A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

On the second day of the New Year's Day holiday, Lin Shubai's phone rang in the morning.

He reached for his phone on the bedside table and glanced at it—it was 8:15. The screen displayed the name "Zhou Mingyuan." He answered the call, his voice still a little hoarse.

"Teacher Zhou."

"Xiao Lin, are you up yet?" Zhou Mingyuan's voice came through the receiver, carrying the energetic spirit of someone who's up early in the morning. "The sample copy of 'The Little Prince' is out. Do you have time to take a look today?"

Lin Shubai sat up and rubbed his eyes: "You're free, is this afternoon okay?"

"Okay, call me when you arrive."

The call ended, and Lin Shubai put his phone next to his pillow, staring at the ceiling for two seconds. The sample copy of "The Little Prince" was out. From signing the contract to now, it had only been a little over a month. Zhou Mingyuan's actions were indeed fast.

He sat up, got dressed, and went out the door.

In the living room, Wang Xiulan was wiping the TV cabinet. The Sony TV had been sitting there for over a month, and she wiped it every day. Lin Jianguo was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper when he heard the noise and looked up.

"Isn't today a holiday? Why are you up so early?"

"The publisher called and said the sample copies are ready, and asked me to come over this afternoon to take a look."

Lin Jianguo put down his newspaper. "They've already released a sample copy? The last one was only out a short while ago."

Wang Xiulan turned around from beside the TV cabinet, glared at Lin Jianguo, and said, "Isn't it better to be fast? If it's slow, you'll just say, 'Why isn't it out yet?'" Then she looked at Lin Shubai and asked, "What time are we going?"

"Call me again this afternoon at the exact time."

Lin Shubai returned to his room, lay back on the bed, picked up his phone and scrolled through it. Su Wan had sent him a text message asking if he had any plans for the day.

He typed back: "I'm going to the publishing house this afternoon to look at sample books, and I'll be back tonight."

Two minutes later, Su Wan replied, "Another sample book? The Little Prince?"

"Um."

"After you've finished reading, take a picture of the cover and show it to me."

"it is good."

......

Lin Shubai arrived at the Children's Publishing House at 2:10 PM.

Zhou Mingyuan's office.

Lin Shubai sat down on the sofa, and Zhou Mingyuan picked up a sample book from the table and handed it to Lin Shubai, "Take a look and see if you're satisfied."

The cover is dark blue, with a picture of a little boy standing on the edge of a small planet, only about the size of a person. A rose grows on the planet, and the little boy's scarf flutters in the wind as he looks up into the distance. The title, "The Little Prince," is embossed in gold, making it stand out against the dark blue background.

Lin Shubai picked up the sample book and opened it to the title page. The first page contained only one line of text—

"Dedicated to all adults, who were once children."

As you continue turning the pages, you'll find more illustrations than in "Charlotte's Web," but each one is exquisite. The Little Prince stands on his own planet, the Little Prince meets the King, the Little Prince meets the lamplighter, the Little Prince meets the fox—each illustration has that subtle, slightly melancholic style.

"fine."

Zhou Mingyuan leaned back on the sofa. "As long as you're satisfied. Also, 'Charlotte's Web' has been reprinted. The first print run was 12,000, the first reprint was 20,000, and the second reprint was 15,000, for a total of 47,000 copies. There are less than 10,000 copies left in stock."

Lin Shubai looked up at him: "Selling so well?"

"It's even better than you imagined." Zhou Mingyuan picked up his teacup and took a sip. "The people in the distribution department said that your face is really useful. The photos from the book signing event were posted online, and many young readers bought the book because of the title 'Sixteen-Year-Old Writer.' Of course, the book itself must be well-written. If you can't write well, no matter how good-looking you are, it won't help."

Lin Shubai smiled and said, "Then I have to thank my parents."

"That's true." Zhou Mingyuan smiled and put down his teacup. "Let's get down to business. I ordered 40,000 copies of 'The Little Prince' directly. It will be released next month, just in time for winter vacation. Many parents will be buying books as gifts for their children."

"Forty thousand copies?" Lin Shubai was stunned for a moment.

"Of course. With Charlotte's Web selling so well, the distribution channels have confidence in you. Xinhua Bookstore's pre-orders have doubled this time. Add to that your reputation from the essay competition and that article in People's Literature, and now bookstore staff place orders without hesitation whenever they hear the name 'Lin Shubai.'"

"Okay, I have no objection."

Zhou Mingyuan took a paper bag from under the coffee table. Inside were ten sample books, just like last time. He pushed the bag towards him: "Take this, give them away."

Lin Shubai took the paper bag; it was heavy.

"How far have you written your book, 'Four Generations Under One Roof'?" Zhou Mingyuan suddenly asked.

"I've written about half of it."

Zhou Mingyuan raised an eyebrow: "Halfway? It's only been a short time?"

"Write a little every day, and it will add up to a lot."

Zhou Mingyuan shook his head. "Old Chen asked me yesterday if you were writing. He told me to tell you to take your time and not rush. I didn't expect you to be making such a fast pace. If he knew you'd already written half of it, he'd definitely nag you again."

"What are you muttering about?"

"He keeps saying, 'This kid is making the most of every day.'" Zhou Mingyuan said, mimicking Chen Yuanshan's tone, then laughed to himself, "Old Chen, he says he'll write slowly, but secretly he'd love for you to give him the manuscript tomorrow."

Zhou Mingyuan stood up, walked behind his desk, picked up the internal phone, and dialed a number: "Old Wu, can the printing plant still schedule the print run before the New Year? Yes, 'The Little Prince,' 40,000 copies, can it be in storage before the 10th of next month?...Okay, keep an eye on it." After hanging up, he looked at Lin Shubai, "Alright, that's the important stuff. Be careful on your way back."

Lin Shubai walked out of the publishing house with the paper bag, took a picture of the cover and sent it to Su Wan, "I brought back the sample copy, I'll show it to you when I get back."

After a few seconds, Su Wan replied, "Okay."

The bus arrived at the stop, and Lin Shubai got off carrying a paper bag. He walked home, and when he reached the fifth floor, Su Wan's door was open. Su Wan was standing at the door, as if she was waiting for him.

"You're back? Let me see the sample copy."

Lin Shubai pulled a book out of the paper bag and handed it to her. Su Wan took it, opened the title page, read the line, and then flipped through the illustrations, stopping at the page where the Little Prince met the fox.

"This fox is drawn really well."

"When did you learn to critique illustrations?"

"You'll get the hang of it after reading it a few times." Su Wan closed the book. "Thanks. I'll take it back now. You can go upstairs."

Lin Shubai returned to his room, took out the sample books from the paper bag, and put them on the bookshelf. The bookshelf already had sample copies of "Charlotte's Web," "Story Club," "October," and "Science Fiction World," as well as the crystal trophy and award certificate. "The Little Prince" and "Charlotte's Web" were placed side by side.

The two books, one light green and the other dark blue, surprisingly harmonized when placed together.