Chapter 225: I Must Buy This Book
Chapter 221 of "The Great Ming in the Box" starts revealing surprises: Gao Yiye took âher own bookâ and happily flipped it open.She was reading, and Li... Read on!
Gao Yiye took âher own bookâ and happily flipped it open.She was reading, and Li Daoxuan was reading too.
With the âAttentionâ function, Li Daoxuan no longer even needed a magnifying glass. By simply âattendingâ to the book, he could immediately pull his vision very close: Huh! This book was printed even better than âYang Family Generalsâ.
As it turned out, when the woodcarver printed this book, he worked with an attitude of immense reverence, carving each stroke meticulously.
Gao Yiyeâs drawing skills were actually quite poor, with many areas poorly rendered.
But that didnât matter. The woodcarverâs drawing skills far surpassed Gao Yiyeâs, and he simply made up the difference for her.
If her strokes were crooked, the woodcarver corrected them with ten strokes. If she drew Daoist Maâs face crooked, the woodcarver restored Daoist Maâs proper visage.
During printing, the printer also employed the most meticulous attitude, ensuring ink didnât smudge or pool messily.
The binding process was flawless, not a single page crooked or misaligned.
After flipping through it a few times, Gao Yiye was overjoyed: âWow, fantastic! Itâs printed so well. Letâs start selling this book immediately.â
Thirty-Two said, âBefore it goes on sale, I need to explain something clearly to you.â
Gao Yiye blinked curiously, âWhatâs the matter?â
Thirty-Two spoke seriously, âGaojia Publishing House wasnât opened from my private funds. The Gaojia Village treasury handles its profits and losses. And this âDao Xuan Deityâs Demon Elimination Taleâ was not produced by the Deityâs decree. Therefore, village treasury funds cannot be used for it.â
Gao Yiye understood. Thirty-Two had told her this before; even the wages for the woodcarver doing this job had to come from her.
Though this was more symbolic than practical, she still had to follow the rule. Otherwise, as the Saint Lady setting a bad example, if others recklessly used village treasury goods, that wouldnât be good.
Gao Yiye: âI understand. The materials used for these two hundred comic books, the woodcarverâs labor, and the associated costs should all be my responsibility.â
Thirty-Two nodded: âIf none sell, you must pay the full cost into the village treasury. If they sell, then the money from sales can be used to reimburse the village treasury. Any leftover money is your runbi fee.â
Gao Yiye: âHuh? So if they all sell out, I can actually earn money? Is this called a runbi fee?â
Thirty-Two smiled: âPublishing houses always pay authors a runbi fee; this is already a standard practice in the prosperous Jiangnan regions. Itâs just rare in remote little Northern Shaanxi villages to publish books, so you havenât heard of it. Simply put, books that sell well bring higher runbi fees. Poor sellers bring smaller fees or sometimes none at all. Publishing at your own expense like this means you could lose money if the books donât sell.â
Gao Yiye fully grasped it now: âAlright, I get it!â
Thirty-Two smiled: âRemember this clearly, Saint Lady: if you mess around publishing your own books and they donât sell, youâll lose money.â
Gao Yiye: âI donât care about losing money! Enough lecturing, letâs start selling right now!â
Thirty-Two chuckled and shook his head, âFine, letâs begin.â
He directed the bookstore attendants to move the two hundred copies of âDao Xuan Deityâs Demon Elimination Taleâ onto the shelves by the entrance. Once displayed, he sent two attendants to stand outside the shop and shout loudly: âNew book at the publishing house! Get your new book!â
âA new book?â Villagers strolling through the Gaojia Business Circle instantly perked up, swiftly gathering in a crowd.
At the head was the Old Village Chief.
He spent all day in the business circle now, selling bamboo products from his stall, close to the bookstore, and arrived lightning-fast.
Hearing of the new book, the Old Village Chief suddenly felt forty years younger. He bolted to the bookstore entrance, shouting: âIs it the third volume of âYang Family Generalsâ? Quick! Iâve been wanting to read it!â
The attendants smiled awkwardly: âItâs not âYang Family Generalsâ.â
âEh?â The Old Village Chief looked crestfallen: âThen what is it? If itâs not as good as âYang Family Generalsâ, I wonât buy it.â
An attendant wore an odd expression: âWhether this book is good or not, I dare not say. Best you see for yourself.â
With that, one attendant raised his hand, holding up âDao Xuan Deityâs Demon Elimination Taleâ for everyone to see.
Most villagers who could read were at the new school visiting, so the crowd by the door was entirely illiterate. The words âDao Xuan Deityâs Demon Elimination Taleâ meant nothing to them.
However, the portrait of the Dao Xuan Deity Statue on the cover was instantly recognized by all.
âAh! Isnât this the Deity?â
âHow bold! Putting the Deity on a comic book!â
âHow dare they?â
The attendants looked uncomfortable: âThis book was drawn personally by the Saint Lady. Itâs called âDao Xuan Deityâs Demon Elimination Taleâ. Iâll flip through a few pages; see for yourselves.â
As they spoke, they opened the book.
The crowd peered intently and immediately understood: The Dao Xuan Deity descended to the mortal realm for amusement. He saw a poor little village. Robbers lived on the mountain next to the village. The robbers came down to raid. The Deity stretched out his hand â Wham! â and crushed the robbers.
Seeing this, the Village Chief gasped loudly: âAh! Ah! Ah! This⌠this is the Gaojia Village story! When the Deity first manifested, it was exactly like this⌠An old man like me lacked the fate, I couldnât see the Deityâs hand, only Yiye could. Unexpectedly⌠this was what it looked like back then⌠Bless Yiye for drawing it all.â
The Old Village Chief didnât need to wait for another page. He instantly pulled out a handful of copper coins: âI have to buy this book!â
The villagers beside him heard this and suddenly understood: âSo buying this book will let us know the story of when the Deity first manifested!â
âBuy it!â
âWe must buy it, even if we have to sell our pots and pans!â
A gaggle hurriedly felt for their money, and in the blink of an eye, two hundred copies had sold out.
Those who didnât get one flew into a rage in front of the bookstore: âWhatâs going on here? Such an important book, and you barely printed any copies?â
âExactly! This is the Deityâs story! Shouldnât you have printed more?â
The commotion startled the boys badly. They quickly called Thirty-Two out. He hadnât expected that Gao Yiyeâs playful comic book, pieced together with borrowed elements, could sell this spectacularly.
Little did he know, Gao Yiye had effectively ridden the wave of the Deityâs popularity â a concept ancient folk wouldnât grasp.
Thirty-Two was utterly unprepared. He could only wave his hands, âDonât panic, everyone! The woodblocks are carved. Weâll reprint immediately! With the blocks, printing is quick! In two or three days, weâll have many, many more copies⌠I assure you everyone can get one!â
âDonât cause any more trouble!â