Back to 80: My Literary Life

"thanks, thanks."

"Minghua, I showed your novel to my tutor to read. Professor Xu also praised your writing." Li Li said: "I also personally translated the Tang poems quoted in the article into English."

Fang Minghua flipped through it and saw the translation of Chen Ziang's "Deng Youzhou Taiwan Song"

Where are the great men of the past

And where are those of future years?

The sky and earth forever last;

Here and now l alone shed tears

(The ancients will never be seen in the past, and the newcomers will never be seen in the future.)

(Thinking of the beauty of heaven and earth, I shed tears with sadness.)

Um.

The translation is good. He is really a big shot, and he translated the charm of the poem.

"Li Li, when you return to Xijing during the winter vacation, Tangtang and I will treat you to a big dinner at Xijing Hotel," Fang Minghua said with a smile.

There is no other way, the girl does not want to be paid, she works voluntarily.

"I don't want to go for a big meal." Li Li said.

"Then what do you want? I'm really sorry that you keep making your work go to waste."

"Then wait until I think about it." The girl handed the manuscript to Fang Minghua and ignored it. She ran to her grandfather and said, "Grandpa, let me help you prune the branches. I'm the best at this."

Fang Minghua quickly handed her the scissors in his hand.

Look at your own haircut, it's different lengths, just like a bad barber cutting someone else's hair.

After getting the English translation manuscript, Fang Minghua planned to go to the post office and send the English translation and Chinese manuscripts to Sun Lizhe in the United States and to the "Science and Literature" magazine in Chengdu.

I wrote four science fiction articles in one go, and am ready to take a break.

Just as he was about to leave the courtyard, he saw a soldier in military uniform hurriedly walked into the small courtyard and saluted Song Tangtang's grandfather: "Hello, chief! There are two Japanese outside the door who want to see Comrade Fang Minghua."

"Japanese?!" Grandpa frowned and looked at Fang Minghua.

Fang Minghua also felt baffled. He had never known any Japanese.

"Comrade Fang Minghua." The soldier looked at Fang Minghua again: "He said they are an editor-in-chief of Kodansha Japan and want to see you."

Kodansha?

Fang Minghua vaguely knew why the other party came to find him.

Kodansha is a well-known publishing house in Japan. My book "The Legend of Monkey King" was entrusted to Hong Kong's "Ming Pao" as the agent. When publishing in Japan, I went to Kodansha.

Fang Minghua quickly told his grandfather the process, and his eyebrows relaxed.

"You said they probably want to publish your novel? This is a good thing! It will generate foreign exchange for the country!"

"Then, grandpa, I'll go take a look." Fang Minghua said.

"I'll go too." Li Li said quickly, "I know some Japanese."

"Okay, let's go."

The two hurriedly walked to the door of the General Political Courtyard and saw two middle-aged men in suits and ties wandering outside the door.

Seeing the two of them coming out, one of them, a slightly taller middle-aged man with side parted hair, bowed politely to Fang Minghua and mumbled a few words in Japanese.

Fang Minghua couldn't understand.

Li Ligang was about to translate, but he didn't expect that the thin Japanese wearing glasses next to him could speak Chinese, although his pronunciation was not so standard.

"Are you Mr. Minghua?"

"Yes, I am Fang Minghua."

"Hello, Mr. Minghua, this is Mr. Yamamoto Ichiro, deputy editor-in-chief of Kodansha Japan. He came from Tokyo yesterday to visit you."

"Hello!" Fang Minghua politely extended his right hand to shake hands with Yamamoto Ichiro.

Fang Minghua originally thought that the man with glasses was the translator brought by Yamamoto, but unexpectedly he said with a smile: "Mr. Minghua, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Osamu Iwakami, president of the Japanese Chinese Science Fiction Research Association."

President of the Japanese Chinese Science Fiction Research Association? !

Fang Minghua was stunned.

Chinese science fiction is almost finished. Why is there still a Chinese Science Fiction Research Society in Japan? !

Could it be that it was made up?

Seeing Fang Minghua's surprised look, Osamu Iwagami took out a document from the briefcase he carried and handed it to Fang Minghua.

It seemed to be a document for club registration, and it was stamped with a seal, but it was all in Japanese, and Fang Minghua couldn't understand it.

He handed it to Li Li next to him. The girl looked at it carefully and nodded.

“It’s really the Japan-China Science Fiction Research Association!”

Ouch.

Is this really possible?

"Mr. Fang, can we find a place to talk in detail?" Haru Iwagami said.

It was indeed inappropriate to talk while standing at the door of the compound, with people coming and going, but it was also inappropriate to lead these two Japanese into the compound.

Where are you going?

"Minghua, I know there is a big teahouse nearby. I can take them there." Li Li came up with an idea.

"Okay then, you lead the way."

Fang Minghua smiled and said to the two of them that he would invite them to drink tea and chat while drinking.

Not long after walking, Fang Minghua looked at a teahouse with the word "Tianhuixuan" hanging on it, and realized that it was a place selling large bowls of tea.

There were quite a lot of people inside, so the four of them found an empty table and sat down.

Although it is a big bowl of tea, it is quite clean inside. Each person has a bowl of tea. The price is very cheap. A bowl costs two cents. You can add water as you drink.

Fang Minghua took a sip and found that the tea was very average.

"Sorry, the conditions are limited." Fang Minghua said.

"It doesn't matter, I like this kind of street fireworks very much. It reminds me of the sake towns in the small streets of Tokyo." Osamu Iwagami said.

"Mr. Iwagami Haru, why did you establish the China Science Fiction Research Association?" Fang Minghua couldn't help asking this question again.

"In the past few years, your country's science fiction has developed vigorously and entered a golden age. I was very interested in it, so I contacted a group of science fiction enthusiasts to establish the China Science Fiction Research Association." Osamu Iwagami replied.

oh.

Fang Minghua nodded.

"But I didn't expect that." Osamu Iwagami sighed: "It has only been a few years, and you only have two magazines, "Science and Literature" and "Wisdom Tree". Mr. Zheng Wenguang and other science fiction authors have stopped writing. It's very... It’s a pity, but it’s a pleasure that you started writing science fiction! So we turned our research to you.”

Study me?

Fang Minghua picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, not knowing whether to be happy or sad.

"Mr. Iwagami Haru, what are you studying about me?" Fang Minghua was very curious.

"I read your three recent science fiction novels and found that what you wrote is different from previous Chinese science fiction writers. Your novels integrate science, philosophy, humanities and other elements through in-depth exploration and thinking. It contains thoughts and explorations about the future destiny of mankind, and it seems not for children."

"I never think that science fiction novels are for children." Fang Minghua laughed. "I personally think that science fiction novels contain social criticism and insight into human nature. They should write about society, the nation, and thoughts on science and human destiny. "

"Yes, yes, I very much agree with your view, Mr. Minghua." Osamu Iwagami said: "The essence of science fiction is not to popularize science, but to show the social and psychological effects of science on people's lives and hearts. It seems scientific, It’s actually about discussing the philosophy of human nature.”

"So, it is a literary work and not a popular science book."

The two chatted animatedly, seemingly ignoring the deputy editor of Kodansha next to them.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Minghua." Osamu Iwagami thought of something and said with a smile, "I've been chatting with you, and I forgot the purpose of visiting you today."

"Mr. Yamamoto is very interested in the three science fiction stories you published in "Science and Literature" and wants to purchase the Japanese copyright and publish them in our country."