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

Chapter 613 Gabriel García Márquez: China, Here I Come

"I know, Mom!" Liu Yu shook her head proudly, but when she saw the school gate, she couldn't help but take a few steps back.

Liu Yimin had Liu Lin pull Liu Yu inside. When the teacher saw this, she quickly came over: "Good morning, Liu Yu; good morning, Liu Lin. Do you remember me?"

The two shook their heads blankly after hearing this, and the teacher had no choice but to introduce it again.

Zhu Lin followed behind the teacher and took the opportunity to tour the surroundings.

Seeing that the two little ones obediently walked into the classroom, the teacher winked at them, signaling them to hurry up and leave.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin stared intently at the two of them. Seeing Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin disappear through the window, Liu Yu slumped onto the table in dejection, her fingers scratching incessantly at the table.

As soon as they stepped out of the school gate, Zhu Lin collapsed into Liu Yimin's arms. Liu Yimin comforted her, "Alright, alright, neither of the two little ones cried, but you started crying. Look, everyone else is carrying their own children inside. Our children weren't raised to be pampered."

"Ok!"

Seeing that Zhu Lin was not in good condition, Liu Yimin did not let her drive back immediately: "Come on, since you're here, come with me to the Institute of Literature and Art and take a look at my empire."

Liu Yimin deliberately tried to make Zhu Lin laugh. Zhu Lin forced a smile and followed Liu Yimin into the Chinese Literature Department.

Nearly forty people, including the trainees and administrative staff from the Institute of Literature and Art, excitedly came up to greet Liu Yimin when they saw Zhu Lin.

Zhu Lin responded to each question, and Yan Zhen came over with a teacup: "Teacher's wife, please have some tea."

"Alright, alright, don't all stand, sit down, sit down!" Zhu Lin felt uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people.

Liu Yimin gave a brief introduction and then led Zhu Lin into the office. Zhu Lin looked at the office layout and felt that something was missing.

"What's missing?"

"Plant some greenery."

"No need for that. There are flower beds right outside the window. My office has plenty of them."

"Let me tidy up your office for you." Without waiting for a reply, Zhu Lin immediately picked up a broom and started sweeping.

Liu Yimin picked up the phone and called the Beijing People's Art Theatre, originally intending to ask Zhu Lin for a day off so he could be late for work. However, he simply told the theatre that Zhu Lin would be directing the theatre's drama troupe's rehearsal of "God's Visa" that day.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lin immediately put down the broom and waited for the call to end before saying, "Teacher Liu, how could you say that?"

"Don't worry, the department knows. You don't have any rehearsal duties today, so just consider it as giving guidance to the Peking University Drama Club. Last year when they were rehearsing the play 'Deng Jiaxian,' they all wanted to ask you to come. Unfortunately, I turned you down. If you could go and guide them, the students would jump for joy."

Zhu Lin said, "Alright, I don't want to leave either. I wonder how the two of them performed this morning."

“I knew you didn’t want to leave, and I wasn’t comfortable with you driving in that condition.”

After cleaning the office, Liu Yimin took Zhu Lin to the drama club. The students were sitting in the classroom, at a loss, not knowing how to rehearse. Zhu Lin's arrival was a godsend.

After listening to the drama club students introduce themselves, Zhu Lin explained the key points of rehearsing and taught them how to cast actors.

After listening for half an hour, Liu Yimin left the classroom and went back to the Chinese Department to attend to his own work.

Today was better than yesterday. Liu Yimin was called in once in the morning because Liu Yu wanted to leave school to find Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin carried her inside: "Xiaoyu, what do you want with your father?"

"I miss my dad!" Liu Yu said, her eyes red.

As soon as Liu Yu said those words, Liu Yimin felt his heart melt. He patted Liu Yu on the shoulder and asked, "Were you paying attention in class?"

"Yes, Dad. Dad, when are we going home?" Liu Yu pressed her head against Liu Yimin's head.

"We'll go home after school, Xiaoyu. Class is starting, hurry up and go. Dad's right here, I'll come pick you up after school. If you need to go to the bathroom, be sure to tell your teacher. Understand?"

"I understand, Dad." Liu Yu was led back to the classroom by the teacher, and she was very well-behaved the whole way.

At noon, Liu Yimin picked up the two little ones first, and Zhu Lin quietly followed behind in his car.

When they went to school in the afternoon, they were still making a fuss, but the level of fuss was much lower.

On their third day of school, the two little ones were very noisy in the morning. During the morning break, Liu Yimin could already see them running around and playing outside the classroom.

The first week was tough, but after the second week, the two little ones stopped dawdling about going to school and instead wanted to play with their friends as soon as possible.

Kindergarten doesn't really have many classes; it's mostly play. As long as it doesn't cause them pain, they shouldn't have any more resistance.

Liu Yimin would occasionally stand outside Weixiu Garden to watch them play. In order not to disturb them, Liu Yimin would just stand behind a pillar, afraid of being discovered.

One day, however, the two little ones somehow sneaked out of Weixiu Garden, which terrified the teachers at the affiliated kindergarten, who immediately led a search party to look for them.

When the call reached Liu Yimin, his mind went blank. He hurriedly led the students from the Institute of Literature to search for them, and finally found them in a garden outside Weixiuyuan.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that the two little ones wanted to find Liu Yimin, but they didn't know the way and got lost.

Liu Yimin hugged the two of them tightly and said sternly, "Don't run around like that in the future. If you want to see your father, tell your teacher."

Aside from Weiming Lake, many other areas at Yenching University have been converted from gardens, posing a constant danger to children.

As Liu Yimin carried the two children back, he said to the kindergarten principal and teachers, "Principal Yang, I hope our kindergarten can strengthen its management. It's too dangerous for the children to be out here."

"Yes, yes, Professor Liu, we will definitely strengthen management. Today, the gatekeeper went to the water room to pour tea and forgot to close the door after leaving it a crack open." Director Yang quickly apologized to Liu Yimin.

After dropping them off at the kindergarten, Liu Yimin said to Principal Yang and the teachers, "Thank you all for your help!"

"Professor Liu, it's our fault. We will definitely strengthen the management of the gate. If something really happens, we will..." Director Yang looked frightened and assured Liu Yimin that they would definitely strengthen management in the future.

In addition to the gatekeeper, there must also be a teacher on duty at the entrance.

Back home, Zhu Lin was also visibly shaken when she heard the news. After this incident, the kindergarten became much stricter in its management. The two little ones, after being educated by Zhu Lin, realized their mistakes and became much more obedient.

Seeing that the two little ones had adapted to school life, Liu Fuqing prepared to leave Yanjing.

This time, Yang Xiuyun went back with him. Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin prepared many things for the two elderly people to take back with them.

Some were for themselves, while others were for their elder brother and sister-in-law.

"Linlin, Yimin, just live your own lives from now on. You don't need to always think about your older brother and sister-in-law. Each family has its own life," Yang Xiuyun said.

Liu Yimin handed the luggage to Yang Xiuyun: "Mom, I understand. But my elder brother and sister-in-law are also family. Of course, I will help them if I can, just like my elder brother helped me back then."

Yang Xiuyun nodded with satisfaction, said nothing more, and turned to follow Liu Fuqing onto the train. The train was too crowded, so the elderly couple wouldn't let Liu Yimin board to see them off; instead, they took their tickets and went to find sleeper berths themselves.

Both children are married, and the two families have a good relationship. Logically, Yang Xiuyun should be happy, but she can't help but worry in her heart; the better the relationship, the more she fears that conflicts may arise in the future.

“Let’s go back!” Liu Fuqing said.

Watching the train disappear into the distance, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin walked out of the train station.

That evening, Zheng Yuanjie and his wife came to the courtyard to share the good news with Liu Yimin. Magazine sales exceeded expectations; 850,000 copies were the maximum print run, but definitely not the sales limit.

“However, based on the data calculations, we won’t be able to sell many more, so we don’t plan to print more. Yimin, what do you think?” Zheng Yuanjie asked.

“Then we won’t print more, Lao Zheng, you decide. 850,000 copies is already quite an achievement. I’m planning to increase the number of chapters in each issue of ‘Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes.’ The storyline is getting too long; I’m starting to forget the earlier parts of the plot,” Liu Yimin joked.

Zheng Yuanjie said, "You've forgotten? That's very modest. But if you want to add more, I'll write less, or refine it to perfection. I'll also have time and energy to focus on the 'National Primary and Secondary School Students' Fairy Tale Competition.' Will you participate in the judging then?"

"I won't participate. You can decide what to do. It would be best to invite a few well-known editors and writers in the field of children's literature. Give them some travel expenses; it won't cost much, but their presence will make our event seem more professional. Besides, you can't possibly read all the manuscripts by yourself," Liu Yimin suggested.

Liu Yimin suggested that Zheng Yuanjie hold a competition last time. He listened quickly and acted quickly, and has already received the students' submissions, but the content is hard to describe.

“For primary and secondary school students, take it slow,” Liu Yimin encouraged.

Zheng Yuanjie shook hands with Liu Yimin and said with a smile, "Yimin, our collaboration is like a fish in water. After 'Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes' is finished, you must write a few more chapters."

"I will definitely keep my promise."

Zheng Yuanjie saw Liu Yu and Liu Lin and asked them how their schooling was going. He then told Liu Yimin that he felt he could teach the children at home. "Old Zheng, everyone has their own ideas. If one day they don't want to go to school anymore, I'll send them to you and ask you to help teach them."

"Sure, no problem at all. I won't charge tuition."

"I won't pay your tuition!"

"Hahaha."

After finishing their meal at the courtyard house, Liu Yimin saw Zheng Yuanjie and his wife off as they left.

Zheng Yuanjie suddenly turned around and asked, "Yimin, did you find me a car? It's so cold now, it's hard to be without a car."

"I've looked, but haven't received a reply yet." Liu Yimin checked the weather: "It's still cold, Lao Zheng, what's wrong?"

Liu Yimin raised his eyebrows at Zheng Yuanjie and whispered that he wanted to give him a few bottles of medicinal wine.

"Get lost! I'm just like I was when I was young. All I want is to buy a car windshield!" Zheng Yuanjie shoved Liu Yimin. "But if you want to give it to me, that's fine too. I'll take it."

"I won't give them away if I don't need them; it would be a waste. These are all meant to be given away as gifts."

"Ahem, don't be so stingy. You've already said it, it would be too petty of you not to give it to me."

"Go, go, go."

After seeing Zheng Yuanjie off, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin returned to the courtyard to rest.

As September entered its second half, Liu Yimin's workload suddenly increased significantly. His primary task was preparing for Márquez's visit, followed by the selection process for the 'Xinhua Class'.

When the selection notice for the 'Xinhua Class' was issued, the third-year students went crazy, and almost everyone signed up to participate in the selection.

An extra 10 yuan per month is enough to tempt many students. Moreover, this is Xinhua News Agency. In any other organization, some students might hesitate, but this is Xinhua News Agency.

Moreover, the notice clearly states that the main purpose is to cultivate outstanding international journalists.

Upon seeing the words "international news reporter," the students were immediately filled with a sense of mission.

Liu Yimin and professors from the journalism department personally set the questions, which included not only theoretical questions but also questions on news writing, testing students' theoretical knowledge and professional skills.

In addition, competitions were to be organized to test physical endurance. However, Liu Yimin delegated this task to the physical education teachers in the Chinese department.

Even though the Chinese literature department gets paid, they can't just do nothing. Since they have to attend PE classes anyway, they might as well do it all at once.

On September 16, in a classroom at Yenching University, third-year journalism students sat nervously waiting for the invigilators to distribute the exam papers, in accordance with the exam regulations.

Compared to the theoretical questions, the practical questions in the two parts of the exam are more numerous. Journalists don't need to be overly proficient in theory; they are more focused on hands-on skills.

During the exam, Liu Yimin took Yan Zhen on a tour. The students answered all the theoretical questions well, but the practical section proved difficult for many.

The exam lasted three hours in total. When the exam bell rang, many students looked ashen-faced, feeling that they would definitely fail.

"The practical training is too difficult, and most of the news topics are from abroad," one student complained.

“Training international journalists means there will be more topics to choose from abroad.”

"Professor Liu really treated us like international journalists, training us to be international journalists. I heard he showed no mercy when dealing with foreign journalists. Professor Liu's knife has struck the wrong people!"

After the exam, the papers were sent to the Institute of Literature. Liu Yimin sealed the papers, locked them in a cabinet, and planned to grade them the next day.

The following day, Liu Yimin called all the journalism professors from the Institute of Literature together to grade fifty exam papers. Knowing that this concerned the students' future, the professors graded the papers very carefully, taking a whole day to finish.

Liu Yimin instructed Yan Zhen to find someone to tally the scores. The scores had to be verified by different people. Once the scores were tallied, they would be combined with the physical education scores to calculate the overall score, and the rankings would be announced accordingly.

After the rankings are released, a three-day review period will be provided for students to appeal.

If there are no objections, the top twenty students will be included in the "Xinhua Class" based on this ranking.

"Understood, Professor Liu."

Liu Yimin glanced at his watch; it was time for the two kids to get out of school. "Contact me if you have any questions."

"Row."

Liu Yimin was driving his two little ones home when he ran into Li Jun, who had come looking for him.

"Director Li, weren't you filming 'The Founding Ceremony of the People's Republic of China' outside? Is it finished?" Liu Yimin asked, quite puzzled. Logically, this shouldn't be the case; the budget had just exceeded two million.

Li Jun said with a smile, "It's still early. We didn't have a choice before, but now that we have money, we plan to shoot in more detail."

"Oh, is that so? What brings you here?" Liu Yimin asked, helping Li Jun into the car.

Li Jun said, "We received an invitation from the Singapore Film Festival to screen the film 'Nanyang Overseas Chinese Drivers and Mechanics,' so I came back first."

"Singapore has started holding film festivals too?" Liu Yimin was unaware of this news.

Li Jun said, "They just started organizing this year, so they don't restrict whether the film has a premiere. The film 'The Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics' has a great impact on the overseas Chinese community in Southeast Asia, otherwise we wouldn't be able to get it."

"That's a good thing. Regardless of whether it's the first time it's been held, in Southeast Asia where there are many Chinese people, our mainland films should have more exposure."

However, Liu Yimin couldn't help but remark on the sheer number of film festivals emerging in the past two years. Tokyo just established one, Singapore followed suit, and it won't be long before South Korea catches up.

Just as he thought of this, Li Jun said, "We've all been thinking about when our country will host an international film festival. Even a small country like Singapore does it, so I think we should too."

"It will happen, but the timing is uncertain. Our country has unique circumstances."

Li Jun came back just to see Liu Yimin; tomorrow he's flying to Singapore with his film to participate in an exhibition.

The selection process for the "Xinhua Class" went smoothly; as soon as the list was finalized, Xinhua News Agency allocated the funds.

"Mr. Mu, you are such a straightforward person!" Liu Yimin praised sincerely.

"Haha, kid, no need to flatter me. Márquez is coming, and I don't want you to be distracted by these things. We from Xinhua News Agency will be at the airport to greet him."

"Okay, then we'll share a car, and I'll be your driver."

"You're not charging me, are you?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm afraid you'll ask for money."

"Is it possible to do it for free?"

"We don't even have anyone like you in Henan Province, goodbye!" Mu Qing teased.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up. Liu Yimin glanced at the calendar; the 30th was fast approaching.

On September 30th, Liu Yimin drove to the Ministry of Culture first. After everyone who was going to welcome the Latin American delegation had arrived, they all headed to Yanjing Airport together.

Cao Yu, Qian Zhongshu, and Mu Qing sat in Liu Yimin's car. Mu Qing would occasionally ask Cao Yu and Qian Zhongshu about their impressions of Márquez.

Qian Zhongshu said with a smile, "International literary giants like Márquez never lack a flaw."

"what?"

"arrogant!"

Cao Yu agreed, saying, "Yes, arrogance. Unlike our country's scholars who prefer to be reserved, foreigners make no attempt to hide their arrogance."

Mu Qing was immediately filled with curiosity about Márquez. At ten o'clock, he met Márquez, who had a serious expression.

Marquez stood on the gangway, took a deep breath of fresh air while looking at the white clouds in the sky above Yanjing, and strode towards the welcoming crowd.

Upon seeing Liu Yimin, Márquez waved his arm at him:
"China, here I come! I want to see what kind of country you are!"

(End of this chapter)