Chapter 00053: Making Big Money with Words
# Making Big Money with Words
Chapter 53
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 53: Making Big Money with Words
"Xiao Qi?"
"Xiao Qi?"
"Hmm?"
On the wooden bed in the outer room, Chen Qi groggily opened his eyes.
Yu Xiuli patted him and said, "Get up, wake up!"
He sat up, dazed for a moment.
After the grueling train journey, he had returned home last night and immediately collapsed into bed.
He thought Yu Xiuli had already left for work, but when he looked outside, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Why are you back at noon?"
"I came to make you some food. I have to go back to work soon. Your dad and I will be back late, so you'll have to manage dinner on your own."
"What are you guys up to?"
"It's all because of the Writers' Conference. Our unit is responding to the conference by organizing a book fair. All the Xinhua bookstores in the city are swamped."
Yu Xiuli quickly prepared the meal.
To welcome her eldest son back, she had specially bought some meat and made a stir-fried meat dish, along with some radish and cabbage, and a pickled vegetable dish.
After eating radish and cabbage until he was sick of it on Lushan Mountain, Chen Qi felt nauseous at the sight of it.
He grabbed a steamed bun with his left hand and chopsticks with his right, focusing on the meat.
He laughed, "With Mom around, I'll never starve. It's good to be home."
"Was the food in the film crew not good?"
"It was alright, just communal meals. When does the book fair start?"
"In a few days. You can go check it out if you have time. Famous writers like Ye Shengtao and Bing Xin will be there. It's at the Workers' Cultural Palace. The last book fair was in 1957, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was packed, and people even lost their shoes in the crowd. This time, it'll be even more crowded."
"Can I buy books freely at the book fair? I'll go take a look. I just earned some money..."
As he spoke, Chen Qi pulled out a small book from his bag and pointed at it, "Look, your son has talent. I earned some more writing fees."
"Another one? Which magazine?"
Yu Xiuli was pleasantly surprised, but when she saw the large characters "Story Collection" on the cover, she clicked her tongue, "Son, why don't you submit to 'People's Literature'? Even 'Harvest' or 'October' would be better. This lousy magazine isn't even worth stocking in our bookstore."
"Huh? You know about 'Story Collection'?"
"Which domestic magazine don't we know about? If they want to distribute outside, they either go through Xinhua bookstores or the post office. At the beginning of the year, 'Story Collection' wanted to enter Beijing, but the bookstore didn't want it... Let me see what you wrote. Oh~ it's a martial arts novel! Son, first you write about love, now martial arts. You'll never get into the Writers' Association like this. You need depth, you need to critique the past, the release after suppressing human nature. Have you heard of Scar Literature? That's what the Writers' Association loves. You need scars!"
"Scars my foot!"
Irritated by his mom's sarcasm, Chen Qi rolled his eyes, snatched the magazine back, and said, "I'm not aiming for the Writers' Association. I just like writing popular stuff. Alright, alright, you should get going!"
"I'm not done yet!"
"Go, go!"
Chen Qi shooed Yu Xiuli away, took a big bite of his steamed bun, and thought to himself, "With a mom like this, I'll never starve, but I might die of frustration."
Everyone looked down on popular fiction, even though this courtyard was the former residence of Zhang Henshui!
This was a massive mansion with seven inner courtyards!
After eating, he washed the dishes and put the leftovers in the dish cabinet.
The dish cabinet—something many post-90s kids might not have heard of—was a small wooden cabinet specifically for storing bowls, plates, and chopsticks.
Don't think that there were no dowries in this era.
Dowries were a big deal back then! The famous "three rounds and one sound": a bicycle, a watch, a sewing machine, and a radio.
On top of that, there were the "thirty-six legs."
But these were for setting up a household after marriage, different from the dowries of later times.
A double bed, a square table, four stools, a wardrobe, a dressing table, and a dish cabinet—exactly thirty-six legs.
Later, it upgraded to forty-eight legs, then seventy-two legs.
Marriage traditions have always been consistent, one way or another.
Of course, if both families agreed, you could skip the dowry.
A thermos, an "East is Red" mirror, two wedding quilts, and a "Double Happiness" enamel basin were enough to get married...
Chen Qi's back ached from the train ride, so he lay lazily on the bed, pulling out his small savings book.
He still had over six hundred yuan left.
"The Wooden Robe" had earned him 350 yuan, plus the subsidy from the Beijing Film Studio, his savings had officially broken the one thousand yuan mark.
He could now call himself a "thousand-yuan household," which was nothing to be ashamed of.
This amount was roughly what his parents earned in a year.
He knew that "Story Collection" must have seen a significant increase in sales because before he left, He Chengwei had eagerly met him again, saying they should keep in touch after returning to Beijing.
If he ever had time, he should visit Shanghai, and they would welcome him with open arms, blah blah blah...
The flattery and sycophancy were so thick you could cut it with a knife!
"Story Collection" sold for twenty-four cents per copy.
Selling a hundred thousand copies would bring in twenty-four thousand yuan.
Later, each issue sold millions of copies, bringing in millions in revenue.
If it became a monthly publication, the annual revenue could exceed ten million!
And then there was "Reader," which later even went public.
A single magazine might seem insignificant, but when expanded, it could become a media empire.
"Suddenly, I understand Zheng Yuanjie's feelings..."
Although Chen Qi liked "Story Collection" and was happy to contribute, over time, he wasn't sure he wouldn't have other ideas.
"The 1980s are the golden age of literature. You can make big money with words and even build a platform. My parents work at Xinhua Bookstore—it'd be a waste not to use that resource. Who doesn't want more money?"
He muttered to himself, put away his savings book, and drifted back to sleep.
…………
The most talked-about event in October this year wasn't the National Day dance at the Great Hall, but a painting.
The Capital International Airport had recently completed its expansion and had commissioned several artists to create murals for the departure lounge.
One of them, titled "Water-Splashing Festival—Ode to Life," caused quite a stir.
The artist, Yuan Yunsheng, had boldly painted several nude Dai girls.
Overseas media exclaimed, "For the first time, women's bodies have appeared in a public space in China, showcasing the true meaning of reform and opening up!"
Of course, domestically, this was unacceptable.
The relevant authorities approached Yuan Yunsheng, suggesting, "Could you make some changes? At least have the girls wear shorts?"
Amid the uproar, a top leader from the central government heard about it and came to see the mural in person.
He said, "What's there to argue about? Artistic expression is normal. I see no problem. We should print more and sell them to foreigners."
And so, the mural remained.
But the public loves a spectacle.
People went out of their way to sneak into the airport just to catch a glimpse of the nude figures.
The airport, feeling it was inappropriate, first hung a curtain to cover the mural, then later installed a partition.
It wasn't until the 1990 Asian Games that the complete mural was unveiled again.
Thanks to excellent preservation, the colors were as vibrant as ever.
In this era, a painting, a book, or even an individual entrepreneur could represent the direction of the nation.
There were rumors that Henry Fok once said, "When investing in mainland China, I was always afraid of sudden policy changes. Every time I came to Beijing, I would first check if this painting was still there. If it was, I felt more at ease."
……
After spending a day at home, Chen Qi headed back to the Beijing Film Studio.
"Romance on Lushan Mountain" was still being filmed leisurely in the studio, waiting for the Writers' Conference to begin.
Gong Xue hadn't returned to the army and was staying at the guesthouse.
Two days later, the book fair opened.
(End of Chapter)