Chapter 00264: World Wonders 2
# World Wonders 2
Chapter 264
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 264: World Wonders 2
Ji Chunhua strode forward with his bald head, thick brows missing, and a face full of rough, menacing flesh.
Standing at 178 cm, he wasn’t short, clad in a black cotton coat left unbuttoned, his thick neck veins bulging.
His fierce triangular eyes glared at the troublemaker as he growled, "What are you yelling about? This isn’t the place for your nonsense!"
"Gh... ghost... ghost..."
The troublemaker stumbled backward, his face twisted in terror.
Holy heavens! Wasn’t this the infamous "Ghost Face" from the movies? Had he stepped right out of the screen?
"Ghost my ass! You dare curse at me?"
Ji Chunhua pointed at the clearly written rules.
"Every other comrade here understands—only you don’t? You’re clearly here to freeload. Get out!"
With that, his massive hand shot out, grabbing the man by the collar and hauling him out like a chicken.
The onlookers erupted in cheers, some even clapping.
"Today wasn’t wasted—we got to see Ghost Face in action!"
"What’s he doing here? Guarding Prince Duan?"
"Could this editorial office be a front for some secret base researching ancient martial arts, human limits, or supernatural abilities?"
The crowd buzzed with wild theories, but no one found Ji Chunhua’s actions offensive.
Are you kidding? This was nothing! The common folk were long accustomed to the iron-fisted dominance of state-run services.
At least the walls weren’t plastered with signs like "No Unprovoked Beatings of Readers Allowed!"
After tossing out one troublemaker, Ji Chunhua planted himself by the entrance, arms crossed, scanning the crowd like a wrathful gatekeeper.
Most behaved, but a few foolish stragglers met the same fate—flung out unceremoniously.
"Oof!"
Feng Xiaogang barely dodged as a scruffy man went flying past him.
He gulped.
Who knew *World Wonders* not only had brilliant articles but also knew a thing or two about fists and kicks?
Under Ji Chunhua’s watchful glare, Feng Xiaogang shivered his way inside.
The entrance still had that same decorative screen wall, carved with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, with a large water vat beneath.
Turning left, he took a quick glance at the lavish front courtyard but didn’t dare linger, heading straight into the editorial office.
"Hello, comrade. Here to submit a questionnaire?"
Five readers were admitted at a time.
The four junior editors, including Liang Xiaosheng, were already busy handling visitors with practiced ease.
Feng Xiaogang nodded.
"I’m from Xicheng District too. Figured I’d drop by instead of mailing it."
"Please, have a seat!"
Dai Hanhan took his questionnaire, noted his contact details, and smiled.
"If you win, we’ll notify you."
"Ah, right... There’s something I’d like to mention, if I may?"
"Of course!"
"Your magazine is excellent, but the range of stories feels a bit narrow. If you could diversify a little more, it’d be even better. Just a humble suggestion from a loyal reader—no offense meant."
"Not at all! We’re here to gather feedback. Thank you for your support!"
"Great, great! No need to see me out."
Feng Xiaogang ducked out, neck slightly hunched, feeling like he’d done something meaningful.
What a fulfilling day—he left with a spring in his step.
"..."
From across the courtyard, Chen Qi watched through the large glass window and suddenly said, "Give him the second prize."
"It’s freezing out there. Let the people waiting in line come inside—have them wait in the editorial office. Pull Liang Xiaosheng out to give them a talk about the magazine’s origins. No more one-on-one sessions..."
Silence followed.
He turned his head.
Li Jianqun also turned and pointed at herself.
"You want *me* to do it?"
"We’re the only idle ones left. Unless you expect *me* to go? I *am* the one paying your salaries."
"Spoken like a true bureaucrat with bourgeois tendencies!"
Li Jianqun shot back but went anyway.
She first told Ji Chunhua to let the crowd in, then informed Liang Xiaosheng.
Liang Xiaosheng switched from handling individual visitors to addressing the group.
He launched into an impromptu speech about how the magazine came to be, the challenges they faced, and so on...
Visitors rarely got the chance to tour the editorial office, so they listened with keen interest.
Before they knew it, the last reader had finally left.
The team collapsed into their chairs in unison, exhaling deeply.
"Sweet heavens, I’m exhausted!"
"I’ve talked more today than in half my lifetime!"
"Wow, it’s already dark out!"
Liang Xiaosheng, throat parched, sipped from a mug of hot tea and said, "Let’s not do events like this too often. It’s only the first day, and we’re already drained. It’s disrupting our normal work."
"Maybe we should stop walk-ins and make them mail everything."
"But we can’t just turn people away when they come!"
"Then limit the numbers, or sell tickets!"
"Let me say something..."
Chen Qi raised a hand for silence.
"The launch event *has* to happen. We’ll adjust future ones based on circumstances, but we can’t just cancel them or restrict readers. The real issue is we’re short on staff and space. Once we expand, I’ll set up a dedicated *Reader Service Center* so you won’t have to suffer like this."
"Alright, everyone worked hard today. Dinner’s on me—we’re eating out!"
…………
"Hot wontons, coming right up!"
At the Qianmen Big Bowl Tea headquarters, steaming bowls of wontons were served.
The wooden hut was snug, with a small stove for warmth.
Six people sat at three tables, yet not a single one glanced at their food.
A moment later, another call came: "Wontons are—oh my!"
Huang Zhanying chuckled.
"What’s got you so engrossed? The wontons are getting cold—eat up!"
"Huh? Oh, right!"
One of them snapped out of it, taking a sip of broth.
His right hand held chopsticks while his left clutched an unassuming little book.
Another asked, "Comrade, is this book for sale?"
"Of course! Same as the listed price."
"Then I’ll take one!"
The man promptly slapped down 25 cents.
Inspired, the others followed suit.
In moments, all six copies were gone, leaving behind an oddly charged atmosphere.
*Five Phoenixes Facing the Sun Blade* spanned eight volumes, with the first installment around 90,000 words.
Each issue serialized roughly 30,000 words, released bimonthly—equivalent to a daily update of 500 words.
Hmm...
The entire series was under a million words, which might seem modest, but this was print fiction.
Jin Yong’s longest work, *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, barely exceeded 1.5 million. *A Deadly Secret*, *Book and Sword*, *Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain*, and *Ode to Gallantry* were all in the hundreds of thousands.
Traditional writers couldn’t fathom the internet era’s breakneck pace of 10,000 or even 20,000 words per day.
As they ate, someone suddenly mused, "Wu Fenglou assassinated Wei Yinping’s father—how’s that going to play out?"
Like a spark to tinder, the already electric atmosphere ignited.
"Wei Yinping’s already smitten with him, and she’s not a bad person. Maybe she’ll turn over a new leaf, abandon the dark side?"
"Hard to say. She’s a noblewoman, her uncle’s the infamous eunuch Wei Zhongxian, and Wu Fenglou’s the son of a loyal minister. That blood feud won’t be easily forgiven!"
*Wuxia novels are fairy tales for adults!*
—Hua Luogeng
After the reforms, the wuxia craze lasted over two decades.
Later, wuxia simply evolved—into xianxia and xuanhuan—but its essence remained the same.
The wonton shop’s wuxia fans debated fervently, at one point nearly coming to blows before being calmed down.
Though they disagreed on plot directions, they unanimously settled on one thing:
"Not enough updates!"
"The next issue won’t be out till March!"
The group left, thoroughly satisfied.
Huang Zhanying came to clear the table and blinked in surprise.
"Well, would you look at that—sold out clean!"
(End of Chapter)