Back to 80: My Literary Life

Fang Minghua stayed in Los Angeles for two more days before returning to San Francisco.

At the same time, Jiang Wen and Wang Shuo were also leaving, but they were going to New York, so everyone said goodbye at the airport.

"Are you going back soon?" Wang Shuo said to Fang Minghua.

"Yes, I've been in the United States for three months and I'm ready to go back." Fang Minghua replied.

Wang Shuo sighed after hearing this: "Alas, I don't know when I can go back."

"Don't worry, it won't take long." Fang Minghua patted his shoulder: "There is a poem in "Water Margin": Who doesn't have a stormy time? Wait until the clouds clear and the moon is bright. Everything will disappear."

"Thank you, I hope you will say good things." Wang Shuo smiled bitterly.

"Let's go!" Fang Minghua turned and walked towards the security check.

He was right. Wang Shuo returned to China after staying in the United States for less than a year.

It's a pity that he has run out of ideas and can only rely on his old capital or make fun of others or talk nonsense on the Internet to attract readers' attention.

After Fang Minghua returned to San Francisco, he was ready to return to China.

Li Li's mother will still be taken care of here for a while, and he is very relieved. Although Li Li was reluctant, she knew that Fang Minghua's life and work focus was still in China and Xijing, and this would always be his temporary harbor.

However, she had no regrets in choosing this kind of life.

This time, Li Li drove Fang Minghua to the airport, and the two were reluctant to part in the terminal.

"Lili, I will try to come to San Francisco to accompany you and Xinxin at the end of this year." Fang Minghua said.

"No need, you haven't spent the New Year in China for two years, and your aunt and uncle will definitely blame you. You can stay at home with peace of mind. My mother and I will take good care of Xinxin. Besides, my cousin said that she will come to the United States to see me for the movie in the second half of the year."

Li Li said gently, and helped Fang Minghua to straighten his collar: "Let's get on the plane, time is running out."

"Okay!" Fang Minghua hugged Li Li, and then dragged the suitcase into the customs channel.

"Bye!"

Li Li left until Fang Minghua disappeared.

After eleven hours of flight, Fang Minghua returned to Yanjing, but he did not rush back to Xijing, but stayed at the Yanjing Hotel.

The 3rd World Chinese Literature Award Ceremony was about to be held, and Bai Miao called him to come back.

The ceremony was not held in Xijing but in the Great Hall of the People in Yanjing.

This was Bai Miao's suggestion.

He believed that the Chinese Literature Award Jury meeting and the award ceremony did not need to be fixed in Xijing. It should be like the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards, changing a city for each session. This would not only expand the influence of the Chinese Literature Award, but also promote the literary atmosphere of the city, a win-win situation.

Fang Minghua adopted his suggestion, so this year's award ceremony was held in Yanjing, and the best place was of course the Great Hall of the People.

This is a sacred place. After the reform and opening up, part of it has been opened to the public, and it is also here that you can rent a place to hold concerts, weddings, etc.

Of course, it is not something that can be rented casually. It must be strictly reviewed and the nature, scale, and impact of the event must be considered. However, this is really nothing for the Chinese Literature Award Jury.

Fang Minghua got off the plane at 8:30, and the Beijing office of Shengshi Group sent a car to pick him up at the Yanjing Hotel.

He had just checked in and had not had time to have breakfast when Bai Miao knocked on the door and came in.

"Minghua, you are finally back. I heard that your novel is selling well in the United States." Bai Miao said with a smile.

Fang Minghua paid all the expenses for his two trips abroad and no one cared, but he told some friends that he was going out for the publication of his novel.

Hearing Bai Miao say this, Fang Minghua replied: "Okay." He quickly turned the topic to the selection of the Chinese Literature Award.

"How are the preparations for the award ceremony going?"

"Everything is ready. I am looking for you now to go to the Great Hall with me to see the layout." Bai Miao said.

"I haven't had breakfast yet." Fang Minghua said.

"Hey, the hotel's breakfast service is over. Buy a steamed bun on the way and eat while walking."

Me! @#￥%

Fang Minghua had no choice but to go downstairs with Bai Miao and leave the hotel.

The distance from Yanjing Hotel to the Great Hall of the People is less than two kilometers. The two did not take the subway, but simply walked there.

Arriving at the Great Hall of the People, they went in through the side door and went up to the third floor. As they walked, Bai Miao explained: "The Great Hall has eight halls that can be rented out, including the Macau Hall, the Press Conference Hall, the Small Auditorium, the East Hall, the Central Hall, the Scenery Hall, the Banquet Hall, and the 10,000-person Auditorium. This time we rented the Small Auditorium, which is where the Mao Dun Prize is held."

The Small Auditorium is on the third floor. Although it is small, it can accommodate nearly 800 people. Fang Minghua followed Bai Miao in and saw that the venue had been decorated with a new look. The banner above the podium read "The Third World Chinese Literature Award Ceremony".

Fang Minghua has been to this place before.

The second Mao Dun Literature Award Ceremony was held here.

"This time, important national media such as People's Daily and Guangming Daily have been invited to the award ceremony, and CCTV will broadcast it live. In addition, some foreign media organizations stationed in China, such as the Associated Press, Reuters, and AFP will send reporters to report on the scene. The news of our award ceremony will soon appear in newspapers in New York and London." Bai Miao said with a beaming face.

"Not bad, not bad, thank you for your hard work." Fang Minghua smiled.

"We should at least suppress the pomp of the Mao Award, right?" Bai Miao said in a low voice.

The two laughed.

The 3rd World Chinese Literature Award Ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People at 8 pm on March 21, 1997. The entire venue was packed with shortlisted authors, jury members, invited guests and celebrities from the capital's literary circles gathered together to celebrate the Chinese literature festival.

Finally, the award results were announced. The authors of five works, including the best novel and novella, took turns to receive the awards and gave their acceptance speeches.

The most eye-catching one was that South African female writer Nadine Gordimer's latest novel "No One Accompanies Me" won the Best Novel Award.

Despite the long journey, the elderly man in his seventies flew from South Africa to Hong Kong, rested for a night, and then took a China Airlines flight to Yanjing. On the podium, the elderly looked excited and spoke fluent English.

Seven years ago, she went to Stockholm, Sweden to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Now she is honored to stand on the podium of the Great Hall of the People in Yanjing again.

"China is an ancient country with a 5,000-year-old civilization. It has produced a large number of excellent literary works such as the Book of Songs and Chuci. Now Chinese literature has burst into new vitality and has once again been recognized by the world through the Chinese Literature Award."

The venue burst into warm applause.

The Best Novella Award was won by "Survival" written by You Fengwei, and this novel was later adapted into "The Devils on the Doorstep" by Jiang Wen.

The Best Short Story Award: "The Cowshed in the Misty Moon" by Chi Zijian

The Best Prose Award was won by "The Desolate Hero Road" by Zhang Chengzhi.

The poetry collection "Time Proposition" by Taiwanese poet and essayist Yang Mu won the Best Poetry Award.

After the award ceremony, Fang Minghua stayed at the Yanjing Hotel for another night, preparing to rush back to Xijing early the next morning. He was already eager to go home.

Unexpectedly, an uninvited guest came in the evening-Feng Xiaogang.