Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 705: Go to the United States in person

The next morning, the whole family got up early, had breakfast, got on Fang Minghua's off-road vehicle, and happily headed to Tianhan area. Even the German Shepherd and Xiao Doumiao were no exception, leaving only the nanny and Xiao Doumiao to look after the house.

These days, the expressway from Xijing to Chengdu through the Tianhan area has not been built yet. To get to Tianhan, you must take National Highway 108, starting from Zhouzhi Mazhao Town, driving into the Qinling Mountains, passing the Heihe Reservoir, and winding up along the Heihe River.

Although the road is steep in some places, the scenery is charming. It is autumn now, and there are dense primeval forests on both sides, some of which are already full of colors.

Fang Minghua did not drive very fast and it took him almost four hours to reach Foping County in the Tianhan area, which is the hometown of giant pandas and the smallest county in Qin Province. Later, there was a rumor on the Internet that there were no traffic lights in the county town and only three taxis.

The county town was indeed very small, with only one street. But it was now the mid-1990s, and there were many county towns without traffic lights, and it was not so strange that there were even more county towns without taxis.

In Foping, we ate the local specialties "Stir-fried Bacon with Rice Noodles", "Brown Sugar Rice Cake" and "Godly Tofu".

The so-called "magic tofu" is a kind of magic tofu made from the leaves of the "magic tree". The "magic tree" is called the double-winged six-path wood. I heard that the locals are everywhere in Foping. They pick the leaves, wash them, scald them with boiling water, and then stir them back and forth with a rolling pin to make a paste. Then add some brine to the paste to make tofu.

The dish tastes smooth, delicate, cool and delicious when eaten cold. Fang Minghua thinks it is delicious, but it has a slight grassy bitter taste. The two children don’t like it very much. They like "brown sugar rice cake".

Continuing south from Foping, you will soon enter the Tianhan Basin. The rice has basically been harvested now, and the fields are full of stubble, lacking the beautiful scenery of rolling rice waves in autumn.

However, the orange orchard in Chenggu is still very beautiful, with orange trees all over the hills, not yet fully ripe, half yellow and half green. Song Tangtang bought two kilograms, Fang Minghua tasted one, it felt a little sour, but his wife and two children ate it with relish.

Standing on the hillside of the orange orchard, looking into the distance.

This place is located at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, and the mountain range in the distance in front is the Bashan Mountains. The high sky and light clouds make people feel relaxed and happy.

"Come, have another one." Song Tangtang picked out an orange with a yellower peel for Fang Minghua.

Fang Minghua peeled it and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.

"Minghua, I feel that you are in a good mood. You are not affected at all by Lili's phone call yesterday." Song Tangtang said.

"What impact does it have? To be honest, I didn't want Simon to publish it in the first place, but we have been working together for so long, especially since I am friends with their vice president Johnson. It would be inappropriate to refuse without a good reason. This is just right." Fang Minghua said.

After hearing this, Song Tangtang felt a little strange.

"You don't want Simon to publish it, and you're preventing Lili from contacting Random House. Which company do you want to publish it?"

"Well, I haven't decided yet." Fang Minghua hesitated for a moment and said, "Tangtang, I'm going to the United States."

"Going to the United States to publish a book?" Song Tangtang asked.

"Not entirely. There is something else. I will tell you when I come back."

"Are you going to see Lili?"

Hearing this, Fang Minghua glared at Song Tangtang and said, "Lili will be back before New Year's Day. Do I need to make a special trip?"

"Just watch it. I don't object." Song Tangtang muttered.

Fang Minghua ignored him and said, "This time I go to the United States, I also want to inspect some American companies, so I have to stay for a while."

"You want to invest?" Song Tangtang keenly sensed the meaning of her husband's words.

"I have such an idea, but it depends on the situation. It's mainly about the book," said Fang Minghua.

"Okay, then go ahead. When we get back, I'll call Liao Yawei at the Yanjing office and ask him to help you get a visa." Song Tangtang said.

"Okay, but don't apply for a tourist visa. Apply for a B1, which is a short-term business visa," Fang Minghua reminded.

"Okay, I understand."

I took the children to play in the orange orchard for most of the day and stayed in Chenggu County at night. The next morning, I had the local specialty snack, tofu noodles, and drove to the famous Nanshahu to row boats for half a day. Finally, I returned to the city and arrived back in Xijing in the evening.

After the National Day, Fang Minghua was writing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets while trying to get a visa to the United States. She even went to Beijing for this purpose. In the mid-1990s, although it was not as difficult to apply for a visa abroad as in the 1980s, the procedures were still very complicated, especially the long queues at the entrance of the American Embassy on Xiushui North Street.

Provide a valid ID to the guard and wait in line for security check. Only after passing the security check can you enter the service hall of the US Embassy to submit application materials and apply for signature.

But these things were not so troublesome for Fang Minghua, as Liao Yawei had already helped him deliver the relevant materials to the embassy.

Famous writers like Fang Minghua are also very well-known in the United States, so there is no problem of visa rejection.

Liao Yawei said that the visa officer even jokingly asked him if his client had any intention to immigrate. We would refuse to issue visas to some Chinese citizens who have an intention to immigrate, but we welcome Mr. Fang to immigrate to our country.
After hearing the news, Fang Minghua was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

I am living well in my country, why would I immigrate to your country? !

By the end of October, Fang Minghua had completed all the procedures for going abroad and was ready to go to the United States.

Of course, Fang Minghua not only informed her unit and parents about this matter, but also called Li Li. The night before she left, Song Tangtang called Li Li again, and the two sisters talked in private for a long time.

Going abroad was not a particularly exciting thing for Fang Minghua. He specifically told his two children to listen to their mother while he was in the United States.

"Dad, I also want to go to America to see my aunt." The daughter was a little unhappy.

"You're in school, how are you going to get there?" Fang Minghua squatted down and gently hugged her daughter: "How about this, when you have your winter vacation, let mom bring you to the United States to play, okay?"

"Okay, okay." The daughter became happy.

After comforting the two children, Fang Minghua returned to his study. At this time, Song Tangtang walked in and said.

"My things are packed, including your driver's license."

Fang Minghua nodded and told her that the two children wanted to go to the United States, and Song Tangtang agreed immediately.

"That's fine. The child is older now and should go out and broaden his horizons. I'll find time to apply for a visa. You can stay for a while longer and then our whole family will gather in the United States."

Fang Minghua nodded.

He applied for a business visa to the United States, which is valid for 10 years. After each entry, he can stay in the United States for up to six months, so he has enough time.

"Why don't we just celebrate the New Year in the United States?" Fang Minghua said with a smile.

"Well, this is a good idea. I haven't celebrated the Spring Festival in the United States yet." Song Tangtang said.

In fact, Fang Minghua was just saying it casually. As for how to decide at that time, his wife has the final say.

"Minghua."

"Ok?"

"Where are you going to live in San Francisco?" Song Tangtang suddenly asked.

"What are you considering? It must be a hotel. Let Lili help book one." Fang Minghua replied.

"Why don't you just stay at Lili's house? It will save you money."

"Is it possible that I can't even afford to stay in a hotel?" Fang Minghua laughed, "Besides, Lili lives alone, it would be inconvenient for me to move in."

"It's okay. I just told Lili about it and she agreed."

Ok? !

Fang Minghua looked up at Song Tangtang.

(End of this chapter)