Chapter 509: An Old Friend in a Foreign Land
For Zhao Baogang, Li Chengru and others who have not yet made a name for themselves, not to mention Zheng's father, Teng Jinxian and others, even Zhang Yimou and Gong Li are out of their reach.
They are all in the literary and artistic circle, but now Zhang Yimou and Gong Li are much higher in level than them.
They have become influential figures in the international arena, but they haven't even figured out how to navigate their way around Yanjing.
"If you can get on the good side of Teacher Lin, you can also show off your power internationally."
"That's right. If we can get Teacher Lin to help, we will become internationally famous!"
This group of people are very familiar with Lin Weimin's achievements in film and television. They know that he has never failed in this area and always wins awards, even at the recent Tokyo Film Festival.
"Old Well" from Xi'an Film Studio participated in the competition and won two honors: Best Film and Best Actor. You should know that the screenwriter of this movie is also Mr. Lin!
Feng Xiaogang looked at Zhang Yimou, who was accompanied by his beautiful girlfriend, and felt indescribable envy in his heart.
When the director wins the Golden Bear Award, when the actor wins the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo Film Festival, and when there is a golden thigh like Teacher Lin supporting him all the way, the heroine of the movie will follow him wherever she goes.
When will I be able to achieve this?
While the group of people in the Hippocampus Studio were chatting, students from the Institute of Literature and Art were also chatting.
"I can't tell! Weimin has not spent all these years in Yanjing in vain. The room is really full of distinguished guests today!" Jin Ying said.
Cheng Shixu smiled and said, "Who wouldn't want to make friends with someone like Weimin?"
Jiang Zilong clapped his hands and said, "Shi Xu is right. People like Weimin are a rare species. We should cherish him!"
The students were all smiling and expressed their deep agreement with Jiang Zilong's words.
Over the years, one thing after another has proven Lin Weimin's character. You can never go wrong by making friends with such a person.
Sitting at the next table were retired comrades, and the atmosphere at the table was quite lively.
Most of these people are old colleagues from the Guowen Press, including Yan Wenjing, Meng Weizai, Qin Chaoyang, Niu Han, Rong Shihui, and the sick Wei Junyi, who are also here today with their families. In addition is the former leader of Bian Shu, and Cheng Zaochun, the current president and editor-in-chief of the Guowen Press, is here last.
Unknowingly, Lin Weimin has seen off so many leaders.
"Time flies. When Weimin first joined our community, he was still a young man!" said Meng Weizai.
"Lao Meng, what you said is not right. He is a young man now!" Niu Han immediately retorted.
Yan Wenjing said with emotion: "Our National Literature Society has successors!"
Niu Han said again: "Old Yan, don't say this in front of Zaochun, he must be very upset!"
When he was in the commune, Niu Han was not afraid of these leaders. Now that everyone has retired and they are equals, he is even less afraid.
Moreover, Niu Han is now relying on his strong physique to catch up and become the host.
Cheng Zaochun was picking up some food, but Niu Han's words made him unable to eat anymore.
Why hasn’t Weimin come to toast yet?
Cheng Zaochun waited for a while, and then Lin Weimin and Tao Huimin came, and a group of people quickly stood up.
"No, no, no, you are all elders, just sit down. Hey, old lady, you are not in good health..."
These old guys usually look shaky, but they become very energetic when they drink.
After finishing the drink, everyone chatted for a few words, and then Lin Weimin and his wife went to the next table.
"Oh, the Weimin couple really look like a perfect match. In the past, books said that the man was talented and the woman was beautiful, and that's probably what it means." Qin Chaoyang said.
"It was better when we were young!" Meng Weizai sighed.
"You can't compare to others even if you are young!"
Niu Han was at full firepower today, killing every one he saw.
Several retired old men looked at each other and fell silent.
Isolate him!
Shi Tiesheng sat among a group of friends, watching everyone talking and laughing, with a smile on his face.
Today is Lin Weimin's big day. He and Lin Weimin are ten years apart in age, but they are close friends. They have shared the same ideals and been loyal to each other for so many years. Seeing Lin Weimin getting married, he is happy for Lin Weimin from the bottom of his heart.
Lin Weimin and his wife came over to toast, and Shi Tiesheng wanted to have a drink with Lin Weimin for the first time.
"No, just replace the wine with tea." Lin Weimin advised.
Shi Tiesheng insisted on pouring himself a glass of wine.
Cheng Ximi said to Lin Weimin, "Weimin, just let him drink. He is happy today."
Lin Weimin had no choice but to nod, raised the glass in his hand, and clinked glasses with everyone. When it was Shi Tiesheng's turn, the two of them smiled in tacit understanding and drank their glasses in one gulp.
"For the people, I wish you happiness!"
"Thanks!"
Lin Weimin leaned over and hugged Shi Tiesheng. Seeing their pure friendship, his friends were moved.
The round of toasts took an hour. The chef at Huifengtang was very skilled and Lin Weimin was willing to spend money, so the guests were very satisfied with today's meal.
What’s more important is that they don’t even ask for any membership fees.
This was done in a fair way!
Back at the main table, Lin Weimin poured a glass of water for Tao Huimin. The white wine they had toasted with was mixed with water, but even so, it was enough for them to bear.
Sitting at the main table were the family of Mr. Wan, the commander, and Han Dingbang's relatives.
Han Zhuangzhuang was responsible for taking care of the guests at this table. Mr. Wan was in poor health and no one wanted to drink.
By now everyone had almost finished eating, and those who were drinking were getting into the mood.
Mr. Wan had the habit of taking a nap every day. Seeing that he looked tired, Lin Weimin said, "Teacher, we have already eaten. I think you and your wife and sister should go back and have a rest first!"
"Okay!"
Lin Weimin and his wife sent Mr. Wan and his family to the gate of the courtyard.
Mr. Wan said to Lin Weimin solemnly: "You will be a family man in the future, so you need to be more calm."
"knew."
After saying a few words to Lin Weimin, Mr. Wan and his family said goodbye and left.
After the first person left, some guests who didn't drink also left one after another.
After about half an hour, the only people left in the yard were a group of middle-aged and young drunkards who were almost drunk.
Lin Weimin asked Tao Huimin to go and have a rest, and he stayed with everyone while drinking and chatting.
"Teacher Lin, let me tell you, my novel this time will definitely impress you!" Yu Hua said to Lin Weimin, reeking of alcohol.
"Don't disbelieve me, it's true. Let me tell you this story."
Yu Hua was drunk and tried to pull Lin Weimin to read him a novel, but Mo Yan pulled them away, "Teacher Lin, he's drunk."
"Today is Teacher Lin's big day, don't spoil the fun!" Yu Hua reached out to touch Mo Yan.
Mo Yan pulled him silently.
It's you, kid, who's spoiling the fun. Why are you telling people novels at their wedding?
He is usually a smart guy, but he becomes a different person after drinking.
Lin Weimin's wedding banquet lasted until five or six in the afternoon. In the end, the waiters of Huifengtang complained and gathered together to curse the drunkards in the yard. If Lin Weimin had not paid them so high a salary, they would have quit long ago.
After waiting for a long time for these drunkards to finish drinking, the waiters started to clean up.
In the end, there were more than thirty drunkards left. Lin Weimin deliberately left a few who were conscious and told them to send these people home safely.
After seeing off all the guests, Lin Weimin and Tao Huimin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh! I'm so tired. Fortunately, it's just a banquet. If it was a big one, I would be exhausted to death." Tao Huimin said while slumped in the chair and rubbing her legs.
"Have you forgotten that there is another one back home?"
When Tao Huimin heard this, her face suddenly wrinkled into a ball, full of distress.
"I told my parents that we should keep it simple, just like Yanjing."
"Okay, tell them."
Tao Huimin rolled her eyes at him, despising his style of selling out his teammates.
The not-so-formal wedding banquet was over. It was not luxurious, but Lin Weimin always tried to save time and effort. Including the money spent on treating Huifengtang employees, it cost more than 10,000 yuan, which was a very luxurious thing in that era.
When Tao Huimin returned to her hometown, she was sure that there was no place to hold such a wedding. After a short rest, Tao Huimin called her father and mother to discuss the wedding arrangements in her hometown.
The next day, Lin Weimin and Tao Huimin set off back to Tao Huimin’s hometown, Rui’an.
Having learned from the lesson of their last trip, the two of them first flew to Hangzhou and then took a long-distance bus to Ruian, which only took a day and a half.
The two arrived in Ruian on March 6th. They were busy since their return and spent several days visiting relatives of both families. Then came the wedding that Tao's father and mother prepared for them.
Thanks to Tao Huimin's prior communication, the wedding process was much simpler.
After more than a year of spread, relatives and friends of both families knew that Tao Huimin was going to marry the great writer Lin Weimin.
The donations were tens of millions, so they were definitely not short of money. They kept the wedding simple simply because they didn't want to cause any trouble. Tao's father and mother were not afraid that people would gossip about the wedding, so they fulfilled their daughter's wish.
When their daughter got married, she married the great writer Lin Weimin. Tao's parents were extremely satisfied and felt proud among their colleagues, neighbors and relatives.
Previously, Lin Weimin and Tao Huimin asked Tao's father and mother to come to Yanjing first, but the two were not very willing. After much discussion, they decided that Tao's father and mother would follow Lin Weimin and Tao back to Yanjing after the wedding.
Tao Huimin's passport and visa have not been processed yet, so she cannot fly to the United States immediately after returning to Yanjing. It is a good opportunity for her to stay in Yanjing for a few more days with Tao's father and mother.
After Ruian's wedding, it was already March 14th when they returned to Yanjing. Lin Weimin and Tao Huimin took Tao's father and mother to play in Yanjing for a few days.
Time passed quickly and it was the end of the month. Tao Huimin's passport and visa were ready. Lin Weimin booked a plane ticket and called Arthur Miller in the United States. This time he went to the United States for a honeymoon, and Lin Weimin decided to make New York his first stop.
Before leaving, Lin Weimin made a special trip back to the Guowen Publishing House. The work content of the editorial department was very fixed, so there wouldn't be much of a problem without him. However, he would be away for two or three months, so he still had to hand over all the work.
Two days later, it was already early April, and Lin Weimin and his wife boarded a plane to the United States.
After more than ten hours of transoceanic flight, the plane landed at New York's Kennedy Airport. Arthur Miller and his wife Inge Morath met them at the airport, and the driver was the familiar face Huang Guangsheng.
"Hi, Jack, nice to see you again!" Lin Weimin greeted Huang Guangsheng happily.
"Mr. Lin, it's nice to see you again. I wish you a happy wedding!" Huang Guangsheng sent his blessings to Lin Weimin and his wife.
"Thanks!"
After a few greetings, several people got in the car.
Lin Weimin and Arthur Miller hadn't seen each other for a long time and they chatted animatedly.
Tao Huimin listened quietly at the side. She was a little speechless when Inge Moras spoke to her.
Tao Huimin had learned English briefly before, and she also studied hard for a period of time before going abroad, but unfortunately the results were not very good.
Lin Weimin comforted him: "It's okay. If you can't form a sentence, just say words. Language is just a tool for communication. Sometimes understanding is enough."
With his comfort, Tao Huimin relaxed a little and started chatting with Inge Moras haltingly.
"Lin, I'm so glad you can come to the United States again."
"Arthur, we have four great joys, one of which is meeting an old friend in a foreign land." Lin Weimin said with a smile.
Arthur Miller listened to the poem translated by Lin Weimin and laughed, "Not bad, not bad. It is indeed a happy occasion for old friends to get together."
He added: "I have been waiting for you to come for such a long time, you will not let me down this time, right?"
(End of this chapter)
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