My unit is not too far from Gaoxin No.1 Middle School, but the traffic jam on the way to West Gaoxin after work is very serious. I made an appointment on my own initiative, so I didn't dare to be late. I hurried to squeeze the bus as soon as I got off work. After arriving at the destination, it was exactly 6 o'clock. I thought Lu might not have arrived yet, so I strolled into the postal bookstore near the stop sign. I rummaged in front of the bookshelf for a while and thought it was almost time to go. Suddenly I caught a glimpse of a tall man reading in front of a bookshelf not far from me. Although he was sideways, I recognized Lu at a glance. I thought I was early, but I didn't expect him to come earlier than me. I rushed forward and called Mr. Sheng Lu. He looked up and saw it was me. He quickly put down his book and shook hands with me.
This is my second meeting with Lu, but compared with my impression two years ago, I don't see much change: I am 1.8 meters tall, tall and straight, with a white face, light blue rimless eyes, a small square lens on my nose, a black casual dress and a small backpack on my shoulder. His dress is like a post-80s image, full of fashion and sunshine, which is completely different from the image temperament of writers born in 1970s.
We walked out of the bookstore together and found a Sichuan restaurant across the street and sat down. After my repeated urging, Lu finally picked up the menu, but after reading it for a long time, he ordered two dishes: a plate of celery and yuba and a bowl of boiled fish fillets. When I said there were fewer dishes, I ordered more. He said that he often eats here. That bowl of fish is too heavy for two people to finish. Besides, there are too many dishes in it, so it's a waste to order more. I know he is a person who likes to hang out in bars. Of course, he loves to drink. Besides, how can a literary friend drink less? I ordered two bottles of dry beer and asked the waiter to bring me a bottle opener. He said no, so he just bit it open with his teeth and filled the cup conveniently. His movements are sophisticated and quick, and some heroes in martial arts novels are heroic. His initiative and enthusiasm embarrassed me as the host, but I felt very comfortable. I feel that the writer sitting in front of me is so arrogant, as if he were the eldest brother next door. Face-to-face communication once again deepened my impression of him: he has a gentle and kind face and speaks slowly. In particular, his smile is pure, even a little shy, like a college student who has not been wet behind the ears.
Before the food was served, we were drinking tea, smoking and chatting about our idle days. At first, we asked each other about each other. Just then, Lu suddenly remembered something, stopped and took out three books from his backpack: one was his newly published prose collection "The Wind Blows into the Courtyard Wall", and the other two were Manuscript magazine and Poetry Series edited by Huang Hai. The book "The Wind Blowing into the Courtyard Wall" is the book I hope to get most recently. I bought a collection of his essays "Scattered Sunshine" on the Internet a while ago. I think it's not bad after reading it. I talked with him on QQ. He said that he was not really satisfied with this series. I asked him which one he was most satisfied with now. He said it was "the wind blowing on the wall". I said it looked like I wanted to read it, but I haven't seen this book in the bookstore, and it doesn't seem to be sold online. He said that we are old friends. Why are you still paying? I'll give you one. It's been months since that online chat, and I've been looking forward to reading this book as soon as possible. I didn't expect to get it today, and I was a little excited. The cover of this book "The Wind Blowing into the Courtyard Wall" is purple, and the binding design is simple and generous, which is heavy in your hand. After browsing a few pages at random, I was quickly attracted, but I know it is not the time to read it carefully. So, I gently closed the cover of the book and continued our conversation.
After a few glasses of wine, Lu became very talkative and talked about many people in the literary circle. He said that society is a big circle, and there are many circles in it. Of course, literature also has its own circle, and there are many small circles in the literary circle. A writer can't just bury himself in writing, and sometimes he should associate with the writers around him appropriately and integrate into the literary circle. He said that he had contacts with many famous writers, poets, critics and editors in Shaanxi literary circle, but the best ones were Du Aimin, Huang Hai, Ma Zhaoping and Zhou Gongdu. They are similar in age and temperament. We often discuss literature together, and anyone who has any questions can ask directly, so that everyone can make rapid progress. He also said that many people in the literary circle know each other, but they are not necessarily true friends with everyone. For example, once I had dinner with a famous official writer in northern Shaanxi, he didn't even leave his phone number at that time, because he didn't feel like a person on the road at all, and he didn't intend to contact again in the future. He also said that he can now embark on the road of literature, of course, in addition to his talent, diligence and persistence, but also thanks to the support and encouragement of some teachers and friends. Here, he specifically mentioned three teachers: Shang Ziyong, Lin Yuan and Wang Yuanping. Mr. Shang and Mr. Yuan edited and distributed several of his poems, essays and travel notes in the evening paper, and also opened a personal column "The Story of the Old Country" for him at 1996, which helped him embark on the road of literature. Lu has always been grateful to poets and writers, because every time he sees his new works, Mr. Wang always gives him affirmation and encouragement at the first time, and also directly puts forward his personal views, points out the shortcomings of his works and promotes his continuous progress.
When I talked about the relationship between literature and life, Lu said earnestly: It is good to love literature and writing, but we must first solve the personal life problems. Only when work and life are stable can we study writing with peace of mind. He told me that he has worked in China Eastern Airlines for 20 years, with a good salary and a relatively stable living condition. He often spends his spare time reading and writing. Now he has published three or four collections of essays, and the novel "Notorious" will be published in Fu Zi soon, and will meet readers soon. Speaking of this, he cited the example of the poet Ma Li, hoping that I could cherish my body and not write so hard. Recently, I learned something about Mary from the Internet, but I learned more details from Lu: Mary was a young poet born in Shangluo, born in 1980s. His family is poor. After graduating from Xi 'an Medical College, he worked as a medical representative and online editor, perhaps because of his personality. He has frequent work rhythms, low income and extremely unstable living conditions, but he loves to write poems. In order to write poems, he often forgets to eat and sleep. As a result, I broke down in a few years and talked about a girlfriend who is getting married at the end of this year. I don't want to find uremia in September this year, and the originally poor family suddenly fell into a serious crisis ... I recently learned from the Internet that Shaanxi literary and art circles and poetry circles are organizing a donation activity to save the poet Ma Li, and recently organized a Chang' an poetry meeting in Antangtang West City. Lu not only took an active part in this activity, but also gave his love and ran around.
When it comes to literary creation, Lu throws out his own creative views. He believes that a writer should have his own writing style, but he should also constantly explore and try to innovate in writing techniques, instead of being bound by a certain routine or program and always repeating his past. Speaking of which, he cited the example of Yang Shuo. He thinks that Yang Shuo's prose must be well written, and many chapters have been included in the teaching materials, such as "Litchi Honey", "Camellia Fu" and "Snow Wave". The middle part is beautiful and poetic, but overall it is completely stylized, and it will be boring to watch too much. He also said that the novel output of a famous writer in Shaanxi is very high, but many stories in many of his novels are repetitive, which makes people feel lack of originality. Perhaps this is limited by the writer's own life experience. I personally agree with these views. Over the years, I have been reading Lu's articles, and I think he is an innovative writer. Most of his essays in Cotton are local themes. Although the writing is slightly traditional, it is full of spirituality and talent, which is an attempt in his early prose writing. In his second collection of essays, Scattered Sunshine, he focused on the city where he has worked and lived for more than 20 years, trying to write about urban life with a new angle, style and technique, giving people a refreshing feeling. I believe that in the book "The Wind Blowing into the Wall", he should have more new attempts and performances.
After drinking four bottles of wine, we chatted happily, but we didn't feel happy. I wanted to have a few more bottles of wine, but when I saw it was past eight, I was embarrassed to continue. I was afraid that he would have something else to do at night, so I suggested another day. He said there was enough time. At the gate of the restaurant, we shook hands again and said goodbye to each other. I just took a few steps and looked back. I saw Lu Huping swinging his arm, angry, crossing the street with mottled lights and striding forward. ...