[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-8":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising in 1979",{"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},2260716,4412,"Chapter 8: About Manuscript Fees","rising-in-1979-chapter-8",8,"\u003Cp>But everyone else were temporary workers from Beijing, brought into Peking University by policy; Wei Ming got in through connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming’s assigned bunk was above Qiao Feng’s, which was fine—upper bunks offered privacy, letting him write undisturbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled and greeted his two colleagues, asking where they had been sent for rural reassignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Debiao was sent to Northeast China; Mei Wenhua was sent to Henan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then where were you sent?” Mei Wenhua asked, hearing no accent from Wei Ming and assuming he was just like them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming replied: “I never went for rural reassignment—I was already in the team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiao Feng: “Xiao Wei is from Hebei; their place produces a lot of baijiu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Debiao’s eyes lit up: “Did you bring any?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled: “I came in a hurry; I’ll definitely bring some when I return home next time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Debiao rubbed his hands: “You’ve got a deal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua thought more deeply—how could a rural outsider from the provinces get a job at Peking University? There must be someone behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he himself wasn’t without connections either, so he wasn’t intimidated, and sat down to keep reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt this guy’s demeanor belonged in a student dorm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming glanced over—it was a magazine called *Today*, probably the poetry journal started by Bei Dao and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That one: “Vileness is the passport of the vile, nobility the epitaph of the noble…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wei Ming finished making up his bed and was about to write something, Qiao Feng eagerly asked: “Xiao Wei, tell us the story of ‘Northern Qiao Feng, Southern Murong’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, sure. The story’s called *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*. It begins in the Wuliang Mountains of Yunnan…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the original novel or the TV adaptation, it usually starts with Duan Yu’s story—and Wei Ming did the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his memory had improved, he didn’t go into excessive detail; if he told everything, it would take days to finish, and he had no time for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after he’d told just a bit, Mei Wenhua interrupted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a Hong Kong writer’s wuxia novel, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, you know about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did you buy this novel?” Mei Wenhua asked, curious—he’d heard a snippet from an older brother during his rural reassignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t buy any novel. I had a high school classmate originally from Guangdong—he was exposed to more, and I heard it from him.” He really did have such a classmate, named Liu Rulong, also studying in Beijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Debiao cut in impatiently: “Hey, why are you butting in? I was enjoying this—keep going with Duan Yu and the Immortal Sister!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, Zhao Debiao was the most captivated of the three; Qiao Feng also liked it, but was slightly annoyed that Duan Yu stole the spotlight—wasn’t this supposed to be Qiao Feng and Murong’s love story? This Duan guy was just in the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon enough, “Northern Qiao Feng, Southern Murong” appeared only as background.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, Southern Murong is a guy!?” He was deeply disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, Murong Fu—he’s one of the top young heroes of the martial world. Spoiler alert: the Immortal Sister is connected to him too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Debiao immediately urged him to continue—he loved the Immortal Sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though not quite what Qiao Feng had imagined, he was still drawn in by this thrilling wuxia tale—it was Jin Yong’s masterpiece after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Mei Wenhua, who had initially dismissed it, had put down his magazine, pretending indifference, but his ears caught every word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, Wei Ming wrote not a single word—but earned Zhao Debiao’s nickname: “Big Brother Ming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the same age; Zhao Debiao was born slightly earlier, but he was shorter than Wei Ming, so he willingly took the junior role, and they quickly became close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua was more hypocritical—he was clearly envious of Duan Yu’s romantic luck with multiple women, yet said: “These are just capitalist toxins to waste time, unworthy of serious attention.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Debiao chuckled: “So tomorrow, Big Brother Ming, you’ll keep telling, right? You’ll still listen, won’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua sneered: “Fine, tell it if you want—I’m not bothered by your noise while I read.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Qiao said: “Enough. Lights out. We’ve got morning runs tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, just after six, everyone except the guards on duty was dragged by Qiao Feng to the May Fourth Sports Field for laps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming wanted to exercise—he was tall at 1.83 meters and good-looking, but too thin, like a bean sprout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even compared to sturdy men like Qiao Feng and Zhao Debiao—he felt even the four-eyed Mei Wenhua was more solid than him. It was mostly due to years of food shortages and lack of fat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So at breakfast, Wei Ming bought three fried dough cakes and two boiled eggs—too bad there was no milk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each fried dough cake cost three fen; eggs were expensive—twelve fen each. Even eating like this, his monthly 18.5 yuan might not be enough, but he believed his manuscript fees would come soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a morning of political education, Wei Ming, Zhao Debiao, and Mei Wenhua went together to the staff cafeteria for lunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they saw Qiao Feng and Lu Xiaoyan standing at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister-in-law, here they are,” Qiao Feng pointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie!” Wei Ming hurried over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan’s admiration was unmistakable: “Xiao Ming, let’s talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.” Wei Ming handed his utensils to Brother Qiao to get his meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiao Feng got Wei Ming braised tofu and steamed buns—a lunch worth barely one egg. Eggs were that expensive then; even farmers who raised chickens wouldn’t eat them themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain, over here!” Zhao Debiao called.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Qiao Feng sat down, Mei Wenhua asked: “Captain, who’s that woman? Why is she looking for Wei Ming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Debiao: “Didn’t you hear? Xiao Wei calls her ‘auntie’—she’s family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua: “But I heard you call her ‘sister-in-law’—does that mean Wei Ming is your relative too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiao Feng snapped at Mei Wenhua: “Stop asking questions. Just eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he was curious—because Sister-in-law Xiao Yan said she had official business with Wei Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Official business?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the two were strolling; Lu Xiaoyan had already told him his manuscript was accepted, and Wei Ming remained calm, like a seasoned general.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really wrote it all in one night?” Lu Xiaoyan asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. Want me to write another one for you tonight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great! We’ll take as many of these fairy tales as you write, at the level of *The Toothless Tiger*!” Lu Xiaoyan said generously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Auntie!” Wei Ming had found a long-term income source. Then he hesitated and asked: “When will I get my manuscript fee?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you need money urgently? I could advance you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, no—I’m not short on cash. I just want to use my own fee to help my family, so my parents can be proud of me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan had never experienced peasant hardship, but her husband had told her of his own childhood struggles—Wei Ming’s family must be living poorly back in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said: “Don’t worry—I’ve pushed your piece to be published this month. You’ll get your fee slip on the day the issue comes out—about two weeks from now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two weeks was fast for magazine submissions; sometimes delays dragged from now until next year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much will I get?” Wei Ming wasn’t ashamed to ask about money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan explained the current manuscript fee rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since 1977, the state has restored manuscript fees. Original works are paid once, between two and seven yuan per thousand characters, based on quality. Your piece is five thousand characters—minimum ten yuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, authors get no fee for printed books yet; book royalties won’t be added until next year’s fee adjustment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it only about quality?” Wei Ming asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan smiled: “Of course. The magazine’s budget and the author’s reputation also matter—but don’t worry, with Auntie here, you won’t get the lowest rate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minimum ten yuan became minimum fifteen yuan. Wei Ming thanked her again and said: “I’ll deliver new work soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm. But your next piece won’t be published until next month—we usually don’t publish two works by the same author in one issue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming understood the reasoning, but this pace of earning was too slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began considering whether, while meeting *Children’s Literature*’s monthly requirement, he should also submit longer stories to other magazines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(PS: Please vote and read—climb the new book chart quickly so more people can find it! Also consider investing—then you’ll have your first subscription money~)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1424,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","334931987a9d20c2478cf2050724d2c79c60154a55185ccdb39c6573cfe2f3da","rising-in-1979-chapter-9","rising-in-1979-chapter-7",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]