[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-1987-my-era":3,"chapter-1987-my-era-1987-my-era-chapter-52":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","1987: My Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259212,4409,"Chapter 52: Royalty","1987-my-era-chapter-52",52,"\u003Cp>After finishing the eighth class, Li Heng rushed straight to the English teacher’s home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, Chen Xiaomi and Zou Ping were already there. Wang Runwen served them tea and water, chatting with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him appear at the door, all three turned their heads at once; the living room, moments ago filled with conversation, fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After changing his shoes, Li Heng walked over calmly and sat down, apologizing: “Just got out of class—sorry to keep you waiting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the formal pleasantries, he cut straight to the point: “What do you two say about the royalty-on-print-runs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng looked at Chen Xiaomi; she said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Ping, however, grinned: “The publisher says the standard contract rate for serial publication remains thirty yuan per thousand characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Royalty-on-print-runs only trigger if the standalone novel’s print run exceeds three hundred thousand copies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three hundred thousand copies for a standalone edition?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If priced at three yuan per copy, that’s forty-five thousand yuan for me alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty-five thousand yuan in the 1980s!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a staggering sum—equivalent to hundreds of millions in the future—caught him off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t understand the literary market of this era, and three hundred thousand copies seemed daunting, the return was undeniably real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Li Heng felt Shouhuo had already been generous: after all, the serial publication contract still paid him thirty yuan per thousand characters, guaranteeing his fee with no risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Zou Ping’s words, Chen Xiaomi subtly frowned, finding it utterly unbelievable that Shouhuo would open a door for a debut writer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if this door was half-restricted, they hadn’t shortchanged Li Heng—they’d paid him at the industry’s highest standard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She recalled how, when she reported this to the editor-in-chief, the line went silent for a moment, then abruptly hung up—no further word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Zou Ping’s expectant gaze, Li Heng didn’t hesitate long—he agreed readily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next came the familiar process of signing the publishing contract. Having once been a merchant, Li Heng carefully reviewed every clause, found no issues, then signed and stamped his fingerprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teacher Li, welcome to the Shouhuo family. Your fee of four thousand and fifty yuan will reach you within a week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you have more manuscripts in the future, we hope you’ll consider us first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the agreement was signed, Zou Ping exhaled deeply in relief and warmly extended his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All good, thank you, Editor Zou!” Li Heng reached out and shook his hand firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words were sincere, not a single ounce of flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Shouhuo had shown him respect, granted him special privileges, and never withheld his fee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For these two generous, righteous acts, he’d remember them for life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he didn’t know was that Shouhuo had treated him so leniently because Old Ba had been moved by his youth and the quality of his work, “To Live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though forty-five hundred yuan for “To Live” at thirty yuan per thousand characters seemed substantial, to a major magazine like Shouhuo, it was merely a drop in the ocean—no real cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Shouhuo wasn’t naive—they had their own calculations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If “To Live” gained enough influence to justify a standalone edition and sold over three hundred thousand copies, the magazine’s revenue would reach millions; paying him a fraction of that was a win-win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could “To Live” generate that kind of influence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Li Heng have any confidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Shouhuo magazine have any confidence either?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything remained unknown—only time would tell…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Ping departed, fully satisfied and delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the school gate, Li Heng watched his departing back and muttered to himself: Damn! Five percent royalty is still too little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he knew this couldn’t be rushed—them making an exception for him was already a huge favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once I write a second great novel, I’ll have more leverage—I’ll demand a higher rate then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Zou Ping agreed to royalty-on-print-runs, Chen Xiaomi knew she had lost completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she didn’t leave immediately; instead, she watched the absurd scene unfold with morbid curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, royalty—in her eyes—was a wildly heretical absurdity. No one had ever raised it, and no one dared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What stunned her even more: this greenhorn Li Heng, brazenly ignorant of the world’s rules, had raised it—and Old Ba had actually agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was almost unimaginable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this leaked, how great a storm would it ignite?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could precisely guess it was Old Ba’s decision\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>because no mere editor-in-chief of Shouhuo would dare—after all, it threatened every publisher’s interests. Only a figure as transcendent as Old Ba could act without fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Chen Xiaomi’s feelings toward Li Heng were more complex than ever before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden thought flashed in her mind: Had I known he possessed such extraordinary talent, last summer I wouldn’t have smashed their romance—I’d have urged my sister-in-law to accept Tian Run’e’s marriage proposal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Run’e… such an old-fashioned term—I haven’t called her that in ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Heng look over, Chen Xiaomi gathered her thoughts and unexpectedly said to him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re impressive. Everyone misjudged you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone” meant Chen’s entire family—and the gossipy village women who’d mocked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t imagine what kind of uproar would erupt if word spread that Li Heng had become a great writer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How dramatically would the villagers’ attitudes shift?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li’s door, once deserted, would surely swell with visitors again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few in the entire nation could produce a work equal to “To Live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xiaomi didn’t know why she’d suddenly felt compelled to praise him—but the words were out, and she couldn’t take them back, so she kept her face cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng was stunned, wondering if he’d hallucinated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha! This woman just praised me to my face?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this some kind of cosmic joke?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In both his past and present lives, this woman had never once said anything good about him—this was truly the sun rising in the west!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng wanted to thank her, but instinctively just nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They exchanged a glance, said nothing more. Chen Xiaomi politely thanked the English teacher, then walked away without looking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Chen Xiaomi’s motorcycle vanished down the road, Wang Runwen smirked: “Not bad—you conquered an enemy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s nothing yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Chen woman isn’t so easily conquered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the English teacher… is quite something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng instinctively stole a glance, then quickly turned and walked into the school gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Runwen crossed his arms, watching him coldly from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nearly cursed aloud: Everyone from Shangwan Village is crazy? Women like this, men like this too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1086,"2026-06-19T15:27:33.982Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3b97223adb049609612404221f9bce811f41b71bb94262c50f932783846e7a45","1987-my-era-chapter-53","1987-my-era-chapter-51",713,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002F1987-my-era-cover.jpg"]