Chapter 53: The royalties were received and Liu Xiaoli was a little sad (please read it later)

“This person looks so young and good-looking.”

“Yeah, it’s rare to find such a young author.”

“The author must be a very good one to be introduced by the director in this way.”

In the office, a group of editors began to murmur.

Chen Shanshan was no exception. She sat with an older sister who was knitting a sweater. She sorted out the documents and paper and pens at hand while looking at the editor-in-chief and Cheng Kaiyan who were standing not far away.

“This is the author of “Fragrant Grass”, Teacher Cheng Kaiyan. She will be with you for a while. Please welcome her with applause.” Yang Shuan introduced solemnly.

“The author of Fangcao?!!”

“So young?”

Everyone in the editorial department was surprised. Fang Cao was the hottest work in the editorial department this month. Almost everyone had watched it at least once. Some people, such as Chen Shanshan and Yang Shuan, had even watched it two or three times.

When everyone suddenly saw the author of Fangcao appear in front of them, they immediately became lively and gathered around.

“Teacher Xiao Cheng writes so well! Everyone in our editorial department cries every time we read it. How come there are so many tragedies in the stories you write? Xiaofang and Xiaocao are so pitiful.”

“It’s Teacher Xiao Cheng, can I ask…”

……

“What do you want to ask?”

“Do you have a partner? What do you think of me?”

A young female editor with long braids asked timidly with a red face.

Then everyone started to make a noise. Most of these editors were newcomers, and many were recruited from universities in Jiangcheng. There were both boys and girls in their twenties, which was the time when they were longing for love.

Cheng Kaiyan was surrounded by more than ten people and asked questions. She felt happy but helpless at the same time.

If nothing unexpected happens, such incidents may become more and more frequent after the novel is published and goes viral.

Cheng Kaiyan looked at Chief Editor Yang for help, but Chief Editor Yang just laughed and turned to go to the office.

After a while, the curiosity and surprise in the editors’ hearts dissipated a little, and they returned to their respective positions to continue working.

“Hello, Mr. Cheng. I am your editor, Chen Shanshan.”

Chen Shanshan came over, stretched out her hand and said.

“I am Cheng Kaiyan, the author of Fangcao, and I am Chen the editor.”

Cheng Kaiyan nodded, and the two of them got to know each other.

Then editor Chen Shanshan found a workstation for Cheng Kaiyan, which was right next to Chen Shanshan’s position. With a window next to it, she could clearly see the Yangtze River Bridge and the tall buildings along the river.

After a while, Yang Shuan came out with a thick stack of manuscripts and patted the two on the shoulders. “Teacher Xiao Cheng and editor Chen Shanshan, come to my office and have a chat.”

Editor-in-Chief’s Office.

“Drink tea to warm yourself up.”

Yang Shuan made the tea and handed it to Cheng Kaiyan and the others.

After Cheng Kaiyan took it, he started flipping through his own manuscript. It was a thick stack, and he made a preliminary estimate that it was around 300,000 words.

“The number of words in this book by Teacher Xiao Cheng is equal to several books by other authors. He wrote 200,000 or 300,000 words at a time. There are very few writers like Teacher Xiao Cheng nowadays.”

Chen Shanshan couldn’t help but sigh when she saw the manuscript in his hand.

“Yes, this is quite rare in the country. Teacher Cheng has accumulated a lot of experience and is now making great achievements.”

Yang Shuan agreed, and then his face straightened and he got to the point: “This time, we invited Teacher Xiao Cheng to come all the way to Jiangcheng. First, to adjust some things in the article, second, to discuss the world of this work, and third, to discuss the issue of manuscript fees and subsequent publication.”

“You say.”

Cheng Kaiyan nodded. The work “Fang Cao” can be regarded as a work that he wrote with great effort. During the process, it was reviewed by Mr. Ye Shengtao and revised repeatedly before it was finally born.

But whether or not the work will be published and when it will be published ultimately lies with the editor-in-chief.

“In my opinion, “Fragrant Grass” is basically perfect. It is obviously revised after suggestions from a professional editor. At the beginning, I was also very confused. How could an author achieve such a level?” Yang Shuan asked curiously.

“That’s true. Before submitting the manuscript, I asked an elder to check it.”

Cheng Kaiyan did not say it was Ye Shengtao, she just said that an elder was in charge, so Yang Shuan did not ask any more questions.

“I see… Let’s talk about the plot. Teacher Cheng knows that scar literature is very popular in the literary world now. The head teacher of People’s Literature pioneered scar literature, all of which are based on accusations. The educated youths described by Teacher Cheng in the first volume of Fangcao are so passionate and enthusiastic. The angle is really novel and unique, which is quite amazing.

To me, it is like a knife that cuts open the curtain of scar literature hanging over the literary world, bringing a new perspective and a new theme. “

“In my opinion, both scar literature and my novel are, in general, about the lives of educated youth. They are nothing more than the two sides of life. On one side, you can see suffering and pain, and on the other side, you can see passion and regretless youth. There is no higher or lower side.” Cheng Kaiyan explained.

After hearing this, Yang Shuan and Chen Shanshan thought about it carefully and realized that this was the truth.

“Actually, I’ve always been curious about one thing.”

Chen Shanshan asked in a deep voice, taking out paper and pen and starting to take notes.

“what?”

“What exactly is the spring in the article? It seems that there is no spring in your novel, but after careful analysis, we can find traces of it everywhere…”

“The policy of sending educated youth to the countryside, Song Jingming is almost a metaphor for spring, but this spring seems to be a false spring from the story, existing everywhere, but false everywhere. Will the real spring come after winter?”

Chen Shanshan said a lot of things very quickly.

“I hold a positive attitude. As winter turns to spring, Xiaofang’s daughter Xiaocao burned herself to death in the winter. Doesn’t this mean that wildfires cannot completely burn everything, and the grass will grow again with the spring breeze?” Yang Shu’an immediately retorted.

“There is no spring yet, how can there be life again? And I think the most heartbreaking thing at the end is not the brother who raised Xiaofang by stealing? After he was released from prison, he saw his sister who had died of self-immolation. She was the fruit of his life’s hard work and the one he placed his spiritual pursuit on…”

Then the two of them started arguing, their faces turned red and their necks became thick, but neither of them came to a conclusion.

“Haha, there are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand readers. I only write novels, what do I know about “Fragrant Grass”?”

As Cheng Kaiyan watched the two people arguing, she felt more and more that although people in this era were short of material things, they were actively pursuing spiritual realms.

“Mr. Cheng said this on purpose, right? You are the author, so you must know more details than us.”

Chen Shanshan and the other two were a little disappointed when they saw that he didn’t answer, but they soon calmed down.

Indeed, good works have many aspects that are worth interpreting, and it is normal for everyone to have different understandings.

“Xiao Fang and Xiao Cao, the combination of their names is Fang Cao, which is a metaphor for a person with good moral character. Judging from the details in the article, I think the mother and daughter are actually one person, or in other words, they are one real person together.”

Chen Shanshan suddenly put forward a surprising point of view, which shocked Cheng Kaiyan and Yang Shuan. They didn’t expect it to be interpreted in this way.

“What do you mean?” they asked hurriedly.

“Xiaofang’s bravery is beyond doubt, whether it is bravely expressing love or risking infection with the disease to investigate and visit with Song Jingming and go into the primeval forest to find herbs.

Xiaocao, on the other hand, was timid and cowardly. After her mother died of illness in the snow, she didn’t even have the courage to touch her mother’s body.

Xiaofang raised her daughter alone and was strong and unyielding. She never wrote a letter to Song Jingming who had left. She carried the burden of life alone. When villagers who had been treated well by her and the old village chief offered to help her, she never accepted the offers, saying only that women can hold up half the sky.

Xiaofang is a very strong-willed and principled person.

But Xiaocao is different. Just like her name, Xiaocao has to survive tenaciously. In order to survive, she is willing to abandon her dignity, beg on her knees, and steal food from the vegetable fields… The mother and daughter are two sides of human nature. Only when they are combined into one can they become a real person, an ordinary person.”

……

The three of them chatted until lunch and preliminarily decided on the details that needed to be adjusted, as well as the subsequent publication plan.

At noon, Yang Shu’an paid for his own dinner and had Wuchang fish and lotus root soup.

Later in the afternoon, Cheng Kaiyan also began to adjust the work. There were not many places that needed to be adjusted, and they did not involve the central idea, but were just some minor details, which could be completed in about two or three days.

At the same time, Chief Editor Yang also told Cheng Kaiyan that it was too late to publish “Fangcao” in February, and it should be published in March, after the Chinese New Year.

Cheng Kaiyan was given a top-level remuneration of ten yuan per thousand words. After the revisions are completed, the proofreader will calculate the fee and he will be given the fee bill at that time.

In the next few days, Cheng Kaiyan became a frequent visitor to the Fangcao editorial department, revising manuscripts in the office and attending several work discussion meetings in between.

……

At noon on January 26, after Cheng Kaiyan squeezed out the last line of small characters in the neatly arranged manuscript, she suddenly relaxed.

Finally finished the revision!

“Teacher Xiao Cheng, have you eaten?”

The older sister who was knitting a sweater came in with a lunch box and asked casually.

“I’m just about to go eat, sis.”

Cheng Kaiyan replied with a smile, then packed up her things and went to the cafeteria to eat.

“Tsk tsk, this Comrade Xiao Cheng, with a book of 200,000 to 300,000 words, is going to make a fortune! He’s rich, good-looking, and his family is from the capital… a total rich son-in-law!” the eldest sister muttered.

In the afternoon, Chen Shanshan proofread it again and said, “It’s almost done. Teacher Cheng, you’re really fast!”

“You are faster.”

By evening.

Yang Shuan came over with a bill for his manuscript and said with a smile, “Kaiyan! This is your bill for his manuscript. Take a look at it and sign it if there is no problem.”

“So fast?”

Cheng Kaiyan was overjoyed and took the list. On the red paper was written:

“The total number of characters in “Fragrant Grass” is 3. The standard for remuneration is yuan per thousand characters, so the total remuneration is yuan, cents. At the same time, the remuneration for the number of copies printed is calculated at % of the total remuneration.”

2876.51 yuan, plus royalties for printing!

The new remuneration system was restored not long ago, the standard of remuneration was raised, and the remuneration based on print run was restored, but royalties are basically non-existent.

The payment ratio of royalties based on the number of copies printed is implemented in a progressive and decreasing manner.

For example, if the print run is within 5 copies, the copyright rate is 3% for every 100 copies; if the print run exceeds 0.2 million copies, the copyright rate is % for every copies.

“Kaiyan, you’ve made a fortune this time! A huge sum of more than 2,800 yuan!”

Even the editor-in-chief Yang Shuan was extremely envious at this time. An ordinary worker might not be able to save that much money even if he skipped food and drank for seven or eight years, but Cheng Kaiyan was so lucky. She just finished writing a massive work worth more than 200,000 words and got it directly!
What a terrifying future life!
“Let’s go! Let’s treat ourselves to fried bullfrog!”

Cheng Kaiyan waved his hand with great generosity, showing the spirit of a wealthy man in the capital.

In the 1980s, the most famous dishes in Jiangcheng must be braised Wuchang fish and fried bullfrog.

“Grandeur!”

Yang Shuan gave a thumbs up, called Chen Shanshan, and the three of them left the editorial office.

Yang Shuan rode a bicycle, while Chen Shanshan gave her bike to Cheng Kaiyan and asked him to give her a ride.

“Slow down, slow down.”

The three of them were like a gust of wind, passing through the streets and alleys of Jiangcheng.

While riding his bike, Cheng Kaiyan took in the surrounding buildings. Jiefang Park Road was named after Jiefang Park and is adjacent to Jiefang Avenue.

This is the core area of ​​Jiangcheng. The level of urban construction is not inferior to that of Beijing. Six-story buildings stretch endlessly, and the old buildings along the street still exude the atmosphere of the Republic of China.

Looking up, you can vaguely see the national flag on the top of the Jianghan Customs Building in the distance, as well as the Hankou Hotel, the tallest building in Jiangcheng.

It was evening, when people were getting off work, and the streets were very busy.

The rickshaws and tricycles in Jiangcheng race with trams on the streets. The drivers always have a small bottle of wine hanging around their waists. They take a sip or two in between picking up passengers, appearing drunk and known as “alcohol-numbed drivers”.

Later, people simply called the rickshaw drivers “Mamu”, for example, they would shout “Mamu, Mamu, Ke Liudu Bridge!”

Later, people in Jiangcheng called all the three-wheeled motorcycles “Mamu”.

“Hmm? Isn’t that the Jiangcheng Song and Dance Theater?”

Cheng Kaiyan was stunned for a moment, then pointed at a tall European-style building not far away and said.

He didn’t expect that Jiangcheng Song and Dance Theater was so close, right at the intersection of Jiefang Park Road and Jiefang Avenue.

The Fangcao editorial office is at one end, far from the river, and the song and dance theater is at the other end.

The branch line distance between the two is no more than one thousand meters!

“what happened?”

Chen Shanshan said in the back seat: “Jiangcheng Song and Dance Theater is a sister unit of our editorial department. Our unit basically gives us a few tickets every month to watch performances.

Let me tell you, the performances at Jiangcheng Song and Dance Theater are very popular. Basically, every performance every week is always sold out.

We have also participated in the 10th and 20th anniversary performances of the National Day! Teacher Cheng, if you are interested, let’s go and see the performance tomorrow, Saturday. I tell you, some of the new female dancers are very beautiful, like Liu Xiaoli and Hu Yanzhang, who are like stars and are very popular! “

“Okay, let’s see it then.”

Cheng Kaiyan faced the crisp cold wind, her ink-soft hair was blown by the wind and fluttered on both sides of her ears. She had a faint smile on her face, and she looked very beautiful.

“Okay, I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

The three of them rode away like a gust of wind…

At this time, several young girls came out of the theater, holding hands.

“Xiao Li…why have you been so depressed these days?”

One of the petite girls hugged a tall and gentle girl and asked curiously.

“No.”

Liu Xiaoli smoothed the hair around her ears that was messed up by the wind and shook her head.

A week has now passed since I last received a letter.

“If I don’t send the letter, doesn’t he know to send the letter back?
Or is it that Xiao Cheng… Cheng Kaiyan is already fed up with it?

“Speaking of which, this one-year agreement was just a delaying tactic and an excuse. The ultimate purpose was just to break off the engagement. I think he also realized this, so he didn’t send me any more letters, right?”

Liu Xiaoli pursed her lips, feeling inexplicably heavy in her heart.

Although I got rid of the annoying engagement, the other party didn’t show any intention of getting entangled…

This is a happy thing, so that I can pursue what I want, career, love freely…

But why…why does it feel a bit uncomfortable?

call……

She looked at the street in the distance, her eyes as dark as a cold pond with a hint of sadness. The backs of two people riding bicycles on the street passed by her sight…

Two in one, 4,000

Thanks to book friend 20240816185838742 for 574 points and book friend 20240812225330354 for 100 points

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(End of this chapter)