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

Chapter 577 God's Visa

At 4 p.m., all members of the delegation except Liu Yimin went to visit the Asian Art Museum. Liu Yimin wrote a letter to the Institute of Cultural Studies in his room to make arrangements for the next steps of the work across borders.

In his letter, Liu Yimin told Yan Zhen to prepare for the reception in advance and to confirm with the invited writers on the island whether their trip would be possible and to verify their arrival time in Yanjing. Among this group, some people would inevitably arrive on the mainland ahead of time, and it was impossible for Xia Yan to handle these trivial matters; Yan Zhen was the most suitable person to do them.

After finishing the letter, Liu Yimin lay down on the bed to rest. Around eight o'clock in the afternoon, Cao Yu and the others returned to the hotel.

After visiting the Asian Art Museum, they wandered around to other places. Ma Shitu, Wang Zengqi, and Acheng were all carrying a lot of things, while Cao Yu and Qian Zhongshu only carried an exquisite paper bag, which looked like clothes or scarves from the outside.

"Teacher Liu, how are you feeling?" Acheng asked with concern.

"It's alright, did you guys have a good time this afternoon?"

Cao Yu said, "The Asian Art Museum broke our hearts. After leaving the museum, we took a walk on the beach, had dinner, and then went shopping. San Francisco is still San Francisco! Look at what I bought for your teacher's wife, what do you think?"

Cao Yu showed the contents of the box: a jacket and a white T-shirt. Qian Zhongshu had also bought Yang Jiang the same clothes, but in a different color.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Qian Zhongshu asked with concern.

"I haven't eaten anything this afternoon, so I'm not very hungry yet." Liu Yimin rubbed his stomach, preparing to go upstairs to eat something.

Seeing Liu Yimin about to leave, Ma Shitu quickly called out to him, "Yimin, don't rush off. Take a look at the gifts your students bought."

"A gift?" Liu Yimin stopped in his tracks.

Acheng awkwardly took out three gifts from the bag. One was for Zhu Lin, which was something similar to a portable loudspeaker from later times. The other two were toys for Liu Yu and Liu Lin, which looked very exquisite.

"This is a megaphone. My teacher's wife is a director, and she talks a lot. It's easy for her to speak with this small megaphone." Acheng demonstrated it to Liu Yimin, then looked at Liu Yimin with excitement.

Liu Yimin said with satisfaction, "That's thoughtful of you, but remember to be careful with the money the government gives you."

"It's alright, these dollars last a long time, four hundred dollars!"

This delegation was of a high caliber, and the Writers' Association gave each person an extra $100 in pocket money compared to other delegations. In Latin America, there was practically nowhere to spend that money; the $400 remained untouched.

Acheng wanted to buy something for Liu Yimin, but unfortunately he didn't know what to buy.

Liu Yimin patted him on the shoulder: "I appreciate your kind gesture, but I don't need anything. Use the rest of the money to buy things for your family."

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Liu Yimin ate a little rice and peeled an egg. Although he had rested in the afternoon, he hadn't slept, and was now so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.

After dinner, everyone except Cao Yu went back to rest. Cao Yu sat in Liu Yimin's room, preparing to discuss going back with Liu Yimin.

"Teacher, aren't you tired?" Liu Yimin said to Cao Yu with a smile.

Cao Yu stretched his body: "I'm fine, it's mainly you. You've been too busy lately, and you even slept in the same room as Marquez at night, so you probably haven't been sleeping well either."

"Teacher, did you wait for me just to talk about this?" Liu Yimin asked.

“Of course not. The delegation is returning home immediately. I also heard what Ms. Niki said today. So, you can’t go back for the time being, right?” Cao Yu said.

"Frank is coming tomorrow, I'll check on things."

“If you can’t go back for the time being, I have to lead the group back first.” Cao Yu and the others couldn’t stay in the United States with Liu Yimin for such a long time.

"Row."

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, he told Cao Yu that he planned to visit He Fengshan the next afternoon.

Cao Yu paused for a moment when he heard the name He Fengshan. Liu Yimin explained to him, "He was the Republic of China's ambassador to Austria. After Austria was annexed by Germany, he saved many people. I learned about his deeds by chance and visited him when I came to the United States last time. I wrote a novel based on him."

"Saved so many people? I've never heard of that before. If you're saying Mr. He Fengshan is the savior of the Youtai people, then you've finished writing the novel?" Cao Yu frowned, racking his brains but unable to find any memory of this event.

"I've been writing bits and pieces here and there lately, and it's finally finished." Liu Yimin turned around and handed the manuscript to Cao Yu from his bag.

Cao Yu picked up the manuscript, glanced at it, and placed it on the table. He quickly took off his glasses, wiped them clean with a cloth from his pocket, and put them back on. "God's Visa, what a grand title! For the Japanese who are desperate to escape, this visa is practically God!"

"I've thought about this name for a long time." Liu Yimin racked his brains for this name.

"You want to publish it in the United States?"

Liu Yimin said admiringly, "A teacher is a teacher. I wanted to publish it simultaneously in the United States and China."

"That's fine, but the translation in the US will take some time. Besides, this kind of article isn't just for domestic readers, but also for international readers. If it's only for domestic audiences, it won't be able to play its proper role. Mr. He Fengshan is a man of great compassion."

"Yimin, I'll go with you tomorrow. I reckon all the members of our delegation will want to meet Ambassador He."

Seeing that Liu Yimin was a little sleepy, Cao Yu picked up the manuscript and prepared to leave, telling Liu Yimin to get some rest.

Back in the room, Qian Zhongshu was already asleep. Cao Yu hesitated for a moment but decided to sit at the desk and read a novel before going to sleep.

Cao Yu was eager to know who He Fengshan was. By the time Cao Yu realized it was time to go to sleep, it was already past midnight.

Cao Yu saw that there was still a little over half to read and tried to fight off his sleepiness to keep going, but his body wouldn't allow him to continue.

When Cao Yu woke up the next day, he saw Qian Zhongshu sitting at his desk reading a manuscript.

"Zhongshu, what time is it?" Cao Yu rubbed his temples, looking troubled.

Qian Zhongshu remained silent, so Cao Yu called out again. Hearing Cao Yu's words, Qian Zhongshu turned around, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes: "Jiabao, what did you say?"

"I asked you what time it is!" Cao Yu said helplessly.

"It's already nine o'clock in the morning. I was just about to call you to get up for breakfast when I found manuscripts scattered on the table. It turns out you stayed up all night reading them."

After discovering this, Qian Zhongshu stopped calling Cao Yu. After finishing his meal, Qian Zhongshu curiously began to read the manuscript, and once he started, he became more and more engrossed in it.

"It's nine o'clock already. You really can't stay up late; the time you gain will eventually have to be paid back." As Cao Yu got up to go to the bathroom to wash up, he didn't forget to ask, "Zhongshu, what do you think of the writing?"

"The tension and despair of the escape are well-developed, and the atmosphere is very well done. In addition, the character of He Fengshan is well-developed, showing both kindness and hesitation when saving people."

Faced with heavily armed German soldiers and orders from superiors, who wouldn't be afraid? Who wouldn't hesitate? Fear is instinct, choosing to save lives is nature.

After Qian Zhongshu finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "Don't bother me. After you wash up, hurry up and go eat. If you're any later, there probably won't be any left. Ma Shitu and a few other comrades are watching TV in the room and asking if you have any plans for today. If you don't, they want to go and explore San Francisco again."

"There aren't any arrangements yet, but Yimin wants to go to Ambassador He Fengshan's house this afternoon. I'd like to go and see him. I wonder if you want to go?" After washing up, Cao Yu was tidying his collar and hair in his room.

"Home? Yimin has found the people. Come on, I'll go with you. You don't need to ask about Ma Shitu and the others, they'll definitely be there too." Qian Zhongshu put down his manuscript, got up, and walked to Cao Yu's side, saying anxiously.

Cao Yu said, "Okay, we'll go together then. Did you see Yimin during dinner?"

"Yimin, I saw him. The American director came to see him. At this time of year, the two of them are either having a private conversation in their room or at a coffee shop outside." Qian Zhongshu walked back to his desk and started looking at the manuscript again.

Cao Yu didn't say anything more, got up and went out of the room to eat. In the coffee shop across from the hotel, Frank found a quiet place to show Liu Yimin the relevant information about this year's Oscars, as well as the filming progress report of "Green Book".

"Liu, the competition for the Oscars this year is quite fierce. Besides 'Redemption of a Slave,' the most popular contenders are 'Platoon' and 'Top Gun.' 'Hachi: A Dog's Tale' has been submitted by China to compete for the Best Foreign Language Film award, and the competition for foreign language films this year is intense. There are also regional factors involved; a Dutch film is highly anticipated, but in my opinion, it's not as good as 'Hachi: A Dog's Tale.'"

Frank couldn't help but speak up for "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" at the end.

*Platoon* is an American Vietnam War film that depicts the brutality of American troops in Vietnam and atrocities such as massacres. It tells the story of an American recruit and two comrades: one humane, the other bloodthirsty. During an operation, the bloodthirsty comrade deliberately shoots and kills the humane one. The recruit, later realizing his mistake, shoots and kills the bloodthirsty comrade in return.

"Platoon just grossed over $100 million, which is more than Redemption of a Slave. But this subject matter happens to be popular with many Americans, since Americans have a deeper memory of the Vietnam War than of the oppression of Black people," Frank explained.

Top Gun is another American propaganda film that tells the story of an American rookie pilot who idolizes his father, a veteran pilot. However, his piloting career is not going well. Not only does Maverick stand out in flight training, but he also crashes his plane into the sea in an accident, and his partner dies while parachuting.

With his father's encouragement, the dejected Medellin eventually rallied again.

This is a promotional video for an American hit series, and it performed even better in the global market than "Redemption of a Slave" and "Platoon".

The best TV shows are made by Americans. After they're made, not only do they not get criticized, but they also spend a lot of money on them.

"Liu, actually I'm very nervous. This is the closest I've ever been to an Oscar. Do you think I can make it to the podium?" Frank could no longer remain calm, fidgeting with his coffee cup in both hands.

"Frank, don't worry too much about this one opportunity. Trust me, there will be plenty of opportunities like this in the future," Liu Yimin advised.

Frank forced a smile: "Liu, winning an Oscar when you're young and winning an Oscar when you're old are not the same feeling."

“Achieving too much in one’s youth can become a burden later in life. Take my teacher Cao Yu, for example. He became famous at a young age and was expected to achieve great things. In his later years, his biggest worry was that he didn’t have any well-known works to bring his life to a perfect close,” Liu Yimin said.

Frank asked, "Liu, you became famous at a young age, aren't you afraid?"

"I believe in myself!"

Liu Yimin's confident tone slightly moved Frank, who then said, "Liu, you believe in yourself, and I believe in you!"

Frank seemed to have Liu Yimin completely under his thumb, believing that as long as Liu Yimin could write good scripts, he could turn them into good movies.

"Liu, the Oscars will be officially announced in five days. Would you like to witness this moment with me?"

Liu Yimin nodded in agreement, not so much for Frank's Oscar, but also for the sponsorship Nikki had promised him.

When Liu Yimin mentioned that the reader meet-and-greet he was holding in the United States these past few days was to raise funds, Frank immediately decided to donate to the International Federation of Literary Societies.

"Liu, your China Federation of Literary and Art Circles is the Chinese Federation of Literary and Art Circles. I think the International Federation of Literary and Art Circles can also add the word 'art' to it in the future, so I can join," Frank joked.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "We have requirements for people from developed Western countries like yourselves; only progressives are eligible."

"Liu, haven't I made progress yet?" Frank laughed.

How much money are you planning to donate?

"How about I donate $80,000?"

"Rounding it up to a whole number of 100,000 is an improvement over 80,000!"

“Okay!” Frank said casually. He believed he could make a lot of money once the movie “Green Book” was released, and $100,000 was not important to him.

When Liu Yimin inquired about the progress of "Green Book," Frank replied, "Only the last part is left. This kind of road movie is easy to shoot, and the set construction doesn't waste time."

"Is the international film festival almost over this year?" Liu Yimin asked.

"The Cannes Film Festival is in early May, and I've been preparing for this for a while now. Many investors prefer to premiere at Cannes and then release it globally. The timeline is a bit tight, but it's okay. These investors have a lot of influence, and we can't let them get a share of the money for nothing; we have to make them do something."

Frank's lips curled into a mocking smile. He knew he had to share the money with these people, but the thought of real money flowing into their pockets made his heart bleed.

"I trust you to make the arrangements!" Liu Yimin said.

The two sat in the coffee shop for more than two hours. After discussing everything, Frank brought his things to the hotel to meet everyone and gave each person a packet of coffee.

After Frank left, Ma Shitu said with a smile, "This young man is quite polite, but he just doesn't like this stuff."

“If you don’t like the taste, take it home for your family to try, or you can give it away. I think the coffee he gave away is pretty good stuff,” Liu Yimin said.

Ma Shitu glanced at it: "How much does this cost?"

"It will cost at least fifty or sixty dollars."

“Goodness, we only got four hundred dollars when we came out, and a packet of coffee costs fifty or sixty dollars,” Wang Zengqi said.

Liu Yimin went inside and called He Fengshan. He Fengshan learned that they were coming to see him that evening, and that Cao Yu and others were also there. After hanging up the phone, he excitedly ordered people to clean up and prepare to welcome the distinguished guests.

In addition to He Fengshan, Liu Yimin also called Georges of The Paris Review to tell him that he had a new manuscript to submit to him.

Upon hearing this, George exclaimed happily, "Liu, I'll be arriving in San Francisco tomorrow. 'House of Cards' has earned our 'Paris Review' a worldwide reputation, especially in Britain, where countless British newspapers and readers have lauded the book!"

“George, I heard about it when I transited through the United States last month. There were many people praising it, but also quite a few criticizing it.”

"The criticism is mostly directed at the media. Many people believe that this film is demonizing American democratic politics, but do we need to demonize the dirty deals between the two parties and their financial backers? Do we need to demonize the problems within the two parties and the US government? Even if there are exaggerations, they are just artistic expressions."

George is now focused on only one thing: whether the published articles can generate sales for The Paris Review. Previously, The Paris Review relied on donations for its operations, with magazine sales only covering a portion of the costs. But now he sees hope in solving the magazine's operational problems through sales revenue.

After hanging up the phone, Cao Yu and the others went to Liu Yimin's room; they were all going to He Fengshan's house.

Qian Zhongshu patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder and said, "Yimin, this novel is well written. I saw a selfless ambassador, an ambassador who, even in the midst of a torrent, is still willing to extend a helping hand to others."

"It's not that the writing is good, it's that Ambassador He did a good job."

Liu Yimin told them to rest a little longer at noon and then take a taxi there when it was time.

Liu Yimin told Cao Yu that he would be returning to China later than usual. Cao Yu replied, "Be careful while you're alone in the US. There are a lot of pickpockets in San Francisco. Yesterday, we went out and our wallets were almost stolen."

"Okay, don't worry!"

In the afternoon, Liu Yimin lay in bed reading American newspapers. The New York Times and the Washington Post were both discussing the final Oscar winners.

"Redemption of a Slave," "Platoon," and "Top Gun" are the three most popular films, while the rest are mostly family dramas or art films.

Then he saw a news article in The Washington Post about a delegation of Chinese writers visiting Cuba, and Liu Yimin and Gabriel García Márquez were photographed by reporters standing in Revolution Square in Cuba.

The Washington Post predicts that relations between China and Cuba will gradually warm up, with Cuba preparing to break away from the Soviet Union and turn eastward.

The Washington Post used exaggerated language to overstate the significance of the exchange by the Chinese writers' delegation, a common tactic used by American newspapers.

(End of this chapter)