Exciting 1979!

Chapter 377 Buying property in Hong Kong: Bottom fishing!
However, since it was going through the company's accounts, Wei Ming didn't say anything. He had to take advantage of this, after all, Pacific Company was indeed making a lot of money!

A cassette tape costs 6.9 yuan. Wei Ming's two albums this year have contributed over 5 million copies sold, generating approximately 30 million yuan in revenue and over 10 million yuan in profit. Pacific Company's exorbitant profits are simply shocking. Monopoly businesses are indeed easier to run.

If Hong Kong musicians knew this, they would be green with envy. In their country, 50,000 copies would be a platinum record. Of course, two cassette tapes are equivalent to one vinyl record, recorded as 1 sales.

However, Pacific's monopoly on the tape industry will only last for the next two years. Both Shanghai and Beijing are applying to establish audio-visual companies, and China Record Corporation is also seeking resource integration. At that time, there will be three music centers from north to south, and tapes can be recorded and distributed anywhere.

When Liao Mingzu expressed his apologies, Wei Ming said he understood: "After all, it's not your business, and you've had it tough too."

"Sigh!" Liao Mingzu sighed and began to complain bitterly. "This year we did make a lot of profit, so I was thinking of importing some new foreign equipment to improve our tape technology and recording quality. But Guangdong TV has its eye on this money and is planning to use it to build a TV station building."

So, while the money was still in the company's account, he created the Lark Award to provide some benefits to the musicians within his authority. By tomorrow, almost all the famous musicians in the country will be gathered here. After one meal, Wei Ming had already seen several familiar faces.

Actually, there's something else about Liao Mingzu.

"Teacher Wei, the song 'The Clanging Rose' has been talked about for a long time, why hasn't there been any news about it? Is there some difficulty? You can tell me."

This song has been circulating among the women's volleyball team members for more than half a month, but people only know its name and not its sound.

Wei Mingdao said, "The difficulty is that the singers we know are not suitable for the style of this song, so Gu Jianfen and I found another new singer. We can record the song when she has finished training."

"Oh, then I'm relieved. The whole country is waiting." Liao Mingzu wasn't worried about the hype getting out of control. With the women's volleyball team's popularity, unless they play terribly in the next match, it won't easily fade away.

The next major international volleyball tournament is the World Championships in the second half of next year, and he is confident that this song will sell two million copies, even if he hasn't heard it yet.

Wei Ming then told Lao Liao, "I recently wrote a song for the graduating class of Peking University in 77, called 'Wishing You a Smooth Journey'."

Liao Mingzu exclaimed happily, "That's great! I think we should record it as soon as possible so that the first graduating class can hear it after the buzz."

Wei Ming: "I brought the sheet music with me, I'll give it to you later."

So for dinner, they talked about "Wishing You a Safe Journey". Wei Ming also got to try several exquisite dishes that he had never tried before, accumulating material for a food comic. Each of these dishes was more expensive than his song.

The following morning, Wei Ming attended the Lark Award ceremony and received a prize of one thousand yuan, which was shared by about ten other people.

He was in a hurry to get to Hong Kong, so he left without even having lunch.

Later, I heard that the top official of Guangdong Province published a letter in the newspaper to congratulate these ten musicians, with Wei Ming, the youngest, listed first.

~
Guangzhou is not far from Hong Kong, so Wei Ming took the train directly there. The train has a more down-to-earth atmosphere, allowing him to truly feel the local people's mindset and spirit.

Inland and northern regions may still need to liberate their minds, but people in Guangdong don't need that; they've already completely opened up. Now they're focused on making money and getting rich, and the market is very active and bold. Wei Ming bought a bag of small commodities after taking the train all the way.

The train station arrived, and after going through some formalities, Wei Ming finally arrived in the territory under the jurisdiction of the British Hong Kong government.

Compared to flying, taking the train meant Wei Ming missed the opportunity to eat at the Holiland airport branch, and he could only grab some snacks outside the train station.

After eating a little something to tide him over, Wei Ming got into a taxi and headed towards Hong Kong Island.

After weighing the priorities, he decided to check on Lao Gui and Amin first.

The taxi headed straight to Holiland store in Central. This store is open 24 hours, and it wasn't late yet. Holiland Princess's new song "A Girl's Prayer" was playing in the store.

Many of her teenage fans were eating hamburgers while listening to Amin's songs, holding copies of "Madman Comics" in their hands.

Seeing these customers, Wei Ming felt a sense of warmth; they were all high-quality customers!

There are also places that cater to families with children, where you can order a kids' meal and the happiest moment for the child is when they pull out a small plastic toy from the meal. And all those toys are made by Langning Toy Factory.

"Where's your boss, Ghost?" Wei Ming asked, noticing Ghost's Mazda parked outside.

The store manager recognized Wei Ming and quickly said politely, "Young Master Ming, the boss had a few drinks and took a taxi home."

Wei Ming asked with a smile, "Do you have the car keys?"

The other person immediately handed him the car keys. Just as Wei Ming was about to leave, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Do you know why he was drinking?"

"It seems like he won money betting on horses and is happy."

"Oh." Wei Ming's smile faded, and after arriving at the destination, he went upstairs to find Old Ghost.

"Who?"

It was the voice of her stepmother, Lin Ni.

"Xiaoming, you've come to Hong Kong!" Grandma looked around from the doorway. "Your father didn't come?"

"No, I heard Grandpa drank. Did he drink a lot?"

“I’m fine, I just had a little drink,” Old Ghost said, then said to Lin Ni, “Go across the street and tell Amin that Amin has arrived.”

"Isn't there a telephone? You can just make a call."

Old Ghost: "You don't exercise at all. Climbing stairs is good for you. You're a nurse, don't you even know that?"

After much persuasion, Lao Gui finally got Lin Ni to leave. Wei Ming hurriedly asked, "You rarely drink alcohol. I heard you bet on horses. Did you win or lose?"

Old Ghost sat down: "I can't possibly lose when betting on animals. I've won, I've won a lot."

Wei Mingxin said, "Then why are you drinking alone? You're not happy even though you won money."

Old Ghost sighed: "When I was young, I was quite playful. Once, during a mission, I gambled a little at a gambling den and was followed by some thugs. This almost delayed the important task of delivering a message and caused one of my comrades to be exposed, completely ruining his line. At that time, I swore I would never gamble again, and I really haven't touched that stuff since."

"Then why was an exception made this time?" Wei Ming asked. "Is it because the company is running out of money for expansion?"

“Yes, we got a loan, and the fourth and fifth stores are being renovated at the same time,” Lao Gui said. “I wanted to buy a house, but I really couldn’t raise enough money. Since your dad and the others were coming over, I made an exception.”

Wei Ming understood that the promise to buy his son a house in Hong Kong had made him break his vow. He felt extremely guilty and remorseful, feeling that he had betrayed his faith, which was why he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

Wei Ming could only pat him on the shoulder and comfort him, "We live in a peaceful era now. You don't need to be so tense anymore. Relaxing and having fun is good for your health and longevity. You want to live to see four generations under one roof, don't you?"

Old Ghost looked up and said, "Your father and I had children early. If you live up to expectations, five generations under one roof is not impossible."

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Okay, it's settled then. You can't die before the five generations under one roof."

Old Ghost shook his head: "It's just that Amin is still too young, I'll have to wait a while."

"It doesn't have to be Amin," Wei Ming said guiltily, changing the subject. "By the way, how much did you actually make betting on horses?"

Old Ghost: "200 million."

"How much?!" Wei Ming's voice almost cracked. Are you a gambling god or a gambling saint?!
"Don't make a fuss, okay? I have a full 50 in capital, and it's not just a gamble. It's been a win-loss and win-loss situation for half a month, and it's finally accumulated to 250 million," Old Ghost said. "But now I've pretty much figured out the situation of those horses, and the winning rate will be higher when I go back."

Wei Ming thought to himself, "Then why are we even opening a fast food restaurant? We can make money so fast by betting on Malaysia!"
This is much more lucrative than writing your own songs; when you write a song, you have to wait for the market to react.

However, upon further reflection, I realized that this was too morally questionable and could easily corrupt children, so I abandoned the idea.

"With 50 yuan in capital, you should be able to buy a house without much trouble."

“Sure, buying a smaller place in a less desirable location would be enough, but it would be too inconvenient for our whole family—me, your stepmother, your parents, your aunt, your Uncle Ping’an’s family, and you.”

Wei Ming laughed: "You're overthinking it. I can stay in a hotel or at the comic book company. My parents should also have dormitories provided by Ocean Park. My Uncle Ping An can't possibly bring his whole family to stay here for an extended period."

“You may not live here, but I cannot live without you,” Old Ghost insisted. “This is my requirement for myself as a father.”

"Okay, now that you have 250 million, what size house are you planning to buy? Do you have any ideas?" Wei Ming asked expectantly.

Speaking of this, Lao Gui became conflicted again: "I'm still considering whether to buy one large apartment or two small ones."

Wei Ming said directly, "Buy two sets."

"Is that what you're thinking? Won't that make your dad feel distant?"

“It’s more comfortable for everyone to live separately. If you’re worried about him becoming distant, take him to gamble on horses a couple of times and you’ll get to know him better,” Wei Ming suggested. He felt that Lao Gui also had his own married life to live, and it would be too inconvenient for him to live with his son and daughter-in-law with his young wife.

Just then, Amin's energetic voice came from outside the door.

"Amin!"

Wei Ming: "Amin, wait a minute, I need to talk to Lao Gui about something."

Old Gui opened the door and let Amin in: "It's alright, let Amin listen. You can pass on a message to your mother for me."

"What are you talking about?"

Old Ghost said, "I know your mother wants to buy a house but doesn't have enough money. Tell her not to worry and I'll lend her whatever she needs."

"Really!" Amin was so happy she almost jumped for joy. These low-rent apartments were meant for people at the bottom of society who didn't own property. Now that her family had opened so many shops, it wasn't appropriate for them to continue occupying public resources. She had wanted to change her living environment for a long time.

However, she also knew that the shop was constantly expanding, and her mother didn't actually have much cash on hand.

"Wait a minute!" Wei Ming suddenly remembered something, "We can't buy the house now!"

"Why?" the old man and the young man asked in unison.

Wei Ming: "Buying now would be a loss. It's better to rent first and then buy when the prices drop."

Amin: "Amin, you know about real estate? Then how can you be sure that housing prices will drop?"

Wei Ming: "It's obvious that you don't care about the mainland's developments. At the latest, China and Britain will definitely start negotiations on the Hong Kong issue next year. Within three years, the situation of Hong Kong's return will be settled, and Hong Kong will definitely be returned. Just based on the terrible portrayal of the mainland by Hong Kong media over the years, do you think the housing prices will be like then?"

Before Amin could even blink, Old Ghost had already made his judgment: "It will fall, it will plummet!"

“That’s right!” In his previous life, Wei Ming had heard from some colleagues in the Hong Kong entertainment industry that when the Sino-British negotiations in 84 came out, the Hong Kong property market had plummeted by half compared to before the negotiations, and then there was a sharp rebound. Those who were able to buy at the bottom in 84 made a fortune.

Of course, Li Ka-shing made the most money. You can say he's bad, but you can't doubt his skills.

Old Gui excitedly gripped Wei Ming's shoulder: "There will definitely be negotiations next year, right?"

Wei Ming: "Absolutely, I do have some political standing in Yanjing."

This old man believed it, and he was convinced that the negotiation results would definitely be reversed, so it wasn't difficult for him to make a judgment on the housing market.

"This news is very important," Old Ghost said. "Your Uncle Liu and I were even discussing buying shops and opening our own stores. We almost bought at the peak!"

Wei Ming said, "You can buy some shops at low prices in 84 and open stores, but you need to accumulate financial resources in the next few years."

Old Gui said, "Your Uncle Liu is a professional at this. Let's call Amin and your mother later and discuss it further."

Amin understood and said disappointedly, "So you're not buying it?"

Old Ghost laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'll buy it no later than 85. You'll be exactly 18 by then, so it won't interfere with your important business."

"Oh dear, Uncle Gui, what nonsense are you talking about? I don't understand anything~" Amin ran out shyly, and Wei Ming quickly went out to chase after her.

From the building across the street, Lin Ni held up her mini binoculars: "They're out! They're both out! They're chasing each other, tsk tsk, I wonder where they'll go next~"

Mrs. Zhou said irritably, "If you keep a close eye on things, do you think we won't notice?"

"If they leave by car, I definitely won't be able to catch up."

"They drove away?!" Zhou's mother quickly leaned over the balcony to look, and then saw the two of them brush past Lao Gui's car and walk away.

Lin Ni was quick and immediately ran to the other side, peering out the window to continue keeping watch and reporting: "The two of them are wearing headphones and listening to music right now; there's no other intimate behavior."

Zhou Huimin played for Wei Ming Kenny Bee's new album, which included "Let Everything Go with the Wind" and two songs from "Seven Days of Wrong Love". The album was of good quality and was selling well, which was a positive promotion for the movie. The songs had already given "Seven Days of Wrong Love" some recognition.

Looking around, Wei Ming said, "It's a pity there are no fireflies."

"It's already December, it's so cold, how could there be fireflies? Besides, there are too many people living here."

Wei Ming said, "But the song I'm going to unlock for you next is 'The Fireflies,' and it just doesn't feel right without fireflies."

“I want to hear ‘The Little Insects Fly,’ sing it for me!” Amin grasped Wei Ming’s large hand.

"The Mandarin version is 'The Flying Insects,' and the Cantonese version is 'A Pair.' We can only unlock one song today. Which one would you like to hear?"

Amin thought for a moment and said, "You sing Cantonese songs terribly, so you should sing Mandarin instead."

Wei Ming was displeased: "The way you say that makes it sound like my Mandarin songs are so beautiful."

Amin was amused by Wei Ming and covered her mouth with a silly laugh. Wei Ming pulled her hand away and said, "Your little buck teeth are quite pretty. As the saying goes, a beautiful woman has a bit of a buck tooth."

Wei Ming immediately noticed Amin's anxiety about her appearance and told her directly: You are a beauty.

Amin never expected him to be so thoughtful, so she immediately jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"We've got him! We've got him!" Lin Ni quickly reported to her superiors.

"Besides hugging, is there anything else they're doing?!" Zhou's mother rushed over and grabbed the binoculars. "We can't see anything clearly even with these!"

“This isn’t glow-in-the-dark. They always go into the dark, how could I possibly see anything?”

Zhou's mother: "You always like to look around at the equipment at home, and you think it's very professional."

“Ah Gui said he’ll buy me a telescope tomorrow,” Lin Ni boasted. “Then they’ll be exposed. Not only them, but even Chang’e and Wu Gang will be able to see them clearly!”

Zhou's mother wasn't in the mood to listen to her rambling. She focused intently on the two figures and noticed that they were almost completely still, which was good.

In fact, Wei Ming moved; his mouth was moving, but it was too far away and too dark to see clearly.

Of course, the mouth is mainly for speaking, and Wei Ming only uses his mouth to sing.

The dark sky hangs low, accompanied by bright stars.

"The insects fly, the insects fly, who are you thinking of..."

This is a song with some children's song elements, so it's relatively easy for Wei Ming. Amin praised, "You sang it very well!"

Wei Ming: "Then I'll teach you how to sing it, mouth to mouth."

The two hugged each other and started teaching each other to sing until they heard a cough from the roadside. They quickly let go, almost breaking the headphones in the process.

The one coughing was Zhou's mother, followed by her stepmother Linni, who was wearing a cartoon onesie pajama.

"Amin, it's getting late, it's nine o'clock. You have class tomorrow morning."

“Oh, Amin just taught me another song,” Amin said, trying to cover up her embarrassment with a flurry of words. “The new store can have its own song now. Aunt Nini, your outfit is so beautiful.”

"Of course, but not everyone can pull off this look." Lin Ni even twirled around to show everyone.

Wei Ming got up to say goodbye. He planned to go to Kuangren Comics to see if anyone was still there to sleep, and if not, he would look for a hotel.

The three of them, along with the old ghost upstairs, watched Wei Ming leave.

“Mom, you absolutely mustn’t buy a house right now!” Zhou Huimin told her mother about Amin and Uncle Gui’s speculations about the housing market.

Recently, Zhou's mother has been looking at apartments since she has some free time, and she is indeed planning to move Amin to a place that matches her status as a princess of Holiland.

Although she wasn't entirely convinced by Wei Ming's information, the thought of potentially half-price apartments made her decide to tighten her purse strings and postpone her purchase. However, she could consider renting, since her income wasn't exactly low.

~
Wei Ming could see the lights on in the Madman Comics office from afar. It was almost ten o'clock. They really treated the company like their home.

He parked his car and went upstairs. In the office, he saw three people: Ah Long, Ma Rongcheng, and Xie Zhirong. The three of them were eating and drinking.

Upon seeing Wei Ming arrive, Ma Rongcheng and Xie Zhirong immediately stood up, appearing slightly nervous and awkward.

Wei Ming said amiably, "Sit down, sit down. Why haven't you gone home yet?"

Ah Long pulled Wei Ming's arm and made him sit next to him: "I just came back from Japan. I was originally going home, but Xiao Ma stopped me and insisted on treating us. Lao Xie is just keeping us company."

Ma Rongcheng quickly filled Wei Ming's glass: "Teacher Wei, thank you. I, Ma Rongcheng, owe my success today to my master and to both of you. I'll drink this, you can drink as you please."

This set of words feels like something Ah Long taught him.

Ma Rongcheng was a key figure in the company, and Wei Ming did not hesitate to take the job, which greatly encouraged Ma Rongcheng.

Wei Ming asked with a smile, "Judging from how happy you all are, it seems you've reached an agreement with Tokuma Bookstore."

Ah Long nodded. Although he smelled strongly of alcohol, he wasn't drunk at all, much better than the two opposite him. Wei Ming seriously suspected that his position as the third leader in his previous life was due to drinking.

Ah Long then explained the details of the cooperation to Wei Ming. This cooperation would allow Ma Rongcheng's income to double directly, as the average income in Japan is indeed much higher than in Hong Kong.

Ma Wing Shing and Tse Chi Wing have now become the two highest-earning employees at Madman Comics.

The toy factory's share of Xie Zhirong's earnings might not be as much as the serialization in Japan, but it's still monthly, and there's an initial payment of 25,000.

During this trip to Japan, in addition to signing a contract with Tokuma Shoten, Ah Long also investigated the market of the three major teen weekly magazines. Their sales of millions of copies are truly enviable, much like how the Hong Kong music scene envies the sales of cassette tapes in mainland China.

Actually, as their meal was coming to an end, Ah Long told Ma Rongcheng and Xie Zhirong to go home and rest after they finished eating.

Ah Long said, "After I got back, I drew a comic strip. They worked overtime for a few hours while waiting for me, so let them get some rest."

As for himself, he will definitely stay and sleep with Wei Ming. After his trip to Japan, his horizons have been broadened, and he has so much to say to Wei Ming. They will probably have a long talk until late at night.

Wei Ming casually picked up a new magazine from the table; it was the December issue (first half), the seventh issue overall.

“I left Beijing before I even received this issue,” he asked. “How are the sales?”

“120,000, and now we’re adding 10,000 at a time, steadily increasing,” Ah Long said. “But as you said, we’re not in a hurry to make money, so I added two more color pages in the middle of the magazine. The cost was too high, so we wanted to make readers feel that it was a great deal. Right now, we’re only maintaining a small profit margin.”

Wei Ming agreed with his approach: "If we maintain a good reputation now, I believe we will reap rich rewards when the individual volumes are released."

"Let me show you this," Liu Rulong said, picking up a few sheets of paper. "These are character designs for The Legend of the Condor Heroes drawn by Li Zhiqing."

Wei Ming commented after drawing more than a dozen characters: "The Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, and Zhou Botong are well drawn; Guo Jing and Yang Kang are so-so; and Huang Rong is a poor choice."

"Haha, he's still a virgin, but Huang Rong and Hua Zheng are definitely not up to par and need to improve."

Wei Ming laughed and said, "No wonder your drawings of Gao Yue, Chi Lian, and Duanmu Rong have become more and more alluring in the last two issues. It seems you still need to have a life. When are you and A Ying planning to get married?"

Ah Long has completely shed his naivety and is gradually showing his true colors as a ruthless man. He said, "I have already obtained Hong Kong citizenship and am of legal marriage age. I was just thinking of going back to Shanghai during the Lunar New Year to formally visit her parents, and then we'll get married when I get back."

Wei Ming: "They're in a pretty hurry. Could it be that they can't hide it anymore?"

Ah Long shook his head: "No, I'm afraid that my parents-in-law will find out what you did to Sister Xue, and then you won't be able to attend my wedding, so it's better to do it sooner rather than later."

Wei Ming: "Damn it!"

……

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(End of this chapter)