Back to 80: My Literary Life

Bei Dao was wearing a windbreaker and was thin. He was chatting with two middle-aged men.

He was a little surprised to see Fang Minghua, who greeted him, but a smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Are you here to attend the book festival?" Bei Dao asked.

"Yes, I was invited by Heinemann Publishing House." Fang Minghua briefly explained his situation.

Bei Dao introduced Fang Minghua to the two white people next to him. It turned out that one was Bei Dao's colleague at Durham University, and the other was a famous local writer.

After a few pleasantries, the two white people left, leaving Fang Minghua and Bei Dao alone to chat.

"Teacher Bei Dao, when did you come to the UK?" Fang Minghua asked.

"It was not long after I met you in Los Angeles last time. I didn't find it interesting to stay in the United States. Durham University happened to send a letter inviting me to be a substitute teacher at their school. I gave lectures in their Chinese department as a visiting scholar, mainly on modern Chinese poetry." Bei Dao replied.

"Oh, is it okay here?"

"Is it okay? Actually, for someone like me, it's the same everywhere. It's been 11 years since I went abroad in 1989," Bei Dao said, with a look of melancholy on his face.

"Want to go back to China?"

"It's a lie to say I don't want to." Bei Dao sighed softly: "I rarely wrote poems in these years abroad, but basically some prose, writing about the people and things I encountered while wandering overseas."

Hearing this, Fang Minghua couldn't help but think of Bei Dao's popular words:

At that time we had dreams about literature, about love, and about traveling across the world. Now when we drink late at night, the clinking of glasses is the sound of dreams shattered. "

In fact, this is not a poem, but a sentence from "The Polish Visitor" in his prose collection "The Blue House".

"Then go back." Fang Minghua said.

"How can it be that easy? Minghua, I guess you know my situation. I can't go back. Alas," Bei Dao sighed deeply again at this point.

"Teacher Bei Dao, give up some of your ideas. You are a scholar and poet. There is no need to be so closely entangled with politics. "Fang Minghua advised.

Bei Dao fell silent.

"Okay, let's not talk about this." Bei Dao changed the subject: "Minghua, do you know Li Hongying?"

"Yes, I taught a workshop at Luyuan in 1987, and Li Hongying was a student of the workshop."

"No wonder she calls you Teacher Fang." Bei Dao smiled: "Last year, our poets in Europe gathered in London, and she attended. That's when I learned about her relationship with you."

"Li Hongying is in London, right?" Fang Minghua asked.

Since 1995, when Li Hongying got married and returned to China to visit Fang Minghua, the two have never contacted each other again. Fang Minghua only knew that she was accompanying her husband to work in London, but she didn't know where exactly she was.

Bei Dao nodded after listening.

"It was in London. I was invited to her home."

"Do you have her contact information? "Fang Minghua became interested.

It was a happy thing to meet an old friend in a foreign country.

Bei Dao told Fang Minghua Li Hongying's contact information, and the two chatted for a while before leaving.

Fang Minghua met Bei Dao again seven years later in Hong Kong.

In October 2001, Bei Dao returned to China to attend his father's funeral.

In 2002, he announced his withdrawal from Chinese Human Rights.

In 2007, Bei Dao received an offer from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In August, Bei Dao officially moved to Hong Kong to reunite with his family.

Fang Minghua left Edinburgh the next morning, still took the train to London, stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, went to the restaurant alone for a simple meal at noon, and called the number given by Bei Dao when he returned to the hotel.

Soon the call was answered, and a woman's voice came from the other side, with a standard London accent.

"May I ask who's calling"?

"Is it Hongying? I'm Fang Minghua." Naturally in Chinese.

"Teacher Fang? You're in the UK? ! "Li Hongying on the other end of the phone was surprised and delighted, and immediately switched to Chinese.

"Yes, I'm in London, and I just attended the Edinburgh Book Festival." Fang Minghua briefly explained the purpose of his visit: "I met Bei Dao at the book festival, and he said you live in London."

"Yes, I'm in London now, and you're welcome to visit."

"Okay, tell me the address. "

Li Hongying told him how to get there. Fang Minghao changed his clothes, got off the hotel, and took the subway.

Li Hongying was not in the city, but lived in a place called Morton on the outskirts of London. This was already considered a rural area, but Fang Minghua walked out of the subway station and arrived here in less than five minutes.

This street is called Hazelnut Street. It is very quiet with two rows of willow trees. He saw a bright blue two-story building from a distance, which was particularly eye-catching.

Fang Minghao found that the British like to paint houses with light pink. This blue building feels a bit out of place. No wonder Li Hongying said on the phone that when she entered Hazelnut Street, she saw a blue house.

There is a garden in front of the house. Before Fang Minghua knocked on the door, the door opened and Li Hongying came out with a happy face.

"Teacher Fang, please come in."

Fang Minghua followed him in. It was a typical British living room with a fabric sofa, a coffee table with thin metal legs, and a simple velvet sofa. It felt very comfortable.

It seems that Li Hongying lives well in London.

"Teacher Fang, coffee or tea? "Li Hongying greeted.

"Whatever you want."

"Well, let's have afternoon tea."

Li Hongying said as she went into the kitchen and soon brought back two cups of black tea, a plate of snacks and English muffins.

"Thank you." The two chatted while drinking.

"Did Professor Zhao go to school?" Fang Minghua asked.

Li Hongying's husband is Zhao Yiheng. He followed Li Hongying to Xijing in 1996. Fang Minghua met him once. He is a professor at the University of London.

After hearing Fang Minghua's words, Li Hongying's face, which was originally very happy, became gloomy.

"We are divorced."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing, it's all in the past."

Fang Minghua certainly couldn't ask the other party about the reason for the divorce, and quickly led the topic to literature.

"Hongying, I saw your novel "The Hungry Daughter" on the list of the largest book chain in the UK, WATFRSTONS, at the Edinburgh Book Festival."

"Yes."

When it comes to literature, Li Hongying's mood obviously improves: "Thank you for your training in my seminar at Luyuan."

"Not really, it's your own efforts." Fang Minghua is very humble: "Among the students in the seminar, you are very smart and hardworking."

"But, you can't compare with Yu Hua, who is very popular in the domestic literary world. He won the Mao Dun Prize, the Chinese Literature Award, and the Italian Grinzane Cavour Literature Award. His English translation of "To Live" is also very popular in the UK." Li Hongying said with a smile.

"Don't compare with that guy, he is born to write novels." Fang Minghua said: "Do you keep in touch with him?"

"I mainly keep in touch with Chen Hong, and occasionally write letters." Li Hongying replied: "Now Chen Hong has become a housewife, taking care of the family wholeheartedly, which really makes me admire her."

"Can you do it?" Fang Minghua asked.

"No, I can't do it."

Is this also one of the reasons for their divorce?

Fang Minghua did not ask.

The two talked about their classmates in the workshop again. There were more than 20 people in the class, and not many of them are actually engaged in literary writing now.

Liao Runbo is still in his hometown in Guangxi Province, and has become a capable figure in the literary world of Guangxi Province, but people like Qian Yuliang and He Liwei have left the literary world and entered the system to become officials.

Think about it, that was 13 years ago.

"Time flies so fast" Li Hongying sighed.

Indeed.

At that time, everyone was in their twenties and in their prime.

Now everyone is middle-aged, and Fang Minghua is already forty.

Forty is not confused.

In the afternoon, Li Hongying invited Fang Minghua to have dinner again, and Fang Minghua said goodbye and left and returned to the hotel.

On the subway back to the city center, Fang Minghua looked at the flickering lights outside and fell into deep thought.

This time in London, I didn't expect to meet a few old friends.

James Kou, Bei Dao, Li Hongying.

It wasn't specifically for literature, I just wanted to meet and reminisce.

He suddenly felt.

There was really nothing to talk about literature.

Entering the new millennium, literature became increasingly distant and less popular.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.

Fang Minghua was originally planning to buy a plane ticket to leave London for the United States the next day, but he received a call from Li Li, saying that she was coming to London to attend an academic conference, so he decided to wait for Li Li to come to London and then go back to the United States together.