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

Chapter 510 The Two Elders Arrive in Beijing

Fujita Noji quietly observed Liu Yimin. Their Ministry of Foreign Affairs had dedicated funds for this matter. He had been somewhat vague in his earlier remarks, but Fujita believed Liu Yimin could understand his meaning.

Furthermore, the so-called research institute signed an exchange and cooperation project with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote exchanges between Chinese teachers and Japan. The word "exchange" alone doesn't present any problem; in fact, if it were published in the news, it would be seen as a positive story of cultural exchange.

Fujita Noji thought Liu Yimin wouldn't refuse, and looked completely confident while sipping tea. Komi Heko, standing nearby, unconsciously shifted her body, appearing somewhat embarrassed.

She was filled with mixed feelings. If Liu Yimin agreed, their trip to China would be a complete success. But to agree so easily was completely unlike the Liu Jun she had known for four years at Yenching University.

If she disagreed, she would feel better, at least it would prove that her group of international students hadn't misjudged her.

Back then, students from the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press who were studying abroad privately all agreed that Liu Yimin was a patriotic young man. Students from the PLO in the Middle East believed that if Palestine had more young people like Liu Yimin, then national liberation would truly be within reach.

Osamu Tezuka sipped his tea, his mind filled with complex emotions. He wanted to be a pure manga artist, but the Animation Association was responsible for promoting Japanese animation.

"How many US dollars can you contribute to the exchange program?" Liu Yimin swirled the tea in his teacup.

“We can subsidize each person with around $3000, and we will cover all living expenses in Japan. Mr. Liu, is that alright?” Fujita Noji asked.

“Three thousand, that should be about right. It seems you are very sincere. I plan to send tens of thousands of teachers to Japan for exchanges within five years. I wonder when the thirty million US dollars will arrive so I can arrange for our teachers to go there for exchanges?” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Tens of thousands of teachers, thirty million US dollars? Mr. Liu, you must be joking. We don't have that much funding. We only have about ten places available each year."

"Fujita, you were the one who joked with me first."

Fujita's expression changed instantly. He realized he had been tricked by Liu Yimin, but he still suppressed his anger. They were there for an exchange, and if word got out of the way, it would affect relations between the two countries.

Osamu Tezuka quickly said, "Have some tea, have some tea, Mr. Liu. I believe Mr. Fujita had no other intentions; it was all for the sake of mutual exchange. Our two countries are developing rapidly in the economic and cultural fields, and I believe our relationship will become increasingly close in the future."

"Mr. Liu, I didn't describe it clearly. What we wanted to do was a normal exchange program." Fujita also began to deny what he had said before.

Xiao Meihezi said, "Mr. Liu, you are welcome to visit Japan sometime. I apologize for the trouble we caused you today."

Xi Mei stood at the door and asked softly, "Professor Liu, the food is ready."

“The guests have already had their fill of tea; they won’t eat,” Liu Yimin said calmly.

Xi Mei didn't say anything after hearing this. She quickly went back to the kitchen and pulled Liu Yu and Liu Lin aside to quiet them down.

Fujita glanced at his watch: "Mr. Liu, it's getting late, we should head back now. We had a very pleasant conversation with you today, and we learned a lot about Chinese culture."

After speaking, he gave Liu Yimin a Japanese-style bow.

As she saw them to the door, Xiao Meihezi gave Liu Yimin an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Liu. I admire you very much!" Osamu Tezuka bowed his head in acknowledgment.

Liu Yimin extended his hand to invite them to step over the threshold: "I hope to return the exchange to its essence. Mr. Osamu Tezuka, you are a respectable cartoonist. What you should be doing is exchanging ideas about culture, comic art, and drawing styles."

Osamu Tezuka extended both hands to Liu Yimin: "Mr. Liu, I've learned a lot!"

After seeing them off, before even returning to the second courtyard, Zhu Lin came out of the room next to the study: "Teacher Liu."

"When did you get back?" Liu Yimin asked curiously.

"I came back a long time ago. I heard something was wrong inside, so I didn't go in." Zhu Lin smiled slyly and asked Liu Yimin what had happened.

Today is Sunday, but because of the premiere tomorrow, Zhu Lin has to work overtime to rehearse.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Let's eat first, let's eat first."

Xi Mei came out carrying the dishes: "Teacher Liu, we thought we would have guests, so we prepared a lot of dishes, but now it's just the few of us left. What should we do?"

"Let's eat first, we'll talk about it later if we can't finish it," Zhu Lin said helplessly.

Liu Yimin snorted: "We'd rather feed it to Fugui than give it to them."

Liu Yu and Liu Lin came out of the kitchen, their mouths greasy. They had been so hungry that Xi Mei had fed them a lot of food, so they weren't hungry anymore.

Xi Mei prepared five meat dishes, including braised pork, twice-cooked pork, and braised spare ribs. In addition, there were cold dishes such as smashed cucumber, onion salad, and glass noodles.

Xi Mei pointed to the steamed rice and said, "We can use the leftover rice to make fried rice tomorrow. Liu Yu and Liu Lin really like fried rice."

"Okay, this fried rice will last for two meals." Liu Yimin rubbed Liu Yu's head.

Liu Yu pinched the rice grains off the corner of her mouth and said happily, "We're having fried rice tomorrow! Aunt Ximei, please add more sausage. I love sausage the most!"

Zhu Lin patted Liu Yu, who was shaking his head, and said, "Sit still. If you're not hungry, go play with Sanhua."

"I'm not eating anymore, brother. Do you still want some?"

Liu Lin looked at the braised pork ribs in the middle of the table: "Eat!"

"I'll go play by myself." Liu Yu rubbed her nose, wiggled her bottom, got off the chair, and ran to play under the ginkgo tree.

Liu Yimin explained the purpose of their visit to Zhu Lin, who suddenly realized, "So there's so much going on here! I thought it was just a real exchange, but it turns out they want the professors from the Institute of Literature to promote Japanese culture and society for them."

"Yes, cultural exchanges between countries are often accompanied by propaganda, which is the purpose of communication. But using money to buy people's hearts is really despicable."

After finishing his meal, Liu Yimin returned to his study to prepare an internal statement, along with his own analysis.

At ten o'clock, Zhu Lin walked up behind Liu Yimin and said, "Teacher Liu, it's time to rest. Everyone's on holiday. Spend more time with the two children and don't work too hard."

Liu Yimin held Zhu Lin's hand and gently stroked it a few times: "Okay, get ready to sleep."

"The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow, so be careful when you go to pick up Mom and Dad," Zhu Lin instructed.

“Okay, here’s the radio. It’s Sunday, I’ll listen to ‘Youth Night Talk’ for a while before I go to sleep,” Liu Yimin said.

Zhu Lin brought the radio to Liu Yimin; this episode of "Youth Night Talk" was reading Deng Xiaoping's letter.

Liu Yimin turned on the radio and placed it by the windowsill, then pulled Liu Yu and Liu Lin to listen together.

“Dad, it’s your voice,” Liu Yu said.

"Correct."

Liu Lin asked, "Who is Dad talking to?"

"Dad is sharing Deng Xiaoping's letters with everyone."

"Grandpa Deng?"

"Yes, Grandpa Deng, he is sick now, so he wrote a letter. Okay, you two can listen to it with Dad."

The July nights were scorching hot. Countless people lay on rooftops, in courtyards, or sat on doorsteps, listening to "Youth Night Talks" on the radio, and hearing Deng Xiaoping's earnest exhortations to young people.

Under the starry sky, the radio's voice lingered in the young man's ears before drifting into the endless night.

Countless stars flickered on and off, and in an instant, a shooting star streaked across the sky, its dazzling light eclipsing the other stars.

Liu Yimin's voice came from the radio: "After studying for twenty years, I have returned from overseas; I have lived in anonymity for twenty-eight years, all for that thunderclap in the East; when the thunderclap sounds, it will shock all the heroes in the East; today I hold the long spear in my hand and can bind the azure dragon; in the future, I can reach for the moon in the nine heavens and capture turtles in the five oceans."

If all Chinese youth were like this, what would we have to fear from foreign enemies!

As Liu Yimin finished speaking, the listeners around the radio fell silent. Wu Zuxiang's "Dream of the Red Chamber" followed immediately, and after five or six minutes, the listeners were still reeling from the previous lecture.

"To reach for the moon in the heavens and to capture turtles in the five oceans—this quote from the old man's poem truly shows his grand vision. Deng Lao was truly great." The young man gently wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes.

Inside the hospital, Professor Xu Luxi clicked the radio off and gently walked to Old Deng's ear, saying, "Old Deng, it's time to rest!"

"Okay, this kid got really emotional later on."

The next day, Zhu Lin woke up to find the sky overcast with dark clouds. After finishing his meal, he hurriedly rode his motorcycle towards the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Liu Yimin listened to the weather forecast while eating. Liu Yu and Liu Lin, dressed in new clothes, received peeled eggs from Xi Mei.

"I don't want to eat this yellow stuff," Liu Yu pouted, looking at Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin didn't actually like egg yolks either, but he didn't want Liu Yu to develop this habit from a young age, so he said, "Grandpa and Grandma are coming today. Do you want them to see you like this?"

"But I really don't want to eat it."

"If you're worried about choking, eat a little at a time. Smart kids all like egg yolks," Liu Yimin coaxed. Liu Yu tilted her head, unable to understand why smart people liked egg yolks.

"I want to be a smart child too, and I love egg yolks." Liu Yu happily raised her hands above her head.

Liu Yimin said, "That's right. Look, brother, he's almost finished eating. You should eat too."

Seeing the two of them start eating at lightning speed, Liu Yimin finally felt relieved. However, seeing how Liu Yu was eating, he was worried that she might choke on the egg yolk.

After finishing his meal, Liu Yimin checked his watch; it was already nine o'clock. The telegram said the train would arrive at noon, so he had three hours to go.

The clouds in the sky grew heavier and heavier, and thunder could even be heard from the horizon. Summer in Yanjing is usually dry, but when it does rain, it's always a downpour.

"Ximei, take them inside to play. Don't let the thunder scare them," Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, Professor Liu, Liu Yu and Liu Lin, come inside with me."

"Turn off the TV and everything."

"it is good."

At this time, the voltage is already unstable, and electrical appliances can easily be damaged due to voltage fluctuations during thunderstorms.

Liu Yimin sat down in his study and continued writing the situation report he hadn't finished yesterday. Around 10:30, the rain started to fall, and it grew heavier and heavier.

Looking at the bubbles under the eaves, Liu Yimin decided not to ride his motorcycle anymore, but to take the bus to pick them up.

At eleven o'clock, I put on my raincoat and rain boots, and took two more raincoats and rain boots with me as I walked out of the courtyard.

The alleys around Liu Yimin's place are alright; there's no mud on the road. It's raining today, and there are far fewer people on the buses than usual.

When he arrived at Yanjing Railway Station, he bought a platform ticket and went to the platform. The heavy rain outside was blown onto the platform by the wind, so he had to find a place to take shelter from the rain.

Fortunately, the train was only twenty minutes late today. After searching for a while, Liu Yimin finally found Yang Xiuyun and Liu Fuqing.

"Second brother, why is it raining so hard today?" Liu Fuqing had nowhere to put the bag he was carrying.

Liu Yimin said, "Dad, I'll take this first. You put on your raincoat and rubber boots. Mom, wait a moment. This is the first time the weather forecast has been so accurate; it really rained as soon as it said it would."

"Yimin, what happened? You've lost weight again in just six months," Yang Xiuyun said, scrutinizing Liu Yimin's face.

"Mom, you must be mistaken. I've gained several pounds again," Liu Yimin said.

Liu Fuqing quickly put on his raincoat and buttoned it up: "Your mother is just worried sick. She's been talking about you every day since she came to visit. No matter how much you eat, your mother is still worried that you're not eating well."

"Dad, did you encounter any trouble on your way here?" Liu Yimin asked.

“No, there are railway police officers all the way. Your dad is a militiaman, I’m very vigilant, no one can steal anything from me,” Liu Fuqing said proudly.

Yang Xiuyun retorted sarcastically, "Yes, anyone who didn't know better would think you were a member of the People's Liberation Army."

“Militiamen are soldiers too, and we are also part of the People’s Liberation Army.” Liu Fuqing completely ignored Yang Xiuyun’s sarcastic remarks.

After Yang Xiuyun changed into a raincoat and rubber boots, Liu Yimin led them out of the train station and to the roadside to wait for the bus.

The rain was pouring down, and the water on the road was already above ankle level.

"Mom and Dad, the bus is here, hurry up and get on."

"Okay, don't let the food get wet," Yang Xiuyun said. The bag contained homemade vermicelli, artificial meat made from peanuts (a specialty of western Henan), clothes made by Yang Xiuyun, and other items.

When they arrived home, Liu Yu and Liu Lin ran straight into the yard as soon as they saw Yang Xiuyun. Yang Xiuyun was heartbroken and quickly carried them into the house.

"What if you two get a fever from getting wet in the rain?" Yang Xiuyun found towels and dried them off.

Liu Fuqing took off his raincoat and pulled out some candy from his pocket: "Do you still recognize Grandpa?"

Liu Yu chuckled, took the candy, stuffed it into his pocket, and said nothing. The two hadn't lived with Liu Fuqing much, and were more attached to Yang Xiuyun.

Yang Xiuyun dried Liu Yu and Liu Lin off: "Come on, let Grandma see if you've grown taller? If I hadn't come soon, you wouldn't have recognized me."

"Grandma!" they both called out.

"Good, good, good grandson and granddaughter, dear grandson and granddaughter, I've missed you all so much."

Xi Mei ran over from the kitchen in the rain: "Aunt Yang, are you hungry? I've already prepared the food."

"Let's eat, let's eat." Yang Xiuyun held Ximei's hand and thanked her for taking care of Liu Yu and Liu Lin.

"Aunt Yang, this is what I should do," Xi Mei said with a smile.

In the study, the phone rang; it was Zhu Lin calling.

"Teacher Liu, have you picked up your parents yet?"

“I got through to you, don’t worry. Have lunch at the People’s Art Theatre. The rain is too heavy, so don’t come back,” Liu Yimin said.

"It's good that you received the call. I called to tell you that I'm not going back because the roads are flooded."

Yang Xiuyun picked up the microphone: "Linlin, don't worry. The rain is too heavy, be careful. Your dad and I are home, we're fine. If it continues to rain tonight, I'll have Yimin pick you up."

"Okay, Mom, you guys go ahead and eat. You've been on the road for dozens of hours, you must be starving." Zhu Lin said, then hung up the phone with relief.

Liu Yimin then thought of Zhu's parents and made another phone call to tell them not to come over that night, but to wait until the weather was better.

We had originally planned to have dinner together that evening.

Zhu's mother walked to the window and looked at the pattering rain: "What kind of weather is this? Why did it have to rain today of all days?"

"Alright, hurry up and eat," said Mr. Zhu.

"Hey Zhu, what kind of tone is that?"

"I didn't say anything, I just wanted to invite you to dinner."

Seeing that Zhu's father quickly backed down, Zhu's mother stopped finding fault and went to the dining table to eat.

As dusk approached, a glimmer of light finally appeared in the west, and the rain gradually stopped. In the alley, the rainwater washed out all sorts of filth, and the puddles hadn't receded yet, with a layer of dirt floating on top, and an unpleasant smell wafted over the courtyards.

As evening approached, Liu Yimin arrived at the entrance of the Beijing People's Art Theatre. The floodwaters on the road had receded, but there was still a layer of mud, making it easy for motorcycles to slip.

Zhu Lin walked out dejectedly: "Teacher Liu, it's raining today, and many people bought tickets but didn't come. The seats at the Beijing People's Art Theatre have never been emptier than today."

"Alright, it's the weather's fault, not yours," Liu Yimin comforted her.

Lan Tianye saw Liu Yimin and walked over to him, saying, "Yimin, be careful when you ride your motorcycles back."

"Director Lan, don't worry. Besides, the weather is bad today, so there aren't many people. There will definitely be more people coming to see the show tomorrow," Liu Yimin said.

"I hope so!"

Back at the courtyard house, Zhu Lin greeted Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun: "Mom and Dad, the room is all ready. You must be tired after a long day. Go and get some rest. Don't wait for me."

"Not tired at all, we're not tired at all when we see the two little ones." Yang Xiuyun then asked if the performance went smoothly.

“Mom, there aren’t many people around because of the rain,” Liu Yimin said.

Yang Xiuyun said, "That's a real pity."

Originally, Liu Yu and Liu Lin were supposed to share a room with Yang Xiuyun and Liu Fuqing, but they insisted on sleeping with Yang Xiuyun. So Zhu Lin and Xi Mei prepared another room for Liu Fuqing.

Yang Xiuyun nudged Liu Fuqing: "Go take a shower. Now that you're in Yanjing, you need to be careful about hygiene."

Liu Yimin couldn't help but smile when he saw this, and took Liu Fuqing to the bathroom to take a bath.

“Your mother is getting more and more outrageous. She used to listen to me, but now she insists that I listen to her. If I don’t listen, she won’t cook for me,” Liu Fuqing complained in the bathroom.

“Dad, then you should listen to Mom. She’s listened to you for half her life, and you’ve listened to her for the other half. It’s fair,” Liu Yimin said.

Seeing that Liu Yimin wasn't on his side, Liu Fuqing muttered, "When an old woman is in charge, the house collapses!"

(End of this chapter)