Chapter 5: Met a Fan
After that meal, Liu Zhenyun often came to Liu Hongmin to listen to his thoughts on writing. Especially after the November issue of Weiming Lake was published, Liu Zhenyun read Young Justice Bao - Famous Throughout the World and immediately felt that Liu Hongmin was very talented.
This made Liu Hongmin feel a little guilty. He just imitated the writing style of "Three Heroes and Five Gallants". It reads half-classic and looks a bit advanced. It's like there will be a perfect score essay in the college entrance examination in the future, "The Death of Red Hare".
If the quality is really high, "Weiming Lake" would not only offer it at yuan per thousand words.
Liu Hongmin was actually underestimating himself. Liu Zhenyun's level was much lower than his. At that time, Liu Zhenyun's level was just that of a college student with slightly better writing skills. There was indeed a gap between him and Liu Hongmin, who could barely publish a novel. He had to wait until "Ta Pu" to write high-quality articles, and by that time he had graduated for several years.
Cha Jianying once commented on Liu Zhenyun, saying that the articles he wrote during college were indeed not very good. It was because Weiming Lake was a school magazine, otherwise, it would be difficult for Liu Zhenyun's articles to be published. Even though Liu Zhenyun later became famous, it is still difficult to find articles written by Liu Zhenyun during college on the Internet, which is enough to prove what Cha Jianying said.
As a result, Liu Zhenyun became another freeloader. Although he was quite shy, he ate a lot.
"Lao Zou, how are the sales of Unnamed Lake?"
Zou Shifang was stuffing meat into his mouth and said indistinctly, "Not bad. It seems that more than 2,000 copies have been sold in three days."
"That's a lot!" Liu Hongmin calculated. "The cost has been recovered. If we sell more, it will basically be net income."
Zou Shifang stopped talking and looked at Liu Hongmin speechlessly, "You are obsessed with money, right? Do we run Weiming Lake for money? We do it for art."
Liu Hongmin grinned, then looked at Liu Zhenyun who agreed, "Do you think so too?"
Liu Zhenyun nodded and said, "The school recreated the Weiming Lake to give students a place to show off."
"Oh, naive!" Liu Hongmin said contemptuously, "You two just don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. Do you know how much money it takes to run such a big school? There are more than 15 students in Peking University. The student subsidies and allowances are about 15 yuan per person, which costs yuan. Teachers' salaries, campus construction, investment in scientific research projects, academic exchanges with other schools, etc., none of these is a small amount. At least million yuan is invested every year. Does so much money rely on government funding?"
The two looked at each other. They had never really thought about this issue.
"The revival of 'Unnamed Lake' is a way for the school to generate income. If we raise more funds ourselves, the government can allocate less and use it for other important purposes."
Zou Shifang hesitated for a moment, "So, you care about the sales of Unnamed Lake because you want to save money for the country?"
"That's not it!" Liu Hongmin said with a smile, "I just want to know how many people have read my novel."
"Depend on!"
The two were speechless and rolled their eyes at Liu Hongmin. If Liu Hongmin hadn't paid for the meal, they would have definitely taken action. This brat actually dared to play tricks on the two elder brothers. He was simply asking for a fight.
Zou Shifang threatened: "I'm telling you, Liu Hongmin, if you continue like this, you'll get beaten sooner or later."
"Liu Hongmin? Who is Liu Hongmin?"
Several people at the table next to them turned around and asked the three people.
Zou Shifang and Liu Zhenyun immediately looked at Liu Hongmin, "Did you get into trouble outside?"
Liu Hongmin was speechless. "I'm either in class or writing a book. How can I have time to get into trouble?"
He looked at those people, they were all relatively young, probably students of Peking University, "Classmates, I'm Liu Hongmin, what do you want to talk to me about?" "Are you really Liu Hongmin?" Several classmates looked at Liu Hongmin in surprise, "We read your novel in Unknown Lake, and we didn't expect to meet the author."
Liu Hongmin breathed a sigh of relief, "So it's a fan!"
"Fans? What fans?" Zou Shifang asked puzzledly.
"It means fans in English, enthusiasts and fans."
Zou Shifang was amused. "What's in your head, kid? Fans are fans, but you're still a fan. Are you afraid that people don't know you're from the Northeast?"
Liu Zhenyun and those classmates also laughed. Liu Hongmin was a little puzzled by their laughter. He laughed awkwardly for a few times and complained in his heart: Your sense of humor is a bit low!
A classmate took out "Weiming Lake" and handed it to Liu Hongmin, "Liu Hongmin, can you sign it for me?"
Liu Hongmin looked at the classmate in surprise. Could this guy have also traveled through time?
The student felt a little embarrassed when he looked at her. "I heard from international students that when they meet a writer they like in their country, they will take out the writer's works and ask the writer to sign them to show their love for the writer."
"Oh!" Everyone showed an expression as if they had learned something. It turns out that this is possible.
Liu Hongmin borrowed a pen from his boss and wrote his name in a flamboyant style behind the title "Young Justice Bao - Famous Throughout the World".
"Tsk tsk, your handwriting looks like a chicken scratching its head."
Zou Shifang said disdainfully: "You are a writer now after all, can you practice calligraphy?"
Liu Hongmin rolled his eyes at him. "What do you know? This is called artistic font. Foreign writers and celebrities all write like this."
Liu Zhenyun said on the side: "It looks pretty good."
The classmate did not mind, he closed the book "Weiming Lake" and quickly stuffed it into his clothes, fearing that it would be lost.
"Classmate, you are also from Kyoto University, right?"
"Yes, we are from the Department of Chemistry at Kyoto University."
"From the Department of Chemistry?" Zou Shifang and Liu Zhenyun looked at each other. People from the Department of Chemistry also read "Weiming Lake"?
Liu Hongmin ignored them and continued to ask, "Are there any other students around you who have watched "Unnamed Lake"?"
"Of course!" said the student who wanted an autograph, "We all like your novels, but we don't have much money, so we can only buy a copy of "Unnamed Lake" together and then take turns reading it."
"It doesn't matter!" Liu Hongmin said with a smile: "Reading novels is just a hobby. Your studies are the most important. The future of the motherland needs you!"
After those classmates left, Zou Shifang said, "Hongmin, I find that you sometimes speak in an old-fashioned way."
Liu Zhenyun also said, "Sometimes I feel like he is 20 years older than us."
Liu Hongmin was shocked and said quickly: "You are heartless and your mental age is the same as that of a child."
Zou Shifang and Liu Zhenyun looked at each other and nodded, as if that was the case.
(End of this chapter)
