Chapter 278: This Wind Blew to Hong Kong

Upon hearing this reprint quantity, the room fell briefly silent, then erupted into loud cheers; everyone's hearts were bursting with two words.

"Amazing!"

First print: 600, 00; reprint: 400, 00; total circulation: 1, 00, 00! A gross value of one million yuan!

This is the first time since the last issue that 《Harvest》 has reached a circulation of one million. Though slightly lower than the previous issue's 1. million, 《The Right Path of Humanity Is Vast Change》 still has two more volumes to come.

If all one million copies sell out, the circulation for the next and the one after that could be unimaginable.

The deputy publisher rushed off to the printing plant immediately—tell them to work overtime, finish as much as possible before the New Year; the Spring Festival is a golden opportunity for word-of-mouth growth, and readers must not be left unable to buy it when they want to.

Wei Ming had only experienced a one-million circulation level once before, when 《The Spring of the Sheep Herding Class》 was published in 《People's Literature》.

In today's literary scene, only 《People's Literature》 and 《Harvest》 have ever reached a circulation of one million among pure literary journals.

Wei Ming could even assert that even if 《The Right Path of Humanity Is Vast Change》 had been published in one of the other three major literary magazines, it still wouldn't have achieved such success—the foundation simply wasn't strong enough.

Old Western-style house on Huating Road.

Today, Gong Ying went to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio to pick up Liu Long after work; they returned here together and found a woman crouched outside the door, peering inside.

Tall, pale, voluptuous, and quite beautiful—she looked exactly like Chilian from her and Ah Long's stories; if she were just a little more attractive and dressed a bit more elegantly, she'd seem like she'd stepped straight out of a comic.

"Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

Li Zhi turned around and saw two strangers. "I'm here to see my classmate Bai Mingzhu. Who are you?"

Gong Ying remembered—the original owner of this house was surnamed Bai. "Your classmate doesn't live here anymore. The house has been sold."

Li Zhi knew perfectly well the house had been sold and her classmate no longer lived here; she hadn't just wandered here aimlessly hoping to bump into a young, wealthy, handsome man.

But her wish went unfulfilled.

"Sold?" Li Zhi feigned ignorance. "Then who owns it now? Are you the owners?"

"It's my sister's. If you have nothing else, we'll be going in now." Gong Ying grew impatient with this woman's endless questions.

Li Zhi studied Gong Ying's face—she must be Gong Zhu's younger sister. She'd seen this big star that night too; in just a few months, Gong Zhu's fame had grown even more.

But she didn't believe a newly famous actress could afford such an old Western-style house—no way. The money must have come from the man beside her.

The man looked about her own age, his family background immeasurably deep. Gong Zhu was surely his mistress—probably one his family didn't recognize, kept outside the home.

Yes, that had to be it!

With this suspicion, Li Zhi didn't look down on Gong Zhu; on the contrary, she thought it was impressive.

Women's most valuable asset is their looks. If they can trade them for a lifetime of luxury, that's not bad. Like the famous movie stars of the Republic era, they often colluded with powerful officials.

For example, the story of Hu Die, the movie queen, and Dai Li—she'd heard it countless times. Dai had long since died, but Hu Die was still alive, living a carefree life abroad, the ultimate winner. She was a true female role model.

Seeing Gong Ying open the door but not enter, just staring at her, Li Zhi reluctantly ended her fantasy, offered an apologetic smile, and left.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, Gong Zhu opened the door to greet them: "Ah Ying, Ah Long, you came back together?"

"Big sister!" Gong Ying rushed over happily. "You're finally back! Is Xiao Hong here?"

"Oh, she went to see a movie. She should be back soon."

"What about her brother?"

"He went to 《Harvest》."

"So you've already met?" Gong Ying gave a knowing smile, making her sister blush.

Next, Gong Zhu began chatting with Ah Long, showing genuine interest in her sister's love life. But Ah Long seemed quiet and shy.

Actually, he was mostly terrified. Now that Xuejie had returned, he remembered he'd helped Ah Ming deceive Gong Ying's sister.

If Ah Ming and Zhu Lin's secret got exposed, Ah Ming might get stabbed six times and cut three ways, but he'd definitely get splattered with blood too. Just imagining Gong Ying's reaction terrified him—he didn't want to speak.

Gong Zhu assumed it was just his personality and didn't mind. At that moment, Gong Ying began discussing plans to go to Beijing after the New Year.

"Oh?" Gong Zhu glanced at Ah Long—things were moving fast.

Gong Ying said: "I just want to go see. If it suits me, I'll stay. If not, I'll stay with Mom and Dad."

"What kind of work?"

"Fashion design. I think I might have some talent for it." She went to fetch the character design sketches for 《Qin Shi Ming Yue》—she'd revised every character's clothing, from lead to supporting roles.

After her revisions, the characters became instantly memorable, far more vivid.

Gong Zhu nodded as she looked, recognizing a style utterly different from mainland comics—beautiful, and likely very appealing to young people. Just as she was about to reach the page with Chilian's chest and long legs, a bouncing little girl returned—Wei Hong.

She'd been lively moments before, but seeing Gong Zhu seated calmly on the sofa, she instantly became obedient: "Hello, Sister Gong Zhu."

This posture was called "living under someone else's roof." She'd always assumed the house belonged to Gong Zhu.

Gong Zhu immediately put down her drawings and warmly pulled Wei Hong to sit beside her, chatting with her—her intention to build a good relationship with her future sister-in-law was obvious.

Her competition with Zhu Lin wasn't just about Wei Ming—it also included his close friends. This little girl held high status.

Wei Hong was pleasantly surprised. Not only had they taken in her and her brother, but they treated her kindly, making her feel at home. She and her brother truly owed Ah Long a debt of gratitude—he must be doing this because of her future brother-in-law.

Ah Long: …

"What movie did you watch, Xiao Hong?"

"Oh, the Peking Opera film 《The Legend of the White Snake》. I think it was made by Shanghai Film Studio. It was lively, and with subtitles, I didn't worry about not understanding." She'd last been deeply impressed by 《The Seventh-Rank Magistrate》.

This film was still very strong—in 1981, it was the only one that could rival 《Joyful Reunion》 in reach and audience numbers, and both were from Shanghai Film Studio.

Originally, Shanghai Film Studio had completely dominated the 1981 film scene. But now, Beijing Film Studio had 《Heroes Born from Youth》, a top-tier work, and it premiered before 《Shaolin Temple》，giving it a first-mover advantage—the final outcome was still uncertain.

It was nearly dark when Wei Ming finally strolled back. Seeing everyone there, he reiterated the concert tomorrow night—mainly for Gong Zhu, since everyone else already knew.

After dinner, neither Gong Zhu nor Gong Ying showed any intention of going home.

After returning to Shanghai, Gong Zhu hadn't gone home—she wanted to spend more time with Wei Ming, then pretend she'd just come back from the countryside in a few days.

Gong Ying, knowing her sister was returning home today, had already told her parents she was spending the night at her best friend's place.

Tonight, the two of them would naturally share the room between Wei Ming and Wei Hong.

Wei Ming turned on the desk lamp to revise his manuscript, wishing for a red-sleeved beauty to add incense and warmth. But after waiting a long while, Xuejie still didn't come in. He'd already finished his "ammunition refill"—he could easily go for a second round.

But Wei Hong was upstairs, and Gong Ying was lying beside the bed. How could Gong Zhu possibly sneak into Wei Ming's room now? She was currently chatting with her sister about private, woman-to-woman matters.

"What? You've just been drawing all these days? Really nothing else?"

"At most we held hands, then that was it," Gong Ying admitted honestly.

Gong Zhu lectured: "Ah Long is still young. You're older—you need to guide him."

Nothing too extreme, but at least a hug?

Gong Ying immediately asked: "Then you and Wei Ming—did you guide him?"

Gong Zhu fell silent immediately. Xiao Wei was young too, but he was thoroughly experienced. She was completely on the receiving end.

Today, after so long apart, emotions overwhelmed her, so she took the initiative. That afternoon, she'd been on top.

As the two sisters whispered, a cat's meow came from the balcony—Wei Ming had finished today's revision and was now calling out.

Gong Ying didn't understand, thinking a stray cat had actually come into the house. But Gong Zhu instantly recognized it as Wei Ming's trick.

She responded with two soft "meows"—meaning: Not now, no chance.

Instantly, the cat's cries stopped. Gong Ying stared in shock—you two are this playful?

She felt her sister had been completely devoured by her future brother-in-law, bones and all.

"Ah Ying, go to sleep. It's late."

"Sister, one last question," Gong Ying said. "Before Wei Ming left, did he take you home to meet Mom and Dad?"

If not for Zhu Lin, Gong Zhu would have begged and pleaded to make Wei Ming meet her parents. They were always worried about her future—this would reassure them.

But now she couldn't—it violated her agreement with Zhu Lin, an act of cheating. So she had to cover for Wei Ming: "I said we shouldn't meet yet. I'm in the middle of my career rise—I don't want gossip about my personal life. If I bring him home, the neighbors will all see, and rumors will spread everywhere. Just thinking about it is annoying. Let people focus on my work."

Gong Ying hadn't realized her sister was so career-driven. Poor future brother-in-law—he paid for the house, promoted her work, yet still got no official status.

Indeed, being a man is hard. Being the man behind a female star is even harder.

Thinking this way, her sister seemed rather cruel.

Just as she was about to scold her, Gong Zhu closed her eyes. That afternoon's exertion had drained her energy, and she'd spent half the morning on a train, then taken a hot shower—sleepiness was overwhelming.

The next day, Gong Zhu still had no intention of going home. After Gong Ying and Ah Long left for work, seeing Wei Hong as an obstacle, Wei Ming was about to act on his mischievous thoughts when Gong Zhu said: "Xiao Hong, let's go shopping together."

Wei Hong: "Great! I want to buy some Shanghai fashion items to take back home."

Wei Ming: What's this? You're ditching me?

"Stay home and focus on revising your manuscript. Don't waste time." She winked at Wei Ming.

Her meaning: Behave yourself.

So Wei Ming stayed home and worked diligently. Around three in the afternoon, the two returned. Gong Zhu looked perfectly calm; Wei Hong was utterly exhausted, collapsed like a ragdoll—she'd never known shopping could be this tiring!

Today they'd swept through several major department stores in Shanghai. Though they bought no clothes, they bought plenty of food and goods. Wei Hong had never shopped so intensely—compared to Gong Zhu, she was clearly outclassed.

Since they'd already eaten out, Wei Hong went to her room, shut the door, and immediately collapsed into bed, falling asleep quickly.

At that moment, Gong Zhu winked at Wei Ming again. He quickly pulled her into his room.

The most astonishing thing was that when they went to the Shanghai Sports Arena for the concert that night, Gong Zhu walked with her usual brisk step, while Wei Hong looked like she'd been blown over by the wind.

Though women have a natural talent for shopping, there's still a gap between mature women and little girls.

This Shanghai concert was no different from the Beijing one—it was recorded and would be broadcast on Shanghai TV, letting the whole city hear the latest pop songs.

Shanghai's acceptance of such music ranked among the highest in the country.

The concert's peak moment was Satō Masashi singing the Chinese version of 《Declaration of a Man》. In later years, foreigners speaking even a few words of Chinese would delight the Chinese audience—back then, the reaction would have been even stronger.

Fortunately, there was no roof—otherwise, the cheers from eighteen thousand spectators would have blown it off.

After singing, Satō Masashi specifically thanked the great writer Wei Ming for writing the Chinese lyrics.

Recently, due to 《The Right Path of Humanity Is Vast Change》，Wei Ming had high visibility in Shanghai newspapers—today's concert added another notch to his fame.

After the concert, Gong Zhu and Gong Ying decided to go home—this was a last-minute decision. They'd just realized they'd been filmed by TV crews, meaning their parents might see them soon. So today would be the day Gong Zhu "returned" from Su Bei.

With Ah Long seeing them off, Wei Ming stayed backstage to chat with Satō Masashi.

He revealed he'd be staying in China longer: "We might meet again."

Wei Ming thought: Here it comes, here it comes!

True to form, he told Wei Ming that his family business would collaborate with CCTV to produce a documentary on the "Yangtze River," and he would personally serve as director and lead actor, traveling with the crew from the Magic City all the way to the Yangtze's source, even planning to compose a song about the Yangtze.

It was a decision that would burden him with decades of debt, but undoubtedly, the documentary was made at a high level; if they didn't shoot it now, in a few years it would no longer capture the essence of 1981—it was invaluable visual documentation.

Wei Ming patted his shoulder: "Good luck. My mother is from Sichuan; the Yangtze flows through there too. From what I've seen of its human and natural scenery, it's truly beautiful."

When Zuo Tian was saddled with debt and fully focused on music, perhaps they could collaborate again.

The next day, Wei Ming and Gong Ying met again, but without any swordplay or martial posturing.

Wei Ming turned on the old phonograph in the living room and began dancing the waltz with Gong Ying; she had even put on high heels.

Following their example, Ah Long and Ah Ying clumsily began to dance too.

Although Xiao Hong thought her brother and Sister Gong looked a bit too intimate, she desperately wanted to join in—but unfortunately, she was left out.

Wei Ming: "Wait, wait—I'll teach you later."

Back then, university students generally knew how to waltz, but when Wei Hong went to college, public dancing had already been banned; she never got the chance to learn.

The dancing lasted only a brief half-day.

After lunch, Wei Ming delivered the final 120, 00-word manuscript to the "Shouhuo" editorial office; that afternoon, the three of them would take the train back home for the New Year.

They didn't fly, because even flying would still require a full day of train, bus, and motorcycle rides—so they simply bought three hard-sleeper train tickets.

At the train station, Gong Er and Gong San came to see them off; Wei Hong watched the two sisters and felt that Sister Gong Ying was more reluctant to part than Gong Ying—what a warm and hospitable host!

When Sister Gong Ying comes to Yanjing someday, I'll definitely invite her to stay at my place!

Before boarding, as usual, Wei Ming went to buy magazines and newspapers to pass the time, and noticed passengers eagerly buying "Gushihui."

After a year, "Gushihui" had become extremely popular at train and bus stations; these short stories suited travel better than pure literature like "Shouhuo" or "Dangdai."

He Chengwei mentioned in a letter that "Gushihui" was preparing to relaunch as a monthly.

But right now, the urgent priority is improving manuscript quality and solidifying the brand's reputation.

Today, "Gushihui" held its editorial meeting, and He Chengwei criticized an editor for selecting a lowbrow article titled "Xu Fu in Japan."

Due to the immense popularity of "The Great Battle of the Terracotta Warriors," many stories centered on Qin Shi Huang gained favor in the second half of 1980.

"This Crazy Qi guy rode that wave—he wrote several Qin Shi Huang pieces that got rejected, then switched tactics and wrote about Xu Fu, claiming Xu Fu sailed east and stayed in Japan, becoming the ancestor of the Japanese. It's not that such stories can't be written—I read them and found them satisfying—but this one was too vulgar, as if going to Japan meant nothing but sex. We absolutely cannot accept such articles!"

Next, everyone discussed recent hot topics, and everyone naturally brought up the Republican-era theme, sparked by "The Righteous Path Is Vast and Deep."

Previously, this period of history had still been somewhat sensitive, but Wei Ming had shattered the barrier with a groundbreaking masterpiece.

One editor suggested: "We in the Magic City have strong thematic advantages too—we could organize stories about Du Yuesheng, Huang Jinrong, Wang Yaqiao—urban dwellers would love them."

"I agree!"

"I've got a story about the Axe Gang and Wang Yaqiao—I'll write it."

The editors of "Gushihui" weren't just editors—they often had to write themselves, because many submissions were raw stories in plain vernacular, lacking any literary polish, requiring them to rewrite everything into proper prose.

Wei Ming and the others departed on the afternoon of the third; they wouldn't arrive home until the evening of the fourth, which was already New Year's Eve.

Old Wei and Xu Shufen had returned with Grandma by the end of last month; also, Uncle Ping's family of four had come back, though two days later.

After returning, Old Wei bought a New Year pig from the village; the two brothers split one pig, and gave a hind leg to Cousin Fan Chunhua, who had just given birth to her second son.

Their little son was born at an inopportune time—right during the family planning crackdown. Though he was born, they had to pay a fine, but Qi Kexiu eventually went to the county, leveraging Wei Ming's aunt's connections, and got the fine waived.

But the fine could be waived; the punishment could not.

That day, Qi Kexiu was taken to the hospital for a vasectomy; only now had his legs fully recovered.

But the child didn't know what a vasectomy was; Qi Delong had always believed his father had become a eunuch, and this left deep psychological scars—even making him consider never marrying.

If not for the hind leg from Uncle's pig, he wouldn't have been able to enjoy the New Year at all.

Xi Zi and Le Le's arrival brought Qi Delong much joy; last night, the village screening showed "A Good Thing Takes Time," and Xi Zi said her Snow Mom had acted in it.

Today there was no excitement to be had—everyone was busy preparing for the New Year. Mother, carrying the crying Dong Qiang, still had to cook for the whole family; Father did nothing, claiming he was tired.

Hmph, dead eunuch!

Qi Delong couldn't bear to watch anymore, so he chose to leave: "Mom, I'm going to Uncle's for dinner!"

Uncle was especially generous now, not caring how much meat he ate at their house—their meat seemed endless.

But it was so late, and Uncle and Uncle Ping still hadn't started eating.

Xi Zi said: "Big Brother and Sister haven't come home yet."

Qi Delong suddenly realized: That's why I felt something was missing—I forgot Big Brother hadn't returned yet!

Old Wei kept going to the door to peek, saying the latest they'd arrive was New Year's Eve—surely the train wouldn't stop running today?

Just as Old Wei stepped back inside, Qi Delong said: "Uncle, you sit. I'll go wait for Ming Ge and the others."

Less than half an hour later, Qi Delong shouted: "Motorcycle! The motorcycle's back!"

Reunion was the greatest meaning of the New Year.

This year, the Wei family of Gouzi Tun had another reunion—unless you counted Old Wei, who was still in Hong Kong.

Old Ghost and Liu Bin had no family nearby this year, but they had business partners.

The two of them, plus the Zhou mother and daughter, chose to watch a movie for the New Year.

After a simple New Year's Eve dinner, they went to see "Modern Bodyguards," which was currently breaking box office records.

A Shaw Brothers production, all four Hui brothers were involved: Hui Wenzhong and Hui Wu directed; Hui Wenzhong and Hui Jie wrote the screenplay; Hui Wenzhong, Hui Ying, and Hui Jie starred. Upon release, it exploded at the box office and had already surpassed Cheng Long's "My Brother Is a Hero" as Hong Kong's highest-grossing film.

Even on New Year's Eve, the theater was packed.

After the movie, they laughed and chatted all the way back to their public housing—by now they were the most successful residents there, yet still couldn't afford the sky-high prices of private developments.

Liu Bin still lived with his Ghost Uncle; he noticed a newspaper in the mailbox, pulled it out, and handed it to his uncle—it was his subscription to "Xin Bao."

Old Ghost loved newspapers—he read "Wen Hui Bao," "Da Gong Bao," "Oriental Daily," left and right alike; "Xin Bao" was more neutral.

Today's "Xin Bao" carried a column by Cai Shengsan, who unexpectedly mentioned a mainland Chinese novel.

The title was "Also Discussing…"

……

(Today's minimum! )

(End of Chapter)