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

Chapter 379 The Number One Restaurant Under Heaven

The next day's newspapers were full of reports about the premiere of "Acacia Tree in the Minefield". Some cinemas were showing movies 24 hours a day, half of which were showing "Acacia Tree in the Minefield".

By extending the playback time to satisfy the audience's enthusiasm for watching the film, the reporter interviewed several viewers who watched the film twice in one day.

Liu Yimin didn't know how they managed to get the interviews; they probably watched the videos more than twice, so it was easy to get them.

When interviewed, the August First Film Studio stated that the film's success was not due to the director and actors, but rather to the script.

Deputy Factory Director Liu Peiran announced that, in gratitude for Liu Yimin's provision of a high-quality film script, several excellent film copies would be donated to Yenching University, including "The Acacia Tree in the Minefield," for Yenching University students to watch for free.

The August First Film Studio acted swiftly, sending someone to deliver the film copy to the Yenching University projection office that afternoon. The department responsible for projection at Yenching University posted a notice in the Triangle Area, distributing free movie tickets to each department for viewing in the main dining hall.

Yenching University has many departments, and if you spend one night on each department, the last department will be in mid-December.

The first department to be addressed was naturally the Chinese Literature Department, where Liu Yimin was located.

Several professors, holding their tickets, laughed and said, "Yimin, we're really getting a good deal from you. If you want to see 'The Acacia Tree in the Minefield' but don't want to go outside the school, the school cafeteria is a great option."

"Professors, if you find anything inappropriate in the script after reading it, please point it out," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Don't worry, we're professionals at finding fault."

There are many students and faculty members in the Chinese department, and the large dining hall simply cannot accommodate them all in one night, so it is divided into two days.

The space was much more spacious after being divided into two days, and many professors' and teachers' family members were able to get tickets.

In addition, "The Acacia Tree in the Minefield" will be screened again in the future, and those who want to see it again can line up to get tickets.

Liu Yimin saw Yu Hua in class and gave him a card.

Yu Hua didn't know where he got the class schedule, but whenever Liu Yimin had a class, no matter which classroom it was in, he would always run to the back of the classroom on time.

Things are better now, though; they're no longer pushing Shi Tiesheng to come to Yenching University.

"Comrade Yimin, thank you so much. I really want to see this movie, but unfortunately I can't get a ticket," Yu Hua said gratefully.

Liu Yimin asked, "Where do you go to play when you're not in class?"

Yu Hua told Liu Yimin in detail about the places he had visited, including the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, and the ruins of the Old Summer Palace.

Even in the freezing cold of Yanjing, Liu Yimin admired Yu Hua's enthusiasm for sightseeing.

"When will your novel be published?" Liu Yimin asked.

Yu Hua said smugly, "Next January!"

“Okay, I’ll definitely buy a copy of ‘Yanjing Literature’ to support you!” Liu Yimin said.

Yu Hua waved his hand and said no need: "You've already read 'Stars,' why let 'Yanjing Literature' earn those few cents? If it can be published, I hope you can write a preface for me."

Liu Yimin readily agreed to Yu Hua's request, but Yu Hua also believed that the chances of his novel being published were extremely slim.

"After you leave Yanjing, I'll treat you to a meal to see you off."

Yu Hua was secretly pleased, but maintained a reserved demeanor, saying, "No need, no need. We can't always eat at Fengzeyuan, or my palate will become too picky!"

"Fengzeyuan? Dream on!" Liu Yimin scoffed.

Fengzeyuan is free, but you can't keep going there to take advantage of people.

After finishing his class, Liu Yimin did not stay at Yenching University for long, but went straight back to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

It was probably late 1983 when the royalties for the Green Book, which had been licensed to several countries including Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom in December 1982, began to arrive.

When he won the O. Henry Award in the United States last time, he signed publishing license agreements with Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany.

"Green Book" sold particularly well in Germany, Canada, and the UK, becoming a bestseller in the UK and Canada.

Unfortunately, these countries have small populations, so their annual sales are only so-so; even combined, the sales of several countries amount to only about 100,000 copies.

Aside from English-speaking countries, each country requires a certain amount of time from translation to publication, resulting in a sales gap of several months, which also affects sales volume.

Prices varied from country to country, and in the end, he received a total of about 80,000 yuan in royalties. Liu Yimin roughly calculated that his savings had reached about 250,000 yuan.

Including the increase in property value, Liu Yimin is equivalent to more than 300,000 yuan per person.

In addition, several publishers have indicated that they will come to China at an appropriate time next year to discuss the publication of Liu Yimin's other works.

The royalties for the collection of O. Henry Award-winning short stories published by the O. Henry Prize committee have not yet been settled.

When Liu Yimin picked up Zhu Lin from get off work in the evening, the two of them went to the Wangfujing Department Store and bought several machine-knitted sweaters and trousers, as well as cotton-padded clothes, overcoats, and wool sweaters to send back to his elder brother and sister-in-law, Liu Fuqing, and Yang Xiuyun.

"My sister-in-law is pregnant and needs some nutritional supplements during her postpartum period." Zhu Lin looked at the things in her hands and felt they weren't enough.

Zhu Lin is a doctor, so she knows what's good for postpartum women. She bought several packets of high-quality brown sugar and sent them back along with bean powder.

Back home, Liu Yimin cooked for Zhu Lin. Zhu Lin wrote a letter home from her study: "Teacher Liu, is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Liu Yimin said without turning his head, "No, you can improvise!"

After a while, Liu Yimin added, "Ask your parents if there's anything else the family needs?"

"No need to ask, they'll definitely say they don't need anything!" Zhu Lin said with a smile.

Liu Yimin stir-fried a plate of beef stew with potatoes and tofu, and there were pork ribs stewing in a casserole.

"Come out and eat!"

December 5th finally arrived, and early in the morning, Liu Yimin and Zhu Guangqian followed Yan Jiayan to Beijing Normal University.

Yenching University and Beijing Normal University are considered to have the same origin. Yenching University was formerly known as the Imperial University of Peking, and Beijing Normal University was formerly known as the Normal School of the Imperial University of Peking.

Liu Yimin had never been to Beijing Normal University before, but Yan Jiayan and Zhu Guangqian were familiar with the place. They led him to the office building of the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University and found Li Xiusheng, the head of the Chinese Department.

Li Xiusheng is currently leading the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University to promote research on modern literature, which coincides with the textbook promoted by Yenching University. It can be said that they are indeed in dire need of such a textbook.

Yenching University's Chinese Department was hailed as the best in the country, but for a time, Beijing Normal University seemed poised to surpass it. Yenching University's Chinese Department had one-tenth the number of professors, while Beijing Normal University's Chinese Department had eighteen "Arhats" (fifteen professors and three associate professors).

If we personify the two Chinese literature departments, their personalities are completely different.

The professors in the Chinese Department of Yenching University are eloquent, have active minds, dare to break new ground, and are always at the forefront of literary trends.

However, the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University has a rather dull character, emphasizing the integration of literature and history, and requiring articles to be based on detailed historical research.

You can tell from the resume of Li Xiusheng, a professor in their Chinese department, that he is engaged in the study of ancient books.

The famous professor Lu Zongda was known for his course "Shuowen Jiezi" (Explaining Characters and Analyzing Words), and Mr. Qi Gong also conducted research on classical literature.

As Liu Yimin walked into the office building, he could feel the different academic atmospheres of the two departments. The office building of the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University was quiet, and the teachers in the offices were all doing research with their heads down.

Professor Wu, probably in the Chinese Department of Yenching University, is probably eating roasted sweet potatoes again right now.

Upon seeing them, Li Xiusheng, the head of the Chinese Department at Beijing Normal University, warmly extended his hands: "Old Yan, Professor Zhu, Comrade Yimin, hello, welcome to the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University!"

"Old Li, look, these are our textbooks!" Yan Jiayan took the textbooks out of his bag and handed them to Li Xiusheng.

"I'm not a scholar of Western literature, so I can't tell whether it's good or bad. But Professor Qian Zhongshu said it's good, and Tsinghua University will be the first to use it next year, so I believe this textbook must be excellent. There's a meeting later, you should attend as well, so our professors and teachers can take a look."

After speaking with Yan Jiayan, Li Xiusheng turned his gaze to Liu Yimin: "Comrade Yimin, I've heard so much about you. Your name is incredibly famous at Beijing Normal University. When you were a student, many students would flock to Yenching University every day. Even after you became a professor, some of our Chinese Department students would still go to Yenching University to take your classes. Then they would come back to our Chinese Department classrooms and say that your lectures on foreign literary thought were better than ours."

After Li Xiusheng finished speaking, Yan Jiayan and Zhu Guangqian both laughed.

"The reason why students think I speak well is probably because they are interested in me as a person," Liu Yimin said modestly.

Li Xiusheng led them toward the conference room and told them that the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University also wanted to recruit outstanding talents in a special way, just like Yenching University, but unfortunately, looking around, no one was qualified to do so.

Several professors were already seated in the conference room, and Li Xiusheng introduced them to each of them.

Here Liu Yimin met Mr. Qi Gong: "Mr. Qi Gong, hello, I'm so glad to finally have the opportunity to meet you."

"Haha, really? How about you apply to our school for your doctorate? I'll be your advisor!" Mr. Qi Gong laughed.

Zhu Guangqian, who was standing nearby, protested, "Is today a trap?"

"Haha, come on, sit down. Comrade Yimin, look how well your Chinese department is watching you. No one can dig up your precious tree of Chinese literature." Mr. Qigong laughed.

"I'd like to ask you for calligraphy lessons sometime!"

"Okay, you're always welcome."

Mr. Qi Gong was not only an expert in the appraisal of calligraphy and painting, but also made great achievements in calligraphy and painting himself.

After everyone sat down, several professors from the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University took turns looking at the sample books they had brought.

“Teachers at Beijing Normal University who teach Western literature can try giving a trial lecture with the textbook to see if it suits our university,” Liu Yimin said.

After flipping through a few pages, one professor said, "I've actually already looked into it, and your textbook is indeed excellent. I think Yenching University should award the Outstanding Teaching Achievement Award to Professor Zhu and Associate Professor Liu this year."

Yan Jiayan replied, "That's exactly what I was thinking!"

The professors in the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University did not pay much attention to the textbooks, and many people asked about Liu Yimin's writing and his situation abroad.

Liu Yimin explained everything to everyone, and the atmosphere at the scene was very lively.

Upon seeing this situation, Yan Jiayan felt that things were almost settled.

When the scheduled time for the lecture arrived, everyone walked together towards the lecture hall. A number of students had already gathered in front of the building, and those who had arrived early opened their windows and stared at the intersection they would inevitably pass through.

Upon seeing Liu Yimin, there was applause both upstairs and downstairs.

When the professors in the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University saw this scene, they spoke with a sour tone.

Now they need the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University's help; otherwise, Yan Jiayan would have been strutting around long ago.

Mr. Qi Gong remarked, "It seems that young students like young professors!"

"Mr. Qi Gong, this is applause from the students of Beijing Normal University. The professors at Beijing Normal University have taught a group of excellent students who are full of youthful energy and have a warm hospitality," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Hahaha!"

The hallway was packed with people, and they finally managed to get into the lecture hall.

The professor sat in front, and the students behind him crowded around him; the enthusiastic scene was just like when Liu Yimin gave a lecture during his school days.

Li Xiusheng gave a welcoming speech, followed by Yan Jiayan introducing the textbooks to the students of the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University.

"Students, you are all studying Western modern literary thought, but there are no textbooks and it lacks a systematic approach. This is something that our Chinese Department of Yenching University has painstakingly compiled."

Yan Jiayan talked about how good the textbook was, but the students below listened listlessly.

"Next, please welcome Professor Liu Yimin to the stage to give a speech!"

The classroom immediately erupted in cheers, like firecrackers had been lit, with applause coming one after another.

Li Xiusheng chuckled and teased, "Old Yan, you're not so great either. You're not as influential as the associate professors under you."

“Don’t say you’re jealous, I’m jealous too. This was the scene when this kid was in school. Not to mention your lecture hall, even the auditorium would be packed with people,” Yan Jiayan said.

Liu Yimin walked onto the stage and smiled as he raised the textbook in his hand: "This textbook was jointly compiled by me, Professor Zhu Guangqian, a first-level professor at Yenching University, and the late Professor Yang Hui, the former head of the Chinese Department at Yenching University. Since it is a textbook on Western modern literary thought, what I will be teaching today is also the content of Western modern literary thought."

Liu Yimin has covered these topics countless times, and he has also taught more macro-level courses, such as the one he gave when he was competing as an associate professor and gave a comprehensive overview of modern Western literary thought.

Today's lecture was almost exactly the same as the last one. Liu Yimin was very enthusiastic and spoke fluently. When the students below heard something they didn't understand, they immediately raised their hands to speak.

"Professor Liu, isn't material abundance a good thing? Why did resistance movements emerge in the West?" a student asked, raising his hand.

"The abundance of material goods and the resistance of thought are not contradictory, because a society overflowing with commodities alienates people's minds, making them feel suffocated. When they discover that social development and industrialization do not bring them more freedom or a better future, they become disillusioned with capitalist society and a wave of resistance emerges."

Liu Yimin lectured for a full two hours at Beijing Normal University before ending. After the lecture, many students rushed to the podium with copies of "The Birth of a Nation" or other single-volume books, asking Liu Yimin to sign them.

This scene terrified the professors in the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University, as they had not made any contingency plans for it.

More and more people gathered on the stage, turning the front row where the professor sat into an isolated island, making it impossible for him to stand up and walk away.

Liu Yimin quickly signed the books, but the order was so chaotic that some students finally managed to hand their books to Liu Yimin for his signature and say thank you, only to have their books taken away by others.

Li Xiusheng asked Yan Jiayan what to do, and Yan Jiayan said helplessly, "Find a few young teachers to separate the crowd and let Yimin go. How can so many female students be crowding together like this!"

In the 1980s, there were more male students than female students in teachers' colleges, but that didn't stop there from more female students than male students surrounding the podium.

Yan Jiayan had experience in handling such matters, and he directed several lecturers and teaching assistants from Beijing Normal University to push their way up, ultimately creating a path for Liu Yimin.

On the way back to Yenching University, Liu Yimin pointed to the two bloody marks on his face: "Professor Yan, does this count as a work injury?"

Yan Jiayan and Zhu Guangqian were amused, and even carefully analyzed what caused the two bloodstains.

Liu Yimin vaguely felt that it was a scratch from the sharp edge of a single-volume book, but he wasn't too sure.

Upon arriving at the Chinese Department, Yan Jiayan received another piece of good news: "Henan University and Zhengzhou University in Henan Province have both decided to use their textbooks."

"No wonder you're from the same hometown!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Yan Jiayan said, "In their letter, they also invited you to visit Hebei University and Zhengzhou University when you have time, since it's your hometown."

Thus far, the textbook promotion has achieved initial results, with five universities—Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, Hebei University, Zhengzhou University, and Yenching University—starting to use it.

With a solid foundation, expanding the gains became much easier. In the days that followed, good news kept pouring in, and many schools expressed their desire for them to come and give lectures.

Unfortunately, with so many schools, Yenching University couldn't possibly cover them all. So, the university started writing papers on the textbooks and publishing them in journals for Chinese departments at other universities to study.

In mid-December, snowflakes occasionally fell in Yanjing. Although they weren't heavy, the roads often froze due to splashed water. Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin moved into a courtyard house, and Liu Yimin bought two more air conditioners and installed them in the study and living room, which made things much warmer.

After slowly dropping Zhu Lin off at the Beijing People's Art Theatre on his motorcycle, Liu Yimin went into Cao Yu's office and handed him the last draft for his perusal.

"The Best Restaurant Under Heaven?" Cao Yu glanced at it and began to read it with curiosity.

After reading for a while, he laughed and said, "This is about Quanjude!"

"When talking about food in Yanjing, one cannot help but mention Quanjude. What do you think? If you think it's acceptable, the script for the play will definitely be out by the end of the month."

P.S.: Thank you to the generous donor Meizhai for the 1500 Qidian Coins reward.

(End of this chapter)