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

Chapter 381, "The Number One Restaurant Under Heaven," has been published.

Upon hearing Yan Jiayan's words, a group of professors laughed and talked about how many letters they had written to friends recommending textbooks.

Currently, ten universities have chosen the textbooks compiled by Liu Yimin and his colleagues, and Yan Jiayan is even preparing to include this textbook in the syllabus for the postgraduate entrance examination of Chinese literature departments next year.

"Professor Yan, only ten!" Liu Yimin said.

Yan Jiayan shook his head and said, "A single spark can start a prairie fire!"

Yu Hua looked enviously at the atmosphere in the Chinese Department office, her longing to become a university teacher growing even stronger, but unfortunately she didn't have the qualifications.

Liu Yimin looked at Yu Hua, pondered for a moment, and then suggested to Yan Jiayan, "Professor Yan, I think Yenching University could also set up a literary workshop. Many writers like Yu Hua don't have formal academic qualifications, but they do have writing ability. We could set up a literary workshop to solve the academic qualification problem for these writers."

"We could even hold a graduate program in the future, raising their qualifications to master's level. I think this would enhance the influence of Yenching University's Chinese Department in the literary world."

Yu Hua obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees through a literary workshop. He studied for his graduate degree in a writers' class jointly organized by Beijing Normal University and the Lu Xun Literary Workshop of the Writers Association. Through this process, he later became a university professor.

Yan Jiayan thought Liu Yimin's idea was good, and Wu Zuxiang next to him said, "If there really is such a class, Yimin, you have to be the class teacher."

"Haha, Professor Wu, I never thought about becoming a homeroom teacher. I have a bunch of troublemakers under my command, it's a headache for me too. I want to live a few more years!" Liu Yimin shook his head with a smile.

Yu Hua kept looking at the expressions of Yan Jiayan and the other professors, wondering if Yenching University would be established. If it was, he would definitely get in.

If we can't get in through the front door, there's always the back door!

Yan Jiayan said he could apply to the Education Commission, but this class couldn't be set up just like that. So many people didn't get into school through the college entrance exam; their student registration and the subsequent allocation of places couldn't be resolved without official documents from higher authorities.

Yu Hua was even happier than if it were Chinese New Year when he heard this. He was not qualified to enter the Writers Association's literary workshop, so Yenching University's workshop was a good choice.

Yan Jiayan gave Liu Yimin a few more instructions, telling him to pay attention to the course schedule when he got home. Lunar New Year's Eve in 1984 was on February 1st, and after January 10th, each department would arrange for a holiday. The exam questions and grading could not be delayed.

"Understood, Professor Yan, I'll be back after New Year's Day."

The following afternoon, which happened to be the weekend, Liu Yimin invited Liu Zhenyun and Shi Tiesheng to the courtyard for hot pot to bid farewell to Yu Hua.

After receiving his subsidy and royalties from Yanjing Literature and Art, Yu Hua bought some meat by the roadside and carried it to a courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang.

When they arrived at the courtyard house, Liu Zhenyun and Shi Tiesheng were already waiting.

Liu Zhenyun asked Yu Hua how much subsidy she received, and Yu Hua proudly replied, "I've never received this much in my salary, plus eighty or ninety yuan in royalties. And since I'm the writer who edits the manuscript, I can take a sleeper train back home and won't have to stand anymore."

After Yu Hua finished speaking, she unconsciously touched the money on her chest and felt for the first time that she was so rich.

Liu Zhenyun quickly said, "It's not safe to leave your money like that. There are a lot of pickpockets on trains these days. You don't want to get robbed!"

After Shi Tiesheng was confined to a wheelchair, he never traveled far from home and never witnessed the despicable nature of pickpockets firsthand. However, this did not prevent him from reading many news reports and from agreeing with Yu Hua's suggestion to move to another location.

Yu Hua said with lingering fear, "Then what should we do?"

Liu Yimin looked at Liu Zhenyun, then at Yu Hua: "Let's not discuss this issue anymore. In a little while, say a few nice words to Zhenyun and ask him to give you a treasure!"

Liu Zhenyun smiled knowingly: "Leave it to me."

Baby, naturally, refers to his zippered waistband with a wallet.

"Where is Comrade Zhu Lin?" Liu Zhenyun looked around the yard curiously, but did not find Zhu Lin. He only saw a cat jumping around in the cold wind.

"New Year's Day is coming soon, and the Beijing People's Art Theatre is preparing to hold a celebration. Everyone is busy at the theatre!" Liu Yimin explained.

Liu Zhenyun pushed Shi Tiesheng towards the hot pot: "Then we'll get a good deal today."

Plates of mutton were cooked in the hot pot, and cabbages and spinach grown outside were simply picked, washed, and thrown into the pot, resulting in an incredibly delicious dish.

"My dream is to buy a courtyard house in Yanjing like Yimin, where I can listen to birdsong in spring, cicadas in summer, insects in autumn, and snow in winter," Liu Zhenyun said enviously.

After saying that, Liu Zhenyun shook his head and said, "I'm not counting on that salary!"

Liu Yimin asked curiously, "Zhenyun, why didn't you bring Jianmei with you? Speaking of which, Jianmei is also my junior sister!"

"Oh, they're just shy. Besides, the Department of Justice is very busy. They have to sort out a lot of laws and try to legislate in areas where there is no legislation yet."

The combination of air conditioning and hot pot made it hot, and since Yu Hua grew up in the south and couldn't handle spicy food, he was sweating profusely. He didn't take off his clothes; he was wearing a detachable collar underneath, and it would look bad if he took it off.

Starting in the 1960s, detachable collars became very popular in China. Collarless clothes relied entirely on detachable collars to make them look presentable.

A detachable collar only extends from the collar to the shoulder, secured to the shoulder with strips of fabric. It looks almost identical to a real collar, saving money and fabric.

The awkward thing is that you can't usually take it off, and it's embarrassing to have a fake collar showing when you do.

After dinner, everyone strolled around the courtyard. Liu Zhenyun exclaimed in surprise, "So many authors have written to us already?"

The number of people who came was twice that of their last wedding.

"Oh dear, the letters from readers of Harvest magazine are still stored in Shanghai!"

Several people saw the script that Liu Yimin was writing, but unfortunately he hadn't written much, and they couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Liu Zhenyun said, "The first time I went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to see a play, it was Yimin who gave me the ticket."

"I should give you two!"

Liu Zhenyun laughed heartily and said, "Xiao Guo and I each took one; that was the first time I asked her out."

We arrived at the memorial house where Zhu Lin served as the head of the house, where various photos were hung on the walls according to the time period.

Liu Zhenyun pointed at him, who was wearing a white shirt and riding a bicycle, and said, "Yimin, when I get married, you'll have to ride a bicycle too. Who took this picture? They made me look so ugly."

"Comrade Yu Jiajia!"

"The Iron Lady!" Liu Zhenyun exclaimed. He had also heard of the Iron Lady from the China Youth Daily in the Farmers' Daily.

"Is this Mr. Mao Dun? Is this Xia Yan?" Shi Tiesheng and Yu Hua asked, pointing at the people above.

Liu Yimin nodded, and Liu Zhenyun said, "I even had drinks with Mr. Cao Yu and Mr. Xia Yan when we got married!"

Throughout the entire viewing, Yu Hua's exclamations never ceased. He thought to himself that anyone who could be hung in a room was no ordinary person; he wondered when he himself would be hung up like that.

"Moon viewing during the Mid-Autumn Festival is quite interesting; there are really a lot of people here!" Liu Zhenyun said.

After walking around the yard, Yu Hua was covered in sweat. As Liu Zhenyun saw Yu Hua off, he touched his forehead in confusion: "Did it snow?"

A chill ran down my spine, and when I looked up, I saw that snowflakes had indeed begun to fall.

Shi Tiesheng held Yu Hua's hand and said, "Who says the heavens are unwelcoming? A snowstorm sends one person off!"

"Comrades Liu Yimin, Zhenyun, and Tiesheng, we'll meet again when we have the chance. I'll definitely come back to Yanjing to revise the manuscript. I'll stay a few more days next time I revise it," Yu Hua said readily.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, finally fulfilling Yu Hua's wish to see snow. With her cheeks red from the cold, Yu Hua was as happy as a child in the snow.

Although Yu Hua could have taken a sleeper berth, he chose to return with a standing ticket. When the train stopped in Shandong Province, he got off and bought four roast chickens, as his father was from Shandong and loved them.

As the first writer to go to Beijing to revise his manuscript, Yu Hua caused a sensation in the small county of Haiyan. The county government personally transferred him to the cultural center he had always dreamed of.

Unfortunately, Yu Huaxin already had someone else by then.

Upon arriving at the cultural center, Yu Hua spent his time writing and chatting with a group of writers, recounting his experiences in Yenching.

"Comrade Liu Yimin treated me to Fengzeyuan! Fengzeyuan, the one from the novel 'The Legendary Shopkeeper.' Because of that article, Fengzeyuan was free for Comrade Liu Yimin, and we ate for several tens of yuan in one go!"

"A few tens of yuan? A month's salary?"

"Hmm!"

Yu Hua smacked his lips, reminiscing about the taste of braised sea cucumber with scallions and pork intestines. Looking at the several elderly writers around him whose teeth outnumbered their hair, he lost the desire to share. He still needed to write more, and he still needed to go to Yanjing!

Not long after Yu Hua left Yanjing, Liu Yimin flew to Zhengzhou and then took a train to Rucheng.

After giving birth, Gu Ping, the eldest sister-in-law, stayed in the hospital for less than ten days before returning to her hometown. While she was in the hospital, people from the mining bureau and its subordinate coal mines often visited her. The eldest brother simply let his sister-in-law return and stay in Maiji Brigade.

Although Liu Yiguo, the eldest brother, held the title of deputy section chief, his words carried weight. In November, the Ministry of Coal issued a notice entitled "Notice on Actively Supporting the Masses in Running Mines," adopting a "flow of funds quickly" policy. Many wealthy private individuals began preparing to open mines and mine coal.

Liu Yiguo was also in charge of production safety, so naturally he became someone to be worshipped.

Li Lanyong brought Liu Yimin back to Maiji Brigade and happily talked about the changes in Maiji Brigade this year.

The brigade not only planted cotton but also sesame, and every household earned more money than last year.

"Yimin, do you remember there's a shooting range next to our commune?" Li Lanyong asked. "I remember, what's wrong with me?"

"The troops there have left, been transferred, and should have gone to the front lines. There was a tank battalion there, but they left, so the land is empty. The commune and county want to use this land to build a factory. Qingping can help us get a piece of land in the commune. I'm thinking of using it to build a factory. What do you think?"

"What are you selling?"

"Roasted nuts and seeds, roasted peanuts, dried sweet potatoes, roasted sunflower seeds. I heard that there's a private business in Anhui province that's selling roasted sunflower seeds very well, but their market is in the south. We're doing this in the north, and besides, we're a collective enterprise. I heard they're having a tough year, but our collective enterprise doesn't have as many problems."

Li Lanyong talked about his plans: this business requires little investment but yields high profits; once he has the money, he will do other things.

“Okay, but the recipe has to be good. If it’s delicious, I’ll advertise for our brigade in the newspaper,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

However, building a factory next to the commune could easily cause conflicts with other brigades, since everyone wants to do business that can make money.

"We need to take all of this into account when competition arises. Will the team need to raise the funds?"

"Yes, I'm just worried that people won't be very enthusiastic."

Liu Yimin patted Li Lanyong on the shoulder: "I support you. If we need to raise funds, I can contribute more."

"Really?"

"real!"

Entering Maiji Brigade, Li Lanyong said with great enthusiasm, "It's time for our brigade to launch a whirlwind and transform its appearance!"

Li Lanyong dropped Liu Yimin off at the door and went back inside. According to custom, outsiders are not allowed to enter a house when a child has just been born.

Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun looked Liu Yimin up and down with delight, took the things from his hands, and kept asking him how he was doing.

"Is my older brother not home?"

“Your older brother is too busy at work, he’ll be back tonight,” Yang Xiuyun said.

Liu Yimin went to his elder brother and sister-in-law's room to check on his little nephew, who was fast asleep.

Sister-in-law Gu Ping said, "You don't really need to come back from so far away. Linlin is pregnant, and your brother and I understand."

"It's alright, sister-in-law, flying is fast these days!"

Liu Yimin stayed in the room for a while before leaving his sister-in-law's room.

When his older brother came home that evening, he saw Liu Yimin and gave him a hug. You could see that Liu Yiguo was filled with the joy of becoming a father for the first time.

Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun look younger these days. With their grandson, a huge weight has been lifted off their shoulders, and they're all smiles every day.

"Brother, how's work?"

"It's alright, but all the pulling strings and backdoors is really annoying. They even managed to get into Pingping's delivery room through backdoors," Liu Yiguo said helplessly.

The family sat around the stove, warming themselves by the fire. Liu Yimin explained their strategy to his older brother. The most important point was simple: don't charge them money.

"You can't accept anything. Sometimes, there might be money hidden somewhere!"

While gently rocking the child in her arms, Gu Ping, the eldest sister-in-law, looked up and said, "I told your brother to just do his job well and live a peaceful life. We don't have to worry about food or drink now, and the whole family is together. It's much better than the days when I had no parents."

The elder brother named the child Liu An: "I work in security, so let's name him 'An' (meaning peace) so that I can always be vigilant in the future."

Liu An? He shares the same name as the King of Huainan!

Upon hearing this, Liu Yiguo said, "Then let's call him Liu Anquan!"

"Come on, let's just call him Liu An, and his nickname will be An'an!" the sister-in-law said, rolling her eyes.

"Hahaha."

Yang Xiuyun affectionately hugged her eldest grandson, murmuring "An'an" all the while.

"Yimin, you and Linlin shouldn't come back for the Spring Festival this year. It's inconvenient for Linlin to travel back and forth with her big belly," Liu Fuqing said.

"Okay, that's what I meant too."

Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun inquired about Zhu Lin's health and were relieved to learn that he was in good health.

The next morning, around dawn, the family began preparing food for the guests. The chef and his apprentices brought the food to the yard.

The rice and noodle feast was relatively simple and didn't require much preparation. Almost every household in the village came, bringing eggs or rice and noodles.

My sister-in-law's uncle also came, carrying a six-foot-long piece of floral cloth and a tiger-head hat.

The noise of the firecrackers woke up the entire Maiji Brigade. When Liu Yimin was greeting guests at the door, he found that he did not recognize some of the faces.

It's only been a few years, and another batch of people have grown up.

Liu Yimin wanted to strike up a conversation, but didn't know how to address him. This is probably why people who leave the countryside are called "bookworms" or "fools" when they return.
After Li Lanyong's introduction, Liu Yimin learned that some of the women were girls from other villages who had married into the village or sons-in-law who had moved in with the villagers, while the others were a group of children who were growing up.

When adults led their children past Liu Yimin, they always told them to learn from him and get into Yenching University to become writers.

At the rice and noodle feast, Liu Yimin talked a lot with Li Lanyong and his father, mainly about national policies.

After the rice and flour feast ended, Liu Yimin stayed in Maiji Brigade for a day before leaving Rucheng and returning to Yanjing.

Before leaving, Liu Yimin left five thousand yuan for Liu Fuguo and Yang Xiuyun, instructing them to use it for their own purposes, or to use it if the brigade needed to raise funds to build a factory.

The two elders had never seen so much money before. Upon seeing it, they kept stuffing it into Liu Yimin's pocket, telling him to take it back to Yanjing for his own use.

"Dad, Mom, I have money. I'm a ten-thousand-yuan household now. Don't worry, I don't lack money. You two take good care of yourselves at home. If my eldest brother and sister-in-law need money but are hesitant to ask, just tell me."

Liu Yimin stuffed the money back into the old couple's hands and got on the tractor. On the way, he spoke a few more words to Li Lanyong, telling him to think it over.

“Collective matters are different from individual matters. If an individual loses money, they have to swallow their pride and bear it. But if the collective loses money, everyone will condemn them.”

“Yimin, I understand what you’re saying. I’ll do my best to help our brigade. If we really lose money, I’ll go door to door to pay back the money myself.”

Seeing Li Lanyong's dejected and forlorn expression, Liu Yimin punched him in the chest: "Don't worry, you don't need to pay me back what's mine."

"Hahaha, I'm not returning yours either!"

Liu Yimin boarded the train, and Li Lanyong waved his only remaining arm vigorously, saying goodbye.

An older comrade said, "You guys have such a good relationship!"

“If it were before, he would have shed tears.”

Why aren't you crying now?

"He only has one arm left!"

In Rucheng, "伙计" means brother or friend.

New Year's Day meant nothing to people in remote mountain villages, but in Beijing, people were celebrating the arrival of 1984.

The publication of "The Best Restaurant Under Heaven" enriched the cultural life of the people of Yanjing during the New Year's Day holiday.

"Oh my, another trilogy, all about old Beijing. The No. 1 Restaurant Under Heaven? Quanjude? Interesting."

Quanjude's manager, Jiang Junxian, received a copy of "People's Literature and Art" from his employees early in the morning. After reading the title and the stories inside, he felt extremely proud. "Comrade Liu Yimin has certified it as the No. 1 restaurant in the world!"

"Manager Jiang, Comrade Liu Yimin has finished writing it. Should we really give the Chinese Department of Yenching University ten thousand yuan?" the employee next to him said reluctantly.

"Ten thousand? Give me twenty thousand! Do we care about ten thousand? What we want is fame, we're fighting for first place! Have you seen the play 'The Legendary Shopkeeper'? It's so well-produced."

When "The Best Restaurant Under Heaven" is staged, all those old Beijing's eight famous restaurants will be forgotten; everyone will only remember one restaurant: Quanjude! Twenty thousand yuan isn't much, but this play will continue to be performed at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and this book will continue to sell.

"Maybe it'll be made into a movie or TV series, and we'll get our money's worth back."

Jiang Junxian had a clear understanding of business principles and a business acumen that surpassed many others. No wonder he later became the chairman of Quanjude Group, which owns several sub-brands, including "Fengzeyuan".

"What? Twenty thousand? Manager Jiang, did I hear that right?!" Yan Jiayan's hand holding the phone trembled with excitement.

"It's about supporting education!"

(End of this chapter)