Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 452: Visiting the “China Hand”

Fang Minghua took a car to Demi's home, which is located in the northeast of San Francisco, not far from the famous Pier 39. They are all independent villas with gardens and beautiful scenery.

Demi's parents are a middle-aged Caucasian couple in their late fifties. When they saw Fang Minghua coming, they welcomed him warmly.

Of course, Fang Minghua did not forget his business. After a brief exchange of greetings, the two went to the guest room where Li Li lived on the second floor.

Standing on the balcony, Fang Minghua said: "Lili, you should go back to China."

Li Li did not answer, but asked:
"I know you are a lobbyist, brother-in-law. Let me ask you, regardless of other factors, just based on my major and the translation work I am currently engaged in, do you think it is better for me to stay in China or in the United States?"

Fang Minghua remembered what Wu Beiling said.

After a moment of silence, he added: "However, we can't just think about our own careers. You also know that your parents really want you to return to China."

"I know, but I have winter and summer vacations. I will definitely come back to visit them during the holidays. After they retire, and I will have a certain financial foundation by then, I will take my parents over and enjoy their old age!"

Fang Minghua fell into silence again.

Li Li turned her head, looked at the blue sea in the distance, and continued: "Brother-in-law, you can understand me. In addition to teaching in San Francisco, I am also the main translator of the novel written by You. After the translation is completed, I will find the publication. Commercial Publishing! If I can win an award like "Crossing Guandong", I will be happiest!"

Having said this, Li Likai smiled sweetly.

Fang Minghua looked at Li Li, then took out a check from his pocket and handed it to Li Li.

"This one hundred thousand dollars is for you."

"Give it to me? I don't want it!" Li Li subconsciously refused.

"Take it!" Fang Minghua couldn't help but put the check into the girl's hand: "All my deposits in the United States were used to buy stocks. I only have this hundred thousand yuan left. I'll give it to you. This is your reward. "Winning the award is entirely due to you as a translator."

"But it's too much, right? You only got 10,000 US dollars when you won the prize."

"Not much! This is also Tangtang and I's blessing for you to start a new life. I don't know if it will be enough to buy a house. Or buy a car. American cars are very cheap. Since you want to live here, Live comfortably and happily so that your parents don’t miss you.”

"But."

"Okay, let's not talk about this." Fang Minghua changed the subject: "When are you going back now? You have to go back this holiday, right?"

"I will go to the school to sign a formal contract the day after tomorrow, and I am expected to return next week." Li Li replied.

"Okay then, I'm leaving, going to Los Angeles."

"What time is the flight tomorrow?"

"eight pm."

"Then why are you in such a hurry? We'll go to Los Angeles tomorrow. I'll take you to see Professor Galhoven in the evening. He's a China expert! And her wife is also Chinese."

Grantham?
Fang Minghua also wanted to meet this famous Sinologist, so he agreed.

In the evening, Demi's parents warmly entertained Fang Minghua with a sumptuous Western meal. Only then did Fang Minghua learn that Demi's father was a history professor at San Francisco State University and her mother was an executive of a local company.

Demi, like Li Li, studied comparative literature, but instead of teaching in a college like Li Li, she applied for a job at Chronicle Books in San Francisco.

Chronicle Books is an American adult and children's book publishing company headquartered in San Francisco. Founded in 1967, it is quite influential in the western United States.

After dinner, Li Li contacted Gal Haowen, who taught at San Francisco State University, and he welcomed them to his home.

So, Fang Minghua followed Li Li and left Demi's house to go to Ge Haowen's residence.

Gal Haowen lived in an apartment not far from the state university, which was also an independent building. Fang Minghua met this legendary American for the first time. Galhoven is less than fifty years old this year. He is wearing a T-shirt and denim shorts, holding a pipe, a felt hat, and a beard that looks like a Western cowboy.

"Welcome, friends from China." Gal Haowen spoke popular Chinese, but the emphasis was a bit like the Taiwanese accent on TV.

"Coffee or tea?" Ge Haowen greeted warmly.

"Tea." Fang Minghua said.

"Lili, I know you like drinking coffee." Gal Haowen said.

"Thank you." Li Li smiled sweetly.

At this time, an oriental middle-aged woman came out, carrying a plate with a cup of tea and a cup of coffee on it.

"Mr. Fang, let me introduce you to my wife, Lin Lijun. She is Chinese like you, from Taipei. Like Lili, she has a PhD in comparative literature. She teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. Her main research direction is Modern and contemporary Chinese literature and culture. She is my good wife!”

"Hello, Professor Lin." Fang Minghua greeted.

"Mr. Fang, congratulations, your novel won the National Book Critics Circle Award." Lin Lijun congratulated.

"Thank you, thanks to Li Li's translation."

"Li Li is simply a genius in translation!" Ge Haowen praised Li Li full of praise: "I read the book "Crossing the Guandong" she translated, and I feel ashamed."

"Professor Ge, you deserve the award. Your translation of Xiao Hong's "The Story of Hulan River" is not as good as yours!" She said with a blush on her face.

"Haha, I like Xiao Hong's works very much." Ge Haowen said with a smile: "Over the years, I have successively translated Xiao Hong's "The Story of Hulan River", "The Field of Life and Death", "Mabele" and other works, but now I want to translate it from your country This novel by a young writer. Wait a minute.”

After finishing speaking, Ge Haowen walked into his study and within a few minutes took out a magazine and placed it in front of Fang Minghua.

What the hell!

This damn thing is so familiar, it's actually "Yanhe"!
How did he have this magazine?

Fang Minghua's eyes immediately looked at Li Li.

Li Li understood what he meant and quickly explained: "Brother-in-law, I didn't give it to you. Professor Ge said it was sent to him by a friend of his in China."

"A friend of mine named Mark Meng is now a visiting scholar at your school, Yan'an University. He was the former director of the Department of East Asia at the University of Kansas. His research areas include Ming and Qing novels, male and female character types in Chinese literature, pornographic literature, opium smoking and modern times. Subjectivity, literary and psychoanalytic theory, concubines and institutions of the past dynasties, etc.”

Ge Haowen spoke eloquently, and Fang Minghua was dumbfounded.

Damn it.

What are you studying?
"Mr. Fang, I plan to translate this novel into English!" Gal Haowen pointed to one of the novels in the magazine and said.

Fang Minghua took a look and saw that it was Mo Yan's "Red Sorghum"!
"This novel is so well written, and I heard that the film adapted from it won the Golden Bear Award at this year's Berlin Film Festival! It is natural that such an excellent novel should be seen by American readers!"

Ok
Mo Yan, you can make a fortune.

Fang Minghua thought silently in his heart.

"Mr. Fang, I heard from Lili that you are the editor-in-chief of this magazine. Can you help me contact Mr. Mo Yan and agree to let me translate it into English and publish it?"

"No problem." Fang Minghua agreed happily.

(End of this chapter)