128 Student, how on earth did you train your hands to move that fast? (Seeking full subscription)

As "People’s Literature" and "October" hit shelves across the nation, feedback on "Factory Director Qiao Assumes Office" from government agencies, work units, and factories continued to ferment.

By the start of New Year’s Day in 1979, this momentum erupted!

Following closely, "People’s Daily" reprinted "Factory Director Qiao Assumes Office" on the first day of the year, pushing the piece to its absolute peak.

In these two days alone, Cheng Xuemin received seven or eight hundred yuan in reprint royalties. These payments came from "People’s Daily," "Yanjing Literature," "Workers' Daily," "Yanjing Evening News," "Yanjing Daily," "China Youth," and more.

Most paid between three to four yuan per thousand characters. This might have been related to the officially designated promotional status of the manuscript, or perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Cheng Xuemin, the original author, had a mother-in-law who was a senior editor in the industry.

Since everyone in the business keeps bumping into each other, they couldn't just get away with using the work for free; they all provided at least a token gesture of reprint royalties.

Consequently, over these past few days, Cheng Xuemin had nearly worn his legs out running back and forth to "People’s Literature" at the People’s Literature Publishing House just to collect the royalty vouchers!

Feng Jiayou was so overjoyed she couldn't even count how many times she had promised to celebrate with Cheng Xuemin.

And this was just in Yanjing. Local newspapers and magazines across the country were also following the lead of the propaganda departments, reprinting the work as well.

However, Cheng Xuemin had yet to see a single royalty voucher from them. They might be in the mail, or perhaps those distant places were playing dumb, hoping to get the content for free!

But it didn't matter. After all, there was no official regulation stating that reprints must pay the original author. Anything he actually received was pure profit.

On the Friday after New Year’s, Cheng Xuemin spent about ten days completing all three volumes of the "Journey to the West" comic book.

At the same time, his novella "Parents' Love" was nearly at 150,000 words; it would be finished in about another week.

He also had to complete sixty illustrations promised to Li Qingquan of "Yanjing Literature," which he hadn't started yet. He planned to continue working on two projects simultaneously: dedicating his mornings to illustrations and his afternoons and evenings to finishing "Parents' Love."

Once everything was wrapped up in a week, he would throw his full energy into foreign exchange earnings, as the foreign manuscript he intended to pay homage to was already decided.

"Xuemin, how is your novella coming along? Exactly how much have you written?!"

"Why not let our magazine 'October' have the first part? We’ve already started the review and finalization process for this issue!"

Early that morning, as Cheng Xuemin prepared to drop Feng Jiayou off at Yanjing University for her exams and then head to the publishing house to deliver the "Journey to the West" manuscript to Old Pan, he was stopped by his mother-in-law, Mother Feng, who pressed him for an update on "Parents' Love."

It should be noted that when the legendary writer Ba Jin had visited their home, this novella was supposed to be shown to his mother-in-law.

But Feng Jiayou, that rebellious daughter, had played dumb and made a scene, eventually preventing him from handing it over. Her mother had urged him several times since to let her read it, but he never did.

Could he really show it to her?

The "Parents' Love" story was essentially based on her mother’s life. He had to build anticipation; he couldn't let her see it until it was finished. Otherwise, if she didn't like how something was written halfway through, it would be nothing but trouble. Who wanted that headache?

With Feng Jiayou acting as a shield, the novella remained hidden from his mother-in-law. Today, she was hounding him again!

"Mom, it’s almost done! Xuemin says it will definitely be finished by the 15th of the month. You can read it then!"

"Otherwise, I’m afraid if you read it now, you’ll beat both of us to death!"

Before Cheng Xuemin could answer, Feng Jiayou blurted this out, even adding that last bit. She truly had a rebellious streak; she wasn't happy unless she was annoying her mother for a day.

"What? What exactly did you write?!"

Mother Feng had been quite pleased to hear it would be finished by the 15th, but upon hearing her "debt-collecting" daughter's remark, she turned pale and demanded an answer.

"No, no, I was just saying that. You’ll know when the time comes, Mom!"

"We’re off, we’re going to be late!"

"Feng Jiayou, Xuemin, tell me clearly! What could you possibly have written that makes you afraid I’d beat you to death?!"

"You two won't be happy until you annoy me to death, will you?!"

Leaving half a sentence hanging like that was unbearable! Especially since that troublemaker had said she would kill them if she read it early—what on earth was in that story?

"Mom, Jiayou is just teasing you! I’ll let you see the manuscript later!"

Feng Jiayou, as a daughter, could get away with being rebellious, but Cheng Xuemin, as the son-in-law, dared not. As his wife urged him to leave, he shouted back to his mother-in-law and pedaled away on his bicycle.

About forty minutes later, Cheng Xuemin dropped Feng Jiayou off at her dorm and asked, "You won't fail your exams, will you?"

"Fail?" Feng Jiayou glanced at him, confused.

"I mean, getting a failing grade!"

Cheng Xuemin chuckled. Yanjing University had entered exam week. Today was her first exam, with another in the afternoon. After three more exams tomorrow, she would officially be on winter break and could go home to rest for the baby.

"Failing? You underestimate your wife, don't you?"

Feng Jiayou shot him a playful glare and said, "After the exams, let's go look at that courtyard house. If the terms are right, let's buy it!"

"That way, when Mom and Dad come from northern Shaanxi, they’ll have a home here in Yanjing. What do you think, Xuemin?"

Ever since she decided to buy that large courtyard house, Cheng Xuemin had been haggling with the owner. The price had finally been negotiated down to 5,500 yuan—a thousand-yuan reduction, and the owner wouldn't budge further.

Cheng Xuemin knew this was about as good as it would get. Buying a two-courtyard compound for 5,500 yuan was actually very cheap, so he was ready to accept. He planned to bring the whole family to see it again this Sunday and finalize the purchase.

"Whatever my wife says!"

Cheng Xuemin nodded and pedaled off toward the publishing house.

***

"Xuemin, you're just in time. There’s another royalty voucher, this one sent by 'Shanghai Literature and Art.' Come on up and sign for it!"

As soon as he arrived at the publishing house, he ran into Zhang Guangnian, the editor-in-chief of "People's Literature," in the first-floor corridor.

"Hello, Editor Zhang. A voucher from 'Shanghai Literature and Art'?"

Cheng Xuemin was surprised. This was likely his first royalty voucher from outside the city. Furthermore, he still owed "Shanghai Literature and Art" a manuscript!

The first manuscript he had ever sent out, "Female College Students' Dormitory," had been submitted to them. At the time, Cheng Xuemin had written a desperate letter about his poverty, which caught the eye of the editor, Li Xiaolin, who approved it and granted him the top royalty rate of seven yuan per thousand characters.

Now that Li Xiaolin had been transferred to "Harvest" as a senior editor, she had taken Cheng Xuemin’s next manuscript, "Chen Huansheng Goes to the City," with her to that magazine.

So, strictly speaking, he owed them a debt of gratitude. After all, the editor-in-chief of "Shanghai Literature and Art" had personally approved his previous manuscript and given him the top rate. They had been very generous, even featuring it as the cover story.

He hadn't had a chance to repay that favor yet, and now they were the first to send him royalty payments for the reprints of "Factory Director Qiao Assumes Office."

He wasn't sure if Li Xiaolin had told her former office that "Old Qiao," the author of the factory director story, was actually the same person as "Kuang Yalan," the author of "Female College Students' Dormitory." But since they were being so decent, Cheng Xuemin decided that once he finished his current work, he would submit a new piece to "Shanghai Literature and Art" under the name Kuang Yalan.

"Yes! This might be the first royalty voucher from outside the city; many more will probably follow!"

"We've been keeping track. Many local newspapers and magazines have been reprinting the manuscript."

Zhang Guangnian nodded and led Cheng Xuemin to the second floor, then asked, "By the way, Xuemin, do you have any new manuscripts? Our first issue of the new year at the beginning of the month is about to go to press!"

"So soon!?" Cheng Xuemin asked instinctively. Didn't "People's Literature" just publish an issue at the end of the month?

He quickly realized his mistake: "People's Literature," like "Chinese Literature," was a bi-monthly magazine, meaning it published twice a month.

"Of course it's soon! We publish twice a month!"

Mentioning this, Zhang Guangnian looked proud, as very few magazines in the country were bi-monthlies.

"That's impressive!" Cheng Xuemin complimented him, then laughed sheepishly. "But recently I've been busy with Old Pan's comic books, trying to clear my head and find inspiration. I haven't started writing anything new yet!"

"Don't give me that!" Zhang Guangnian didn't buy it, pointing out, "I heard you only spent one night last week writing a piece for Ba Jin’s 'Harvest'?"

"And you have a novella that’s almost finished. With your speed, you should be done in a couple of days, right?"

"How about giving this novella to 'People's Literature'? I’ll arrange the layout and make sure it’s published within the first month of the year."

That was the power and confidence of a bi-monthly. Even if Cheng Xuemin had a 200,000-word novella, they were confident they could serialize it within a month because they published twice!

Unlike "October," his mother-in-law's magazine, which was a bi-monthly (publishing every two months), serialization there would take at least two months. If it were split into three issues, it would take four months. With such long intervals, even the best manuscript could lose its momentum.

"Zhang, your news is very reliable. Ba Jin did visit me personally last week, and I did write a short story for him."

"As for the novella, I am almost finished, but as you know, my mother-in-law is watching it like a hawk. Do you really think I dare give it to you?"

Cheng Xuemin offered a bitter smile. Even if "October" had a longer serialization period, its influence couldn't compare to "People's Literature." But if he were Zhang, would he dare snatch a manuscript that his mother-in-law had her eyes on?

He also emphasized that Ba Jin had come to his house personally to request the story.

"Well... that is true."

Zhang Guangnian nodded awkwardly. Their publication of "Factory Director Qiao Assumes Office" had already made his mother-in-law very unhappy. If he were to poach this novella too, she would surely go berserk.

121 yuan!

"Shanghai Literature and Art" was as generous as ever, calculating the reprint royalties at four yuan per thousand characters.

Cheng Xuemin then went up to the third floor to find Old Pan, the head of the art editing department.

"Xuemin, you're here. How is it? Did you finish the first volume of 'Journey to the West'?"

Old Pan had been expecting him. He had asked a few times before, and Cheng Xuemin had always replied that he was working on it.

"Old Pan, it’s finished. I brought it for you to take a look!"

After knocking and entering, Cheng Xuemin took the three volumes—top, middle, and bottom—out of his briefcase and placed them on the desk.

"Great, let me see your work!" Old Pan nodded, then paused when he saw all three volumes. "Wait, did you finish all of them?"

He hadn't expected that in just half a month, Cheng Xuemin could finish all three volumes. He had estimated it would take at least two months. Even the students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts would have taken three to six months.

"Wait!"

"No, Xuemin, you really finished all three?"

When Old Pan flipped through the books, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He flipped through them again, incredulous—they were truly finished!

And even more shockingly, Cheng Xuemin had colored the first volume. However, they hadn't requested color; simple sketches would have sufficed!

But the monkey... and the Tang Monk...

"Holy cow!"

After an internal exclamation of surprise, Old Pan was completely captivated by the lively monkey and the chubby, endearing Zhu Bajie in the illustrations.

Cheng Xuemin smiled bitterly. These were for children; did a grown man like Old Pan really have to be so engrossed?

Fortunately, since it was a comic book, each volume was only 60 or 70 pages, so it didn't take Old Pan long to look through them. He flipped through the middle and bottom volumes and found the quality was just as high, even without the color.

That was fine, as they hadn't planned on a color version for the first run. If the sales were good, they could always release a color edition later, using the first volume as a guide.

"Old Pan, don't look at me like that. How is it?"

"If it’s not good, just forget it. Don't feel pressured."

Old Pan stared at him in silence for a moment before saying, "I knew you were fast and good, but I never expected you to be this fast and this good!"

"If you worked exclusively for us, the students from the Academy of Fine Arts wouldn't stand a chance!"

Old Pan was truly stunned. This level of skill and speed... it left a veteran artist like him speechless.

"So, it’s approved?"

Cheng Xuemin asked calmly. He was ready to make revisions if necessary, but he preferred to get it right the first time.

"Approved, definitely approved! If this weren't approved, you’d never help me draw again!"

Old Pan nodded repeatedly. The quality of these illustrations would definitely become a classic. The image of the Monkey King, in particular, broke away from tradition and was a groundbreaking achievement.

"Xuemin, look, I have a few other manuscripts that need to be finished. Pick a few and take them home to work on!"

"I’ll send this to Old Li for approval right now and try to get your royalty voucher processed today!"

Old Pan rummaged through his cabinet and brought out a dozen blank-text comic books for Cheng Xuemin to choose from. After giving his instructions, he took the three volumes of "Journey to the West" and left the office to find the editor-in-chief, Li Shuguang.

Cheng Xuemin had originally wanted to decline, as he wanted to focus on the illustrations for "Yanjing Literature" and his novella. But hearing that he might get his royalty payment today, he decided to stay.

He looked through the pile. There were the other three of the Four Great Classical Novels—"Romance of the Three Kingdoms," "Water Margin," and "Dream of the Red Chamber"—as well as "The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants," "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," and many others.

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" had the most volumes—ten in total, with five or six hundred pages. Aiming for efficiency, Cheng Xuemin chose that one.

"Xuemin, Old Li approved the manuscript. The voucher will be ready by this afternoon. Why don't you have lunch with us?"

Since he was already there and the payment would be ready later, Cheng Xuemin decided to wait. He agreed to work on "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," promising to turn in one volume per month.

The royalty rate was set at the top price of eight yuan per page, as previously discussed. Ten volumes would earn him four or five thousand yuan—a task he could easily finish in two months.

During lunch, Zhang Guangnian informed him that Mr. Wu wanted to hold a symposium on "Factory Director Qiao Assumes Office" in the middle of the month and asked Cheng Xuemin to prepare a speech.

Though unexpected, Cheng Xuemin wasn't surprised; a symposium was a standard procedure.

That afternoon, Cheng Xuemin successfully collected his 1,386-yuan royalty payment and headed back to Yanjing University to pick up Feng Jiayou.