Chapter 87

The editorial department of *Contemporary* magazine, which was founded in July this year, is located at No. 166 Chaonei Street.

The first issue was printed with 70,000 copies and sold out. It established the basic pattern of "complete literary types, prominent long-form documentary," and held high the banner of realism in running the magazine.

The second issue was printed with 110,000 copies and was also digested by the market very quickly.

Next is the third issue in December. The manuscript organization work has been completed. The main focus is Wang Meng's novella *Ritual* and Mo Yingfeng's long-form serial *General's Chant*.

In addition, there are essays by Yao Xueyin and Liu Xinwu, and two prefaces by Mao Dun and Ba Jin.

With such a powerful lineup, they felt that even if they were conservative, they had to print 130,000 copies.

"Dong dong~"

"Please come in."

"Hello everyone, I am Wei Ming, here to submit a manuscript."

"Oh my, you are Writer Wei! So young!" Editor Liu Yin discovered him first, but was quickly snatched away by Bai Shurong.

Liu Yin: Hey, still protecting food.

"Ma Xiaowei, sit quickly. Finished writing so fast?!" Bai Shurong was overjoyed. It was more than half a month earlier than the deadline they agreed on.

"Yes, this is already considered slow." Wei Ming laughed, but the original content was also higher, which took a lot of thought.

"Ma Xiaowei, are you in a hurry to return to the unit?"

"Not in a hurry. I work the night shift. As long as I can return to Peking University by six o'clock."

"Oh my, then I'll read it quickly. If there are problems, I'll circle them, saving you the trouble of running another trip." Bai Shurong just wanted to flip through it, when several editors surrounded her.

"Read together, read together."

Thus, Bai Shurong read first. After reading one page, she passed it to another person, and she read the second page. In this way, four or five people could read one manuscript at the same time.

It's just that some people read fast, some slow, so it's inevitable to urge.

"Can you be faster?"

"Can you stop urging!"

Wei Ming's writing style is still online, practiced by decades of text work, mature and precise. In this regard, basically no one can pick out faults.

And the story is still extremely attractive. The opening is a rivalry between a poor son and a wealthy father who returned from overseas with billions in assets. There is also a young and beautiful little honey next to the father. The huge contrast makes the dramatic tension fully pulled, and also makes people curious about the male lead's experience and his choice.

"Do you want to go abroad to live with your father and inherit billions in assets?" This is the suspense that runs through the whole novel.

The number billions is too large, so large that people simply cannot refuse to see the ending, so large that the few readers on the scene turned their brains several times before having some concept of this number.

At first, what a few people thought was, Xu Shengfang shouldn't refuse, right? After all, who doesn't know that foreign living conditions are good? Now how many people break their heads wanting to drill out, especially since Xu Shengfang is still an old rightist.

However, as Xu Shengfang's memories of ranch life and his wife were interspersed, the thoughts of the few readers were shaken little by little.

But until the paragraph before Xu Shengfang truly refused his father, in their hearts, the probability of agreeing was still dominant. After all, the father said he could take his wife and children together, not letting him abandon his wife and children to be a man who abandons his wife for wealth.

But he actually still refused. The first reaction of the few readers was regret, followed by some shame.

Then they began to recall Xu Shengfang's every word and action, as well as the confrontations between him and his father, and began to slowly understand his choice and admire his integrity.

Bai Shurong finished reading first. Seeing the end, Wei Ming had a postscript: This novel is adapted and processed from the stories of the author's parents and the couple Yan Jitong and Wang Bailing in Ningxia.

She put down the manuscript and pulled Wei Ming to the side to chat.

"Now reflection literature is in vogue, everyone is criticizing, and your novel seems to be a bit anti-traditional. Your attitude is gentler, and it seems not to fit the current mainstream context."

Wei Ming: "Yes, I wrote another not-so-typical story."

"Another?"

Wei Ming explained: " *The Story of Two Donkeys*, oh, that's the one given to *Harvest*, is also a piece of educated youth literature that is a bit different."

"You said it was adapted from the deeds of your parents and this couple. What story does this couple have?" Bai Shurong asked.

Can't blame her for not knowing. Yan Jitong and Wang Bailing just returned to China from Brazil on the eve of National Day. Reports about them are not many yet.

After the New Year, *People's Daily*, *Guangming Daily*, and other newspaper giants will successively report their deeds, and then there will be Zhang Xianliang's *Soul and Flesh*.

"This couple is researching excellent pig breeds in the Northwest. The first time I heard Wang Bailing's name was at the National Science Conference last year. At the same time, she also has an overseas Chinese identity..."

"Actually, they received a visa letter from Brazil last year, and all five members of the family were approved to immigrate to Brazil."

"Because they were separated from their parents for thirty years, they decided to visit their relatives as a family."

"After arriving there, the parents' family was big and the business was big, helping them arrange everything, work, education, house, all didn't need them to worry, even solved the green card."

"They left for a year, and I'm afraid no one thought they would give up the generous living conditions abroad and return to the motherland to suffer, but just a while ago, all five members of their family returned to China."

"Ah!" Bai Shurong was surprised. Is there really someone like Xu Shengfang in reality?

Bai Shurong prepared to find related reports to read later, and immediately asked again: "Then are the experiences of your parents and this couple similar?"

"Oh, my father didn't have a wealthy biological father, but his uncle was on the other side. However, because the villagers were mostly kind, he didn't suffer much. The love story between Xu Shengfang and Wei Fenfang in the novel is mainly based on my parents. My mother was a girl who fled from Sichuan and Chongqing. After being taken in by my grandmother, she married my father. Until now, she hasn't found her family over there..."

After finishing the background of the story creation, Wei Ming asked: "Editor Bai, do I need to take it back to modify?"

The few editors who were passing it around whispered: "What else to modify? Publish it directly!" Bai Shurong laughed: "I have no problem at all in this pass. The theme is very good. This is the voice the era needs. You go back first. I'll take it to the person in charge to look at in a while."

Now although Yan Wenjing actually exercises the duties of editor-in-chief, he was not given this position, and is called "person in charge" externally.

Wei Ming nodded and said goodbye to the editors. Bai Shurong found Yan Wenjing, and the other few editors were still discussing the story just now.

"This story will be hot!"

"I feel it will be hotter than *Er Niu*!"

"Definitely, after all, the subject matter advantage of *Herdsman* is too big!"

*Er Niu*, in the final analysis, can even be classified as an anti-Japanese novel. Now this type has long been out of fashion.

It can set off such a big heat, all relying on Wei Ming's novel writing techniques and bold and mature writing style, as well as the support of many critics. Among them, there are no less than ten review articles published in Peking University.

This is also one of the benefits of relying on Peking University.

When Yan Wenjing read the full text, he suddenly felt that the previous first printing volume of 130,000 copies for the third issue was a bit conservative.

!

How about 150,000 directly!

And at this time, the first printing of *Yanjing Literature and Art* didn't have so many. He wanted to surpass *Yanjing Literature and Art* in one fell swoop!

Bai Shurong asked with a smile: "Editor-in-Chief, then the manuscript fee standard..."

……

After Wei Ming returned to Peking University, he went directly to work. However, when patrolling to Shao Garden with Mei Wenhua, he let Xiao Mei wait for him outside.

"Master, I'm going in to find someone."

Mei Wenhua looked enviously at Wei Ming mixing in easily, and then ran to the downstairs of the female dormitory building.

Mei Wenhua: Damn, it wouldn't really be a sweetheart, would it? We were just talking about it!

He stretched his neck to look. Fortunately, Wei Ming was stopped downstairs. The dormitory manager aunt is still reasonable.

However, soon the red-haired big beauty wearing pajamas went downstairs, and then forcibly dragged Wei Ming into the dormitory building.

Mei Wenhua wanted to hit the wall depressedly. No, he is playing for real! This is more uncomfortable than letting him eat poop!

This is the second time Wei Ming came to Mei Lida's dormitory, and classmate Cha Jianying from the 77 Chinese Department is also there. She is wearing clothes.

"Ma Xiaowei, you and Mei Lida? You..." Cha Jianying looked incredulously at the first male visitor in the dormitory.

Mei Lida: "Don't misunderstand, Leonardo is my client. Tell me, whose music do you want."

"Find some country folk songs, the most classic ones." Wei Ming said, and then Mei Lida began to operate.

Xiao Cha had a head full of question marks: "Leonardo?"

Wei Ming: "It is exactly me. They helped me take an English name. I like Da Vinci."

"Then why don't you just call yourself Da Vinci."

Wei Ming shook his head: "Don't you think Leonardo looks more handsome."

Wei Ming was worried that if Mei Wenhua waited too long, he would die, so he said: "You record slowly. I'll come to get it tomorrow. How much money?"

"We are all friends, we'll talk about it then." Mei Lida said generously.

"Thank you, Mei Lida. I'll change a few more magazines. I finished the previous ones."

"You take them yourself."

When Wei Ming touched *Playboy*, Xiao Cha's eyes immediately widened. Seeing that cover, she didn't dare to approach that box. The woman on the cover is wearing too little, offensive to public decency. How can she get married in the future!

However, she felt that men must love to watch these. Unfortunately, it disappointed her. Wei Ming had seen more explicit ones, and the soft-porn *Playboy* had average attraction.

This time Wei Ming stayed for almost ten minutes before going out. The dormitory manager aunt didn't time it. There is a roommate here this time, it's impossible for anything to happen.

"Let's go, Xiao Mei." Wei Ming pulled the dejected Mei Wenhua to continue patrolling.

"Brother Ming, how about we talk in English?" Mei Wenhua realized that learning English is better than learning math, physics, and chemistry!

Wei Ming said a very simple English sentence. Looking at Xiao Mei's confused expression, he patted the other party's shoulder: "It's very difficult for us to talk now. You practice more."

"Then what did you just say?"

Wei Ming: "Classic lines from the Hollywood movie *Star Wars*."

Early the next morning, Mei Wenhua started English practice: "E ban ten, e ban ten, a, b, a, n..."

In the sound of his recitation, Wei Ming heard another sound.

"Ma Xiaowei, do you want to go to the Literary Congress?"

Wei Ming opened his eyes in a daze, and then saw Chen Jiangong standing on tiptoe looking at him.

"Old Chen, what do you mean?"

Chen Jiangong took out a work card: "You have been named. Now you are officially invited to attend the Literary Congress!"

(End of chapter)