The First Dinner

When I thought of this unforgettable event, I suddenly thought of the name of the famous painting "The Last Supper", but for me, that unforgettable dinner was not the last one, but the first one, which was the first dinner I had with foreigners in my life.

At that time, I was in my early 30s, and I was busy learning from Dazhai in the commune. One day I received a phone call from the Provincial Literary and Creative Research Office, informing me that I was going to participate in the reception of a Japanese cultural delegation to China. The first moment I received the phone call, I froze, my first reaction was what am I wearing? I didn't hesitate to say no, saying how busy I was in the countryside learning from Dazhai's work. The answer was that the list of receptionists was set by the provincial revolutionary committee and this was a "political task" that had to be completed. This means no excuses and no ambiguity.

I was able to enter the list of hosts because I had just published two short stories in Shaanxi Literature and Art, both of which were annotated and interpreted the "class struggle" outline, and were considered to be well interpreted and annotated. The composition of the accompanying staff took into account all aspects, including the director of the university revolutionary committee, revolutionary actors, revolutionary engineers, etc. I was also considered a revolutionary amateur writer of workers, peasants and soldiers. Shaanxi's most influential several writers a few big trees have been collapsed, how is it clear to me that I am the monkey called the king was included in ......

The most urgent thing is the issue of clothes. The outerwear and shirts that I wore and wrapped in my bag, I could hardly find one that was not patched, even the socks were no exception. My salary at that time was 39 yuan, and I was supporting a family of five, so it took about two years to add a new piece of clothing. To receive foreign guests and add a new clothes caused the family economic imbalance, it is too costly. I quickly made up my mind to borrow.

The first object of borrowing clothes will be aimed at Li Xusheng. He and I are the same age, height and thickness of the body are similar. He is handsome and regardless of the human kind, usually dressed more carefully, I almost never saw him sloppy clothes and hats when. His clothes are always of a high quality, and it should be said that his clothes represent the highest level of our commune area in the mid-70s. When the "Four Cleanups" campaign was underway, the working group's suspicion of his economic problems was first triggered by his clothing. I borrowed a semi-new top and pants, although a little faded but very flat, about beige material I can not remember. I didn't borrow the shirt, the patches on my shirt were invisible.

I returned to the village where I was stationed with this set of clothes. My three team members after some serious review, still think it is too old, and repeatedly point out to me that this is not a personal problem, is a "political influence" problem, affecting the reputation of the country ...... one of the oldest sister brought her husband from home the next day The next day one of the oldest sister brought her husband's set of yellow tweed military uniforms from home and insisted that I try it on. The result was that even she herself shook her head in disappointment because the yellow tweed uniform belonging to a general or a colonel had decorated me beyond recognition, or my civilian laxity had made the uniform unbecoming. I ended up with a pair of her husband's leather shoes, which were a little smaller, but they made it work.

The next day, I took a suburban bus into Xi'an at noon and went to the Writers' Association to wait for instructions. The deputy editor of Shaanxi Literature and Arts, He Leyu, saw them and examined them from head to toe, and they were the same as the three heroes of my working group: too old. I did not have the heart to say through, on this old clothes or borrowed. She also instructed me not to dress sloppily, this is not a personal issue but a matter of "national impact political impact". I was moved by this from that time until now, we all consider the face of the country first. Lao He then fetched Li Ruobing's blue tweed blouse from home, and I changed into it after it fit well. Lao He said it was very good, and several other editors said it was good, saying that I had a whole lot of style.

The reception has already faded into a blur, and the foreign guests have long forgotten what kind of people they were, but I only remember a female writer, middle-aged, about 10 years older than me. The first thing I saw when I saw her was the red lips. She was sitting next to me, I could not help but look at her red lips, so red! I was secretly worried about her, if she walked down the street alone, would she be caught by the Red Guards cutting her red lips like a perm and cutting her high heels?

I was so tired after that dinner, more tired than learning Dazhai pulling a cart and carrying a load.

Now, because of my work I often receive foreign guests and accompany them to dinner, naturally no longer for a dress and panic to run to borrow; besides, the face of the country does not need a citizen to rely on borrowed clothes to hold up; also, I will not worry about the Japanese woman writer's red mouth was cut and worried, because the red lips of Chinese urban women have been as brilliant as the clouds red as the ocean.