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

Chapter 416 Liu Yimin: The CIA and the FBI are both trying to persecute me

In the lecture hall of San Jose State University, as the professor's voice faded, a burst of mocking laughter erupted from the audience.

Liu Yimin was not angry at all, but instead gave them a brief introduction to the history of the Chinese abacus.

"While you Europeans were counting on your fingers, the Chinese had already begun using the abacus. The abacus first appeared in China around 550 BC, making its history longer than that of Europe."

The abacus can greatly improve mathematical calculation skills. Have you noticed that Chinese students are generally better at calculations than American students? There's a joke about an American tourist in China who, after receiving change, would spend ages calculating whether it was right or wrong, while the shop owner was already packing up to go home, and he was still counting on his fingers.

After finishing his speech, Liu Yimin laughed on stage and continued, "Ancient Chinese technology was very advanced, but why is it lagging behind Europe and America today? Because we closed ourselves off from the world. But now we have decided to engage with the world. I believe that the collision of civilizations will surely generate new sparks and new technologies."

To the students and professors of San Jose State University, look west and you'll see the vast Pacific Ocean; beyond the Pacific Ocean lies China. I hope we won't limit our thinking to our American identity, but rather embrace an international perspective, make greater contributions to international peace, and become internationalists.

Some students applauded, while others stroked their chins in deep thought. One professor asked again, "If it's for world peace, why does China still need to build atomic bombs? Atomic bombs are terrible weapons; they could easily destroy the world."

"The atomic bomb is like a stick to beat a dog; with a stick, the dog won't dare come near. Professor, you said you've seen 'The Great East Rises,' so you should understand why the Chinese went to build the atomic bomb. Because you Americans are always thinking of dropping a nuclear bomb on us."

You should ask your governments why they issue nuclear threats around the world and why they ignite global wars.

Liu Yimin then gave another example to illustrate how much China loves peace.

"After we developed the atomic bomb, we proposed that the world should immediately and completely ban and destroy nuclear weapons. This is the attitude of the Chinese people towards the atomic bomb. We developed the atomic bomb for our own peace, and we ban and destroy it for world peace. In addition, the number of nuclear warheads in China is negligible compared with that of the United States."

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, there was a silence of about thirty seconds. Then, some students in the back row stood up and shouted slogans such as "Racial equality, world peace".

There were also Black people holding signs that read the famous quote from Black athletes: "We are not slaves, we are free men."

Liu Yimin pointed to the sign behind him and shouted the same slogan, "Racial equality, world peace."

"There is only one type of cotton in the world that is red. Do you know which country's cotton it is from?"

"The United States!" Liu Yimin shouted out the answer when no one answered.

Amid cheers from the Black community, Nikki led Liu Yimin away from San Jose State University.

Sitting in the car, Niki shrugged at Liu Yimin: "This is a real hellish joke!"

"Ms. Nicky, how many books did we sell?"

Nikki said, "More than a thousand copies. How many were sold on the spot is not important. What is more important is the impact."

"So, isn't that how influence comes about?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

Niki smiled and shook her head, saying helplessly, "Liu, you're more suited to be a businesswoman than I am."

On the way back, Nikki told the editor of The Paris Review about their upcoming visit: "Your two novels have brought their magazine tremendous success, and they will definitely want to commission you to write again."

"I still have a few days before I leave, so I'll have time to see them."

"Hmm? Weren't you eager to return to China?"

"Something came up unexpectedly."

"whats the matter?"

"You'll find out in a few days," Liu Yimin said vaguely.

In the afternoon, Liu Yimin met with the editor of The Paris Review. Niki introduced him to George Plympton, one of the founders of The Paris Review.

“Liu, you can just call me George,” George Plimpton said with great poise.

George Plumpton comes from an aristocratic family, both of whose parents have a political tradition, and he received training in so-called "aristocratic manners" from a young age. George Plumpton is now in his sixties or seventies, and his white hair accentuates his age.

"Hello, George."

George shook Liu Yimin's hand and expressed his gratitude: "We consider it a success if our Paris Review sells 100,000 copies per issue in the United States. Your novel has shown us endless possibilities, and that pure literature still has a market in America. Liu, thank you very much."

“George, we have a cooperative relationship. Without your magazine, my article wouldn’t have been able to be published,” Liu Yimin said politely.

“No, even if it weren’t for The Paris Review, other magazines would have been willing to publish it. Liu, when I learned that you had come to America again, I decided I had to meet you in person. You are indeed as I imagined, a talented, humorous, and humble young man.”

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Nikki invited everyone to sit down and chat at the coffee shop.

George asked Liu Yimin if he was interested in writing a few more novels with American themes, as they wanted to stabilize their sales.

"After the publication of 'Beloved,' sales increased rapidly. However, when the summer issue came out, sales suddenly dropped back to normal because there were no heavyweight novels. Our editorial team was very frustrated."

George paused after speaking, then said, "It would be best to focus on works that reflect the literature of slavery. Nowadays, the American market is very receptive to works of slavery literature, and because of their historical and social value, the literary world often gives them high marks."

"Yes, but we don't know the specific submission deadline yet," Liu Yimin said.

George smiled and said, "We can raise the fee to 15 cents per word."

A ripple of emotion stirred in Liu Yimin's heart. 15 cents per word, that's 150 US dollars per thousand words. Last time, "Beloved" was priced at 10 cents, so this is a 5-cent increase.

Liu Yimin remained silent. George took a breath and said again, "16 cents. Liu, this is the highest price we can offer. Our magazine focuses on the pure literature market, and in the United States, you have no better partner than us."

"George, I'll send it to you as soon as I have the manuscript." Liu Yimin smiled and picked up his coffee cup, gesturing slightly to him.

Seeing that Liu Yimin agreed, George felt relieved and once again took the initiative to shake hands with Liu Yimin.

Niki was talking about the history of The Paris Review. The Paris Review had a high status in the American literary world, but its sales were always poor. In fact, after it was founded in Paris, it was once destitute.

After moving back to New York, the editorial office continued to operate from George's apartment. George stated that he had dedicated his life to *The Paris Review* and hoped it would one day become a flagship of American literary magazines.

"Liu, would it be alright if one day a reporter from our Paris Review came to China and did an exclusive interview with you?"

Liu Yimin joked, "Making both is fine."

The three exchanged smiles, the atmosphere quite harmonious. In front of Liu Yimin, Nikki discussed some collaboration issues with George, including facilitating the publication of authors' books.

"Goodbye, Liu. I believe you will continue to write great works."

At the San Francisco church, Joseph and his wife, the leaders of an environmental group, opened the car door for Liu Yimin, and the three of them walked into the church with smiles on their faces, like old friends who hadn't seen each other for many years.

Joseph drove a very nice car. Liu Yimin learned after asking him that he used to be the founder of a technology company, which he later sold for a large sum of US dollars. Afterwards, he felt empty in his life and gradually developed a passion for environmental protection.

No wonder this guy can often protest with a flag; he's got money.

Upon entering the church, the environmental group, predominantly white, had many members holding Liu Yimin's "The Old Man and the Dog." With tears in their eyes, they shared their feelings about reading the novel and paid tribute to the Chinese people's efforts in planting trees and fighting against sandstorms.

They each gave Liu Yimin a hug and a kiss, saying "Amen" to him.

Joseph and his wife went to the front of the church and gave another "terrible" speech, claiming that if the ignorant people were not awakened, the world would be destroyed in the near future.

“Every American should understand that as the Arctic glaciers melt, the Pacific Ocean will flood our homes. Tsunamis will strike, buildings will collapse, and our bodies will hang from churches.”
Every citizen of San Francisco should know that our home needs our protection.

Every citizen of San Francisco, every American citizen, and people all over the world should take action and learn from the Chinese people!

Joseph's voice echoed in the church, and after being reflected off the surrounding walls, it sounded even more inflammatory.

After Joseph finished speaking, he extended his hand to invite Liu Yimin to the stage: "Today we have invited our most distinguished guest - Professor Liu, to tell us how China has succeeded in environmental protection."

Liu Yimin stepped onto the stage, took a copy of "The Old Man and the Dog" from an environmentalist next to him, and said loudly: "According to what I know, since I left the United States last time, we Chinese have planted about 100,000 trees. The carbon dioxide absorbed by these 100,000 trees can allow American steel companies to emit carbon dioxide with a clear conscience for another day."

But how many days does our Earth have left? How do Chinese people plant trees? They plant trees with their spirit. We don't have advanced machinery, so we plant trees by shoveling soil one shovel at a time.

What you are seeing is not fiction, but real events. Yet our efforts are often ignored, rendering them futile. If the United States were to reduce its environmental pollution by just one percent each year, it would far outweigh the benefits of decades of tree planting.

We feel helpless, but we will never give up!

Joseph said from the audience, "We were very saddened when we finished reading this novel, and we really wanted to do something for you."

"Brothers, you don't need to do anything, just keep enjoying yourselves!"

"We definitely want to do something for you, but we haven't decided yet."

Still haven't decided? All my previous points were for nothing—no machinery, no money!

After stepping off the stage and listening to several veteran environmentalists finish their speeches, everyone gathered together to chat. Liu Yimin asked them if they needed to go to work.

I discovered that most of these people don't need to work, and they're all quite wealthy.

Liu Yimin suggested, “The church has a choir, and our environmental organization should also have its own program. I suggest that we rehearse ‘The Old Man and the Dog’ into a play and tour it across the United States to garner support for our environmental cause.”

Joseph's eyes lit up when he heard this; he thought it was a good option. Promoting only in San Francisco wasn't very meaningful; they should promote it nationwide.

“We can also charge admission fees and donate the money to forest farms in China. We can also encourage people to donate. Manual tree planting is too slow; we should use machinery.”

The words of an American next to him struck a chord with Liu Yimin: there are still some sensible people in this group!

“That’s a great idea, Liu. I hope you can come to the United States to guide us, and we can tour all over the United States and even all over Europe together.” The Josephs hugged each other happily and kissed each other’s cheeks.

Liu Yimin looked tempted, then shook his head.

A group of people immediately asked Liu Yimin what was wrong? Did he not like environmental protection?

Liu Yimin quickly waved his hand, indicating that he had something difficult to say and really dared not speak.

Under repeated questioning, Liu Yimin finally revealed that the CIA had contacted him, and that he believed the CIA had been monitoring his every word and action, with the FBI also involved.

Liu Yimin didn't care whether Bond was from the CIA or the FBI; both said that no matter what, it couldn't be wrong.

“If Mr. Márquez is under surveillance when he comes to the United States, what about me? I have already clearly refused them, and perhaps I will not be able to enter the United States after this.”

The group of people were stunned and cursed the CIA and FBI for their shamelessness and despicable behavior.

“God, look at what our government has done!” Joseph cried out, looking at the cross in front of the church.

"Liu, we will support you! We will fight evil to the very end!"

"Yes, fight to the end!"

Liu Yimin took their hands and said, "Forget it, the American police are too violent. I'm afraid you'll get hurt. You can come to China to see me later."

Joseph started cursing the US president. As soon as Liu Yimin left, he immediately called the newspaper and told the CIA and FBI about monitoring Liu Yimin and trying to lure him into becoming a spy.

Upon learning the news, the San Francisco Chronicle, like a cat smelling fish, published the explosive story in its newspaper without waiting for verification.

The next day, the whole of America knew that the CIA had not only begun monitoring Marquez, but also Liu Yimin, and even tried to recruit him with money.

The news swept across the United States like a hurricane and spread to the world, causing widespread panic and casting a shadow over various academic exchange conferences.

(End of this chapter)