Just like the first story was serialized in the later period, readers sent letters to the publisher asking for manuscripts before the second story was finished. When it was officially finished in early April, letters of reminder came like snowflakes, and the letters sent to the publisher alone filled several sacks.

Seeing these letters urging submission, Wang Jingfang was both happy and worried. She was happy that the Three Fires series was popular, but she was worried about Su Ting's speed. And according to what she said before, she seemed to be very busy this year and had no time to draw new stories.

Not only Wang Jingfang was troubled, but also the editor-in-chief of the pictorial.

During the serialization of the second volume of the Sanhuo series, the sales of the paintings have been climbing, and the average sales of the issues after the year are higher than the highest sales of the first serialization. The final issue even ushered in the peak sales.

Normally, as the editor-in-chief, he should be happy if the paintings are sold out, but isn't this the end of the story?

Thinking about the sluggish sales in the six months after the first book was completed, the editor-in-chief must have been feeling shadowed. Who could bear it if it happened again?

So, a few days after the story was finished, the editor-in-chief called Wang Jingfang to the office and asked her when Su Ting would start a new series.

Wang Jingfang hesitated and said, "She said before that she is very busy this year and may not plan to start a new series."

The editor-in-chief almost thought he had misheard, and asked with wide eyes, "What? Not open?"

“That’s what she said when she submitted the manuscript last year.”

The editor-in-chief leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead with his hands. After a long while, he asked in a quiet voice, "Did she say why she didn't plan to start a new series?"

"They said they were busier this year."

"What's the matter? Aren't her children grown up?"

If Su Ting was only considered a new author when she used the pen name of a durian, she was talented and her stories were popular. Then the popularity of the Three Fires series directly pushed her from a new author to the position of a leading pictorial author.

As the lead author, the editor-in-chief may not know all her personal circumstances, but at least he knows all the important information.

The editor-in-chief is very puzzled. How come Su Ting was able to keep updating the post in the year she gave birth to her child, but now that the child has grown up, the updates can’t keep up?

"Is she pregnant again?" asked the editor.

Wang Jingfang hesitated and said, "Probably... no." Because it was far away, she was not very sure.

The editor-in-chief thought for a moment and said, "Go back and contact Comrade Su and find out what's going on. If she's pregnant again, do some ideological work on her and help her overcome it..."

Wang Jingfang's face turned green. She thought that it was easy for the editor to say that. Pregnancy would cause vomiting, edema, and a big belly would make it difficult to sit still. There were so many problems that could not be overcome easily.

The editor-in-chief didn’t know what Wang Jingfang was complaining about, so he continued, “If she has ideas about royalties and publishing revenue, we can discuss that…”

"How much can you talk about?" Wang Jingfang came over and asked.

The editor-in-chief stopped talking and looked at Wang Jingfang with an unpredictable expression. She felt a little uncomfortable being looked at, and said, "You said you could negotiate, and with the Three Fires series, no matter which magazine Comrade Su submits his work to, he will definitely get the highest remuneration, and the royalties will definitely be the highest."

Although "Three Fires Working Diary" is very popular, it is only Su Ting's third work. The foundation is not solid enough, and no one can be sure whether the new story series can create another glory.

So when the second book in the Sanhuo series was published, Su Ting was able to receive 25% of the royalties, which sounds like a lot, but in fact it is not even the highest level. The royalties of the leading authors of "Lianhuan Pictorial" all start at 27% and are capped at 30%.

But the sales of the magazine in the past few months have proved Su Ting's strength. Wang Jingfang feels that she should be given a raise. Otherwise, even if Su Ting has feelings for their magazine, no one can be sure whether she will choose to stay in the face of financial attacks from other magazines.

"If you promise to raise her salary, I can ask her for submission when I ask her to submit the manuscript, don't you think so?" Wang Jingfang lowered her head and muttered in a low voice, "I can't say that I want someone to work for no money."

The editor-in-chief was both angry and amused: "What do you mean by not talking about money and just letting people work? When did she submit an article and we didn't pay her the royalties? Go out and ask, which newcomer who has only been in the industry for two or three years can get the royalties at her level?"

Wang Jingfang was not afraid of him and retorted, "There is no newcomer who has just entered the industry and whose works are so popular that animation sales are ruined."

Although what Wang Jingfang said was very immodest, there is nothing wrong with it. If it weren't for the fact that the Sanhuo series could boost sales, would he, as the editor-in-chief, pay attention to whether the authors would start serializing their works?

After a moment's hesitation, the editor-in-chief said, "Raise her serialization fee to the highest level, and raise the subsequent publishing royalties to 27%, okay?"

"This...is not a good idea."

The editor-in-chief glared at him, "Isn't the top tier enough? How much does she want? Even if she goes to other magazines, she can only get this much at most."

Wang Jingfang soothed him, "Editor-in-Chief, you misunderstood. I didn't say that the serialization fee is low."

The editor-in-chief snorted: "So what do you mean?"

"I think the royalties are too little. I think it's no problem to raise Su Ting's share to 30% based on the two works in the Sanhuo series."

The editor frowned, thought for a long time, and said earnestly: "Xiao Wang, I know you have a good relationship with Comrade Su, but you must remember that you are always an employee of our publishing house."

"It is precisely because I am an employee of the publishing house that I am suggesting to you that Su Ting's share be raised to 30%. In the past six months, there have been more than one or two similar works serialized in other illustrated magazines, but which one can be as popular as the Three Fires series? And which one can bring sales of animation during the serialization period?"

"no."

"Then do you think other magazines would like to cooperate with Comrade Su? If they can get this opportunity by making concessions, they are not willing to make concessions."

The editor-in-chief said, "Going with whoever pays more is too utilitarian."

Wang Jingfang: “…”

When it comes to talking about feelings, he talks about money. When it comes to talking about money, he talks about feelings again. If the person in front of him is not his direct leader, Wang Jingfang really wants to slap him to the sky.

She shrugged and said, "If you say so, then I have no choice. I will tell Su Ting about starting a new series, but I am not sure when it will start and whether she wants to continue to serialize in our magazine."

Wang Jingfang showed her temper, but the editor-in-chief softened her attitude: "Well, I will seriously consider your suggestions. As for Comrade Su, please urge him a little more."

"Okay, I'll write her a letter when I get back," Wang Jingfang nodded happily, but then asked again, "But editor-in-chief, how should I write this letter? Should I tell her about the salary? Or should I not mention it for now? If I do, should I tell her 27% or just say 30%?"

Seeing that the editor was speechless, Wang Jingfang continued, "I think you'd better decide on this matter as soon as possible. It takes at least three days for a letter to arrive in Shanghai by express mail. If you are not careful, half a month will have passed. If something unexpected happens in the middle of the journey, it will be difficult to deal with."

The editor thought, doesn't three plus three equal six? How come you've been out for fifteen days?

But he also realized that Wang Jingfang was determined to fight for a share of royalties for Su Ting. It was not that she was trying to be selfish, but that she wanted to keep her by offering high salaries.

In fact, it's not that the salary can't be increased. Su Ting was not well-known before, so when deciding the number of books to be published, the publishing house was reserved and did not set a high number.

The second edition of "Sanhuo Working Diary" has been sold out within a few months. The number of copies of the next edition can be set at more than 50,000 per copy, or even doubled. Although the royalties will increase, the publisher's final income will definitely increase, and the salary will be improved, Su Ting will be happy in her heart and will not have any such thoughts.

Thinking of this, the editor-in-chief gritted his teeth and said, "Thirty percent is thirty percent."

Seeing that the editor-in-chief was finally willing to give a definite answer, Wang Jingfang smiled sincerely: "Okay, I will write to her right away and ask her to call me after receiving the letter."

"Um……"

The editor nodded, thought for a moment, and then instructed, "By the way, when you talk to her about the new series, ask her not to write short stories anymore. It would be best if she could write a long novel like The Educated Youth. You don't have to worry about not having a place. As long as she can write, everything is fine. Do you understand?"

“Understood.”

Wang Jingfang smiled, but she couldn't complain in her heart. She thought their editor-in-chief was too optimistic. It was hard for Su Ting to write a short story in a year, but he was so good that he wanted to write a long story, preferably all year round.

Let him dream, she just needs to do her job well.

…

Because Su Ting had previously revealed that she wanted to take a break this year, Wang Jingfang originally thought that even if her salary was increased, it would take a lot of effort to convince her to draw a new story.

But Wang Jingfang didn't expect that Su Ting actually changed her mind.

However, the new story is a bit heavy, and is related to child trafficking. Wang Jingfang asked, "Why do you suddenly want to paint this subject?"

Fearing that Su Ting might misunderstand, Wang Jingfang specifically explained: "I'm not saying that this story is not needed, it's just that the first two books in the Three Fires series are more childish, and this subject is too heavy, and I'm afraid readers won't be able to accept it."

Su Ting did not hide anything and briefly told what happened on the train on the way back from the Chinese New Year: "I don't have any particularly lofty ideas, I just want to do my best. As for the style, don't worry, Sister Wang, the new story will not be much different from the previous one."

Su Ting had considered this before calling Wang Jingfang.

In fact, after deciding to draw this story, Su Ting thought about starting a new story and not drawing the Three Fires series, because this subject matter was too heavy and she was afraid that readers would not be interested.

It’s just that heavy stories are often popular among the public. In the 1980s and 1990s, many writers emerged in China who were good at depicting the suffering of farmers. Many of their works were excellent and won numerous awards.

But these stories are often known to everyone, but not that many people read them. In fact, many readers bought these books when their teachers recommended them to them when they were students.

In other words, there is a threshold to reading these stories. Even if the reader does not need to be very knowledgeable, at least he or she must be able to calm down and read a book.

Don't think it's easy to finish reading a book. It's very difficult for someone who doesn't have the habit of reading to finish a book smoothly, not to mention that the plot of this book is heavy.

The reason why comic strips were so popular in the 1970s and 1980s was that they were illustrated with pictures and seemed easy to read, with no barriers to entry. As a result, comic strips were read not only by adults but also by children.

If Su Ting draws the story in a heavy tone, it may not be interesting to adults, but children will most likely not be interested, and the story may not become popular.

Su Ting decided to draw this story mainly because she wanted to use the popularity of the comic strip to make everyone pay attention to anti-abduction education.

It might be a bit arrogant to think this way, but it is the best and quickest solution Su Ting can think of.

But then again, if she were to redraw a heavy story, the heat wouldn't come and she might not achieve the result she wanted in the end.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Su Ting decided to take advantage of the popularity of the Sanhuo series.

She had also thought of the outline of the new story, which was about Sanhuo and a few friends in the compound who made an appointment to go on an adventure. They had agreed to go home after the sun went down, but they ended up having so much fun that they forgot about time and walked deep into the adventure area, where they met a human trafficker who was trading goods.

At first, the children thought the traffickers were good people and wanted to ask them for directions. However, before they even got close, they saw the children with their hands and feet tied, so they quickly looked for a place to hide.

They were trembling with fear after watching the normal transaction. When they saw the human trafficker was about to leave, they all breathed a sigh of relief. However, after walking a distance, the human trafficker came back.

The protagonist Sanhuo was afraid that his companions would be discovered, so after discussing with them, he went around in the opposite direction of the obstruction, and then screamed, attracting the attention of the human traffickers.

After the human trafficker took Sanhuo away, several children left the adventure site crying. Fortunately, they met a good person who sent them to the public security bureau.

Sanhuo was taken on a train by a trafficker, who was going to sell him somewhere else...

Yes, the inspiration for this story actually came from two things: a few children in the compound took a bus to the county to sell scraps, and they met a trafficker on the way back.

The story is actually very clichéd. To sum it up, a small person mistakenly enters the territory of the big boss, is accidentally involved in a vicious incident, falls into a difficult situation and struggles to survive. In the end, relying on his intelligence and wisdom, he defeats the big boss, smashes the criminal gang, and achieves a family-friendly ending.

But routine means the masses, and many people read it, which is exactly what Su Ting wants. She has never thought about writing something profound, nor has she thought about leaving a name in literature and history. As long as someone likes the stories she draws, it is enough.

Of course, it would be better if it could give people some warnings.

Because the calls at that time were handled by a special person, Su Ting was not in a position to say too much on the phone and could only assure Wang Jingfang that her style would remain unchanged.

But her words were enough. In Wang Jingfang's heart, she had always been reliable.

"Okay, then just draw as you want," Wang Jingfang said, and then asked about something that concerned her, "When do you plan to start serializing the new story?"

"I'll try to do it as early as possible." Su Ting said, she also wanted to start serializing as soon as possible.

Because Su Ting was always late with her manuscripts, Wang Jingfang had a headache about urging her to submit them. She almost cried when she heard this: "I feel relieved when you say this. You can hurry up and draw. If you haven't finished it yet, you can send the manuscript to me. We can draw while we are serializing. There is no need to rush the story progress. It would be best if we can make it a long novel and serialize it for three to five years."

Su Ting sweated: "I'm afraid I can't do this."

Wang Jingfang laughed out loud on the other end of the phone: "You don't know, he was very worried after the second book of the Sanhuo series was finished. He sighed in front of me every day and asked me to persuade you to make this story into a long novel, preferably serialized for ten to eight years. Oh, I just said three to five years is not enough."

After joking, Wang Jingfang changed the subject and said, "Of course, the specific length of the story depends on you. The content is the most important. I just hope you can start serializing it as soon as possible."

After all the talk, we are back to the issue of urging for submission of manuscripts.

Su Ting said helplessly: "Okay, I'll try to be early."

…

After the call, Su Ting went back and slightly adjusted her daily schedule.

Before, she basically studied for three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon every day. If she had free time at other times, she would also take time to read books or do exercises.

But now she has to draw a new story, so she doesn't have so much time. Su Ting decided to start early in the morning and study for four hours by twelve o'clock. She would start drawing at two o'clock in the afternoon and draw for three hours by five o'clock. If she has free time in the evening, she can draw or read at will.

After the adjustment, Su Ting's time became tight.

He Dongchuan also feels that time is tight. In order to be able to have energy to study the next morning, Su Ting now goes to bed before midnight, not even a minute later.

To the extent that now when he is intimate with her, he has to look up at the alarm clock at all times, for fear that if he exceeds the time limit, his wife will get angry and ignore him for the next few days.

After another hasty conclusion, He Dongchuan couldn't help but ask, "When will you finish your new story?"

Su Ting was a little tired after just finishing an intimate moment. She squinted her eyes and said lazily: "At the earliest, it will be the end of May, and at the latest, it will be June or July."

"Several months."

"Well, I have a lot of things to do. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"I hope you'll have some free time soon," He Dongchuan sighed, "I feel like I'm going to fail if you keep squeezing my time like this."

Su Ting perked up after hearing this. She opened her eyes and looked at him sideways, saying earnestly, "Comrade He, I don't think I'm to blame for being busy. I can only say that this is a stage that every man must go through. When you are young, you have unlimited energy, but when you reach middle age, you start to lack energy..."

Middle age = old, lack of energy = no good.

He Dongchuan turned over and pressed Su Ting under him, gritted his teeth and asked, "How about I use my actions to prove whether I have enough energy or not?"

Su Ting admitted her mistake in a second, and said bluntly: "Of course you are still very young and energetic, I think you don't need to prove this, right?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, and you've just proved how great you are with your actions. I feel it deeply!" After praising He Dongchuan, Su Ting looked at him pitifully and said, "Honey, I'm so sleepy now."

He Dongchuan's throat rolled, he turned over and sat up and said, "I'm going to take a shower."

The temperature in Shanghai had already risen in mid-April. Although it was still early for summer, He Dongchuan was strong and had no problem taking a cold shower late at night. Su Ting didn't stop him and smiled secretly while hugging the quilt.

He Dongchuan was gone for more than half an hour. When he came back, Su Ting had already fallen asleep with the quilt in her arms. Because it was a little hot inside the quilt, she pulled out one arm, bent it, and placed the back of her hand on her forehead.

He Dongchuan bent down and touched her arm, which felt cold, so he stuffed her hand back into the quilt.

Perhaps because of the excessive movement, Su Ting felt uncomfortable, so she took her hands back and changed her position from lying flat to lying on her side. As a result, the quilt slid down and rested under her shoulders, revealing her fair skinned shoulders, which made people want to bend down and take a bite.

But thinking that she might get mad after being bitten and woken up, He Dongchuan gave up the idea after consideration, threw back the quilt, lay down in the bed, turned off the lights and went to sleep.

…

While Su Ting was busy drawing the new story, Director Zhao was also not idle. Whenever she had time during this period, she would go to the county to discuss anti-abduction education work with the leaders of the Women's Federation.

The leaders of the Women's Federation were somewhat interested, but because they were uncertain about the effect, they were hesitant about whether to promote it on a large scale, so the matter came to a standstill.

Director Zhao was upset at home for a few days, and finally decided to come to Su Ting for help. She thought Su Ting was smart and might be able to come up with a good idea.

Su Ting actually came up with a good idea, which was to have the county women's federation arrange people to conduct anti-abduction drills: "It would be best to choose two schools as the drill sites, one is our military district primary school, and the other is a school that has never done anti-abduction education. This way, we can have a comparison and see the effect."

In the previous anti-abduction education process, they conducted many drills. Otherwise, this matter would not have been agreed by all military wives so quickly.

So when Director Zhao heard this, he understood what Su Ting meant and asked happily, "Anything else?"

"You can have your people organize the content of the anti-abduction classes during this period and make a document. After the anti-abduction drill is over, show it to them. If possible, it would be best to invite them to come and listen to a few anti-abduction education classes. When the leaders see that we are doing a good job, they should have more confidence in this matter."

The drill is the result, and the anti-abduction class is the process.

The success of the drill is a strong proof of the effectiveness of anti-abduction education, and the anti-abduction class is a complete assignment.

If the women's federation leader wants to do something practical, she will be tempted if she sees a complete and above-passing assignment in front of her. On the contrary, if the other party does not want to copy the assignment, then no matter how hard they try, it will be in vain.

Director Zhao understood what Su Ting meant and said excitedly, "Okay, I'll ask them to sort out the information when I get back, and then go to the county this afternoon to discuss this matter with the Women's Federation leaders."

After that, Director Zhao asked again: "Comrade Su, do you really not want to go out to work?" The more she interacted with Su Ting, the more she felt that she was a good candidate for work in the Women's Federation.

But Su Ting didn't think she was suitable for working in the Women's Federation. She felt that she was able to come up with so many ideas simply because she took advantage of her time travel.

She can come up with ideas, but when it comes to putting them into practice, she may not be as good as the existing staff of the Women's Federation.

Moreover, if one wants to move up in such a business unit, it often depends not only on personal ability, but also on high emotional intelligence and the ability to handle interpersonal relationships, which are precisely Su Ting's shortcomings.

It seems that she gets along well with everyone, but she has very few truly good friends, and she always lacks a bit of intimacy when interacting with others.

This is the case in life. If she were to find herself in a socializing situation, Su Ting was afraid that she would be overwhelmed. Without the talent, she would rather not take on this job.

Su Ting smiled bitterly and said, "I just started a new story recently, so I really don't have much time."

"Are you still drawing the Three Fires series?"

"Um."

"Can you tell me what the story is?" Director Zhao asked. Seeing Su Ting's surprise, he explained, "I have taken the time to finish reading the Three Fires series during this period, and now I am also your reader."

Director Zhao was not very interested in comic books before, and she would always say a few words every time she saw the girl buy a picture magazine. But after knowing that this Su Ting was the same Su Ting, she took the time to read the Three Fires series out of curiosity.

After reading it, she felt that the protagonist Sanhuo's family was similar to the He family in real life, and the characters' appearances were also similar. Another feeling was that the story was very good, light and enjoyable, and she finished reading it without realizing it after opening it.

Therefore, she was indeed looking forward to the new story from Su Ting's mouth.

Su Ting did not hide it and said, "It's related to anti-abduction education."

Director Zhao was stunned, but soon understood why Su Ting drew this story. He sighed and said, "Okay, I will buy the illustrated magazine and read it when the story starts to be serialized."

…

After talking with Su Ting, Director Zhao started to prepare according to what they had discussed.

In early May, the county women's federation organized an anti-abduction drill. The people they arranged first went to the military primary school and tried to deceive ten children, but they didn't deceive any of them.

Then people arranged by the Women's Federation went to the county's primary school and deceived ten children. Eight of them were fooled. The contrast was very tragic.

After the results of the exercise came out, Director Zhao invited the leaders of the Women's Federation to attend the class at the Navy Compound. After the anti-abduction class was over, he took out the sorted materials.

After watching the video, the leader of the Women's Federation felt that their anti-abduction education was indeed effective. After returning home, she organized a meeting of the directors of the Women's Federations from all units in the county to discuss the matter.

Finally, they decided on two locations as pilot sites for anti-abduction education: one was the county’s primary school, and the other was a county textile factory.

Both locations were proposed by Director Zhao at the meeting, and Director Zhao listened to Su Ting's suggestion. She said: "Throughout history, the most abducted people are children and women. The Women's Federation itself was established to protect the interests of women and children. Since we need to provide anti-abduction education, why not do it all at once?"

The county primary school is full of children, and the textile factories have many female workers. It is perfect to choose these two places as pilot sites.

…

Su Ting spent the whole month of May busy. When she came to her senses, she realized that Children's Day was here again.

The military primary school in the Shanghai base is also going to hold a party. In fact, as soon as May began, the class teachers began to urge the program.

Although there are more elective classes here in Shanghai than in Pingchuan Island, music and dance classes must be taken seriously, and there are many students with special talents, but the programs for the annual party are a headache for the class teachers.

First, although there are more children with special talents here than in Pingchuan Island, there are only 20 to 30 people in a class, and no more than five people with special talents. Moreover, many children have the same special talents, either singing or dancing. Every year, there are 50 to 60 programs registered, and two-thirds of them look the same.

Secondly, the party is held every year, but the students do not change every year. The people performing on the stage are always the same, and the performances are always the same. They never get tired of performing, and the audience is tired of watching them.

How to innovate has become the biggest worry for class teachers.

Therefore, not long after registration for the party began, He Yan was targeted by their class teacher.

This kid is a talent. He is only in the fourth grade this year, but he has participated in three parties and has rich performance experience. He has not only sung, but also acted in dramas. We must let him have a show.

So He Yan was arrested and beaten.

As for what kind of program to perform, although their class teacher hasn't thought about it yet, he has a direction. He thinks that since he has performed in a drama, there is no need to think about anything else. He should continue with drama this year. It will also be fresh to watch him in a singing and dancing program.

However, He Yan didn't want to perform in a play.

When acting in a play, one has to memorize the lines as well as the movements, and during the performance, the expressions and movements must all be perfect. It's too tiring, so he wants to take it easy this year.

In fact, if he hadn't been arrested, he wouldn't have planned to perform on stage this year. He also wanted to keep a low profile occasionally, but it was a pity that his teacher didn't give him the opportunity.

A forced melon is not sweet. He Yan did not want to act in a play, and the teacher was embarrassed to embarrass him, so he said, "If you don't want to act in a play, you can do other shows, just don't sing."

He Yan, who was about to be happy, was dumbfounded. What else could he do if not singing?

Play an instrument? But he can't.

Dancing? He had never learned it, but he could fight for a while in martial arts.

He Yanchi asked doubtfully: "How about I go on stage and perform some martial arts?"

When the class teacher Li Yuezhen heard this, she thought it was a good idea. She had been teaching at the military primary school for two years and had never seen a student perform martial arts on stage. She immediately agreed and asked, "Do you want to perform alone or with others?"

"Will anyone else do it?" He Yan asked.

Li Yuezhen said: "It's fine as long as you can practice to a certain extent. I just don't know if the performance you want to perform is easy to learn and whether you have the time to teach."

With the idea that it would be better for everyone to be arrested and beaten together than for one person to be arrested and beaten, He Yan immediately said, "Don't worry, teacher. I will perform a simple piece and let my father teach them. My father is very powerful and he will definitely be able to teach them!"

"Does your father have time to teach them?"

"Yes, he teaches me martial arts every day now, but I usually run in the morning and practice martial arts in the evening."

Li Yuezhen thought about it and felt that this was not a problem. She continued to ask, "Will he be willing to teach so many people at once?"

He Yan was very excited when he thought that more of his classmates would be trained by his father in the future. He patted his chest and boasted, "No problem. My father listens to me the most!"

After discussion, it was decided that He Yan would lead his classmates to perform group martial arts at the party.

Li Yuezhen also quickly picked out a few students in the class who were interested in martial arts, stuffed them into the program, and let He Yan take them to receive instruction from He Dongchuan.

When He Dongchuan returned home in the evening, he learned from his son that he was about to be promoted to a martial arts coach.

He Dongchuan: “…”