Back to 80: My Literary Life

You can see it but you can't eat it. Sometimes it's really tempting.

There is no way, girls in this era are relatively conservative, especially Song Tangtang. Although she is usually generous, she is actually conservative and shy.

Want to coax a girl into bed?

Have to wait until the wedding night.

The two of them changed horses, chatted and laughed, and finally arrived at Jiangxi Village in Bailuyuan.

There are almost no changes from three years ago. The huge and sturdy plane tree still has thick branches and leaves, and the bamboo forest on both sides of the door is lush. It is Chinese New Year time, but the couplets at the door seem to have changed.

The door to the small courtyard was ajar. Fang Minghua opened the door and saw Chen Zhongshi sitting in the courtyard smoking a cigarette and basking in the sun.

Seeing Fang Minghua and Song Tangtang pushing bicycles in, they immediately greeted with a smile: "Minghua, are you here? And Miss Tangtang."

"Teacher Chen, I went to your home in the city. My wife said you were in your hometown, so I rode over here because I had nothing to do.

"I usually just stay here when I have nothing to do. To be honest, Xijing City is too noisy and I can't write anything." Chen Zhongshi said.

Why is he the same as Lu Yao?

But this rural area is quiet, and it is indeed a place for creativity.

Or, in the future, we can also find a place to build a villa in Lishan Mountain or Qinling Mountains, so that we can enjoy the cool air and be quiet in the summer?

Hmm. That's a good idea.

"Minghua, are you here to ask about your novel?" Chen Zhongshi said again: "Come on, follow me."

Fang Minghua followed Chen Zhongshi into the room. When he came to his study, he saw the manuscript of his novel on the desk.

"I read it, and I agree with Lu Yao. The overall structure is good, but I think you still lack some strong Northeast flavor in the lines. I have marked some places for you. Take a look at how you came up with the idea of ​​writing something that reflects the Northeast. novel?"

"My hometown is from the Northeast, but I actually traveled through Guandong from Shandong Province. I want to record that history." Fang Minghua said.

"Oh," Chen Zhongshi said with emotion, "I remember Lenin once said: Forgetting the past means betrayal. You should really write down the history of your family. Come on, let's go out and talk about it."

The three of them returned to the small courtyard and chatted while basking in the sun.

"Xiao Fang, when you write about the history of the invasion of Guandong, it reminds me of the White Deer Plain in front of me." Chen Zhongshi stood up and looked at the undulating table-shaped loess plain not far in front of him. This land is also worth writing about. "

"Teacher Chen, then you write, just Bailuyuan." Fang Minghua said with a smile: "Brother Lu has already gone to Tongchuan Coal Mine. He said he was collecting stories there and wanted to write a long novel."

"He told me before he left." Chen Zhongshi nodded, suddenly smiled and said to Fang Minghua, "This is not what you stimulated."

"I?"

"How can he not be jealous if you write such a long novel?" Chen Zhongshi said with a smile:

"Originally, he had been planning this book for almost two years, and he wanted to wait a little longer. But as soon as you wrote it, he couldn't help it, so he immediately packed up his luggage and left."

Yeah?

Seems to be.

Fang Minghua vaguely remembers that Lu Yao started writing "The Ordinary World" in 1985, which is now one year earlier than in history.

Fang Minghua and Chen Zhongshi chatted for a while and then left with the manuscript. Chen Zhongshi stayed with him for lunch, but he declined.

My grandma and grandpa’s house is nearby, so I definitely want to go there and check it out.

Besides, wouldn't it be more delicious to go to grandma's house to make meals?

Men in Guanzhong generally don't know how to cook, so don't make things difficult for Chen Zhongshi.

Fang Minghua and Song Tangtang left Jiangxi Village and rode south. On the way, Song Tangtang asked: "Minghua, do you think Teacher Chen will also write a novel?"

"Definitely." Fang Minghua said with a smile: "The land under his feet is the source of his creation."

At this time, Chen Zhongshi was still standing in the small yard, holding an old dry cigarette in his hand, staring blankly at the high slope in the distance.

Lu Yao went to Tongchuan to write a novel about his hometown of Qinbei, and Fang Minghua also wrote about the past of his hometown in the Northeast.

There is also Jia Pingwa, who is said to be preparing a long novel about his hometown of Shangzhou. He has already thought of a title for the novel, called "Impetuous".

Shouldn’t I write about the land beneath my feet?

He had thought about it before, but he felt that writing a novel was far away for him and even for the entire group of writers in Qin Province.

It is very difficult and prohibitive.

But Lu Yao started writing, Jia Pingwa was preparing, and Fang Minghua had already written it!

How long do you have to wait?

I deeply love the land under my feet, but I feel afraid when I pick up a pen. I am full of words but don’t know what to say?

He knew he wasn't ready yet.

Don't be in a hurry, wait, wait.

Besides, Fang Minghua rode with Song Tangtang to his grandmother's house. When his grandson and his grandson-in-law-to-be came back, they were naturally warmly welcomed. Before the New Year was over, grandma cooked them lard dumplings and Guanzhong eight bowls: sliver pork, steamed pork with rice noodles, and Sixi. Meatballs and elbows.

Fang Minghua's mouth was full of oil after eating. Before leaving, his grandmother asked him to take some food back to Song Tangtang's parents.

It was already evening when we returned to Xijing City.

When Fang Minghua returned home, he started revising it for the second time according to the opinions put forward by Lu Yao and Chen Zhongshi. The second draft of "Crossing the Guandong" was not completed until the end of February. He immediately called Wang Meng in Yanjing to explain the situation. , Wang Meng asked him to send the manuscript to Yanjing.

"You can send it directly to me, and I'll go find the editor of Writer's Publishing House." Wang Meng said on the phone.

Fang Minghua naturally couldn't ask for such a good thing, so he sent it out by registered mail that afternoon. It was a thick book with only five yuan stamps on it!

The Writer's Publishing House also acted quickly. Only ten days later, Fang Minghua received a call from an editor named Wang Yuan of the Writer's Publishing House, saying that the publishing house was very interested in this novel and that there were some specific details in the book. The plot needs to be discussed in person, which is the so-called revision of the draft. I hope he can come to Yanjing in the near future.

This was expected, and Fang Minghua agreed immediately.

There is one more thing to do when going to Yanjing, which is to meet Song Tangtang’s grandparents.

Since Fang Minghua paid New Year's greetings to Song Tangtang's parents during the Spring Festival this year, which officially confirmed their relationship, the two elders who were far away in Yanjing hoped that Song Tangtang would bring his partner to Yanjing to see his prospective grandson-in-law in person.

Isn't this a great opportunity?

So, when Fang Minghua saw Song Tangtang at night, he talked about this matter.

Song Tangtang was also very happy, and the two discussed going to Yanjing, and of course they had to ask for leave from the work unit.

But for Fang Minghua, it is easy to take a vacation. These days, writers often have to go to big cities like Yanjing and Shanghai to revise manuscripts, and the leaders of the unit will not stop him.

If a subordinate has an article published in national publications such as "People's Literature", "Contemporary", and "Harvest", the leader's face will be bright.

Therefore, when he went to work the next day, Fang Minghua went to President Huang to ask for leave to go to Yanjing to revise the manuscript.

He knocked on the door of President Huang's office, but he didn't expect Dong Mo to be there.

"Editor-in-Chief Dong, are you discussing something? I'll come back later." Fang Minghua politely wanted to withdraw, but was stopped by President Huang.

"Xiao Fang, don't leave. Editor Dong and I are discussing your matter. You just happened to be here and I want to listen to your opinion."

Fang Minghua had no choice but to come back and sit on the sofa, a little confused, what are you discussing with me?

Although he and Dong Mo have a good relationship in private, they are not in the poetry team.

"Xiao Fang, Editor-in-Chief Dong and I are discussing that we would like you to serve as the deputy editor-in-chief of the editorial department and also the leader of the poetry and prose group." President Huang said slowly.