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

Chapter 92: The Pampered Darling of Senior Sister and Master's Wife (10,000-word Update, Please Vote)

Liu Yimin bought some things on the street and brought them to Cao Yu's house as gifts. He had originally wanted to give Zhang Daqian's lotus painting as a gift, but it wasn't expensive and he was afraid Cao Yu would think he was being too deliberate, so he decided to keep it simple.

He arrived at the door and knocked. A simply dressed woman with short hair opened the door, looked Liu Yimin up and down, and then asked with a smile, "You must be Liu Yimin?"

"It's me, you?"

"I am Wan Fang, so I'm your senior sister. Come in, junior brother!"

Wan Fang was Cao Yu's third daughter, born to his second wife, Fang Rui. Fang Rui was traumatized by Cao Yu's actions and died in 74. Following Wan Fang into Cao Yu's home, a woman emerged from the kitchen; she was Cao Yu's current wife, Li Yuru.

"Yimin, you're here! Please have a seat. Don't bring anything next time you come; your teacher doesn't like it. What dishes do you like? I'll cook for you!" Li Yuru said warmly.

She knew that Lao Wan was very satisfied with this student, and as a result, she also found Liu Yimin very pleasing to the eye when they first met.

"Master's wife, you don't need to go to all that trouble. Let me help you in the kitchen!"

Liu Yimin's address of "teacher's wife" made Li Yuru even happier. She quickly said that she didn't need any help, and that she would just stir-fry some braised pork and cabbage with tofu, and that would be enough for today's meal.

"You child, from now on, make yourself at home here. No wonder your teacher always praises you. If you want to eat anything, just tell your teacher's wife!" Li Yuru happily returned to the kitchen, cooking while watching Wan Fang and Liu Yimin in the living room.

Wan Fang just got married, and she came today specifically because of Liu Yimin. She is currently an editor at "Drama Monthly". Cao Yu's book review of "Donkey Water" was originally commissioned by her, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it was published in "Literary Gazette".

Wan Fang, worried that Liu Yimin might be reserved, kept trying to find topics to chat with him. While they were talking, she suddenly seemed to remember something, so she quickly ran to the study, grabbed a magazine, and handed it to Liu Yimin.

This is the first sample issue of Harvest since its resumption of publication. Harvest officially resumed publication in January 1979, and from then on, the literary scene in Shanghai would become active again.

Wan Fang gestured for him to continue scrolling down, and with her prompting, Liu Yimin came across the novel "Hachiko: A Dog's Tale".

"Ok?"

"You wouldn't believe it, would you? The first issue of Harvest after its resumption of publication actually reprinted your short story. Xiaolin said that their editorial department argued for a long time before making the decision."

Xiaolin's real name is Li Xiaolin. She is the daughter of Ba Jin, the editor-in-chief of Harvest magazine, and works as an editor at Harvest magazine.

The first issue of Harvest reprinted an article from People's Literature and Art, and many veteran editors felt that it was easy for people to think that since the resumption of publication, it had fallen behind People's Literature and Art in terms of momentum.

However, after discussion, the editorial team published it despite the objections.

Ba Jin and Cao Yu were good friends, so after the sample issue was completed, a copy was sent to them immediately before it was even released. Because his father was a good friend, Wan Fang and Li Xiaolin also became good friends.

"Xiaolin told me that my father is your teacher, I am your senior sister, and she is also your senior sister. She told you to think of your senior sister who lives far away in Shanghai when you submit your work, otherwise she won't let you off the hook next time she comes to Yanjing!" Wan Fang teased.

Liu Yimin pretended to have a headache and said, "Senior sister, I don't have any manuscripts on hand. If I did, I would definitely submit them to our own people!"

If Cui Daoyi were here, he would definitely say, "Is Senior Sister family? But Senior Brother isn't?"
“It’s ‘The Flames of War in Beiping’!” Wan Fang laughed.

She had heard about the novel from Cao Yu before. Cao Yu said in private that both "Teahouse" and "Beijing in Flames of War" are about old Beijing. "Teahouse" is about sitting in a teahouse, meeting all sorts of people and seeing Beijing, while "Beijing in Flames of War" is about rickshaw pullers interacting with all sorts of people and running around to see Beijing.

“People’s Literature and Art magazine has already accepted this manuscript!” Liu Yimin said with difficulty. “I’m just kidding. Since you’ve already accepted it, you can’t break your promise. Xiaolin’s idea is to wait until the script of ‘Mr. Donkey’ is revised, and then publish it in ‘Harvest’. ‘Harvest’ publishes not only novels but also scripts. Lao She’s ‘Teahouse’ was published in ‘Harvest’!”

Liu Yimin asked in surprise, "Can my script be published in Harvest magazine and at the same time be sent to the People's Art Theatre?"

"Why not? You'll still get your royalties!"

Liu Yimin, who was used to royalties, couldn't help but smile. He almost couldn't suppress it; this was a win-win-win situation!
"Then we must send it to Senior Sister Xiaolin!"

Wan Fang glanced at Liu Yimin and teased, "Laugh if you want to. There's no one else here. It's not uncomfortable to hold it in!"

"Haha, senior sister, if this doesn't happen, I'll refuse any royalties from the Beijing People's Art Theatre!"

"The Beijing People's Art Theatre is a large and powerful organization; do they need your little bit of royalties? Revision properly. I heard that my father locks you on the third floor of the theatre every day to write; it must be quite tough for you!"

"No, I'm used to going to bed at midnight!"

Wan Fang frowned upon hearing this. Before she could speak, her teacher's wife's voice came from the kitchen: "You're so young, how can you go to bed at midnight? Don't overwork yourself. I'll talk to Lao Wan when he gets back. Don't you care about your own student?"

“Teacher’s wife, the teacher actually loves me very much. He even had someone change the lock on my room because it was faulty.”

"He had you locked in the room?"

As they were talking, Cao Yu knocked and walked in. Seeing Li Yuru's unfriendly expression and the shared sense of righteous indignation, he asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with you all?"

"My teacher, my teacher's wife, and my senior sister think I'm a bit tired inside and they feel sorry for me!"

"It's only right that I feel sorry for you, since they are your master's wife and senior sister!" Cao Yu put down his briefcase, took off his coat, and said with a smile.

"Yes, it's true. If you don't care about your own disciple, you have to rely on your master's wife and senior sister to do it. Yimin, braised pork, eat more later!"

At the dinner table, the conversation almost entirely revolved around Liu Yimin, which flattered him. Cao Yu didn't talk much about "Mr. Donkey," but instead focused on "The Flames of War in Beiping."

If he knew about the existence of "The Flames of War in Beiping", he would definitely have asked Liu Yimin to adapt it. But then he thought that it would be good to use "Mr. Donkey" as a practice exercise, so that he could adapt it more easily later.

"Have you seen the sample copy of Harvest?" Cao Yu asked.

"I read it; I didn't expect Harvest to do this."

"That's what makes Lao Ba different, and that's also a sign of care for you. Lao Ba works harder than I do. He used to be constantly flying around. Now that the arts and culture scene is in dire need of revitalization, the authorities are starting to arrange for him to go to various countries for cultural exchanges."

"Where are we going? Xiaolin, you should go too!"

"The first stop might be France. Lao Ba studied in France and returned, so communication will be much easier. Lao Ba suggested to the Ministry of Culture that it shouldn't just be these elderly people running around, but also some young people should be found to go with them to communicate with young people in foreign countries."

The younger generation is the future of literature; I think he's just trying to slack off!

P.S.: 10,000 words is the basic requirement.
(End of this chapter)