Chapter 146: Royalties Skyrocket—Is My Wife Surprised or Delighted? (Please Subscribe)

At Yanda, Chen Shumin was insistent on inviting Cheng Xuemin to lunch, hoping to calm his nerves. By the time Cheng arrived at the Humanities Publishing House, it was nearly three in the afternoon.

Without delay, he handed over the manuscripts for volumes one and two of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" illustrated comic books to Old Pan. Seeing Cheng enter, Old Pan couldn’t help but share some good news: Cheng’s earlier work, the "Journey to the West" comic, had become an unexpected sensation. In just a month, it had sold over 400,000 copies and was continuously being reprinted.

Cheng nodded, unsurprised. He knew that throughout the alleys of Yanjing, wherever children gathered, they were likely huddled together, eagerly flipping through the "Journey to the West" comics. Even Feng Jiuyou’s young nephew, Feng Liwen, would come home repeatedly proclaiming himself the Monkey King, brandishing a stick as if it were the legendary Golden Cudgel, and playfully shouting at his aunt, “Hey, demon, take this!”

Imagine that—a toddler barely over three years old was engrossed in Cheng’s comics and mimicking the Monkey King’s battles with demons. This alone spoke volumes about the popularity of Cheng’s illustrations.

Yet, Cheng responded with modest surprise, for no matter how well the comic sold, as the original artist he received no royalties beyond the initial payment. After celebrating this success briefly, Old Pan eagerly began reviewing the newly submitted "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" comics on the spot, becoming completely absorbed once again.

Seeing Old Pan so engrossed, Cheng didn’t linger in the office but went downstairs to visit Zhang Guangnian at "People’s Literature." After some casual conversation and teasing Zhang about how Cheng had perfectly captured his mother-in-law, Professor Gu, in the female lead "An Jie" of "Parents’ Love," Zhang remained unconvinced despite Cheng’s attempts to explain.

This only cemented the belief in their circle that "Parents’ Love" was indeed based on Professor Gu’s life. Zhang then presented a payment slip for the manuscript fees, which Professor Gu had already instructed Cheng to collect at any time.

Although Cheng had come primarily to submit the "Three Kingdoms" manuscript, collecting the payment slip was his main goal. After receiving the payment for "Parents’ Love," which amounted to 1,852 yuan, they discussed matters related to the united front.

Zhang’s esteem for Cheng was apparent, likely reflecting directives from higher-ups. He immediately confirmed that Cheng would secure the front-page headline in "People’s Literature," an honor that deeply moved Cheng. Such a distinction was one he could boast about for a lifetime. The idea of someday landing the front page of the "People’s Daily" was almost unimaginable, as even venerable figures like Mao Lao and Ba Lao Ding had never achieved that feat—only appearing in the supplement’s front page, which hardly compared.

After collecting the payment slip, Cheng returned upstairs to Old Pan’s office. Old Pan had just finished reading and was still immersed in the experience. Spotting Cheng return, he exclaimed, “Where did you go? I thought you left without a word!” and enthusiastically praised Cheng’s work: “The characters in the Three Kingdoms—you’ve truly brought them to life! It’s so captivating, even I, an adult, am completely drawn in. The children must be thrilled!”

Cheng humbly smiled, brushing off the praise as exaggerated. But Old Pan insisted, “Don’t be so modest; too much modesty is just pride in disguise! But truly, you have every reason to be proud.”

He went on to recount how when he assigned the "Journey to the West" project to Cheng, the art students at Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts were skeptical and eager to see how Cheng would perform. When they saw the finished work, they were stunned and admitted his talent, even threatening to challenge him to exchange techniques.

Cheng was surprised by this but noted he hadn’t encountered any visits from them yet. Jokingly, he told Old Pan he would have tried to avoid them had he known.

Old Pan speculated that the students were likely home for winter break and would probably seek him out once classes resumed. Cheng laughed nervously, worried about stepping on their toes, as the illustrated comics and illustrations at the Humanities Publishing House were traditionally dominated by Tsinghua students. For him to suddenly encroach on their turf was bound to stir conflict.

Old Pan chuckled at Cheng’s humor and quickly changed the subject. He confirmed they had accepted the two "Three Kingdoms" volumes and would prepare the payment slip right away. Cheng politely offered it could wait until next time, but Old Pan was resolute in ensuring Cheng didn’t leave empty-handed.

This generosity was typical of the Humanities Publishing House and "People’s Literature," where Cheng received payment slips the same day he submitted manuscripts—a stark contrast to the Yanjing Literature Society, where his mother-in-law and Old Li had to wait until settlement days to collect theirs. Cheng’s mother-in-law had just received her small payment slip the day before, though the modest sum barely stirred any excitement, even for little money-minded Feng Jiuyou, who urged Cheng to hurry back and claim the payment to bolster her tiny treasure trove.

Soon enough, Old Pan presented the payment slips for the two volumes of "Three Kingdoms" comics—62 pages in the first, 124 in total across both. At 8 yuan per page, the total came to 1,024 yuan. Adding the earlier 1,852 yuan from "Parents’ Love," Cheng had a combined total of 2,876 yuan—an unexpectedly handsome sum.

This was likely the largest payment Cheng had ever collected since starting to claim fees on behalf of his wife. The previous record was 2,000 yuan for the script of "The Horse Herder" written for Xie Jin.

Cheng had not anticipated receiving payment for the "Three Kingdoms" comics when he came to deliver the manuscript. He was already delighted to bring home the 1,800-plus yuan from "Parents’ Love," eagerly anticipating a celebratory evening with his wife. Old Pan’s timely generosity far exceeded his expectations.

Then Old Pan mentioned recent coverage in the Tianjin Daily, which they had all read. Although the art editorial team could only cheer privately, a directive from Wu Lao had suddenly empowered them with a mission, allowing the art group to actively participate.

Just as Cheng was about to leave after politely thanking him, Old Pan brought up this matter. Cheng was no longer surprised to hear industry veterans openly discuss such topics around him.

Old Pan revealed that Wu Lao had personally issued an instruction to launch the illustrated comic campaign for "Old Qiao," a reference to "Director Qiao’s Appointment." Moreover, the payment for this special project was set at 10 yuan per page, an exceptional rate above the usual 8 yuan maximum—special treatment indeed.

Old Pan proposed that since Cheng was so skilled with illustrated comics, he should take on the "Old Qiao" project himself. Cheng was stunned by the offer. "Director Qiao’s Appointment" was indeed adapted into comics later on, but surely not so soon, especially at this sensitive moment. Though the pay was tempting—over a thousand yuan for the estimated 100-plus pages—Cheng declined, worried about overstepping and attracting unwanted attention. Better to stay low-profile and let someone else handle it.

Old Pan understood and agreed to find another artist, bidding Cheng farewell after some polite exchanges.

On his way home, Cheng pondered what to bring for his wife. He had already bought her new shoes and clothes for the New Year during his shopping spree. What else? Suddenly, passing by Lao Fengxiang, the renowned jewelry store, he was struck with inspiration.

He entered to browse, focusing on the necklace section. Pointing to a delicate gold necklace on display, he asked the salesperson if private individuals could now purchase gold jewelry. In the past, Lao Fengxiang had mainly supplied official clients, making it nearly impossible for private buyers.

Fortunately, the salesperson confirmed that current policies allowed limited private purchases. Cheng had about 500 yuan left from the money his wife Feng Jiuyou had given him for buying a television—a sum still in his possession.

He chose the most fashionable gold necklace, modeled after the one worn by the heroine in the Japanese film "The Chase"—a testament that despite years of dormancy, Lao Fengxiang had kept up with trends. The necklace weighed around 10 grams and was priced at 386 yuan, finely crafted and reasonably priced given gold’s going rate of about 32 to 33 yuan per gram.

Having it elegantly boxed, Cheng anticipated the joy it would bring his wife. Whistling happily, he rode home.

“Xuemin, did you get it?” Feng Jiuyou eagerly awaited his return, pulling him into her room without even turning on the television.

“Honey, I got it. Guess how much?”