Chapter 283 A blessing in disguise?
Liu Yichang was one of the literati who moved from the mainland to Hong Kong at that time. His representative works include "The Drunkard", "In the Temple", "Dialogue" and other works. He is one of the most important writers in the Hong Kong literary world in recent decades and has always been close to the country.
Lin Weimin had also heard of his name before he traveled through time, but not because he had read his novels, but because director Wong Kar-wai's films had repeatedly borrowed content from Liu Yichang's novels.
At the same time, Liu Yichang served as deputy editor and editor-in-chief of "Repulse Bay", the supplement of "Hong Kong Times", "Happy Forest", the supplement of "Express", and "Sing Tao Evening News". He is a senior journalist in Hong Kong.
In view of the rapid deterioration of the situation of Hong Kong literary journals in recent years, domestic funds found Liu Yichang again at this time, hoping that he could host a large-scale comprehensive literary magazine.
Liu Yichang thought about it and finally agreed.
Of course he knew that once he took this job he would have to face suppression from Hong Kong's authorities, but for the future of Hong Kong literature and for the close ties between Hong Kong and the motherland, he had to agree.
“Hong Kong Literature was established with domestic funding, and we have three principles.
First, Hong Kong literature is an integral part of Chinese literature. Second, Hong Kong Literature does not represent a certain group of people or a certain party, but represents the entire Hong Kong. Third, it emphasizes that Hong Kong literature can play a special role in bridging the East and the West and connecting Chinese literature...."
Liu Yichang explained to Lin Weimin the founding concept of "Hong Kong Literature" in an endless stream, and also made Lin Weimin understand the significance of the founding of "Hong Kong Literature".
Although he was disgusted by Cheng Yi Qiu's penny-pinching, arrogant and servile businessman attitude, Teacher Lin was very clear-headed when it came to matters of principle.
To put it bluntly, this is another move made by the motherland for its great future, and Teacher Lin must support it.
He readily agreed to Liu Yichang's request.
Liu Yichang also gave Lin Weimin enough face. The standard fee for the serialized "Lover" in Sing Tao Evening News was set at 500 Hong Kong dollars per thousand words, which is about 120 yuan per thousand words in RMB.
This standard of royalties is in no way inferior to when "Farewell My Concubine" was first published in the United States and Japan.
What's more, "Lover" has already been published in mainland China and Hong Kong, so let's forget about the mainland's "Contemporary", which will not be released in Hong Kong.
"Banfang" is a real Hong Kong literary magazine. Although the sales volume of each issue is only a few thousand copies, and there are only a few issues each year, and the release date is still uncertain, it does represent that "Lover" has been published in Hong Kong.
To a large extent, it has reduced the mystery and anticipation of Hong Kong readers about "The Lover".
Lin Weimin was naturally happy about the royalties given by the other party, but he felt somewhat confused.
A published work called "Lover" has a total of more than 200,000 words. At 500 yuan per thousand words, the reprint fee is as high as 120,000 Hong Kong dollars.
For an evening newspaper, this is definitely a huge expenditure on royalties. Liu Yichang is only the editor-in-chief of Sing Tao Evening News, but he is not the boss after all. How could he possibly give such an incredible amount of royalties?
Lin Weimin did not hide the doubts in his heart and asked this question.
Liu Yichang laughed, "I knew you would ask this question."
He seemed to have guessed Lin Weimin's thoughts long ago. After laughing, he said bluntly, "Why do you think I took the initiative to go north to find you, specifically to reprint and publish your work?"
Lin Weimin pondered and said nothing.
Liu Yichang did not keep the question in suspense. He paused for a moment and gave his reasons.
"I have some old friends in the mainland, and I have long heard of Mr. Lin's great reputation in the mainland literary world.
Before coming to the mainland this time, I specially communicated with an old friend and found out that Mr. Lin’s novel "Farewell My Concubine" not only sold well in the mainland, but was also published in the United States and Taiwan, and the sales volume was not small.
As far as I know, there has not yet been a writer in the literary circles of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan who can be as popular in the overseas market as Mr. Lin.
When I heard the news, I just had to mention it to my boss. Is there any reason for him to disagree?"
After listening to Liu Yichang's frank explanation of the reasons behind the incident, Lin Weimin suddenly realized that this was the case.
I didn’t expect that after Farewell My Concubine was published overseas, there would be such an unexpected surprise.
After explaining the reason, Liu Yichang said, "But I still have a small request, and I hope Mr. Lin can agree to it."
"Please go ahead."
"I promised my boss before that I would also get your copy of Farewell My Concubine. As a businessman, you know that there is no such thing as a profit without profit. The manuscript fee is already 500 yuan per thousand words, and I will double it to 1,000 yuan per thousand words!"
One thousand yuan per thousand words is definitely the highest price in the Hong Kong literary world today.
There is only one person in the Hong Kong literary world as evil as Ni Kuang.
Liu Yichang had said so much, Lin Weimin had both the money and the face, so there was no reason for him not to agree.
After a pleasant conversation, both parties gained satisfactory results.
Liu Yichang gained Lin Weimin's understanding on this trip and obtained the reprint rights of "The Lover" and "Farewell My Concubine" for Sing Tao Daily.
These days, it is almost unimaginable that a novel written by a Chinese writer can be a hit in both the United States and Japan.
Don’t think that only people in mainland China have the desire to win glory for their country. In fact, in this era, the whole world looks upon the Western developed capitalist countries with admiration for their strength.
Not to mention that this tiny place of Hong Kong has been under the rule of the British for decades, and the sentiment of worshipping foreign things has long been planted.
There is fierce competition in Hong Kong's newspaper industry nowadays. If Lin Weimin's novel's gimmick of "selling like hot cakes in the U.S. and mud bombing" is used well, it will definitely win a large number of readers for Sing Tao Evening News. The royalties of a few hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars are just insignificant compared to the stable readers that can be obtained.
When it comes to a business as big as Sing Tao Newspaper Group, what we pursue is a winner-takes-all situation, not just the gains and losses of one city or one place.
In addition to completing the task assigned by his boss, Liu Yichang also obtained the reprint rights to Lin Weimin's three works, "If You Are the One", "The Horse Catcher", and "Chasing the Murderer". In the near future, these novels will be published one after another after the launch of "Hong Kong Literature".
The remuneration for articles is definitely not as exaggerated as that of Sing Tao Daily, but after all, it involves the great cause of the motherland. Lao Tan winked at Lin Weimin frantically, and Lin Weimin agreed without hesitation.
As for Lin Weimin, he earned about HK$400,000 in royalties for his two novels, The Lover and Farewell My Concubine.
The royalties for the other three novels, "If You Are the One", "The Horse Catcher" and "The Chaser", are certainly not so outrageous, but at least much higher than those published in China.
The most important thing is that these novels have already been published, which is equivalent to earning royalties again.
These novels have been published in Hong Kong one after another, and it is not impossible for them to be published in the future. On the one hand, they can gain fame, and on the other hand, they can gain profits. No matter how you think about it, it is a big profit.
As Lin Weimin was thinking about it, he suddenly realized that it seemed that Liu Yichang had taken the money from the boss of Sing Tao Newspaper to do things for him!
From this perspective, ginger is still more spicy with age!
It took some effort to finalize the novel, and both parties got along very well and enjoyed themselves.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Lin Weimin took the initiative to suggest that Qin Chaoyang and Liu Yichang stay for lunch, but the two declined.
Qin Chaoyang whispered a few words into Lin Weimin's ear, and Lin Weimin immediately showed a look of surprise on his face, and did not force the two to stay.
After sending the two downstairs, Lin Weimin indeed saw the comrades from the "relevant departments" mentioned by Qin Chaoyang, as well as a car.
In that era, it was impossible for a Hong Kong journalist or writer to come to the mainland alone and directly seek help from an organization like the Guowen Press.
This can only be done with the help of relevant departments.
Lin Weimin watched Liu Yichang get into the car and waved goodbye.
However, Qin Chaoyang did not get in the car.
"Why didn't you come with us?" Lin Weimin asked.
"I have completed my mission. Besides..." Qin Chaoyang turned his head, "I finally got to your house, and you can't have a meal with me?"
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "Please come in!"
Back upstairs, Tao Huimin was already cooking. After Lin Weimin asked her to make two more dishes, he sat in the living room with Qin Chaoyang.
Qin Chaoyang brought Liu Yichang directly to him without any greeting. Now that everyone has left, the two of them have a lot to say.
Lin Weimin asked Liu Yichang why he came to China.
"According to him, he saw The Lover on Bafang and made inquiries to Bafang, only to find out that Cheng Yiqiu had talked to you, but the talks broke down.
Later, he contacted his friends in the mainland to learn about your situation, and after finding a few of your novels to read, he made up his mind to come here. "
Qin Chaoyang added some content that Lin Weimin had not mentioned before, making the whole process gradually clearer.
“We did invest in Hong Kong Literature, but it is led by Hong Kong writers. This is a concession from the mainland to them. In other words, in the future, works of any tendency may be published. This is for the sake of the overall situation.
But we still have to defend our own position. Under such circumstances, the works of mainland writers, including Hong Kong ZY writers, must occupy a place in the publication, so it is understandable that he can find you.
No matter what, in our country, there is no one better than you in your generation!"
Qin Chaoyang praised Lin Weimin, which made him very proud.
Qin Chaoyang sighed after he finished speaking: "It's just that I really didn't expect that the ups and downs outside would break out from such an angle."
Lin Weimin was shocked and asked, "What do you mean..."
Qin Chaoyang shook his head. "It's just my guess. You saw what happened just now. This time you have made your own contribution to the great cause of the motherland. There is no reason for the higher-ups to watch you being treated like this. If this kind of thing really spreads to Hong Kong, it will also be detrimental to the country's image."
Lin Weimin followed Lao Tan's train of thought and thought for a moment, and it seemed to be true!
Damn, is this a blessing in disguise?
While the two were chatting, Tao Huimin brought dishes to the table one by one and invited them to eat.
Qin Chaoyang had a meal and after he was full, Lin Weimin sent him downstairs again.
"Just stay home this time and don't have to worry about anything. I'll have someone notify you when you can go to work again." Qin Chaoyang reminded.
"knew."
After finishing his business, Qin Chaoyang suddenly winked at him.
"Take it easy, kid. Look at your face!"
You are such a disrespectful old man!
Lin Weimin straightened his back and said, "There's nothing we can do! Young people are very strong!"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
