Chapter 168 Old Friends Reunion
March 24, 1982, Yanjing.
The weather is warm and the spring is bright. Lin Weimin is in a particularly relaxed mood today.
The list of winners of the National Excellent Short and Medium Story Award was announced half a month in advance, and his Farewell My Concubine was on the list.
Although Lin Weimin felt that Farewell My Concubine, with more than 120,000 words, should be considered a long novel, he did not have the final say. Lu Yao's Life, which had even more words than his, also won an award.
In addition to Lu Yao, many acquaintances of Lin Weimin also won this award.
The selection of the National Excellent Short and Medium Stories Award began in 1979, covering novellas and short stories. Lin Weimin's "A Matter of One Penny" and "The Death of Euler" won the Excellent Short Story Award in 1980 and 1981.
Like last year, 25 writers won awards in this national selection of outstanding short and medium-length novels, including Jiang Zilong's "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Indigo, and Purple", Wei Junyi's "Baptism", Wang Meng's "It's Hard to Meet Again", and Huang Anyi's "Passing", all of whom are old acquaintances of Lin Weimin.
Jiang Zilong and Huang Anyi were classmates of Lin Weimin at the Institute of Literature Research. Wei Junyi is now the leader of Lin Weimin's unit. Wang Meng once taught Lin Weimin at the Institute of Literature Research.
In addition to the novella award, Jiang Zilon also won this year's short story award for "New Year Greetings", a double win.
Among the short story winners was Jin Ying, a classmate of Lin Weimin and the future leader of the Literary Association.
Her work this time is "Oh, Xiangxue".
Tomorrow is March 25th, the award ceremony day.
Before lunch, the door of the editorial office of Contemporary was pushed open. Jiang Zilong stood at the door and shouted, "Weimin, here I come!"
Lin Weimin stood up and gave Jiang Zilong a warm hug, and the two patted each other on the back.
"My brother Zilong! Long time no see!"
"Yeah, it's been more than a year."
When Jiang Zilong came to Yanjing, he brought a black leather bag. His home was in Tianjin, about 180 kilometers away from Yanjing, so it was very convenient for him to travel back and forth.
"Has An Yi arrived?" Jiang Zilong asked.
"No, she said the train is at 3pm, I'll pick her up then."
"Let's go together! Oh, we haven't seen each other for a long time, I miss you so much!" Jiang Zilong had a smile on his face.
Lin Weimin also smiled. The feeling of meeting old friends again was really warm and touching.
The two chatted for a few words, and Lin Weimin took Jiang Zilong to say hello to the entire editorial department. When it was almost noon, Lin Weimin took him to the cafeteria for lunch.
After lunch, Qu Xiaowei ran over and hugged Jiang Zilong as soon as they met.
"You came early today?" Lin Weimin asked.
"Hey, I ran out without eating lunch, nothing happened. When will An Yi arrive? And where is Jin Ying?"
"An Yi's train is in the afternoon, and Jin Ying's is about the same time."
The three of them stayed in the editorial office until two o'clock in the afternoon, preparing to go to the train station to pick up Huang Anyi and Jin Ying.
Jiang Zilong saw Lin Weimin's motorcycle and said, "Weimin is great! He is riding a motorcycle now!"
The price of motorcycles these days is so high that even Jiang Zilong, who earns several thousand yuan a year from writing articles, cannot afford to buy one for himself. Perhaps only a single young man like Lin Weimin could afford to do so.
"Hey, it's all about convenience, get in the car."
Qu Xiaowei was left behind by Lin Weimin, riding his bicycle alone, cursing behind.
After arriving at Yanjing Station and waiting for more than ten minutes and identifying her in the crowd for a long time, the three carefree men finally picked up Huang Anyi.
Lin Weimin’s first reaction when he saw Huang Anyi again was that this girl had learned how to dress herself up.
When they met again after more than a year, Huang Anyi seemed a little reserved. Fortunately, the people present were all talkative people, and after a few words, everyone found the feeling they had when they were in the Institute of Literature.
After waiting for a while, Jin Ying also arrived.
After picking up the two people, seeing that it was almost time to get off work, Lin Weimin arranged to go out for dinner to welcome the three of them.
He and Qu Xiaowei had an argument about the reception location.
Qu Xiaowei plans to go to Cuihualou in Wangfujing, and Lin Weimin plans to go to Quanjude.
"Why go to Cuihualou? Come to Yanjing to eat Shandong cuisine. The people of Yanjing will spit on you."
"I've eaten at Quanjude so many times, aren't you sick of it? It's just a crappy roast duck!"
The two talked for a few words, and Lin Weimin finally said: "I'll listen to An Yi. Where do you want to go?"
Huang Anyi glanced at the two people's expressions and said softly, "How about we go to Xinqiao Hotel? I want to try the Western food there."
Old Mo in the north and new immigrants in the south.
Huang Anyi had been to the Moscow Restaurant during her training at the Institute of Literature and Art, and was very interested in Xinqiao Sanbao Le, a Western restaurant in Yanjing that is as famous as Lao Mo.
"Look at An Yi's taste!"
Lin Weimin and Qu Xiaowei spit at each other and happily made the decision.
Jiang Zilong: I haven’t spoken yet.
Jin Ying: ...
When they set off, the person sitting on the back seat of Lin Weimin's motorcycle changed. Jiang Zilong was replaced by Huang Anyi. Jin Ying squeezed in the back with her. Huang Anyi stuck close to Lin Weimin, and she held on to his collar a little stiffly.
"An Yi, hold on tight, or you might get thrown off if I ride too fast."
Huang Anyi grabbed Lin Weimin's clothes around his waist.
Lin Weimin pulled his hand over and put it around his waist, "You have to do this."
Huang Anyi's face instantly turned red with embarrassment, and she turned her head to observe Qu Xiaowei and Jiang Zilong.
The two men looked up at the sky and were almost about to whistle.
“Let’s go!”
Lin Weimin didn't give Huang Anyi a chance to be shy and roared out on his motorcycle.
Riding on the bicycle behind, Jiang Zilong said, "Weimin is starting to get his bearings now."
Qu Xiaowei shook his head, "Don't be fooled by the illusion in front of you, this kid is destined to be a bachelor!"
"Ha ha!"
The two men laughed at Lin Weimin and rode all the way to their destination.
Xinqiao Sanbao Le, to be precise, this should be a Russian restaurant, as there were no decent Western restaurants in the country at that time.
When old friends met, everyone was in high spirits, even the two female comrades Huang Anyi and Jin Ying started drinking.
Lin Weimin, Jiang Zilong and Qu Xiaowei are all talkative people, and the atmosphere at the table is very lively.
After not seeing each other for more than a year, everyone started by catching up on the past.
Jiang Zilong is still very popular this year, and he keeps producing works. Lin Weimin's works are updated even more frequently than Jiang Zilong's, and he is also gaining fame in China, and is one of the most popular writers.
Huang Anyi is far away in Shanghai. Although she is quiet, she has published many short stories and novellas in the past year or so, and can be considered to have made a name for herself in the literary world.
Jin Ying has published relatively few works, but now she is also an editor, and both her work and her hobbies are related to the literary world.
There is only one Qu Xiaowei, who is lazy and has long given up the path of literature, which makes everyone sigh.
He himself did not seem to be worried at all. Instead, he happily talked about his marriage next month.
Several people congratulated him. Jiang Zilong was in Tianjin, so he would definitely come to ask for a glass of wedding wine. Jin Ying was in Baoding, so she was neither far nor close, so it depended on the situation whether she would come or not. Huang Anyi was in Shanghai, so she couldn't come. She could only wish him well from afar.
Upon hearing that Qu Xiaowei's marriage partner was actually his pen pal at the Institute of Literature Research, Huang Anyi began to look at him with a new respect. She had always thought that Qu Xiaowei would be a playboy with his personality, but she didn't expect that he would actually become a couple with his pen pal.
Jiang Zilong secretly observed Huang Anyi's expression, and asked Lin Weimin casually, "How is Weimin now? Does he have a girlfriend?"
Huang Anyi glanced quickly at Lin Weimin, then pretended nothing had happened and took a bite of the food.
"No, I don't have time!"
Jiang Zilong continued, "Then why did I hear a while ago that a writer named Lin went to Yanda University to confess his love to a foreign female student?"
Huang Anyi looked surprised and his face turned a little pale.
Lin Weimin was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. “It’s a rumor. It’s absolutely a rumor. It’s not true.”
"I didn't say it was you, why are you so excited?"
Lin Weimin asked: "Has this matter spread to your city of Tianjin?"
"It's not something that has spread to us in Tianjin. I just heard about it from my writer friend in Yanjing. So that person is really you?"
Lin Weimin waved his hand and said, "I was just giving books to a friend that day. It's all a misunderstanding. The students are just making trouble."
After hearing Lin Weimin's explanation, Huang Anyi's expression improved.
"It turns out that you haven't made any progress in more than a year!" Jiang Zilong summarized Lin Weimin's current situation.
Lin Weimin was anxious, "How can you say you haven't made any progress? Can't you see the motorcycle? I've bought two courtyard houses, and the royalties... I don't even need to mention the royalties. I'm living a happy life!"
Qu Xiaowei added: "I just don't have a partner!"
Lin Weimin glared at him angrily.
Qu Xiaowei added: "You don't know, he found his eldest nephew, he used to be a bachelor, now they are a couple!"
Huang Anyi and the other two were amused and burst into laughter.
After a long discussion, they finally got over the topic and started talking about the work "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Indigo, Purple" again.
In addition to winning the National Excellent Novella Award, this film received an adaptation invitation from Changchun Film Studio as early as when it was first published last year. The filming of the film has now been completed and it will be released in two months.
The heroine of this movie is Fang Shu and the supporting actress is Jiang Lili.
Qu Xiaowei sighed, "You guys are really amazing! An Yi's "Miscellaneous Notes from the Small Courtyard" was adapted by students of Yanying, Brother Zilong's "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple" was made into a movie by Changchun Film Studio, and Weimin's "The Cliff" was made into a TV series by Qindao TV Station..."
Huang Anyi said shyly: "My work is nothing, I just patted the students to practice their homework."
"An Yi, don't say that. There are many talented students in this class of Yanying Film Studio, and it is the first class after the opening up. Your work has even been sent to participate in the screening of the Eastern Film Festival." Lin Weimin said.
Huang Anyi asked him: "I heard that the script you wrote for the People's Art Theatre is very popular..."
Before she could finish her words, Qu Xiaowei shouted, "Oh, right. The Intouchables is being performed right now. Let this guy get some tickets for everyone, and we'll go and show our support."
Huang Anyi and the other two looked at Lin Weimin with interest. Lin Weimin nodded and said, "No problem."
The few of them then talked about other classmates, and as they talked, they began to reminisce about the days in the Institute of Literature.
For this group of students, the training experience at the Institute of Literature and Art is indeed of great significance. It not only opens the door to literary creation for them, but also broadens everyone's horizons and enriches everyone's thoughts.
After returning to their respective jobs, everyone could feel more deeply the care and training that the leaders and teachers at the Institute of Cultural Research had given to these students, and they were filled with nostalgia and gratitude for those passionate days.
Several people drank quite a bit of wine, but at least they remained restrained. Tomorrow is the day of the awards ceremony, so they can't be too reckless.
Today's meal is a welcoming banquet, hosted by Lin Weimin and Qu Xiaowei. If they go to Tianjin, Shanghai or Baoding in the future, they will receive the same treatment.
After coming out of the restaurant, Lin Weimin sent Huang Anyi and the other two to the guesthouse.
The National Excellent Short and Medium-length Fiction Selection Conference is organized by the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the award ceremony is scheduled for March 25. The Federation of Literary and Art Circles has already arranged guesthouses in advance for writers from all over the country who will come to Beijing to receive their awards.
After sending them to the door of the guesthouse, they exchanged a few words and waved goodbye.
(End of this chapter)
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