Chapter 661 The Last Day of 1992
"You can use this novel as the first work in the Rag Tiger series!" Lin Weimin said to Jia Pingwa.
Jia Pingwa looked at Lin Weimin with surprise. Although he had been in seclusion these days, he was not oblivious to worldly affairs.
A group of writers and editors lived in the guesthouse in the back building. When he took a break, he would occasionally get together with everyone to chat. Sometimes they talked about literature itself, and sometimes they talked about literary gossip.
After the call for articles for the "Million-dollar Manuscript Remuneration for the Rag Tiger Series" was published in the "Literary Story Newspaper", it has become the focus of attention of all domestic writers, and naturally everyone can't help but mention this topic when chatting.
It’s not that Jia Pingwa hadn’t thought about signing a contract with the Bu Lao Hu book series, but after looking at the content of his own book, he felt a little unsure.
"My book...will it work?" Jia Pingwa said somewhat unconfidently.
"Why not just remove the 'ma'? You've been writing books for so many years, and you don't have this much confidence in yourself?" Lin Weimin asked.
Jia Pingwa was silent for a moment and said, "It's my honor."
Lin Weimin said: "I am not honored or not. The series of books of Buhuhu is to become bestsellers. There are no restrictions on the writing style and subject matter. There is only one requirement, that is, the works must be fascinating and attractive."
His hand stroked Jia Pingwa's manuscript, and the two words "Wasted City" on the cover were extremely conspicuous.
In the 1990s, was there any pure literature more "attractive" than this book?
After all, it sells tens of millions of copies a year. X may be a big factor, but X alone cannot explain why Wasted City has been a best-seller for thirty years.
"The selected works of the Ragdoll series must be first released. Your novel was completed at the right time, which can be regarded as a kind of fate."
Listening to Lin Weimin's words, Jia Pingwa couldn't help but smile. It seemed to be true now.
This year, editors from the Guowen Publishing House first went to Shaanxi to collect manuscripts. Seeing that the Shaanxi literary world was strong, they intended to hold a seminar to promote exchanges.
Then a writer from Shaanxi came to Yenching to attend a seminar, and Lin Weimin invited him before he left.
You should know that before this, Jia Pingwa had never thought about creating in Yanjing.
But as some strange coincidence had led him to finally come to Yanjing.
It took me less than two months to finish writing the 400,000-word "Wasted City", and I happened to catch the call for articles for the Buhuhu series.
Is it true that every sip and every bite is destined?
"If it weren't for the Guowen Society and your care, there wouldn't be this fate."
Jia Pingwa calculated that if his "Wasteland" was really to be included in the Buhuhu series of books, 400,000 words would cost 60,000 yuan.
Thinking of this, his breathing became a little rapid.
He has been writing for nearly twenty years, and this is the first time he has received such a large amount of royalties.
In today's Shaanxi literary world, there are two writers who have become wealthy through royalties, one is Cheng Zhongshi and the other is Lu Yao. Moreover, their trajectories are surprisingly similar. Both of them realized their dream of living a prosperous second half of their lives with just one work.
Cheng Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain" was reprinted three times in three months after its publication, with sales exceeding 500,000 copies, setting a record in the Shaanxi literary world.
According to statistics from some writers of the Literary Association, the cumulative sales of "White Deer Plain" have exceeded 2 million copies in the past few years. Thanks to the popularity of "White Deer Plain", Cheng Zhongshi has also received a total of more than 800,000 yuan in royalties from the Guowen Publishing House, far exceeding Cheng Zhongshi's imagination at the time.
Not only that, "White Deer Plain" was also published in Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places, and the sales were also good. It is said that it had earned 300,000 to 400,000 yuan.
As a result, Cheng Zhongshi became the first writer in Shaanxi literary world to become a millionaire by relying on royalties income, and everyone privately called him "Cheng Baiwan".
In addition to Cheng Zhongshi and his "White Deer Plain", Lu Yao's "Ordinary World" also has good sales. Although the novel did not have a good reputation in the critics' circle in the early stage of its publication, readers love to read it!
Especially among young readers, "A World of Ordinary People" is extremely popular. The reason for this is inseparable from the inspirational spirit of self-improvement contained in the work.
To put it bluntly, the novel "Ordinary World" is the "chicken soup for the soul" of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and this is not a derogatory term.
To give a random example, many business tycoons in later generations have mentioned in interviews the impact that "An Ordinary World" had on them when they were at the lowest point in their lives.
However, because "The Ordinary World" was published earlier, the royalty system had not yet been implemented at that time, and its sales were indeed lower than "White Deer Plain", so the royalties brought to Lu Yao by "The Ordinary World" were not as much as those brought to Cheng Zhongshi.
But he still has hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the past few years, Lu Yao has been recuperating due to liver cirrhosis. He has very little time to write, but his royalties continue to come in. His living standard is actually higher than before he recuperated.
Jia Pingwa didn't dare to dream of the same achievements as Cheng Zhongshi and Lu Yao, but the royalties of 60,000 yuan were enough to make him happy.
If the sales of novels in the future can really exceed 150,000 copies and convert into a 10% royalty share, that would be icing on the cake.
After all, the policy of Guowen Publishing House is to ensure that writers have a stable income regardless of the market conditions. As a writer, they will not suffer any loss whether they receive royalties or manuscript fees.
"The novel is finished. Don't worry when you hand it in to the publishing house. But now we can only wait until after the New Year for the review. The publishing house will notify you after the publication date is confirmed. Today is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. If you want to go home to Shaanxi, you have to hurry up."
When talking about going home, Jia Pingwa thought of his parents and children in his hometown, and couldn't help feeling a little homesick.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, train tickets are hard to buy.
Lin Weimin seemed to see through Jia Pingwa's thoughts and said, "It's hard to buy train tickets at this critical moment. I'll ask someone to get you a train ticket."
"Thank you very much."
"Nothing, I invited you here."
As he spoke, Lin Weimin arranged for someone to find a way to get a train ticket for Jia Pingwa. Before getting off work, a colleague delivered a hard sleeper ticket to Lin Weimin's office.
"The train ticket is for 9 p.m. Let's have dinner and then go to the station." Lin Weimin said to Jia Pingwa.
He took Jia Pingwa to a restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and said, "Time is tight, so just have a simple bite this time. I'll celebrate for you next time when Wasted City is published."
Jia Pingwa was deeply grateful for Lin Weimin's courtesy.
After dinner, Lin Weimin sent Jia Pingwa to the station.
Before leaving, Jia Pingwa held Lin Weimin's hand and said, "Teacher Lin, this trip to Yanjing is very much thanks to your care. Thank you, thank you."
"Don't be so polite. Just think of our Chinese Literature Press when you have new works in the future." Lin Weimin joked.
Jia Pingwa looked serious and said, "Definitely!"
After Jia Pingwa left, New Year’s Eve of 1993 arrived.
After a busy year, the Chinese Language Society is quiet and peaceful today.
Everyone was slacking off, even Lin Weimin was no exception.
By noon, all the people in the community scattered like birds and beasts.
Back home, popularity is high.
The crew of "Farewell My Concubine" took two days off. Now the filming is nearing the end. Cheng Kaige had not planned to take a holiday, as "Farewell My Concubine" has already confirmed to participate in the Cannes Film Festival in May.
There are still more than three months until the opening of the film festival, and the time is very tight for shooting and post-production.
But at the suggestion of producer Xu Feng, the crew still took two days off, after all, it was the Chinese New Year.
The entire crew has been busy non-stop for four months, and finally the Chinese New Year has arrived. Everyone has to take a breather and rest for two days, which will also be conducive to getting back on track after the New Year.
During the Chinese New Year this year, Han Zhuangzhuang's family of four once again came to Shizhu Courtyard.
In addition to the Han family, Tao's father and mother also stayed in Yanjing to celebrate the New Year this year. The old couple were reluctant to leave their little bean buns.
The nanny Qin also stayed at home. During the Chinese New Year, Lin Weimin not only gave her and Sun a bunch of New Year's goods, but also a bonus of 300 yuan, which together was equivalent to an extra month and a half's salary for each person.
Sister Sun went back to her hometown to celebrate the New Year with New Year's goods and bonuses. This year, her second son Zhou Jun graduated and was assigned to work as a reporter for the Yanjing Evening News.
My son has become successful, it would be a shame if he didn't return home with glory.
Sister Qin was not as lucky as Sister Sun. She stayed in Yanjing during the New Year holidays. Lin Weimin offered her triple salary, which was equivalent to half a month's salary for just a few days of work. Sister Qin was reluctant to give up the triple salary and decided to stay in Shizhu Courtyard.
By this calculation, there are actually ten people in Lin Weimin's family celebrating the New Year this year, which is the most lively year since he came to Yanjing.
In the afternoon, a north wind blew outside, the clouds were oppressive, and the weather forecast said there would be snow today.
In the house, a group of people gathered together to make dumplings and cook, a few female comrades gathered together to chat about family matters, and the little girl ran outside to play for a while, and then came back to play with the little bun.
"I feel that Director Cheng is a bit too impatient. It's all thanks to the old man in their family who often comes to give us advice." Han Zhuangzhuang said while making dumplings.
"With an investment of 8 million US dollars and so many big stars, it is understandable." Lin Weimin said.
"Hehe, you forgot to mention something. It's an adaptation of Farewell My Concubine." Han Zhuangzhuang showed a teasing smile on his face. "You don't know yet, do you? Director Cheng has received more than a batch of letters from readers forwarded by others in the past few months, both domestic and foreign. I feel like he's almost become a little neurotic because of the pressure. Any slight disturbance on the set can make him fly into a rage."
Lin Weimin shook his head when he heard this. It was heard that Cheng Kaige actually had a good temper on the set. The fact that he could be pushed to this extent showed how much pressure he was under.
There is a rumor in the domestic entertainment circle in later generations that many stars have to "go through tribulations" before they become famous.
The so-called "tribulation" includes not only endless pressure from work but also various criticisms from the public. Many stars have survived this "tribulation" and became famous in an instant.
On the contrary, if you fail to make it through, you will naturally be lost in the crowd.
Lin Weimin naturally doesn't believe in this kind of feudal superstition in the entertainment industry, but Cheng Kaige's current state does have a bit of the flavor of "although it is hard to sift through the sand, gold will be found after all the sand is blown away."
As long as he can withstand this wave of pressure, he will be deified, and the revenue from "Farewell My Concubine" alone will be enough for him to live on for the rest of his life.
We chatted casually, and by the evening, the New Year’s Eve dinner was almost ready.
I waited for an hour, and at around eight o'clock, the delicious food was served.
Among the ten people, except for Xiao Doubao who had just learned to sit and could only be held in Tao Huimin's arms, even the little girl took up a seat.
The familiar scenes appeared on the TV screen again, it was the Spring Festival Gala again.
Mother Tao looked at Zhao Zhongxiang in a suit on TV and sighed, "Zhao Zhongxiang has grown old too!"
Zhao Zhongxiang was originally an announcer of the "News Broadcast". As the "national face", people are familiar with his face, but what really made him famous was hosting the Spring Festival Gala.
Zhao Zhongxiang had the traditional appearance of thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he was handsome, so he naturally became the ideal object in the minds of countless women of that era.
Unfortunately, time is merciless. Zhao Zhongxiang, who was born in 1942, is now 50 years old.
Since ancient times, heroes are like beauties, and they are not allowed to see white hair in the world.
Listening to what Tao's mother said, Tao's father said unintentionally, "Ni Ping is still young and beautiful!"
The people around couldn't help but smile teasingly. While everyone was joking, Han Dingbang asked his son, "Zhuangzhuang, did you say before that Ni Ping and Cheng Kaige were dating?"
"Yes, we live together."
"Oh!"
Upon hearing this, Tao's father could not help but let out a sigh of loss, which caused Tao's mother to roll her eyes, and everyone around them burst into laughter.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
