Chapter 470: Sending Out This Book
Chapter 465 of "The Great Ming in the Box" starts with thrilling twists: Self-financing printing was something Gao Yiye had experience with. Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale... Continue the story!
Self-financing printing was something Gao Yiye had experience with. Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale was her own self-financed venture, which unexpectedly exploded in profits, earning her a large sum of money that filled her entire house.But money was useless to her.
Filling her house with money actually took up her living space, forcing her to stand on the balcony for long periods to gaze into the distance, just to escape the annoyance of the stench of copper.
Receiving the heavenly decree, Gao Yiye instantly perked up.
So the Deity still needs me, haha. Her steps became light and lively as she hopped down the watchtower, darting through the somewhat aged alleyways of the main fortress. Thud—she collided head-on with Old Shi Si who had just walked out of Thirty-Two’s house.
Old Shi Si scrambled up from the ground and saw his scattered manuscripts, causing him to scream in fear, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. “My book… wuwu… the third steward disliked it, no chance to publish… and now scattered everywhere… what did I do to deserve this?”
Gao Yiye rubbed her aching shoulder and stood up. “Oh, Old Shi Si! Lucky I came quick, you haven’t gone far yet. Come with me, I’ll help you get it published.”
Old Shi Si jerked his head up. “Eh?”
Happiness struck too suddenly!
Had anyone else said this, Old Shi Si might not have believed it, but the words of the Saint Lady carried great credibility.
Old Shi Si sprang up instantly. “Really?”
“Really!” Gao Yiye pointed towards the sky. “The venerable Deity personally issued a decree for me to help you.”
Overjoyed, Old Shi Si plopped down on his knees and shouted towards the sky, “Thank you, Deity!”
“Quickly gather up the manuscripts.”
“Ah, yes, yes!”
Gao Yiye helped Old Shi Si collect the manuscripts and held them properly before stepping into Thirty-Two’s house. “Third Steward, I’m here!”
“Ah? Saint Lady!” Thirty-Two hurriedly greeted her. “Eh? Old Shi Si, haven’t you left yet?”
Old Shi Si: “I’m not leaving! The Saint Lady said she’ll help me publish my book.”
A question mark slowly popped up above Thirty-Two’s head: “?”
Gao Yiye listened briefly to the voice of Li Daoxuan coming from the sky before smiling. “I heard Third Steward doesn’t much care for Old Shi Si’s book. But if you don’t like it, I do. So I’d like to give it a try.”
Thirty-Two: “???”
Gao Yiye: “I’ll finance the printing of this book myself. The cost of paper, the wages for the woodcarver and the printer, all of it will be my responsibility. Any costs from shipping incurred during later sales will also fall to me. As for the profits it generates, Old Shi Si and I will split them fifty-fifty. The village treasury won’t take a loss.”
Thirty-Two looked utterly bewildered. “Why? Saint Lady, have you even read his book? It’s truly insipid! There’s no fighting, killing, love, hate, no villain stomping on the hero’s face, no hero dramatically overpowering the villain… In short, the entire thing reeks of one word — bland.”
“As the saying goes, prose should be mountains, dislikes the flat. A story this flat will definitely not sell well.”
Gao Yiye giggled. “I know that! But arts and culture need flowers of all kinds to bloom healthily. For the sake of Gaojia Village’s arts and culture, I’ve decided to invest.”
Thirty-Two thought to himself: The Saint Lady is always playful and troublesome. I believe she wants to fund this. But grand principles like developing arts and culture? The Saint Lady would never understand that. How did such words come out of her mouth?
Ah? I get it!
The Deity taught her.
Thirty-Two quickly said, “Understood. Since the Saint Lady is funding it, we’ll print this book. Anyway, there’s no risk involved.”
Gao Yiye smiled. “Not just print it. Next, we’ll also distribute it free everywhere – Bai Shui County, Dali County, Hancheng, Longmen Ferry, Yongji Ferry Dock. Anywhere our transportation can reach, we’ll send this book. Together with Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale, we’ll hand it over to the common people part-sale, part-giveaway.”
Thirty-Two was inwardly baffled: Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale is meant to introduce outsiders to the Deity. I understand distributing that partly free. But this “Gao Piao” book? It’s just about daily domestic trivialities and ordinary life. Why distribute it partly free too? What’s the point of promoting this?
Gao Yiye laughed lightly: “Thirty-Two, it seems you don’t understand.”
Thirty-Two looked up at the sky: “Deity, I truly do not understand.”
Gao Yiye said, “It’s fine if you don’t understand. The Deity says this is called ‘the limitations of the era’. After a while, you will understand.”
Thirty-Two didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “I don’t understand the term ‘the limitations of the era’ either.”
Gao Yiye said, “Alright, alright, hurry up and do it.”
Thirty-Two cupped his hands in salute and quickly went to arrange for the woodcarver.
Although he didn’t understand much, he had already realized that this book was very important. It was sold at half-price or given away for free, which showed that its importance was equivalent to that of “Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale”. Of course, it had to be started immediately, carved immediately, printed immediately, and finished immediately. Its priority even surpassed all textbooks.
More woodcarvers were immediately assigned, carving over a dozen pages simultaneously.
They aimed to finish it as quickly as possible.
The wind swept over Hancheng’s sky, carrying the earthy smell of the Yellow River into the city.
The lives of Hancheng’s common people were gradually improving.
Not long ago, a grain convoy from Heyang County arrived, putting a large amount of grain on sale at low prices—oh, no, it was putting books on sale at low prices and giving away grain.
Of course, the common people of Hancheng immediately rushed to buy it. Every household took a liking to “Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale”. Although the story was a bit mystical, it wasn’t bad; everyone watched it with great interest, and when the Deity slapped bandits to death, they would cheer loudly.
The city’s theater troupe hastily wrote a new play, performing the story of Dao Xuan Deity. People all over the county town were discussing it.
However today, that grain-selling transport team started causing trouble again.
They actually transported a new book named “”Gao Piao””.
Just like before: buy the book and get grain for free!
Whether the book was good or not no longer mattered; they just had to buy it.
So, in streets and alleys, everyone held a copy of “”Gao Piao””. They opened it and looked: “Huh? This story seems a bit off this time.”
This mundane life story—what was so good about it?
At first, that’s what they thought. But after glancing a few more times, some people started to see something interesting.
“Everyone, look! As soon as this comic book’s protagonist arrived at Gaojia Village, he had food and a place to sleep. Even if it’s eight to a room, it’s better than sleeping outdoors.”
“He went there to do road construction and earned a small bag of flour in a day.”
“Gaojia Village actually has such big vehicles to ride in; even ordinary people can ride them.”
“Look, Shi Si’s companion became a blacksmith and made a fortune in no time. I’m a blacksmith too; if I go to Gaojia Village, can I also make a fortune?”