Back to 80: My Literary Life

Fang Minghua was also happy.

Mo Yan, Yu Hua, Su Tong, and Ge Fei signed four contracts. Even if others failed, several major domestic emerging writers in the 1980s and 1990s were acquired.

And what about Wang Shuo?

I wonder if Bai Miao is done?

At this time, Bai Miao was drinking with Wang Shuo in a restaurant outside the hotel.

Although the food at this meeting was very good, there were restrictions on alcohol. Except for the welcome dinner on the first night and the farewell dinner on the last day, I usually didn’t have any wine during the meal, so as not to make everyone feel depressed during the meeting the next day.

Wang Shuo likes to drink, so Bai Miao invited him to find a small restaurant outside, ordered a bottle of Xifeng Tequ, and several side dishes to go with wine, and both of them drank.

When the wine was full, Bai Miao put forward his own idea and asked Wang Shuo to sign the "Great God Agreement".

After hearing this, Wang Shuo squinted his eyes and took a drag on his cigarette before saying, "Editor Bai, why don't you, Editor Fang, come and talk to me?"

"As you know, our Chief Editor Fang has just gotten married and is planning to have a child, so his wife won't let him drink." Bai Miao explained, "How about I ask Chief Editor Fang to come over? He is probably still in the hotel now."

"No, no need." Wang Shuo shook his head: "His wife, Song Tangtang, is a good girl, and I am also familiar with your editor-in-chief Fang's brother-in-law. Okay, I will sign with you, but I will only sign for five years!"

"Our editor-in-chief Fang said that signing the contract is based on personal volition and the principle of win-win is good. Five years will be five years." Bai Miao decided immediately.

"Come and drink to our cooperation!" Bai Miao raised his glass.

The next day at the hotel, Bai Miao told Fang Minghua about the signing of the contract with Wang Shuo.

"Signed for five years? Until 1991?" Fang Minghua recalled that Wang Shuo's golden period of writing was in the past few years. After that, he basically worked as a screenwriter and made TV series.

"Five years is fine. Thank you for your hard work. You will pay more attention to him from now on." Fang Minghua said.

The meeting is in progress. Going to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the next few days will also be a meeting. Fang Minghua's "Great God Appointment" plan is also in progress.

According to the final statistics, 11 writers have signed cooperation agreements with "Yanhe" magazine. In addition to Yu Hua and the others, Tie Nian and Chi Zijian also signed the agreement, which made Fang Minghua very happy.

I forgot that Chi Zijian once studied in the writers class of the Chinese Department of Northwest University, so he and Zhang Yanqian are considered alumni.

Well, it can be considered as an alumnus of myself, although the value of correspondence college is relatively low.

But most people still didn't sign, including Fang Minghua's friends Wang Anyi and Li Suan. Most of them are famous figures in the literary world and have inextricable connections with major magazines, such as acquaintances and friends. It is impossible to give all of my works to "Yanhe".

For this reason, Wang Anyi and Li Zuanwen went to Fang Minghua to explain the situation and apologized, saying that they would definitely submit suitable works if they found them.

Fang Minghua understood very well that he accepted the invitation this time mainly because it was a personal relationship and not because you were the editor-in-chief of "Yanhe". The same is true for Chen Zhongshi and Jia Pingwa.

The creative symposium for young and middle-aged writers finally came to a successful conclusion, and all the writers embarked on their journey home. Fang Minghua finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I have been busy for more than a month, and I accompanied everyone to visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and climb the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Now anyone who mentions these scenic spots feels like vomiting.

Today, he was sitting in his office, reading the latest issue of "Yanhe" magazine.

Compared with the old version, the new issue of the magazine is much more fashionable. The original cover was ordinary matte paper instead of offset paper. The gloss and smoothness have been much improved, and the words "Yanhe" appear more clearly.

At the end of the title page, there is the advertising page. It uses better coated paper. Although it increases the cost of the magazine, it still has good results if the advertising fee is paid.

The first page after the table of contents is called the "Editor's Recommendation" column, which grandly launches Ge Fei's article "Remembering Mr. Wu You". For this reason, Fang Minghua wrote a special "Editor's Recommendation" for him:

Drawing on the art form of detective stories, the work narrates the tragedy of Mr. Wu You, an intellectual, who was sent to a mountain village and was full of aspirations for enlightenment, but ultimately died unexpectedly. In the context of the "New Enlightenment" in the 1980s, Ge Fei continued the excellent tradition created by Lu Xun and other "May Fourth" pioneers, and reflected on the weak situation of Enlightenment culture in the face of "pre-modern" culture.

It is enough to launch one or two blockbuster novels in each issue of the magazine.

Fang Minghua is quite satisfied.

After thinking about it, he called Bai Miao again and asked him to come over.

"Bai Miao, how do readers react to our revised magazine?" Fang Minghua asked.

"The readers' letters basically praise us, saying that our magazine is much more high-end and fashionable, and it no longer looks like the old country."

"What about the content?"

"Readers like the article "Remembering Mr. Wu You" very much, saying it is one of the rare masterpieces in "Yanhe" magazine this year. The young man named Ge Fei is really amazing. He can write such a novel at the age of 21. He has a bright future. Estimate.”

Bai Miao clicked his tongue and praised.

Nonsense, otherwise he is one of the representatives of domestic avant-garde writers, as famous as Yu Huasu

"Have you thought about the works recommended by the editor in the next issue?" Fang Minghua asked again.

"That Gao Jianqun from Qin Bei has submitted a manuscript. I want him to recommend the work as the editor-in-chief. How about I go and take a look at it?"

"Okay, bring it to me for a look." Fang Minghua suddenly became interested.

Gao Jianqun was recommended by Lu Yao. Although he has no novels published yet, like Ge Fei, "Yanhe" magazine signed a great deal with him. Unexpectedly, he would mail the novel he wrote after returning to Yan'an.

Within a few minutes, Bai Miao took out a stack of manuscripts and returned to the office.

"Okay, you put it here and I'll take a closer look."

This is a short story called "The Distant White House."

The novel tells a very legendary story in the voice of "I", a border guard in the "White House".

Ma Xiandao, the commander of the White House Border Guard Station, is a legendary figure. He was involved in the smuggling business and worked as a green forest leader. Later, he was recruited by the Qing government as the head of the border station. A mistake in a cowhide led to a diplomatic turmoil. In the end, the protagonist Ma Siandao committed suicide due to self-blame. The heroine Saliha buried the righteous soldiers after the death of Ma Sickle, which became a "beautiful legend".

As expected, he was the character recommended by Lu Yao, who would later write a long masterpiece like "The Last Huns".

Fang Minghua sighed in his heart.

Let Bai Miao review and revise it carefully. This will be the editor’s recommendation for the next issue!

Fang Minghua picked up the new magazine and looked at it carefully.

If the author submits more manuscripts in the future and the quality of the manuscripts increases, will the length of the journal be increased?

Want to increase the quantity without increasing the price?

Of course, this requires comprehensive consideration of cost issues.

And poetry.

Let Zhao Wuchun contact those young poets to make submissions, or organize a poetry seminar at the end of the year?

Works are the key, talent is the key.

Fang Minghua thought to himself.

What he didn't know was that in Yanjing, Wang Meng's latest issue of the magazine was also on his desk.