Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 329 Capitalism is different
Listening to Han Suyin's question, Lin Chaoyang was about to say something modest when Mr. Fei Yimin, the editor-in-chief of Ta Kung Pao, said with a smile: "Mr. Lin can now be regarded as a leader of the young generation of mainland literary circles! Ms. Han, you are very ignorant of this point!"

The first half of Fei Yimin's sentence was both a compliment to Lin Chaoyang and a reminder of his fame. The second half was a joke and also a way to help Han Suyin out.

Therefore, Han Suyin cast a grateful glance at Fei Yimin after hearing this and said to him, "Then you must introduce him to me."

Fei Yimin was about to speak, but Lin Chaoyang quickly waved his hand and said, "President Fei, you are too kind. I just wrote a few novels and was lucky enough to gain recognition from my peers and readers."

Ye Junjian on the side laughed out loud at this time: "Chaoyang, modesty is a good thing, but being too modest is pride."

After he finished speaking, he turned to Han Suyin and said, "President Fei is right. This is the most talented and famous new generation writer in our country."

Fei Yimin added: "Mr. Lin's The Death of Van Gogh has been published in Hong Kong and has received rave reviews."

Everyone suddenly started praising Lin Chaoyang, which made him feel flattered and also surprised Han Suyin.

She has very little contact with people in China nowadays. She just happened to be back in Hong Kong for vacation and happened to attend today's banquet. She didn't expect that the son-in-law of her Yan University classmate whom she met at the banquet would be such an outstanding young writer.

"Forgive my poor eyesight!" Han Suyin apologized to Lin Chaoyang, who responded politely.

Hearing everyone praising Lin Chaoyang so highly, she couldn't help but become curious and asked about some of Lin Chaoyang's creations.

In this situation, Lin Chaoyang naturally couldn't brag about himself, so the group leader Xiao Jun took the initiative to step forward and solemnly introduced his creative resume to everyone.

After introducing Lin Chaoyang’s creative resume, Xiao Jun emphasized:

"Since entering the literary world, Comrade Chaoyang has won several national literary awards, and his works have always been at the forefront of the literary world.

To be honest, we are all "excavated cultural relics". In the future, the Chinese literary world will have to look to these young people!"

Among the guests from Hong Kong present today, only those from Xinhua News Agency and Ta Kung Pao know Lin Chaoyang. Except for a few who have heard of or seen "The Death of Van Gogh", the rest know nothing about Lin Chaoyang.

Lin Chaoyang spoke calmly and gently, but as a young man he had little presence at the banquet. Now that he was praised by several old comrades, everyone present couldn't help but look at him with admiration.

Several young and middle-aged writers in the delegation couldn't help but feel a little envious when they saw Lin Chaoyang suddenly become the focus of the banquet.

Generally speaking, everyone is a junior in the group, but only Lin Chaoyang is valued so much by the seniors. Who wouldn't be envious?
With the support of Xiao Jun and others, Lin Chaoyang received a lot more attention at the banquet. Fei Yimin even took him to have a drink with everyone.

When drinking alone, some pleasantries are inevitable.

When it was his turn to clink glasses with Jin Yong, Lin Chaoyang politely said, "My family and I are all fans of your books. Unfortunately, your works have not been introduced to China yet. We are reading pirated copies. We have to apologize to you."

Jin Yong narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Mr. Lin, you are too kind. It is my honor to be liked by you and your family. The situation in the mainland is rather special, and there is nothing I can do about it. How about this, I will give you a set of my books later?"

"You are so kind..."

Lin Chaoyang declined a few times, but seeing that Jin Yong was so kind, he agreed to accept his gift.

The delegation has disciplines during the visit and gifts cannot be accepted casually, but there is nothing wrong with giving books as gifts. As long as the books do not contain politically sensitive issues, delegation members can accept them.

Lin Chaoyang learned about this after he arrived at the Xinqiao Hotel and was informed by WS staff.

"You may not know that our Ming Pao also published a book review of your book The Death of Van Gogh," said Jin Yong.

Hearing this, Lin Chaoyang was slightly surprised.

Ming Pao is not the top newspaper in Hong Kong, but it is the most popular newspaper among the elite. Otherwise, Jin Yong would not have become one of the media tycoons in Hong Kong through this career.

Lin Chaoyang did not expect that "The Death of Van Gogh" would receive such treatment after being published in Hong Kong.

Listening to Jin Yong's words, he thanked him again.

The banquet ended in a friendly and harmonious atmosphere. The guests going to Hong Kong waved goodbye as the delegation boarded the bus.

Xiao Jun smiled and said to Lin Chaoyang: "While eating, I heard Hu Juren and Fei Yimin talking about your novel "The Death of Van Gogh". It seems that your novel is really popular in Hong Kong!"

Lin Chaoyang suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Xiao Jun came out to introduce himself solemnly. It turned out that he felt that he had some fame in Hong Kong and brought himself out to show off.

"My novel was only published by a university press, so it didn't sell very well."

After chatting for a while, the bus returned to the hotel and everyone returned to their rooms.

The next morning, the delegation was invited to visit the Hong Kong Chuang's Group and was received by Chuang's Group Chairman Chong Chung-man.

As soon as Zhuang Zhongwen saw Xiao Jun, he asked about Xiao Hong in a gossipy manner. The faces of the delegation members immediately became strange. They didn't expect that a businessman like him would also care about the gossip about a writer.

Zhuang Zhongwen glanced at the expressions of the crowd and laughed, "Don't look at me as a money-grubbing businessman now. I was also a literary youth back then. Mr. Lu Xun once rode on my skateboard!"

Zhuang Zhongwen looked proud when he talked about the past. Everyone was surprised to hear him mention Mr. Lu Xun, so Zhuang Zhongwen explained it again.

It turns out that Zhuang Zhongwen studied at Jimei Navigation and Fisheries School founded by Mr. Tan Kah Kee in his early years. Mr. Lu Xun was teaching at Xiamen University at the time and had given lectures to them at the school.

After listening to Zhuang Zhongwen's talk about his relationship with Mr. Lu Xun, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness to him.

After visiting the Chuang's Group, Zhuang Zhongwen arranged a banquet for the delegation.

During this time, Lin Chaoyang went to the restroom. Zhuang Zhongwen was standing next to him. The old comrade stood there for a while without making any noise. Lin Chaoyang was afraid that he would feel embarrassed, so after finishing his work, he quickly shook his thing and went to wash his hands.

When he bent down, the jade pendant on his neck slipped to his armpit. Lin Chaoyang took it out and hung it on his chest.

Lin Chaoyang bought this peace locket at a trust store for more than 50 yuan. It is a product from the late Qing Dynasty, when jade was popular among princes and nobles, and jade products were all the rage.

When Lin Chaoyang saw the peace locket, he was so delighted by its translucent texture and charming charm that he bought it.

It's more like playing with it than keeping you safe.

He washed and dried his hands and was about to put the peace locket back on his chest. Zhuang Zhongwen, who had just come out of the water, greeted him with a smile. When he saw the peace locket in his hand, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

"Mr. Lin, this peace locket is a good thing. What is its origin?"

Lin Chaoyang shook his head. "It doesn't have any history, it's just that the water quality is better."

Zhuang Zhongwen smiled and nodded, "The quality of the jade is indeed good, as clear as water, and clear and generous. It's a pity that it has no history. If it was something worn by a prince or princess, it would be worth at least hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars here."

The past decade has been a period of economic growth in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and collecting has become popular. In this prosperous era, many celebrities have a preference for collecting antiques, artworks and precious jewelry, and jade is one of the favorite collections of some wealthy people in Hong Kong and Taiwan. There was a period of time in later generations when domestic jade was sold at sky-high prices, which was also driven by Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In Hong Kong today, the income of ordinary working-class people is generally between 3,000 and 5,000 Hong Kong dollars, and hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars is a huge sum of money, not to mention for Lin Chaoyang who comes from the mainland.

After Zhuang Zhongwen said this, he saw that Lin Chaoyang's expression was normal, without any change.

He smiled and said, "I'm sorry, we businessmen always like to measure value with money."

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "You're kidding. Who doesn't like money? It's a pity that my peace locket has no history, otherwise I could make a fortune."

He said that the jade peace locket had no origin but was just being humble. It does have a history and it is quite big. This jade peace locket was a gift from Emperor Daoguang to his eldest daughter, Princess Duanmin Gulun.

However, Lin Chaoyang did not intend to honor his promise. He was out on a visit and he could not explain clearly the sudden increase of such a large sum of money.

Seeing that Lin Chaoyang had a relaxed expression and a humorous tone, although he said that he wanted to make a fortune, his eyes were clear and without the slightest desire, Zhuang Zhongwen could not help but look at him differently.

"Mr. Lin likes jade and emerald?"

"I can't say I like it, but I have a bit of a collecting habit. I collect antiques, calligraphy and paintings."

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, Zhuang Zhongwen came to talk about sex and pulled him to talk about his collection experience.

Lin Chaoyang noticed that when he was chatting with Zhuang Zhongwen, the eyes of the accompanying WS staff would linger on him from time to time.

The two chatted for a while, and Zhuang Zhongwen said, "Mr. Lin is much better at reciting antique scriptures than I am."

Zhuang Zhongwen also has a hobby of collecting antiques, but a busy man like him cannot possibly collect things himself, and his vision is limited. Moreover, the money he spends on collecting is much more expensive than that of ordinary people.

Lin Chaoyang made a polite remark, and Zhuang Zhongwen invited him again, "If you have time this time, you can come to my house and appreciate my collections."

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zhuang. Unfortunately, our itinerary this time is quite fixed."

Zhuang Zhongwen smiled and said, "I understand. I understand. We can communicate with each other again when we have the chance."

It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon when the banquet ended. There were no other exchange activities today. Seeing that it was still early, several young people in the delegation suggested to the leader Xiao Jun that they go out for a walk.

Xiao Jun discussed with the WS staff for a while and agreed to everyone's proposal, but they could only go shopping in the mall as a group.

Lin Chaoyang had no interest in participating in group activities, but he thought that he must bring some gifts back for his family this time, so he might as well take this opportunity to go shopping.

The last day of their trip is free time, so if they rush to buy things on that day, they will inevitably be in a rush.

Before leaving the hotel, Lin Chaoyang told Xiao Jun that he wanted to go to the Bank of China to withdraw some money, so Xiao Jun sent Jin Ying and Li Guowen to accompany him.

Lin Chaoyang's foreign currency was all in his account at the Bank of China. He went to the bank and withdrew all 6600 Hong Kong dollars. He didn't need the foreign currency on a regular basis anyway, so he might as well take this opportunity to spend it and bring more things back for his family.

Since 1969, banknotes issued by the Hong Kong government have ceased to circulate. Hong Kong's current currency is issued by HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank, with the largest denomination being 1000 yuan.

The money Lin Chaoyang took out were all 100-yuan notes, stacked together into a small pile. It wasn't very thick, but it still surprised Jin Ying.

"Chaoyang, where did you get so many Hong Kong dollars?"

After she finished speaking, she realized that she had asked a stupid question, "By the way, your novel has been published in Hong Kong. Is this the payment?"

"Yes. I left over 6000 yuan at that time, and it just happened to come in handy this time."

"Are you going to spend all this money?" Jin Ying was shocked again.

"It's rare for me to go out, so I should bring something back for my family. Otherwise, this money will be useless if it's just sitting there."

Lin Chaoyang's tone was understated, which made Jin Ying and Li Guowen envious.

"That's great. With so many Hong Kong dollars, I should be able to buy a lot of things, right?"

"That depends on what you buy. If you use this money to buy gold, it may not be even as big as your finger." Lin Chaoyang said jokingly.

Jin Ying couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, "You must be rich to have come all the way to Hong Kong to buy gold!"

"Comrade Jin Ying, you don't know this, right? The gold in Hong Kong is cheaper than that in our mainland." Lin Chaoyang explained.

Jin Ying was surprised, "It's cheaper than our place?"

She thought that prices in Hong Kong were high and everything was naturally expensive, but she didn't expect that the price of gold here was actually lower than in China.

Seeing that the two were talking about gold with great interest, Li Guowen couldn't help but say, "You really want to buy gold?"

Jin Ying and Lin Chaoyang looked at each other and laughed. Although gold is good, its practicality is too low. They must bring something useful back.

The three of them went to join the main group and strolled outside until dinner, but no one bought anything.

The reason is simple: the things are too expensive.

A bowl of noodles costs ten or eight Hong Kong dollars, and the allowance for a visit is only eighty Hong Kong dollars, which is not enough to buy some decent gifts.

Several people in the delegation even exchanged some Hong Kong dollars before coming. Everyone earned tens to hundreds of Hong Kong dollars, but after shopping for a long time, they still couldn't bring themselves to buy anything.

After a walk around Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, everyone no longer had the excitement they had when they first arrived, and were feeling depressed due to the high prices in capitalist society.

Walking outside the mall, Lin Chaoyang pointed to the huge poster hanging outdoors.

"This trip wasn't in vain, I can see Miss Xiangjiang!"

Everyone looked up and saw a girl on the facade of Harbour City with a face full of collagen, fashionable clothes, bright makeup, a hairpin on one of her fingers, and a cute and innocent expression.

That was Maggie Cheung, the Miss Hong Kong runner-up and Miss Photogenic who was selected from the Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant that just concluded.

Her poster attracted the attention of many Hong Kong citizens and also attracted the attention of the delegation members.

Capitalism is different!

(End of this chapter)