Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 189 Finalizing Cooperation
The wooden door of the courtyard house hadn't been opened for a long time, and when it was pushed open, the hinges creaked, sounding like the long strains of an erhu. There was even some dust settled on the top of the door frame.

The screen wall itself hasn't changed much; the bamboo shadows in front of it are messy, and there are some weeds.

"Editor, please bear with me. I just got back and there's no tea for me!" After putting his things down, Liu Yimin washed his face and opened the door to his study.

The smell of books wafted from the study. I watered the asparagus fern again; its leaves were already turning yellow, and I didn't know if it would survive.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, I apologize for bothering you. You must be exhausted after just getting back. I should be the one to tell you. But there's nothing I can do. Manager Chen from the Commercial Press said that if they publish a copy, we'll fight to get a copy!"

The editors at the Commercial Press made no attempt to hide their ambition, speaking with an extremely bold and unrestrained air.

After chatting, it turned out that the editor from the Commercial Press had been waiting at the entrance of the courtyard house all morning. The car was supposed to arrive in the morning, but it was delayed until noon.

Liu Yimin gave a thumbs up, "You're really going all out!"

"Logically speaking, your Commercial Press should have many foreign manuscripts waiting to be published, right? You don't have any manuscript shortages!"

Foreign classics are very popular in the domestic literary circles nowadays. Zhang Manling in my class queued for a long time at the bookstore before she finally bought a copy of "Eugénie Grandet".

A large proportion of the books published by The Commercial Press are foreign works. Given the current situation, they are not in such a hurry to acquire domestic manuscripts.

"There are indeed a lot of manuscripts in the reservoir, including works by Shelley, Nietzsche, and all sorts of other authors. At the beginning of the year, Comrade Chen Yuan reported to the higher authorities that he wanted to publish one hundred world classics, and we are currently in the midst of intensive preparations."

The reservoir is the manuscript repository; insiders refer to the manuscript repository as the reservoir.

"So, you don't have to be in such a hurry!"

"Comrade Liu Yimin, you probably don't know that translating and compiling foreign classics takes a very long time, which is why everyone is scrambling to buy them but can't get them. There's demand for them, and also because they're printed in relatively small quantities. When the Commercial Press's Liulichang bookstore reopened, readers buying translated classics practically broke the glass."

Some books can only sell a few thousand copies, so we don't dare print more. The largest readership is still for books published domestically in China.

The editor explained.

"So even when you're using Western-style walking sticks, you can't throw away your traditional walking sticks!"

The editor paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your analogy is wonderful, I really like it, that's exactly the point. That's why we decided to co-publish your standalone book with People's Literature Publishing House. As a novel, we really wanted to acquire the publishing rights for 'The Kite Runner'."

"Editor, we've been talking for a while, but I haven't asked your name yet?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

“My name is Huang Chunyu, and I’m a new editor at the Commercial Press. Comrade Liu Yimin, we know that the publishing house used to pay you 3% of the print run royalties. In July, the print run royalties were officially reinstated, and the basic royalty rate was raised to 3-10 yuan per thousand words. We are willing to pay the basic royalty rate of 10 yuan per thousand words and the print run royalties as 3%, with no reduction for orders over 50,000 copies.”

Huang Chunyu said sincerely.

The newly reinstated royalties for print runs are a basic rate of 3% per 10,000 copies, exactly the same as what People's Literature Publishing House paid Liu Yimin before its reinstatement. It seems that Li Shu fully understood the previous policies when he paid Liu Yimin the print run royalties.

However, the recovery rate of three percent is not always three percent. Once the number of copies sold exceeds 50,000, this standard will begin to decrease. In other words, after 50,000 copies, the money will become less and less.

The conditions Huang Chunyu offered were somewhat sincere.

"Sigh, I'm good friends with Li Shu, the editor at People's Literature Publishing House, Lao Huang, this is putting me in a difficult position!" Liu Yimin sighed and said helplessly as he sat down at his desk.

Huang Chunyu quickly said, "Comrade Liu Yimin, the exquisite quality of the single-volume editions published by our Commercial Press is unmatched by People's Literature Publishing House, and they also have a rich historical foundation. If you publish them here, they will definitely be better than those published by People's Literature Publishing House."

He then took out several newly published foreign classics from his satchel and placed them on the desk: "Comrade Liu Yimin, this is the newly published 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and a few other classics, which I brought especially for you. If you want to read anything in the future, just let me know."

The Count of Monte Cristo is the later titled The Count of Monte Cristo, though the translations differ.

On the cover, Alexandre Dumas's name is printed very prominently; this is a typical revenge-themed novel.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Old Huang, you're so sincere, what can I say? I'll say some nice things to Li Shu when he arrives!"

Huang Chunyu excitedly grasped Liu Yimin's hand and said happily, "Why say such nice things? Let's just publish everything from now on at our Commercial Press."

"Old Huang, you guys..." Liu Yimin patted Huang Chunyu's hand and smiled helplessly.

At this moment, Huang Chunyu wished that Liu Yimin and Li Shu would fall out, so that he would have one less competitor.

Huang Chunyu had even prepared the contract, and the two quickly signed the publishing contract. The seal that Xu Chi had given to Liu Yimin came in handy at this moment.

Comrade Lao Xu not only agreed to make a seal for Liu Yimin, but also made several, including a serious signature seal.

Huang Chunyu looked at the seal and smiled, "Comrade Yimin, your seal is quite good!"

"Really? Comrade Xu Chi is quite skilled at seal engraving!"

Huang Chunyu took the seal, played with it for a few moments, and then enviously put it back in its original place.

After Huang Chunyu left, Liu Yimin was just about to rest for a while when there was another knock on the door of the courtyard house. When he opened the door, he saw that Old Huang had returned, carrying two large watermelons.

"Comrade Yimin, here's a watermelon, it'll help you cool off in this hot weather. You just got back, get some rest!"

After putting down the watermelon, Huang Chunyu waved to Liu Yimin, telling him not to come out to see her off, and left with a smile. He rode his bicycle very fast all the way back to the Commercial Press, where he reported the good news to the editor-in-chief.

"Chunyu, you've worked so hard! To be honest, I was a little skeptical about snatching the manuscript from People's Literature Publishing House. I never expected it, I really never expected it. Now it's People's Literature Publishing House's turn to be dumbfounded. They'll be begging us to co-publish it!"

The editor-in-chief was so angry he could grind his teeth when he thought about how People's Literature used to be!

Huang Chunyu wiped the sweat from his forehead: "It's nothing, just a seven or eight-hour wait, no big deal! The main thing is that I took advantage of the time difference. Comrade Yimin had just returned from Sichuan Province when I caught up with him. I guess the People's Literature Publishing House doesn't know that Comrade Liu Yimin has already returned!"

The editor-in-chief patted Huang Chunyu on the shoulder, saying that he remembered all the hard work Huang had done.

He offered a few more words of encouragement and concluded by saying, "From now on, you will be in charge of publishing Comrade Liu Yimin's books. You will be Comrade Liu Yimin's publishing editor. Remember to maintain a good relationship with the author."

"You lack experience, so be sure to ask questions if you don't understand anything in the future!"

"Okay, thank you, Director. I'll get back to work now!" Huang Chunyu nodded happily and returned to her desk, smugly savoring the half-cup of cold tea she had left over from before leaving that morning.

"Chunyu, congratulations! You got Comrade Liu Yimin's manuscript!" Huang Chunyu took a sip of tea and let out a loud "Ah!" "It's nothing, it's nothing. Sincerity can move mountains! I was expecting to wait 24 hours, but I got it in just eight."

Inside the courtyard, Liu Yimin cut open a watermelon. The inside of the watermelon was scorching hot from the sun, but it tasted really good—crisp, sweet, and juicy, not the gritty kind.

In the second courtyard, I took a shower to cool off and wipe away the sweat. Sitting under the veranda, enjoying the breeze, I ate watermelon. A layer of withered yellow petals covered the ground beneath the henna plants Zhu Lin had grown.

It's time to buy a refrigerator. With a refrigerator, you can eat chilled watermelon, and when you cook mung beans, you can also have an iced mung bean soup.

The more than 7,000 francs sent by the French publisher last time have not yet been collected. Although it cannot be directly exchanged for foreign exchange certificates, it can be used to obtain some remittance certificates.

Overseas Chinese remittance certificates can be used to buy scarce items, so buying a refrigerator is not difficult. As for buying home appliances that symbolize wealth, such as color TVs, Liu Yimin has no plans for the time being, because even if he were given a TV to watch, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on it right now.

After eating a few slices of watermelon, I covered the rest with something. The original owner of the courtyard house had dug a well, but unfortunately, it had long been filled in.

After eating my fill of watermelon, I felt sleepy and lay down on the cool mat in the courtyard, where I drifted off to sleep.

Liu Yimin woke up as the sun was setting in the evening, and rode his bicycle leisurely to Muxidi.

The knocking made Li Yuru, who was inside, look towards the door in surprise, wondering who could be coming at this hour.

Upon opening the door and seeing Liu Yimin, she exclaimed with delight, "Yimin, you're back from Sichuan Province? Come in, come in! Let me see you, oh my, you've lost weight and gotten so tanned! Haven't eaten yet? Let's eat together!"

Li Yuru pulled Liu Yimin inside and looked him over closely. Seeing Liu Yimin's appearance, she felt a pang of heartache.

He patted Liu Yimin's slightly rough hands again: "You've worked hard, you've worked hard, but this is how it is when you're out doing field research!"

"Master's wife, it's alright. It's just that Aba has a high altitude and the ultraviolet rays are stronger, but it's cooler than here! You've not lost weight, you've become stronger!"

Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Haha, what do you want to eat?"

"Teacher's wife, some home-cooked food will do. I just got back and was thinking of coming to see you. Teacher hasn't returned yet."

“I came back from France, and now I’m off to America again. Wanfang went with me, so I’m all alone at home. Now that you’re back too, come over and keep your teacher’s wife company from time to time.”

Li Yuru started cooking, and Liu Yimin placed the gifts he brought back from Sichuan Province on the cabinet.

"I'd like to try Sister Wanfang's braised beef, but it looks like I'll have to wait several more days!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

“You should be back in about half a month. How was your field trip in Aba? Tell me about it!” Li Yuru kept her hands busy and her ears were always turned toward Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin told Li Yuru about what had happened in Aba and all sorts of things he had seen and heard. When she heard about the cruelty of the chieftain, Li Yuru was so angry that she banged the cutting board with a rolling pin and cursed.

When she heard that wolves had been encountered on the grassland, her heart clenched, and she was so worried that she forgot to cook the vegetables in Liu Yimin's hands.

Only when he heard that everything was alright did he relax: "That Comrade Sozerang was quite brave, daring to rescue a yak from a pack of wolves. You've suffered a lot these past few days, but you've also seen many things that you wouldn't see in Yanjing!"

It's clear that Li Yuru also really wants to go out and see the world.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Master's wife, my teacher and I are your eyes. Whatever we see when we go out, we'll tell you when we get back. You're like a scholar who knows everything without leaving home!"

Upon hearing Liu Yimin's words, Li Yuru let out a hearty laugh: "What kind of scholar am I? In the past, opera singers were considered the lowest of the low."

"That's why we need a new era!"

In the living room, Li Yuru and Liu Yimin ate their meal while watching TV.

The TV program wasn't domestically produced; it was an imported Yugoslavian drama called "Infiltrating Behind Enemy Lines." Li Yuru didn't know how many times she had watched it; she remembered starting to watch it when it was first introduced to the country last year.

Currently, the domestic TV drama market is small, and more movies are produced than TV dramas. On the other hand, movies require less funding, while a TV drama, which consists of 10 or 20 episodes, costs several times more than a movie.

It's difficult for TV stations to afford so much funding to produce TV dramas; otherwise, "Journey to the West" wouldn't have been so difficult to film.

"Yimin, I wonder when your novel will be adapted into a TV series?" Li Yuru suddenly turned her head and asked.

Liu Yimin swallowed the food in his mouth: "Master's wife, then I'll try harder!"

"Haha, you're already like this and you still want to keep going. I think if you keep going like this, the rest of the literary world will be doomed."

After finishing his meal, Liu Yimin walked out of Muxidi with a smile.

"Be careful riding your bicycle on the road, Yimin!" Li Yuru waved her hand and said with concern.

"Don't worry, Master's wife!"

The night in Yanjing was no different from before. If there was any difference, it would probably be that another street lamp was broken.

Back in the courtyard, Liu Yimin, having taken a nap in the afternoon, wasn't too sleepy and started working on his script.

The next day, early in the morning, Liu Yimin went to the Ministry of Culture to tell them that he had returned from his field trip and received his subsidy of two yuan a day, for a total of 78 yuan.

After receiving the money, I planned to go upstairs to visit Xia Yan.

In the waiting room, quite a few people were waiting. Seeing so many people, Liu Yimin felt his timing was really bad. He prepared to leave, just as Xia Yan's secretary saw him.

"Comrade Liu Yimin, when did you get back?"

"I came yesterday and today to inform the department," Liu Yimin said politely.

The secretary asked politely, "Are you here to see Comrade Xia Yan?"

"I don't have anything urgent to say hello, but with so many people here, I think it's better to let those who have important business come first!"

(End of this chapter)