The literary era since 1979

Chapter 329 Is this something that children can watch? (Two in one)

In the 80s, it was still quite difficult to eat hot pot in a larger restaurant in Chengdu.

Not only were hot pot restaurants not as popular as they are today, many people did not know how to cook hot pot and could not even control the heat properly. The food was either too hot or not cooked enough. Therefore, decent hot pot restaurants would hire some smart waiters to teach customers how to cook hot pot.

Therefore, these days, any hotpot restaurant that can be properly named is basically well-known.

The hot bonsai of Xinnanmen, the three trees of Babao Street, the rich man of Shuanglinzhongheng Road, the Huangcheng Old Mother of Huangchengba...

It was noon at this time, and Fang Yan, Zhu Lin and the other two were invited to a small hotpot restaurant which was unknown but extremely popular.

Yang Xiao, Yao Haijun and others did not use the limited remaining funds of Science Fiction Literature and Art, but paid for the meal out of their own pockets.

On the table, there were tripe, duck intestines, enoki mushrooms, vermicelli, beef, tofu, etc.

"Teacher Fang, I respect you!"

Yao Haijun holds up Tianfu Cola.

The two of them drank Coke instead of wine. After clinking the bottles, Fang Yan took a big sip and heard Tan Kai boasting:

"Teacher Fang is indeed worthy of his reputation. He is truly a guiding light in our literary world."

"Thank you very much, thank you very much."

Fangyan waved his hand and suddenly felt that the word "guiding light" was particularly familiar.

"You don't know yet?"

Yang Xiao explained that Teacher Fang’s title of “literary beacon” had long been spread among the editorial department of Huacheng Magazine.

From eastern Guangdong to Sichuan, from southern Yunnan to southern Hunan, almost all the literary circles in central and southern China know that the reason why "October" and "Huacheng" have become two of the four famous publishing stars in the country is that Fang Xiaojiang has made great contributions. He is worthy of being a guiding light that will always shine.

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. This is entirely the result of everyone's hard work and collective wisdom."

Zhu Lin was surprised to see Fang Yan's modesty.

I originally thought that Teacher Fang was "invincible" in literary creation, but I didn't expect that he was even more proficient in magazine publishing!
“In fact, I still have a few immature ideas about Science Fiction Literature and Art, but I don’t know whether I should talk about them or not.”

Fangyan picked up a piece of tripe, put it in the pot, lifted it up seven times and put it down eight times.

Yang Xiao was looking forward to it: "You say."

"Would you like to consider changing the name of Science Fiction Literature and Art starting from this issue of The Ring?"

Fangyan put the tripe into his mouth and started chewing it.

"Change your name?!"

"Don't want the name 'Science Fiction Literature'?"

Everyone's faces were filled with astonishment.

Fangyan nodded. Not to mention that the "spiritual pollution" had caused a considerable negative impression on readers across the country about "Science Fiction Literature and Art", just for the future development of science fiction literature, the word "literature and art" in "Science Fiction Literature and Art" was too literary.

"Science fiction is popular literature after all, so it would be better to give it a more popular name."

Looking around, he said slowly, "It will also show readers across the country that this magazine will be transformed into a comprehensive science fiction magazine focusing on Chinese and foreign science fiction novels, taking into account popular science, science fiction concepts, and introductions to science fiction figures!"

These words immediately captured the attention of everyone in the editorial department.

Especially the last paragraph. Instead of carrying the heavy burden of "Science Fiction Literature and Art", it is better to make a fresh start, lighten the load, and start from scratch with these eight people as the core.

Everyone was moved and felt that it made sense.

"Teacher Fang is right!"

"How about I give you some ideas for naming this? How about calling it "The King of Science Fiction"?"

"Vulgar! Too vulgar! In my opinion, since the national science fiction literature award we are going to hold is called the 'Galaxy Award', why not use the word 'Galaxy' in the name of the magazine as well, such as 'Galactic Empire', 'Science Fiction Galaxy', 'Galactic World'..."

"It might as well be called Science Fiction World!"

"No, no, 'Galaxy' is better. Think about it, if this magazine can be published for 40 or 50 years, there may be an editorial office on the moon or even on Mars in the future. By that time, the name 'Science Fiction World' will be too stingy."

"Forty or fifty years? We may not even live to see that day!"

Yao Haijun, Tan Kai and others' brains were working rapidly, and they were discussing the new name of the magazine. It was very lively.

"Even if such a day really comes, you can go to the moon or Mars, but I will not leave here."

Yang Xiao imagines the future, "I am a firm believer in Earth, and I will stay on Earth forever."

Fang Yan smiled and said, "If you ask me, we can definitely take the Earth on a journey. No, we should call it a space journey."

Zhu Lin was startled. "Take the Earth with you on a journey? This is too romantic..."

"Teacher Fang is worthy of being Teacher Fang. He is unrestrained and imaginative. No wonder he can write such a masterpiece as "The Ring"!"

Yao Haijun and others were impressed by his imagination and couldn't help but marvel at it.

Yang Xiao smiled and said, "If we change the name of the journal, can Teacher Fang write an article for our new journal?"

Tan Kai said: "Even a short story will do!"

"Your abacus beads are about to fall on my face."

Fangyan shook his head and laughed.

"I'll tell you the truth."

Yang Xiao told the truth, although "The Ring" is good, it is full of horror and suspense elements and is more suitable for adult reading.

However, she hopes that her magazine can plant the seeds of science fiction literature in more teenagers and children, and enable them to have a purer vision of science, science fiction and technology.

"Children's science fiction..."

The first thing that came to Fangyan's mind was "Blue Cat's 3000 Questions", and Ge Ping's magical dubbing inexplicably echoed in his ears.

"Hi, kids, hello everyone!"

"Do you remember who I am?"

"That's right! I'm the actor who voiced Blue Cat, Ge Ping!"

"Look at Blue Cat, learn from Blue Cat, I am proud of my knowledge!!!"

"Teacher Fang, what do you think?"

After Yang Xiao finished speaking, Yao Haijun and Tan Kai turned their eyes to Fang Yan at the same time, with expectation in their eyes.

"Let me think about this carefully."

Fangyan neither objected nor agreed, and said with a smile: "Come, come, eat, eat, eat."

"Yes, everyone, eat as much as you want!"

Yang Xiao greeted everyone enthusiastically, but saw Zhu Lin carefully picked up a small piece with chopsticks and chewed it slowly.

Fang Yan also noticed this and whispered, "Are you afraid of spicy food?"

Zhu Lin nodded slightly, "When I first came to Chengdu, I couldn't eat anything spicy, but now I can eat a little bit."

"Then you and my wife are two extremes. She can eat spicy food. She can even tolerate the spicy food from western Jiangxi."

Fang Yan couldn't help but talk about "Gong Xing" with a smile in the corner of his eyes.

"I didn't expect she could eat so much spicy food."

Zhu Lin picked up a piece of enoki mushroom with chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Immediately, a spicy taste rushed into his throat, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly.

"cough!"

"Cough cough!"

Seeing this, Fangyan said, "Have a cup of Coke to relieve the spiciness."

Zhu Lin picked up the Tianfu Kokoshi and took a big gulp. The cool and refreshing taste seemed to be dancing on the tip of his tongue.

Fang Yan shook his head and laughed, "It's a pity there is no double-flavor hot pot here."

Zhu Lin was stunned. "Double-boiled hot pot? What a unique name."

"It's a pot with separate red soup and clear soup. The red soup is for people who can handle spicy food, and the clear soup is for people who can't handle spicy food."

Yang Xiao lowered his voice and said, "However, in the hot pot restaurants in Chengdu, few owners are willing to serve simmered hot pot."

Fangyan smiled and said, "So there is a saying that allowing you to eat shuangyang hotpot is the greatest tolerance Sichuan people can give you."

Before Zhu Lin could open his mouth, a voice in Mandarin with a Sichuan accent came from behind him, with a strong taste of pepper and salt.

"Teacher Fang, come to our Rongcheng!"

"You know me?"

Fangyan looked back and saw that it was the hot pot restaurant owner with a big head and thick neck.

"I didn't know at first." The owner of the hot pot restaurant rubbed his hands and said that his cousin overheard their conversation when he was serving the dishes.

Fangyan suddenly realized, "So that's it."

"Our whole family loves your A Bite of China, both the book and the film, and we have watched it many times!"

"Thank you, thank you, I appreciate your kindness."

"No, no, I should be the one thanking you."

The hot pot restaurant owner said: "It is our honor to have a big eater like Teacher Fang come to our restaurant to eat hot pot!"

The two chatted for a while, but when they heard the hot pot restaurant owner generously wanted to give them a free meal, Fangyan raised his hand:

"It can't be done, it can't be done."

"Of course, of course. To be honest, I have a request for you..."

The hot pot restaurant owner took a sip of wine and plucked up his courage. His hot pot restaurant still didn't have a decent name, so he asked for a name!
Zhu Lin blinked, thinking Fang Yan would refuse, but unexpectedly, after looking at her, he readily agreed.

"I think it's called 'Tunzhihu', how about that?"

"Tunzhihu? Teacher Fang, why is it called this?"

"Mencius said, 'The mouth has the same taste for flavors.' This means that the mouth has the same taste for flavors."

Fang Yan patiently explained, "Those who come here to eat hotpot all like spicy food, and they are all 'like-minded'..."

Zhu Lin supported his chin with one hand and stared at him straight in the eyes.

My mood at this moment is like the red soup in the hot pot next to me, boiling non-stop.

"This is a good name, this is a good name, let's call it 'Tunzhihu'!"

The hot pot restaurant owner's eyes sparkled, "I'll ask someone to make a sign tomorrow."

"If you like, I'll give you another pair of couplets."

Fangyan laughed and said, "The first line is 'Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly and was drunk', and the second line is 'Xiang Ru adjusted the cauldron and swallowed it', what do you think?"

"it is good!"

"Okay, Mr. Fang!"

The diners sitting around all cheered, some clapped their hands, some slapped the table, and cheered continuously.

"Thank you, Teacher Fang!"

The hotpot restaurant owner's face was beaming with emotion, and his emotions were beyond words. He poured all of it into the wine and toasted Fangyan three times.

Fang Yan said: "Well... I also have a request."

"You say it! You say it!"

The owner of the hot pot restaurant got a signboard and couplet, and it is fully predictable how popular the hot pot restaurant's business will be in the future.

Fang Yan smiled and said, "There are several people at my table who can't eat spicy food. Can you give us a double-flavored hotpot?"

"Double-boiled pot..."

The hot pot restaurant owner looked embarrassed, but when he saw that it was Zhu Lin, he immediately understood, "I see, I see, I will prepare a shabu-shabu hot pot for your guests, please wait a moment, wait a moment!"

Tangke?!
Zhu Lin's heart skipped a beat and his cheeks blushed. He was about to explain, but unexpectedly the owner of the hot pot restaurant had already turned and left.

As he walked, he asked the waiter to add more food to Teacher Fang's table, and served him delicious food and wine, all for free!
"Teacher Fang, we are really benefiting from your help this time. Not only can we save our wallets, but we can also completely get back at your words!"

Yao Haijun half-joked, but his words were full of admiration.

"Yes."

Tan Kai gave a thumbs up and said, "I was thinking of rejecting the naming idea on behalf of Teacher Fang, but I didn't expect Teacher Fang to be so talented. After only three steps, he has already thought of not only the name of the store, but also the couplet. In one word, it's absolutely amazing! It's absolutely amazing!"

Seeing them praising Fang Yan, Zhu Lin's eyes sparkled, hesitating to speak, "Teacher Fang..."

Fang Yan said: "The boss doesn't understand the situation. Don't take the slip of the tongue just now to heart."

"Thank you, Mr. Fang."

Zhu Lin shook his head, knowing that if it wasn't for the request for a double-flavored hotpot for him, Teacher Fang probably wouldn't agree to such an abrupt request.

Fang Yan smiled and said, "It's just a small matter, don't take it to heart."

"Teacher Fang, I respect you."

Zhu Lin toasted him and pushed the plate of beef in front of him.

Fangyan accepted it readily, but actually wanted to say jokingly, "I don't eat beef," and then destroy the flower.

When the shabu-shabu hotpot was served, everyone's enthusiasm was released instantly like a boiling hotpot.

The table became lively and after a hearty meal, everyone returned to the editorial office fully satisfied.

After a heated discussion, the majority finally decided to change "Science Fiction Literature" to "Science Fiction World".

Then, we discussed the publicity plan, layout plan, and other science fiction works to be published at the same time as "The Ring" for the first issue of "Science Fiction World".

As a special consultant, Fangyan made suggestions and made great efforts to finally collect the small number of articles to be published in this issue.

"Our editorial department has always adhered to a saying by Einstein, which is 'Imagination is always more important than knowledge'."

Yang Xiao said seriously: "I believe that science fiction literature driven by imagination has a very strong vitality in China. It will never die, because science fiction is future-oriented, and society is moving towards the future. As long as we follow what Mr. Fang said, Science Fiction World will get better and better."

"Clap clap clap."

There were bursts of applause in the office.

After the meeting, the three returned to Emei Film Studio from the publishing house. It was getting dark and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the road.

On the way to the guesthouse, Fang Yan and Zhu Lin chatted as they walked, and Fang Yan listened quietly to Zhu Lin's troubles in the film studio.

"Teacher Fang, thank you for taking the time to listen to my complaints."

"It's okay, just treat me as a tree hole."

Fangyan shrugged his shoulders. He received many letters from female readers every now and then, who treated him as their confidant and confided in him.

"No wonder you are so skilled at comforting people."

Zhu Lin chuckled.

"I can totally understand your feelings. Being a stranger in a foreign land for a long time is inevitable."

Fang Yan said: "In fact, you can take a leave and go to Yanjing to visit your relatives, or invite your family to Rongcheng as guests, and have a good family gathering..."

"They are busy, and I am busy too. We always seem to have different schedules." Zhu Lin kicked a small stone on the side of the road. "Fortunately, I have gotten used to this kind of thing when I was sent to the countryside to work in a production team."

The guesthouse not far away appeared in Fangyan's sight.

"I should go up now. You've worked really hard today."

"Speaking of hard work, you should be working harder than me."

Zhu Lin put his hands behind his back and asked, "Are you going to write for Science Fiction Literature, or Science Fiction World, tonight?"

Fangyan nodded and said, "Science fiction works written for young people and children are indeed very attractive."

"Yes, I watched the movie Little Sun when I was a kid, and I still remember it vividly. The suspended subway, the self-driving shared cars, and the welcoming robot..."

Zhu Lin said, "At that time, I really envied the kids in the movie and wanted to replace them."

Fangyu's tone was full of confidence. "Don't be envious. Maybe we can meet in a few years."

Zhu Lin smiled and stopped at the door of the guesthouse. "Teacher Fang, are you going to the publishing house or somewhere else tomorrow?"

"No, I have to accompany Director Wang and others to the audition for the actors of Dream of Red Mansions tomorrow." Fang Yan said, "If you are interested, you can come and have a look."

Zhu Lin readily agreed and waved his hand.

"Teacher Fang, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Fang Yan watched her gradually disappear from his sight, then turned and went upstairs, thinking about the science fiction novel for his children.

You can't be like Cao Cao and say, "Madam, are you willing to sit with me tonight?" You will definitely be dragged out and shot!
As soon as Zhu Lin returned to the dormitory, he found the things he had dropped when he went out in the morning were still there when he got home in the evening. His eyes looked lonely and complicated.

She picked up the things and lay down on the bed. There were two pillows on the bed, one was hers and the other was also hers.

I stared blankly at the shadow on the wall for a while. My eyes were vague and my thoughts had drifted far away. Suddenly, sleepiness swept over me.

Close your eyes, and only in dreams do you feel like you are not alone...

(End of this chapter)