1991年早春，我赴京参加七届四次全国人代会。会议期间，《人民文学》的老编辑王扶同志来看我，并向我约稿。我告诉她，近期没有写出中、短篇小说。她即问我，那么你在写什么长篇小说。我心想她是杂志编辑（后任《人民文学》副主编）不会要长篇，于是便坦然相告，我在写作一部? In early spring 1991, I went to Beijing to attend the Fourth National People’s Congress. During the meeting, Comrade Wang Fu, the editor-in-chief of “People’s Literature,” came to see me and sent me a draft. I told her that I have not written any medium or short stories recently. She asked me, then what are you writing a novel. I think she is a magazine editor (later “People’s Literature” associate editor) will not be long, so frankly, I am writing a?