"Lin, I have organized a party tomorrow. If you are still in New York tomorrow, I hope you can come."

Lin Chaoyang happily agreed. If nothing else happens, he should be in New York these days.

Only after Random House got in touch with Ron Woodruff was it possible for him to leave New York and go west.

The next day, the readers' meeting was held in a different location, but it was still very lively, which can be regarded as confirming Lin Chaoyang's appeal among American readers.

"Two consecutive novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list for a long time, and you have received a lot of exposure because of the Newstat International Literary Award. Your influence now exceeds that of ordinary best-selling authors."

Luan Walter's tone was full of relief. Lin Chaoyang was the writer he was responsible for. Being so popular was a good thing for him anyway.

In the evening, Luan Walter's Oldsmobile was parked on the side of the road, and Lin Chaoyang got out of the car.

Luan Walter's shout came from the car, "Lin, are you really not going to take me with you?"

"Okay, I'll tell Mr. Gottlieb that you are my agent."

"Forget it, what's the point of going without anyone?" Luan Walter said, and then muttered: "That old guy is really a snobbery!"

After saying that, the car disappeared as a puff of smoke, Lin Chaoyang smiled and shook his head.

Robert Gottlieb's home is in Port Gesa, Long Island, which belongs to an affluent area of ​​New York. It is a single-family villa surrounded by green trees and green spaces. It has the atmosphere of an American movie.

"Welcome, Lin!"

Lin Chaoyang arrived more than ten minutes earlier than the agreed time. The party hadn't started yet, but several people were already sitting at Gottlieb's house.

As soon as he entered the door, Gottlieb enthusiastically pulled him to introduce him to everyone.

The early arrivals were British writers Doris Lessing, Joseph Heller, and Michael Clayton.

Lin Chaoyang greeted the three of them and sat down on the sofa easily. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh about the so-called circle.

Robert Gottlieb was one of the most important literary editors in the United States after World War II, and those who could visit his home were not ordinary people.

Doris Lessing, whose pen name was Jane Summers, was famous for her work "The Golden Notebook" as early as the 1960s.

Famous in the Western world, this novel has sold more than one million copies.

Doris Lessing has been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature several times over the years, but unfortunately she passed by. According to the normal time track, she should have become the oldest winner in the history of the Nobel Prize in 2007 at the age of 88.

who.

Needless to say, Joseph Heller, whose "Catch-22" made him famous in the history of American literature, is one of the most prestigious writers in American literature in the 20th century.

Doris Lessing and Joseph Heller are both pure literature writers, while Michael Crichton is a popular literature writer and is known as the father of American science fiction and thriller literature. "Jurassic Park" is his representative work.

In addition to his achievements in novels, Michael Crichton is also a screenwriter and director.

He has participated in the creation of many films such as "The Great Train Robbery" and "Westworld" (1980).

Given the reputation of these three people in the American literary world, it is probably only Robert Gottlieb who can bring them together at the same time.

Lin Chaoyang met the three of them for the first time, and they had nothing in common. Gottlieb talked about his creative efficiency, which opened up everyone's conversation.

Several people were shocked by Lin Chaoyang's efficiency of writing a novel almost every year. Among the three, even Michael Crichton, who wrote popular novels, was far from able to compare with Lin Chaoyang's output.

While several people were chatting, another guest came.

"Hi Judith!"

Gottlieb introduced Lin Chaoyang to Judith Jones, Gottlieb's old colleague at Knopf Books, and she is also a well-known editor in the American publishing industry.

Early in his career, he edited the works of John Hussey, John Updike, Albert Camus, and Sartre, among others.

Later, she shifted her focus to the field of food, editing and publishing a series of best-selling food books, which led to the dietary changes in the United States after the 1960s.

After saying hello, Judith Jones ran to the kitchen to see today's menu. After reading it, she looked disgusted.

Gottlieb hired a chef specifically for the party and prepared French cuisine.

For Americans, French food is already very high-end, but Judith Jones has been introducing French food to Americans since the 1960s, and there is no surprise.

"Robert, I really should introduce you to two cooks," Judith Jones complained.

"Come on, it's not like I've never tasted Julia's cooking. The cooking by the writers you praised is just that." Gottlieb retorted.

Julia Child's status in the United States is roughly equivalent to Liu Yiwei's status in China. She teaches people how to cook on TV and also publishes books. She is a food writer discovered by Judith Jones.

While the two were bickering, several more guests came to the house one after another. One of them Lin Chaoyang also knew was Jason Epstein from Random House. He and Gottlieb were also old friends.

"Lin, I didn't expect you to be here too." Epstein said in surprise.

Counting Lin Chaoyang, Gottlieb invited a total of 7 guests today, all of them writers and editors.

Lin Chaoyang is the only foreigner and the youngest.

With the addition of Epstein, Lin Chaoyang blended into everyone's chat more easily.

Lin Chaoyang often invited people to dinner before, but the chances of being invited were very rare. He talked leisurely with everyone and felt very comfortable.

Occasionally I go to the kitchen to inspect the chef's skills, and I give the chef a bad review on his knife skills.

Seeing that he was very interested in the cooking going on in the kitchen, Judith Jones asked: "Lin, do you also like cooking?"

"It's okay, I cook some food occasionally."

Over the years, Judith Jones has been committed to promoting cuisines from all over the world to the American people, and has edited and published best-selling books such as "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", "Classic Italian Cooking", "Middle Eastern Food", and "Indian Cooking Appointment".

According to her idea, she wants to introduce all the more developed food cultures in the world to the American people, including Chinese food.

"I'm planning to write a book about Chinese food. Can you give me some advice?"

Hearing that Lin Chaoyang could cook, Judith Jones asked eagerly.

Hearing the word "Chinese cuisine" from the old American mouth, Lin Chaoyang had a slight stress reaction. The names of dishes such as "General Tso's Chicken", "Kung Pao Chicken" and "Li Hongzhang Chop Suey" came to mind.

"You can go to Chinatown and find a knowledgeable chef to serve as a consultant." Lin Chaoyang said.

Judith Jones did not notice the evasion in his tone and said, "You can recommend some home-cooked dishes to me, the kind that are easy to make but taste good."

Lin Chaoyang thought for a while and came up with a dish that was very simple for Americans and easy to meet the public's taste.

"You can try patting cucumbers."

"Patting cucumbers?"

"It's cucumber salad!"

In other words, Judith Jones understood immediately. Lin Chaoyang told her the method again, and it sounded really simple and easy to learn.

Judith Jones rummaged through the refrigerator and found a cucumber, which was used as a sandwich garnish at Gottlieb's house.

"I'll try it!"

As she spoke, she washed the cucumbers and then used the kitchen knife to cut the cucumbers.

"No no no!"

Lin Chaoyang quickly stopped her, and Judith Jones looked at Lin Chaoyang with a confused look on her face, not understanding what she did wrong.

"Shoot! Shoot, do you understand? You have no soul in doing this."

Judith Jones looked at the sharp chef's knife in her hand with a puzzled look on her face.

Lin Chaoyang walked over helplessly, washed his hands and took the knife.

It is true that the Western chef's knife is inconvenient for cucumbers, but it is not impossible. He held the handle of the knife with one hand and pressed the back of the knife with the other hand. He applied gentle pressure and used pressing instead of patting. The effect was the same. He easily moved on the "hutai" again.

A few knives.

"amazing!'"

Seeing the cucumber body falling apart under the action, not only Judith Jones, but also several other people also let out incredible exclamations.

Normally when Lin Chaoyang was cooking, he would have to show off his knife skills if there was someone beside him to show off his skills, but today he really couldn't think of showing off his skills.

Good guy, even taking a picture of a cucumber can attract onlookers. These people in the room fully explain what it means to keep your fingers clean.

In fact, what Judith Jones and others marveled at was not his cucumber shooting, but Lin Chaoyang's skillful movements as if he were strolling in a garden.

The so-called "professional" is actually a style.

Experts will know if there is anything as soon as they make a move. Behind Lin Chaoyang's few easy movements are the reflection of his superb cooking skills. The cucumbers are all finished, and the dish is half done. Adhering to the spirit of sending the capital to the west, Lin Chaoyang

I also bought two cloves of garlic that the chef uses to add flavor to French food.

Just like the previous action, with a slight pressure and no need to use your hands to remove it, the garlic clothes have fallen off on their own. Everyone is even more amazed by this little trick.

Chop the split garlic cloves into minced garlic, and put the cucumber and minced garlic on a plate.

Lin Chaoyang was stumped by seasoning again. Gottlieb's kitchen had salt, soy sauce and jalapenos, but no vinegar or MSG.

Vinegar is not a condiment in the American dictionary at all. MSG was popular in the United States in the early years. After the 1960s, it was stigmatized and almost no Americans use it anymore.

So Lin Chaoyang squeezed some lemon juice into the dish and added some sugar. All the seasonings were mixed together, and he just stirred it up, and then he put the dish on the table.

Pat cucumber, a Chinese cold dish that was once popular in foreign countries in later generations.

Just now, Judith Jones asked Lin Chaoyang to recommend a simple, easy-to-make and delicious Chinese dish. Lin Chaoyang thought about it and felt that with the old American's hands-on ability, this dish is already the limit that the public can accept.

When the food was on the table, no one moved, but looked around with interest.

It wasn't that everyone had high expectations for this dish, but they were surprised that Lin Chaoyang was able to make a dish in three clicks, fives, and twos, much faster than they could mix a salad.
To be continued...