Back to 80: My literary life

Chapter 276 Co-optation of Vice Chairman of the Provincial Writers Association

Fang Minghua doesn't care.

He likes both sunny days and snowy days, as well as people from lower reaches of the country.

In the evening, the leaders of the Sichuan Provincial Writers Association held a special banquet for Fang Minghua. Even the provincial leaders in charge of culture and education also attended, and they drank and drank happily for a while.

Next to Fang Minghua sat Zhou Keqin. Zhou Keqin is almost 50 this year. His hometown is Jianyang, Sichuan Province. He is a native literature writer. After graduating from an agricultural school in the late 50s, he returned to his hometown to work in farming. He has been a farmer, a private school teacher, a production captain, Brigade accountant, agricultural technician, commune and district cadre, district committee member.
Basically, he has been working and living in the countryside. Last year (1984), Zhou Keqin was elected as the vice chairman of the Writers Association, and he left his hometown where he had lived for more than 40 years.

After working in the countryside for a long time, Zhou Keqin retained his simple nature. He didn't talk much at the banquet, and chatted quietly with Fang Minghua and basically stayed away from literature.

On the other side of Fang Minghua is another full-time vice-chairman of the Provincial Writers Association named Li, named Li Aiqun. Unlike Zhou Keqin, he is purely an official in the system who was transferred from the cultural department.

He is fat, can drink and talks a lot.

He smiled and raised his glass and said to Fang Minghua: "Editor Fang, I just drank the wine to congratulate you on winning the Mao Dun Award. Now I want to offer you a glass of wine to congratulate you in advance."

"Chairman Li, what do you want to congratulate me for?" Fang Minghua was a little confused.

To be honest, he took this thing relatively lightly.

In the evening, Fang Minghua just called a few close friends Lu Yao, Chen Zhongshi, and Jia Pingwa to his home, and asked his mother and Song Tangtang to cook a few dishes, while he and his father greeted everyone.

Zhou Keqin didn't refuse, and the three of them had a drink.

Fang Minghua, one of the 55 members of the Qin Provincial Writers Association Council, heard the news after returning from the United States.

However, it is said that he does not receive a deputy department-level salary, but a professional writer's salary. This is the same as Lu Yao. In fact, many provincial and municipal writers' association leaders are like this, except for a few full-time vice-chairmen like Li Aiqun.

"Haha, you are more ambitious than you are young." Li Aiqun started to laugh: "Come on, Chairman Zhou, let's toast Editor Fang and congratulate him in advance."

Being the vice-president of the Writers Association is, in a sense, an honor and a symbol of identity and status.

Li Aiqun glanced at Zhou Keqin, who was silent next to him: "Editor Fang, I heard that your Qin Provincial Writers Association is going to hold a board of directors and elect several vice-chairmen who are engaged in literary creation. There must be a place for you in this, just like ours. Same as Chairman Zhou."

Jia Pingwa indeed brought the bottle of whiskey given by Fang Minghua from home for everyone to taste.

However, Fang Minghua does not know exactly who will be co-opted.

Li Aiqun's words were heard by others at the banquet, and Fang Minghua drank a few more glasses of wine.

After hearing this, Fang Minghua quickly said: "Chairman Li, how can I compare with Chairman Zhou? I am still young and have insufficient experience and qualifications.

Anyway, I am still young.

Zhou Keqin was also co-opted as the Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Writers Association. This naturally has a lot to do with his winning the first Mao Dun Literature Award. Otherwise, Zhou Keqin would not have jumped from a district committee member to a department-level cadre at most to become the Vice Chairman of the Writers Association. ——Deputy department level cadre!

When we return to Xijing, we will inevitably have to celebrate again, but this time the scale will be much smaller. After all, we just drank Fang Minghua’s wine not long ago and we are too embarrassed to let others treat us again.

To be honest, there is always that flavor in foreign wine. For example, this bourbon has a faint oak flavor, which is not as good as Xifeng.

One bottle was naturally not enough, so Fang Minghua opened another bottle of Zephyr. His father, Fang Jianghe, drank two glasses and left, running downstairs to find someone to play chess with.

Now he only has two hobbies: fishing during the day and playing chess with others at night. The four of them were Fang Minghua and Song Tangtang, who also sat next to Fang Minghua and drank with them.

After drinking to a happy point, I saw Jia Pingwa holding a Cuban cigar in one hand and a wine bottle in the other. She stood up and said: "We are the only ones with no outsiders today. Let me tell you good news in advance. Our Provincial Writers Association will hold a meeting soon." The vice chairman has been elected!”

"Pingwa, I told you at the council meeting last week that this is not an open secret." Lu Yao said, holding a cigarette in one hand.

“But do you know who you’re going to co-opt?”

"With you?" Lu Yao asked in a tentative tone.

"We are all brothers, so I'm not polite. I'm on the default list." Jia Pingwa was a little proud.

"Then we have to pour you a glass of wine to express our congratulations." Lu Yao said lightly.

"Why are you anxious? I haven't finished speaking yet." Jia Pingwa said:

"There's you! There's you, there's you!" Jia Pingwa's hand holding a cigar lit the other three men next to each other.

"You mean, all four of us will be co-opted?!" At this time, even Chen Zhongshi, who had been relatively silent just now, was a little moved, stopped smoking the cigar in his mouth, and asked quickly.

"Of course, in today's Qin Province literary world, who can compare with the four of us? We are the four who have won the most awards and made the greatest contributions! To paraphrase what Cao Cao said when he and Liu Xuande made wine with green plums, today's heroes are the only ones with peace. Baby!"

The pride is beyond words.

"Pingwa, are you serious about this news?" Lu Yao was still a little doubtful. .

"How can I lie to you? Let me tell you the truth. The day before yesterday, I saw the internal documents and list of nomination applications submitted by the Provincial Writers Association for the election of additional vice-presidents from Chairman Hu of the Writers' Association, and they had been obtained by the Provincial Propaganda Department and the Organization Department. The formal approval! The meeting of the council next week is just a formality."

This is great news!
Everyone looked at each other.

"Then I'll toast you all with a glass of congratulations in advance." Song Tangtang, who was sitting next to him, raised his glass in time and said with a smile.

"Come on, come on, cheers!" Jia Pingwa also raised her glass and said to Song Tangtang with a smile: "Miss Tangtang, next time we will drink the wine that Minghua was elected as the chairman of the Provincial Writers Association!"

"Bye bye." Fang Minghua said quickly: "Brother Jia, just like you said that if all four of us are elected as vice-chairmen, I will be ranked behind several elder brothers, and it will not be my turn to change the chairmanship."

"Haha. It's not just your age that makes you ambitious. You won the Mao Dun Award."

"Don't worry, everyone will be able to get it in the future!"

On December 1985, 12, the Qin Provincial Writers Association solemnly held the second (enlarged) meeting of the third council. After voting and approval by the Provincial Organization Department and Propaganda Department, it was agreed to co-opt Fang Minghua, Lu Yao, Jia Pingwa and Chen Zhongshi. as Vice Chairman.

So far, the number of vice-chairmen of the third presidium of the Qin Provincial Writers Association has increased to 8, with Fang Minghua ranking fifth.

At the end of 1985, Fang Minghua almost spent the whole day in a state of drunkenness. First, he received a treat for winning the Mao Dun Literary Award, and then he was co-opted as the vice chairman of the Writers Association.

Seeing Fang Minghua like this, Song Tangtang also felt distressed, but what could be done?
You still have to drink the wine you need to drink.

Fortunately, it’s finally over. New Year’s Day is coming soon, so I’ll have a good two days’ rest.

(End of this chapter)