At eleven o'clock, Nie Hualing and the others gradually woke up, and at noon, under the warm hospitality of Bruce Lee, the group had a hearty meal at a nearby Chinese restaurant.

After eating lunch, Nie Hualing saw that the time was not early, and she was afraid that she would not be able to buy a ticket if she lost time, so she said goodbye.

Originally, Li Zhongchen was going to let Lin Yanni accompany him to send Mrs. He to Seattle first, and then to Iowa, but now that Bruce Lee is in Los Angeles, he doesn't have to go so troublesome to run around Seattle.

So Li Zhongchen was ready to accompany his wife to attend the writing exchange meeting.

After Bruce Lee called to inquire about flights at the airport, it was determined that there would be a direct flight to Iowa at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so he drove the four people.

Before being sent to the plane, Bruce Lee said to Huo Yaowen: "Evan and you have a very pleasant chat, this farewell, I'm afraid it will be difficult to have the opportunity to meet again." ”

"Maybe we'll see it more often in the future. Huo Yaowen smiled.

Bruce Lee said: "This is impossible, I am ready to settle in Los Angeles, and I will rarely return to Hong Kong in the future." ”

Recently, Bruce Lee took over a supporting role in a Hollywood movie, although there are not many scenes, but this is a good start, and he wants to settle in Los Angeles in the future to realize his dream of becoming a movie superstar.

"Maybe. ”

Huo Yaowen thought that according to history, it should be two years before Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong to make kung fu films, and then set off a kung fu boom in Southeast Asia, and finally rushed into Hollywood, filming "Enter the Dragon" sold 150 million US dollars at the super high box office, causing a sensation in the whole world.

When Bruce Lee heard this, he smiled silently, but still said: "Okay, if you have the opportunity to return to Hong Kong, I will definitely go to the University of Hong Kong to visit Evan and your teacher, speaking of which, he is my senior brother." ”

"I think the teacher would be happy to talk to you about philosophical questions. ”

The two chatted a few more words.

Li Zhongchen next to him said: "Okay Xiaolong, you can go back first, remember to take care of your mother, she is coming to the United States for the first time, although she can speak English, it is best to go out and let Linda take it." ”

"Big brother I know. Bruce Lee nodded.

After a few people passed the ticket gate, Bruce Lee turned around and left.

...

Iowa is also known as Iowa, and this is a transliteration problem, but it doesn't have much of an impact, it just confuses some people.

Iowa is 2,359 kilometers from Los Angeles and is about an eight-hour flight.

When I arrived at the airport in Iowa, it was already early in the evening, and because of the advance notice, Nie Hualing's husband, Paul Angell, waited outside the airport for a long time in his car.

"My dear has worked hard all the way. ”

After seeing the man, Paul stepped forward and picked up his lover's suitcase.

Nie Hualing smiled and said: "Paul, let me introduce to you, these two are the new generation of writers in Hong Kong, Eunice (Lin Yanni) and Evan (Huo Yaowen), this is Li, Eunice's husband." ”

Paul warmly shook hands with a few people and said, "Hello, I'm Paul Ingres, and I'm very welcome to Iowa to participate in my international writing program with my wife, I think you'll love the dormitory I arranged for you, which is the best place to live nearby." ”

Huo Yaowen chuckled: "That's great." ”

Lin Yanni's English is quite good, so she can understand Paul's words, and she also said with a smile: "Mr. Angels thank you very much for your hospitality." ”

As for Li Zhongchen, he didn't understand it a little, the other party's speed of speech was very fast, and he only listened to seven, seven, eight, eight.

A few simple self-introductions and exchanges,

It was getting late, the group got into the car, and Paul drove back to a residence hall at the University of Iowa dedicated to the International Writing Program.

The dormitory is almost four stories high, and after arranging for several people to move in on the second floor, Paul warmly invited Huo Yaowen, Lin Yanni and Li Zhongchen to his university home for a late night snack.

The International Writing Program was founded last year by Nie Hualing and her husband, Paul Ingres, on the basis of the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop.

Because it was the first year, the University of Iowa only provided venue and accommodation, and all the activities were funded by Nie Hualing and Paul Angell.

That's why we cooperated with Bantan Book Publishing Company in the United States, and the other party provided a small amount of funding in exchange for the priority signing and publishing rights of the excellent works born in this international writing project.

Of course, writers who come to participate can also choose not to sign a contract with Bantan Book Publishing, but this time, except for a very small number of literati from the United States, most of them are from all over the world, and most of them are European, so it is a good choice to choose to cooperate with Bantan Book Publishing.

After eating supper, Huo Yaowen said goodbye to Nie Hualing and Paul Angels, went back to the dormitory, washed up briefly, and then lay on the bed and fell asleep.

Flying in the past two days is indeed enough to toss people.

In addition, he didn't sleep well in Bruce Lee's martial arts gym in Los Angeles yesterday, so he fell asleep directly on the bed at this time.

...

Early the next morning.

Huo Yaowen woke up and found that it was a little cold today, it was drizzling outside, and after a simple wash in the small bathroom in the house, he changed into the suit he had ordered in Zhang Ji before and went out, wanting to see the surrounding situation.

Last night, Paul Ingres said that the meeting will start tomorrow at noon, when the vast majority of writers from different countries around the world will be there to participate in this writing project.

As soon as Huo Yaowen went out, he found a handsome middle-aged man in his forties with brown hair and glasses standing at the opposite door, he glanced at Huo Yaowen and said, "Hey, man, you are also here to participate in this writing project?"

"Yes. Huo Yaowen nodded.

"Are you Chinese?"

Huo Yaowen smiled and asked, "How do you see it?"

He stretched out his hand and said, "I've seen footbasin people, and few of them are as tall as you." To introduce myself, I'm Alan Ginsburg, a writer from New Jersey. ”

"Evan, a writer from Hong Kong. ”

Huo Yaowen smiled in his heart, feeling very interesting about what this foreigner said, but this person's name is always a little familiar.

"Hong Kong? where is it?" Alan Ginsburg raised an eyebrow, a place he hadn't heard of at all.

At this time, Hong Kong was still a small city that no one cared about, and it was not until a few years later that Bruce Lee's kung fu movies were sold around the world, and Hong Kong, a small place, would appear in the exchanges between people from all over the world, and it was not until the 80s that the economy took off, and the world would know that an island city crushed most of the Asian economy and became the head of the four tigers.

"A beautiful city, I think you'll know later. Huo Yaowen replied.

"It's great, I'll pay attention. Alan Ginsburg smiled.

At this moment, a strong blonde man walked from the end of the aisle.

"Alan, who is this?" the blond man frowned.

Alan Ginsburg laughed: "Peter, let me introduce you, this writer Evan is from Hong Kong who is participating in this writing project, he is very interesting. ”

Hearing this, Peter Orlovsky smiled briefly at Huo Yaowen, and then said to Alan Ginsburg: "The party has begun. ”

"Let's go, I can't wait to get a taste of Iowa. ”

Alan Ginsburg's eyes lit up, and when he was about to pull Peter away, he remembered Huo Yaowen and asked him, "Evan, do you want to come to the party together?"

Huo Yaowen directly refused: "No, I still have something to do." ”

"That's a shame, I've heard that Iowa is the best. With that, Allen Ginsburg smiled, turned around and left with Peter Orofsky.

After the two men left with each other in their arms.

Huo Yaowen was stunned in place, thinking about it for a long time, and finally remembered who this Alan Ginsburg is!

Allen Ginsburg, an American poet and Beat writer, became famous in 1955 with his short prose poem "Howl", and became a representative of the Beat generation of Chinese movement leaders in the 50s and 60s in the United States.

Knowing this person, when I watched the American movie "On the Road" with an appreciative attitude, I heard it many times from the mouth of the heroine played by Twilight girl Kristen Stewart, so I was interested in searching for it.

In the 50s after World War II in the United States, in addition to the birth of a confused generation of literati, at the end of the period, a group of defeated literati were born.

Most of the articles written by Hemingway in the confused generation are a kind of disappointment and dissatisfaction with the development of post-war American society, and they are confused because the traditional values of this generation are completely no longer suitable for the post-war world, but they cannot find a new standard of life.

They believe that only reality is the truth, but reality is cruel. As a result, they can only act according to their instincts and senses, trying their best to rebel against their previous ideals and values, and express their dissatisfaction with reality with rebellious thoughts and actions.

The Beat Generation was completely different, these people lived a simple, unkempt life, liked to wear fancy clothes, hated work and study, refused to undertake any social obligations, took pleasure in wandering the world, despised the law and order of society, opposed all secular conventions and monopoly capitalist rule, resisted foreign aggression and apartheid, and hated machine civilization.

They are forever seeking new thrills, seeking absolute freedom, indulging and sinking, in order to challenge the traditional values of decency.

So the writings of the Beat writers, both now and in the future, are loved by Americans other than people all over the world.

Thanks to the invention of the contraceptive pill in the 60s, this Beat Generation is more indulgent than the previous generation of Americans, and even more casual about the relationship between men and women.

It was during this period of absurd indulgence that many well-known road trip novels in the United States were born, among which the road novel "On the Road" is the most famous.

With the popularity of Beatles culture in the United States in recent years, the Beat Generation seems to have found its goal, and more than 400,000 young people who are dissatisfied with the reality of American society and oppose the war will gather at the Woodstock Music Festival in Woodstock Town in upstate New York next year, 1969, setting off the final madness of the Beat Generation.

Huo Yaowen doesn't know much about the United States in the 60s, but now he also remembers that this era seems to be the most absurd period in the United States, breeding a lot of alternative literary works, in addition to road trip novels, there are also black humorous "anti-hero" grotesque.

Thinking of this, Huo Yaowen was a little entangled, although he was thinking about writing an English novel before he came, but in the United States in this era, most of the popular books are such absurd and nonsensical, full of sex and love.

This kind of article, Huo Yaowen can't write it.

In this way, the English novel that I had envisioned before may be stranded.

Standing at the door of the room, Huo Yaowen touched his chin, thought about it for a while, and couldn't think of any good ideas for a while, so he was ready to go downstairs for breakfast first.

Wait down to the first floor.

Nie Hualing happened to come with Mr. Paul.

Nie Hualing smiled and said, "Mr. Huo is up, let's go to the cafeteria for breakfast?"

"Okay. Huo Yaowen nodded.

"Then I'll go upstairs and ask Ms. Lin. ”

Soon, Nie Hualing took Lin Yanni and Li Zhongchen downstairs.

The five of them went to the University of Iowa's cafeteria to prepare for breakfast.

When ordering, Huo Yaowen took a copy of the day's newspaper from the newspaper office in the cafeteria.

"President Kennedy's 1961 manned lunar landing program is expected to be officially launched in May next year, according to the NASA Aeronautics and Space Administration, which will be the first extraterrestrial travel unprecedented in human history. It is reported that astronaut Neil Armstrong said that he is ready to take this step for mankind and the United States, run to the moon, and explore the future path of mankind. ”

Looking at the New York Times newspaper in his hand reporting on the moon landing program, Huo Yaowen raised his eyebrows, thought for a few seconds, thought about it, and felt that maybe, perhaps, he could try to write a science fiction novel with space as the theme.