Siheyuan: Banggeng and I are classmates

"Hello, Editor-in-Chief Feng. Are you looking for me about the issue of 'Drawing Sword'?"

Li Muhua asked directly, his eyes sweeping over Yan Bugui and the aunties who had gathered around him.

He made up his mind and wanted to take Feng Shengwen away to discuss the matter outside. He didn't want the neighbors to know that he was going to make a fortune.

Hearing Li Muhua talking directly about "Drawing Sword", Feng Shengwen remained calm, and was sure in his heart that he had come to the right place.

Feng Shengwen said: "Yes, our publishing house has decided to publish the book "Drawing Sword" you wrote. The contract has been drafted and we can sign it at any time."

Feng Shengwen patted the briefcase in his hand, indicating that the contract was inside.

"The book is very well written. The group of heroes in it are all very vivid. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'm afraid no one in our entire editorial department would dare to believe that the author is actually an elementary school student."

Feng Shengwen said with a sneer: "No wonder you used a workbook and a pencil, that's why!"

Seeing him start to test the authenticity of the book he wrote, Li Muhua turned his head and looked at the gate: "Pen and paper are not important. It is easy to write beautiful words, but it is difficult to write a meaningful story!"

"Director Feng, how about we find a place to discuss the signing of the contract?"

After hearing this, Feng Shengwen turned his head and glanced at the Li family, wanting to go into the house to talk in detail.

"Isn't this inappropriate? You are still young, so your signature will not be effective. I need to discuss such an important matter as a publishing contract with your parents."

"My mom never went to school, and my dad has a junior high school education and is not at home because he is out driving. Let's find a place to discuss it first. After everything is settled, I will ask my mom to sign for me."

Feng Shengwen still looked a little hesitant after hearing this, and Li Muhua continued, "Editor-in-Chief Feng, you should have read "Drawing Sword". Do you think I can't figure out a contract with my intelligence?"

"But--"

Feng Shengwen still wanted to insist, but Li Muhua simply grabbed his sleeve and pulled him towards the gate of the courtyard.

"Don't say but anymore."

"My mom works in the mall. When she gets home from get off work, we can discuss the contract and then come back to get him to sign it."

"Okay, let me go, I can walk by myself." Feng Shengwen no longer insisted, but he didn't want to be dragged away by a child like Li Muhua.

How could Li Muhua let go? He dragged Feng Shengwen all the way out of the courtyard gate and into the alley before letting go. When he turned around, he saw Yan Bugui still following them.

"Old Yan, why are you following us? I wanted you to pass a message to my brother and the others, so they don't get anxious when they come back and don't see me at home."

Yan Bugui looked a little embarrassed. He followed the two people not only to find out about the royalties, but also to build a relationship with Feng Shengwen.

The editor-in-chief of the Youth Publishing House is a man of great culture. If he can establish a relationship with Feng Shengwen, then when he tells this matter in Red Star Primary School, he will be able to get away with it.

"Don't worry, Muhua. With your aunt delivering the message to your family, and me following you, your mother will feel more at ease."

Yan Bugui's face was full of smiles, and he was doing his best to consider Li Muhua. Feng Shengwen straightened his sleeves and watched the two of them with interest.

Li Muhua rolled his eyes and started to make up a story: "Old Yan, we are going to sign the contract and discuss the revision of the novel."

"These are all confidential before the book is published. You can't listen to them. If you let it slip, or I let it slip, it will be your responsibility. You will have to pay for the printing of the book. At least a thousand or eight hundred!"

Yan Bugui could tell that Li Muhua was not happy for him to follow her, and even had a hint of threat in her tone, but he still looked at Feng Shengwen reluctantly.

"Not really. I'll just go with you and take a look. I don't want to listen to you talk about books."

Seeing Yan Bugui was unwilling to give up, Li Muhua was about to speak to continue to obstruct him, but Feng Shengwen beside him said first: "Comrade Yan, don't worry. You have seen my work permit. You don't have to worry about Li Muhua's safety."

"We'll send him back after we finish discussing the revision of the novel. He's too young, so the contract needs to be signed by his mother to be effective."

Li Muhua didn't want him to follow, and Feng Shengwen, whom he wanted to curry favor with, also said so, so Yan Bugui had no choice but to nod.

"Okay, Editor-in-Chief Feng, you guys can chat. I'll be waiting for you guys in the yard~"

The two of them smiled and nodded, and Yan Bugui walked towards the yard reluctantly.

"Let's go!"

Li Muhua spoke first: "Let's go to Beihai and find a secluded place to talk slowly!"

Feng Shengwen looked a little embarrassed after hearing this. The temperature in Beijing was freezing at night, and at his age, he couldn't stand going to the park and being blown by the cold wind.

"How about we go to our publishing house? It's only two blocks away and it's warm inside!"

Li Muhua heard the concerns and asked, "As long as I am not treated like a monkey by you all, it's fine."

Feng Shengwen glanced at his watch and said with a smile, "No, by the time we get there, they will be off work!"

Li Muhua then nodded, and the two of them walked towards the publishing house.

Along the way, Feng Shengwen kept asking about the various plots in "Drawing Sword", why this plot was written, the ideological core of the characters of that period, and so on.

After all, he copied the entire text and made extensive changes to it, almost changing Li Yunlong into a Confucian general and a scholar. Naturally, Li Muhua answered Feng Shengwen's questions fluently.

Even though there are many plots that flatter the times and are difficult to explain directly, Li Muhua made up stories to cover them up.

After passing an intersection and asking seven or eight questions, Feng Shengwen looked at Li Muhua with amazement. He was already certain in his heart that this novel was written by him, otherwise he would not have been able to grasp the meaning of the whole text so easily.

At the age of twelve, "Drawing Sword" was just his elementary school work.

Feng Shengwen couldn't even imagine the quality and life cycle of his books in the future, and he began to value Li Muhua even more.

What their publishing house wants is excellent works.

At this moment, in Feng Shengwen's eyes, Li Muhua was like a fountain, capable of continuously spurting out excellent works for decades. Along the way, he had been thinking of various ways to win over Li Muhua, and then urge him to continue studying hard and strive to write excellent works.

The two chatted all the way into the editor-in-chief's office, and with Feng Shengwen's deliberate efforts to bring them closer, the old and the young became more and more cheerful as they talked, with a sense of friendship between people of different ages.

Only after sitting down in the office chair did Li Muhua get to the point.

"Editor-in-Chief Feng, we've been talking about books for so long, right? It's time to talk about royalties?" Li Muhua's face was full of anticipation, with copper coins in his eyes.

"Okay, let's talk about royalties!"

Seeing Li Muhua's greedy behavior, Feng Shengwen nodded and had an idea in mind of how to get closer to Li Muhua.

Those who are greedy for money - lure them with benefits.

嘴角起了丝笑容，冯盛文边给李慕华倒水边说：“我们出版社的稿费有六档，分别是4、6、8、10、12、15元。”

"We internally rated 'Bright Sword' as level five, 12 yuan per thousand words. 'Bright Sword' has a total of more than 2460 words, so the manuscript fee is yuan."

"How is it? This is a lot of money, right?"

"It's enough for an average family to earn four or five years' worth of money. This is the benefit of being educated. You should study harder in the future and write more and better works!"

Feng Shengwen sat back in his chair and encouraged Li Muhua to continue studying hard with a smile.

Li Muhua nodded. The word-based fee was a little lower than he expected. He asked again, "What about the fee for the number of copies printed? How many copies of "Drawing Sword" does the publishing house plan to print in the first batch?"

Feng Shengwen stretched out his fingers and made the number six, then changed it to two.

"6%. I'll apply to print 3 copies for the first batch. The selling price should be 6 yuan. If the subsequent response is good, I'll continue to print more."

Li Muhua frowned and calculated, then blurted out, "432 yuan, plus the manuscript fee, that's 2892 yuan."

To be honest, the amount of money was far below his expectations, less than three thousand yuan, which was not enough for him to buy a yard.

Not noticing his dissatisfaction, Feng Shengwen continued with a smile, "I will send you money for the subsequent reprints. I am very optimistic about your "Drawing Sword". The next reprint may exceed 50,000."

The situation was about to become turbulent, and Li Muhua was unsure whether he could get the money for reprinting. At this moment, in his opinion, publishing "Drawing Sword" was a one-time deal of 2900 yuan.

But this money should be enough to buy a small yard. If my parents add a little more, it is not impossible to buy a proper yard.

Besides, lower royalties for next year might be a good thing.

After deciding to publish the book, Li Muhua asked again: "Old Feng, you have a good eye. I will listen to you on all these. I have one last question, which is when will the book be printed?"

Feng Shengwen lowered his eyebrows and calculated, then said, "It will take about a month. The final fee will be determined by then and mailed to you before the novel is published."

Li Muhua nodded, thinking this was reasonable. She took the exercise book and questioned Feng Shengwen about his understanding of the various plots in the book.

As an editor, Feng Shengwen should naturally know the current taboos in writing books and publishing articles, and should try his best to avoid misunderstandings as a person of the later era.