The literary era since 1979

Chapter 182 The lineup must be full
Early in the morning, Fang Yan went to Tianxingju to eat fried liver and steamed buns, and then leisurely came to the editorial office of October.

This is the critical period for the publication of the third issue of the journal.

The office was not empty as usual. Editors such as Zhang Zhonge, He Xin, Zhang Shouren, and Tian Zengxiang were all on duty.

Working hard and being extremely busy.

"Iwako!"

When Fangyan appeared at the door, Tian Zengxiang shouted excitedly. Zhang Zhonge and He Xin looked up and were very surprised.

"Iwako is back!"

Upon hearing the news that Fangyan had returned, Zhang Shouren, Yan Ming and others in the next office were surprised and happy and came over.

Fangyan exchanged pleasantries with them, and talked about western Guangxi, northern Shaanxi, award ceremonies, and literary support for the military. He talked until his mouth was dry, so he took out the canned pineapple he had brought with him.

“This is a treat.”

Tian Zengxiang said with a smile that Li Cunbao also gave them a few cans of it, which were sour and sweet and tasted just right.

Fang Yan asked, "Is Cun Bao still in Yanjing?"

"Yes, always there."

Zhang Shouren nodded and said, "Comrade Cun Bao said that if you return to Beijing, you must inform him immediately."

Fangyan pressed his hand down to indicate not to worry, and then asked about the review and publication of "The Wreath under the Mountain".

"Needless to say!"

Tian Zengxiang told everything.

When the telegram from Fangyan was received, the entire editorial department was looking forward to it with high expectations. Sure enough, "The Garland under the Mountain" did not disappoint them, and even far exceeded their expectations.

After reading it, Lu Yuanchi and Su Yu decided immediately to publish it. "October" wanted to use this article to set off a new wave of military literature and take the opportunity to stand at the forefront of the new wave.

"Yanzi, you found us an incredible manuscript!"

"What Shouren said is correct. Even in the entire history of contemporary military literature, this is a rare 'masterpiece'."

"Not only that, according to Yanzi's new concept of military literature, this "Wreath under the Mountain" is not only a model of military literature in the new era, but also a pioneering work, which is of great significance!"

"........."

Yan Ming, Zhang Shouren and others were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling. It was easy to imagine that this novel would push "October" to a new level, and might even break the highest sales record created by that issue of "Life" magazine and hit the 140 million copy mark.

"Maybe 150 million."

Fangyan said something out of the blue.

"150 million copies?!"

Even radicals like Tian Zengxiang thought that the numbers given by Fangyan were too radical, not to mention conservatives like Zhang Shouren.

"Teacher Fang, we can't be too optimistic. We need to learn from the lesson of that issue of Life. The tens of thousands of extra copies we printed..."

He Xin gave a reminder.

"Anyway, at least there is this possibility."

Zhang Zhonge could not help but sigh: "Yanzi, you and Shouren made the right decision at that time. If we had missed Li Cunbao, we would have missed such an incredible manuscript, which would have been a huge loss to October. I was wrong, really wrong."

"Zhonge, not really, not really."

Zhang Shouren vaguely felt that something was wrong with his old friend.

Fang Yan comforted him, "Teacher Zhang, you were also thinking about our safety and the safety of October at that time, to avoid any more trouble."

Zhang Shouren echoed, "Yes, yes, our starting point is good, we all want to make October better."

Tian Zengxiang saw that the atmosphere was not right and changed the subject:

"Yanzi, I heard from Comrade Cunbao that you wrote a manuscript that is as good as "The Wreath under the Mountain"!"

"It's called Operation Sword."

Yan Ming took over the conversation, "According to Yan Zi's new concept of military literature, this is considered military fantasy literature."

"This is a subject that has never appeared in military literature before." Tian Zengxiang said excitedly, "Yanzi, did you bring the manuscript?"

Zhang Shouren and others cast anxious glances at him.

Fangyan couldn't help laughing and took out a stack of manuscript paper from his bag.

People passed it around, and after reading the first part, they felt that it was a good piece of war literature. Although its ideological conception was not as good as "The Garland under the Mountain", it was better in terms of battle stories and war scenes. It was not until the second part that they realized what "military fantasy" was, and it turned out to be based on special operations training.

"Yanzi, which journal do you plan to submit to?"

Tian Zengxiang's eyes were full of passion.

When Zhang Zhonge heard this, he immediately looked at Fang Yan.

Fangyan shook his head and said it would not be too late to decide after it was finished.

"No matter which magazine it is submitted to, it can't be our October." Zhang Shouren sighed helplessly.

Zhang Zhonge's eyes dimmed, "Yes, Yanzi's manuscript is undoubtedly a novel, we have to avoid suspicion."

Seeing their expressions of deep regret, Fangyan waved his hands and said that "October" has "The Garland under the Mountain", which is enough to stand out in this new wave of military literature. The most urgent task now is to prepare for publicity in advance.

"We have already discussed it with the Literary Gazette, the Art Newspaper, the Liberation Army Newspaper, and the Guangming Newspaper."

Tian Zengxiang said that these newspapers would publish the story synopsis and literary reviews of "The Wreath under the Mountain".

"I thought so."

Fangyan spoke from his own experience, talking about the publicity when "The Shepherd" was published. He also asked if he could invite a few literary giants to write a few review articles on "The Wreath under the Mountain".

“The editor-in-chief and we have also discussed this.”

Zhang Shouren said: "The key is who is the right person to invite?"

Fangyan said bluntly that since "The Garland under the Mountain" implemented the spirit of the symposium on military literature themes, it would be better to invite Liu Boyu, Feng Mu and others who attended the symposium to comment on it.

"Good! This candidate is good!" Zhang Shouren and Zhang Zhonge looked at each other.

Tian Zengxiang said that among them, Fang Yan had the closest relationship with Liu Boyu and Feng Mu, and no one was more suitable than him for the important task of asking the big guys for comments.

Fang Yan readily agreed and said that he was the editor-in-chief of "The Garland under the Mountain", which was equivalent to the producer or supervisor of the film.

Just like a movie premiere, publicity must be in place.

As for "The Garland under the Mountain", no matter how much publicity resources it is given, it deserves and can bear it. After all, it is a rare masterpiece in the history of contemporary military literature, and it can even be said to be a work of art.

It’s not like some movies that are over-marketed and have a negative impact on traffic.

"In this case, why don't Yanzi work harder?"

Zhang Zhonge said: "Write an editor's note for The Wreath under the Mountain, and it would be best if you could also write about your new ideas on military literature."

"The editor's note is no more than 200 words."

Yan Ming frowned and said, "Is it enough for Yan Zi to perform?"

"Not enough. This length is definitely not enough. Maybe the word count has already exceeded the limit before the military literature concept has even begun."

Zhang Shouren shook his head.

Zhang Zhonge was stunned for a moment, "I didn't think it through."

"No, no, Mr. Zhang's suggestion still has some merit."

Fangyan said that the editor's note was too short, so he simply added an extra chapter, and instead of writing it himself, he asked Li Cunbao to write a "Creation Talk" article.

"Creation talk?!"

The eyes of Zhang Shouren and others suddenly lit up.

A creative talk is equivalent to the writer himself describing his creative experience, literary concepts, and writing process of his work. Letting Li Cunbao talk about "The Wreath under the Mountain" allows him to talk about new concepts in military literature and what he saw, heard, and felt about the Annan counterattack. It's like killing two birds with one stone!

"Then add the author's profile of Murakami."

Dialect looks left and right.

This, coupled with the commentary articles by Liu Boyu and Feng Mu, as well as the publicity from many mainstream literary newspapers such as Literary Gazette, can the sales of this issue of October reach 150 million copies?

Seeing his combination of punches, everyone was in a trance.

It seems like it might actually break the 150 million copy mark!
"What are you waiting for."

Tian Zengxiang said excitedly: "Let's quickly invite Comrade Cun Bao to the editorial office to write a creative talk about "The Wreath under the Mountain"!"

"I'm not in a hurry."

Yan Ming said, "He went for a stroll in Beihai Park in the morning and came to our canteen for lunch at noon. In my opinion, we should just eat lunch outside and chat while eating."

"good idea!"

No one had any objection, so Fang Yan asked:
"Where shall we eat?"

"You ask us?"

Tian Zengxiang said: "We should ask you, the foodie!"

Yan Ming said: "It would be better if it is not a big manor, but a quieter one where we can talk about things, and the food is more delicious and affordable..."

"Wow, there are not many places that can meet these requirements." Fang Yan touched his chin.

Zhang Zhonge asked, "How is Yuebin Restaurant?"

No one had any objection, including the dialect.

Yuebin Hotel is doing a booming business, but the store is small and the number of customers it can accommodate each day is limited. If you go late, you will have to wait in line.

Half an hour before dinner time, Fangyan rode his bike to Cuihua Hutong, but found the restaurant deserted and not as good as before.

On the wall, there is still a plaque with the words "Try it".

The shiny abacus is still on the counter.

But what was strange was that the menu price list was gone, and there was a cardboard box instead. According to the proprietress, this was for customers to check out.

"Just give me as much as you are willing to give."

"Just give it as you like?"

"Yes, you can pay whatever you want for this meal."

"How is this going?"

Fang Yan, Zhang Shouren and others looked at each other.

The proprietress said that under the big crackdown, more and more people were criticizing and questioning individual restaurants. As the "first individual restaurant", Yuebin Hotel was naturally the first to be hit and stood at the center of the storm.

It was reported and sued one after another, but fortunately it was a positive example and did not constitute "speculation and profiteering", so it was spared. However, other individual stores were not so lucky.

In the worst case, the business will be confiscated and sealed.

Although business is good, life is very nervous and I dare not set prices anymore.

"My husband and I couldn't sleep all night long."

The boss said: "I thought several times, forget it, just close the shop."

“I never thought the situation would turn out like this.”

Zhang Shouren was not without emotion.

Zhang Zhonge said: "A late spring cold snap is coming."

The dialect remained silent, but knew everything.

The real late spring cold wave hasn’t come yet!

The Eight Kings of Wen and Ou are the real beginning!
(End of this chapter)