Back to 80: My literary life

Chapter 21 Lu Yao went to Yanjing to receive the award

Spring has really come.

Girls on the street have taken off their bloated cotton-padded jackets and put on spring clothes. More and more people are wearing bell-bottom pants. The spring flowers planted in the corner of the magazine office are also in bloom, and they are golden.

At noon, before it was time to go to work, Fang Minghua simply moved his chair outside the guard room, holding a newspaper and reading it, feeling warm and comfortable in the sun.

At this time, he saw Lu Yao hurried in from outside with a briefcase under his arm and a cigarette in his hand.

"Brother Lu!" Fang Minghua greeted with a smile.

"Xiao Fang." A smile appeared on Lu Yao's face: "It's your turn to be on duty today?"

"Yes! Brother Lu, it's not even two o'clock for work. What are you doing?" Fang Minghua asked strangely.

"It's not two o'clock yet? Oops. Forgot! Then the finance office probably hasn't opened yet." Lu Yao slapped his head and stopped.

"Brother Lu, do you have anything to do in the finance room?" Fang Minghua asked curiously.

"Oh, let's borrow some travel expenses and prepare to go to Yanjing on a business trip."

"Going to Yanjing?"

"The "Thrilling Scene" I wrote last year won the second prize in the first Outstanding Novella Award. The judges asked me to go to Yanjing to receive the award." Lu Yao explained.

"Congratulations, Brother Lu, I'm going to treat you when you come back." Fang Minghua said with a smile.

"No problem! Enough of the mutton soaking!" Lu Yao said cheerfully. When I see that a cigarette is about to be finished, I habitually take out a cigarette from the cigarette case in my pocket and want to refill it, only to find that the cigarette has been extinguished.

I touched my trouser pocket and found that I didn't have any matches.

"Xiao Fang, do you have any matches?"

"There's Baofu, but the fire in the stove isn't out. You can light it if you don't mind." Fang Minghua said.

"I'm not particular." After saying this, Lu Yao got into the guard room, took off the kettle on the coal stove, lit the cigarette and took a nice puff.

Suddenly, a beautiful tea box on the table caught his attention. He walked over and took a look. There was half a box of tea in it. He picked it up and smelled it.

Good tea!

It is definitely not comparable to the labor protection tea I drink.

"Xiao Fang, what kind of tea is this? It smells so good." Lu Yao shouted outside.

Fang Minghua came in after hearing the sound.

"It's Longjing. It was given by a friend of mine."

"It smells so good. Pour me some? Let me try this high-end tea too." Lu Yao said with a smile.

"No problem." Fang Minghua took out an envelope from the drawer. Lu Yao was not polite, poured some tea and put it into his briefcase.

"On the way to Yanjing, have a good taste."

While the two were chatting, they saw employees coming to work one after another. Lu Yao and Fang Minghua said hello and left the room.

As expected, people feel refreshed when happy events occur.

Looking at Lu Yao's back, I felt that he walked much more briskly.

Little did Fang Minghua know that Lu Yao had gone through a lot of trouble in submitting this novel.

In the two years since the manuscript was written, it was submitted to almost all major publications at the time. After "traveling around the country", all of them were politely rejected.

Lu Yao was even a little desperate. Finally, he forwarded the manuscript to one of the last two major publications through his friends. However, the manuscript was still not approved because it was still inconsistent with the popular views and trends at the time.

What should I do if my friend writes to ask Lu Yao? Lu Yao wrote a letter telling him to forward it to the last large magazine, "Contemporary". If "Contemporary" did not publish it, there was no need to send the manuscript back and it would be burned. Let yourself completely forget this matter, and never write novels again.

But "Contemporary" published it. He also won the first national outstanding novella award in 1980 and the "Contemporary" annual literary honorary award!

From then on, Lu Yao's position in the literary world of Qin Province was established.

A week later, Lu Yao came back from Yanjing, high-spirited.

"Let's go, Xiaofang, I'm treating you tonight! Mutton dip!" Lu Yao said to Fang Minghua in the guard room.

"Okay. Who else to call?"

"No one will call me this time, so I'll treat you!" Lu Yao chuckled: "Your Longjing tea is the envy of many colleagues in Yanjing."

"Really? If you like it, I might as well give it to you." Fang Minghua said with a smile.

"Hey, a gentleman can't take away someone's love. You don't have much. Come on, aren't you getting off work soon? Let's eat!"

When Zhang Baofu came to change his shift, Fang Minghua gave some instructions, then left the unit and walked north while pushing his bicycle and laughing with Lu Yao.

It’s still the same old Sun’s mutton dip, one bowl per person and two steamed buns to go. When we start eating, of course we don’t forget to open a bottle of Xifeng wine.

The two of them were eating and chatting. Lu Yao was a little drunk and said, "Xiao Fang, do you know why I invited you alone?"

"Didn't I give you some tea?" Fang Minghua said as he filled the other person's cup with wine.

"That's just one aspect. I think your writing philosophy is similar to mine."

"How to say?"

Lu Yao took out another pack of cigarettes, took out one and lit it, took a puff and said slowly: "Actually, it was quite difficult for my "Thrilling Scene" to be published. I submitted it to many magazines and was rejected. You know what is the reason?"

"What's the reason?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Many editors said that the novel I wrote was not pure trauma literature."

"I understand." Fang Minghua chuckled: "Because although your novel is scar literature, it does not blindly vent and criticize society, but molds Ma Yanxiong, a person with noble dedication in a special and abnormal period. "

"Yes, that's it!" Lu Yao said with admiration: "That's why many magazines rejected it. Fortunately, the editorial department of "Contemporary" will finally publish it."

"I think of the same principle in "Into the Dust" that you wrote. Although the people you wrote about lived a very hard life, you did not accuse society too much. Instead, you focused on exploring the love and family ties between the male and female protagonists, so that People feel very warm. Writers always have to give people some hope in despair and hardship, right?"

"Brother Lu, you understand deeply!" Fang Minghua raised his thumb.

"Haha, I'm a few years older than you, I've endured more hardships than you, and I've seen a lot of things." Lu Yao sighed with emotion and drank all the wine in the glass.

"Xiao Fang, I'm going to leave Xijing for a while and go to Ganquan to write!" Lu Yao suddenly said.

Fang Minghua knew that Lu Yao was preparing to write one of his masterpieces, "Life".

"Brother Lu, why did you go to Ganquan to write?" Fang Minghua was very curious about this.

"There are too many chores in Xijing and there are always people disturbing me. I have to find a quiet place. The main leader of their county is my friend and can provide convenience for me."

It turned out to be the case.

"Brother Lu, then I wish you can write a satisfactory work and publish it as soon as possible." Fang Minghua complimented.

"I hope so too, I hope it goes smoothly this time."

"I will definitely do it! Come on, Brother Lu, I'll give you a toast!" Fang Minghua said, picking up the wine glass, and the two of them drank it down in one gulp.

"Yes, Brother Lu, you should smoke less and drink less alcohol. Your body is the capital of revolution." Fang Minghua suddenly reminded him as he remembered something.

"Oh, Xiao Fang, why have you become like my mother-in-law? My mother-in-law, I am in good health."

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  (End of this chapter)