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

Chapter 57 I am that bastard (Please continue reading)
There were welcome points for students from various universities in the square in front of Yanjing Railway Station. Yanjing University's welcome point was easy to spot. Compared to the welcome points of other universities, there were only a few students standing there looking bored. Occasionally, a student would carry a shoulder pole or carry luggage to register.

The relaxed atmosphere at Yenching University's welcome point was comparable only to that of Tsinghua University, which is not far away. This year, Yenching University only admitted about a thousand undergraduate students, and the students from other places were scattered at various train stations. The entire welcome point only received more than forty students that morning.

"Comrade Zou, Comrade Ge, let's leave them here!"

After registering with his admission notice, Liu Yimin walked to the bus parked on one side of the square. It was now Yenching University's welcome bus.

There were quite a few students sitting scattered around. Lao Zou and Lao Ge each carried a quilt and a net bag, respectively, while Liu Yimin had his hands empty, holding only an admission notice, which made him a little embarrassed.

"Yimin, we'll put your luggage away before we leave."

Liu Yimin arrived at the perfect time; the welcoming bus was just about to leave for Yenching University, so he didn't have to wait on the bus. Zou Huofan and Ge Luo put their luggage away, shook hands with Liu Yimin to say goodbye, and Zou Huofan handed Liu Yimin all the tickets he had found recently, the most valuable of which was a bicycle ticket.

“You bought a new bicycle, remember to come visit us at the Poetry Journal editorial office. If you don’t come, we’ll have to come all the way to Yenching University to find you.” Zou Huofan patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder and said with a smile. Ge Luo saw that the bus had already started moving, so he urged Liu Yimin to get on the bus quickly.

Many students on the bus watched this scene with great curiosity, assuming it was a parent dropping off their child at school. In those days, it was rare for parents to drop off their children at school; some were already in their twenties or thirties, and it wasn't appropriate for their parents to do so. Everyone was happy to see this unusual sight.

Furthermore, Ge Luo and Zou Huofan's attire and demeanor were unlike those of ordinary people; they clearly worked in an office.

On the bus, a boy with long hair and a slightly sleazy appearance, wearing green military pants, caught a glimpse of this scene and excitedly commented to the girl next to him, "Wow! This is really rare. Two parents have to come to take you to school. Even if I get first place, I'll come by myself."

The girl next to him smiled and nodded. Seeing that the girl finally smiled, the boy spoke even more enthusiastically.

After getting into the car, Liu Yimin glanced around and saw the "mature-looking" young man rambling on and on, his eyes occasionally falling on him. When his eyes fell on him again, Liu Yimin smiled slightly at him and walked straight towards him.

Years later, when interviewed by reporters, the famous writer Liu Zhenyun would surely recall that distant noon when he first met Liu Yimin on a bus.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating Liu Yimin's profile. What should have been a poetic encounter was ruined by the wicked smile playing on Liu Yimin's lips.

Liu Yimin sat down directly next to Liu Zhenyun. Liu Zhenyun, who had been cricketing quietly, immediately fell silent and smiled at him, saying, "My name is Liu Zhenyun, and I'm from Yanjin, Henan Province. Where are you from?"

"Oh, you're from Henan Province too? I'm from Luocheng, Henan Province!"

"Hey! Not far away, that's a fellow villager!" Upon hearing that it was a fellow villager, Liu Zhenyun immediately perked up, completely forgetting that he had just made sarcastic remarks about this fellow villager.

The girl in the front row was a law student at Yenching University, also from Henan Province. Liu Zhenyun and the girl had met briefly on the train. On the bus, Liu Zhenyun sat behind the girl and they started chatting like old friends.

As the bus started moving, Liu Yimin waved goodbye to Zou Huofan and Ge Luo below, while Liu Zhenyun's lips unconsciously twitched again.

As the bus drove away, Ge Luo looked at the reluctant Zou Huofan and asked with a smile, "Was the metal back of the bus blocking your view? Like Liu Bei seeing Xu Shu off, you're leaving as if you're some fellow townsman of Yimin. The editorial department has things to do; a few senior colleagues have gone back to Yanjing, and they're probably at the Writers' Association by now!"

"Song Hong, to be honest, I was very worried before coming to school. When the report card arrived, the county told me I was the top liberal arts student in our region. Later, when the admission notice came, my dad and I worried all night long and couldn't sleep."

After looking Liu Zhenyun up and down, Song Hong asked, "Are you worried about not having enough money to go to university? The school gives us a subsidy. I heard it's fourteen yuan a month. If you're careful with your food, it should be enough."

Liu Zhenyun's smug expression instantly froze, but fortunately he was thick-skinned and said, "It's not that we don't have money. My dad and I are worried because we don't know where Peking University is. My dad sits at the entrance of the village every day with the admission notice in his hand, asking everyone he meets if they know where Peking University is and how to get there!"

Liu Yimin thought to himself, "These two men from the Liu family are really putting on an act."

Wait, something's not right, I think I also have the surname Liu! Song Hong knew immediately that this guy was showing off. She glanced at the composed Liu Yimin and stopped talking, simply listening quietly to Liu Zhenyun's spittle flying everywhere. Liu Zhenyun was completely oblivious; he was now fully immersed in a competitive state.

"Hey! This is Tiananmen Square!" Liu Zhenyun exclaimed, practically sticking his head out the window. To let everyone know about Yanjing (Beijing), the bus deliberately took Chang'an Avenue instead of heading north.

After passing Tiananmen Square, Liu Zhenyun muttered that he wanted to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City sometime, but he wondered if it would cost money.

“One yuan!” Liu Yimin said.

Liu Zhenyun instinctively said, "Huh?"

“He said the Forbidden City ticket is one yuan!” Song Hong repeated.

"So expensive? Then I'd better not go. How did you know?"

"I went there a few days ago, but there wasn't much to see."

Liu Zhenyun looked at Liu Yimin, wanting to ask him many questions, such as why he was able to go to the Forbidden City a few days ago since he was from Henan Province, and whether he had come several days ago. However, he didn't ask in front of his female classmate.

Song Hong asked Liu Yimin, "How many points did you get?"

"I scored 397, the highest in the region for liberal arts," Liu Zhenyun said first, then added mysteriously, "The county said I could have been the highest in the province, but then I heard there was some bastard in Luocheng who scored 451, so alas! I became second."

Song Hong nodded; she had heard about it too. She then looked at Liu Yimin and asked about his college entrance examination results.

"451!" Under the astonished gazes of the two men, Liu Yimin sighed and said calmly, "That's right, I am the bastard you're talking about who got 451!"

Liu Zhenyun was so shocked he almost choked on his own saliva. He coughed violently, his face turning red. Liu Yimin patted his back to help him catch his breath: "It's not that bad. With the difference between us, it's really a bit hard on you to treat me as a competitor!"
Let's have a piece of candy!

"Who would eat your milk candy?" Liu Zhenyun said defiantly, then put the milk candy into his bag.

For the rest of the journey, Liu Zhenyun remained silent, listening to Song Hong and Liu Yimin's idle chatter. Two people together, three people together—it's never fun; three people together, there's always one who's superfluous.

"Sigh!" Liu Zhenyun sighed.
"What are you sighing for? If you keep sighing, you'll sit under the car, not inside!"

Upon reaching the south gate of Yenching University, Liu Zhenyun came back to life: "Wow—this is Yenching University! It's even more beautiful than our county's Revolutionary Committee!"

"Hey—this is Weiming Lake!"

"Hey—this is Boya Tower!"

Song Hong: "Liu Zhenyun, can you please stop making noises?"

"ロ Yi"

Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes. Thank you to the generous donor, Tianxia Zongheng, for the 200-point reward.

(End of this chapter)