Chapter 277: Print More! Print More!

"I remember him—he was very low-key, and the principal held him in high regard, helping draft many strategies. He was injured early in life; otherwise, he'd have been an excellent battlefield commander. I heard that after we left Changsha, his eldest son died in the Battle of Changsha. Why are you bringing him up?"

Shen Zui explained: "I just felt the other protagonist, Jiang Limin's older brother Jiang Lizhong, resembles Comrade Wei. I'm still good friends with Comrade Wei's younger brother, Wei San'er—but that kid apparently died in the Magic Capital, killed by the Communist spy Yan Shuangying. What a pity—he was such a good young brother."

The passage Shen Zui had turned to dealt with the aftermath of the Zhongshan Ship Incident, right around the time the Fourth Class of Huangpu had just enrolled, which was why Tang Shengming was mentioned.

Tang Shengming kept reading right from there and recognized many familiar names, like that fierce guy Biaozi—he was one of his classmates.

Seeing these people appear in the novel, he couldn't help but marvel at the author's meticulous research; every former classmate's speech and mannerisms matched their real-life counterparts perfectly, making Tang Shengming feel as if he'd returned to 1926, the year he enrolled—how nostalgic, his lost youth.

Suddenly, he saw a name and laughed: "Little Shen, go get my little cousin—ask him to come read this story with us."

The little cousin he meant was Wen Xiaoqiang, one of the three troublemakers of Gongdelin, also from Huangpu's Fourth Class, and even the class monitor. His identity was special, and his life had been extraordinarily turbulent.

He was the 23rd-generation descendant of Wen Tianxiang; the Great Leader's mother was his aunt, so he and the Great Leader were maternal cousins. He was also the Premier's favorite student, with the Premier himself as his party introducer. During his time at Huangpu, he shared a bunk bed with 101 and even got into a fight with him—101 still called him Third Brother.

And yet this man was among the last hardline war criminals released from Gongdelin.

To be honest, he'd been unlucky—he'd originally been on the Communist side, but was later betrayed by a traitor. After being captured, he barely escaped, only to be misunderstood by his own side. In a rage, he defected to Chiang Kai-shek, joined the Military Statistics Bureau, and was eventually captured alongside Du Yuming.

Inside Gongdelin, he adamantly refused to write a confession, declaring: "Mao is my cousin, Zhu is my superior, Zhou is my teacher, Liu is my fellow townsman, Lin is my subordinate. I became what I am because they failed to educate me properly—if a confession is needed, they should write it."

Thus, he wasn't pardoned until 1975, among the final group with Huang Wei and others, and he got to see the Premier one last time. He now lived not far from Tang Shengming's home.

As soon as Shen Zui left, Tang Shengming flipped to the first page of the novel and only then noticed its title: "The Right Path of Humanity Is One of Change."

He sat up straight, sighed softly, and murmured: "Teacher Mao… it's been nearly five years since you passed away."

Wen Xiaoqiang was the Great Leader's cousin, and Tang Shengming himself had a close relationship with the Great Leader. As a mischievous child, his elder brother Tang Shengzhi sent him to the Affiliated Primary School of Hunan First Normal College, asking Teacher Mao to discipline him strictly. They lived and ate together, forging a deep friendship, and Teacher Mao turned him into a model student—even in old age, he still remembered Tang Shengming's childhood bedwetting incident.

When Shen Zui brought Wen Xiaoqiang over, the little cousin declared he'd eat lunch there. Tang Shengming's wife had passed away; he was an old bachelor. Wen Xiaoqiang, after his pardon, married a shrew and lived in constant chaos, so he was happy to join old friends for a meal.

Seeing them arrive, Tang Shengming said to Shen Zui: "You say Jiang Limin is based on you?"

"Huh?"

Tang Shengming: "I think he's clearly based on me!"

"Huh?"

"Look, Jiang Limin's childhood personality is exactly like mine. My older brother was also a KMT official. We're both Huangpu graduates—he was Third Class, I was Fourth. Most importantly, when Jiang Limin went undercover in the Magic Capital, he tangled with movie stars—aren't I the exact same?"

Shen Zui: "No way, Boss, you're really arguing with me over this?"

Wen Xiaoqiang was confused: "Who's Jiang Limin? Is there really someone like that in Third Class?"

Shen Zui explained: "A fictional character."

Wen Xiaoqiang: "You're nuts."

"Of course, I'm not the only prototype. I think Chen Dajiang's influence is there too—he later worked underground. Some of Jiang Limin's actions during the Zhongshan Ship Incident clearly draw from Chen Dajiang." Tang Shengming began analyzing seriously.

He and Chen Dajiang were inseparable friends. When he first enrolled at Huangpu, Chen Dajiang was his company commander and protected him. Later, when Chen Dajiang came to the Magic Capital for treatment, Tang Shengming secretly guarded him—they were as close as brothers.

Hearing them chat excitedly, Wen Xiaoqiang finally couldn't hold back: "What novel? Why are you bringing up the Zhongshan Ship Incident and Chen Dajiang?"

"This one—'The Right Path of Humanity Is One of Change, Volume One.' Wait… this is only half a novel?" Tang Shengming grew uneasy, hesitating whether to keep reading.

Hearing his elder cousin's verse, Wen Xiaoqiang was deeply moved, as if instantly transported back to that era—the verse held a peculiar magic.

"Old Tang, are you going to read it or not? If you won't, I will."

"Just let me see it—why be shy?"

In the living room, Liu Rulong and Gong Ying were playfully teasing each other, while Wei Ming and Wei Hong watched them.

Today, A-Long went to Meiyingchang—he was still using his holiday to intern there, unpaid, even without a dormitory provided, all just to learn and witness firsthand the making of "The Legend of the Magic Egg" at Meiyingchang.

After work, he'd definitely meet up with Ah-Ying. Now, he didn't have to trudge through the freezing winter streets—he could court her in an old Western-style house.

When Ah-Ying heard he was drawing a new manga character, she wanted to see it—he refused.

Mainly because he was afraid—he was currently drawing Chilian, one of Wei Zhuang's disciples, a character requiring some sensuality.

At first, he drew her too conservatively, aiming for the image of Chilian Immortal Li Mochou. Wei Ming criticized him, telling him to draw boldly—after all, he never intended to publish it on the mainland.

Now that he'd finished, he still dared not show it to Ah-Ying.

Wei Ming teased: "Honestly, I'm still not satisfied. Why not let Ah-Ying give you some suggestions?"

Unexpectedly, even his brother betrayed him. A-Long gritted his teeth: Fine, let her see it—I'll just say Wei Ming told me to draw it this way.

When Ah-Ying first saw A-Long's depiction of the buxom, leg-baring ancient beauty, she blushed and shot him a glare—but said nothing, instead evaluating it professionally.

She asked: "This is set in the Qin Dynasty—shouldn't the costumes reflect Warring States style?"

A-Long replied: "That doesn't matter much—focus on beauty and splendor."

He'd originally planned to strictly follow Qin-Han styles, even studied relevant books, but realized it was too hard to make it stand out, so he chose to freely improvise on a Qin-Han foundation.

Ah-Ying nodded: "Tell me about this character."

So A-Long began with Wei Zhuang himself, to help Ah-Ying understand who Chilian was. Xiao Hong, intrigued by this odd tale, came downstairs to listen. A-Long felt the light in the room brighten instantly.

Wei Ming returned to his room to revise his manuscript. Xue was temporarily away—he had to seize this time, so when she returned, he'd have more time for love and intimacy.

He also planned to finish revising the second volume before the New Year, so he could be debt-free during the holidays.

Oh, no—there's also "The Empress Dowager's Regency." He'd nearly finished "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace," leaving only "The Empress Dowager's Regency," which he could take his time with after the New Year.

After a while, Gong Ying prepared to leave. A-Long walked her out. Wei Ming smiled: "This is your sister's house—you could live here too."

Gong Ying blushed, thinking Wei Ming meant the servant's room downstairs. Then Xiao Hong said: "Yeah, Ah-Ying, you can share my room!" She knew this was Gong Xu's house, but not the full details.

Gong Ying realized she'd misunderstood—but still refused. She hadn't told her parents anything; suddenly staying out overnight would make them frantic.

A-Long naturally had to escort his girlfriend home. When he returned, he immediately sought out Wei Ming.

"Big Brother, look—this is the revised Chilian. What do you think?"

Wei Ming took it and examined it: the face was the same, the figure unchanged, but the clothing had changed.

"Did Ah-Ying revise this?"

"Yeah. I realized she has real talent in costume design—this version's outfit is prettier than mine."

"Girls really do understand what makes clothes beautiful. And since our dad's a costume company's art director, Ah-Ying's got family tradition." Wei Ming smiled.

A-Long paused, then realized what "our dad" meant—he blushed and fidgeted: "So… what if you let her join us?"

"Sure. Just remember to pay her. Honestly, with Ah-Ying's skills, she'd be better suited designing new outfits for Dongfang Xintiandi—they've had some ugly down jackets this year, missing a designer. If you want a lasting relationship, you should live together." Wei Ming advised.

A-Long nodded—it made sense. He'd have to mention it to Ah-Ying. And if she went to Beijing, she could keep her sister company.

Wei Ming planned to offer an opportunity: "Tomorrow daytime, Xiao Hong and I are going out—we'll probably be back only by night."

"Ah? Oh."

January 29th—the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, also Southern Little New Year.

Early that morning, Wei Ming and Xiao Hong went out. The Magic Capital already carried a festive air.

Wei Ming first took Xiao Hong for ribs with rice cake, then headed to the Bund. After waiting a while, the old man he'd arranged to meet—Old Fei—arrived.

Wei Ming introduced them, and told Xiao Hong to call him "Ye Shu."

"Hello, Ye Shu."

"Hahaha, good, good!" Hearing Wei Ming say his sister was a math student at Peking University and the province's top science student, Old Fei looked at her with new respect—such intelligence? A perfect candidate for Tilanqiao University.

Today's meeting had two purposes: first, to have Old Fei act as a guide, showing them around the old financial district of the Magic Capital.

The second was about the Jueyuan No. 2 residence—he needed someone knowledgeable to help him handle the matter, and he'd pay him a fee.

"You still need me to guide you? Your novel's already full of details about the Magic Capital's Bund," Old Fei chuckled.

He hadn't expected Old Fei had read Wei Ming's new work.

"I only know a little," Wei Ming demurred.

But Old Fei didn't: "It's just a little—like the part about Chiang Kai-shek's stock trading…"

Then he began pointing out where Wei Ming's account deviated from the real events. The old man had read so carefully—Wei Ming suspected he'd even written to "Shouhuo."

As they talked, they strolled along the Bund.

"Speaking of financial districts, the Bund is one. Back then, HSBC, Citibank, Mercantile Bank—all these foreign banks were clustered here."

Mercantile Bank was Zhadayinhang—the original owner of No. 18 The Bund, now called Chunjiang Building.

Old Fei knew every bank and its office location by heart. He then took them to Jiujiang Road, where Chinese banks and financial institutions were concentrated—Zhejiang Industrial Bank, Zhejiang Commercial Bank, and others had offices there. His aunt's bank was probably here too.

But all those banks are long gone now—how could private banks exist? Even the Big Four aren't fully established yet; Minsheng Bank won't appear until the 1990s.

Xiao Hong loved listening to Old Fei's stories of the Magic Capital's financial wars, especially the hyperinflation during the Civil War—Wei Ming had described it in detail in Volume Three of "The Right Path of Humanity Is One of Change."

The old man and the young girl chatted easily. Wei Ming spotted a newsstand nearby, went over, and found "Shouhuo" sold out. He saw "Youth Digest" and bought a copy.

It was the inaugural issue. Wei Ming knew it launched this month—he'd received royalty payments from "Youth Digest," which had reprinted part of "Black Cat Detective: The Magpie's Nest."

Digests are just excerpts from elsewhere. Another famous one, "Reader's Digest," also launched this year.

"Youth Digest," which would later peak at three million copies per issue, was still a newborn—a serial publication by China Youth Publishing House, aimed at youth.

Its sections were clearly designed: "Society and Life," "Study and Exploration," "Wishing You Success," "Literary Strolls," "Science Corridor," "Mysteries of Nature"—and of course, the future-derided "Foreign Customs."

Wei Ming's "Black Cat Detective" appeared in "Mysteries of Nature." The "Foreign Customs" section had two articles: "New Year Customs Around the World" and "Various Greeting Etiquettes."

Wei Ming flipped through it—objective, restrained, nothing like the later, more sensational versions.

At just over 20 cents, Wei Ming bought a copy. Meanwhile, Old Fei was telling Xiao Hong about the financial shocks China suffered after founding the PRC. Xiao Hong found it more interesting than her university lectures.

Wei Ming glanced at his Shanghai-brand watch: "It's getting late—let's find somewhere for a quick meal."

Old Fei was about to suggest a nearby eatery when Wei Ming added: "Isn't the Peace Hotel nearby?"

Old Fei's spirits lifted, his mood stirred—then he heard Wei Ming say: "I recall there's a little dumpling shop near it. How about we go there?"

Old Fei's face fell: "I know which one you mean. Follow me."

The Xintiandi dividends had shrunk, and if Jueyuan could be reclaimed, renovation would cost money—even Wei Ming couldn't be reckless. Eating out was fine, but the Peace Hotel offered no value.

Eating various flavors of soup dumplings, Wei Ming told Old Fei about Jueyuan No. 2.

"My aunt sent a letter from America, and returned the original land deed."

"A land deed!" Old Fei paused. "There's still hope—you want to reclaim the house?"

Wei Ming: "I have that idea. I hope the old lady can one day set foot on her homeland again—it's not right for her to live in a hotel."

Old Fei: "I can ask for you, but based on my guess, you'll still need documents proving your relationship with the Shi family's mistress."

"That's difficult," Wei Ming frowned. His hometown didn't even have his aunt's household registration.

Old Fei asked: "What about the letter she wrote you? Maybe that'll work."

Wei Ming: "The letter wasn't addressed directly to me—it was passed along."

Old Fei: "Then have her write you a new letter, plus a power of attorney authorizing you to handle everything. That should be enough."

Wei Ming pondered: "Hmm, first help me find out what procedures are needed."

"Bro, these crab roe buns are amazing!"

"If they're good, eat more," Wei Ming laughed.

Right after finishing lunch and stepping outside, Wei Ming was about to take Xiao Hong to his aunt's old family home when he ran into a short man wearing sunglasses.

Wei Ming walked face-to-face with him; when Wei Ming looked at him, he pulled his sunglasses down.

"Wei-san!"

"Sada-san!"

Japanese musician Sada Masashi lived in the nearby Heping Hotel; after lunch, he was taking a stroll and happened to meet Wei Ming, who was also walking around.

"We really are fated to meet," Sada Masashi said happily upon seeing an old friend. "I just returned to Japan when I heard about the huge new star concert in Beijing—and your new composition was performed there."

"Yes, we're also striving to catch up with international pop music. What brings you to Shanghai?"

"I'm planning my second concert in Shanghai," Sada Masashi said. "And I'll officially perform your song 'Declaration of a Man'—it's my secret gift to Chinese audiences."

Wei Ming smiled and asked: "When's it happening?"

"Three days from now at the Shanghai Sports Stadium," Sada Masashi asked back, "Will you still be in Shanghai then?"

Wei Ming calculated quickly and nodded: "Yes."

"That's great—please come to my concert," he said, pulling out three tickets from his pocket.

Wei Ming took them with a smile and said: "Not enough."

"Huh?"

Wei Ming: "I have two friends who also love your music."

These three were for him, Xiao Hong, and Xue-jie—but he hadn't forgotten A-Long and A-Ying; after all, he was the brother-in-law.

Sada Masashi quickly whispered to his Japanese interpreter behind him, then snatched two tickets from the reluctant interpreter's hands.

Wei Ming didn't understand, but he could guess from their expressions.

"Aren't these meant for me?"

"I'll give you more when I get back to the hotel—just lend me these for now."

"You absolutely must give them to me!"

Thus, Wei Ming ended up with five VIP concert tickets. By then, Xue-jie should be back; after hearing Sada Masashi's concert, she couldn't be left out.

Then Sada Masashi asked Wei Ming what new music he'd been working on.

Wei Ming replied: "I recently wrote an English song."

"Nani!"

Sada Masashi was stunned. Could this man really be this talented? He asked uncertainly, "Lyrics? Composition?"

Wei Ming nodded: "Both."

"What's the song called? Can I hear it now?"

Wei Ming: "I don't sing it well myself—it's meant for a female voice. Last month, John Lennon passed away, and I wrote this tribute song. I've submitted it to MCA in the U. . I don't know if they'll accept it."

Sada Masashi was even more astonished—it was MCA, the parent company of Universal!

He grew more curious and quickly asked the song's title. Japan's music industry was highly developed; he could hear global pop hits. If this "Moonlight Shadow" got picked up by MCA, he'd surely hear it in Japan.

After exchanging a few more words, they parted ways. Sada Masashi jokingly asked Wei Ming to write a Japanese song.

Wei Ming couldn't help him there—if he wrote lyrics using the Japanese words he knew, it would be unbearable. He could compose the melody, though.

On the same day, Los Angeles.

Li Aiguo, originally named Thomas White, returned home from vacation and immediately asked his father, Attorney Jason White, about his song "Moonlight Shadow."

Jason didn't take it seriously—it was just a song. Even if the quality wasn't great, his reputation alone was enough to get it into the studio.

Li Aiguo was thrilled: "Who's singing it?"

"I'm not sure. They said they're looking for a British female singer who likes The Beatles."

Li Aiguo: "When can I get the finished version? Will I hear it before I return to China?"

"It probably won't be that fast."

Li Aiguo sighed: "Alright, let's talk price. I'm entitled to ten percent of the author's royalties—hope you didn't slip any traps into the contract."

Attorney White put down his fork and knife: "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'll have to rewrite the contract."

…

On the first day of February, Gong Ying finally returned to her loyal Shanghai from Subei.

It was afternoon; A-Long was at work at the Shanghai Animation Studio. Wei Ming had tricked Xiao Hong into going out, buying her a movie ticket to see "The Legend of the White Snake" at Daguangming Theater.

"No one will disturb us for three hours!" Once upstairs, Wei Ming immediately pinned Xue-jie onto the bed, pressing down hard—yes, the bed was decent, the noise negligible.

Gong Ying had missed him terribly; her hand reached for Wei Ming's pants.

But she wouldn't tell him that this bed had first been slept on by her and Zhu Lin.

Over an hour later, it was over. Gong Ying worried Wei Hong might return, so she forced herself to get dressed, pretending to be the mistress coming home.

Wei Ming chuckled: "A-Ying will probably get back even earlier. Wait here—I'll take the revised manuscript to 'Shouhuo.'"

The second volume's manuscript had been revised by 100, 00 characters—it was time to send it in.

When he reached the editorial office, Editor Li first gathered all the letters addressed to him. This time, they were reader letters from across the country, many directly mailed to Peking University.

Fortunately, Shanghai had its own home and space to store letters.

As Wei Ming chatted with Editor Li, the deputy publisher walked in and announced: "We can't hold out anymore—this issue of 'Shouhuo' needs to be reprinted."

A reprint was expected. Editor Li asked: "How many?"

The deputy publisher said: "Round it up—another 400, 00 copies!"

…

(January: 2, 00 monthly votes, 3, 00 monthly votes—bonus updates!)

(End of Chapter)