Literary Master 1983

Chapter 383 Pregnant with a Son
Ai Feng was extremely envious: "That Audi is a really good car! A luxury car! If I were you, I would do everything I could to get one!"

Yu Qie was indeed somewhat tempted.

This near-luxury car, labeled as a Volkswagen Santana but with an Audi interior, perfectly suits his aesthetic taste.

Moreover, to be frank, Zhang Li would also use these cars. Although it was ostentatious for her to drive a sedan into the school, at least in Beijing, a city teeming with gentry, it was still somewhat understandable.

If it were a luxury car, that would be going too far.

Seeing that Yu Qie was interested, Ai Feng made a promise: "Don't worry, as long as you agree, I will definitely get it for you! I'm telling the truth... Your novel has served as advertising for the public, they will be grateful to you!"

Yu asked Zhang Li what she thought, and Zhang Li said, "I'm very satisfied with having a car, whether it's good or bad, it doesn't matter."

Yu Qie had no choice but to tell Ai Feng that he would think about it again.

Ai Feng lamented, “Since I joined the Economic Daily, I have been advocating for the privatization of cars… Why? Because in Western countries, cars are something that everyone owns, but here, even if ordinary people become very wealthy, it is not easy for them to buy a car registered in Shanghai.”

Ai Feng is a writer, an investigative journalist, and an economist in the industrial sector. But he has always been very individualistic, frequently expressing shocking and outrageous opinions.

Currently, the textbook for journalism courses in universities is "An Introduction to Journalism" compiled by Ai Feng.

He added, “Professor Yu, as one of the people in our society who have become wealthy, and who have become wealthy in a respectable way, you should strive to emulate the level of the wealthy in developed countries in all aspects. This will help improve our economic vitality.”

Yu Qie laughed loudly: "Editor Ai, you really know how to talk. Enjoying it has turned into supporting domestic industry. But let me think about it some more."

Unexpectedly, Yu Qie changed his mind so quickly.

Just three days later, he asked Ai Feng if he could buy a rare, SAIC-built Audi 100.

—Because Zhang Li is pregnant.

For the past two months, Yu Qie and Zhang Li have been busy trying to conceive. Zhang Li often says that her personality seems to have changed; sometimes she gets easily agitated, and other times she overthinks things.

Yu Qie didn't pay much attention at first, but after Zhang Li talked about it more, he suspected that Zhang Li might be pregnant.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy can lead to mood swings.

Coincidentally, filming for "Family Spring and Autumn" wrapped up in Shanghai.

Chen Xiaoxu called home and said, "I'll be back soon."

Yu Qie answered the phone, and Zhang Li overheard it. Zhang Li complained to Chen Xiaoxu about recent events, and Chen Xiaoxu listened in silence. Zhang Li asked her, "Isn't it good news that you're back from filming? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Chen Xiaoxu said, "Zhang Li, I think you're definitely pregnant."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qie immediately replied, "It should be."

Last year, Yu Qie went to Colombia, and Zhang Li didn't have much time to study, so it's understandable that she didn't get pregnant.

In the past few months, I've been exercising at least a few times a week. If I still can't get pregnant, I'll really start to wonder if there's something wrong with me.

So, the newly bought Santana finally came in handy, and Yu Qie drove to the entrance of Peking Union Medical College Hospital to register. His face was recognized nationwide; after the broadcast of "Dream of the Red Chamber," Zhang Li had also become quite famous.

The staff in the lobby recognized him as soon as they looked up:
"Oh, isn't this...Teacher Yu? Is this your partner?"

Then I saw the sign was for the obstetrics and gynecology department. "Congratulations! Congratulations!"

The news was reported up the chain of command. While Zhang Li was having her consultation, Gu Fangzhou, the president of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, rushed over and grabbed Yu Qie's hand, saying, "Professor Yu, you have done good deeds and accumulated merits over the years. You are finally going to have your own child. Are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous. We're both healthy, so what's there to be nervous about?"

"I said so!"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zhang Li and the doctor came out. As soon as Zhang Li saw Yu Qie, she didn't say a word, but hugged Yu Qie and burst into tears.

Yu Qie immediately understood: he was going to have a child!
Sure enough, the doctor congratulated Yu Qie. "Congratulations, Professor Yu, you're going to be a father. Your baby is almost two months old. From now on... you need to be careful about this. You and your husband shouldn't do any more physical activity."

Upon hearing the news, everyone in the department stopped and exchanged a few auspicious words.

Other newlyweds who were also preparing for their check-ups congratulated Yu Qie. Someone even said, "Please, Teacher Yu, give my child a name. Whatever name you suggest, that's the name I'll register on my household registration."

Yu Qie waved his hands repeatedly: "I'm sorry, my mind is a complete mess right now, I haven't even chosen a name for my own child."

After the excitement came the worry.

Is the child a boy or a girl?
Chen Xiaoxu's decision to film in Shanghai was undoubtedly partly due to this reason. She cleverly avoided potential conflicts with Zhang Li, but if Zhang Li gave birth to a girl, then all her efforts would have been in vain.

Zhang Li understands this as well.

She immediately underwent a checkup, and Zhang Li was wheeled in for an ultrasound to determine the sex of the fetus. She was much more nervous than Yu Qie.

What difference does it really make whether you have a son or a daughter?

Yu Qie comforted her, "We've both gone to university, and you're about to go too. I truly believe that I love all kinds of children, and actually I prefer girls a little more."

"No matter what kind of child it is, they will be well-fed and clothed for the rest of their lives. I only hope that this child can develop their talents and become a useful person."

Zhang Li touched her belly and laughed, "Brother Yu, you're not one of us women, of course you wouldn't know."

The test results came back quickly: it was a boy.

"The accuracy rate is over 95%!" Gu Fangzhou said.

Now, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even Yu Qie breathed a sigh of relief. He was probably worried that his harem might be in turmoil.

That evening, the two informed Chen Xiaoxu in Shanghai that she was pregnant with a boy.

Chen Xiaoxu also breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Now we're all okay! Everyone's happy! I'll be back soon."

For the next week, Yu Qie showed Zhang Li great care and concern, and often accompanied her to and from the hospital.

Even after Chen Xiaoxu returned, nothing changed. Yu Qie stopped writing his novel and working for a week, wanting only to stay with his child. Zhang Li was initially worried that Yu Qie would lose interest in her after she became pregnant.

The result was quite the opposite; Yu Qie stayed by her side even more.

Zhang Li instead urged him, "Xiao Xu has been back for several days now, why don't you go shopping with her? Or you can take care of her for me!"

Chen Xiaoxu listened from the side, shrugged helplessly at Yu Qie, and then whispered to Zhang Li, "Zhang Li, you are at a critical stage now. This is a big event for our whole family."

I'm going to have a baby!

During this period, Yu Qie's mindset also changed. He began to take stock of his family's assets, wondering what kind of life he could provide for the child.
The answer is that he has nearly 100 million dollars in assets. The bulk of his income comes from the books "Metro" and "2666," which have earned him tens of millions of dollars in royalties in the West.

He started paying attention to royalties, which he hadn't previously paid much attention to. In mainland China, Yu Qie was able to receive exceptional royalties. Starting in 1984, the standard royalties in mainland China were raised to 6-20 yuan, but because of the exorbitant royalties Yu Qie received in the Western world, "October" and "People's Literature" effectively gave him at least 40 yuan per thousand words.

But this is far inferior to publications in Japan or the United States. Even compared to publications in Hong Kong and Taiwan within China, it falls far short.

Once an author has achieved international fame, publishing their novels in mainland Chinese magazines becomes an economically unprofitable endeavor!

Following the "ice-breaking trip," a trend emerged among mainland writers to publish their works overseas, and the exorbitant royalties quickly shocked them. For example, the United Daily News paid Yu Qie a staggering $46,000 for his article "Lurking," and that fee continues to rise.

This royalty payment is higher than all of Yu Qie's royalties for a whole year in mainland China.

For this special group of writers from mainland China, Taiwanese publishers did not choose to pay in Taiwanese dollars, but instead fully introduced a market-based royalty system. "Royals are paid in US dollars, calculated at 8% of the book price." "The publication of a book requires a contract, royalties, agency fees, commissions, etc."

These terms were quite unfamiliar to writers from the planned economy era, but they naturally put in a lot of effort to study them, and their appetites were quickly whetted.

The decline of mainland Chinese literature in the latter half of the 1980s was, in fact, related to royalties. The top writers focused their attention on how to expand overseas.

In early September, Yenching University held its opening ceremony.

Yu Qie entered Yenching University for the first time as a "professor." At this time, he had not yet received his master's degree certificate, and was even pursuing a doctorate in economics.

However, given the precedent of professors like Shen Congwen who only had elementary school education, no one at Yenching University criticized Yu Qie too much.

He did, after all, receive the Cervantes Prize.

During the summer awards ceremony held by United Literature in Taiwan, Yu Qie won the "Best Short Story Award" for his story "Little Shoes" from two years ago. This award was also the first "Mainland Short Story Recommendation Award" given by United Literature.

It is said that Yu Guangzhong of Taiwan is drafting the Liang Shiqiu Literary Prize, which is specifically for rewarding essayists and translators.

Yu Qie's translation of Neruda's poetry collection has reached the final stage of the "preliminary review, secondary review, and final review." He is practically guaranteed the award.

In economics, his previous research on "yen infrastructure loans" was also selected as one of the "Top Ten Economic Achievements of the Year" because the yen's exchange rate appreciated by 170% in the past three years.

This means that if Yu Qie hadn't pointed this out earlier, the country would have had to repay almost twice the amount of loans in the future.

Yu Qie took over Hu Daiguang's class, teaching Western economics. This was an exceptionally rare experience for him, because Hu Daiguang, along with his former thesis collaborators Li Yining and He Pingxinqiao, were responsible for evaluating the quality of the course. After Yu Qie finished teaching a class, the students of Yenching University stood up and bowed to him in gratitude; they knew that Yu Qie's wife was pregnant!

Despite this, Yu Qie still chose to teach their classes instead of taking a single day off.

Hu Daiguang then took the initiative to extend his hand to Yu Qie, followed by Li Yining and Heping Xinqiao.

"Professor Yu, we are colleagues now! We should continue to work hard together."

Yu Qie was overwhelmed with emotion.

Soon after, the Audi 100 he had entrusted Ai Feng to purchase was also transported from Shanghai to Beijing overnight by a large truck. The Audi was clearly more upscale than the Santana, both in terms of its paint finish, its quirky yet attractive streamlined design, and its solid interior materials.

It becomes even more obvious once it's turned on.

The chassis is several levels stronger, making it very responsive to handle. The suspension is much softer than the Santana's, so there's not much of a bumpy ride.

On weekend outings, heading from Gulou Street to Shichahai, you occasionally see those uneven blue bricks. I used to ride a bicycle, which was a jarring experience, and drive a Santana, which was a bumpy ride. But now that I'm driving this Audi, I only have a vague sense of those things.

Yu Qie gave the car to Zhang Li.

I kept the Santana for myself and used it as my commuter car.

Chen Xiaoxu volunteered, "Leave that motorcycle for me! I don't like anything else, I just love that motorcycle!"

Yu Qie didn't know if Chen Xiaoxu was being sincere or just throwing a tantrum. He promised, "Whatever car you fancy on the market, just let me buy it for you. As for these luxury cars, we can buy them with money in a few years!"

"What if I wanted to have it right now, just like Zhang Li?"

"Then let's buy it now."

Chen Xiaoxu immediately laughed and said, "Then forget it! I still prefer your motorcycles. If I have children in the future... I'll teach them to ride motorcycles too. One will inherit your career, and the other will inherit your talent."

Yu Qie felt that Chen Xiaoxu was implying that she also wanted to be tested and learned from. So he gave her a set of questions to check her out.

Zhang Li said nothing, and was even secretly pleased. She felt that as long as the eldest son was born from her own body, nothing else mattered.

Zhang Li didn't believe anything James Watson said, but one thing he said stuck with her: "Someone like you should have more children. As many children as possible."

Brother Yu became famous at a young age and now has a large and successful family. He is also a professor, so it wouldn't be good if he didn't have many children.

After the start of the semester, the School of Literature at Yenching University organized a group of scholars to visit the United States, mostly in the field of languages. It was their first time going to the United States, and they asked Yu Qie for his opinion. Yu Qie gave a brief description of American customs and culture, and then emphasized, "No matter when or where, never do anything that betrays your nation and country."

They asked Yu Qie, "What should we do if we are asked questions about intelligence?"

“If we answer directly, Americans will say we are racist; if we don’t answer, we will be seen as dismissive, and we will not get any credit either way.”

Yu Qie was stunned: "You mean James Watson? Has his theory become that popular in America?"

"Intelligence is indeed the hottest topic in the United States... When we arrived in the United States, Professor Watson was about to have a debate of the century with his opponent Clark. He said that he would completely turn Clark into a clown."

(End of this chapter)