Back to 80: My Literary Life

Hunan Province also arranged for the shortlisted and award-winning writers who participated in the award ceremony, as well as the jury members and other guests to visit Juzizhoutou, Yuelu Mountain, Tianxin Pavilion, and the former residence of the great man for two days before the entire agenda was completed.

Fang Minghua did not follow Bai Miao and the others on the plane back to Xijing, but embarked on a journey to find Han Shaogong alone.

Miluo, where Han Shaogong lives in the countryside, is an administrative county in Yueyang, close to the east bank of Dongting Lake and the lower reaches of the Miluo River. Fang Minghua set out in the morning and took a train to Miluo County for an hour. He asked for the location of the bus station, but did not give Han Shaogong any information. He made a phone call and took a minibus bound for Bajing Township to Qunying Village where he lived.

Fang Minghua got off the car and asked Han Shaogong where he lived at the end of the village. A fellow villager immediately enthusiastically gave him directions.

"Writer Han, I know, he lives there. If you walk along this road, you will see it when you get to the reservoir."

Fang Minghua walked along the village path with his luggage bag, and soon saw the reservoir. A two-story building was located beside the reservoir.

The style of the small building is almost the same as that of local rural houses, with red brick walls, black tiles, and wooden doors and windows. There is a yard in front of the small building. There are bayberry trees, orange trees and other trees in the yard. There is also a pergola with a small dining table inside.

Fang Minghua saw Han Shaogong sitting in the pergola, resting and smoking.

Wearing an ordinary T-shirt, trousers, and sandals, with his trouser legs rolled up high, at first glance, he looks like an ordinary farmer.

Han Shaoye noticed Fang Minghua walking towards him with his luggage bag, and immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Hey. Minghua, why didn't you call in advance? I'll pick you up in the county seat."

"Is there anything I can pick up? I'll ask as I'm walking." Fang Minghua replied, and then looked at the environment of the small courtyard.

"Well, yes, this place does have green mountains and green waters."

Han Shaogong smiled and put Fang Minghua's travel bag into the house. At this time, Han Shaogong's wife Liang Xuli came out of the house, greeted him with a smile, and asked him to wash his face at the tap by the yard.

After Fang Minghua washed his face, he immediately felt much better. Liang Xuli brought a big teapot from the house and poured Fang Minghua a cup of herbal tea.

"Minghua, try the tea I grow and process it myself. Although it is not as good as the Longjing tea from West Lake and Baisha green tea from Hainan, it still has a unique flavor."

"You still grow tea?" Fang Minghua was surprised.

"Haha, the tea garden is on the hillside next to the reservoir. In addition to growing tea, I also grow vegetables and raise chickens and ducks."

"Young Master, you are living Tao Yuanming's secluded life." Fang Minghua exclaimed.

"Beans are planted at the foot of the southern mountain, and the grass is thick and the bean sprouts are sparse." Han Shaogong recited a line from Tao Yuanming's "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields", and then said with a smile: "I can't reach the realm of Mr. Wu Liu, but living here is indeed better than living in a big city. Much cleaner.”

Fang Minghua took a sip of the tea. The tea was a little bitter in the mouth, but not astringent. It gradually became sweet after entering the mouth. Drinking a cup of herbal tea like this on a hot day is refreshing.

Yueyang is originally the place where tea is produced, such as Junshan Silver Needle, Yueyang Huangya, etc. This tea tastes very much like Junshan Silver Needle.

The two started chatting, and Fang Minghua said: "I originally wanted to come to you with He Liwei, but he said that there was an emergency in the work unit, so he didn't come."

Hearing Fang Minghua say this, Han Shaogong's expression changed: "He Liwei? Fortunately he didn't come, I don't want to see him yet!"

"What? Do you have a conflict with He Liwei?" Fang Minghua was a little curious.

Han Shaogong became famous very early. In 1985, he served as vice chairman of the Youth Federation of Hunan Province. But in 1988, he left Hunan Province and went to Hainan. At that time, He Liweiye had just graduated from the Luyuan Academy’s workshop. He could only be said to be a rising star in the literary world. The two probably did not have much intersection.

After listening to Fang Minghua's question, Han Shaogong laughed: "He Liwei and I have no personal grudges. I just can't stand these people. What has happened to the well-behaved Hunan Writers Association!"

"What?"

"You don't know that some time ago, two old writers from Hunan Province, Yu Kaiwei and Huang Heyi, announced their withdrawal from the Hunan Writers Association!"

"Ah?!" Fang Minghua was surprised.

Although the Writers Association is only a mass professional organization and it is a personal freedom to withdraw, these two people are different.

Yu Kaiwei is the deputy editor and reviewer of Furong magazine of Hunan Province Literature and Art Publishing House. He is also a senior critic and has written review articles such as "Kneeling at the Feet of Truth and Virtue" and "The Metamorphosis of Literature".

Huang Heyi is also an old writer who has written novels such as "Tokyo Trial". It is said that he is also an honorary academician of the Royal Union Academy of Sciences and an honorary doctor of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong.

It is indeed a big deal for two people to announce their withdrawal from the Writers Association at the same time.

"The current Provincial Writers' Association is overstaffed and full of contradictions. Everyone wants to be a leader and they don't focus on creation. Joining the Writers' Association can improve one's status, so many young people want to join. The quality of the entire Writers' Association is low. You Do you know how many members there are in the Hunan Writers’ Association? There are only over 3,000 in the entire Chinese Writers’ Association!

Fang Minghua was also surprised when he heard this data.

Qin Province is also considered a cultural province, but there are only more than 500 members of the Writers Association.

"The leaders of the Hunan Writers' Association, including He Liwei, are not to blame for the current situation of the Hunan Writers' Association! He still has the nerve to come see me?!" Han Shaogong finally said.

"Okay, please stop saying a few words. You are not a member of the Hunan Writers' Association now. Why do you care so much about others?!" Liang Xuli said angrily, sitting next to Han Shaogong.

Han Shaogong glared at his wife: "I just can't stand it! I don't say anything when others come, but I can't say a few words when Minghua comes?!"

In fact, the phenomenon Han Shaogong said has appeared in the writers' associations of various provinces, including Qin Province, but the leaders of the Qin Writers' Association have good personal relationships, each of them has a deep literary foundation, and has their own representative works, so everyone is very convinced.

But I don't know what will happen to these people after they retire in a few years?

However, Han Shaogong also changed the topic, and the two talked about the winning of the Chinese Literature Award this time.

At noon, Liang Yuli prepared a few stir-fried dishes for him. After dinner, he arranged accommodation for him upstairs. He rested at noon, and waited for the sun to set in the afternoon. Han Shaogong took Fang Minghua around the village.

The villagers seemed to be very familiar with Shaogong. Many people greeted him with a smile, and he also had a smiling look.

The next day, Han Shaogong took Fang Minghua to Miluo River, where Qu Yuan jumped into the river.

Standing by the river, Han Shaogong sighed with his hands behind his back, "Qu Yuan is a great poet, a politician and a thinker, but it's a pity that his ambitions are hard to achieve."

"The road is long and arduous, I will search up and down." Han Shaogong recited Qu Yuan's famous words.

Fang Minghua listened quietly without speaking.

Han Shaogong is not a pure literati.

But unlike Zhang Xianliang in the northwest, he is full of insight and reflection on society and culture.

From resolutely going to Hainan to run "Hainan Documentary" in 1988 to reforming "Tianya" magazine in the mid-1990s, his thinking almost involved all major issues in contemporary China, and even gave his own opinions, so sometimes he seemed incompatible with reality and even hit a wall.

14 years ago, "Hainan Documentary" was banned, and now he has resigned as the president of "Tianya" magazine.

Fang Minghua admires him very much for this.

After two days of playing in Bajing Township, Fang Minghua said goodbye and prepared to return to Changsha and then to Xijing. Before leaving, Han Shaogong suddenly asked.

"Minghua, do you know Professor Ouyang Youquan of Central South University?"