Chapter 194 Those with money to burn and willing to stay, stay!
Yao Xiaoyu had no doubt that her books would meet the standards for publication. Although not every work by "That Little Fish" could be published, the few that couldn't be printed were mainly because they touched a nerve with someone in the higher-ups and were labeled as having sensitive topics. This had nothing to do with her writing ability.
This is not because she thinks too highly of herself. When a work written by a small fish cannot be published through official channels, various privately printed versions will appear after a period of time. The quality is not bad, and after the storm has passed, they can even be put on a cover and sold in regular bookstores. Yao Xiaoyu once bought a privately printed copy of her own "Back to the Ming Dynasty", which was not much different from the officially printed version.
What Yao Xiaoyu found truly strange was why the publisher had arrived so early this time. While the story of Feng Xiaoman and the other two in "Overseas Life Diary" was indeed novel in subject matter and well-written, anyone with experience could tell that at least half of it was still unwritten. Weren't they afraid of the subsequent plot holes?
“I was wondering about that too, but they said that even printing only the first half would be enough to make a profit.”
Pi Kangxiu understood Yao Xiaoyu's concerns. He also felt that these publishers had come too early. However, Yao Xiaoyu was the author of the story, and he could help with the selection. Ultimately, it was up to Yao Xiaoyu to decide whether to refuse.
"They're willing to pay this amount for just the first half of the book, and it's not like they'll pay after it's printed; they'll pay as soon as the contract is signed."
Pi Kangxiu held up a number, and Yao Xiaoyu's eyes widened instantly. Pi Kangxiu gave a wry smile. He also felt something was wrong, but as the saying goes, they had given far too much.
"Are they rich and have nowhere to spend their money?"
Yao Xiaoyu swore that she wasn't cursing anyone, it was just a simple question. She knew there was something fishy going on, but that didn't stop her from being intrigued. Although Yao Xiaoyu wasn't good at swallowing the sweet talk and deflecting the criticism, she was genuinely curious.
"It shouldn't be. These publishers from Fujian and Guangdong seem to know each other. From what I can tell, they're planning to each contribute some money to cover royalties and then split the profits privately."
Both places are commercially developed and have strong clan influence, so it is common for them to partner up to reduce risks. Pi Kangxiu had heard this before, so it was not surprising.
When Yao Xiaoyu heard about the two places, Fuzhou and Guangdong, something flashed through her mind, but she didn't grasp the inspiration. So, despite the publisher's extremely favorable terms, she still chose to refuse.
"Let's talk about it after it's finished."
This amount of money is quite substantial, but Yao Xiaoyu is not short of money right now. Before she can figure out why the publisher is willing to pay a high price for an unfinished work, she doesn't want to add any uncertainty to her life—even if she can't explain why, she at least needs a decent excuse.
...
"That's the author's opinion, please reconsider."
Pi Xiukang relayed Yao Xiaoyu's message to the publishers in front of him. Knowing that such a big decision couldn't be made in a short time, he picked up his suitcase and turned to leave, leaving the group of people sitting on the chairs looking at each other for a while before they started arguing.
"I told you to find that privately printed bookseller, but you wouldn't agree. Now you've found the person and wasted time. Are you satisfied now?"
A middle-aged man spoke first, his voice radiating paternal authority. He had gotten the idea when he discovered that the pirated books here were no worse than the officially printed ones, but Jiu Niang insisted on finding the author to make them legitimate. Now she'd been rejected, hadn't she? Sure enough, women can't accomplish anything great.
"The waters of Shanghai are deeper than you imagine..."
Shi Yuan frowned and said that their influence in Shanghai was not great, and Xiao Yu's works were always popular. If they had a contract, they could suppress it by printing through formal channels. But if they had the idea of printing privately, they would not be able to compete with those who had powerful backers.
The middle-aged man may not be unaware of these circumstances, but he took a chance and couldn't stand that she was the one leading the opposition. If she had proposed private printing, he might have righteously started talking about author's interests.
They talk about principles while thinking about personal gain and power. They believe that because their family is wealthy and powerful, business failure is no big deal, completely disregarding the meager resources of others.
"Yes, yes, yes, the waters of Shanghai are deep, and the Huangpu River is heavy. We little shrimps can't make any waves if we're thrown in. We have to be tolerant, humble, and work hard in order to earn a place."
The middle-aged man interrupted him directly. Although he was not very capable, he was not only good at twisting the truth, but also very good at talking nonsense. After his words, many people who were originally calm started to waver. Shi Yuan saw this and felt both chilled and amused.
When she first came to Shanghai alone to make her way in the world, her clan offered her nothing but empty words. Now that she's made it big, her clansmen have miraculously come knocking on her door, wanting to make money together. Considering her parents are still back in her hometown, she agreed. It was agreed before that she would take the lead, but now that she's encountered a slight setback, they've stirred up trouble again.
"As I've already said, the private seals business in Shanghai has the Green Gang involved. Without currying favor with them, you can't even get a foothold. Even if you give them money, it might not satisfy their appetites. It's better to go through the proper channels..."
Shi Yuan explained again helplessly, feeling that Confucius was right: "While your parents are alive, you should not travel far. Your parents are in your hands, and if you go far away and something happens, you will have to help them even if you have to hold your nose."
Fortunately, although her parents were reluctant to leave their ancestral home, they were also people who would listen to advice. After this business deal was completed, she would go back and tell them about the arrogant and obsequious attitude of these people, and then buy some strong men to guard the house. She wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming to cause trouble.
"Who knows if it's really impossible, or if you just can't do it."
Another man spoke in a voice that seemed to be whispering but could actually be heard by everyone. Shi Yuan recognized him; he was a lackey of the middle-aged man who had spoken first. He used to be a page for the man's son. He had no skill in making money, but he was a master at stirring up trouble.
Shi Yuan tried to bring everyone back to the right track, but every time she said something, the middle-aged man would retort, and everyone was like a reed in the wind, swaying with the wind—they were even more likely to fall towards the middle-aged man, after all, as the saying goes, men are upright and indomitable, while women are like a door or a wall collapsing and a house falling down.
"Since we can't reach an agreement, why don't we each take a step back?"
Shi Yuan wasn't a particularly enthusiastic person to begin with, but he was willing to say a few more words because he saw a reflection of himself in his clansmen when he first arrived in Shanghai with all his savings. But good advice is useless to a damned devil, and if you can't reason with someone no matter how hard you try, then they have their own way.
"Those who are willing to come with me to find a small fish to sign a copyright agreement and go through the formal channels can stay. Those who think that the private printing route is feasible, then I'll trouble you, Uncle, to take care of it."
Shi Yuan bowed to the middle-aged man. Although the man had a different surname from hers, it was customary for clans to intermarry, and according to seniority, she should call him uncle. However, she had always referred to him by his title in order to avoid affecting decision-making.
"Ah, that's right, I knew Ninth Sister was such a thoughtful and kind niece..."
Seeing that Shi Yuan had given in, the man immediately praised him to the skies, and then unceremoniously took away most of the people, leaving Shi Yuan with only two or three pitiful kittens.
"Everyone here is one of us, and there are enough chairs. Let's discuss what to do."
Once Shi Yuan was sure the man was really gone, he clapped his hands to bring everyone back to their senses. Compared to the previous large number, there were now only six people left, including Shi Yuan's own room. Two of them were well-known honest people who only wanted to play it safe and had no courage to take risks. The remaining three were the only women in the group. Because of their gender, they were destined not to be valued in the main group, so they simply followed Shi Yuan and took a gamble.
"First question: The author team wants to know why we want to print an unfinished book. Should we give the real reason, or make up a plausible excuse?"
Shi Yuan tapped the table, taking direct control of the meeting. Compared to the previous large group, she didn't think having fewer people was a bad thing—fewer people meant a smaller boat was easier to turn around, and the pie was only so big; the more people ate, the fewer people got a share. Apart from some tight funding, streamlining staff was entirely beneficial.
"I think it's better to make one up."
A young woman spoke first. Women who dare to venture out into the world, regardless of their abilities, at least have courage. A girl with a truly timid nature would have married long ago.
"So what reason do you think would be best to make up?"
Shi Yuan didn't rush to praise or object; he simply smiled and continued asking. Encouraged by this smile, the young woman's mind raced, and she actually came up with a suitable reason through a brainstorming session:
“My family is very wealthy, and my only son has been the sole heir for seven generations. When I saw this book, I liked it very much. I couldn’t even wait for it to be finished. I wanted to print a thousand copies to share with everyone in the clan. So my family sent someone north to read the article. After reading it, they felt that it had great potential, so they increased the quantity to ten thousand copies and prepared to take it to various places for sale.”
This excuse is actually a bit crude, but the addition of seven generations of single-lineage heirs makes it very convincing, except...
"An only child in the family?"
Shi Yuan looked at the woman with some doubt. Although she hadn't been back much over the years, she vaguely remembered that the woman's mother was diagnosed as unable to have any more children after giving birth to her, and the woman's father had some ulterior motives, which caused quite a stir in the city at the time.
Shi Yuan was in a hurry to do business and left before the series ended, but she was disappointed for a long time. Fortunately, her parents knew what their daughter was thinking and informed her of the sequel through letters, which made Shi Yuan less disappointed.
"A woman who is the only child in a family is also called an only child."
The young woman said matter-of-factly that her mother was a son-in-law who married into the family, and when she found out that her father had ulterior motives, she decisively kicked him out. Although she had been with many young men over the years, she had never gotten pregnant. She knew from a young age that she was the heir of the family and that she also needed to find a husband to marry into the family, otherwise she would not have run away to gain experience.
Well, it has nothing to do with me wanting to hide from that bunch of young lovers.
...
The first woman spoke, and the others stopped remaining silent. Shi Yuan was quite satisfied with the overall smooth progress, except for one problem—
Why don't you all agree to tell us the real reason?
After a long silence, one of the women spoke softly:
"This reason is even more outrageous than the excuses we came up with."
Does anyone really believe that someone would use half a book as a smuggled copy of Baidu Encyclopedia?
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Author's note: This borrows some stereotypes about Fujian and Guangdong, please don't take it too seriously.
This borrows some stereotypes about Fujian and Guangdong; don't take it too seriously.
This borrows some stereotypes about Fujian and Guangdong; don't take it too seriously.
(I'll say it three times because it's important)
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