Chapter 780: Money-Burning Website

"Can't write anything? I heard that you were invited by Wang Hui, the editor-in-chief of "Reading" magazine, to start writing essays for "Reading" magazine?" Fang Minghua asked rhetorically.

"That's right." Yu Hua smiled bitterly and said:

"Even if it doesn't win the Mao Dun Award, it's considered to be more famous, so someone invites me. But essays are just about personal reflections. How can they be compared with novels? I feel like I have finished writing "The Story of Xu Sanguan Selling Blood" Afterwards, my mind suddenly became empty and there was nothing to write about.”

Fang Minghua understood that Yu Hua was speaking from his heart.

Historically, after Yu Hua wrote "Xu Sanguan Sells Blood", there was not much movement in the literary world. He only wrote prose and the like. It was not until 2005 that he wrote "Brothers".

Fang Minghua pondered for a moment before saying: "Don't force yourself if you can't write. Read more books, go out for a walk, and increase your experience and knowledge. Maybe one day you will have something to write about again."

"Well, it's good to go for a walk." Yu Hua nodded after hearing this:

"Don't tell me, I recently received an invitation from the Italian Grinzana Carver Literary Award jury, saying that my "To Live" was shortlisted for this year's literary award. They hoped that I could go to Italy to attend the awards night. I was hesitating. Should I go or not? It’s too far.”

"Go, why not go? Go to Italy for a walk, enjoy the scenery of the Apennine Peninsula, and come back with an award. Come on, I congratulate you in advance." Fang Minghua smiled and raised his glass.

"Thank you for your kind words." Yu Hua smiled and raised his glass.

"Fuck it!" The two drank it all in one gulp.

In the evening, after coming out of Yu Hua's house, Yu Hua went outside the community to call a taxi for him, watched him get in the car, gave the driver a few words, and watched the car drive away before going home.

Fang Minghua sat in the taxi and looked at the city night outside.

Most of the bottle of Maotai went into his stomach, and he was a little tipsy, but when the night wind blew, he sobered up.

Yu Hua said that he felt that his talents were exhausted. In fact, the entire pure literature was beginning to decline, whether it was novels, prose, or poetry.

The people who are active in the literary world today are still the same people from the 1980s.

Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua, Mo Yan, Su Tong, and Wang Anyi were all born in the 1950s and 1960s. Where were the people in the 1970s?

It seems that those born in the 1980s are about to make their mark in the literary world.

However, the literary world born in the 1980s, such as Han Han and Guo Jingming, can no longer be said to be pure literature, and can only be classified as best-sellers.

Why.

It is estimated that even the resurrection of great writers like Lu Xun and Mao Dun will not change this trend.

Times have changed.

Fang Minghua decided not to think about these things that had no correct answers. After staying in Yanjing for another two days, he prepared to return to Xijing.

On the phone, Song Tangtang was also returning from San Francisco.

But not long after getting up in the morning, I received a call from Dai Jiali, the vice president of Shanghai Shengshi Books.

"Teacher Minghua, congratulations on winning the Lu Xun Literature Award!"

"Thank you, Jiali, why did you call me so early to talk about this? This is not your style? Is there anything else?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Yes. Regarding the Banyan Tree website, can you take the time to come to Shanghai and talk to Mr. Shu?" Dai Jiali asked.

"What happened?"

"The main issue is the cost of the website. Mr. Su complained that the website only burned money and had no income. He was very dissatisfied with this."

"Did Director Zhao tell you about this?" Fang Minghua asked. "Director Zhao didn't come back from Xijing during this period. He called and talked about it. Director Zhao also had some opinions on this. After all, no boss likes a project that has been established for more than a year with only expenses and no income."

"So, you are looking for me?" Fang Minghua said with a smile.

"Yes, Teacher Minghua, I know you are very supportive of the establishment of Banyan Tree. Please have a good talk with Director Zhao and Mr. Shu. Otherwise, my situation will be very difficult. I originally wanted to buy a batch of servers to improve the performance of the website. But it was rejected by Mr. Shu, alas.

"Director Zhao and Mr. Shu have their own things to consider. I'll come to Shanghai." Fang Minghao said after pondering for a while.

"Great! Let me tell Xiao Chen and others the good news!"

Fang Minghua hung up the phone, thought for a moment, and then called Zhao Hongjun from his address book.

"Red Army, are you still in Xijing? Didn't you go to Shanghai?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Look, you and I have been staying in Shencheng for a long time. You said that I won't go back to Xijing to see Minmin. I will stay in Xijing for a few more days during the Chinese New Year. And you said that I won't go back to Shencheng quickly?!" Zhao Hongjun Answered angrily.

"Haha. Okay, just stay here. Let me ask you, did Dai Jiali call you and tell you about the fees for the website under the banyan tree?"

"Yes, Shu Bin called me first, and then Dai Jiali. Why, Dai Jiali also called me?"

"Well, we called just now." Fang Minghua briefly explained what Dai Jiali meant on the phone.

"Lao Shu complained to me on the phone, saying that Rongshuxia has invested nearly 5 million in the past two years, but the income is almost zero. It is really too expensive."

On the other side of the phone, Zhao Hongjun sighed and continued. "I can understand Lao Shu. Now that the development speed of Shengshi Books has begun to slow down, and there is another website that only eats but does not buy, it will definitely affect the performance of the entire company. As a boss, his face is naturally tarnished, and I am also worried. "

"What are you worried about?"

"What I'm worried about is that if Rongshuxia continues to burn money and the expenses are getting bigger and bigger, I'm worried that it will bring down Shengshi Books. Minghua. Tell me, how long will it take for Rongshuxia to make a profit?"

"It's hard to say, but it won't be profitable for at least three to five years."

"Don't tell Shu Bin about this, it will make him very angry." Zhao Hongjun laughed on the phone.

"Haha, what is Shu afraid of? Just don't scare your boss." Fang Minghua laughed.

"I'm not afraid, I have you. I was going to tell you about this when you returned to Xijing. Now you know that Dai Jiali asked you to go to Shencheng again, so you should go there, listen to what the two of them say, and think of a solution. They are both generals of Shengshi Group, and I don't want to quarrel over this matter."

"Okay, I'll go there."

Fang Minghua planned to go to Shencheng, and after thinking about it, he called Song Tangtang in San Francisco to explain his situation.

"You want to go to Shencheng? Then I might as well book a flight back to Shencheng. I haven't been to the group headquarters for a long time, so I'll go there on the way." Song Tangtang said on the phone.

"Okay, we will reunite in Shencheng as a couple." Fang Minghua smiled.

That afternoon, Fang Minghua bought a soft sleeper ticket to Shanghai.

Mainly because he had no urgent business, he liked to take the train and enjoy the leisurely journey.

After the first major speed increase of trains in 1997, the train time from Yanjing to Shanghai was shortened. Fang Minghua boarded the train at 5 pm and arrived at Hongqiao Railway Station at 6:30 am the next day.