiesheng.

Yu Hua flicked her bangs and said happily, "Professor Liu, congratulations on winning the award! It's been so long, but you still look as radiant as ever!"

"Why are you giving a speech?"

Yu Hua hurriedly explained, "This year, the Lu Xun Academy of Literature of the Writers Association recruited students, and considering my current achievements, they recruited me. I wanted to visit you then, but I knew you were busy right after the New Year, so I didn't bother you. Later, you went abroad to meet Márquez. What was Márquez like? Did he have a big beard?"

Sitting in his wheelchair, Shi Tiesheng looked up at Yu Hua and wondered to himself, "Are we here today to talk about Márquez?"
Yu Hua had already forgotten why he came here, and kept asking Liu Yimin about the details of his conversation with Márquez.

After a long while, Shi Tiesheng coughed to interrupt the conversation: "Comrade Yimin, we heard that the writers from the island are coming to the Institute of Literature for exchanges. We don't expect to participate in the formal exchanges, but if there are any public speeches, we would like to come and learn from them."

"Sure, you're welcome. Is this what you two came for?"

Yu Hua chuckled: "I mainly wanted to meet you."

Liu Yimin had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he patiently chatted with the two of them. Yu Hua talked about his recently published novel and wanted Liu Yimin to give him some pointers.

"Comrade Yu Hua, your writing style is now maturing, and it's time for you to forge your own path. Everyone has their own writing style, and if you want to change your writing style, you need to listen and observe more."

Yu Hua is now a well-known figure in the literary world, a far cry from the dentist who was once a fledgling writer unable to publish his work.

Yu Hua shamelessly said, "You flatter me. What you said before has benefited me a lot. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to submit my manuscript yet."

The Institute of Literature was unusually lively today. Not long after Yu Hua and Shi Tiesheng arrived, A Cheng followed. Upon entering the Institute, A Cheng naturally greeted everyone there. Now everyone in the Institute knew that A Cheng was Liu Yimin's new student.

“Teacher Liu, I knew you were back. I went to Hebei Province a couple of days ago and couldn’t come to see you! I just got back from Hebei Province and came here as soon as possible,” Acheng explained.

“It’s alright, I’m glad you have your own things to do. I don’t know if you two know each other, this is Comrade Shi Tiesheng, and this is Comrade Yu Hua!” Liu Yimin introduced him.

Acheng was not familiar with Yu Hua. Shi Tiesheng and he both lived in Yanjing. The two knew each other, but did not know much about each other.

Upon hearing that it was Acheng, the author of "The Chess King," Yu Hua quickly stood up and said, "Comrade Acheng, my name is Yu Hua. We'll officially meet today."

"Hello, I've read your articles, they're quite good," Acheng said politely.

"I can't compare to you. You won the Lu Xun Literary Prize as soon as you started writing. I've been writing for years. I'm ashamed!"

Seeing Yu Hua's sincerity, A Cheng generously shared his writing approach with her. Although their writing styles differed, Yu Hua could learn a great deal from A Cheng's skill in using language.

Liu Yimin told them to have a good chat, and then went to the school bus fleet to see the vehicles that the fleet had prepared for the Institute of Literature and Art.

Seeing Liu Yimin leave, Yu Hua suddenly leaned close to Acheng and asked mysteriously, "Comrade Acheng, why do you call Comrade Liu Yimin 'Teacher Liu'?"

"Because he is my teacher, and I am his student."

"When did it happen?"

"During the visit to Latin America, Professor Liu's charm was so great that you couldn't understand it if you weren't there."

"Latin America?" Yu Hua looked at A Cheng and said quietly, "Comrade A Cheng, you really don't want to take any detours at all!"

I felt a little regretful; why didn't I think of that?

P.S.: One update today, will make up for it tomorrow. My lower back suddenly started hurting today, and I really couldn't sit still.

(End of this chapter)

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