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

Chapter 436: The Inaugural Issue of "King of Fairy Tales" Released
The climax of the play "The Most Beautiful Youth" is not the successful tree planting, but the fact that Old Liu froze to death in the snow while trying to save the advance team.

Looking at Old Liu, who stood like a statue on the stage, many audience members burst into tears, especially those from the Saihanba Forest Farm.

"We've actually had people freeze to death!"

On stage, the actors remained calm and continued performing until the play ended. When they came to the stage to take their bows, they looked at the model worker representatives in front of them, their noses all red.

After the performers left the stage, the stage was given to the model worker delegation.

Comrade Liu Wenshi, the director of the Saihanba Forest Farm who was among the first to go to the dam, gave a 30-minute report as the main speaker. He talked about the grim situation and the achievements, focusing on the changes in their tree planting methods, the degree of mechanization, and the changes in the workers' lifestyles.

"From shacks to wooden houses, from manual labor to tractors, this is a huge step forward for the country. However, our level of mechanization is still very low, and many jobs still need to be done manually."

After the main speaker finished, the model worker representatives spoke in turn. Each person's simple sentence seemed to express their determination to the entire Chinese people.

"I am a graduate of Northeast Forestry University. The country nurtured me, so it is my duty to go to the dam!"

“My name is Lü Bingchen, a graduate of Donglin University. I am insignificant as an individual, but I was fortunate enough to do something great in the collective.”

“My name is Wang Shanghai. I am the secretary of the forest farm. The tree with the highest survival rate in Saihanba is the conifer. All the forest farm workers are like a pine tree in Saihanba.”

"I'm a veteran member of the Ministry of Forestry, if I don't go to the dam, who will!"

"I will dedicate my life to Saihanba and be buried in Saihanba after I die!"

Many of these people are graduates of Northeast Forestry University. The first batch of college students were mostly from Northeast Forestry University. It can be said that without students from Northeast Forestry University, there would be no Saihanba.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, with some shouting, "Thank you, comrades, you've worked hard!"

Then, Yang Zhong from the Ministry of Forestry went on stage to present certificates to the model worker representatives and announced to the audience: "Thank you, Comrade Liu Yimin, for your contributions to my country's forestry cause. The Ministry of Forestry has decided to award Comrade Liu Yimin the honorary title of First Prize for Individual Contribution to Forestry and First Prize for Literary and Artistic Works."

Yang Zhong winked at Liu Yimin, and the other directors also applauded Liu Yimin. Liu Yimin quickly went up on stage. Why did the Ministry of Forestry launch such a surprise attack?

"Comrade Yimin, we didn't tell you in advance because we wanted to surprise you. I believe it's appropriate to present you with this award on this occasion. Comrades from the forest farm and friends from the audience, let's extend our warmest congratulations to Comrade Liu Yimin."

Liu Yimin held the two certificates to his chest. The Ministry of Forestry had specially made a trophy with the words "Advanced Individual" engraved on it.

Yang Xiuyun and Ximei held the two little ones and happily made them call them "Dad".

After the awards ceremony ended, the audience began to leave. The model worker representatives on stage stood like pine trees until all the audience members had left before they stepped off the stage.

Party Secretary Wang Shanghai and Liu Wenshi shook hands tightly with Liu Yimin to express their gratitude.

"Comrade Yimin, thank you for writing our work. All of us at the forest farm were deeply moved after reading it. Especially the students, who almost cried through the magazine. The students had the best years of their lives ahead of them, but they gave their youth to Saihanba along with us."

When she went down from the dam to visit relatives, she no longer had the youthful and beautiful appearance she had when she first came to the dam.

Liu Yimin didn't say anything, but put his arm around the two elderly comrades.

The next day, newspapers throughout Yanjing reported that model workers from the forest farm had come to Yanjing to watch "The Most Beautiful Youth," tour Yanjing, and express their determination to plant trees to the people of the whole country.

The newspaper published photos of people watching the play with tears in their eyes, expressing their determination.

Amidst the uproar in the news reports, representatives from various forest farms have already flocked to forestry universities and other forestry-related departments to poach students.

The Ministry of Forestry told the major forest farms that whichever farm could attract the most graduates was the one with the most ability; the Ministry would provide the necessary staffing quotas and positions if needed.

Of all the forest farms, Saihanba Forest Farm was the most famous, and naturally, it attracted the most students. In the end, Saihanba Forest Farm even got into a fight.

If everyone wants it, the other forest farms will probably complain to the ministry.

That evening, the news broadcast showed the scene of the forest farm model workers taking an oath on the stage of the Beijing People's Art Theatre. The oath, "I will dedicate my life to Saihanba and be buried in Saihanba after I die!" moved the audience.

The news broadcast also showed Liu Yimin briefly accepting the award, accompanied by a short narration.

Liu Yimin successfully obtained the publication number from the publishing bureau. The publication number is CN-11-0184/I. CN represents China, 11 represents Yanjing, 0184 is the serial number assigned locally, and "I" represents the magazine category.

"Thank you," Liu Yimin said, shaking the hand of Bian Chunguang, the leader of the publishing bureau.

Bian Chunguang laughed and said, "You prepared all the paperwork, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten it out so quickly. No need to thank me. Hurry up and start publishing the magazine; I'm waiting to buy it for my grandson."

Bian Chunguang then explained to Liu Yimin the things to keep in mind when running a magazine: "Actually, you understand these things yourself without me having to tell you. Children's magazines must be suitable for children to read. If there are any problems, we will come after you."

"Understood, Director Bian, please rest assured, we will definitely pay attention to the content," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Your names are so powerful, I really hope you can become the kings of the fairy tale world."

As Liu Yimin left the publishing bureau, he greeted Xia Yan again. He didn't linger in Xia Yan's office, as Xia Yan was currently annoyed, surrounded by a group of people asking him for budgets.

"Director Wang, I'm leaving!" Liu Yimin said goodbye to Wang Yang, who was asking for the budget.

Wang Yang didn't speak; his mouth was already dry. He simply waved to Liu Yimin.

After the publication number was issued, Liu Yimin went directly to the editorial office of "King of Fairy Tales" at the front gate. A wooden plaque for the editorial office had already been hung at the entrance, and a mailbox had been specially applied for from the post office and placed at the entrance.

Passersby, seeing this strange sight, often gathered around the doorway, pointing and whispering, wondering what it was all about.

Normally, only one woman can be seen going in and out of the room; no one else can be seen at all.

After knocking on the door, Guo Weiwei glanced at Liu Yimin and asked softly, "Comrade, you...you are Yimin, right? Excuse me, please come in."

"It's me, Sister-in-law Guo."

"Hurry up and come in, hurry up and come in. I was wondering why I didn't recognize you after seeing your picture in the newspaper."

Liu Yimin went inside. The wooden door to the study was tightly closed, with only a coal stove pipe sticking out and emitting smoke.

"Old Zheng, open the door quickly, look who's here!" Guo Weiwei called out with a smile.

An impatient voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Yi Min!"

The door slammed open, and Zheng Yuanjie called out, "Yimin, what brings you here? Come in quickly. Give me a call if you need anything, and I'll come to the Overseas Chinese Apartment to find you. It's freezing cold."

"You're welcome. I just came from the Ministry of Culture. I have good news for you: our publication number has been approved." Liu Yimin took the documents out of his briefcase.

Zheng Yuanjie happily picked up the document and read the publication number aloud, while Guo Weiwei, who was next to him, happily poured tea for Liu Yimin.

"With this publication number, all the difficulties have been resolved," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Zheng Yuanjie said, "It seems that publishing the first issue in February is a must. Yimin, what do you think is a suitable date for us to publish it regularly?"

How's your content preparation going?

"As for the content, I've already written five articles, plus the previous drafts, making a total of six. That should be enough for one issue." Zheng Yuanjie picked up the manuscript on the table and showed it to Liu Yimin.

After reviewing it once, Liu Yimin asked, "Have you finalized the graphic design, layout, and paper selection with the publishing house?"

"We've talked to them. They'll handle the graphic design and layout. They can only allocate enough paper for the first issue to print 100,000 copies. That's all thanks to you. But I don't think we'll need that many, considering their children's magazine has only sold 100,000 copies after so long," Zheng Yuanjie said. "Then let's publish the inaugural issue on February 1st. As for the price, Lao Zheng, what do you think is a suitable price?" Liu Yimin asked.

Zheng Yuanjie said, "I was planning to subscribe to 40 cents, but I'm afraid it's too expensive. 'Yanjing Literature' is only 25 cents now."

"We're a bimonthly publication, so it's understandable that it's a bit more expensive. Even Harvest is more expensive, but four cents is a bit pricey. I think three to four cents would be more reasonable. You decide the specific price."

"How about 35 cents? How many copies should we print for the first time?"

Each book cost 35 cents, with the lion's share going to the publisher. The publisher covered the printing costs, and a portion went to the distribution channels. The two people were lucky to get 10 cents each.

Zheng Yuanjie hoped that Liu Yimin could decide how many copies to print, since Liu Yimin was the one who provided the funds, and the more copies printed, the more money would be spent.

"Print 100,000 copies. Don't be afraid. I believe the market can handle it in two months. Our distribution channels in major bookstores are already established. It's not like we don't have distribution channels."

With the help of People's Literature and Art, the inaugural issue was able to reach bookstores in most cities across the country as soon as possible.

"Isn't this a bit too much? Ten thousand copies will take up more than half of our funds!"

"Don't be afraid, I believe in you!"

Seeing Liu Yimin say this, Zheng Yuanjie gritted his teeth and said, "Ten thousand copies it is!"

If sales are not good, Liu Yimin can promote "King of Fairy Tales" in the newspaper, but Liu Yimin feels that it is unnecessary.

Historically, the first issue of "King of Fairy Tales" had a print run of around 100,000 copies, and the actual sales volume may have been slightly lower, but not by much. In 1986, a single issue sold 300,000 copies, surpassing mainstream children's literature magazines.

After Liu Yimin left, Zheng Yuanjie didn't continue writing. Instead, he started calculating how much money he could make if 100,000 copies could be sold.

After finishing the calculations, he put down his pen and exclaimed, "My God, publishing a magazine is so profitable!"

Guo Weiwei quickly said, "Old Zheng, don't make the mistake of revolutionary optimism. The most important thing for us now is to write the content."

"Yes, yes, the details. The loss is tens of thousands of yuan, all the capital is gone." Zheng Yuanjie hurriedly wrote it down.

On the 20th, Zheng Yuanjie submitted his manuscript to Yenching University Press for typesetting and proofreading before printing. He personally communicated with the graphic designer to design the colors and cover pattern for the inaugural issue.

The names of Liu Yimin and Zheng Yuanjie are printed prominently on the back, and there is also a message to readers stating that the purpose of publishing the magazine is to create a literary magazine truly for children.

After typesetting and printing, Zheng Yuanjie lost all interest in writing and often went to Yenching University to communicate with Liu Yimin or listen to Liu Yimin's lectures.

“Comrade Yimin, if I close my eyes now, one person tells me that ‘King of Fairy Tales’ is a bestseller, and another person tells me that nobody reads the fairy tales you write.”

"You still lack confidence in yourself, but you'll gain confidence after running a few more sessions."

The news of the Institute of Literature's publication spread throughout the Chinese Department of Yenching University, and everyone was stunned when they heard that the magazine was entirely written by one person.

Many people gave Zheng Yuanjie a thumbs up when they saw him.

The old professors, however, remained calm, thinking that in the past, during the era of national salvation, one person was often responsible for the entire content of the journal, and they never imagined that there would be such a remarkable person decades later.

When the editors of the children's literature magazine in Yanjing heard about it, some felt it was a pity that the author had run away, while others were just watching the show.

Zheng Yuanjie's editor threw his pen on the table and sighed, "That's good, he won't come back even if he's hungry."

Seeing his editors gossiping, the editor-in-chief of Children's Literature spoke up to appease them and declared, "I don't believe one person can run a magazine well. If he can sell well, we might as well all hang ourselves."

The rumors made Zheng Yuanjie anxious and uncertain. It didn't matter if he lost money himself, but there was still 30,000 yuan of Liu Yimin's money in there. 30,000 yuan was enough for a courtyard house!

February 1st finally arrived. Cui Daoyi called Liu Yimin early in the morning to reassure him that the goods had been properly stocked.

"Thank you so much, senior brother."

"No need to thank me, what can I do when I'm the senior brother!" Cui Daoyi said cheerfully.

When will the issuing office be able to send the data back?

“Instead of waiting for the publisher’s data, you might as well go to the bookstore and see if there are many customers. If the bookstore sells well, the total sales will be good.” After saying this, Cui Daoyi decided to take Liu Yimin and Zheng Yuanjie to squat at the entrance of the bookstore.

A message was displayed on a small blackboard at the entrance of the bookstore: "People's Literature and Art" and "King of Fairy Tales" have arrived."

Many people don't know what "King of Fairy Tales" is. Parents who want to buy the magazine for their children ask the sales clerk out of curiosity, and when they learn that it is a newly established magazine, they feel a little apprehensive.

"Written by Comrade Zheng Yuanjie, it used to be frequently published in Children's Literature."

"Oh, it's him. Give me a copy. My son really liked his old book, 'Heihei on Honesty Island.' Hey, he's got it now, he's starting his own magazine."

"It was done together with Comrade Liu Yimin."

"Then we definitely need to see!"

When parents bring their children to the bookstore, after buying "People's Literature and Art", most will choose to take home a copy of "King of Fairy Tales". Parents who love literature also pay attention to cultivating their children's love of literature.

In one morning, the bookstore sold about thirty books.

Cui Daoyi stood up and said, "Let's go, we can roughly estimate the sales volume now."

"How much?" Zheng Yuanjie asked hurriedly.

Cui Daoyi answered confidently, "Eighty to ninety thousand copies!"

Zheng Yuanjie muttered, "We can't sell them all!"

"Comrade Zheng Yuanjie, eighty or ninety thousand copies, isn't that high enough for your children's magazine? This is already very high. Yimin, you have good taste," Cui Daoyi praised.

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Let's wait for the data from the issuing office!"

In the market, the sales trend of this issue of "King of Fairy Tales" is much faster than that of "Children's Literature". The fairy tales in this issue are of high quality and are Zheng Yuanjie's hard work. Its reputation is growing like a snowball.

Five days later, Zheng Yuanjie was no longer worried about the sales of "King of Fairy Tales," because children in the alley were already talking about his fairy tales.

A week later, the publisher's data came out. The first week's sales of "King of Fairy Tales" reached 15,000 copies. Selling out the 100,000-copy print run was no problem at all, and it was just a little short of reaching the point of needing to reprint.

The newspaper reported on this new publication in the field of children's literature. When the editor-in-chief of the magazine saw the article, his face turned ashen. Seeing the mocking looks from the other editors, he felt a surge of regret and resentment.

After that, the joke of losing a great writer for a penny began to circulate in the literary circles of Yenching. Faced with Zheng Yuanjie, who had already become rich, Children's Literature magazine could no longer salvage the situation.

Upon seeing the praise in the newspaper, Zheng Yuanjie lost all interest and had only one thought: to write more and earn more!
The first phase net profit was about 10,000 yuan. After the two of them split it, he still had more than 6,000 yuan left. In half a year, he could afford a small courtyard, and in a year, a large courtyard.

Xia Yan was delighted when he saw the newspaper and called Liu Yimin excitedly: "Yimin, you've got good taste, buddy. Well done! I never imagined there was such a young and energetic writer in the field of children's literature."

"We should thank you. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten our publication number so quickly."

"Me? I didn't do anything!" Xia Yan denied with a smile.

(End of this chapter)