Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 383 Who will take care of the children when you go?
According to the sales volume in the past six months, Lin Chaoyang received a royalty income of 8.46 Hong Kong dollars in this royalty settlement. This is a decrease compared to the previous figure, but it is still quite considerable.

Moreover, the Hong Kong dollar has appreciated this year, so 8.46 Hong Kong dollars is equivalent to about 2.55 yuan when converted into RMB.

The sales of just over 20 copies brought Lin Chaoyang nearly 5 Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to more than RMB in income. Royalties in Hong Kong are still easy to make!
After sighing, Lin Chaoyang continued reading the letter.

After talking about the sales and royalties of "The Death of Van Gogh", Dong Qiao actually mentioned "Crossing the Guandong" in his letter.

"Half a month ago, I was pleased that my brother's new work "Crossing Guandong" had been published in the mainland in recent months, causing a sensation in China. It was in great demand and quickly sold well in the north and south. I specially asked a friend to buy a copy of "Huacheng" for me.

After reading it, I was astonished. This work is truly a masterpiece of the generation in the contemporary Chinese novel world, with rich epic qualities..."

Dong Qiao's compliment was polite, but it obviously had ulterior motives.

Sure enough, at the end of the letter, Dong Qiao mentioned that he hoped Lin Chaoyang could entrust the publication of "Crossing the Guandong" in Hong Kong to Ming Pao Publishing House.

After reading the letter, Lin Chaoyang pondered for a while. At this moment, Tao Yushu was about to go out to work. Seeing him standing there after reading the letter, he asked, "What's wrong? Who wrote the letter?"

"Ming Pao Publishing House. The royalties for The Death of Van Gogh are about to be settled, and they also want the publishing rights for Crossing the Guandong."

"You said before that the royalties they gave were a bit low, right?"

“Yes, so I am hesitant.”

Tao Yushu gathered his hair, tied it up with a rubber band, and prepared to go out. "Then you can think about it yourself. I'm going to work."

She said and walked out.

Tao Yumo held Xiao Dongdong and came close to Lin Chaoyang, and asked curiously: "Brother-in-law, have you settled your royalties again? How much is it this time?"

"Not much, just over 20,000."

Tao Yumo was shocked by these ordinary words. He said more than 20,000 yuan as if it were more than two yuan. She didn't know how to respond to Lin Chaoyang for a moment.

So she changed the subject and asked, "Brother-in-law, if "Crossing Guandong" is to be published, can it be made into a movie by a Hong Kong film company?"

In the past few months, she would visit Du Feng's video hall whenever she had free time and was fascinated by Hong Kong movies.

"For a Hong Kong film company?" Lin Chaoyang looked at her in surprise, "They can't make something like this!"

"Oh. If 'Crossing the Guandong' is published, it will definitely make a lot of money."

"Ah."

Lin Chaoyang was thinking about Dong Qiao's request and responded to her absent-mindedly.

After a while, he said hello to Tao Yumo and went straight to the Telegraph Building in Xidan.

Making and receiving phone calls is a hassle nowadays. Short distance calls are still okay, but using company phones or public phones is a bit troublesome. But there is always a way.

Long-distance calls, especially international ones, are a real hassle to make.

Long-distance calls can usually be made at larger post offices, and international long-distance calls are even more difficult and can only be made at telegraph buildings.

Moreover, because there were so many people and few telephones, the telephone lines in the telegraph building were extremely busy and often congested.

So many people who wanted to make international long-distance calls to relatives and friends abroad at the Telegraph Building often had to bring their lunch and queue up, which could take half a day.

In addition to the time cost, it also costs money. It costs more than ten yuan per minute. A three to five minute call will cost an ordinary working class person a month's salary.

Guangzhou is close to the Hong Kong River, so it was not surprising that the craze for "Crossing the Guandong" in China spread there. However, Lin Chaoyang did not expect Ming Pao Publishing House to be so decisive in proposing the publication.

You should know that "Crossing the Guandong" has not yet been published in mainland China.

But given the stingy style of Ming Pao Publishing House, Lin Chaoyang certainly wouldn't agree to them easily.

Moreover, with the successful publication of "The Death of Van Gogh" in Hong Kong, Lin Chaoyang has also gained some fame. This time it was Dong Qiao who took the initiative to request publication, so it is natural that he could not take such a low royalty standard as last time.

He arrived at the telegraph building, queued up, filled out forms, paid money, and waited... It was almost noon before Lin Chaoyang made the call.

Writing a letter is too troublesome. It’s faster to call.

Dong Qiao was very surprised when he received Lin Chaoyang's call. After a few casual words, Dong Qiao started talking about "Crossing the Guandong".

He knew that it was inconvenient to make phone calls in the mainland, and the fact that Lin Chaoyang called him must be to discuss the matter of "Crossing the Guandong".

When "The Death of Van Gogh" was published, Ming Pao Publishing gave Lin Chaoyang a 12% royalty rate, which is not considered high in the Hong Kong literary world.

Dong Qiao had met Lin Chaoyang twice and knew his character, so he expected that he would definitely ask for royalties.

However, Lin Chaoyang suddenly raised the royalty standard to 20%, which really surprised him.

Since the Hong Kong publishing market is relatively small, the royalty rate has always been relatively high compared to some countries and regions with larger markets. The royalty rates for famous authors are between 15% and 20%.

Lin Chaoyang reached the highest standard all of a sudden, which really made Dong Qiao feel embarrassed.

Lin Chaoyang did not argue with him, but just expressed his attitude, saying that he would not discuss anything other than 20% royalties, and his attitude was very tough.

Lin Chaoyang was not afraid at all that his tough attitude would anger Ming Pao Publishing or Dong Qiao. Everyone was just doing business.

Since you dared to offer a 5% royalty rate before on the grounds that I am not famous, it is not unreasonable for me to ask for 20% now.

Of course, such a thing could not be decided on the spot. Dong Qiao said he needed to think about it, and Lin Chaoyang hung up the phone.

After the phone call, he settled the bill and found that the fifty yuan he paid was not enough, and he had to pay another six yuan.

Lin Chaoyang's heart was bleeding. Just for the phone bill, the 20% royalty rate could not be reduced even a penny!
A few days later, Lin Chaoyang received a call from the south. It was from Li Shifei from Huacheng Publishing House.

"Crossing the Guandong" was successfully published, and the sensation it caused is rare in today's literary world.

In the coming period, Huacheng Publishing House will prepare for the publication of the novel, so it plans to hold a seminar on the work "Crossing the Guandong" at the end of July.

The seminar was held in Huacheng, but the specifications were very high. Li Shifei mentioned several names of people he planned to invite.

If large publishing houses such as Renwen Press and Yenching Publishing House held a seminar in Yenching, it would not be unusual to invite these people to appear, but Huacheng Publishing House is located in Guangdong, and it can be said that it is sincere enough to invite so many senior predecessors at once.

"Guangdong is a long way away. Are you sure they can accept the invitation?" Lin Chaoyang asked Li Shifei uncertainly.

“They may not come to seminars for other works, but they will definitely come to the seminar for Crossing the Guandong.”

Although Li Shifei's words seemed to be flattery, Lin Chaoyang was still very happy. Who doesn't want to hear good words!
The work seminar held by Huacheng Publishing House this time was of high standard and involved publishing. After all, Lin Chaoyang had signed a royalty contract, so he must attend such an occasion. After accepting Li Shifei's invitation, Lin Chaoyang did not expect that Li Hanxiang would suddenly come to their house just one day later.

“When did you come to the mainland?”

"I've just been here for a few days. I've finished writing the first draft of the script and came here to discuss cooperation with CCTV."

After falling out with the co-production company, Li Hanxiang got in touch with the China Television Drama International Cooperation Company.

His new film "Fire Dragon" is adapted from "His Second Half of Life" written by Li Shuxian, Puyi's wife after the liberation. It describes the second half of the life of the former emperor Puyi as an ordinary person after the liberation, as well as his love life with his wife Li Shuxian.

After chatting about movies for a while, Li Hanxiang suddenly set his eyes on the official hat chair where he was sitting. He stroked the armrests of the chair like a pervert seeing a naked beauty.

The official hat chairs got their name because of their appearance which is similar to the hats worn by ancient officials. The pair of official hat chairs in Lin Chaoyang's study have a comfortable and elegant shape, exquisite carvings, and excellent appearance. Li Hanxiang was moved when he saw them.

His biggest hobby is collecting Ming and Qing furniture. He has picked up many bargains while filming in mainland China in the past two years.

"Is this chair made of huanghuali wood? When was it made?"

"From the late Ming Dynasty."

Li Hanxiang stood up again and took a closer look. "Oh, it's really well preserved. You just let people sit like this?"

His face was full of distress when he said this, "Few people come to my study, and you are the third one to sit in it."

Li Hanxiang stroked the Ruyi-shaped opening on the chair with his hand, and greed flashed in his eyes. "It's a waste of this chair to keep it with you. Why don't you give it to me?"

Facing his unreasonable request, Lin Chaoyang only replied: "You are ugly, but you think beautifully!"

Li Hanxiang was not angry after being scolded by Lin Chaoyang. He was prepared to be scolded when he made this request.

It’s a pity that Lin Chaoyang’s attitude of refusal was too firm, otherwise he really wanted to beg and plead.

After chatting for a while, Lin Chaoyang saw that he had no intention of leaving, so he asked, "Is this the only reason you came here?"

"Invite me to dinner tonight and I'll tell you."

Lin Chaoyang sneered, "You're eating for free and you're so confident about it."

Jokes aside, having a meal with guests is a courtesy and we must not neglect them.

For Li Hanxiang, Lin Chaoyang prepared a few more dishes in the evening. Li Hanxiang loved meat and he stared at the dish of braised pork on the table and ate until his mouth was full of oil.

"Hui Tsai told me before that many people said your cooking skills were great and they regretted not having tasted it earlier." Li Hanxiang chewed the meat with great joy and asked, "How did you cook this meat? It tastes better than the ones cooked by the chefs in the restaurants."

"It tastes good, right? It's made with a bottle of Xifeng wine." Lin Chaoyang said with some heartache.

By entertaining Li Hanxiang, Lin Chaoyang showed his sincerity.

The braised pork is seasoned with sweet sauce and stewed with pure wine. The meat is as red as amber after it is served.

“…You can simmer it with water, but you have to boil it away until the water vapor is gone. You can’t lift the lid during the process, otherwise the fat will be lost and the flavor will be lost.

The time to take it out of the pot must be just right. If it is taken out of the pot too early, it will turn yellow, and if it is taken too late, it will turn purple, and the meat will become hard and woody..."

Li Hanxiang's interactions with Lin Chaoyang have always been casual, and he seldom looks at him differently because of his identity as a writer. But today, as he listened to Lin Chaoyang's diet tips, he couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for him.

"If you go to Hong Kong, you can become a gourmet!"

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Is the threshold for becoming a gourmet in Hong Kong so low?"

"It's true that they are not that high. They are all intellectuals who have never touched the world of cooking. When it comes to their understanding of food, they may not be as good as the chefs."

Lin Chaoyang nodded when he heard this. If he didn’t go into the kitchen, he couldn’t be called a gourmet.

After chatting for a while, Lin Chaoyang remembered the topic from the afternoon and asked, "What else did you come here for today?"

Li Hanxiang picked up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks and put it into his mouth, then began to speak slowly.

"You didn't come to the premiere of 'The Empress Dowager' last time. The Hong Kong Film Awards will be held at the beginning of next month. 'The Empress Dowager' has a great chance of winning this time. You are the screenwriter, so come and attend."

The "Awards" mentioned by Li Hanxiang are the Hong Kong Film Awards, which were founded in 82 and this year is only the 3rd one.

The two parts of "The Last Emperor" occupied two of the top five annual box office positions in Hong Kong after their release last year. The audience response was strong and the film critics also gave rave reviews.

In this awards ceremony, "The Last Emperor" was nominated for eight awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Actor and Best Actress, and it can be said to be the strongest contender for this year's Hong Kong Film Awards.

Lin Chaoyang is the screenwriter of the film and has a good chance of winning an award, so Li Hanxiang invited him to Hong Kong.

"What day is the award ceremony?" Lin Chaoyang asked.

"May 8th."

Lin Chaoyang happens to be going to Guangzhou at the end of the month to attend a seminar on his work "Crossing the Guandong". Since the two events are so close in time, it wouldn't hurt for him to go.

He explained the situation to Li Hanxiang, who happily said, "Okay. Then contact me when you arrive in Shenzhen and I'll pick you up."

After deciding to go to Hong Kong, Li Hanxiang left after finishing his meal.

Lin Chaoyang said to Tao Yushu, "Come with me at the end of the month, and go for a stroll in Guangzhou and then to Hong Kong."

"No. I'm too busy with editorial work to leave."

After the beginning of the year, Wang Meng planned to set up a correspondence center for creation and a supplement called "Friends of People's Literature" for "People's Literature". The correspondence center was about to open in August and the supplement was also to be launched. Tao Yushu was the executive deputy editor-in-chief, and the job was indeed not an easy one.

Asking a competitive spirit like her to give up her job and go on vacation would probably be more painful to her than killing her.

Knowing Tao Yushu's temper, Lin Chaoyang stopped trying to persuade him.

At this time, Tao Yumo came over holding Xiao Dongdong, "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, I'm fine, take me there!"

Lin Chaoyang glanced at her sideways, "You're going? Who will take care of the children if you go?"

Tao Yumo: ...

(End of this chapter)