Back to 80: My Literary Life

In addition to fulfilling its promise, I also heard that Palm Springs is located in the valley of the Colorado Desert. It is an oasis city next to the desert and is a tourist attraction in itself.

"Brother Zhang, come and play with me tomorrow? See what's the difference between the American desert and your Ningxia desert?" In the evening, in the hotel room, Fang Minghua invited Zhang Xianliang.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xianliang refused.

"What's there to see? The sky is full of yellow sand, and it's extremely hot in the summer. How can it be as fun as the beach in Santa Monica? Besides, the girl is inviting you to go. If I go, won't I just be an old light bulb?"

In this case, Fang Minghua had no choice but to pick up the phone and dial the number left by the girl.

Soon the girl's sweet voice came from the other side.

Fang Minghua told him his itinerary and planned to go to Palm Springs tomorrow morning.

"Okay." The girl enthusiastically told Fang Minghua on the phone how to take a bus in Los Angeles, what to pay attention to, etc.

"Minghua, I'll pick you up at the station in Palm Springs!"

Early the next morning, Fang Minghua packed his luggage, carried his travel bag, explained the situation to Wilson, and set off on his journey to Palm Springs alone.

According to what Emily said on the phone, Fang Minghua took the subway to a bus stop near Union Station in the city and took the bus east to Palm Springs.

The car was driving on the famous I-10 intercontinental highway, and there were windmills used for wind power generation on the roadside, which was a sight to behold. It reminded Fang Minghua of the large generator sets he saw in the XJHMD district before he came to this era.

After a two-hour drive, we arrived at the station in Palm Springs. As soon as Fang Minghua got out of the car with a travel bag on his back, he saw a girl wearing a T-shirt and hot pants and sunglasses, waving to him.

"Minghua! Minghua!"

It was Emily, standing next to a red Beetle.

The girl took Fang Minghua's backpack and stuffed it into the trunk. After the two got in the car, Emily said, "Let's go to my house. My parents welcome you very much."

Palm Springs is a very small city, just like a town in China, but it is different from Iowa City. There are hotels and B\u0026Bs everywhere, and there are hot springs nearby. Maybe it is hot summer, so there are not many tourists here. not many.

Emily's home was not in a small town. Instead, she walked along the road for about twenty minutes. As she approached the Chekla Valley, a forest appeared. It was different from the desert that she had just seen along the way. It looked particularly cool. .

"My home is here!"

As the girl spoke, the car turned into a small road in the woods, and in less than two minutes she saw a farmhouse common in California - khaki wooden walls, a triangular roof, and a large yard in front. A middle-aged uncle was standing there. Hold the chainsaw against the tree.

"Dad, I'm back."

The girl shouted, and the man turned his head.

A tall man with a beard and a black and white sun hat, he had a kind smile on his face when he saw Emily get out of the car.

"This is the friend I'm talking about, Fang Minghua from China." The girl introduced to her father.

Emily's father's name is John. He looked at the oriental young man up and down. Fang Minghua smiled and stretched out his right hand: "Hello, uncle."

"Hello." John shook hands with him and warmly invited him to sit in the room.

Suddenly, a dog barked from the kennel nearby. A big brown dog bared its teeth at Fang Minghua, startling him.

"Lucy! Don't bark! He is my good friend!" Emily went over and touched the big dog's head, and then pointed at Fang Minghua. The big dog immediately became docile and shook its head and tail at the girl.

"Her name is Lucy, she is a Plott dog, very well-behaved." Emily said to Fang Minghua.

Fang Minghua looked at the big dog that was taller than half a man, and thought to himself, this thing must be a hound, right?

At this time, a middle-aged woman walked out of the house, wearing a plain skirt. Fang Minghua felt that she looked a bit like the heroine Frances in the movie "The Bridge of Lost Dreams".

She is Emily's mother Christine. Christine warmly welcomed Fang Minghua into the house and first arranged accommodation for him - a room for guests.

"Minghua, are you hungry? I'll let you try my mommy's authentic California food later." Emily said with a smile.

After the girl tidied up Fang Minghua's room, she suggested taking him around, and the big dog followed them, shaking its head.

In addition to the jujube trees and cactus trees planted in the surrounding woods, there is also a vineyard and large tracts of cornfields next to it.

There are truck garages, water wells, power houses, and even cold storages. There is also a large farm tool warehouse, where tractors and various unnamed farm tools are neatly placed.

Fang Minghua roughly estimated that the entire farm's land area is about 200 acres.

"Your parents are farming these?" Fang Minghua asked curiously.

"Yes, but when the farming is busy, I will hire some workers in the town to help." Emily told him that farms like hers are very common in Palm Springs.

Fang Minghua couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

It’s true that God also favors Lao Mei.

There is such fertile land right on the edge of this desert.

If we were in Guanzhong, how many farmers would cultivate 200 acres of land?

As Emily walked, she said that she and her two brothers were already married, but they both lived in Los Angeles and occasionally drove back to visit their parents.

"People nowadays like big cities and don't like living in rural areas." Emily said: "Fortunately, Palm Springs is a tourist attraction. Many residents of small towns make a living by engaging in the tourism and catering industry. Otherwise, everyone here would be gone." .”

"It seems that the trend of urbanization is the same in every country." Fang Minghua took over the topic: "It is the same in our country. Now farmers are leaving the land to work in the city, eager to become city residents."

"But I like it here very much." The girl said: "It's quiet and beautiful. You can climb mountains and soak in hot springs in winter. There are also good friends in the city. We can chat and read together. There is a dance party in the evening."

"By the way, there is a primary school in the city. I can teach there after I graduate." The girl finally said.

"Why, you don't like the prosperity of a big city like Los Angeles?" Fang Minghua asked.

"I like it too. It would be best to live in the city for a while and then go back to the countryside for a while."

"That's a good idea." Fang Minghua nodded.

During lunch, Emily's parents prepared sumptuous dishes for Fang Minghua very attentively.

Mexican beef tacos, macarons, kabocha salad.

The taste is a bit spicy, but it suits Fang Minghua's taste.

John also took out the wine he brewed, which tasted refreshing and delicious.

After dinner, Emily took Fang Minghua to drive her Beetle to the nearby Joshua Tree National Park to see the surreal desert landscape composed of cacti and boulders.

Although the weather outside is very hot, it feels good to sit in an air-conditioned car and look at the scenery outside.

They didn't return to the farm until sunset.

After finishing the meal, there was a cool breeze outside. Emily and Fang Minghua climbed up to the rooftop. They sat there and watched the stars in the night sky while chatting.

Of course it is literature.

From Hemingway in the United States to Shakespeare in the United Kingdom, we also talked about ancient Chinese poetry and modern avant-gardism.

The girl seemed very happy and changed the topic.

"Minghua, you Chinese people have come to our country to study and work in greater numbers in recent years. It was rare to see Chinese people before."

"I guess you also know that our country is now opening up to the outside world, so many people go abroad to study or even settle down." Fang Minghua explained with a smile: "The world is so big, and everyone wants to go out and see it."

"Then have you ever thought about settling here? With your talent and ability, you can easily apply for a green card." The girl suddenly turned her head and looked at him, her eyes bright.