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

Chapter 79 A Bunch of International Students Under My Command (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Tickets)

1978 was a special year for China, and December of that year was even more special, as the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing. At this time, there was less than a month left before the announcement of reform and opening up, and only thirteen years left before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

After the collapse, the Chinese people breathed a sigh of relief; the pressure from the north had been immense.

Since December, the Triangle Area of ​​Yenching University has been bustling with activity every day. The cold wind couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm for discussing current events. Some were talking about upcoming meetings, while others were discussing the situation on the frontier.

The language used in the media to describe the monkeys from the south is becoming increasingly harsh, and most students are suggesting that they should teach them a lesson.

Liu Yimin couldn't help but worry about Li Lanyong, wondering which unit he had been assigned to!
"Yimin, do you think there will be anything different about this meeting?" Liu Zhenyun asked, leaning closer.

"Based on the information that has been revealed so far, the policy will definitely change to some extent. We'll just have to wait and see. The task now is to study hard. Don't let Professor Zhu Guangqian point you out in his aesthetics class this afternoon!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Professor Zhu, never mind, I'll just go read!" Liu Zhenyun said, drooping his head as he began to read.

In the afternoon, Liu Yimin came out of the teaching building and ran into Li Congren, an American exchange student. He was accompanied by Xiao Meihezi and several other exchange students from various countries. One of them had a beard and looked like an Arab, and was wearing a headscarf.

Li Congren greeted Liu Yimin warmly: "Liu, I haven't seen you for several days!"

"Are you looking for me?" Liu Yimin asked.

"I didn't look for it intentionally. We'll meet when we're meant to. I didn't expect to run into it until today," Li Congren said with a smile.

"If you're destined to meet, you will." Liu Yimin rolled his eyes at Li Congren. Xiao Mei Hezi, who was standing next to him, stepped forward to explain that Li Congren was studying the history of the Wu Zhou Dynasty and had come across the part about Wu Zetian's devotion to Buddhism. In order to understand it, he had read a lot of Buddhist materials. People these days talk about whether they are destined to meet or not all the time.

"Whether we're destined to be together or not doesn't matter. My stomach is destined to be in the cafeteria right now, so I have to go see it!" Liu Yimin replied with a smile. At school, even though he doesn't do anything, he gets hungry very quickly.

“Liu, I also have a connection with the cafeteria. Come on, let me treat you to a meal in our cafeteria,” Li Congren said, pulling Liu Yimin’s arm as they prepared to leave. Several international students nearby smiled and crowded around them.

Liu Yimin patted Li Congren's arm: "No, you international students have to register to go to the cafeteria on the 26th floor, it's too much trouble."

A nearby international student said, “It’s unfair for the school to have two dining halls. I strongly demand to eat in one dining hall so I can learn Chinese from Chinese students. I will protest tomorrow. Hello, Comrade Liu Yimin, my name is Klif, and I come from beautiful Malta.”

Klif had a clean-shaven beard, shallow eye sockets, and a wide face. He later served as Malta's ambassador to China.

Seeing that Liu Yimin wanted to leave, the group discussed it and took him to the Long March Canteen for a meal. They used foreign exchange certificates, which were a form of hard currency that could be used to buy foreign goods.

After chatting for a while, I realized they wanted to learn about various aspects of old Beijing and Chinese culture.

"You've come to the wrong person. I'm not from Beijing; I'm from Henan Province. You're treating me like a big shot from Beijing—isn't that overstepping your bounds?"

Several international students didn't understand the word "usurpation," but fortunately Li Congren did, and he explained it to them at length.

"Liu, who should we contact if we want to know about Beiping?"

Considering the food on the table, Liu Yimin said, "When we have time, I'll take you to find an old Beiping man, but not just anyone can meet him. Prepare a few bottles of white wine for Master Ma."

After listening, the group excitedly started communicating with their hands.

"Liu, we have already reported to the teachers in the Overseas Students Office and the Chinese Department, asking you to take us to understand China, and they have all agreed."

Li Congren and Klifu exchanged a glance and said, "Klifu is from the Chinese department. He had already spoken to the department head beforehand to explain the matter." Liu Yimin:
On the way back, Kelifu and Li Congren were on either side of them. Liu Yimin told them not to bring Xiao Mei and Hezi with them, because he was afraid that Master Ma would not be able to control himself if he saw Xiao Mei.

Once you get to know them better, you realize that these international students are no pushovers. The one wearing the headscarf is from a Pakistani organization and has a biubiu gun on him. There's also a guy who's a professional slayer.

Liu Yimin looked helpless. Who the hell are these people? Yanda University really is inclusive!

Back in his dormitory, the staff from the office were already waiting for him. After briefly understanding the situation, they told Liu Yimin not to be nervous.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, we have reviewed your file. You are a good comrade and politically reliable. We feel at ease with you leading these students abroad. Help them learn about Chinese culture and experience our revolutionary spirit."

Liu Yimin pretended to refuse to associate with these people, but only agreed after repeated persuasion from the leaders of the Office for the Elderly.

"Don't worry, everything we said today has been recorded and submitted to the school office and the relevant department."

Only after receiving their promises did Liu Yimin feel at ease. Later, he proposed establishing a Chinese Culture Research Society, with someone from the Youth League Committee or the Office of Returned Students serving as the president, thus providing double insurance.

Starting today, he'll have a group of international students under his command. Putting everything else aside, just getting this group involved in reselling goods and foreign exchange certificates from the Friendship Store will allow him to amass a fortune.

The prerequisite is that his brain has to be hard enough.

"Have you seen the journal published by the journalism department at Yenching University? Liu Yimin was interviewed in it!"

Inside the courtyard where the editorial office of "Today" magazine was located, the main members gathered once again. They were tallying the total number of subscription letters received for "Today" magazine and planning the content for the next issue.

"After reading this, I'm speechless. What great poet or little poet, they're all poets. Who represents us isn't up to him, it's up to the readers. This guy's got a huge mouth." Huang Rui said, crossing his legs.

Zhang Pengzhi also said, "Does 'having substance and feeling' mean that we have nothing to say? We've received nearly two thousand orders in less than a month, which shows that our poetry is popular. I went to the MZ wall in Xidan yesterday, and many people were discussing it. I even compared him with Bei Dao, and people seem to prefer Bei Dao."

"As for the debate, we'll publish another article on poetry theory in the next issue," Bei Dao said casually.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The group was startled and immediately looked towards the door. They were relieved to hear Liu Yu's voice.

Liu Yu walked in with slightly red eyes, carrying several magazines and newspapers in her hands.

"Liu Yu, what's wrong? Who bullied you?" Huang Rui asked.

"Liu Yimin published a short story in People's Literature and Art, which was so well written that it made me cry. Liu Yimin also published a poem in Poetry Journal, and people lined up at newsstands to buy it like crazy. Even in this cold weather, the line must have been hundreds of meters long."

The others were taken aback, and then took the two magazines from Liu Yu's hands. Liu Yu's words were like a slap in the face to Zhang Pengzhi.

"Are you crazy? You must be mistaken. There are so many articles in the magazine, who knows if everyone bought it just for that one article!" Zhang Pengzhi said, still unwilling to give up.

This is like when Zheng Yuanjie went to his editor to ask for a raise, and the editor arrogantly told him, "Who knows if it's because your work is good, or because someone else's is good?"

When Lao Zheng heard this, he was so angry that his nose almost twisted out of shape!
P.S.: You might not believe it, but it's true. I checked the interview with Cleveland.

April, please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)