Back to 80: My Literary Life

After Fang Minghua finished his meal at noon, Yu Hua came back from shopping.

"Have you eaten yet?" Fang Minghua asked.

"I've eaten." Yu Hua said hurriedly: "Editor Fang, what do you think?"

"Overall, it's acceptable, but some content and details deserve further scrutiny, but that's not the point. The point is that your novel is quite depressing overall, especially the ending, which is too gloomy."

At this point, Fang Minghua paused and continued: "I'll give you two choices."

"What choice?"

"If we continue to maintain this style of writing, especially the ending, then publication will be postponed until after next spring."

"Or revise the article, at least change the ending to be brighter, so that it can be published next month."

Yu Hua couldn't understand why the requirements were different just a few months apart?

But he can't control that much now.

"It will be published next month! As long as you can publish it for me, I will change it for you from beginning to end!"

Fang Minghua smiled.

It’s still the same Yu Hua.

"Okay, then you can revise it with me now."

By the time Fang Minghua's meeting ended in the afternoon, Yu Hua had already revised the manuscript, and the ending was indeed very bright.

Two children, Xingxing and Yunyun, went hand in hand to enter the Menuin Music School in the United States.

End of full text.

What a happy ending.

"Okay, leave the manuscript here with me. When I return to Xijing, the magazine will give you the official notice of publication and the royalties." Fang Minghua said.

"Thank you so much. I will vote for "Yanhe" again in the future!" Yu Hua was so happy.

My article can finally be published in a national first-level publication!

"Okay, I'm waiting for your masterpiece."

Yu Hua left happily.

Fang Minghua looked at his back with a smile.

The dentist will be officially transferred to the county library soon, and he will definitely write hard.

It's just that "Alive" and "Xu Sanguan Sells Blood" are still a few years away.

Although the meeting notice for this young and middle-aged symposium is only one week, the meetings in this era are not as intense as those held in later generations, and there are not many content arrangements, leaving sufficient time for everyone to play.

No, after the meeting this morning, I announced that I would have free arrangements for the afternoon. The euphemistic name was to let everyone summarize the content of the meetings in the past few days. In fact, it was just to let everyone go out for a walk.

Many writers and editors, especially those from the northwest, are coming to Shanghai for the first time, and of course they want to have a good look around.

You know, in this day and age, if you can go on a business trip to big places like Yanjing or Shanghai, you can brag about it for a long time after you return.

Lu Yao, Zhang Xianliang and the others made an appointment to go to Shanghai Zoo to see pandas and other things. Fang Minghua hated looking at those silly things, so he didn't go with them.

He planned to go alone and go shopping at Xinhua Bookstore on Nanjing East Road. On the one hand, he wanted to see if there were any new books, and more importantly, he wanted to see how the sales of his novel collection were going.

Just when Fang Minghua came to Shanghai for a meeting, he received a call from the People's Publishing House of Qin Province, saying that the "Collection of Minghua Short Stories" had been published nationwide and that he would send two copies to him in two days.

The sales in major Xinhua bookstores in Xijing are not too bad. I wonder how the sales are in Shanghai, thousands of miles away?

Although the sales volume has nothing to do with Fang Minghua himself - Qin Province People's Publishing House has paid him royalties, but everyone likes to sell more of their books, the better, right?

Xinhua Bookstore located on Nanjing East Road is a relatively large bookstore in the Shanghai area, with four floors selling books. Although today is not a weekend, there were still many people inside when Fang Minghua entered.

Especially on the first floor, some of the more popular books are usually sold, so there are more people here.

Nowadays, relatively large bookstores are slowly changing from the original closed counters to semi-open counters. Everyone can look for their favorite books in the bookcases as they like without having to look through the salesperson at the counter to pick them up.

Of course, it’s not okay to read a book for a long time, as you will be scolded by the salesperson who keeps staring at you.

Fang Minghua didn't bother to look for it, so he directly asked the saleswoman standing in the aisle staring at the readers: "Comrade, is there the book "Minghua Short Stories" in the bookstore?"

The saleswoman glanced at him and mouthed to the right: "Over there."

Fang Minghua looked over and saw three or four people in the aisle in the middle of the row of bookshelves, each holding a book and looking at it intently.

"Thank you." Fang Minghua walked over and saw a young man with a three-quarter-part haircut who had just closed a book. The cover was clearly written by him.

"Comrade, I'll buy this book." The young man said to the salesperson and walked over with the book.

Fang Minghua also pulled out the book from the bookshelf.

The two passed by each other, and the young man glanced at him.

The cover is very simple and elegant, pure white, with "Minghua Short Stories Collection" written in several imitation Song-style characters, and underneath there is a line of very thoughtful small characters: 1980-1983.

He opened the first page, which was his resume, written from junior high school to the present:

From 1973 to 1975, he studied in junior high school at Xijing No. 8 Middle School.

Joined the queue in Gansu Province from 1976 to 1978

From 1978 to 1980, educated youth returned to the city and were looking for jobs.

1980-1982 Employee of the Security Section of "Yanhe" magazine

Editor of "Yanhe" magazine since 1982.

There are also a bunch of titles: editor, director of the Writers Association, and of course the most eye-catching title is the title of "domestic avant-garde writer."

It seems that I can't escape this title.

Fang Minghua sighed, opened the book and started to flip through it.

The collection of novels includes three novellas: "Into the Dust", "Youth" and "The Sun Also Rises", and three short stories: "The Donkey Gets Water", "Roadside Picnic" and "Red Dresses Are Fashionable on the Street". In total, it has more than 300,000 words, which is also a thick book.

Fang Minghua was flipping through the pages at random and wanted to ask the salesperson how the book was selling. Suddenly he looked up and saw a young man staring at him.

Isn't this the young man with a three-quarter-length hair who bought the book just now? Are we back again?

You don’t seem to know him, right?

Before Fang Minghua could speak, he heard the young man ask: "Excuse me, are you the writer Minghua?"

"Yes you are?"

"I am your loyal reader!" The young man immediately became excited when he heard this: "I have read all the novels you wrote!"

My own fans.

The young man explained that he had seen a photo of him as an award-winning writer at the Great Hall of the People this spring, so he recognized him.

As soon as the young man shouted that it didn't matter, a few readers nearby immediately gathered around him and looked at Fang Minghua's expression of excitement.

"Minghua!"

"He is the writer Minghua!"

"Minghua, can you sign this book?" The young man took out the novel collection he just bought.

"No problem." Fang Minghua agreed happily.

"Minghua, sign your name for me too!"

"Sign it for me!"

A large number of readers suddenly gathered around, holding the novel in their hands.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll come one by one." Fang Minghua said with a smile: "But the book must have the seal of the bookstore, otherwise you won't be able to take the book away after I sign it, and I will be charged with destroying the book. Then The sin is huge."

Fang Minghua's words made everyone laugh, but more and more people were holding books and asking for autographs. They all took the books to the cashier to pay and then ran back to ask for autographs.

The salesperson standing not far away was also smart. When he saw this scene, he immediately ran to the back to report to the leader. Within a few minutes, a middle-aged man wearing glasses hurriedly walked over and pushed through the crowd.

"Hello, are you Comrade Minghua, the writer? I am Zhang Wenhua, the deputy manager of this bookstore."

"Hello, Manager Zhang."

"Comrade Minghua, welcome to our bookstore. Can you sign in another place? This place is too narrow and inconvenient."

"Oh well."

Fang Minghua agreed.

Manager Zhang hurriedly asked employees to temporarily set up a table and chairs near the cashier, and also urgently asked someone to temporarily write a sign: "Minghua Signature Bookstore, a famous domestic avant-garde novel writer"