1980 My literary era

"Let this novel of yours be the first work in the Buhu series!" Lin Weimin said to Jia Pingwa.

Jia Pingwa looked at Lin Weimin with surprise. Although he was in seclusion these days, he was not indifferent to worldly affairs.

A group of writers and editors lived in the guest house on the back floor. He would occasionally chat with everyone during his breaks, sometimes about literature itself, sometimes about literary gossip.

After the call for essays for "Buhushu Series Millionaire Remuneration Essays" was published in "Literary Story Newspaper", it has become the focus of attention of all domestic writers. Naturally, this topic is inevitably mentioned in everyone's chats.

It wasn't that Jia Pingwa had never thought about signing a contract with Buhuhu Books, but after looking at the content of his book, he felt a little unsure.

"Will my book... work?" Jia Pingwa said with some uncertainty.

"Why can't I remove the '?'? You have been writing books for so many years, but you don't have any confidence in yourself?" Lin Weimin asked.

Jia Pingwa was silent for a moment and said, "This is my honor."

Lin Weimin said: "It's an honor or not, there's no such thing as a book series. The Buhuhu Book Series aims to be a best-seller. There are no restrictions on writing style or subject matter. There is only one requirement, and that is that the work must be fascinating and attractive."

His hand was caressing Jia Pingwa's manuscript. The words "Abandoned Capital" were very prominent on the cover.

In the 1990s, was there any pure literature that was more "attractive" to people than this book?

After all, it sells tens of millions of copies a year. X may account for a big factor, but X alone cannot explain the reason why "Desolate City" has been a best-seller for thirty years.

"The selected works in the Buhu Book Series must be the first. Your novel was completed at just 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 a little on her face. It seemed like this was true when she said it.

This year, the editor of the Chinese Literature Society first went to Shaanxi to compile articles. Seeing that the literary community in Shaanxi was strong, he decided to hold a seminar to promote exchanges.

Then the Shaanxi writers came to Yanjing to attend a seminar, and Lin Weimin invited him before leaving.

You must know that before this, Jia Pingwa had never thought of creating in Yanjing.

But by some strange coincidence, he finally came to Yanjing.

It took less than two months to finish the 400,000-word "Abandoned Capital", which happened to coincide with the call for essays in the Buhu Book Series.

Could it be that this drink and one peck are all destined to happen?

"Without the Chinese Literature Society and your care, this fate would never have happened."

Jia Pingwa did the math. If his "Desolated Capital" really wanted to be selected into the Buhu Book Series, 400,000 words would cost 60,000 yuan.

Thinking of this, his breathing couldn't help but become a little quick.

He has been writing for 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 made a fortune from manuscript fees, one is Cheng Zhongshi and the other is Lu Yao, and their trajectories are surprisingly consistent. They both achieved prosperity for the rest of their lives with just one work. dream.

Cheng Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain" was reprinted three times in three consecutive months after its publication, and its sales exceeded 500,000 copies, setting a record in Shaanxi literary circles.

According to idle statistics by some writers from the Literary and Art Association, the cumulative sales of "White Deer Plain" have exceeded 2 million copies in the past few years. With the sales of "White Deer Plain", Cheng Zhongshi has also received more than 100,000 copies from the Chinese Literature Society. The royalties income of 800,000 yuan far exceeded Cheng Zhongshi’s imagination.

Not only that, "White Deer Plain" was also published in Xiangjiang, Wandao and other places, and its sales were also good. It is said that it also earned 300,000 to 400,000 yuan.

As a result, Cheng Zhongshi became the first writer in Shaanxi literary circles to become a millionaire by relying on royalties. Everyone privately called him "Cheng Wanwan".

In addition to Cheng Zhongshi and his "White Deer Plain", Lu Yao's "The Ordinary World" also sold well. Although this novel did not have a good reputation among critics during the publication and early stages of publication, it could not stop readers from reading it!

Especially among young readers, "The Ordinary World" is extremely popular. The reason is inseparable from the inspirational temperament of self-improvement in the work.

To put it more tackily, this novel "The Ordinary World" is the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" of the 1980s and 1990s. This is not a derogatory term.

To give a random example, many business tycoons in later generations have mentioned in interviews the impact "The Ordinary World" had on them when their lives were at a low point.

However, because "The Ordinary World" was published earlier, the royalty system had not been implemented at that time, and the sales volume was indeed inferior to that of "White Deer Plain", so the royalties brought to Lu Yao by "The Ordinary World" were not as high as those of Cheng Zhongshi.

But there are still hundreds of thousands. Lu Yao has been recuperating due to liver cirrhosis in the past few years. He has very little time to write, but the royalties continue to flow. His standard of living is actually higher than before he was recuperating.

Jia Pingwa did not dare to dream of the achievements of Cheng Zhongshi and Lu Yao. The remuneration of 60,000 yuan was enough to make him happy.

If the sales of future novels can really exceed 150,000 copies, which translates into a 10% royalty share, that will be the icing on the cake.

After all, the policy of the Chinese Literature Society is to allow writers to maintain income despite droughts and floods. As a writer, you will not suffer any loss in terms of remuneration or royalties.

"The novel is also finished. Don't worry if the manuscript is handed over to the agency. But now we can only wait until the end of the year for review. The agency will notify you after the publication date is determined. Today is the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, and you have to go back If you are from Shaanxi, you have to hurry up."

When the topic of going home came up, Jia Pingwa thought of her parents and children in her hometown, and she couldn't help feeling a little homesick in her heart.

It’s the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month and it’s hard to buy train tickets.

Lin Weimin seemed to see through Jia Pingwa's thoughts and said: "At this juncture, it is difficult to buy train tickets. I will ask someone to get you a train ticket."

"Thank you so much."

"It's nothing, you were invited by me."

With that said, Lin Weimin arranged for someone to find a way to get a train ticket for Jia Pingwa. Before getting off work, a colleague sent a hard sleeper ticket to Lin Weimin's office.

"The ticket is for 9pm. Let's go to the station after we have some food." Lin Weimin said to Jia Pingwa.

He took Jia Pingwa to find a restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and said, "I'm in a hurry, so I'll just have a quick bite this time, and I'll celebrate with you next time when "The Wasted City" is published."

Jia Pingwa was full of gratitude for Lin Weimin's courtesy.

After finishing the meal, Lin Weimin sent Jia Pingwa to the station.

Before leaving, Jia Pingwa held Lin Weimin's hand and said, "Mr. Lin, this trip to Yanjing is thanks to your care. Thank you, thank you."

"If you're polite, don't say it. If you have new works in the future, just think of our Chinese Literature Society." Lin Weimin joked.

Jia Pingwa looked serious and said, "Definitely!"

After seeing off Jia Pingwa, New Year’s Eve of 1993 also came.

After a busy year, the Chinese Literature Society is quiet and peaceful today.

Everyone is fishing, even Lin Weimin is no exception.

At noon, the people in the community turned into birds and beasts and dispersed.

Back home, popularity is booming.

The crew of "Farewell My Concubine" took two days off. Now that the filming is coming to an end, Cheng Kaige had no plans to take a vacation. "Farewell My Concubine" has already confirmed that it will participate in the Cannes Film Festival in May.

There are still more than three months before the opening of the film festival, and the filming and post-production time is very tight.

But at the suggestion of producer Xu Feng, the crew still took two days off, since it was the Chinese New Year after all.

The entire crew has been working non-stop for four months, and finally it’s the Chinese New Year. It’s time for everyone to take a breather and rest for two days, which will also help them get back to work again after the new year.

During the Chinese New Year this year, Han Zhuangzhuang’s family of four still came to Shizhu Small Courtyard.

In addition to the Han family, Tao's father and Tao's mother also stayed in Yanjing to celebrate the New Year this year. The old couple couldn't bear to part with the bean buns.

The nanny, Sister Qin, also stayed at home. During the Chinese New Year, Lin Weimin not only gave her and Sister Sun a bunch of New Year's goods, but also a bonus of 300 yuan, which was equivalent to an extra month and a half of each person's salary.

Sister Sun went back to her hometown to celebrate the New Year with new year's goods and bonuses. Her second son Zhou Jun graduated this year and was assigned to work as a reporter for the Yanjing Evening News.

It would be a pity for my son to return to his hometown without having a good career.

Sister Qin was not as lucky as Sister Sun. When she stayed in Yanjing during the New Year, Lin Weimin offered her three times the salary. Only working for a few days was equivalent to half a month's salary. Sister Qin was reluctant to part with this triple salary and decided to Stay in the small courtyard of Shizhu.

Based on this calculation, Lin Weimin's family actually has ten people celebrating the New Year this year, which is the busiest year since he came to Yanjing.

In the afternoon, a north wind started blowing outside the house, the clouds were suppressing, and the weather forecast said there would be snow today.

In the house, a group of people gathered together to make dumplings and cook dishes. Several lesbians gathered together to chat about home affairs. The little girl ran outside to play for a while, and then came back to play with the little bean buns.

"I feel like Director Cheng is a little too hasty, thanks to their old man who often comes to give me some advice." Han Zhuangzhuang said as he was making dumplings.

"It's understandable that there are so many celebrities and big names in the investment of eight million dollars." Lin Weimin said.

"Hehe, you also said that the adaptation is "Farewell My Concubine"." Han Zhuangzhuang showed a teasing smile on his face, "You don't know, right? Director Cheng has received more than one batch of readers who have been forwarded by others in the past few months. There are letters from both home and abroad. I feel like he is almost neurotic because of the pressure. The slightest disturbance on the set can make him fly into a rage."

Lin Weimin shook his head when he heard this. It was said that Cheng Kaige's temper on the set was actually pretty good. Being able to push him to this level showed how much pressure he was feeling inside.

There is a rumor in the domestic entertainment industry in later generations that many celebrities have to "go through disasters" before becoming popular.

The so-called "tribulation" not only involves endless pressure at work, but also various criticisms from public opinion. Many celebrities have withstood this kind of "tribulation" and became famous only in an instant.

On the contrary, if you don't carry it through, you will naturally lose everyone.

Lin Weimin naturally doesn't believe in this kind of feudal superstition in the entertainment industry, but Cheng Kaige's current state does feel a bit like "it's hard work but you can blow all the sand to get gold".

As long as he can withstand this wave of pressure, he will be promoted to the altar. The original amount of "Farewell My Concubine" alone will be enough for him to last a lifetime.

After chatting casually, in the evening, the New Year's Eve dinner was almost ready.

After waiting for an hour, delicious food was served at almost eight o'clock.

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 had a place.

A familiar picture 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 is getting old too!"

Zhao Zhongxiang was the first announcer of "Xinwen Lianbo". As the "national face", ordinary people are familiar with his face, but what really made him famous was hosting the Spring Festival Gala.

Zhao Zhongxiang has thick eyebrows and big eyes in the traditional sense, and his appearance is majestic. He naturally became the ideal object in the minds of countless women of that era.

Unfortunately, time is not forgiving. Zhao Zhongxiang, who was born in 1942, is now fifty years old.

Since ancient times, heroes are like beauties, and they are not allowed to grow old in the world.

Listening to Mother Tao's words, Father Tao said seemingly unintentionally, "Ni Ping is still young and beautiful!"

The faces of the people around him couldn't help but have a somewhat teasing smile. While everyone was joking, Han Dingbang asked his son: "Zhuang Zhuang, did you say before that Ni Ping and Cheng Kaige were in a relationship?"

"Yes, we all live together."

"Oh!"

When Tao's father heard this, he couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh, which made Tao's mother roll her eyes and everyone around laughed.