1980 My literary era

USA, New York.

Manhattan's Chinatown, inside an old tenement apartment building.

The weekly literary salon is still going on. Cheng Danqing, Li Quanwu and others are still sitting on the floor as before, listening to Mu Xin endlessly expounding his own unique literary concepts. Everyone is fascinated.

After Mu Xin finished his lecture, everyone prepared dinner together.

Li Quanwu said: "Have you heard about it?"

"What did you hear?" Everyone looked curious.

"Lin Weimin, who came back last time, wrote a novel specifically to scold us after returning from the United States."

"What?" Everyone was surprised, "Why?"

Li Quanwu sneered, "Who knows! Last time he came, we treated each other with courtesy, but this man repaid kindness with hatred! Not only us, he even scolded the United States, criticizing this place as useless!"

"Really or not? Isn't that too mean?"

"He was incompatible with us when he came last time. I thought it was because he was not used to the United States, but I didn't expect that he actually looked down on us. Then there is no need to write a book to curse us, right?"

"Who knows? These literati are the most cunning and cunning, and they are downright evil!"

"He only dares to write these things to please people in China. Do you want him to try writing in the United States?"

Everyone was talking a lot, with a bit of anger.

Cheng Danqing looked a little unhappy as he listened to the discussion among his friends. He invited Lin Weimin to come last time. He thought he was a fellow countryman, but unexpectedly he was shot in the back.

Cheng Danqing was equally angry and a little irritable inside. He looked at Mu Xin who was sitting in the living room.

The old man was not affected by everyone at all and sat there smoking his pipe with an indifferent expression.

Cheng Danqing was about to say a few words to Mu Xin when someone knocked on the door, so he opened the door first.

A young man with yellow skin and dark eyes stood at the door, "Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Cheng Danqing!"

The young man spoke Chinese that was not very standard. Cheng Danqing had a bit of doubt in his eyes. His interpersonal relationships in New York were very simple, and he was sure that he did not know the young man in front of him.

"I am, what do you want from me?"

When the young man learned that he was Cheng Danqing, he said with a smile: "Hello, my name is Huang Guangsheng. I have been entrusted by Mr. Lin to give you something."

Mr. Lin?

Lin Weimin's face immediately flashed in Cheng Danqing's mind. He suppressed the anger in his heart and took what Huang Guangsheng handed over.

The two nodded, and Huang Guangsheng said goodbye.

Cheng Danqing closed the door and walked back to the house. His friends asked, "Danqing, who was that just now?"

Cheng Danqing did not answer his friends' questions, but focused on the envelope in his hand.

Everyone looked at the thing in his hand curiously, "Is there a letter from China?"

Cheng Danqing opened the envelope, revealing a dozen beautifully printed tickets and a piece of letter paper.

Others came closer, "What is this?"

Cheng Danqing handed the tickets to everyone and unfolded the letter in the envelope.

The letter was written by Lin Weimin and was not long.

He only said that he was invited to attend Cheng Danqing's party last time, and a story came to his mind. After writing it, I felt that people might feel uncomfortable after reading it. It happened that his play was about to be performed, so I specially gave him some tickets for the play performance.

After Cheng Danqing read the letter, the anger in his heart calmed down a little, but he felt a little aggrieved.

After you wrote a novel and scolded us, how about getting a few theater tickets as an apology?

No, this guy never said an apology from beginning to end in the letter.

Thinking of this, Cheng Danqing's anger returned.

This guy is unreasonable!

After everyone looked through the tickets, they became interested in the letter in Cheng Danqing's hand, so he handed it over.

After reading the letter, Lu Zhifang said: "This person should have some conscience!"

"He has no conscience!" Li Quanwu was a little indignant. "There was no apology from the beginning to the end. What's the point of getting a few tickets? Want to use this small favor to bribe us? When we haven't seen the money, he thinks he is who?"

Lu Zhifang looked at the tickets, "These are Broadway tickets, they are not cheap."

Hearing what she said, Li Quanwu's face became even more ugly, "How expensive can it be?"

"Together, the value of these should be two thousand meters." Lu Zhifang said quietly.

Li Quanwu stopped talking.

Two thousand meters of knives is definitely not a small figure for Li Quanwu and his group of rice-study people. They work in their spare time, and most of their monthly income is only a few hundred meters of knives.

When the others heard Lu Zhifang's words, their faces became much brighter.

Literary people are all face-saving. Although they didn’t say anything to apologize, sending these tickets was actually a sign of sincerity!

"I have been in the United States for more than a year and have been living in Manhattan. We have never been to Broadway!" someone said in a depressed mood.

In the United States, going to watch live musicals and plays on Broadway is not a cheap entertainment activity. Tickets often start at a hundred dollars, which is too luxurious for international students with difficult conditions like them.

After saying this, the atmosphere became a little subtle.

Everyone thought of what Cheng Danqing and Li Quanwu said after seeing Lin Weimin off that day. Lin Weimin left in a Mercedes-Benz.

When we met before, everyone was somewhat proud when talking to Lin Weimin. Even though you are famous in China, we are already abroad.

But now everyone finally discovered what was unique about Lin Weimin.

In the past, everyone only knew that Lin Weimin was famous in China and that his novels had been published abroad, but they had no idea about this.

The Mercedes-Benz car traveling in and out, and the two-thousand-meter knife given out casually, finally made everyone realize that their pride in being in the United States did not seem worth mentioning in Lin Weimin's eyes.

Thinking of this, an unspeakable feeling came to everyone's mind.

Humiliation? It seems a bit. But when I think about the fact that others are prosperous whether at home or abroad, I don't seem to have the qualifications to blame them.

They have always had a good attitude when coming and going, and now they are giving away valuable tickets.

But I just felt a little uncomfortable. I couldn’t describe the feeling, but it was a bit aggrieved anyway.

"Don't say anything! What to do with these tickets?" Li Quanwu shouted.

Everyone was silent for a long time, and finally someone reached out and took out two tickets, "If you don't go, it's free! After all, it's a ticket worth a few hundred meters. I just want to take my wife to see it!"

"That's right. Why don't you go? I want to see what's so great about Lin Weimin!"

A group of people quickly divided up the tickets, leaving two tickets for Cheng Danqing and Mu Xin.

"Teacher, are you going?" Cheng Danqing asked.

Mu Xin laughed and said: "We have the tickets, so let's go and see it! The play written by us Chinese is being performed on Broadway in the United States, so of course we have to go and support it!"

After Mu Xin finished speaking, everyone's eyes lit up. Didn't this pattern suddenly open up?

yes! We are not here to support Lin Weimin, but to support the Chinese!

The next evening, Broadway.

The Netherlands Theater, located at 208 West 41st Street, was built in 1921 and is one of nine theaters on Broadway owned by the Netherlands Theater Organization.

The premiere location of "The Kite Runner" is set here, not only because a play has just been withdrawn here, but also because the Netherlands Theater Organization happens to be one of the investors of this play.

The success of "The Intouchables" fully verified Arthur Miller's vision. After receiving the news that Arthur Miller was preparing to continue producing "The Kite Runner", many Broadway theaters, production companies, and copyright companies took the initiative to Door-to-door investment delivery.

Arthur Miller is a mature playwright who is well versed in the operating rules of Broadway, so he does not refuse the investment that comes to his door, even if it will share the profits he should have received.

He had previously roped in Lin Weimin to invest in "The Kite Runner" because he had roped in so many investors, including Lin Weimin, the original author and screenwriter.

But Lin Weimin was more shrewd and measured than he thought. He decisively rejected his suggestion and only sought his own share of the box office share.

Arthur Miller had to admit that it was very comfortable to work with someone like Lin Weimin.

As night falls, the high-rise buildings in New York cover the sky near Broadway, the neon lights of the theater light up, and the audience is queuing at the entrance of the theater. Cheng Danqing and the others follow the queue into the theater.

The ticket seats Lin Weimin arranged for Cheng Danqing and the others were in the first few rows of the theater, which was a good location.

Lu Zhifang was one of the few people in the group who had experience of watching a Broadway show. After arriving, she knew that the 2,000 meters she had previously estimated was less than the 2,000 meters she had estimated. For this position, 3,000 meters was about the same.

Everyone sat on their seats and looked around. At this time, most of the audience in the theater was already full, and audiences were still entering the theater.

After a few more minutes, almost all the empty seats in the theater were occupied.

Everyone knows that the play "The Kite Runner" is premiering today, but no one could have imagined that there would be so many viewers.

Are Lin Weimin's works so popular in the United States?

"It must be for Arthur Miller!" Li Quanwu said to everyone.

"The Kite Runner" is adapted from Lin Weimin's "Horse Trapper". It is marked on the poster of the American version of the drama. Everyone has come to the United States in the past two years, so they are naturally familiar with "Horse Trapper".

On the contrary, Mu Xin, an old man who has been in the United States for almost ten years, has never heard of the name "Horse Trapper" at all.

Cheng Danqing recited the plot of "Horse Trapper" to him in his ear, which would help Mu Xin understand the drama "The Kite Runner".

The lights dimmed, the curtain opened, and the show began.

Cheng Danqing had watched the play "Horse Trapper" in China and recognized Amir on the stage as Bayin and Hassan as Battelle at a glance.

He also understood the background of the war in Afghanistan. After spending the first ten minutes, he was easily immersed in the charm of the drama.

"The Kite Runner" is a big play. A few hours flew by and the show came to an end before you knew it.

On the stage, the actors were taking their curtain call, and the audience in the theater stood up and applauded. The applause resounded throughout the theater, deafening.

Obviously, the audience was extremely satisfied with the performance just now.

The applause climaxed when producer, investor and co-writer Arthur Miller took the stage.

The applause lasted for a long time, and it was clear at first glance that it was not polite, but came from the sincerity of the audience.

When the audience left, everyone also walked out of the theater.

Everyone was still a little excited, talking loudly about the plot and actors of the drama just now.

"There was an actress on stage just now, was it Chen Chong? The more I look at her, the more she looks like her!"

"I don't know, how did she end up acting on Broadway?"

"She went to the United States to study before, and it's normal for her to act on Broadway. After all, that's what she does!"

"This play is Lin Weimin's original work, so it is normal to use an actor from China."

After everyone chatted for a while, Cheng Danqing heard Li Quanwu say: "That Arthur Miller, his ex-wife is Marilyn Monroe, do you know?"

Several of the companions looked a little surprised, "Marilyn Monroe?"

"You don't know? He is a well-known playwright in the United States, just like Mr. Wan in China. He married Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s and divorced a few years later."

Li Quanwu looked a little complacent when he was introducing science to his companions. In order to watch the drama, he specifically checked the information.

"The person Lin Weimin found is quite awesome!" Everyone sighed.

"He got lucky!" Li Quanwu said suddenly and angrily, with a very contradictory attitude.

Everyone looked at Li Quanwu a little weirdly. You got the tickets, you watched the play, and you still scolded people like this later, which is a bit unkind.

This has nothing to do with whether you are Chinese or not, it is purely a matter of character.

Everyone was chatting and walking, finally taking a trip to Broadway. Although it was almost midnight, it was the busiest time on Broadway.

The theaters ended one after another, and the audience poured out like a tide. Some of the audience members who were still immersed in the theatrical atmosphere were reluctant to leave, which made it easier for the vendors here.

Cheng Danqing and others had dinner five or six hours ago, and they were a little hungry. When passing by the hot dog stand, someone mentioned buying something to eat, and everyone readily agreed.

Walking on Broadway, the neon lights of theaters line both sides, and the lights reflect on the posters, which are full of artistic atmosphere and make people feel intoxicated.

In the past, when they walked alone on the streets of this strange country, they could not help but feel a little nervous and humble.

But today was different. They had just finished enjoying a wonderful play at a Broadway theater, eating hot dogs, and because they were accompanied by their companions, they walked unscrupulously, communicated loudly, and laughed.

This is their dream life of studying abroad in the United States!

Cheng Danqing and Mu Xin fell behind the crowd. He was equally happy, but at the same time a little sad.

Because he knows that a moment like tonight is like Cinderella's glass slipper and pumpkin carriage to everyone, only a momentary possession.

Thinking of this, he was a little dissatisfied with Lin Weimin.

This feeling of losing something after having it is even more painful.

As everyone was walking, Lu Zhifang suddenly stopped, and the others also stopped.

"What's wrong, Zhifang?" everyone asked.

Lu Zhifang's eyes were on the theater not far away, and she said: "Lin Weimin's other play "The Intouchables" is still being performed here."

Her words made the originally warm and cheerful atmosphere suddenly dull, and everyone seemed to be a little uninterested.

Li Quanwu, who has always been dissatisfied with Lin Weimin, looked at the Barrymore Theater not far away with complicated eyes and muttered.

Cheng Danqing was closest to him and heard the weak voice, "How awesome!"