Chapter 306 This Foundation is Not Simple
Going to Shi Tiesheng's home on weekends is a rare opportunity for Lin Weimin to rest and relax.
When he returned home in the evening, he picked up Zheng Yi's article "Old Well" and revised it.
"Old Well" has almost nothing in common with Lin Weimin's writing style. It describes the life of generations on the Loess Plateau, with a bit of horror and fantasy romanticism, while also being heavy on realism.
After another night of hard work, I had revised most of the manuscript of "Old Well". I wonder how much faster this efficiency is than Zheng Yi's.
The next day when he went to work, Lin Weimin first went to the hospital. Zheng Yi was in good condition and was observed in the hospital for two days without any problems.
When he saw Lin Weimin, he insisted on being discharged from the hospital. Lin Weimin wanted him to stay in the hospital for two more days, but he was determined to be discharged.
Lin Weimin could only take him back to the Chinese Literature Society. As soon as they entered the guesthouse in the back building, Zheng Yi appeared like a street-cleaning tiger. Everyone's eyes were a little weird, and there was also a bit of fear behind them.
"See? After what you've done, who would dare to get close to you?"
Zheng Yi was also a little ashamed, "I'm really sorry, Teacher Lin."
"Don't say sorry. Don't be so excited next time. Just do what you want."
The two entered the dormitory. The blood on the floor had been wiped clean. Zheng Yi found that the manuscript on the table was missing. He said anxiously: "My manuscript..."
"The manuscript is with me!"
Lin Weimin asked Zheng Yi to sit down first and explained, "After what happened to you, the leaders in the publishing house are worried that you committed suicide because you were depressed because the manuscript revision was not going well. I will take this matter on myself. If you have time during this period, go out and relax, and don't think about those useless things."
What Lin Weimin said was half true and half false.
"How can that be possible? Teacher Lin, I'm here to revise the manuscript. I can't trouble you."
"It's okay. This is just a novella, it won't delay much. I did this because you still have an injury on your hand, and it must be inconvenient to use your hands to revise the manuscript. So, just rest and recover, and go wherever you want to play."
Seeing Lin Weimin's sincere expression, Zheng Yi felt even more embarrassed and kept apologizing to Lin Weimin, "It's all because of me!"
"Don't say that. We are all young people, and it's inevitable that we will get stuck in a rut. Just figure it out. Don't worry about the manuscript. I'll revise it for you, and you can take a look at it. If you agree, we can use it. If you have other ideas, I guess your hand will be almost healed by then, so you can revise it yourself."
Lin Weimin had taken every possible measure into consideration for Zheng Yi, which touched him deeply. "Teacher Lin..."
"All right, that's it. I have to go back to work and be nice to everyone. You scared them all that day."
Lin Weimin did not forget to give Zheng Yi instructions before leaving.
"OK."
After returning to the second floor, Lin Weimin first went to report the situation to Meng Weizai.
"You have to keep a close eye on him. Don't let anything go wrong."
"knew!"
Lin Weimin responded somewhat helplessly.
Teacher Lin has locked up so many authors in the small dark room, but Zheng Yi is the first one to cause trouble, which makes him feel depressed.
Is it because I have done this too many times and this is retribution?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Teacher Lin serves the authors wholeheartedly, so how could something like this happen?
Lin Weimin is preparing himself mentally.
When I returned to the office, I saw Zhang Zhonge chatting with a wealthy middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.
"Weimin, you're back just in time. Let me introduce you."
Zhang Zhonge stood up and pulled Lin Weimin over. "This is Comrade Zhang Qi. He previously published a novel titled "The Reformer" in our Contemporary magazine. He is now the leader of the Literary Association and came here specifically to see you."
Looking for me?
Lin Weimin was surprised and shook hands with Zhang Qi.
He had an impression of the work "The Reformer", which was not only published but also published by Guowen Press.
Zhang Qi first introduced himself. He had just been transferred to the position of head of the permanent institution of the National Federation of Literary and Art Circles in the first half of the year. He was a high-ranking and powerful leader in the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. However, Lin Weimin had no idea why he suddenly found him.
The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Seeing that Zhang Qi had not explained his purpose, Lin Weimin knew that this matter might not be convenient to discuss in front of everyone, so he pulled him to an empty dormitory on the third floor of the guesthouse.
"You are here this time..."
Zhang Qi then explained his purpose.
He used to work in the local literary association and often visited senior colleagues, but the results made him feel heavy-hearted.
Unlike what one might imagine, many writers lead very hard lives. Some of them not only had financial difficulties during their lifetime, but also had problems with funeral expenses and placement of their dependents after their death.
So when he was in a local area, he often helped many writers who were in difficult circumstances to solve their problems.
When it comes to the National Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the first task Zhang Qi set for himself is to do his best to provide help to domestic writers who are in difficult conditions.
"Without money, it's not easy to do practical things and good things for writers!"
Zhang Qi couldn't help but sigh at the end of his speech.
Lin Weimin was listening carefully while he was speaking.
If this incident happened in later times, Lin Weimin's first reaction might be that this person was taking advantage of the opportunity to make money.
But in the 1980s, Lin Weimin had no doubts about Zhang Qi, and even had some respect for him.
The job he found for himself was a tough one. If he wanted to spend money, he had to raise money first.
Where can I get this money?
If the government could give him money, he wouldn't have to beg for alms, so the funds can only come from the private sector.
A person who is engaged in literature has to go to various places to beg for alms and ask people to donate some money. You can imagine how difficult this is.
Although the national newspaper and magazine market has been booming in recent years, with new publications being published almost every day, there are actually less than a hundred literary publications that can survive.
Among these nearly 100 literary magazines, almost half of the manuscripts are works by famous writers, and the remaining space is competed for by literary lovers and unknown writers.
For example, when Lin Weimin wants to publish an article, any publishing house or editorial department will welcome him with open arms.
For example, when Mo Yan was unknown, his works could only be published in places like "Lian Chi".
The reason why the literary bimonthly "Lian Chi" is called "Lian Chi" is because their editorial office is in a room temporarily borrowed from the Lian Chi Park Management Office.
After a period of time, "Lian Chi" was renamed "Novel Creation", and later it was discontinued due to lack of funds.
This is the final fate of most literary publications in the country today.
Among the millions of literary creators and literature enthusiasts across the country, there are less than a thousand writers who are famous enough to be welcomed by publications.
Even though these people may earn hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of yuan for each work, many of them often only publish a work once every one or two years, or even several years, and their average income is not much higher than that of the average person.
There are very few writers as efficient as Lin Weimin.
As for the rest, whether they are part-time writers who have joined the Writers Association or pure literature enthusiasts, very few of them can live a rich life by writing.
A small number of people are in a situation where they have full-time jobs and write as a hobby. Occasionally, publishing an article is like making some extra money, which improves their lives in the short term.
For more people, there is nothing gained except wasting money on stamps, envelopes and manuscript paper.
Lin Weimin thought for a long time before he realized that the reason why he had the idea that literature was very profitable in the 1980s was entirely due to survivor bias.
You have to know that except for the first year after he traveled through time, he spent almost all his time working in the field of professional literary creation, and all the people he came into contact with were well-known industry leaders in the country.
Even for Cheng Shixu, who has recently been distressed because his works cannot be published in national literary magazines, it would not be difficult for him to publish something in a general local magazine. It is unlikely that he will make a fortune by relying on royalties, but he will have no problem making a living.
"Why did you think of looking for me?" Lin Weimin asked.
Zhang Qi laughed, "I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but I heard that your novel was published in the United States and you received a large sum of money for it."
"Then I'm showing off my wealth!" Lin Weimin joked.
The two chatted for a few more sentences, and Zhang Qi asked Lin Weimin if he was willing to donate some money. Lin Weimin hesitated and remained silent.
Zhang Qi saw this and asked, "What are you worried about? Why not tell me directly..."
Zhang Qi said this sincerely, but Lin Weimin was still thinking.
The fact that he is rich now is well-known.
Zhang Qi came to his house to beg for alms today, and it would be inappropriate for him not to donate.
Moreover, Lin Weimin feels that he has indeed made a lot of money from writing in recent years, and giving back to society occasionally can give him a sense of accomplishment beyond his achievements in writing.
Since donations must be made, the question is how much to donate and where the money should be used.
Lin Weimin pondered and said, "Can I ask, if I donate this money, what do you plan to do with it?"
“My idea is to set up a foundation and if money is raised, the money will be used in several ways.
One is to provide certain subsidies to writers in poor conditions, including the situations I mentioned to you before;
The second is some cultural undertakings that help promote the development of literature, such as donating books to schools, organizing reading activities, etc.;
Third, if there is enough capacity, we can hold national literary awards and literary projects.”
After Zhang Qi finished speaking, he said a little embarrassedly: "These are just my personal thoughts. How much we can really do depends on how much money we can raise. If we don't have much money, we can just do what I originally thought and help those comrades in poverty. If we have more money, we can naturally do more things, and that would be great!"
Lin Weimin nodded and said, "It's a good idea to set up a foundation. Should we do it through the Cultural Association?"
"There is no specific charter yet. I have been working on this recently. You also know how difficult it is to run a foundation in our country. The only thing that is certain is the name of the foundation."
The foundation, an imported product, only entered the Chinese market in 1981 and was still a new thing for Chinese people.
Three years ago, the All-China Women's Federation, the Federation of Trade Unions, the Communist Youth League and other national associations and units jointly launched my country's first national foundation, the China Children and Teenagers' Fund, marking the creation of foundations in my country from scratch.
Since then, a number of foundations have been established, such as the Soong Ching Ling Foundation and the China Disabled Persons’ Welfare Foundation in 1982.
However, since there are no clear regulations on the operation and management of foundations in my country, government departments are extremely cautious in the procedures for approving foundations.
Just look at the names of the foundations established in recent years and you will know that even for an organization like the Literary Association, it is not easy to apply to set up a foundation.
"Oh? What's your name?" Lin Weimin asked with interest.
"Chinese Literature Foundation, what do you think of this name?" Zhang Qi said, looking at Lin Weimin with anticipation.
Chinese Literature Foundation?
Sounds so familiar?
Lin Weimin slapped his thigh and remembered that before he traveled through time, he had participated in a reading activity organized by the Chinese Literature Foundation in college and learned a little about the history of this foundation.
This foundation is not simple!
(End of this chapter)
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