Night falls in the Repulse Bay villa area.
The Guo family home was brightly lit, and the entire family lived together at the request of Old Master Guo, creating a very warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Guo Linxian returned home from get off work at the Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch. As soon as she opened the door, she heard a series of shouts and cheers coming from the living room, mixed with the excitement and chatter of the younger generation of the Guo family.
This is rather unusual. Normally, unless they are watching the Miss Hong Kong pageant finals or watching TV series like "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "A Step into the Past," the younger generation rarely stays in the living room. After all, they are a little guilty and afraid of being scolded by the adults.
But today was strange; the TV wasn't on, and almost all the younger generation members were gathered in the living room.
"It's so beautiful! This magical world is so amazing!"
"Harry Potter is so tragic, his parents died right after he was born, but he's a wizard, that's so cool!"
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, if such a school really existed, I would definitely be the first to sign up!"
Guo Linxian was taken aback by these strange comments and curiously went inside.
In the living room, the daughter, Liu Rumeng, sat in the middle of the sofa, surrounded by almost all the younger members of the Guo family, including Aaron Kwok, Guo Fuzhu, and Guo Jing'an. Each of them held several pages of manuscript paper, reading intently, occasionally letting out exclamations of amazement, their eyes sparkling with uncontrollable excitement.
When Liu Rumeng saw her mother, Guo Linxian, return, she immediately put down the manuscript she was holding, stood up to greet her, and said with a smile, "Mom, you're back just in time! Xiao Linsheng and I have something we need your help with!"
"Oh? What's the rush?"
Guo Linxian asked as she changed her shoes.
She glanced at the younger generation, all engrossed in their manuscripts, seemingly oblivious to her return, which fueled her growing curiosity.
That's right.
Liu Rumeng pulled Guo Linxian to the sofa and picked up a stack of manuscript papers on the table. "This is a novel written by Xiaolinsheng called 'Harry Potter,' which tells the story of the magical world. We think it's really good. Xiaolinsheng is going to England in a few days and plans to take this novel there to promote its publication in the Western world."
Guo Linxian took the manuscript paper, somewhat surprised: "A novel written by Xiao Linsheng? He can write English novels too?"
In her memory, Lin Huowang came from a rural area in Northeast China, although he had written the popular novels "The Wounded" and "Bright Sword" when he was in the mainland.
Now he has made a name for himself in Hong Kong Island and is very capable, but the fact that Lam Fau Wong can write novels in English still seems a bit unbelievable to her.
"Absolutely genuine! However, Kobayashi's English manuscript is still not very fluent."
Liu Rumeng smiled and snatched another stack of manuscript paper from Aaron Kwok's hand. "This is the original Chinese manuscript, and we're all engrossed in reading it. Xiao Linsheng said he wants you to help translate the first volume into English, to be accurate, fluent, and in line with the reading habits of Western readers. Time is a bit tight; he's leaving in a few days."
She picked up the original English manuscript and began to read it carefully.
Although there are many grammatical errors and inappropriate word choices, the overall narrative pacing and plot design are excellent.
The imagination of the magical world and the delicate character portrayals are completely unlike what a non-native speaker would write; they are even comparable to many native British writers.
"This...this really was written by him?" Guo Linxian looked up at Liu Rumeng, her tone full of disbelief.
“Of course!” Liu Rumeng nodded. “Xiao Linsheng said that he likes to think about these things when he has free time, and slowly he wrote this novel. We’ve all read it, and it’s really great. Mom, you should take a look at the original Chinese manuscript to see for yourself.”
Guo Linxian put down the English manuscript, picked up the Chinese manuscript, and began to read it carefully.
At first, she was somewhat skeptical, but the more she read, the more captivated she became by the plot. A magical stone, a talking hat, a flying broom, all sorts of magical spells… a whole new magical world slowly unfolded before her eyes.
Harry Potter's tragic past, his friendship with Ron and Hermione, and his battle against Voldemort—every plot point is captivating.
Before she knew it, Guo Linxian was completely absorbed in the moment and couldn't even hear the chatter of the younger generation around her.
She completely understood why these younger readers were so engrossed and reluctant to put the book down. The novel's imagination was truly extraordinary, and the plot was incredibly captivating.
After a while, Guo Linxian put down the original Chinese manuscript, her face showing genuine admiration: "It's so well written! It's really so good! As long as the translation is done well, it will definitely be a hit in the Western world! Xiaolin Sheng is so talented, I never knew he had such abilities."
Hearing her mother's praise, Liu Rumeng's face was full of pride: "I knew it! This novel is bound to be a hit! Xiao Linsheng also has high hopes for it, saying it's a key step for him to open up the Western market. Mom, would you be willing to help with the translation? Time is indeed a bit tight, we need to hurry."
“No problem!” Guo Linxian agreed without hesitation. “I’m happy to help with such a good novel. If you lend me a hand, I’ll take two days off tomorrow. My son and I can definitely finish translating the first volume.”
It has to be said that, whether back in Northeast China or now in Hong Kong, Guo Linxian has always admired Lin Huowang.
It's truly remarkable that someone with so little formal education can not only be a formidable figure in the business world but also possess such literary talent, producing such a brilliant novel. She felt it was very meaningful to contribute to the translation of this novel.
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