The literary era since 1979

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa."

The sound of mahjong tiles colliding echoed throughout the house.

Lin Qingxia, Gong Xing, Zhang Guorong and Li Zhi sat in seats representing the east, west, south and north winds respectively.

Wang Zuxian sat aside and watched. She had just finished four rounds and switched positions with Lizhi.

At this moment, Zhang Guorong was like a steady helmsman, who could deal with the tide of the game skillfully most of the time.

But Lin Qingxia is different. Every time she makes a decision to play a card, she ponders for a long time, as if she is weighing the myriad possibilities in the game.

Gong Xing and Li Zhi were both playing mahjong in Hong Kong style for the first time. Their skills might be a little worse, but their luck was not bad at all.

Everyone sat around the card table, chatting, reminiscing about the past, sharing moments of laughter, not caring about winning or losing.

"Di Hu!"

Li Zhi pushed the cards aside, excited about her own self-drawn hand.

Wang Zuxian's tone was full of envy, "Lizhi, you are so lucky, you have already won three games in a row."

"Yes, the more Li Zhi wins, the better her luck becomes, and the better her luck becomes, the more likely she is to win."

Lin Qingxia handed the money to Lizhi and said with a smile.

"Maybe I'm a novice and I got lucky?"

Li Zhi waved her hands repeatedly, saying that her skills were not very good and that it was purely based on luck.

"That's not right."

Wang Zuxian glanced at her playfully, "Lizhi, you have been very lucky recently. Not to mention mahjong, just your album has reached the gold record standard in such a short time, and it will soon break through the platinum standard, right?"

"Gold record? Platinum?"

Gong Xing looked left and right in confusion.

Zhang Guorong explained that since the first Golden Record Awards Ceremony was established in Hong Kong in 1977, the local record sales in Hong Kong have been counted each year. Sales of 2.5 records are equal to one gold record, and two gold records are equal to one platinum record, which means that the album reaches 5 copies.

For example, Zhang Xueyou's debut work "Smile" stayed on the top ten record sales chart for several months.

In less than a year, it sold 20 copies, achieving quadruple platinum status. Later, sales even reached 30 copies, setting a six-platinum record.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Lizhi's first album will at least reach triple platinum within a year."

Lin Qingxia was smiling.

"No wonder he always said that Li Zhi has a talent for singing and shouldn't be limited to acting."

Gong Xing suddenly realized.

"This is all thanks to Teacher Fang, and also to my brother and sister Xiaoxiang. Otherwise, I would not have been able to achieve such results."

Li Zhi never dreamed that her first album could reach such a height.

"Don't say that."

Gong Xing, Lin Qingxia and the other two girls all looked at her with smiles on their faces.

Zhang Guorong cast a gratified look, "Did Shufen mention the 'Night of a Thousand Stars' charity concert to you?"

Li Zhi nodded and said that Chen Shufen would arrange to perform the two title songs of the album on stage, and would even sing "Second Hand" with Zhang Guorong. By taking advantage of this opportunity to sing on stage, the exposure and popularity of the first album would be greatly increased.

"Really?!"

Wang Zuxian couldn't wait to ask them if they could participate.

"Of course you are welcome. If you are willing to participate, I will ask the organizer to send you an invitation letter when the time comes."

Zhang Guorong said that in addition to singing "Second Hand" with the chorus, she would also sing the theme song of the movie "A Chinese Ghost Story".

Lin Qingxia was surprised. "Isn't this song included in your latest album, brother?"

Zhang Guorong said without hesitation that he would release a new album, "Summer Romance'87" in the near future, but before that, he would use the stage of the "Night of a Thousand Stars" charity concert to promote it vigorously.

Gong Xing's eyes were filled with anticipation. "That's really great. We're in for a treat."

Li Zhi asked: "Sister Xiaoxiang, I wonder if Teacher Fang will attend the charity concert by then?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen him for a long time."

Lin Qingxia also hopes to thank Fangyan properly at the charity concert.

The next day after he arrived in Hong Kong, he received a letter forwarded by him, and a reunion time was arranged for her family.

When she passed the news to Lin's father and mother, she still remembers the excited and violent crying over the phone.

"He's been very busy lately. He's been busy reorganizing the business of Sanlian Bookstore and publishing Ghost Blows Out the Light."

Gong Xing thought about it seriously, "But if we calculate the date, by the time the charity concert is held, he should have finished his work."

"Speaking of Ghost Blows Out the Light, it has been a hot topic in Hong Kong recently."

Zhang Guorong said that even he couldn't help but listen to a few episodes, but unfortunately he missed the replays of the previous episodes and couldn't hear the whole story.

"I've been listening, but I can't hear it all."

Lin Qingxia asked, "I plan to buy a copy of the novel "Ghost Blows Out the Light" after it is published."

Li Zhi, Wang Zuxian and the others almost said in unison: "Me too!"

"That's a coincidence, isn't it?"

Gong Xing said that the novel "Ghost Blows Out the Light" will go on sale at the Joint Publishing Company in Hong Kong the day after tomorrow morning.

"How about this, we go give him a surprise?"

Lin Qingxia was overjoyed when she heard this, and immediately invited Gong Xing, Wang Zuxian, Li Zhi and others to go to the bookstore together to help Fangyan.

………………

In the following two days, at the end of the broadcast of the radio drama "Ghost Blows Out the Light", Hong Kong Radio began to actively and extensively publicize the news that "Ghost Blows Out the Light" would be first released by the Hong Kong Joint Publishing Company in accordance with the plan agreed with Fangyan. At the same time, newspaper media also added fuel to the fire.

So much so that even before the official publication, customers would occasionally run to the bookstore to inquire about "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

Many people saw the posters posted at the door and the novels displayed on the stand in the lobby and wanted to buy a copy immediately.

As a result, on the third day, before the Hong Kong Joint Publishing Company opened, a long queue formed along the street from the entrance.

Although there were not many people in the crowd who were so exaggerated as to queue all night with stools and tents, there were some who got up early in the morning to queue.

At this time, the place was crowded and bustling, and the moment the clerk hurriedly opened the door, the whole line immediately became agitated.

"Don't push, don't push!"

"Everyone line up, don't cut in line, maintain order!"

"We have a lot of Ghost Blows Out the Light novels, and we guarantee that everyone can buy them. Please wait in line patiently!"

“………” Xiao Zi had already anticipated that there would be such a looting scene, so he arranged several store clerks to maintain order.

Fangyan sneaked in through the side door of the bookstore, went straight to the office on the second floor, and looked down through the window.

"Dong dong."

Pan Yaoming knocked on the door lightly. "You, the author of Ghost Blows Out the Light, seem to be enjoying some free time, but now the whole bookstore is in a mess."

"You are the same."

Fang Yan rolled his eyes and said, "What time did you arrange with the reporters from Oriental Daily News and Wen Wei Po? Don't miss the report."

"At half past eight, I think they're on their way."

Pan Yaoming said: "Don't worry, even if we don't take the initiative to find the media, these reporters with sharp noses will come here after smelling the smell."

As he said, the media outlets that came to the Joint Publishing Company in Hong Kong were not just the two that Fangyan specially invited.

Not only newspapers like Ming Pao, but also TV stations like TVB and ATV, almost all mainstream media in Hong Kong have joined in the fun.

"Wow, there are so many coming!"

Pan Yaoming smiled and said, "At least half of it is because of the topic of Ghost Blows Out the Light, and the other half is because of your face."

Fangyan said nothing and watched quietly. Suddenly, two cars drove up from a distance and stopped steadily at the door.

As soon as the people in the car got off, the entire book-buying team immediately erupted in thunderous screams.

“It’s Lin Qingxia!”

"It's Zhang Guorong, is it really Zhang Guorong? I didn't wake up this morning and am I still dreaming?"

"Li Zhi, Wang Zuxian, the one next to them is... the Thirteenth Aunt in Once Upon a Time in China, right?"

"Why are they here?"

"Are you stupid? Why did you come to Sanlian Bookstore? Of course you are here to buy Ghost Blows Out the Light like us!"

"........."

For a moment, the already agitated crowd became even more noisy, and every pair of eyes stared at Gong Xing, Lin Qingxia and the others.

Even the media that were attracted by the popularity of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" immediately changed direction and swarmed towards Zhang Guorong and others.

"You are such a jerk! You invited them here without even telling us in advance!"

Pan Yaoming couldn't help but complain when he saw the crowd on the verge of getting out of control.

Fang Yan looked innocent and spread his hands, "If I say I didn't know about this, would you believe me?"

"I don't believe you, you are really a bad guy!"

Pan Yaoming looked as if saying, "Whether you believe it or not, I don't believe it anyway."

"This is such a big deal. Maybe it won't be long before someone can guess who the author of Ghost Blows Out the Light is."

Fangyan shook his head and smiled bitterly.

The entrance of the Hong Kong Joint Publishing Company was still in a mess. Many customers in the queue were in a dilemma. They wanted to stay in the queue, but also wanted to rush to their idols to ask for photos and autographs. On the contrary, the reporters standing on the periphery were very decisive. They aimed at the targets and kept asking questions.

Some are related to "Ghost Blows Out the Light", some are not, they are all mixed and varied.

After the interview, the reporter from Ming Pao felt that he had gained a lot and it was unnecessary to stay in the Joint Publishing Company in Hong Kong any longer. So he immediately waved and stopped a taxi passing by, and without saying a word, asked the driver to drive to the headquarters of Ming Pao.

Seeing this, reporters from other newspapers and magazines were unwilling to lag behind, fearing that they would report such a "big event" later than other media outlets.

But in the end, it was the reporter from Ming Pao who rushed back to the editorial office first and reported everything he had seen and heard that day.

As soon as the news spread, the entire editorial department was in an uproar. It spread from one person to ten people, from ten to a hundred, and finally reached Jin Yong's ears.

At this time, Jin Yong happened to be sitting with Huang Zhan and Cai Lan, sipping tea and chatting.

"Since this Ghost Blows Out the Light is published by Hong Kong Joint Publishing, if nothing unexpected happens, the author is probably Fang Yan."

"I think so too. I'm afraid that apart from him, there is no other writer in Hong Kong who understands the situation in the mainland better than him."

Huang Zhan smiled.

"No wonder I've been thinking hard for a long time but still can't figure out where in Hong Kong this newcomer who knows the mainland so well came from."

Cai Lan shook his head. "He not only knows feng shui, tomb robbing and treasure hunting, but he is also proficient in literature and has a solid foundation in writing."

Jin Yong couldn't help but sigh: "But I didn't expect that friend Fang Yan actually knows so much about Feng Shui, geomancy, astrology and metaphysics."

"But what should we do?"

Cai Lan's brows were filled with worry. "Ni Xie has been looking for the author of Ghost Blows Out the Light, and he even used all his connections to find out. And with his ability, I'm afraid he will find out sooner or later that Fang Yan is the person he's looking for."

Huang Zhan said seriously: "In fact, in my opinion, it is normal for Ni Zhuan to lose to Fang Yan and for Wesley to lose to Ghost Blows Out the Light."

"No matter who wins or loses, given Ni Xian's personality, he will definitely not let it go so easily after suffering such a huge loss this time."

Cai Lan sighed, "Brother Jin, what do you think?"

Jin Yong said: "Let him investigate it himself. We will wait and see what happens and not interfere."

"This...this...if we let this happen..."

Huang Zhan originally wanted Jin Yong to persuade Ni Kuang. After all, strictly speaking, Jin Yong was very kind to Ni Kuang.

It was with his encouragement that Ni Xun, who had sneaked south, was able to write novels in Ming Pao under the pen name "Wei Sili". Since then, he became famous with the Wei Sili series. Later, he wrote novels such as "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" for Jin Yong, and scripts such as "One-Armed Swordsman" for Chang Cheh.

Jin Yong said, "You all know Ni Gua's character. It would be useless for us to persuade him now, isn't it?"

"Brother Jin is right. Besides, Ah Zhen has already publicly criticized Ghost Blows Out the Light in the newspaper, which is obviously a sign of a falling out."

Cai Lan suggested that they should not get involved in the dispute between Fang Yan and Ni Xun, so as to avoid being caught in the middle and being embarrassed on both sides.

Huang Zan said: "Alas, how could it become like this."

Jin Yong was also helpless. It would be fine if there was only one "Ghost Blows Out the Light", but he was afraid that there would be more to come, which would have to compete with the "Wei Sili" series for a long time. By that time, the misunderstandings and conflicts between Ni Xu and Fang Yan would only escalate.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's talk about dialects."

Cai Lan said, "Among the three of us, I am the only one who has not met this mainland expert yet."

"How should I describe him?"

Huang Zhan called Fangyan a "monster". "This person is a versatile talent in the field of literature and art. He not only understands novels, poetry, prose, and movies, but is also as good as me in music and lyrics. In addition, when it comes to food, he is definitely not worse than you, Old Cai."

"Of course. I admire the understanding and perception of food shown in A Bite of China."

Cai Lan cupped his hands, hoping that Huang Zhan and Jin Yong would find an opportunity to introduce him to Fang Yan.

"As for the food, you will be the one to treat us!"

When Jin Yong said this, Huang Zhan and Cai Lan also smiled at each other. (End of this chapter)