Chapter 728 "Bus Route 8"

Just at this moment, the phone on the desk rang. Fang Minghua put down the magazine and picked it up.

"Who is this?"

"Minghua? I'm Li Tuo." Mandarin with a Beijing accent came from the other end of the phone.

"Are you in the United States now or have you returned to China?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Haha, I've returned to China. I'm at the Tianya magazine in Haikou. Shaogong is right in front of me. Why don't you say a few words to him first?"

Soon, Mandarin with a strong Hunan accent sounded in the microphone again: "Minghua, I'm Shaogong. You went to the United States and found such a good editor for me. I have to thank you."

"Haha, Shaogong, why are you being polite to me? You run a magazine, and I should support you." Fang Minghua sat on a chair with his legs crossed and said with a smile:

"I'm reading the latest issue of Tianya. Your work is really extraordinary."

"This is all thanks to the strong support of writers and the hard work of editors like Li Tuo. Hey, Minghua, I called you to ask for an article for the first issue of Tianya, but you went abroad." Han Shaogong's tone on the phone was a little regretful: "Now you're back, write an article?"

"I heard about this from my wife. Since you asked, I have to write it." Fang Ming said with a smile.

"Haha, that's good. I'll give the phone to Li Tuo, you two can talk." Han Shaogong said on the phone.

Soon, Li Tuo's voice came from the microphone again:

"Minghua, since you want to write, I'll give you my opinion as an editor."

"You say."

"In Los Angeles, we participated in a literary salon to talk about poetry. I think you talked very well, so I suggest you write more articles on this aspect. You also know that "intellectual writing" and "folk writing" are hot topics in the poetry world now. I want to see your opinion on this." Li Tuo expressed his opinion on the phone.

Write this?

I don't want to get involved.

But directly refusing is also a bit of an insult to the other party, so Fang Minghua replied: "How about this, I'll think about it first?"

Li Tuo heard it on the other end of the phone.

Fang Minghua was not very willing to write.

But this matter can't be forced, after all, it was commissioned by himself.

"Okay, there's no rush anyway. I think this debate will last for a while. Tell me when you think it over."

"Okay."

The two chatted for a few more sentences and hung up the phone.

Fang Minghua pondered the content of the previous conversation.

Since he had promised Han Shaogong and Li Tuo, he had to write, but he really didn't want to write anything theoretical.

It would be better to write a novel about poetry.

The plot is very simple.

Lv Xijing, who lives in Xijing City, is a young bus driver with the same name as his hometown. He lives a plain life with his wife Chen Qian and a golden retriever.

Every day, he drives the No. 8 bus from the National Cotton No. 3 Factory to the Bell Tower, repeating the same route and the calm life.

His daily life is very simple: like all bus drivers in this city, he drives the bus every day, walks on the same streets, observes the city, observes his passengers through the windshield and listens to their conversations;

But he also has different hobbies from other bus drivers.

He writes poetry!

He writes poetry in a notebook of his own. He writes down what he sees, thinks, and encounters inspiration.

For example, after driving the last bus last night, he took out the "Narrow Edition Monkey" and took out a match to light one. Suddenly, he got inspiration when he looked at the match that was about to burn out.

After riding my bike back home, I couldn't wait to write in my notebook.

"Xijing Blue Label Matches"

We hadn't discovered Xijing Blue Label Matches at that time

They were beautifully packaged and sturdy

The small box was dark blue and light blue

The pinyin letters were arranged in the shape of a megaphone

If I were a cigarette, you would be the match

Or I would be a match and you would be the cigarette

Burning is kissing, turning into smoke

Wandering into heaven.

He never thought of publishing his poems in a book, and his only reader was his wife Chen Qian.

After get off work, he took his golden retriever for a walk in this ancient city, and occasionally went to Defu Lane, now a famous bar street in Xijing City, to stay alone for a while in a bar called Yuegui, drinking the same Hans beer, and then returned to his wife. The next day, they woke up together.

In contrast, his wife Chen Qian is a handicraft lover, and her life is full of changes - she has new plans almost every day.

Chen Qian wakes up every day recalling different dreams, and then starts her daily life project - making tea cup cakes, making various handicrafts, and even drawing inexplicable paintings.

They love each other deeply, he supports her jumping and energetic ideas, and she listens to his ordinary work and extraordinary poems.

Finally, one day Lu Xijing promised Chen Qian to print his works into a book. Will his life change because of this?

When Fang Minghua finishes writing, it will be a short story of about 10,000 words.

In fact, this novel called "Eighth Bus" was adapted by Fang Minghua based on a movie "Patterson" that he had seen before coming to this era.

It is a feature film written and directed by American director Jim Jarmusch. It tells the life story of Patterson, a bus driver who loves to write poetry and lives in Patterson, and his wife Laura.

The shooting style of the movie is also like his story, slowly flowing with poetry.

Patterson drove the bus, taking the same route. The town outside the window was quiet and peaceful. The few passengers on the bus told their own stories, and the twin sisters he always met added a little bit of weird surprise to Patterson's life. Life is plain as water day after day. Doing the same thing on time, the only medicine that will not make you bored to death is the rising poetry and surging passion in your heart.

The film was nominated for the "Golden Palm Award" at the Cannes Film Festival and the "Top Ten Foreign Films" at the Japanese Film Junpo Awards.

Fang Minghua felt that it was a bit like "Roadside Picnic" directed by Bi Gan, both of which were poetic language and swaying shooting style, but without the latter's stream of consciousness style.

Fang Minghua spent more than three days to finish writing this novel and prepared to submit it to "Tianya" magazine.

Unfortunately, the magazine did not have an Internet connection, so it was not possible to send emails. The manuscript had to be printed out and mailed as before.

That afternoon, his wife went to work and the children went to school. Fang Minghua carefully proofread it, printed it out and put it in his briefcase, then went downstairs and went out.

It was only a few steps to the post office outside Chaoyangmen, so he didn't have to drive.

After leaving the courtyard gate and before walking out of the alley, he saw a tall man walking towards him. He wore glasses and had long hair, and he had a poetic temperament.

He got closer and saw it clearly.

It turned out to be Xichuan.