Chapter 285: First Print: One Million Copies, One Preface

When Wei Ming finished work and left the library, he saw several first-year students from the Spanish department passing by with a volleyball, politely greeting him: "Good afternoon, Teacher Wei."

Among them was Yu Minhong—wasn't this guy still enrolled?

Wei Ming smiled in reply, and seeing the volleyball, remembered there was a crucial volleyball match today—apparently the preliminary round for the Men's Volleyball World Cup, determining whether China's men's team would qualify.

Who were they playing? Oh, right—it was the Koreans.

Due to the longstanding resentment from the Korean War, everyone hoped the men's team would defeat the Koreans and secure a spot in the World Cup.

When he got home, Old Wei had already turned on the TV to watch the live broadcast; only then did Wei Ming learn that the China-Korea match, deciding who would compete in the Japan-hosted Volleyball World Cup, was being held in Hong Kong.

On the rooftop terrace of the Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong.

Old Ghost met Liu Bin there and immediately congratulated him: "Ah Bin, congratulations on your promotion to manager of the McDonald's branch!"

Liu Bin looked helpless: "Big Brother, I go home every day—can't we talk about this at home?"

"It's different. Underground work requires the appearance of underground work. Going home is personal life—we must keep work and life separate, don't mix them."

"Alright," Liu Bin sighed, "so when can I resume my official identity?"

"Not yet. This is a great opportunity to learn from our enemies—we must not only adopt their technology but also their management and business philosophies. Running so many stores worldwide must mean they have unique strengths," Old Ghost glanced at him. "What, are you impatient?"

"How can I not be impatient? I work at McDonald's by day, then manage Li Lai's accounts at night—I sometimes can't tell if I'm human or ghost." Even though he earned two salaries, his mind was exhausted!

At that moment, Old Ghost struck just the right note: "I just received a letter from the mainland—your son will come to Hong Kong in June."

"What!" Liu Bin, moments ago defeated, instantly perked up.

Old Ghost: "When he comes, you two should have a proper talk. Now, let's go watch the match."

"Since when did you like volleyball?"

"I don't like volleyball. I just like beating up those Koreans." Old Ghost pulled Liu Bin to the venue.

But soon Old Ghost's bravado vanished—how had they lost 2-0?

At the same time, in the TV rooms of every dormitory at Peking University, especially the male dorms, students sat on small stools or stood outside, watching the tense live broadcast—though "live" meant it was slightly delayed.

When they saw China's men's team lose 2-0, the situation Old Ghost saw in Hong Kong had already changed to 2-1—China had finally won a set, and their form was improving.

Meanwhile, in the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Wei Ming's family watched in excitement as China's men's team tied the Koreans at 2-2; in Hong Kong, Old Ghost and Liu Bin had already jumped to their feet.

"They won! China's men's volleyball team won!"

This meant China's men's team would compete in the November Men's Volleyball World Cup in Japan; soon after, the women's team also qualified, but with far less fanfare.

At Peking University, when the televised match ended and students saw China's men's team complete a stunning comeback with a 3-2 victory and qualification, they couldn't help but cheer, waving their arms and pouring out of the dorms.

Overnight, the road outside Yan Garden became crowded and noisy.

At first, the chant was "Long Live the Chinese Team!" then it became "Long Live China!" Later, someone started singing "Unity Is Strength."

Wei Hong on the female dormitory floor also saw this scene and asked what was happening.

A girl from the next room told her: "China's men's volleyball team beat South Korea's—they qualified for the World Cup! Everyone's celebrating!"

"That's great—I'm going down too!"

Her roommate Ning Xin found it strange: "I never noticed you were so into sports."

"I'm not into sports—I hate Koreans. My grandfather died on the Korean War battlefield—his body never came home!" Wei Hong said, then immediately went downstairs.

At this point, the students' chant had settled on "Unite and Revitalize China," and even students from Tsinghua University nearby joined in the excitement.

Soon after, this eight-character slogan appeared on the People's Daily the next day, given a bold headline.

The slogan quickly spread across Shenzhou, making the entire nation feel the passion and patriotic fervor of today's university students—and it reminded Wei Ming of the May Fourth Movement.

From his mailbox, Wei Ming received not only that day's newspaper but also a letter from Shandong.

It was Zhu Lin's first letter since the start of filming "Happy Family."

Since filming began, she'd been swamped—juggling her acting duties and doubling as the crew's doctor, prescribing medicine to crew members sick from seasonal changes; she joked she was turning into a barefoot doctor.

After a month, the crew had stabilized, and only now had she found time to write him this letter to ease her longing.

"The crew members are all kind—Comrade Zhu Shimao has thick eyebrows and bright eyes, and is very gentlemanly; Comrade Wang Shuqin is fiery and calculating in the film, but in person she's very cheerful; Comrade Wang Yumei is as kind and gentle as in the movie…"

After praising the crew, she boasted that she'd learned to drive a tractor.

"I never learned when I was sent to the countryside—the production team treasured that tractor and wouldn't let girls touch it. But this tractor was rented for filming, so I learned it during my free time."

Seeing that Sister Zhu could now drive a tractor, she'd clearly immersed herself fully in the role—she now had the feel of a rural woman.

Zhu Lin had also enclosed a recent photo of herself—grinning with simple charm, yet still unmistakably beautiful; this Second Sister would surely captivate countless viewers once the film was released.

Wei Ming quickly wrote back to Sister Zhu, and included a photo of himself receiving an award with Sister Chen Rong and others from the Writers' Association.

The next day, on his way to work, Wei Ming passed the newspaper stand outside Peking University, and the old man there greeted him voluntarily.

"Teacher Wei, three more days."

He meant the March issue of "Harvest" would be on sale in three days.

This time, the stand owner had applied for two hundred copies of "Harvest," convinced they'd sell out in a day.

The previous issue had sold exceptionally well—even though "The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Ocean" wasn't a genre popular with students, it was loved by professors and staff, and many elderly people queued to buy it.

Previously, Wei Ming's readers were mostly young and teenage; now he'd attracted many middle-aged and older readers.

At school, Wei Ming saw Uncle Anping walking out of the staff cafeteria with Lele; today Lele didn't have school, but he had to work.

"Uncle, why not let Lele come with me? I'll give her a notebook to draw in—she'll pass the day easily."

"Won't that interfere with your work?"

Wei Ming laughed: "What work do I even have?"

Wei Anping didn't bother with formalities: "That's perfect—I've got an important meeting today."

So Wei Ming took his cousin to the Peking University Library; the pretty little girl made him an object of envy, and people everywhere handed her candy.

She politely accepted each one, then tucked them into her pocket—she wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but her brother liked them, so she'd save them for when he returned.

"Big Brother, what should I draw?" Lele asked, holding a blank sheet and pen, confused.

Wei Ming: "Draw 'Only Mother Is Best.'"

Lele thought about the song's lyrics and knew exactly what to draw.

Meanwhile, Gong Ying, Xi Zi, and other crew members, accompanied by Long Xiaoyang, had been living for several days in the village where Song Lian and Hehua resided.

Gong Ying's eyes were swollen from crying—during this time, she'd fully immersed herself in Hehua's tragic fate, and an overwhelming maternal instinct had suddenly emerged within her.

She couldn't imagine what she'd do if, one day, she bore a child only to have Wei Ming forcibly take it away to raise with Zhu Lin.

That night, Gong Ying also wrote Wei Ming a letter, pouring out her inner turmoil, but asked him not to reply, since the director had already gathered enough material; next, they'd travel to Subei to experience life, though their exact lodging remained uncertain.

When parting from Long Xiaoyang at Chengdu Railway Station, Gong Ying still asked at the newspaper stand if the latest "Harvest" had arrived.

"You asked at the wrong time—the 'Harvest' will arrive tomorrow morning; we don't have any yet."

"Oh, alright—I'll buy it when I reach the station tomorrow," Gong Ying said, disappointed.

The vendor added: "Are you looking for 'The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Ocean'?"

Gong Ying nodded—though she could easily get Wei Ming's backup manuscript, she wanted to support its sales.

The previous issue of "Harvest," fueled by this serialized novel, sold one million copies—but that wasn't its limit.

She naturally hoped her little man would break that ceiling.

The "Harvest" editorial office and the Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House shared this hope, but couldn't be too extreme—printing too many copies at first might backfire if readers found the second part's stale anti-Japanese story less appealing than the first part's Huangpu Military Academy plot.

So they settled on a first print run of one million copies, matching the previous issue's final sales—already the highest first-print record for any domestic literary journal.

But they also arranged with the printer to reserve printing materials and be ready to reprint immediately if needed.

What if Wei Ming's anti-Japanese story turned out to be even more captivating?

After all, Wei Ming had previously written a uniquely distinctive anti-Japanese tale, "Er Niu," which was widely loved and adapted into a film by Xiyingchang.

The day before the March issue of "Harvest" officially launched, Wei Ming received a letter from Wu Tianming of Xiyingchang.

In it, he regretfully explained the obstacles in adapting "Ancient and Modern War: Terracotta Lovers"—the plot involved elixirs of immortality and people living into modern times, too unmaterialist; from top to bottom, no one recommended filming it, so he had to pause development.

Wei Ming fully understood—"The Mysterious Buddha" still hadn't even confirmed its release date; "Ancient and Modern War: Terracotta Lovers" was indeed too ahead of its time.

But he ended with good news: "Cow and Cow Er" had passed censorship and was now being duplicated—nationwide release would be in April.

Wei Ming was pleased—his second film was about to be released. Though it had drawn little attention before or after filming, this film included not just him but also his father; as soon as he got home, he told Old Wei the good news.

Old Wei sighed: "I wonder how Niu Da, Niu Er, and Xiao Qiang are doing—I actually miss their taste."

"Niu Da, Niu Er, Xiao Qiang?"

"The three dairy cows from the crew."

"Why isn't the third one called Niu San?"

Old Wei: "Because it's especially stubborn—its temper is fierce, so I named it Xiao Qiang. Usually, Niu Da and Niu Er do the filming; it just tags along to eat."

"Then what's this about their taste?"

"I meant the taste of their milk."

Who knew Old Wei had such perks on set—milk was unlimited.

The next day, Shanghai.

The new writer Wang Anyi hadn't received her copy of "Harvest," but she rushed to the bookstore to buy this issue—this was her first short story published in "Harvest," "The Epilogue."

To her surprise, despite rising early, she still found a long queue—and worse, someone ahead had bought five copies.

Could this guy be a scalper? Wang Anyi couldn't help but worry.

After all, the bookstore's stock was limited, and the queue was so long—if they sold out before her turn, she wouldn't get to read it first.

The bookstore clerk also worried and asked the young man a few questions.

He replied: "My grandfather, my father, and my boss all love 'The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Ocean.' I like it too—can't I buy extra copies to give away? I paid for them, didn't I?"

Someone else asked: "Your grandfather, your father, your boss, and you—that's only four people. Why buy five?"

The young man blushed: "I have a girlfriend—her father likes it too."

The air around was filled with cheerful energy.

Finally, it was Wang Anyi's turn; luckily, this issue had a huge first print run and ample stock at bookstores, so she easily bought a copy of 《Harvest》, flipped to the table of contents, and before even spotting her own story "Epilogue," she was drawn to the bolded title "The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Changes—Part II."

So this isn't the ending after all—there's a "Part III" too!

Many people didn't know "The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Changes" was serialized in three parts; they all assumed this issue would deliver the grand finale, only to find out they'd paid their money but still hadn't seen the conclusion.

Wang Anyi checked the page count and estimated this installment alone was over two hundred thousand characters; thus, the entire three-part series of "The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Changes" must be over six hundred thousand characters long!

Good heavens—Wang Anyi was twenty-seven this year, had been publishing for five years, and had never written a full-length novel; even combining all her mid- and short-length stories with essays and miscellaneous writings, she hadn't reached six hundred thousand characters!

Six hundred thousand characters—that's a fortune in royalties. No wonder he loved treating people to meals.

Back when she studied at the Beijing Literary Workshop, Wang Anyi was one of the students, and one of those who benefited from Wei Ming's hospitality.

Wang Anyi, who regarded Wei Ming as her literary goal, found a quiet spot and began reading "The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Changes—Part II" intently.

In bookstores and post offices across many cities nationwide, similar scenes unfolded: eager readers bought their copies of 《Harvest》 and immediately sought out secluded places to devour them.

Continuing from the previous installment, after the Xi'an Incident, the KMT and CCP officially resumed cooperation; Jiang Limin began his military career directly confronting the Japanese invaders. Wei Ming drew on classic battle scenes from 《Sword of Light》, crafting sequences that were thrilling, darkly humorous, and tragically heroic.

Jiang Limin was far more cultured than Li Yunlong, yet he too had his reckless moments and excelled at using cunning tricks to achieve surprise victories.

A key character in this arc was Wang Yaowu, Jiang Limin's classmate from the third cohort of Huangpu Military Academy and a quintessential KMT figure in the Zhengmiankangzhan.

Here, he played the role of Chu Yunfei; in fact, Chu Yunfei's famous line—"Even if they were tens of thousands of pigs, the Communists would need days to catch them all"—was originally spoken by Wang Yaowu himself. The cinematic image of Chu Yunfei drew heavily from Wang Yaowu.

Until the July 7th Incident erupted, igniting a nationwide anti-Japanese fervor, Jiang Limin led a charge in battle to secure victory and was gravely wounded.

Due to limited medical resources in the area, the organization arranged for him to seek treatment and convalescence in the Magic Capital, clearly inspired by General Chen's own experience.

Tang Shengming's home.

Tang Shengming, Shen Zui, Wen Xiaoqiang, Yang Botao, Zheng Tingji, and other old friends gathered at Tang Shengming's house, each reading a copy of 《Harvest》—all purchased by Tang Shengming.

Tang Shengming went further—he had his maid buy six copies of 《Harvest》 at once.

When they reached the early plotlines, several alumni from Gongdelin began reminiscing about that old rascal Wang Yaowu; too bad he was pardoned in 1959 and passed away in 1968.

But when Jiang Limin arrived in the Magic Capital, Shen Zui's eyes widened—he saw "Yan Shuangying!"

In Wei Ming's novel, Jiang Limin and Yan Shuangying were two separate people; Yan Shuangying was Jiang Limin's subordinate, the one who carried out the operations.

Seeing that name, Shen Zui knew immediately: this young author had clearly consulted classified archives.

Tang Shengming pointed to the passage he was reading: "Indeed, Jiang Limin's prototype draws heavily from Brother Chen. There's even my part here—when Brother Chen came to the Magic Capital to recover, I cleared away all those scoundrels for him. Too bad he passed away too soon—he was barely sixty."

The others thought: you never even made it to Gongdelin—you were a high-ranking official from the start, always flirting with the Communists.

After arriving in the Magic Capital due to his injury, Jiang Limin immediately took over underground operations, beginning another legendary chapter.

This second volume of 《The Right Path》 was divided into two phases: the first half focused on the frontlines, the second on behind-enemy-lines warfare. It wasn't just about confronting the Japanese hungry for the Yangtze Delta, but also guarding against the puppet regime and the fickle Chiang Kai-shek—the plot points grew denser, making it utterly addictive.

Moreover, this second volume introduced Jiang Limin's romantic subplot—more precisely, his second romance. In the first volume, his teacher's sister had died during the purge; they shared a hazy affection, and afterward Jiang Limin endured several years of emotional emptiness.

"Heh, didn't expect Master Wei could handle romance so well—both romantic arcs in 《The Right Path》 are excellent. Minimal ink, but they add so much depth."

"But I feel this heroine won't survive until Part III."

"Haha, I feel the same."

In Liu Zhenyun's 1978 Chinese Literature class, discussions about this novel had begun; one student even suggested inviting Master Wei to join them for a group discussion.

Liu Zhenyun readily agreed and headed to the library to find him.

Just then, Wei Ming stepped out of the library, hurrying.

"Brother Ming, our dormitory—"

Before Liu Zhenyun could finish, Wei Ming said: "Old Liu, I'm tied up today. Let's do it another time."

"Oh, alright." Liu Zhenyun watched Wei Ming's retreating back, filled with regret—he should've asked what was going on. Maybe he could've helped.

A phone call had come to the library for Wei Ming; after answering it, he rushed out, hopped on his motorcycle, and headed straight to Xiehe Hospital, where he met Ba Lao, Wei Tao, and others.

Everyone was waiting for a somber piece of news.

While waiting, Ba Lao handed Wei Ming the last article written by Mr. Mao Dun before his death.

"He said this piece was meant to serve as the preface when 《The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Changes》 is published. It's your honor, and the novel's honor. I hope you'll continue to strive forward, not Gufu Mr. Mao Dun's expectations, and make this preface a celebrated moment in literary history."

Precisely because of this connection, Ba Lao had invited Wei Ming to the hospital to accompany Mr. Mao Dun on his final journey.

Wei Ming took the Jizhangzhi —the text was not handwritten by the master, but dictated by him and transcribed by his son Wei Tao. These few sheets contained at least two thousand characters, heavy in his hands.

"Within the creases of history, there are always hidden currents and glimmers of light—like a great river surging, carrying silt and stars, ultimately etching uneven patterns onto the shores of time."

"《The Right Path of Humanity Is the Vast Changes》 is like a meticulously painted scroll, weaving the rise and fall of the Jiang brothers into a vast tapestry of China's revolutionary half-century. Its characters walk upon the blade of history, blood and tears entwined with ideals, faith and kinship torn apart."

"And what is called 'the right path' has never been a plaque hung high in the halls of power—it is the footprints trudging through mud, the cold sweat of traitors waking at midnight, the final roar of the silent…"

Next, Mr. Mao Dun analyzed one by one the main characters—Jiang Limin, Jiang Lizhong, Jiang Lihua—writing another lengthy passage.

The master had read it with extraordinary care; every comment was a pearl, and none revealed the characters' fates—perfectly guiding readers new to the novel, helping them enter the story more swiftly. Truly thoughtful.

"The mountains and rivers tear like silk; time becomes a stele. The weight of a book lies not in how many storms it records, but in how it makes the breath of dust resonate with the stars."

"Dedicated to all who listen to silence amid noise, piece together wholeness from fragments, and look up at the stars while crawling on the ground."

"The road of humanity is long; the right path endures. May we, after all the changes, still have the courage to say to time: My heart is bright—what more need be said?"

Seeing the words "My heart is bright—what more need be said," Wei Ming's eyes welled up.

Though he and the master had little interaction, were hardly familiar—only acquainted through photographs—the master's preface was written with extraordinary sincerity and brilliance; even on its own, it could grace a Chinese language textbook.

As Wei Ming gently rubbed his eyes, a doctor approached…

(End of Chapter)