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

Chapter 558 Liu Yimin: "I've received this award far too many times!"

Liu Yimin walked out of the office and clapped his hands to quiet the room.

"Comrades, I will be visiting Latin America soon. Yan Zhen and several professors will be in charge of the daily work in the office. You can ask them for help if you have any questions! If there are any problems that cannot be solved, Director Xia Yan can report to us at the Ministry of Culture at any time."

As soon as Liu Yimin finished speaking, the office erupted in excitement, with everyone shouting that they would be able to see Márquez this time.

“It was Marquez who invited him!” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Wow, Teacher Liu, that's Gabriel García Márquez!"

Liu Yimin waved his hand and said, "There's no need for everyone to be so surprised. Even the most famous writer is still a person. We shouldn't always mythologize someone."

“Professor Liu, after you meet with Márquez this time, your talk about magical realism will be even more convincing.”

"Haha, you guys, the Institute of Literature and Art has some important events coming up, so you all need to be on your toes and not embarrass yourselves in front of your colleagues. When they arrive, you all need to be more alert."

Liu Yimin thought about it and ultimately decided not to tell them in advance about inviting left-wing writers from the island to visit.

We plan to send out invitations first, and once the island responds and confirms the number of attendees, the office will then notify everyone.

Liu Yimin's words piqued the curiosity of everyone in the office, but seeing that he wasn't going to explain, they didn't press him further. Liu Yimin sat in the office and gave a lecture to everyone for a while.

Upon arriving in Yenching, everyone was still quite restless. Liu Yimin didn't just give lectures; he mainly chatted with everyone, making learning fun.

It wasn't until 5 p.m. that Liu Yimin returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment. Liu Yu and Liu Lin were playing hide-and-seek in the room, while Xi Mei picked vegetables and looked after the two siblings.

After returning home, Liu Yu and Liu Lin held Liu Yimin's hands, acting coquettishly while talking about things they didn't understand, and occasionally tattling on each other.

“Ximei, the weather will be warmer soon. If you’re not busy at home, you can take the two of them to the garden downstairs and let them play games with the other children.” Liu Yimin looked up at Ximei.

Xi Mei smiled and said, "Okay, Professor Liu, I'll take them down when I have time."

"You two go down to play, but don't run around. You must listen to Aunt Ximei," Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, Dad, don't worry!" Liu Yu said, shaking her head.

Liu Yimin looked at Liu Lin: "You should also take good care of your younger sister!"

A while later, Zhu Lin came home from get off work. With a car, Zhu Lin's journey home was shortened by more than ten minutes.

"Teacher Liu, how did your meeting with Teacher Wan go today?"

"The teacher showed me the list of people going to Latin America, but we didn't talk about the rest. How was my first day at work?"

"It's alright. Teacher Lan and I are preparing to direct another play, but there's no rush for it." Seeing Liu Yimin's concerned look, Zhu Lin softened her tone: "You can go to Latin America without worry. There's no rush for this play, and rehearsals won't be too busy."

Liu Yimin held Zhu Lin's hand and said gently, "Thank you for your hard work!"

"Teacher Liu, what are you saying? Family matters are between the two of us," Zhu Lin said softly.

Liu Lin snuggled into Liu Yimin's arms and asked him where Latin America was. Liu Yimin got up and hugged him, saying, "Come on, Dad will show you where Latin America is."

In Liu Yimin's study, there is a world map and a huge wooden globe.

Liu Yimin pointed to the isolated "comma" shape overseas and said, "This is Latin America, the top one is Central America, and the bottom one is South America. This time, Dad went to South America."

The two looked at South America, then at North America: "Dad, this is so small, I can go there too."

"Haha, this is Earth shrunk down. Let me teach you some geography. Do you know why there is day and night?"

Seeing the two shake their heads, Liu Yimin brought a candle to represent the sun and spun the globe, letting the two experience the rotation of day and night on Earth.

However, this was a bit too much for the two little minds. Seeing that they didn't understand, Liu Yimin didn't explain much and took them to play other games.

Zhu Lin lay on her side on the sofa, listening to the laughter coming from the study, a faint smile playing on her lips, her mind preoccupied with how to arrange the newly acquired script.

"Sister Lin, Professor Liu, the food is ready," Xi Mei said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yimin pulled the two children out of the study. Zhu Lin looked at Liu Yu and Liu Lin, who were about to come over, and said, "Teacher Liu, take them to wash their hands."

"it is good."

At the dinner table, Zhu Lin served rice and dishes to the two little ones in their small bowls. After the pork rib soup cooled down, he served each of them a bowl.

“Starting today, you two will eat with spoons. Your parents and Aunt Ximei will no longer feed you. If there’s anything you want to eat, ask your parents to serve it to you,” Zhu Lin patiently instructed.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin pouted, and Liu Yimin patted their heads: "Let's have a competition and see who finishes eating first. Dad will reward you later."

“I’ll ask Grandma to put it on my plate!” Liu Yu said with a straight face.

Liu Lin raised his hand and said, "I want to find Grandpa!"

Zhu Lin laughed: "Hey! You're so young, but you've got quite a temper. From today onwards, Grandma and Grandpa won't be feeding you anymore."

"I want my grandma!"

"I want my grandpa!"

"Are you two the only ones with relatives? Your grandparents are back in your hometown." Zhu Lin said seriously. Seeing that the two were stubborn, Zhu Lin said softly, "The spoon is very useful. You can scoop out whatever you want to eat. Whoever can eat by themselves first, Mom can buy them a toy, and Dad will also give you a reward!"

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin tried everything – good coaxing and bad coaxing – until they finally got the two of them to start eating on their own. But while eating, they kept dropping rice and food. Seeing this, Zhu Lin unconsciously clenched her fists.

"Don't rush, as long as there's progress, that's good." Liu Yimin held Zhu Lin's hand, signaling her not to get angry.

Zhu Lin patted his chest: "If I were an actor in the crew, I..."

"What's wrong?" Liu Yimin asked with a grin.

"Hmph, I already kicked them out a long time ago." Xi Mei quickly said, "Sister Lin, it's alright, I'll clean them up in a bit, kids are all like that!"

"Ximei, you've worked so hard!" Zhu Lin sighed, and while still angry, he didn't forget to wipe their mouths with a tissue.

After dinner, Ximei started cleaning up the kitchen and dining table, Zhu Lin took the two little ones down for a walk, and Liu Yimin went down for a while before returning to his study to start writing.

On March 1st, Liu Yimin once again stepped into the Mao Dun Literature Prize award ceremony. Since its establishment, the Mao Dun Literature Prize has become increasingly sophisticated in its award ceremony and procedures.

This year's Mao Dun Literature Prize award ceremony was held at the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature, which opened in 1985 and combines a library, archive, and museum.

This idea originated from Ba Jin, who, during a visit to Japan, was asked by the Japanese to place his manuscripts in the Museum of Modern Literature in Japan. Ba Jin suddenly realized the importance of literary materials and politely declined the Japanese request.

Upon returning to China, he called on the Writers' Association to take responsibility for establishing a museum of modern Chinese literature, which would serve as both a library and a repository for manuscripts, letters, and other materials by Chinese writers.

This site was originally Wanshou Temple, which was renovated at a cost of 1.5 million yuan. Later, as the amount of materials increased and could not be stored, a new museum was built in the 1990s at a cost of more than 90 million yuan.

Liu Yimin, Cao Yu, and Ba Jin walked into the venue together. In the past, Cao Yu could skip the meeting, but now that he was in charge of the overall work of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, he had to attend the Writers Association's events.

Ba Jin was the director of the award committee. On the other hand, his visit to Yanjing was mainly to exchange ideas with the delegation of writers visiting Latin America.

Stepping into Wanshou Temple, one is immediately struck by its antique charm; however, the 1.5 million yuan renovation fund is still far too little. A banner hangs at the entrance, a red carpet is laid out, and staff from the Writers' Association's reception office are on duty at the door.

As they approached the entrance to the venue, Cao Yu and Ba Jin glanced at Liu Yimin, who nodded slightly and walked towards his seat below.

"Comrade Yimin, welcome to the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature. This is your first time visiting since the museum was established." Kong Luosun, who had accompanied Liu Yimin on his previous trip abroad, warmly extended both hands to Liu Yimin. Kong Luosun is currently the curator of the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature.

Liu Yimin praised, "Comrade Lao Kong, your Museum of Modern Literature is well built."

"In the future, I hope there will be a special museum dedicated to Comrade Yimin here, to showcase your literary achievements to the outside world. At that time, you should donate more materials and letters," Kong Luosun said with a smile.

Liu Yimin said, "Oh, Comrade Lao Kong, if that day ever comes, I will definitely donate some materials. But first, let's prioritize the older comrades."

Kong Luosun glanced at Liu Yimin and immediately said seriously, "Comrade Yimin, we are doing this entirely based on personal achievements, without any personal feelings or considerations."

"Comrade Lao Kong, I understand, I understand."

Liu Yimin smiled, shook hands, and said goodbye before walking to his seat. Next to him sat the writer Li Zhun, whose award-winning work was "The Yellow River Flows East".

"Comrade Yimin, please have a seat." Li Zhun thought Liu Yimin was late, but he realized it when he saw him appear with Ba Jin and Cao Yu.

"Comrade Li Zhun, we are old friends, no need to be so polite. This time we are going to Latin America, we must work together in solidarity."

"Yimin, needless to say, I will definitely cooperate with you as the deputy head of the delegation. We are from the same hometown. When you went to Zhengzhou University and Henan University to give lectures last time, the comrades in the literary circles of Henan Province invited you to dinner. It just so happened that I was transferred to Yanjing. Otherwise, we would have known each other long ago."

Li Zhun was transferred directly from the Henan Provincial Writers Association and Federation of Literary and Art Circles to work at the National Writers Association. Liu Yimin met him when he went to the Writers Association. The two are from the same hometown, but they don't have a close relationship at present.

"Haha, I'm just a deputy regimental commander!" Liu Yimin laughed.

After sitting down, Li Zhun chatted while frequently glancing at his speech notes, worried that something might go wrong during the speech.

"Yi Min? You're the speaker, aren't you going to take a look?"

"It's okay, I've already watched it more than ten times before I came."

At 10:00 a.m., the Mao Dun Literature Prize award ceremony officially began. Wang Meng, as a representative of the Ministry of Culture, sat next to Cao Yu, and Tang Dacheng, secretary of the Writers Association, presided over the meeting.

After Tang Dacheng finished his opening remarks, Cao Yu spoke on behalf of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, followed by Ba Jin speaking on behalf of the award committee.

"Comrades, thank you all for coming to attend the Mao Dun Literature Prize award ceremony. We must never forget one person as we sit here today—Comrade Mao Dun! He made tremendous contributions to the development of Chinese literature. It is because of Comrade Mao Dun's selflessness that we are able to sit here."

The Federation of Literary and Art Circles has always paid close attention to the development of the Writers' Association.
"I am delighted to see both veteran and young faces among the winners of the Mao Dun Literature Prize. At a crucial time when our nation's literature is undergoing a generational transition, we must encourage more young writers to emerge. Young writers may make mistakes, and we, the older generation, must be supportive. But young writers must also cherish their honors," Cao Yu declared loudly from the stage.

After Cao Yu finished speaking, Ba Jin took a sip of tea, tapped the microphone, and began to speak: "Comrades, the comrades of the Ministry of Culture and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles have high hopes for the development of our National Writers Association and our fellow writers. We must not let down the high expectations of our superiors. This time, the award selection process involves magazine recommendations and review by judges. Each book can only be selected if it receives the support of two-thirds of our comrades."

Of course, some writers wrote very well, but were not selected for various reasons. After all, literature is a relatively subjective subject. Some writers also have many excellent works, but due to the limited number of slots, only one book could be selected. For example, I personally really like Liu Yimin's *Dust Settles*.

However, all the judges voted for "The Pilgrimage of One Man," so Liu Yimin's "Dust Settles Down" had to be eliminated.

Comrades, our award committee adheres to the principles of fairness and impartiality, strives to avoid the influence of personal factors, and welcomes everyone's supervision of our work.

Next, on behalf of the judging committee, I hereby announce the official commencement of the awards ceremony.

Tang Dacheng glanced at the upright-sitting Ba Jin, then at Wang Meng, and began reading the award citation. The organizing committee's award citation for "The Pilgrimage of One" was:
Friendship, a friendship that spans over a thousand kilometers; a look back, a look back over sixty years; warmth, the warmth at the end of life; family, a family nurtured by traditional culture.

Let the world experience Chinese culture, let the world understand Chinese traditions. With warmth that we can all understand, let readers worldwide sit together and feel the warmth between people.

Liu Yimin accepted the award certificate and 5,000 yuan bonus from Cao Yu. Cao Yu nodded slightly to Liu Yimin, his eyes filled with approval: "Keep up the good work!"

After the Mao Dun Literature Prize, Liu Yimin will also receive the Cao Yu Script Award. At this time, Cao Yu is already looking forward to the moment when Liu Yimin receives the award. This can be regarded as a unique reunion between teacher and student.

"Please invite Comrade Liu Yimin to give a speech!"

Looking at the delegates, Liu Yimin said, "Comrades, I don't actually have much to say. After all, I've been here more than once, and I've had to speak every time."

Upon hearing this, someone in the audience couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn it, this is outrageous!"

Just as Liu Yimin was receiving the Mao Dun Literature Prize, Gabriel García Márquez, far away in South America, was making preparations for the visit of Liu Yimin and his entourage.

Gabriel García Márquez personally arranged the tour route for Liu Yimin and others, and invited well-known South American writers to participate in the meeting. Márquez planned a joint delegation of writers from South American countries.

"Liu, I've been waiting for you for so long, please don't disappoint me." Marquez looked at the documents on the table and muttered to himself.

P.S.: Next chapter coming soon.

(End of this chapter)