Back to 80: My Literary Life

After a while, the crisp sound of bicycle bells came from outside. Fang Minghua went out and opened the door and saw Li Li riding a Xiaokun bicycle into the courtyard.

Wearing a goose-yellow down jacket, jeans, and white sneakers, he looks very fashionable.

"Brother-in-law." Li Li called, took out a plastic bag from the front frame of the bicycle and handed it to Fang Minghua.

"These are some books I brought back from England. I brought them to you."

"Go inside and say, it's cold outside."

The two entered the living room, and Li Li called "Auntie" very affectionately, and then picked up Ruirui who was playing with toys.

"Little aunt." Ruirui called out in a sweet voice.

"Hey" Li Li was so happy that she kissed the little girl's red cheek and said to Lele next to her.

"Lele, call me aunt."

It's a pity that Lele spoke late and could barely call her mom and dad. He just glanced at Li Li and ignored her, playing with himself.

"Smelly Lele, you don't even call me aunt." Li Li laughed and cursed.

Perhaps it was because her daughter Ruirui was often kept at her grandmother's house. Li Li saw her many times and obviously wanted to be intimate with her and stretched out her little hand for her to hold.

The girl was playing with the two children, but Fang Minghua didn't interfere. He sat on the desk and took out a few books from a plastic bag.

Most of them are English books.

Since he went to the United States and stayed there for four months, Fang Minghua's English level has improved by leaps and bounds. It is not a problem to listen to English radio, read "New Concept English" learned by Song Tangtang, and read general literature books.

"The Catcher in the Rye", "Walden Pond" and "Hello, Sorrow".

It’s actually a Japanese book!

"ノルウェイの Forest", author むらかみはるき.

What's the meaning?

Fang Minghua looked at it for a while, thought about it, picked up the Japanese book and asked tentatively: "Is this "Norwegian Wood" written by the Japanese writer Haruki Haruki?"

"Yes, it is the latest novel published by Haruki Harukami last year. It became a sensation in Japan as soon as it was published. I was studying in London, and a Japanese classmate in my class brought it. I read it and found it very interesting, so I borrowed it back. Brother-in-law ,you saw it?"

Of course I have!

However, this book was only published last year. There is definitely no Chinese translation in China. How can I say I have read it?

Fang Minghua said with a smile: "I can barely understand a few words in Japanese. How have you read it?" Then he pretended to ask: "Does it look good?"

"It's quite interesting. It tells a love story about a young man. When the hero Watanabe was in college, he accidentally met the girlfriend of his high school friend Kizuki. Kizuki committed suicide when he was seventeen.

Kizuki's death caused a lot of psychological distress to Watanabe, because the last person Kizuki saw before his death was Watanabe. Kizuki’s death caused a young man to think about life and death.”

Li Li told the summary of the novel, and Fang Minghua listened attentively.

After she finished speaking, Fang Minghua said jokingly, "Lili, you have a PhD in comparative literature. Isn't it a bit too shallow to read this kind of novel? You should read "The Odyssey", Plato's "Utopia", or our country's Books like "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons" are the right ones."

Li Li rolled her eyes at him and muttered:

"Brother-in-law, I'm so tired from writing my thesis, why can't you let me read these books to relax?"

"I'm sorry." Fang Minghua just remembered that Song Tangtang said last night that Li Li was preparing a thesis.

So he asked with concern: "How are you preparing for your thesis? Can you graduate successfully this year?"

"Well, it shouldn't be a big problem." The girl was very confident.

"Oh Lili, are you going to return to China after graduation, or are you going to stay in the UK?"

Hearing Fang Minghua ask this, Song Tangtang's mother Zhou Yunchuan, who was leisurely knitting a sweater, also stopped what she was doing and looked at Li Li.

Li Li glanced at Fang Minghua: "I haven't decided yet. Heinemann Publishing House in the UK has sent me an invitation letter, hoping that I can work with them. And my original tutor, Professor Xu Yuanchong of Yan University, hopes that I can come back. At Yan University, I will be teaching and translating at the same time. The school leaders also welcome me back, but I haven’t made a final decision yet.”

"Lili, it's better to come back. I teach at Yan'an University and it's close to your grandparents' home. I'm not used to living abroad!" Zhou Yunjuan intervened to persuade her.

"It's okay. I've been in London for almost three years and I'm used to their life." Li Li replied, "Okay, let's not talk about it. Brother-in-law, what do you think of the advice I gave to my sister Tangtang?" Sample?"

"It's very good. These novels can be classified as youth literature. They are still relatively rare in our country. I am going to translate "A Clockwork Orange" and "Norwegian Wood" into Chinese. These two books are just It was published not long ago and there is no Chinese translation in China. I originally wanted to find you, but you are busy and I am going to find someone else to translate it," Fang Minghua said.

"Who are you looking for?" Li Li asked curiously.

Fang Minghua had no choice but to briefly explain the circumstances of his encounter with the girl named Dai Jiali when he went to Hainan.

Li Li was silent for a moment, and then suddenly said: "I admire you very much for saying that the girl named Dai Jiali is brave enough to do what she likes."

"That's called fooling around!" Zhou Yunjuan lost no time in interjecting.

Li Li pursed her lips and smiled without any excuse.

"Hey, by the way, brother-in-law." Li Li seemed to remember something: "I have basically completed the English translation of your book "Crossing the Guandong". I will publish it after the final proofreading. Which publisher do you want to find?"

"You decide, you are more familiar with foreign affairs than I am." Fang Minghua said with a smile.

"Then let Simon \u0026 Schuster Publishing House?" Li Li thought for a moment and said, "They published your book The Bridges of Madison County, so I'm quite familiar with them. The publishing house has a branch in London. I'll contact them after I return to London."

"Okay, I'll give you full authority to handle this matter."

"When this novel is finished, I plan to translate the short and medium-length novels you wrote into a collection." The girl said again.

"Will it affect your paper writing?" Fang Minghua was a little worried.

"No, there are no classes this semester, and I have nothing else to do at school. Anyway, translation is my job."

"Thank you very much."

"Brother-in-law, you have to write quickly and write more serious literature. I will help you translate it into English, so that you have a chance to win the Nobel Prize in Literature."

"Ah? Nobel Prize?"

"Yes, the judges of the Nobel Prize in Literature basically read the English, French, and German versions, so the works must be translated, and the Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to individuals who have made great achievements in the field of literature, not to a certain book, so you still have to work hard to write." After the girl finished speaking, she also winked playfully.

"Hey, Lili, you think further than I do."

"You should think about it, work hard, and strive to be the first writer in our country to win the Nobel Prize in Literature!" Li Li said again.

"Who won the Nobel Prize?" A female voice came from outside, and the door was pushed open, and Song Tangtang, wearing a black woolen coat and a scarf, came back.