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

Chapter 157 A Luxurious Three-Courtyard Siheyuan

In the dormitory, Liu Zhenyun didn't dare to breathe loudly, staring nervously at Zhou Yanru. Even the slightest frown could stir up a turbulent internal struggle within him.

Is it bad? Do you not like it? Oh no, it definitely didn't pass!
Zhou Yanru finished reading the short story of over 10,000 words in twenty minutes. After pondering for a while, she said, "It's alright. With some revisions, it might be able to be published!"

Liu Zhenyun was already preparing to take the manuscript and run to Li Xueqin's side, where they would say to each other that they were both in the same boat.

Suddenly looking up, he said, "Did I hear that right?"

"What? You don't want it published in our *Yanjing Literature*?" Zhou Yanru asked, raising an eyebrow. Her tone was completely different when she was commissioning the article from Liu Yimin.

"Yes, yes, of course I'm willing. Change it, whatever you say you want to change, I'll change it!" Liu Zhenyun said excitedly, his face flushed.

Zhou Yanru nodded in satisfaction. This was the kind of position an editor should have. That felt good!
So he took out a pen and started scribbling on Liu Zhenyun's manuscript, eventually finding that three or four out of ten parts needed to be revised.

Even though it's already a major overhaul, Liu Zhenyun still nodded: "Change it, absolutely change it!"

Zhou Yanru smiled and said, "I'll take a look at it again after I finish revising it and get it to 'Yanjing Literature and Art'."

As Zhou Yanru was leaving, she saw Liu Yimin and her face immediately softened: "Yimin, please remember to contact us at Yanjing Literature and Art if you have any manuscripts."

After they left, Li Xueqin and Chen Dazhi congratulated Liu Zhenyun. Liu Zhenyun was modest but proud, but afraid of upsetting Li Xueqin, he quickly said that "Yanjing Literature and Art" had asked him to revise it, but it was not yet confirmed whether it would be used.

Chen Dazhi regretted submitting the manuscript; otherwise, he could have received guidance from Zhou Yanru today and perhaps even revised it before publishing.

Too late to regret!

“Editor Zhou treats us and Yimin with completely different attitudes!”

After Zhou Yanru had been gone for a while, Chen Dazhi blurted out this sentence again.

Liu Zhenyun thought about it and realized it was true, but then he thought, no matter what, he could at least have a work after making some changes.

Change it if you want. A true man can bend and stretch. As long as it can be published, I don't care how I change it!
"Once I become a citizen, I will never change!" Liu Zhenyun secretly made up his mind.

In March, Beijing was bitterly cold. Liu Yimin and Cui Daoyi searched endlessly in Nanluoguxiang, wrapping their military overcoats tightly around themselves, afraid that even a wisp of cold wind might get in.

"This should be it, right?" Cui Daoyi muttered. Liu Yimin looked at it and said, "Number 62. The house number is correct."

Cui Daoyi pointed to a corner in the distance: "Glazed tiles. You can see the Forbidden City from here, and Prince Gong's Mansion is not far away. Mr. Qi Baishi once lived in the alley behind it. What a nice place!"

This courtyard house has three sections. The vermilion gate in front of the door has long been faded by wind and rain, and the stone drum base has been smashed with several large gaps. However, Liu Yimin is very satisfied with the road facing the street.

Liu Yimin, who lives in Yanjing Hutong, hates narrowness the most; he always feels cramped when he goes out. This hutong is much wider in comparison. With cars, parking outside won't be so crowded.

Of course, it would be better to carve a door into the wall facing the street and build a garage.

This courtyard house wasn't found for him by Cui Daoyi, but by Li Ji.

Cui Daoyi and Li Ji's family wrote about this incident in their diaries while tidying up Li Ji's desk. The owner of the house was an oil worker who went to support the oil field and knew Li Ji there; they had a good relationship.

Previously, this was someone else's house. He went to the oil field for construction assistance and voluntarily gave the house to the state. Now, a new policy has been introduced, allowing private houses to be returned to individuals.

So the homeowner came back. It turned out that people from some bureau were living there, and they had all been vacated.

The people who were evicted didn't complain at all. Since they were leaving a government-affiliated institution, they needed a place to stay. The bureau naturally had to step in and solve the problem, so they were moved into a tenement building or a large prefabricated house.

The clearing of privately owned houses occupied by the public began in 1978, and many of these clearings were extremely difficult. Nearly 100,000 private houses in Beijing were occupied, so the difficulty of clearing them all is unimaginable.

The homeowner just points at the courtyard house and tells people to move out? Who recognizes this as your house? Ask it if it will respond if you call it.

Besides, while others are willing to move, many people have nowhere to move to; they can't exactly sleep on the streets!
After seeing the record of this "agency" matter in Li Ji's diary, Cui Daoyi immediately contacted Liu Yimin.

"Comrade Li Ji probably wanted to bring you here personally, what a pity!" Cui Daoyi felt sad again.

Liu Yimin felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the contents of his notebook.

[An old friend from the Yumen Oilfield visited today. He's selling his ancestral courtyard house, which happened to be the property he'd asked me to buy before the new year. It's located south of Di'anmen Street, next to the Beijing People's Art Theatre and the Writers' Association. The location and size are perfect for him. The only downside is the price.]

Cui Daoyi told Liu Yimin that when Li Ji returned home that day, he asked Li Xiaowei how much savings he had: "I guess Comrade Li Ji was worried that you didn't have enough money and wanted to prepare some for you. Comrade Li Xiaowei said that if you need it, you can make a special trip."

Liu Yimin sighed, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He led the way to the entrance of the courtyard house and gently knocked on the door.

The gate is designed as a grand and bright gate, a style that reflects the extraordinary status of its former owner.

The gate designs include the Guangliang Gate, the Jinzhu Gate, the Ruyi Gate, and the Suiqiang Gate. The Guangliang Gate is the second most prestigious gate style after the Prince's Mansion, with a depth extending from the pillars to the gate itself, the depth of which is related to the status of the owner.

The threshold below was kicked and broken, and there were signs of it being smashed.

After the knock on the door, a middle-aged man with a stubble beard came out. He had a scholarly air about him, but his years of working in the oil fields had made that air almost imperceptible.

The thick sheepskin coat seemed out of place among the people of Yanjing.

"who are you?"

"Hello comrade, we were introduced by Comrade Li Ji!"

"Old Li, didn't he leave?"

“He’s gone,” Cui Daoyi explained to him. After the male host expressed his regret over Li Ji’s passing, he led them into the courtyard. The patterns carved on the screen wall of the courtyard were lifelike. Originally, bamboo was planted in front of the screen wall, but it was long gone, and dirty snow was piled on it.

“A perfectly good house, ruined by those people. Look at it, the carved beams and painted rafters, the objects on it are all well preserved. This used to be the house of a high-ranking official, bought by my grandfather’s generation. A descendant of Manchus, they squandered their family’s fortune by smoking opium.”

Led by the homeowner, the three passed through the hanging flower gate and entered the second courtyard. There were three rooms on each of the east and west wings. The blue bricks and tiles were well preserved, and the roof beasts on the roof had weathered the wind and rain and still guarded the courtyard.

The red pillars on the eaves and corridors of the east and west wing rooms, like the vermilion gate, have faded considerably. If someone were to move in, they would have to repaint them.

The courtyard has ginkgo and crabapple trees. The homeowner pointed to the ginkgo tree and said angrily, "This ginkgo tree was originally very beautiful. Those people cut off its branches and twigs to burn for firewood. In the corner house at the back, a lot of planks were also removed in some places to burn for firewood."

Cui Daoyi winked at Liu Yimin; this was a good place to haggle later! Just then, the door to the west wing opened, and several heads peeked out, scrutinizing Liu Yimin and Cui Daoyi. They turned and closed the door, muttering amongst themselves.

"How can someone who looks so young be rich?"

As we entered the three-courtyard house, the owner smiled and said, "Doesn't this three-courtyard house seem a bit awkward? Actually, it used to be a four-courtyard house. The owner first sold the back courtyard and then the front three courtyards. They rebuilt a wall at the back and modified it to serve as the rear building."

“I’m good friends with Comrade Li, so I should be able to get a discount. He also told me about your situation. You’re the writer Liu Yimin, right? I’ve read your books. With your connections and Comrade Li’s help, it should be even cheaper, but no, my children are waiting to get their share of the money, and my youngest son is getting married.”

It turns out that the homeowner had other compelling reasons for selling the property, besides settling in a nearby city.

Cui Daoyi asked, "How much?"

"Decent houses sell for nine to ten thousand, but I need the money urgently, so I'll ask for eight thousand five."

Upon hearing this, Cui Daoyi almost jumped up. Eight thousand five hundred? Why not just rob someone? Liu Yimin then looked at the courtyard house; a three-courtyard house typically ranged from six hundred to one thousand square meters, with the average being six or seven hundred.

Because this was converted from a four-courtyard house, the courtyard between the second and third courtyards is very large. The total area of ​​the three courtyards is about 1,200 square meters, and there are a total of 36 rooms.

Eight thousand five hundred yuan is really not expensive, especially since it's spacious inside and doesn't feel cramped at all. Liu Yimin really likes this house. In addition, because of Li Ji, Liu Yimin has developed a certain affection for this house since he moved in.

"What? You're not thinking of buying them one by one, are you? I'm selling them all." The homeowner said, frowning.

Cui Daoyi spoke first: "Some parts of the house are dilapidated and haven't been repaired for many years. Isn't 8,500 too expensive? I don't think you're in a hurry for money. Go all over Beijing and see who can come up with 8,500 all at once?"

The homeowner said angrily, "Where is it dilapidated? Are you a drummer by trade?"

Cui Daoyi repeated the shortcomings the landlord had mentioned earlier, managing to bring the price down to 7,500. He then turned his attention to Liu Yimin, whose savings totaled only 6,000 yuan.

This is only because I've received a lot of reprint fees recently; otherwise, it would be even less. I'm still short 1,500 yuan.

Cui Daoyi said, "How about we forget about it? Seven thousand five is a bit expensive!"

Liu Yimin thought for a moment and said, "Seven thousand five hundred, and the furniture inside should also be mine!"

The homeowner asked in surprise, "Seven thousand five? You really can come up with that?"

His children also gathered around, and were very excited when they heard about the money.

"Never mind that, you can't take the furniture with you!"

The homeowner glanced at his children and said helplessly, "We won't take them with us. They're useless anyway, and we can't take them with us. We might as well just throw them away."

A wave of sadness rose in his heart. He realized that he was no different from the Manchu bannermen who squandered their fortunes by smoking black pebbles.

There wasn't much furniture inside: an eight-immortal table, a grand master's chair, and a bookshelf. These were what they had left behind after watching the eviction; if they hadn't looked, they would have been gone long ago.

"Seven thousand five hundred is too much. Can you pay in installments?"

"How much can you pay?" the homeowner's son asked, raising an eyebrow and giving him a cold look.

"I can pay you five thousand yuan first, and the remaining two thousand five hundred will be paid to you by the end of the year," Liu Yimin said.

What if you don't give it to me?

Seeing the homeowner's son's arrogant attitude, Liu Yimin said angrily, "My name is Liu Yimin, and these three words represent credibility. If I don't give it to you, you can go to the newspaper office and find a reporter to report it."

It was understandable that they were worried, but seeing his son's tone, Liu Yimin still felt a surge of anger.

Cui Daoyi also said, "I am Cui Daoyi, an editor of People's Literature. You can also look for me! My office is at No. 166 Chaonei Street, on the third floor, in the fifth seat of the novel editing room."

The homeowner glared at his youngest son and said apologetically, "We'll think about it."

Unexpectedly, the youngest son chimed in, "Dad, if we're going to break up, we're going to break up. I need to get married first!"

"Dad, my family is also having difficulties!"

Several of the children spoke up, and the homeowner reluctantly agreed to Liu Yimin's suggestion, but the five thousand yuan had to be raised in two days.

"We'll sign the contract tomorrow, then register at the housing management department. We'll give you the money then, sir, don't worry!" Liu Yimin's tone was much more relaxed after the deal was settled.

The homeowner saw Liu Yimin out the door, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "If it weren't for the children, and out of respect for Comrade Li, I certainly wouldn't have been so insistent!"

"I understand, I understand. If it weren't for Comrade Li, I would have left long ago after hearing the price," Liu Yimin said.

The landlord patted Liu Yimin's hand and said, "Comrade Li is a good man. Back then, he slept in a dugout with us, ate dry rations, and ran from one well rig to another. He was an educated man, but he never complained about being tired or suffering. He was the real revolutionary."

After leaving the courtyard, Liu Yimin and Cui Daoyi went to Li Ji's house to express their gratitude on the spot. Li Ji's wife, Li Xiaowei, asked Liu Yimin if there was any shortfall in the money.

Liu Yimin said he could produce it, which stopped the other party from handing over the bankbook.

“Old Li, he dedicated his whole life to the country. He graduated from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University in 1938, fought in the Taihang Mountains, and then worked on the literary and artistic front. He lived up to the country's expectations, and the country lived up to him.” Li Xiaowei looked at the portrait on the table and was overcome with grief again.

Li Xiaowei took a book out of the table and gave it to Liu Yimin as a housewarming gift.

"It's nothing valuable, just a book published by Lao Li."

As Cui Daoyi walked out of Li Ji's house, he said, "Given Comrade Li Ji's rank, he should have moved into the high-ranking cadre's house long ago, but he didn't. He said that the other elderly people in the Writers' Association were not properly accommodated, and he wouldn't feel at ease living there."

Liu Yimin's current household registration is a collective household registration at Yenching University. If he wants to register the house, he needs to obtain a certificate of collective household registration. However, this is not a difficult task for Liu Yimin.

The next morning, Liu Yimin took the certificate to the courtyard house to meet the homeowner, with Cui Daoyi following beside him, worried that something might go wrong with the 5,000 yuan transaction.

As he was riding his bicycle, the wrench he was carrying clattered to the ground. Under the astonished gazes of the homeowners, he picked it up as if no one else was around and put it back in his pocket: "My bicycle keeps breaking down. Is it okay to bring a wrench to fix it?"

(End of this chapter)