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

Chapter 518 Tornado? Sorry, from now on there will only be one tornado!
The initial sales of 170,000 copies were undoubtedly aided by pre-sales promotion and Liu Yimin's personal influence, but these sales figures are a genuine 170,000 copies. Even a massive advertising campaign wouldn't have achieved such results if the content hadn't resonated with readers.

The first thing Niki thought of when she saw the data was to share the good news with Liu Yimin. The publisher sent telegrams to China one after another to report the good news.

After sending the telegram, Niki didn't feel smug; instead, she thought about how to maximize sales.

After discussing it with his brother Henry Noyce, they decided to organize a special discussion on Liu Yimin's books on television, with readers and relevant experts participating, focusing on "The Pilgrimage of One Man".

"The American people need a baptism of friendship and kinship. Television and all sorts of entertainment have diluted the relationships between people and between people and families. We need to rediscover the greatness of these relationships," Henry Noyce said in an interview.

In addition to preparing a televised discussion, Niki also used her connections in the literary world to publish literary reviews in newspapers.

These highly commercial literary reviews often feature phrases like "must read" or "everyone should take a look."

American newspapers were enthusiastically following suit, and European newspapers quickly caught up, with major publishers all gearing up to make a fortune.

The Times of London's literary review was titled: "From the moment I met 'Li Mingde,' I never wanted to leave him."

Li Mingde is the male protagonist in "The Pilgrimage of One Man".

French newspaper Le Figaro – “We should all take one courageous and quiet journey in our lives.”

The German newspaper Deutsche Zeitung – "Even our character flaws can bring inspiration and redemption."

Asahi Shimbun (Japan) – "One Hundred and Thirty Days and 1,600 Kilometers of a Retired Chinese Man."

Brazil's *O Globo* newspaper reports: "Eastern literary works that have moved countless readers worldwide: from absurd ideas to touching the world."

Liu Yimin's books have never been published in South America. Most South American countries use Portuguese and Spanish, which are the colonial imprints left by Portugal and Spain in South America.

Most of the works by Liu Yimin that they saw locally came from Portuguese and Spanish publishers.

Following the worldwide success of "The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry," the South American publisher that published Gabriel García Márquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" decided to travel to China and sign a publishing agreement with Liu Yimin for South America.

In Yanjing, in a courtyard house, Liu Yimin lay in a rocking chair, looking at the telegram in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.

These are telegrams from major publishing houses to Liu Yimin reporting their good news. In addition to specific sales figures, they also include their upcoming promotional plans.

Most importantly, major publishing houses want to invite Liu Yimin to give a speech in their countries or write a letter to their local readers.

According to data compiled by publishers from various regions, the overseas sales of "The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" are about to reach 800,000 copies.

With the worldwide broadcast of "The Redemption of a Slave," the book's sales also saw a significant increase.

Including other novels, I estimate that the royalties I will receive this year will be significantly higher than last year, possibly reaching $500,000, which is the most conservative estimate.

Putting down the telegram in his hand, Liu Yimin went into his study to reply to the various publishing houses. He planned to include a letter to the readers along with his reply, as well as his feelings about the novel and the reasons for writing it.

In his content, Liu Yimin also specifically addressed areas that international readers might not be familiar with.

When writing replies to readers, there can be no repetition. Liu Yimin had to rack his brains for every letter he wrote. When he wrote the fourth one, he finally surrendered and allowed some repetition.

[To my American readers, you are the most knowledgeable readers of literature I have ever met.]

[To my British readers, you are the readers I have ever met who best understand the true essence of literature.]

[To my French readers, you are the most empathetic readers; my heart is with yours.]

After Zhu Lin got off work, Liu Yimin finally finished writing all the replies and prepared to mail them out the next day.

"Teacher Liu, how's the script for the play coming along?" Zhu Lin pushed open the door and entered the study.

“My dear aunt, let me take a break. I’ll definitely finish writing by tomorrow afternoon,” Liu Yimin said.

“I’m your wife, not your great-aunt.” Zhu Lin smiled and then walked to the desk to see what Liu Yimin was writing.

After reading the reply, Zhu Lin clutched his stomach and laughed, "Teacher Liu, it seems that readers all over the world are the most knowledgeable readers of literature. It's like singing the wrong folk song for the wrong mountain!"

“You can’t let your readers down, right? These are all my heartfelt words!” Liu Yimin patted Zhu Lin’s hand holding the letter, making her put it down.

Zhu Lin rolled her eyes: "Tch!"

Liu Yimin carefully placed the letters into envelopes, checking them twice to make sure he didn't make a mistake.

If it's really a mistake, the other party can just change the heading when publishing it in the newspaper.

Stepping out of the study, Liu Yimin found the meal already laid out. He picked up a freshly steamed white flour bun and took a small bite, the sweet aroma of the new wheat filling his mouth.

Yang Xiuyun said, "These freshly steamed white flour buns are so soft. Yimin, eat more. We used to only get to eat white flour buns during festivals. You loved them when you were little."

"Mom, I'm eating it right now, it's so delicious." Liu Yimin tore off a small piece of white bread and put it into Liu Yu's mouth.

Halfway through the meal, Liu Yimin smiled and looked at Ximei: "Ximei, how are things going with your relationship with Xiangdong?"

"Thank you, Professor Liu. We'll leave it at that." Xi Mei lowered her head, stuffed the steamed bun into her mouth, and didn't dare to look up.

Zhu Lin said with a smile, "It's a success."

"You're all grown up now, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Ximei, you should get along well with that young man Xiangdong," Yang Xiuyun said cheerfully.

"Hmm," Xi Mei uttered a barely audible sound.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin exchanged a smile and stopped discussing the topic, instead talking to Zhu Lin about other things.

After dinner, Liu Yimin went back to his study to write a script, while Zhu Lin went back to her bedroom to read. Lately, she's not only been reading Shakespeare's plays, but has also become fond of the plays of the British comedy master Charlie Chaplin.

Charlie Chaplin was the uncrowned king of the silent film era. Despite the lack of sound, his exaggerated movements still managed to make audiences laugh. Later, with the advent of sound films, Chaplin thrived even more.

Zhu Lin was engrossed in watching, and even after Liu Yimin finished showering and returned to the bedroom, she was still watching intently.

"Zhu Lin, stop looking, or your eyes will go bad," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Zhu Lin closed the book, rubbed his slightly sore eyes, and said, "Chaplin truly deserves to be called a comedy master. True art needs no words. His humor is innate; others can't learn it. Every director has their own style. What is my artistic style?"

Liu Yimin sat behind Zhu Lin and gently rubbed her shoulder: "Style is a comprehensive reflection of knowledge level, professional skills, and experience. You are still young. The era without personal style is the most unrestrained era, which means you are not defined and anything is possible."

Once a strong personal style is formed, the works may lack many unconscious or conscious elements.

"Professor Liu is a great professor. When you explain bad things like that, they make so much sense!" Zhu Lin said exaggeratedly.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Because what Teacher Liu said makes a lot of sense."

Zhu Lin closed her eyes in enjoyment, letting Liu Yimin apply more pressure. After massaging for about ten minutes, Liu Yimin patted Zhu Lin's waist: "Alright, go take a shower now."

"Perfunctory!" Zhu Lin snorted and got up to walk towards the bathroom.

Half an hour later, Zhu Lin returned and said with a pained expression, "Teacher Liu, my period has started."

"Let them come, of course they can come," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"I'm going to suffer again." Zhu Lin turned around and took a sanitary napkin from the cabinet: "This thing is so useful."

Previously, women in China used menstrual belts, but Liu Yimin upgraded Zhu Lin's use to sanitary napkins. At first, she was not used to them, but now she can't live without them.

After putting on his gear and getting into bed, Zhu Lin lay down for a long time without falling asleep. He turned over and hugged Liu Yimin tightly as Liu Yimin was about to drift off to sleep.

Feeling the damp heat on his face, Liu Yimin hugged Zhu Lin back, this time to comfort her and help her sleep and suppress her hormones. The following afternoon, Liu Yimin delivered the script to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, where Ouyang Shanzun and Zhu Lin were co-directing the play "Deng Jiaxian".

Seeing that Zhu Lin was preparing materials day and night, Liu Yimin decided to go to the August First Film Studio to find director Yan Jizhou and handwrite a copy of the materials he had collected for Zhu Lin to refer to.

At the August First Film Studio, the filming location for "Brotherhood of Blades," Liu Yimin sat to the side watching Zhai Junjie, Wei Lian, and Li Wenhua nervously direct the filming. Currently, "Brotherhood of Blades" has filmed up to the episode featuring Jiaqian Jushi.

After this part of the filming is completed, the entire crew will go to the Ulanbutong Grassland for filming. The grassland is lush and green now, but in a while, when autumn comes, the grass on the grassland will turn yellow, and the temperature will be very unfavorable for the crew's filming.

The cast of "Brotherhood of Blades" wore elaborate costumes, especially the flying fish robe and embroidered spring knife worn by the junior leader of the Imperial Guard, which cost a lot of money.

Liu Peiran sat next to Liu Yimin, very satisfied with the filming progress of "Brotherhood of Blades".

"Yimin, is he to your liking?" Liu Peiran asked.

"The fight scenes were spectacular; Comrade Yu Chenghui did a great job directing them," Liu Yimin praised.

As a key production of the August First Film Studio, Yu Chenghui was invited to serve as the action director, and he played Zhao Jingzhong, the adopted son of Wei Zhongxian.

Yu Chenghui is a famous action director in mainland China. He practiced martial arts from a young age and participated in a martial arts team. He later retired due to injury and entered the entertainment industry in 82 with the film "Shaolin Temple".

After filming wrapped, several directors, wiping their sweat, came over: "Comrade Yimin, how was it?"

"Eight words: excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent!" Liu Yimin said, giving a thumbs up.

Li Wenhua squinted happily upon hearing Liu Yimin's words. Zhai Junjie called Yu Chenghui over to meet Liu Yimin. Yu Chenghui, who was only in his forties, stood in front of Liu Yimin wearing a flying fish robe, exuding an explosive power.

"Comrade Yu Chenghui, as expected of someone with a martial arts background, has a body full of muscles," Liu Yimin said.

“Professor Liu, a martial artist must always maintain explosive power in their body, otherwise, how can they be called a martial artist? You are a scholar, but your pen is far more powerful than my fist,” Yu Chenghui said politely.

After Yu Chenghui finished speaking, he pulled open his flying fish robe, revealing his abdominal muscles and the flesh on his arms, which drew cheers from everyone present.

Zhao Changjun, an actor from the martial arts team, said, "Coach Yu is someone I should learn from."

"Comrade Yimin, your timing is unfortunate. A few days ago, Comrade Yu Chenghui and Comrade Zhao Changjun had a friendly martial arts match, and it was quite a spectacle," Li Wenhua said happily.

“Traditional martial arts should be practiced more. The essence of our ancestors’ teachings can only be grasped through constant sparring,” Liu Yimin said.

Yu Chenghui became very interested and wanted to practice again. The two of them, each holding a sword in both hands, began to fight in the open space. Neither of them wore protective gear, and both of them held back.

After the practice session, Yu Chenghui said, "Once you pick up a sword, you can't just treat it as a weapon; you have to treat it as part of your body. The sword is the thing that best expresses the Chinese Zen spirit."

Yu Chenghui then performed a mantis sword routine, wielding the sword with both hands and wielding it with unparalleled power.

Liu Yimin grasped Yu Chenghui's hand and said, "I hope we can cooperate more in the future, Comrade Yu Chenghui. Let's work together to develop martial arts films in China."

"I also hope to let more people see the charm of Chinese martial arts," Yu Chenghui said frankly.

Liu Yimin discussed the script with several directors for a while before leaving the studio.

Liu Peiran asked Liu Yimin how much he thought "Brotherhood of Blades" would gross overseas. Liu Yimin replied helplessly, "Director Liu, how many times have you asked me? If I can handle it, 'Brotherhood of Blades' will be worth a hundred million US dollars, and 'Hachiko' will be worth two hundred million!"

Liu Peiran chuckled and stopped asking, saying, "I'm under too much pressure."

Liu Yimin patted him on the shoulder, telling him to relax.

Liu Yimin went to the August First Film Studio building and found Yan Jizhou. The information recorded by Yan Jizhou had already been copied and placed on the table, along with other supplementary materials.

"Director Yan, thank you."

Yan Jizhou smiled and said, "Don't mention it, it's what I should do. Whether it's a play or a movie, we can't tarnish Deng Lao's image."

“You’re right. How’s the casting process going?” Liu Yimin asked.

Yan Jizhou spread his hands: "We haven't found anyone yet. We're looking for an actor who looks similar to Deng Lao. We've met with quite a few actors and received many self-recommendation letters, but we feel that they're all lacking something."

Liu Peiran added some explanation of the situation, and Liu Yimin nodded and said, "Okay, I think your idea is quite right."

After returning from the August First Film Studio, Liu Yimin went directly to the Beijing People's Art Theatre and handed over the materials to Zhu Lin and Ouyang Shanzun.

Ouyang Shanzun said, "This will save us a week. Yimin, thank you!"

"Director Shanzun, no need to thank me, we're all family."

“Yes, yes, we’re all family,” Ouyang Shanzun said cheerfully.

As August draws to a close and Yenching University is about to start its new semester, teachers who came to the Institute of Literature for training this year are arriving at Yenching University one after another, keeping Yan Zhen extremely busy.

Fortunately, Dai Jianye and the others hadn't left yet, so they could help Yan Zhen arrange accommodation and check into the detention center.

The final registration date for the Institute of Literature and Art was September 5th, and the trainees began to arrive one after another on the 26th.

Liu Yimin took a look and told Yan Zhen to make reasonable arrangements and to call him if there were any problems that couldn't be solved.

Liu Yimin stayed in the office for two hours, signing his name on all the comprehensive evaluation forms for Dai Jianye and others. The evaluations were divided into four levels: "A, B, C, and D," with most being "A" and "B."

Just as the documents were being reviewed, Yan Jiayan walked in with newspapers in hand: "Yimin, have you read today's People's Daily and Guangming Daily?"

"I glanced at it, so what?" Liu Yimin asked in return.

"Look, the first batch of veterans have already set foot on the mainland. They came down from Baiyun Airport, and the local government even arranged a welcoming ceremony. The first thing the veterans did after getting off was to grab a handful of soil from the mainland and put it in their pockets as a souvenir to take back with them." Yan Jiayan pointed out the news of the veterans returning home to Liu Yimin.

In the picture, a veteran holds a photo of himself and his mother, tears streaming down his face.

"Professor Yan, I checked today, and the next batch should be back next month."

Returning veterans are not allowed to come back immediately after receiving their applications; instead, they are permitted to visit their families in batches. Many train stations have seen the hunched figures of veterans, and special passages have been set up at stations and airports, where staff members can often be seen helping veterans out of the stations.

“Yimin, you must have missed this short news item. A veteran is thanking you for your contributions. He’s holding copies of ‘The Pilgrimage of One’ and ‘Beloved,’ both published on the island. He’s dressed like an educated person.” Yan Jiayan turned to the second page of the newspaper, where an elderly man in a suit and top hat showed the reporter the books in his hands.

[Li Mingde traveled 1,600 kilometers to visit his friend; today I crossed this strait to visit my mother, who has cried herself blind. Mother, your unfilial son has returned!]

The veteran's words during the interview deeply moved Liu Yimin. A friend of the veteran had traveled to the mainland via Hong Kong and relayed the story of his mother's blindness from crying back to the island.

"Sigh, knowing that my mother cried until she went blind for over ten years, how did she get through those thousands of days and nights!" Yan Jiayan sighed.

Liu Yimin remained silent, and Yan Jiayan then asked Liu Yimin how well his novel was selling on the island.

"Sales are alright. There are fewer people on the island, so it can't compare to the mainland."

How much is "okay"?

"They all call me Liu Juanfeng!"

Xie Zhonghou would write to Liu Yimin from time to time, and in one of his letters he recorded a very interesting incident.

Liu Yimin's novels saw a surge in sales after being introduced to Taiwan; "The Pilgrimage of One" sold 200,000 copies in just half a month.

When Li Ao met Lung Ying-tai, he said directly, "From now on, you are no longer Tornado. Liu Yimin has arrived. There is only one tornado on the island, and that is Liu Tornado. This is not my opinion, but what the Americans said."

(End of this chapter)