Back to 80: My Literary Life

Several people happily left the hotel, and not far along the street they heard the sound of enthusiastic dance music coming from the venue facing the street.

Everyone bought a ticket to go in, and there were quite a lot of people dancing inside. Unlike in previous years, it was mainly three-step, four-step and other ballroom dances. Nowadays, there are obviously more disco dances.

Now the song of disco queen Zhang Qiang is playing in the dance hall:

Why is there an annoying autumn wind?

Does it blow away your people and my feelings without a trace?

Why do you just follow the autumn wind?

No goodbye or treasure

Under the strong rhythm and the crazy illumination of colorful rotating lights, a group of men and women are twisting to the music.

Like other ballrooms, there is a dance floor in the middle, with sofas on both sides like boxes, but open. Everyone finds a place to sit down first. Liao Runbo ordered a box of beer and asked the two girls for two bottles of Coca-Cola— —This is the most popular drink in Yanjing in the past two years, beating the original Arctic Ocean.

Fang Minghua found that there were quite a few young writers coming to dance, including Chi Zijian, whom he was familiar with, and two young female writers, Bi Shumin and Yan Geling, whom Fang Minghua was not very familiar with.

But Yu Hua is familiar with them, because they are both in the graduate class of Yan Normal University!

As soon as he greeted them, all these people came over, and the team suddenly grew to more than ten people. Liao Runbo quickly ordered a few bottles of Coke for the girls who came.

They were all young writers who came to the conference, and they were all of the same age. They introduced each other and soon started chatting.

At this time, the disco ended and a slow four was played.

A man's affectionate and slightly hoarse voice came from the speaker:

I pray for love without pain

But it’s hard to stop crying

I pray to forget you who are gone

But I sang the songs you taught me again

"The Prayer of the Heart" by Zang Tianshuo.

Everyone started looking for partners to dance.

Li Hongying took the initiative to invite Fang Minghua to dance this song, and the two slowly danced to the rhythm of the music in the ballroom.

The lights dimmed.

Some people's postures in the ballroom became less standard and a little ambiguous, but Fang Minghua still straightened his waist and danced strictly according to the formal four steps.

"Teacher Fang, you are very good at ballroom dancing. Why did you not go to the dance when I was invited to Lu Yuan?" Li Hongying was puzzled by the question.

Fang Minghua replied: "Since you call me teacher, how can the teacher run to the dance hall with the students?"

"Old feudalism!"

Li Hongying muttered.

Fang Minghua smiled and said nothing.

The two danced silently. After a while, Li Hongying suddenly said again: "Teacher Fang, I am going to go abroad."

"Going abroad?"

"Well, after I graduate from Fudan, I will apply for a visa to go abroad." Li Hongying said: "Teacher Fang, I also told you that before attending the workshop at Luyuan Academy, I had been wandering and traveling to many places, so Now I’m going to go abroad to see it.”

"To the United States?"

"No, England, visit the homeland of Shakespeare."

"It's okay to take a look. Will you come back later?" Fang Minghua asked again.

"I don't know. Many people go abroad now and don't want to come back." Li Hongying's tone was a little confused: "Teacher Fang, do you think I should come back?"

"This is your own personal freedom. I can't choose for you, but my wife once said something that I think makes sense."

"What words?"

"She said that for writers and poets, the motherland is a kind of local accent and their roots. It would be a very terrible thing to give up the direct closeness to the mother tongue. This sense of alienation caused by being far away from the motherland will make people lonely. and fear.”

Li Hongying was silent for a moment and then said: "What your lover said is right."

"No matter what, when you go out, just live a good life and don't forget your motherland, family and friends." Fang Minghua's tone became gentler.

"Well, Teacher Fang, I will never forget you in my life." Li Hongying said quietly.

"Ha, leave me alone. Chen Hong, Yu Hua and other classmates won't forget it, right?" Fang Minghua said, half joking and half serious.

"Yeah. I won't forget it."

After the song ended, the two returned to their seats, and the rest of the people came back one after another. After everyone exchanged dance partners and danced a few songs, they began to sit together and chat.

Chen Hong and Li Hongying had the best relationship, and the two girls got together to chat privately.

"Hongying, where are you going after graduation?"

"I'm going to go abroad to England, what about you?"

"I didn't expect to go abroad. I wanted to stay in Yanjing." Chen Hong said.

"Is he going to stay in Yanjing?" Li Hongying glanced at Yu Hua, who was chatting animatedly with Liao Runbo.

"He? He wants to stay in Yanjing, but at his home." Chen Hong sighed quietly.

Li Hongying naturally knew Yu Hua's situation and didn't know what to say.

Yu Hua was drinking beer and chatting with Liao Runbo.

"Run Bo, I heard that after graduating from the writers class at Western University, you can take the postgraduate entrance examination. Are you ready to go to postgraduate school?"

Liao Runbo shook his head: "A bachelor's degree is enough. I think writing is more about your own practice."

Yu Hua nodded: "Then where are you going to stay? Xijing? Yanjing?"

"No, I want to go back to my hometown in Guizhou."

"Why did you go back?" Yu Hua felt a little surprised: "The literary atmosphere in Guizhou Province is far from comparable to that of Xijing or Yanjing. Why did you go back?"

"My wife and children are all in my hometown. What if I don't go back?" Liao Runbo said with a smile: "Besides, what I write is basically about my hometown. If I leave for a long time, I worry that I won't be able to write anything. You have to stay in Yanjing." ?”

"Well, my idea is the opposite of yours. To be honest, I am now a celebrity in my hometown Haiyan. When I go back on vacation, I have to attend all kinds of social events, from county leaders to relatives and friends. To be honest, I don't like this kind of life. It's different in Yanjing. There are too many capable people here. No one takes you seriously. It's good to be free to do what you like."

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Chi Zijian was sitting next to Yu Hua. Seeing the two whispering, she interrupted with a smile.

"I'm talking about where Runbo and I will go after graduation." Yu Hua explained.

"Where are you going after graduation?" Obviously, Chi Zijian was very interested in this topic and leaned over to ask.

"I want to stay in Yanjing, Runbo wants to go back to his hometown, what about you? Chi Zijian?" Yu Hua asked.

"I have the same idea as Liao Runbo. I will also go back to my hometown in Heilongjiang! I like the white mountains and black waters. Yanjing is too hot and noisy in summer. I'm not used to it."

Haha, she is really a straightforward girl.

Seeing that they were all talking about this topic, the others also talked about it.

Some wanted to stay in Yanjing, some said they wanted to go back to their hometowns, and of course some wanted to go abroad.

For example, Yan Geling wanted to go abroad with her husband who worked in diplomacy.

"Come on, we are together today, and we will be separated in the future. Come, toast to our friendship!" Chi Zijian raised her Coke.

"Teacher Fang, you also raise your glass." Chi Zijian urged Fang Minghua, who was a little dazed.

"Okay, come on, cheers! I wish you a bright future!" Fang Minghua also raised her glass.