Chapter 244: First Time on the New York Bestseller List

When Wei Ming arrived at the South Gate, he already had a book and a cassette tape in his hand: *In the Heat of the Sun* and the *Spring of the Sheep-Herding Class* album. Both were obtained by Liang Zuo from classmates he was close with; Wei Ming promised to replace them later, along with a signed seal.

Sada Masashi, having received the gifts, was very happy. He told Wei Ming that he had come from the Old Summer Palace and planned to visit the Summer Palace next. Since he was passing by Peking University, he decided to stop by and visit his new friend.

Wei Ming led him and his interpreter on a tour of Peking University, introducing the school's history and cultural landscape, with a special focus on the Peking University Library.

"Our great leader once worked here, and this is also where I work."

Upon hearing this, Sada Masashi bowed solemnly in respect. That great leader's reputation shook the world, and he admired him deeply.

Finally, Wei Ming treated Sada and his party to a meal at the faculty canteen—four dishes and one soup, with fish and meat.

Sada Masashi first praised the food as delicious, though it was mostly polite talk.

Then he reminisced about the Shandong cuisine restaurant he had visited the day before, Huifengtang, praising their braised fish fillets endlessly; it seemed the craftsmanship of the grand restaurant was more memorable to him.

Every country has its own culinary preferences. Wei Ming never expected foreigners to be so obsessed with Chinese food, but it seemed Sada truly loved Chinese cuisine—he had assumed they only liked eating sashimi.

So, Wei Ming recommended a stream of Shandong-style restaurants like Fengzeyuan and Taifenglou, along with their signature dishes.

This was difficult for the interpreter, especially with the dish names—things like braised turtle skirt and fish maw in casserole. The interpreter hadn't even eaten them before and could only use the original sounds plus explanations to convey a fraction of the essence Wei Ming described.

Finally, Wei Ming summarized: "There isn't actually much local cuisine in Beijing, but as the political and cultural center of the country, it possesses the top culinary masters. Every major regional cuisine has set up shop here. I've been working and living in Beijing for over a year, but I still haven't managed to eat at every restaurant, and every so often, an old, time-honored brand is revived."

Hearing Wei Ming say this, Sada was deeply moved: "I never expected Wei-san to be so passionate about cuisine! I only regret that I cannot stay in China for a longer time."

The interpreter added on his own: "Teacher Wei has written many articles about Chinese cuisine; he is quite an authority on the subject."

Sada Masashi: "Sō desu ne!"

Wei Ming: "No need to translate that; I understood."

Besides chatting about food and music, Wei Ming also talked with Sada about Japanese literature and manga, which Sada also understood a little.

This trip of his was actually part of a Japanese delegation. Besides him in the music field, there were people from the anime, film, and commercial sectors, among others.

One of the delegation's tasks was to introduce Osamu Tezuka's *Astro Boy* into the Chinese market.

This was an old animation from '63, but it didn't feel outdated at all. After airing in China, it caused a sensation and became a childhood memory for a generation.

Currently, aside from the puppet film *Afanti*, the domestic animation scene lacked excellent television animation capable of handling such an impact. Wei Ming felt this was an opportunity for him; *Black Cat Detective*, which was being serialized in its fourth issue, was very suitable for adaptation into a TV animation.

After sending Sada Masashi off, Wei Ming continued writing his novel. He had already written nearly 200,000 characters, and the thick stack gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

When he got tired of writing, he took the time to write the song he had promised for the New Star Concert. The lyrics were simple, and he still needed to polish the melody.

Today was Saturday, and tomorrow was a day off. Wei Hong also had to go home, so her big brother took her on his motorcycle right in front of her roommates.

Even the two Beijing roommates were envious. According to Wei Hong, her brother lived in a 150-square-meter Overseas Chinese Apartment, and his neighbors were either great painters or great professors.

After getting home and entering the room, Wei Hong immediately turned on the TV and told Xu Shufen: "Mom, the Japanese concert from yesterday will be broadcast on TV today. You should come watch it; maybe you'll even see me!"

Xu Shufen served dinner: "What? You were on TV?!"

"Maybe. My brother will definitely be on TV. The foreign friend even gave him a guitar."

Wei Ming felt anxious inside. Hopefully, they didn't film him and Lin together? Even if they did, hopefully, Xue wouldn't see it?

Just as Wei Ming's family was preparing to watch TV, in Shanghai, at Gong Xue's home, the family was preparing to eat.

Gong Xue currently lived in the Shanghai Er Yingchang's guesthouse, where she had a single room; it was more comfortable and convenient for filming.

It was rare for her to be home today, so her mother had prepared a table full of her favorite local dishes, while her father put on his reading glasses to look at the newspaper—mostly local news.

"Look at this couple; they had a baby over ten pounds!" Gong Yuandong exclaimed in surprise.

Mother Zhuang Che leaned over: "Let me see. That's twice the size of our little Xue."

Gong Xue was only a little over five pounds when she was born, the lightest among all the children. Hearing her mother tease her, she pouted her little lips—if Wei Ming saw this, he would definitely have kissed her.

Gong Yuandong said: "It's not surprising, though. Both parents are basketball players; the father is over two meters tall, and the mother is nearly one meter ninety."

Zhuang Che: "No wonder. When that child grows up, he definitely won't be under two meters."

"He'll definitely be a great basketball player too." Gong Yuandong put down the newspaper to eat. At this moment, his son, Gong Xu, turned on the TV. It was just time for the *News Broadcast*.

After finishing dinner, they had just finished watching the weather forecast—tomorrow would be another sunny day.

Gong Xue was also home to ask her younger sister about how things were going with A-Long, so after dinner, she immediately pulled her sister into the bedroom to interrogate her.

Gong Ying: "Oh, we're just chatting. Anyway, he can't come here, and I can't go there."

Unlike Gong Xue, who traveled all over, Gong Ying had never been out of the Yangtze River Delta; she had only been as far as Suzhou and Hangzhou and couldn't imagine how to live in the dry North.

"Sister, how about you?"

"We're doing quite well. After he finishes the novel he's working on, he's coming to Shanghai to revise the manuscript." Gong Xue blushed; this was the legitimate reason Wei Ming had given in his last letter for staying in Shanghai for a while.

And for an ultra-long novel, he could be revising for a month or more.

The two sisters were talking when they heard someone singing—and it was a Japanese song. They immediately went out and saw a gentle-looking man with glasses on TV, playing and singing.

"What is this?" Gong Ying asked.

Mother Zhuang Che said: "They say he's a very famous Japanese singer named Sada, Sada..."

"Sada Masashi." The eldest sister-in-law said.

"Right, it sounds pretty good."

The whole family sat down to listen. Besides the singer, the camera would occasionally pan to the audience.

Suddenly, Gong Xue let out an "Oh!"

"What's wrong?"

Gong Xue: "I think I just saw Xizi!"

The eldest sister-in-law laughed: "Your son?"

Perhaps because Xizi was naturally funny, the cameraman gave him a rather long close-up, and the person holding Xizi seemed to be Wei Ming's sister, Xiao Hong!

"It wouldn't be surprising if you saw them, right? Isn't Xizi's sister a little singer?" Mother Zhuang Che said. She also had a deep impression of this little kid who wasn't shy at all.

Not long after her mother finished speaking, Gong Xue saw Sister Xiaoyan holding a little girl. She wasn't very familiar with Lele, having only met her a few times, but she had spent a long time living day-to-day with Lü Xiaoyan, so she definitely wouldn't recognize her wrong.

Seeing the Lü Xiaoyan couple, Xizi, Lele, and Wei Hong made Gong Xue firmly believe that Wei Ming must be at the scene, and she might be able to see him next.

So, Gong Xue stared at the TV screen without blinking. She didn't even listen to the songs; she only hated that the screen was too small and worried she wouldn't be able to see Wei Ming clearly.

In this era of long-distance relationships, there were no video calls. Being able to see the dynamic image of one's lover was extremely rare.

However, by the time the concert ended, Gong Xue still hadn't caught a glimpse of Wei Ming, which left her feeling quite regretful. Mother Zhuang Che also sensitively sensed the change in her daughter's mood.

But unexpectedly, the situation turned around. This time, they played some footage from backstage after the concert ended. There was a voice-over explaining that the famous young writer and musician Wei Ming had gifted a set of lyrics to his Japanese friend, and Sada Masashi had gifted back a guitar he had used for over ten years.

This segment was meant to serve as a witness to China-Japan friendship. This was also Wei Ming's first time on TV, though given the current popularity and clarity of television media, the impact was likely not as great as his appearance in the *People's Daily*.

Gong Ying winked frantically at her second sister. *Tsk tsk, the good man you chose is on TV. *

Back in her room, Gong Xue began to write a letter. She planned to talk to Wei Ming about this concert, only regretting that she hadn't listened carefully.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, Wei Ming also breathed a sigh of relief after watching the program. They had filmed him, but not Lin.

The next day was a good day—a double blessing, and both related to the Mei family.

First, early in the morning, Wei Ming received a package sent by Mei Linda from the United States. He immediately rode his motorcycle to the Beichizi courtyard house, locked the door, entered the room, and opened the package.

The package was mostly books.

There was the US edition of *Jumanji*, which wasn't much different from the British edition.

There was also the current bestseller in North America, Stephen King's *Firestarter*, a horror-suspense novel. This guy had been a regular on the bestseller lists for the past few years.

Another book, even more popular than *Firestarter*, was the finance book *Venture Capital: Opportunities and Profits in the Great Depression*.

Wei Ming had previously written to Mei Linda asking her to buy a finance-related book for his sister, and she had chosen this current bestseller.

It was for learning knowledge and for learning English.

Besides these, there was a copy of *Playboy* magazine, which Wei Ming didn't need at all. *Pfft, I have a girlfriend. *

After looking through it, Wei Ming hid the magazine in a secret corner of his study.

Tucked inside these books and magazines was $1,000 in cash, as well as a deposit slip from the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation for $20,000!

Added to the previous amount, Wei Ming now had $25,500 in savings at HSBC. He could use it when he went to Hong Kong; he couldn't afford a house, but buying a car wouldn't be a problem.

This was the royalty income from the North American market for *Jumanji*, and this was just the first installment. Depending on sales, there might be additional printings. As long as there were additional printings, there would be money. Wei Ming was quite optimistic about the financial prospects of this story.

After all, it was a massive market of over 200 million people with strong purchasing power. Mei Linda indicated that the first printing reached 100,000 copies, though they were all paperbacks.

The package also contained some newspapers with reviews of *Jumanji* from abroad, as well as data from the New York Times Bestseller List.

Although it couldn't compare to Lin Yutang's achievements back in the day, as a Chinese writer, reaching the top 20 in the first week and still being on the list—with a peak of 8th place on the weekly list—was already worth bragging about.

In any case, it was a top-ten spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, which was full of gold content, and it was number one on the children's book weekly list, receiving praise from critics.

Mei Linda mailed these newspapers to Wei Ming so he could use them for self-promotion. Having been in China for two years, she understood very well that China was currently in extreme need of external validation. These newspapers would make Wei Ming's title as the "King of Fairy Tales" even more solid.

Additionally, Mei Linda mentioned in her letter that she was working hard to cram knowledge about Africa so she could better translate the spirit of *The Lion King*.

She could have handed it to a professional translator, but to earn this translator's fee, she was also giving it her all. After all, it wasn't a small amount of money, and she believed in the sales potential of Wei Ming's work.

After finishing Mei Linda's letter, Wei Ming first wrote back to her. Besides thanking her for her hard work, he also suggested she help him find some books about dinosaurs; this was his next creative direction.

For cutting-edge science on paleontology, the US was much richer, and since he was mainly targeting the overseas market, he should stick to a Western perspective.

After writing the letter, Wei Ming mailed this international correspondence first, then went to the *China Youth Daily* and called out his old friend, the reporter Zhu Wei, handing over the newspapers Mei Linda had given him.

"This is?"

Wei Ming: "*Jumanji* made it onto the New York Times Bestseller List, peaking at 8th on the weekly list, 1st for children's books. There are also some book reviews—I've circled them."

Waves of shock appeared on Zhu Wei's face. *It's that fierce?! *

"As expected of you, Writer Wei. You conquered the British, and now you've started attacking the Americans!"

Wei Ming laughed: "Is this enough for you to write an article, Reporter Zhu?"

"One isn't enough; I have to write several! But I'll need to find someone to help with the translation, so it might not be that fast. Writer Wei, these newspapers you provided are too important!"

He held them tightly, his eyes full of light.

This wasn't just Wei Ming's victory; broadly speaking, this was a victory for Chinese children's literature!

"It's all what I should do. You go ahead and get busy; I'll head out first."

Zhu Wei hurriedly said: "Writer Wei, how about I treat you to a meal?"

Wei Ming laughed: "I'm always the one treating others; how could I let you spend your money? But I have something to do today. Let's do it another day; I'll be the host next time."

"Alright then."

Zhu Wei watched Wei Ming's back as he rode away, sighing that Writer Wei was indeed a model for Chinese youth. This matter had to be published not only in the *China Youth Daily* but also promoted in *China Youth* magazine.

After leaving the *China Youth Daily*, Wei Ming went to the Oriental Dongfang Dongfang Xintiandi, where Wei Hong was also present.

Another happy event today was the marriage of Mei Wenhua and Xu Yunyun.

The certificate from their hometown in Sichuan had already been mailed over, so Yunyun and Mei Wenhua would officially register their marriage.

Wei Ming and Wei Hong planned to accompany them to go through the process; it might be useful later, and Wei Ming wanted to familiarize himself with the procedure in advance.

They registered, but they weren't in a hurry for the wedding. They would wait until Wei Jiefang and Zhao Debiao returned to Beijing and invite their relatives from Sichuan to host a ceremony. Registering now was just for peace of mind, fearing that marriage policies might change.

Today was Sunday, and the store was too busy. Mei Wenhua, holding the certificate, said happily: "We have to hurry back. Let's arrange to treat everyone to a meal tomorrow."

Wei Ming: "I might not be free tomorrow. Brother Feng is moving."

"His house is ready?"

"Yeah."

Mei Wenhua also thought of his new house. It wasn't ready yet, and he hadn't had a chance to use the contraceptives he had been gifted, yet he had just registered for three more.

The next day at noon, not only did Wei Ming come to help Brother Feng move, but Mei Wenhua also came. The two of them used a school tricycle and could finish in one trip, as Northern Qiao Feng didn't have much stuff to begin with.

Northern Qiao Feng was the first to move into this new faculty building, hoping that the child would be born into a new home, which would be a good omen.

Although the house only had about 40 square meters of usable space, it could be partitioned into two bedrooms, which was much more spacious than before. Brother Feng could also move back home; ever since the three of them moved out of the dormitory, he felt it was boring to live there.

Northern Qiao Feng's mother-in-law looked at the new house and smiled: "You guys wait; I'll arrange the food for you."

Mei Wenhua joked: "Auntie, such a big happy event as moving house, shouldn't we go out to a restaurant?"

"Spend that unjust money." The old lady was anxious. In fact, she was now an unofficial member of the Oriental Dongfang Dongfang Xintiandi and was quite wealthy.

To ease the financial pressure on her son-in-law, Northern Qiao Feng, she would pick out the decent-looking defective clothes from the Oriental Dongfang Dongfang Xintiandi before they were returned, buying them at cost and selling them at markets around Haidian. Her monthly income was more than Northern Qiao Feng's, but her frugal nature was hard to change.

As a result, the old lady had just left when Southern Murong suddenly let out a cry: "Oh no!"

Northern Qiao Feng: "What's wrong?"

Southern Murong: "It broke. My water broke."

Naturally, this housewarming banquet didn't happen. They originally wanted to send her to the Peking University Affiliated Hospital, but Southern Murong's labor was too fierce, and she was screaming loudly.

So, under the gaze of students on campus, they pushed her directly to the school hospital on a tricycle, Southern Murong saying that their Dean Su would know how to deliver the baby.

Mei Wenhua originally had to go back after eating, but now he wanted to know what was born, so he stayed.

Wei Ming said: "Then you go to the canteen and get us some food. Sometimes it takes half a day to give birth."

"Alright." Mei Wenhua shook his stylish jacket.

Wealthy people don't return home like someone wearing silk in the dark. He came back today also wanting his former colleagues to see how well he, Little Mei, was doing now.

Later, Little Mei finished eating and brought the lunch boxes over with Auntie. Wei Ming laughed: "Auntie, congratulations! You're a grandmother!"

Mei Wenhua: "So fast? I was only gone for a meal."

Of course, he also passed out cigarettes, showed off, and listened to the praise of his brothers.

Auntie Mu hurriedly asked: "What was born? A boy or a girl?"

"It's a little girl." Wei Ming didn't think there was anything wrong with that, but both Auntie and Southern Murong, who had just given birth, couldn't hide their disappointment.

Both of these women wanted a son, and Northern Qiao Feng wanted one too, but his obsession wasn't that heavy.

But it just had to be a girl.

Wei Ming pulled Mei Wenhua away, and the two left quietly.

Mei Wenhua was still muttering: "Girls are great. Girls are a parent's little padded jacket. My parents wanted a girl back then."

Wei Ming shook his head: "That's because they already had two sons, but now they don't have a single grandson. You ask them again if they want a grandson or a granddaughter."

The big brother-in-law's words left Mei Wenhua stunned; it seemed there was some truth to that.

"Oh, let's not talk about that. Having children is still a long way off for me." He wanted to enjoy their two-person world to the fullest. "Let's get together tonight. Bring Xiao Hong. I want to eat at Moscow Restaurant."

Wei Ming: "Fine. I have a gift for you guys."

After Mei Wenhua left, Wei Ming called Sha Ping from the *Beijing Evening News* again, asking him to come pick up the song and, incidentally, get more tickets for the concert.

This New Star Concert was held at the Capital Gymnasium, with over 10,000 seats—much larger than the North Exhibition Theater. He had provided the song for free, so asking for a few more tickets was perfectly reasonable.

However, he learned his lesson this time. There were two shows, so he asked for more tickets for the first show to go with his family and friends, and for the second show, he only asked for two tickets so he and Lin could go alone.

Dinner at Moscow Restaurant that night was just the four of them—the newlyweds and the big brother-in-law and little sister-in-law. Neither Wei Ming nor Xiao Hong spared Mei Wenhua's wallet, ordering the most expensive items: pot-stewed beef, cream-baked fish, and black caviar.

Even if the dividend dropped next month, it wouldn't bankrupt him. Even if he only got a thousand a month, it was still more than the sum of everyone else's wages in their family.

Of course, Wei Ming's gift was also very valuable—more expensive than the meal. It was a painting of mandarin ducks by Qi Baishi. Although the quality was average and the size small, the symbolism of the mandarin ducks was good. It was already worth more than the meal, and it wouldn't be hard for it to be worth hundreds of thousands in the future.

Everyone ate happily, but a conflict arose after the meal.

Wei Ming: "I have something to do. Little Mei, you take them both back."

"Big Brother, the store isn't closed yet. Yunyun and I have to go finish up. You take them."

Wei Ming: "I can't. My business is very urgent. You take them first, then go back to the store."

"Big Brother, how about you just work hard and make the trip first." Mei Wenhua wouldn't budge, frantically winking at Wei Ming.

Wei Hong didn't understand and felt hurt, feeling like she was being disliked.

But Wei Ming understood. They wanted to do the same thing.

Considering they were already registered, Wei Ming had no choice but to back down, sending Wei Hong home first before going to the Beijing Er Yingchang guesthouse to find Lin.

As for Mei Wenhua and Yunyun, they arrived at the store and announced they were closing early, letting the staff leave first before closing the door and turning off the lights.

"What? Southern Murong gave birth!" Lin said happily. "Then I have to go see her."

"Aren't you filming?" Wei Ming asked, his hands not stopping.

"Filming has started, but at the beginning, Da Shichang has more scenes, so I'm not that busy. I'll go see her tonight."

Wei Ming: "Then I'll pick you up when the time comes, accompany you, and take you back."

"Mm."

Wei Ming kissed Lin's lips: "I'm so good, let me stay, okay?"

Lin glanced at the wall and lowered her voice: "Don't even think about it. You have to leave before ten."

Wei Ming: "Then you have to let me out before ten~"

(End of chapter)