Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 507: The Ice Rink at Shichahai
On the last night of the 1980s, snowflakes fell all night long.

The next morning, Fang Minghua got up and stood by the hotel window, seeing a vast expanse of white outside.

The Youth Entrepreneurship Conference was over, the writers greeted each other for the New Year and then went their separate ways.

Fang Minghua said goodbye to his good friend and did not rush back to Xijing. He wanted to go to the General Political Department compound to visit Song Tangtang's grandparents, which was an indispensable part of his visit every time he came to Yanjing.

Another thing to do is to take a look at the courtyard house in Shichahai.

Carrying his travel bag, Fang Minghua took a taxi to the General Political Department compound, met the two old men and had lunch with them. Then he decided to go to Shichahai.

Entering my own courtyard deep in Liuya Hutong, the colorful flowers of summer had long disappeared and were covered with snow, but there was a wintersweet planted in the corner that had bloomed, with a faint fragrance.

Walking on the snow, Fang Minghua walked around and saw that the doors and windows of the room where Wang Zi lived in the east wing were closed, but he saw a pair of footprints in the snow from the door to the gate, so he guessed that the girl had gone out.

Fang Minghua opened the doors of the other rooms with his key and looked around, but found nothing unusual, so he left quietly.

Standing at the entrance of the alley, Fang Minghua felt a little confused, and finally decided to walk along Shichahai.

Shichahai is a bit bleak in winter. The lotus leaves that filled the pond in summer have disappeared, and the withered lotus leaves and branches in winter also look quite charming.

There were not many visitors in the park, and it seemed a bit deserted. I could vaguely hear a child singing a song:

Let's paddle together

The boat pushes away the waves
The beautiful white pagoda is reflected in the sea

Surrounded by green trees and red walls
The singing is cheerful.

But Fang Ming looked at the empty lake and felt a little sad as he listened.

Perhaps, we can never go back to that era?

Shichahai is deserted everywhere, but there is one place that is extremely lively.

Shichahai Ice Rink.

This place often appears in Yanjing TV dramas. The male and female protagonists of TV dramas such as "Where Dreams Begin" and "Blood Romance" all met, got to know each other and fell in love at the Shichahai Ice Rink. The popular movie "Old Cannon" also filmed the scene where Liu Ye skated at the Shichahai Ice Rink.

Fang Minghua walked over. The entire ice rink was crowded with people. Adults and children were all wearing thick cotton coats, hats and gloves, playing on the ice.

The most popular songs of this year are also playing:
Our Asian mountains hold their heads high
Our Asian rivers flow like hot blood

"Asian Pride" is the promotional song for the 11th Asian Games to be held this year.

Fang Minghua did not go down, but stood on the shore watching.

A girl wearing a yellow ski jacket, a pink knitted hat and a red scarf, and wearing ice skates, shuttled among the crowd, leaving behind her silver bell-like laughter.

Fang Minghua looked at it carefully and a smile appeared on his face.

It turned out to be Wang Zi who lived in his own courtyard.

After skating a few times, the girl seemed to notice Fang Minghua standing on the shore. She immediately slid out in an arc and stopped in front of Fang Minghua, happily blessing him.

"Uncle Fang, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year! Why are you up so early?" Fang Minghua said with a smile.

"I love skating!"

Ah?
A Southern girl likes to ice skate?
"Teacher Fang, do you know how to ice skate?" Wang Zi asked.

Fang Minghua smiled and shook his head: "You go skate, I'm just watching."

"Teacher Fang, wait a moment. I'll go skate two more laps and come back to find you." After saying that, the girl began to increase her strength and skated around the ice rink again, as light as a swallow.

Fang Minghua stood on the shore with his hands in his pockets, watching quietly.

After a while, the girl slid over again, carefully took off the ice skates on her feet and put them in the net bag.

"Teacher Fang, you attended the Literature Night concert at the Material Auditorium last night." Wang Zi said.

"How do you know? It won't be in the newspapers or on TV so soon, right?" Fang Minghua was a little surprised.

"I went to see it last night, and you were the first one to appear."

oh.
The evening is open to the public.

"How was it? How was the party?" Fang Minghua asked.

"It's the first time for me to see so many writers gathered together. Although I couldn't see clearly sitting at the back, I was still very happy," said the girl.

This is true.

Fang Minghua nodded slightly. This kind of literary evening is almost unique.

A group of talented writers in their 30s and 40s emerged together, all appearing "on the same horizon"

"But."

"But what?" Fang Minghua asked curiously as he looked at the girl's hesitant expression.

"Why do I feel as if this party is bidding farewell to an era?"

Fang Minghua laughed.

This girl speaks very interestingly.

A bit like it indeed.

Does the director really have this idea?

unknown.

The two chatted as they walked and soon left Shichahai.

"Uncle Fang, I need your help." Wang Zi said.

"What's the deal?"

"Come back to the courtyard with me, and you will know then."

What's going on? It's so mysterious.

Fang Minghua followed Wang Zi back to her own courtyard and entered her room.

The girl put down her skates, took a book from the bookshelf and handed it to Fang Minghua.

"Uncle Fang, could you please sign for me?"

Fang Minghua took a look.

It turned out to be "Skywalker"!
Published?
It seems that Shu Bin really acted quickly.

"The day before yesterday, on my way home from get off work, I went to Xinhua Bookstore and saw this promotional poster posted on the wall outside, so I bought it. Now that I meet you today, you have to sign it for me."

"no problem!"

Fang Minghua picked up the pen on the desk and signed his name on the title page of the book in a flamboyant manner.

"Thanks."

The girl put the book away carefully.

"Uncle Fang, it's almost time for lunch. I'll treat you to a meal."

"You're welcome. I'm going back to the General Political Department compound." Fang Minghua declined with a smile.

"You promised me that? Have you forgotten that when you came to Beijing last summer, you said that if my novel was published and I received royalties, I would treat you to a meal if you came to Beijing!"

Oh, yes, that's true.

"Uncle Fang, my novel has been published in Yenching Youth, look!" The girl happily took out a magazine from the bookshelf, opened it and handed it to Fang Minghua.

It was the book "Lalalal".

Last year in Xijing, Song Tangtang bought it and showed it to Fang Minghua.

"Wang Zi, I have read your novel in Xijing a long time ago. It is well written. Keep up the good work!" Fang Minghua encouraged.

"Thank you. Then, can I treat you this time? I'll treat you to KFC!" Wang Zi said again.

KFC?
Two years ago (1987), the first KFC in mainland China opened near Qianmen in Yanjing, and the event was reported on television and in newspapers.

People flock to eat here, but I heard that the price is not cheap.

The cheapest set meal cost eight dollars, and that was the price in 87. I don’t know how much it has increased now.

For Fang Minghua, this amount of money is nothing, but he knows how much Wang Zi, a restaurant waiter, can earn in a month?
And the royalties are just a few dozen yuan at most.

It's not easy to live in Beijing.

What's more, prices are so high now, and Wang Zi likes to read, so the pile of books in the room also cost a lot of money.

If I don't go, I'll let the girl down.

(End of this chapter)