Exciting 1979!

Chapter 339 Wei Ming's IP Industry Chain: Novels, Comics, Animation, Toys
Faced with the children's questions, Director Dai felt ashamed, as there was no sign of the next episode yet. To comfort the children, he drew a picture of Black Cat Detective for each of them, and each picture was different in appearance. Only then did he send the young viewers out of their homes.

The next day, after entering the factory, Dai Tielang immediately asked the factory manager whether "Black Cat Detective" could continue to be produced.

"I think the young viewers really like it."

Factory Director Te Wei laughed and said, "Little Dai, look how anxious you are. What can you possibly see after just one day of broadcasting?"

"But the kids in my neighborhood all love it."

“A few isolated cases don’t prove anything. Let’s wait and see,” Te Wei reassured him. The factory was indeed short of funds. If they continued with this project, it wouldn’t be a matter of just one or two episodes; it would definitely be a long-term investment, so they had to be careful.

However, that evening, Shanghai TV began receiving calls asking why "Black Cat Detective" wasn't airing that day and whether the time had been changed.

These days, ordinary people can afford a TV if they grit their teeth, but having a telephone is something that only extraordinary people can afford.

The next day, Shanghai TV contacted Shanghai Animation Film Studio to ask when the second episode would be produced.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio received numerous calls from viewers inquiring about the matter. People had clearly seen the studio's logo at the beginning. Some called the television station, and some even called the director's office directly.

If someone chuckles and says, "Your grandson is still waiting to be seen," then you should probably think twice.

However, increasing evidence shows that the animated series "Black Cat Detective" was indeed very successful. Shanghai TV later rebroadcast "Black Cat Detective", and the ratings were even higher than when it was first broadcast.

Not only did children in Shanghai write letters to TV stations and Shanghai Animation Film Studio requesting updates, but even CCTV took notice of the show and requested it to be broadcast around 5 or 6 pm when children get out of school. Recently, CCTV has been frequently importing animations from Europe, America, and Japan, so it's time to let them see the level of domestic animation.

A week later, Wei Ming finally saw "Black Cat Detective" broadcast on CCTV at home. Gong Xue was also by his side. However, the weather was a bit hot, so before watching the cartoon, they took a shower and opened a package that had come from Hong Kong.

It was sent to them by Liu Rulong and Gong Ying.

Ah Long gave Wei Ming mainly ten copies of the "Madman Comics" magazine, and all the main writers signed them. If the "Madman Comics" magazine is successfully published in the future, these ten copies will be of great significance. Wei Ming should keep at least two copies for himself, one to read and one to collect.

In his letter, Ah Long also reported the good news that "Madman Comics" was suffering serious losses. The 20,000 copies were quickly absorbed by the market, so the second issue in September was expected to lose even more. He planned to start with 30,000 copies.

The more he lost, the more stable Wei Ming's mentality became. It was impossible to fight against Wong Yuk-long, who almost unified the comic book world, without paying a price.

Ah Long also mentioned Gan Xiaowen, a master of nonsensical comics. He said that improving his skills is simple: it's all about nonsensical comics. Writing a long novel might not be easy, but a medium-length story, or even a movie, isn't difficult.

Wei Ming plans to write two scripts for him later so he can test the waters.

Then, while Gong Xue was reading her sister's letter, Wei Ming looked through the things Gong Ying had bought for her sister and saw a swimsuit, a bikini.

"Why did Ying buy this for you?" Wei Ming asked curiously, picking up the package.

Gong Xue blushed and snatched it away, saying, "You little brat, you're just teasing me."

Gong Ying recounted her experience of visiting the ocean park and the beach with Ah Long. She noticed that many women on the beach were wearing swimsuits made of very frugal fabric. Out of curiosity, she bought two sets, one for each of the two sisters. Even if they didn't dare to wear them, they could wear them at home to show their boyfriends.

Wei Ming thought to himself, "It seems that Ah Long is slow to understand, and Ah Ying will have to force him to understand."

Gong Xue complained, "What a waste of money! How can I go out in this swimsuit?"

Wei Ming's mind raced: "We could dig a swimming pool in our courtyard house!"

Although building an indoor heated swimming pool is a bit unrealistic right now, and Master Lei and his team don't have the skills for it, an outdoor one isn't too difficult. With a canopy for shade, it will be another form of entertainment in the summer.

He could even invite Sister Lin along, since the two of them were already familiar with each other. Wei Ming quickly wrote it down in his notebook.

But now he'd rather see Sister Xue in that bikini, since she'd just finished showering and it would be easy for her to change.

After Wei Ming pleaded with her repeatedly, Sister Xue finally changed into the new clothes. She felt a little uncomfortable; it didn't even cover her buttocks. Didn't Hong Kong people have any shame?

Wei Ming didn't know if Hong Kong people had any sense of shame, but he knew that the swimming pool had to be built and water guns had to be bought. He would discuss the plan with Master Lei tomorrow!
In addition, Gong Xue shared some photos of Ah Long and Ah Ying in Hong Kong with Wei Ming. Gong Xue remarked, "Have you noticed that Ah Ying is getting better and better at dressing up, and her clothes are becoming more and more beautiful and fashionable?"

"That's right, she's a fashion designer now, so her own aesthetic sense is very important."

Gong Xue looked at a photo of the two of them taken at Ocean Park and said, "Hong Kong people really know how to do things. They can actually keep such a big shark in captivity for viewing. How did they do that?"

Wei Ming said earnestly, "I'm currently investing in making movies with Qingniao, but there aren't any suitable roles for you right now. If there's an opportunity in the future, I'll borrow you from Beijing Film Studio, and I'll also show you around Hong Kong."

Upon hearing Wei Ming's promise, Gong Xue pressed against Wei Ming's chest and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

As the two were deeply in love, Wei Ming had already placed his hand on the drawstring at the back of the swimsuit, ready to pull it gently... However, Lele's singing started at an inopportune moment, and "Black Cat Detective" began to play.

Previously, "Black Cat Detective" was only popular in Shanghai. Now that it has been broadcast on CCTV, it can be received by TV stations all over the country, directly reaching tens of millions of viewers, including the most powerful consumer group in China. The influence of this show is enormous.

A movie needs a screening period of one or two months to reach tens of millions of viewers, while television only needs one day.

Gong Xue also watches every episode of "Black Cat Detective". At first, she watched it to accompany her nephew to tell stories. Later, she felt that she could also learn knowledge and have fun from it, so she persisted. The rooster that laid eggs in the last episode made her very happy.

Seeing Wei Ming's characters come to life on television is a wonderful feeling; it even makes me want to go to the courtyard house and pet the police chief.

"It's really well-made, it's a pity there's only one episode," Gong Xue said.

Wei Ming said, "I estimate that production will resume soon, and it shouldn't be a problem to release two more episodes by the end of the year."

In fact, Wei Ming felt that one episode per month was a more acceptable pace, but obviously the Shanghai Animation Film Studio could not provide that much manpower and resources. As for one episode per week, he had not even thought about it.

After watching the movie, it was time to get down to business. Wei Ming tirelessly worked on Xue Jie day and night, which made her increasingly exude the aura of a young married woman.

She also complained to Wei Ming that she was afraid she would never be able to play a young woman again, and could only play a young wife or a mother.

Actually, Wei Ming thought Xue Jie was alright; with a little dressing up, she could pass for a young girl. But Lin Jie's mature and sophisticated aura was something that couldn't be hidden.

The next day, Wei Ming went to a courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang in the morning and talked to Master Lei about the swimming pool plan.

Master Lei sighed, "The cost will be even greater, including the water usage in the future."

Wei Ming: "Money is not a problem, we must use the best materials."

Master Lei nodded. He was well aware of Teacher Wei's abilities; the whole country knew it. He was probably the richest writer in the country.

When Mr. Mao Dun passed away, he left behind an estate of 25 yuan, while Wei Ming earned more than that from just one English song!
As usual, Wei Ming ate lunch at home at noon. His parents talked enthusiastically about yesterday's episode of "Black Cat Detective". Wei Ming had two other works that were adapted into animations before, but their influence was far less than that of "Black Cat Detective".

After dinner, Lao Wei called his son aside and secretly told him some good news.

"Old Fei from Shanghai sent a message saying that Jueyuan No. 2 Courtyard has been cleared out for us and we can go over to inspect it."

"Quite fast."

Old Wei: "Should we ask your aunt to come back? Didn't she say there's treasure?"

Wei Ming shook his head: "Just tell her, there's no need to wait for her to come back. She's busy in Hong Kong, we can dig when she has time."

Wei Lingling is busy solving the technical problems of Transformers, and the factory needs to make a profit before the Transformers are made.

If Black Cat Detective weren't a mainland Chinese police officer, this identity wouldn't likely have become popular in Hong Kong. Producing Black Cat Detective-related toys by Langning Toy Factory would also be a lucrative business.

However, once the works of "Madman Comics" have gained a certain influence, they can be licensed to toy factories for toy development.

"Shall we go there together?" Old Wei said.

Wei Ming: "I won't go, but I know Uncle Ping An is going to Shanghai for a meeting next week. You guys can go and collect the house together then. He owns a third of the house."

“Next week,” Old Wei said. “I’ll go back to my hometown this week first. The bridge you donated is about to have its foundation stone laid, and I want to go back and witness it.”

I'll also chat with the villagers about my son raising 150 million yuan. I don't know if they understand what "100 million" means. Is 10,000 households with 10,000 yuan a bit too much for them?

Upon hearing that his father was going back to his hometown, Wei Ming thought of turning Black Cat Detective into a toy.

"Dad, do you think that if city kids watch 'Black Cat Detective', they might want to get a cat?"

“Definitely!” Old Wei replied without hesitation. “I’m even thinking of assigning the sheriff another white cat squad leader. It would be perfect for a play, and it could even have a litter of kittens.”

Wei Ming smiled and said, "However, it's not very convenient to keep a cat in the city, especially if you live upstairs."

“That’s right, otherwise Xizi wouldn’t always be thinking about going to the courtyard house,” Old Wei chimed in.

"But if there were a plush toy that looked exactly like Black Cat Detective, do you think the kids would buy it?"

"Whether the kids will buy it or not depends on their parents. They don't have the final say, but they'll definitely make a fuss," Lao Wei analyzed.

Wei Ming said to Lao Wei, "What do you think about having the people back home make Black Cat Detective dolls during their off-season? This animation is very well-known now and has a large audience base. It should have a market in the city. I remember that our former neighbor, Widow Zhao, was very skilled at needlework. She even sewed a puppy for me with scraps of cloth before."

"Not only Widow Zhao, but there are several other old women who are also quite formidable. Your idea is indeed excellent!"

Wei Ming added, "We can have the village negotiate a cooperation with the higher-level supply and marketing cooperative, with one responsible for production and the other for sales, selling directly to the county seat and even Hengzhou and the provincial capital."

If a few more episodes of Black Cat Detective air, and the show becomes popular, a large number of related toys will definitely appear across the country. It would be better to let people back home use them to make some money in advance. If it can really be turned into an industry in our hometown, that would be the best.

As for making money from intellectual property through official licensing, we don't need to worry about that for decades to come.

More than a decade later, CCTV produced and broadcast a version of "Black Cat Detective," which was poorly made and the black cat looked like a black bear. They didn't pay any copyright fees, let alone expect any from toy manufacturers.

Wei Ming was looking to the future. Once the copyright system was properly regulated, the Black Cat Detective IP would become truly valuable. Perhaps he could even have a showdown with the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. After all, he was the one who drew the Detective's appearance, and the novel's influence was enormous. He wouldn't be as passive as Zhu Zhixiang in his previous life.

It's true that Teacher Zhu is the author of Black Cat Detective, but the image and influence of Black Cat Detective come from Dai Tielang's secondary creation, which led to constant lawsuits and damaged relationships. The next day, Lao Wei left, and CCTV, responding to public demand, rebroadcast "Black Cat Detective," making the impression of Black Cat Detective Mimi even deeper for children across the country.

It was at this time that the inaugural issue of "King of Fairy Tales" was officially launched, and the story of "Black Cat Detective" would continue here.

~
Jianshe Street Primary School, Xiantao County, Hubei Province.

After school, 12-year-old Lei Jun ran home immediately and found an email on the table that belonged to him.

"Mom, is it 'King of Fairy Tales'?"

Lei's mother nodded, and little Lei Jun happily took out the magazine and couldn't wait to read it.

He grew up in the countryside, but he was intelligent from a young age and even made his own light bulbs for his mother.

Lei Jun's father was a teacher. Two years ago, he moved to the city with his parents' job transfer and became a student in the county town. He also came into contact with more books and magazines and eagerly armed his mind through reading.

When he first watched the story of "Black Cat Detective", he was immediately attracted by the all-knowing AI of Black Cat Detective. At that time, he didn't even know what a computer was.

Because his family wasn't very wealthy, Lei Jun used to read Black Cat Detective magazines by borrowing children's literature from his classmates, and he also borrowed TV from his classmates.

However, he got first place in his class at the end of last semester, and his mother promised to order the new edition of "King of Fairy Tales" as a reward for him.

While his mother was cooking, Lei Jun was watching the latest episode of "Black Cat Detective" in the living room, without even having time to look at the table of contents.

This time, the readers were not disappointed. One-Ear had not clashed with the sheriff before, but this time the two finally faced off, and it felt like a major battle was about to break out.

Although Lei Jun felt that the illustrator's skill level was not as good as the original one, fortunately, Brother Wei's writing style was enough to give him room for imagination, as if he were reading a martial arts novel.

Black Cat Sheriff is indeed very strong, but One-Ear is not weak either. He is not as physically strong as a cat, but he knows how to take advantage of others.

But in the end, the winner was still the wise and brave sheriff. The mouse was caught, and the egg was found. At this point, there was still half of the story of Black Cat Sheriff.

The following plot involves the trial of One-Ear.

Wei Ming felt that in addition to popularizing science about the animal kingdom and nature, Black Cat Detective could also take on the task of popularizing science in society, and this chapter could be considered as laying the groundwork for the subsequent all-out crackdown on organized crime.

While writing this chapter, Wei Ming had a drink with some old friends from the Peking University Law Department, and the framework came together.

The subsequent proceedings were basically a public prosecution and trial of the crimes committed by One Ear in accordance with existing national legal procedures.

Because Wei Ming's version of One-Ear never killed any "humans," he ultimately survived. However, he was convicted of multiple crimes, including theft, fraud, violent assault, instigation, assaulting police officers, and endangering forest safety, and was sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of his animal rights for life.

With One-Ear imprisoned in the Lakeside Prison, a place teeming with talented individuals, this episode of "Black Cat Detective" came to an end.

Seeing One-Ear locked behind bars and finally locked in a gaze with the sheriff, Lei Jun felt a sense of the story coming to an end, as if the sheriff had already completed his mission.

However, Brother Wei devoted a lot of ink to the criminals who had been imprisoned before. These criminals were all extraordinary, and their crimes were even more serious than those of the one-eared criminals.

It seems the real story has only just begun!
Little Lei Jun couldn't wait to see what happened next. Brother Wei was so good at leaving clues; he truly lived up to his nickname, Wei Ming the Gouzi.

He remembered that there was a new work by Wei in this issue, so he quickly went to the table of contents to find it. He then saw that the first article in the magazine was "Black Cat Detective," while Wei's new work was placed at the end and was called "Calabash Brothers."

~
In the diplomatic compound in Yenching.

Xu Qing, the "flower of the compound," is only 12 years old today, but she has grown into a tall and beautiful young woman, quite popular with boys.

That day, after she finished reading a magazine, she immediately ran to the house of an old man in the compound who loved to grow flowers and plants. The old man wasn't home, but his grandson was.

This grandson, who was thirteen or fourteen years old, went to the same school as Xu Qing. When he saw Xu Qing, he was so nervous that he didn't know where to put his hands.

"Brother Jianguo, can I have a gourd?" Xu Qing tilted her head, looking innocent and naive.

Although this gourd was a treasure carefully cultivated by Grandpa, Jianguo said without hesitation, "Little Qing, take whatever you want. Oh dear, it's too high, isn't it? I'll help you pick it. Which one do you want?"

Although there are many gourds, only a few are large and well-proportioned.

Xu Qing pointed to the most standard one: "This one."

This was Grandpa's favorite gourd, which he said he wanted to display in the living room and have someone paint a picture and write a poem on it. However, Jianguo only hesitated for a moment before agreeing and picked up the scissors to take it off for her.

“And this one.” Xu Qing pointed to another very standard gourd.

Jianguo's heart skipped a beat. This was something his grandfather really liked, and he even said he wanted to polish it into a wine gourd.

Seeing Xiao Qing's adorable appearance, Jianguo hesitated only for a moment before cutting it for her.

“I like this one too,” Xu Qing pointed to the high place, “Oh dear, is it too high? Maybe we should forget it, it wouldn’t be worth it if Brother Jianguo fell.”

Upon hearing this, Jianguo immediately brought over a stool: "Is it high? Not at all. We've already cut it off. Xiaoqing, take it."

With three large gourds in her arms, Xu Qing could barely hold them all. Jianguo thought that Xiao Qing should be satisfied now.

Then Xu Qing pointed to another gourd that was also quite standard: "And this one..."

Jianguo finally couldn't help but interrupt, "Xiaoqing, how many do you want?"

Xu Qing said, "I only need to collect seven."

Seven!?

Jianguo was shocked. There were only six or seven gourds growing properly on this gourd vine. You're not planning to leave any for my grandfather!
Xu Qing lowered her head and said apologetically, "Did I make things difficult for you, Brother Jianguo?"

Jianguo scratched his head: "I just don't understand, why do you need so many gourds?"

Xu Qing: "I want to collect all the Calabash Brothers."

"The Calabash Brothers? What are those?"

Xu Qing exclaimed in surprise, "You didn't know that? Didn't you subscribe to 'King of Fairy Tales'? Lots of my classmates have subscribed to 'King of Fairy Tales'. 'Calabash Brothers' is Wei's new story."

"Wei what? The Wei what from 'Black Cat Detective'? I watched the cartoon yesterday."

"Yes, that's it. It's very interesting. It's about an old man who found a magical gourd seed and grew seven talking gourds. They're said to have very powerful abilities. Oh, if you want to know, go read it yourself."

Actually, the first chapter of "Calabash Brothers" wasn't very interesting, since the gourd cubs hadn't yet shown their human forms or started their formal confrontation with the scorpion and snake demons. However, Wei Ming made a clever cut, ending at the moment when Grandpa was captured.

This left Xu Qing, a young reader eager to know what would happen next, feeling unsatisfied, so she set her sights on the gourd vine in the courtyard.

Hearing Xu Qing's convincing reason, Jianguo didn't say anything more. He obediently cut four more neat and beautiful gourds for Xu Qing, while the rest were all crooked and broken.

To thank her brother Jianguo, Xu Qing agreed to let him help her take the gourd home.

The two of them, like scorpion demons and snake demons, carried the seven large gourds and strode away.

Half an hour later, when the old man returned home, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief: "Gourd, my precious gourd!"

~
After finishing his class, Professor Qu Yude went to the library, where he indeed met Wei Ming.

Wei Ming smiled and said, "Professor Qu, have you finished reading my new work?"

"That's all there is to see," Qu Yude said, dissatisfied.

Upon hearing this tone, Wei Ming knew what they had come for.

"Okay, then I'll bring the original manuscript to you this afternoon when I get to work."

"Then thank you, Professor Wei." After saying that, Professor Qu coughed again; her health was much worse than last year.

Professor Qu had no classes in the afternoon, so he spent the whole afternoon reading the story of "Calabash Brothers" and also realized that this guy had adapted the folk legend of "ten brothers".

The earliest story of brothers with supernatural abilities is recorded in Tu Benjun's "Hanzi Zazu" during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, it was the story of seven brothers: the eldest brother was incredibly strong, the second brother had a strong neck, the third brother had long legs, the fourth brother had good hearing, the fifth brother had a keen sense of smell, the sixth brother had tough skin, and the seventh brother was resistant to high temperatures.

Over time, the seven brothers evolved into eight, nine, or ten brothers in different regions.

The Ten Brothers is the most widely known, and a comic book version of it was created in the 50s, which had a far-reaching influence. A movie called "Ten Brothers" was also made in Hong Kong, starring Kenny Bee, Ashton Chen, Hao Shaowen and other stars.

In this version, Wei Ming's "Calabash Brothers" is reduced to seven brothers. To cater to children's readers, they are made to be gourds, and their special abilities are also adjusted.

After reading it, Professor Qu was deeply moved. That evening, he said to his wife, Professor Jin Kaicheng, "There are so many good things in our traditional folk tales, but no one pays attention to them. Only Xiao Wei was able to discover the treasures in them. I think 'Calabash Brothers' is another highly acclaimed work that children love to watch."

Wei Ming also has high expectations for "Calabash Brothers". He personally designed the character illustrations for the main characters, including the Calabash Brothers, the Snake Demon, and the Scorpion Demon. He then found illustrators to create illustrations for the story, all in order to gain control of the IP in the future.

That day, on his way home from get off work, he ran into Aunt Xiaoyan at Weixiu Garden.

The two stopped their cars at the same time, and Wei Ming asked, "Auntie, have all 100,000 copies of 'King of Fairy Tales' been distributed?"

Lü Xiaoyan laughed heartily, "Who told you I printed 10 copies!"

……

(Today's minimum, plus a survey: 1. Black Cat Detective, 2. Calabash Brothers, which one was your favorite childhood favorite?)

(End of this chapter)