Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 412: Romance Alone
In addition to letters and sample books, the package sent by Ming Pao Publishing House also contained some magazines and newspapers. These publications were collected by Dong Qiao.

It records some media feedback after "The Death of Van Gogh" and "Crossing the Guandong" were released in Hong Kong in the past year or so.

Lin Chaoyang flipped through it casually. There were at least fifteen or sixteen publications in it, and half of them were introductions and reviews of "Crossing the Guandong".

You have to know that "Crossing the Guandong" has only been published for less than two months. The attention of these publications also proves the popularity of this novel in Hong Kong.

One of the new magazines that caught the most attention was "Hong Kong Literature", which was just launched this month.

"Hong Kong Literature" is named "Hong Kong", and its intention and pattern are self-evident.

If we look closely at the origins of this publication, it is not difficult to discover that "Hong Kong Literature" was actually founded with funds from the mainland, and Hong Kong writer Liu Yichang was invited to serve as editor-in-chief.

If it were in the 1970s, it would be almost impossible for "Hong Kong Literature" to appear.

Because since 67, the Hong Kong government has imposed strict restrictions on ZY people and their activities.

The reason why "Hong Kong Literature" appeared at this point in time is naturally closely related to the "ZY Joint Statement" just released last month.

With the release of the ZY joint statement, Hong Kong's return to China has become an ironclad fact, and the ZY culture that has been suppressed over the years has gradually become mainstream.

Since the 1970s, the situation of Hong Kong's literary periodicals has been deteriorating, and knowledgeable people in the literary world have even exclaimed: Hong Kong's literature is about to perish.

The literary environment in Hong Kong is not good, and it is not easy for pure literary publications to survive. This is an old problem and will not change much because of the attention of the literary community.

But the birth of "Hong Kong Literature" has undoubtedly injected a shot in the arm to the sluggish Hong Kong literary magazine industry.

This publication did not continue the traditional idea of ​​either friend or foe that was used in the early years of Hong Kong pure literature publications. Instead, it was inclusive and united writers from all walks of life.

In the inaugural edition of Hong Kong Literature, Liu Yichang first emphasized that Hong Kong literature is an integral part of Chinese literature.

He then said that "Hong Kong Literature" does not represent a certain position or faction, but represents the whole of Hong Kong, emphasizing that Hong Kong literature can play a special role in communicating between China and the West and connecting Chinese literature.

Liu Yichang not only said this, but also did it.

The inaugural issue of Hong Kong Literature contains not only works by ZY writers, but also works by YY and modernist writers such as Li Kuang, Huang Ya, Li Yinghao, and Yang Jiguang. This is incredible for a publication funded by the mainland.

Such a broad pattern laid the foundation for the development direction and momentum of "Hong Kong Literature". As soon as the magazine was published, it received a lot of praise from the Hong Kong cultural circle, making everyone seem to see the hope of Hong Kong literature.

And in this issue of the publication, which has been well received by the Hong Kong literary circles, there happens to be a book review of "Crossing the Guandong" written by Hong Kong poet Li Kuang.

The title is "Wandering Alone - Cheering for "Crossing the Guandong"."

The article wrote:
The publication of Crossing the Great Wall in mainland China was cheered by critics, marveled at by the press, and readers rushed to buy it, resulting in it being sold out in a big way.

Amidst the overwhelming praise, I still can't help but praise it.

"Crossing the Guandong" was written by a mainland writer, but it is the pride of all Chinese people because it allows us to see more possibilities of Chinese literature and the vigorous creativity and vitality rooted in national culture.

Its tragic and solemn nature is extremely rare in Chinese literature. The unpredictable nature of life and the vicissitudes and ruthless history it displays are full of artistic appeal.

Its birth raised the height of Chinese literature in the world literary arena and established a new peak for Chinese literature.

Li Kuang is not well-known in later generations, but he is indeed a figure that cannot be ignored in the Hong Kong literary world in the second half of the 20th century.

As early as the 1950s, Li Kuang was a very popular poet in Hong Kong. His poems were popular in the literary world and were almost the memory of a generation of Hong Kong people of that era.

Later, he edited two literary magazines, "Renren Literature" and "Hai Lan", which were widely welcomed by readers and had an unparalleled reputation, making him a leader in the literary world.

Unfortunately, he bid farewell to the Hong Kong literary world 58 years later, settled in Singapore, and has not been heard from since.

Now, after a gap of 27 years, Li Kuang's writings appeared again in "Hong Kong Literature", which naturally aroused strong attention in the Hong Kong literary world.

Of course, in addition to this article, he published a serious article in this issue of the magazine, which seemed to be a novel titled "Twilight at Su's House".

"Wandering Alone - Cheering for "Crossing the Guandong"" caused quite a stir after it was published in the inaugural issue of "Hong Kong Literature".

No one expected that the first article he wrote after his comeback to the literary world would be a hymn of praise for "Crossing the Guandong".

Moreover, although the Hong Kong literary circles have praised "Crossing the Guandong" a lot in recent years, it is rare to see someone sing its praises as loudly as Li Kuang.

His high evaluation of "Crossing the Guandong" was also recognized by many people in the Hong Kong literary circle, which helped boost the popularity of this novel in Hong Kong.

After learning about the opinions of the Hong Kong literary circles and media on "Crossing the Guandong", Lin Chaoyang collected all these publications.

A few days later, time quietly came to the twelfth lunar month.

This year's Spring Festival is particularly late, and it will not be celebrated until February 2. Therefore, it is not until the end of January that we enter the twelfth lunar month.

Yesterday, Lin Chaoyang had a sudden idea. He used the waste wood left over from the renovation of the East Courtyard to make a few brick molds, covered the outside with mud, and then poured water inside.

After freezing like this, an ice brick is ready.

Early this morning, Lin Chaoyang diligently repeated yesterday's operation, and then used these ice bricks to build an evenly spaced downward slide. Water was poured between the gaps between the ice bricks as an adhesive.

The highest point of the slide is about 1 meters high and 2 meters long, and the width is just enough to accommodate a little kid like Xiao Dongdong.

When Liu Xinwu brought Tian Geng in, he saw Lin Chaoyang working hard with a small shovel to scrape the handrails on both sides of the slide. The edges of the ice were sharp, so he had to scrape out an arc.

"Chaoyang, what are you doing?" Liu Xinwu asked.

At this moment, Lin Chaoyang was working so hard that white steam came out of his head, as if he had reached the state of three flowers gathering at the top of the head. He turned around and saw Liu Xinwu and Tian Geng, and greeted them with a smile. "Make a slide for my son. Wait for me for a moment, it will be done soon."

As he spoke, Lin Chaoyang continued to be busy. Liu Xinwu and Tian Geng stood in the yard and watched Lin Chaoyang work with interest.

Twenty minutes later, Lin Chaoyang finally finished fixing the slide. Xiao Dongdong, who had been waiting on the side and was eager to try it out, climbed up the slide impatiently despite Tao Yumo's attempts to stop him.

As a result, before he reached the top, he fell down hard and screamed loudly!
After Tao Yumo helped him up, he held Tao Yumo's hand again without giving up. With his aunt's help, he could finally experience the slide.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"

Lin Chaoyang took out the aluminum washing basin from home, placed it on the top of the slide, then carried Xiao Dongdong into the basin and gently pushed him forward.

The coefficient of friction between metal and ice is very low. The washtub carrying Xiao Dongdong slid down easily and slid a long distance on the flat ground. Lin Chaoyang also sprinkled some water on the ground, which froze.

Little Dongdong burst into cheerful laughter and clapped his hands excitedly. After he stopped, he could run back to the starting point by himself dragging the wash basin without Lin Chaoyang's teaching.

"Aunt! Hug me!"

The slide was too high and he couldn't climb up, so he could only ask Tao Yumo for help.

Seeing his son's happy face, Lin Chaoyang smiled, feeling that his efforts over the past two days were not in vain.

"Let's go in." Lin Chaoyang led Liu Xinwu and Tian Geng into the main room.

In fact, Lin Chaoyang could also guess why they came today. "The Chess Master" has been published for several years, and the publishing contract is about to expire. It goes without saying what Tian Geng and Liu Xinwu are doing here at this time.

After taking a few sips of tea and chatting for a while, Liu Xinwu was the first to get to the point.

"Chaoyang, I came here with the editor-in-chief this time to discuss the contract issue of "The Chess Master" with you..."

There have been personnel changes at Yenching Publishing House in recent years, and Tian Geng has become the editor-in-chief.

Liu Xinwu started the conversation, and Tian Geng continued by saying how pleasant the cooperation between the two parties was before and how he hoped they could continue the cooperation. Then he took the initiative to mention the issue of royalties.

"Chaoyang, I heard that you received more than 100,000 yuan in royalties from the publication of "Crossing Guandong"?"

Lin Chaoyang asked curiously: "Who told you this number?"

"Everyone is saying this, are there really so many?"

When Tian Geng asked this question, Liu Xinwu on the side shot him a gossipy look.

"A bit conservative."

Lin Chaoyang spoke briefly and to the point. Liu Xinwu's eyes widened. "Is this conservative? It would be 200,000 or 300,000?"

Lin Chaoyang said nothing.

"Four hundred thousand?"

Lin Chaoyang said nothing again.

"Five million?"

Lin Chaoyang still didn't speak.

After guessing this, Liu Xinwu no longer dared to guess any further, because this number was beyond his acceptable range.

He even felt a little chill in his heart. You know, Liu Shaotang suffered a lot because of the high royalties.

At this time, Tian Geng didn't know what to say. The two of them stared at each other. Finally, Tian Geng asked Lin Chaoyang blankly:
"Chaoyang, can the contract for "The Chess Master" be renewed?"

Half a million was not enough, how much money did Huacheng Publishing House give Lin Chaoyang? He had given up hope of renewing the contract.

"Yes, as long as the price is right." Lin Chaoyang said happily.

Tian Geng's eyes lit up immediately, but then he became cautious again.

That’s hundreds of thousands!
Speaking of the royalty contract, Tian Geng and the president Lu Yuanchi had discussed it specifically before coming.

Both of them believed that since Huacheng Publishing House had set this precedent, if Yenching Publishing House wanted to continue cooperating with Lin Chaoyang, they would have to take this path.

So after they discussed it, they thought it might be possible to sign a copyright contract.

Anyway, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, and Huacheng Publishing House is at the forefront. Even if the trend changes in the future, their Yenching Publishing House will at most suffer some consequences.

But when he really met Lin Chaoyang and heard from him the amount of royalties paid by Huacheng Publishing House, Tian Geng still backed off a little.

He was given at least 500,000 yuan in royalties for a book. If this were to be taken too seriously, he and Lu Yuanchi would probably be held responsible.

"Do you mean payment in the form of royalties?" Tian Geng asked thoughtfully.

Lin Chaoyang nodded and said, "Yes. I signed a royalty contract with Huacheng Publishing House. If nothing unexpected happens, when the contract for "The Chess Master" expires, I will give it to them, unless there is a publishing house willing to pay a higher price than them."

"Ah!" Tian Geng let out a short cry.

(End of this chapter)