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

Chapter 91 My Master Cao Yu
The Liulichang of the 70s was neither as bustling as it used to be, nor as prosperous as it is today. Many of the items inside had been sold as "Four Olds" (old-fashioned items), and only in recent years have some begun to slowly reopen.

Stepping inside, one senses neither the former grandeur nor the cultural atmosphere. Old Ma spoke at length about what Liulichang used to be a place for, and some anecdotes about famous figures involved in its trade.

Who got a bargain? Who got ripped off selling calligraphy and paintings because their family was down on their luck?

He learned all of this from others while pulling his rickshaw, even the intricacies of eating. He liked to chat with people while pulling his rickshaw, and over time, he learned a lot.

The liveliest place in Liulichang is the old bookstore, although it now sells books under the name of an internal bookstore.

Liu Yimin didn't know much about ancient books, so he didn't have any intention of buying them. After looking around, Li Congren bought a history book, and Klifu bought a copy of "Red Star Over China," also known as "Journey to the West."

This is what American journalist Edgar Snow saw and heard in the Northwest from June to October 1936. After its publication, the book caused a sensation internationally.

The shop assistant joked with Liu Yimin, "These foreigners are really enthusiastic about the revolution!"

Seeing that the other party had spoken to him, Liu Yimin, feeling bored, asked in a low voice, "Do you have any old books? The older the better?"

"We do have some, but you can't buy them!" The shop assistant glanced at Liu Yimin and said hesitantly.

“It’s not me who buys them, it’s these foreigners. We sell books we don’t need to these foreigners to earn foreign exchange.”

The shop assistant glanced at Liu Yimin, then at the old man tidying up the bookshelves behind him. Seeing this, the old man asked in a low voice, then looked at the foreign students and said to Liu Yimin, "I have an old book, but it's a little worm-eaten. Do you want it?"

"It's not me, it's these foreigners!"

The old man didn't reply, but simply said, "Look, just let those foreigners come over and pay. This thing should stay in our own hands."

Liu Yimin looked at it but couldn't figure out what it was about. The book was called "Essentials of Strategies in the Two Han Dynasties". The old man told him it cost three yuan a copy. He didn't know when it was published, or if it had been found in the library, but it was definitely a good book.

Someone mentioned it briefly, saying it resembled a "textbook".

"Textbook?" Liu Yimin pondered to himself, it probably meant "printed edition". If it was real, three yuan wouldn't be expensive. Liu Yimin asked Li Congren to pay for him, just in case he really got a bargain.

Passing by a calligraphy and painting shop, Liu Yimin took a fancy to a painting, saying it was by Zhang Daqian. Seeing that Liu Yimin wanted to buy it, Old Ma went to the side and greeted someone. It turned out they knew each other before; the shop assistant had been an apprentice before the liberation.

"Let me tell you, Yimin is a writer. Do you know Liu Yimin? He knows a lot of people who understand painting. If you lie to him, he won't even need to say anything. Just mentioning it a couple of times in the newspaper will be enough to make you regret it."

Old Ma's posture made it seem like he was about to attack the moment the other party said "fake."

“Mr. Ma, would I lie to you? Besides, these are paintings that the artists asked the shop to sell. I don’t need them. They’re only two yuan and fifty cents a piece.” Then the shop assistant looked at Liu Yimin and said, “I didn’t realize you were a writer.”

So Liu Yimin acquired another lotus painting by Zhang Daqian.

After showing everyone around Liulichang, Lao Ma took them to Quanjude and taught them how to eat Peking duck.

"I used to squat by the door pulling a cart and thought that Quanjude's plates must be delicious. Later, when I had money, I came here to eat once and found that the bowls were no different from those at the braised pork offal stall. By the way, you guys, when you have time, you must try braised pork offal. But don't eat the ones that are washed too clean. Braised pork offal has to be eaten with a pungent smell. The pungenter it is, the more flavorful it is."

Compared to using chopsticks to eat hot pot, it's much more convenient to roll roast duck and scallions in a pancake, and everyone eats with their mouths full of sauce.

"That's enough for today. I'm full. If you want to eat again, come find me. I may not know much else, but I do know a thing or two about food. This American is quite good; he's got the skills to be a real man!"

Old Ma walked out of Quanjude, patted his belly, loosened his belt, and praised Li Congren a few times.

Li Congren grasped the essence of what Lao Ma had said before they set off, and he insisted on paying for everything along the way. Liu Yimin and Lao Ma gave him a thumbs up, which made him feel a great sense of accomplishment when he paid.

Before leaving, he left Old Ma a bottle of Lotus White wine.

The old man pulled Liu Yimin along and asked, "Kid, when will you finish writing your novel?"

"Hurry, hurry!"

“Every time I ask you, you always say it’ll be soon. Are you going to burn it for me after Master Ma is buried?”

"Look at what you're saying, old man. You're in such great health. I'm going on vacation soon. Tomorrow I'll go to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to revise the script. There's a lot to do, but don't worry, by the time I come back from school, it will be almost finished."

Liu Yimin patted his chest and made a guarantee.

"Alright, I'll wait. Whenever Master Ma wants to eat at Quanjude, you can call these foreign devils over. The Empress Dowager used to give them plenty of money." Old Ma chuckled.

"Got it!"

On the way back, the group of people were very satisfied and talked loudly about the food culture of old Beijing. When Li Congren thought about how the restaurant he had eaten at had a history of several decades, he suddenly felt that he was not just eating food, but also culture and history.

Thinking about this gave me even more energy to pedal my bicycle.

The day after the exams ended, Liu Yimin packed his things early, including his bedding and toiletries. With his three roommates watching him go, Liu Yimin got into Cao Yu's car.

Cao Yu's rank includes a private car and driver, and it's not a Jeep, but a sedan.

When they arrived at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Lan Tianye had been waiting for a long time. He held Liu Yimin's hand and said happily, "Yimin, from now on we are family. It's been so long since Master Jiabao has taken on any students. We never thought you would become his student."

"It is my honor that Teacher Wan has accepted me as a student! Mr. Lan, I may be bothering you recently."

"Not at all, I'm still waiting to direct your play. Come on, let me take you to your dormitory. This building at our People's Art Theatre is not only for watching performances, but also for accommodation."

The third and fourth floors are dormitories; the fourth floor is the girls' dormitory, and the third floor is for boys. The rooms are a bit small, so please don't mind; there's only room for a bed and a table." Liu Yimin followed Lan Tianye upstairs, the driver helping Liu Yimin with his luggage. On the third floor, a variety of smells mingled with the aroma of food.

Compared to the performance hall below, the third floor was like a bare shell, with cement surfaces from top to bottom. Various things were placed in the corridors, and the cement walls were covered with traces of smoke and fire.

This place is no different from a tenement building!
Married couples share a room, while unmarried people squeeze into one room as a single dormitory.

Liu Yimin had a room all to himself, and he was the only one in the room to poop like a scorpion. Lan Tianye and the others lived in the courtyard at No. 56 Shijia Hutong, which was later called No. 20 Shijia Hutong.

“Yimin, this house is definitely not as comfortable as the guesthouse. I originally wanted to arrange for you to stay at the Writers Association's guesthouse, since you're familiar with it. But Jiabao said that his student shouldn't complain about the poor conditions at the Beijing People's Art Theatre. He's here to revise the script, not to enjoy himself, so we can't give you special treatment.”

“Mr. Lan, for me, all I need is a place to write,” Liu Yimin said cheerfully.

Having a separate room is already considered a special privilege within the Beijing People's Art Theatre!
"Okay, make your bed first. We have a canteen here. If you really don't want to go down, you can always grab a meal from someone's cooking. The actors at our Beijing People's Art Theatre are different from those elsewhere; everyone gets along well!"

Seeing that Liu Yimin adapted quickly, Lan Tianye nodded in satisfaction, gave him a few more instructions, and left Liu Yimin's room.

After Liu Yimin finished tidying up, everyone knew that a young man had come to the third floor of the Beijing People's Art Theatre; he was the director's student. Many people came over to greet him. Those who could stay here were mostly young people around twenty years old, like Yang Lixin, or slightly older, who had just started families.

As soon as Liu Yimin stepped out of his room, he was greeted by a series of warm smiles. He spent most of his time locked in his room revising scripts, and when the actors rehearsed, he would sit beside them and watch them practice.

"Teahouse" and "Thunderstorm" have not been restaged, but the Beijing People's Art Theatre is already making preparations for their revival.

Inside the rehearsal room, Liu Yimin sat on the side of the stage, listening attentively to the director and actors' practice sessions.

In the rehearsal room of "Teahouse", Lan Tianye greeted Liu Yimin and then seriously began to play his own role, Qin Zhongyi, while Yu Shizhi played Wang Lifu.

Another very familiar face is Huang Zongluo, the old master who played Eunuch Chang eating grapes in "The Grand Mansion Gate," who is now playing Master Song. Tong Chao, who played Commander Lei in "Garland Under the Mountain," is now playing Eunuch Pang.

Below the stage was a group of young students learning how to perform.

The Beijing People's Art Theatre is currently debating whether to continue staging the revised version of "Teahouse" or the original version. The later versions of "Teahouse" underwent numerous revisions, to the point that Lao She left the theater without saying a word after watching it; previously, he would come on stage at the end to greet the actors.

Even after revising "Thunderstorm," Cao Yu was still not satisfied. He demanded that every character express high revolutionary enthusiasm, and even when a character was sad, they had to perform loudly.

After watching for a while, Yu Zhi wiped the sweat from his face and came over to ask, "Yi Min, how are you feeling?"

"I've never seen this before, but today I've truly had my eyes opened. A veteran actor is a veteran actor indeed; his performance was spot-on. If you hadn't come over to talk to me, I would have really thought you were Wang Lifu!"

Yu Zhi laughed and leaned back: "You're good at making old men happy. After resting for a few years, your old arms and legs are moving around like they used to! Jia Bao told me about your novel 'Wolf Smoke in Beiping,' and I'm waiting to play a role in it. I think I'd be good at playing a down-on-his-luck Manchu bannerman."

The down-on-his-luck Manchu bannermen were like Bai Lianqi in "The Flames of War in Beiping." Though their personal lives were ruined, their dignity remained intact, and they eventually made some money by reselling gold yuan notes and silver dollars.

"You look so good, you could easily play an underground party member!"

"You're so good with words. How about coming to my house for dinner after rehearsal?"

Liu Yimin stood up and said with a smile, "My teacher invited me to come over for a chat. It's convenient, I'll visit you another day!"

So he said with a regretful expression, "Then I won't compete with Jiabao for her!"

During the chat, Yu Zhi kept mentally evaluating Liu Yimin. He spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, and his praises were appropriate without being deliberately ingratiating.

He's talented! Master Jiabao has found a good disciple!
Yang Lixin, sitting in the audience, said enviously to Pu Cunxi next to him, "When will I be able to stand there like Comrade Liu Yimin and chat with Teacher Yu with a smile?"

Pu Cunxi rolled his eyes at him and closed his notebook: "What are you thinking? They're screenwriters, we're actors. They write plays, we act. The play is everything, screenwriters have a different status than us."

"That's true, but even the best play has to be performed by us! Lao Pu, if you want to come to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, you might as well seize the opportunity to act in 'Mr. Donkey.' The age requirements for several male roles in the play are not very high, which is a good opportunity for us."

Pu Cunxi's father was Su Min, who was also a director at the Beijing People's Art Theatre. However, after Pu Cunxi returned from his time as a sent-down youth, he joined the Air Force Political Department Drama Troupe, and returning to the Beijing People's Art Theatre had always been his dream.

Later, he was valued by Lan Tianye and transferred back to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, eventually becoming its vice president.

"Aren't you afraid I'll take it from you?" Pu Cunxi retorted. He knew that Yang Lixin had always wanted to act in "Mr. Donkey," and he wanted to play Zhou Tienan, who was in love with the principal's daughter Jiajia. He was young, spirited, and loyal, but later became a coward after being shot.

"It all depends on your skills. If you can beat me, it means my skills aren't up to par and I still need to practice!" Yang Lixin said with a smile. While saying this, he was also thinking to himself, who wouldn't want to be on stage and seen by the audience?

"I believe you all recognize this person in the audience. This is Liu Yimin, one of Dean Cao's most outstanding students. You young people should learn from Comrade Liu Yimin and hone your skills." Yu Shizhi said to the people below.

Liu Yimin greeted everyone. The younger generation was envious, and the older generation was caring. At the Beijing People's Art Theatre, he was truly the center of everyone's affection.

Here, when you encounter problems, nothing is more effective than saying "My teacher is Cao Yu".

After stepping off the stage, Liu Yimin packed his things, slung his bag over his shoulder, and prepared to go to Cao Yu's house. Yang Lixin urged Pu Cunxi to invite Liu Yimin to dinner to discuss the role.

However, Pu Cunxi, being from an artistic family, possessed a certain aloofness characteristic of scholars and couldn't bring himself to do it. In the end, the two of them watched helplessly as Liu Yimin greeted them and left.

"Old Pu, your chances of coming back are slim. The Beijing People's Art Theatre doesn't have any new scripts, and the old ones are all already being performed. 'Mr. Donkey' is your chance."

"Sigh, let's wait a bit longer. The script hasn't been written yet. There will always be a chance!" Pu Cunxi's courage was always suppressed by the shame welling up in his heart.

(End of this chapter)