Literary Master 1983

Chapter 143: Two Weeks after the Book Release (Part )

In the afternoon, more people in Yanjing learned that the single volume of Yu Qie's novel "Da Saba" had been published.

These people are mainly students from universities. They are particularly interested in Yu Qie's version of "international student" literature. They are the ones who have the greatest need and the most time.

The bookstore on campus of Yenching Normal University is playing the popular song "The Full Moon" from the front line:
“Ah/The harvest fruit contains your sweetness/and my sweetness/The military medal/has half of mine/and half of yours…”

Students gathered in front of the bookstore to buy books. From the back, they formed a long line. Since the resumption of the college entrance examination, the country has carried out a large-scale reprint of books that were previously unpublished. Bookstores have become a place where young people gather. This kind of scene can be seen every day.

Salesperson Xiao Xu didn't find it strange.

The bookstore opens at nine o'clock every day and the queue starts at seven o'clock.

Sometimes students queue up for a whole day just to buy a copy of Tolstoy's "Resurrection", because by the afternoon, a batch of foreign classics that have just arrived are often sold out.

"Comrade, what books do you want to buy?"

"Xu Guozhang's English, do we have any tapes here?"

Teaching supplementary books are indeed a very popular category.

"The tapes are sold out, but there is still one copy of Xu Guozhang's English."

"Okay, I want it."

The salesperson issued a sales receipt, and the student took it to the cashier to pay, then returned to the counter with the receipt to pick up the book. "Next."

A new student came: "Do you have 'Big Scatter'?"

"Yes, I did. Ten books were just delivered at noon. I thought the name was quite unique, so I remembered it."

The student said, “Buy one.”

"This book is quite expensive, two dollars and five cents, about the same as Plato's Republic... No, The Republic is cheaper, that one is one dollar and eighty cents."

The student made a joke: "I bought this book because I heard it is not 'Utopia'!"

The next student came and the book he wanted to buy was still "Da Saba".

The next student is still "Da Saba".

Eh?
The salesperson found it interesting. It was rare to see a book so popular among college students.

This phenomenon is often triggered when a masterpiece by a foreign master is published. For example, a set of four volumes of "War and Peace" costs 60 yuan for the collector's edition. Students can save for half a year for this 60 yuan, and then get the news and squat in front of the bookstore waiting.

After that, there was no continuous purchase of "Big Saba", but every three or four people, there would always be one who specifically asked to buy this book.

When there were only three copies of the book left, the salesperson counted according to the rules: "There are only three copies of "Da Saba" left today~~"

The person standing in the front immediately announced that he would buy all three books. Someone in the back heard it and was furious: "How dare you? Why did you buy all of them?"

The crowd was excited for a while. About a quarter of the long line, about ten people, came out to settle accounts with the people in front.

Who dares to keep this book to himself?

Therefore, the remaining three volumes of "Da Saba" can only be sold in order, one copy per person.

Afterwards, students began to gather at the door of the bookstore to exchange books, for example, they would exchange a copy of Pushkin's Collected Works for Hugo's Ninety-Three. They would exchange and read on the spot, and when it got dark, they would take their respective books and leave, agreeing on the next time to come and read.

The salesman Xiao Xu observed that today, "Da Saba" has surpassed any previous work by a famous author and has become a rare commodity in high demand. Some people would rather exchange a set of books for this one, making this obviously unprofitable deal.

He thought that although the book was not available in the Normal University Bookstore, it was available in the Xinhua Bookstore, so he suggested that the students go to the Xinhua Bookstore next door at Wudaokou to have a look. The students immediately formed a large army of cyclists and long-distance runners and headed to the Xinhua Bookstore at Wudaokou.

This place is only 1.5 kilometers away from the Normal University, and generally speaking, there are more new books arriving there. But unexpectedly, there were only a few young people queuing in front of the door of the Wudaokou Xinhua Bookstore, and most of them were like them, exchanging books to read.

"You guys are just here? It's gone since noon! Come, change the book to read." It turned out that the single volume of "Da Saba" was no longer available.

"Big Spread" is still the most popular single volume there. Moreover, students here read it earlier. Many have finished reading this book. Some people wailed: "How can America be like this in the book? USA, USA, it is full of opportunities and a dream country for every foreigner!"

Others blushed and shouted, "I understand! America is not what we originally said!"

Within two or three days, because the single volume of "Da Saba" was not available, the related literary journals that serialized "Da Saba" were dug out and added to the book exchange queue.

Yenching Normal University, Yenching Foreign Languages, University of International Business and Economics, and other schools with many places for overseas students have created a short summer "seller's market" in the student market because of the scarcity of this book. 84 was the so-called "year of going into business", and many students tried to start a business in that year.

The campus grounds and student dormitories have become "trade centers" where students who remain on campus set up stalls to sell a variety of goods including clothing, books, magazines, and beverages.

Students selling books and periodicals were beating drums and gongs: "Who wants Yu Qie's new book? I have one here. I won't sell it, I will only exchange it. You have to return it to me after you finish reading it."

The student next to me was selling popsicles: "What do you want to exchange for?"

"It doesn't matter what you change it to. I've read it. I can tell you that the content in the single volume is different from the serialized version. There are some 'notes' added here, which explain clearly why it is difficult for Americans to accept us... It is said that this is a speech given by Yu Qie at Yan Da University. Who are you, where are you from, where are you going... I was shaken after reading it."

"I'll trade you a popsicle!"

"One stick is not enough. Knowledge is priceless."

"Where are the two popsicles?"

"Here, take it."

Coincidentally, because of the Los Angeles Olympics and the Sino-British negotiations, a group of South China Morning Post reporters came to Hong Kong and lived near the Yenching universities. They observed this phenomenon and went to interview the student merchants who set up stalls outside the school.

"Why do you want to do business? Is it because your academic performance is not good?"

"We have good grades, but we only earn 70 or 80 yuan after graduating from college. It's better to start earning money early and have a chance to become a millionaire."

“What’s your hottest business right now?”

A young man wearing a university badge and women's clothing came out and said, "The most popular business used to be women's clothing. I sold everything from bras to summer clothes. But the most popular business these days is not mine... but a novel written by a writer named Yu Qie."

"I heard that there was a bookstall vendor named Liu who bought hundreds of books and sold them to students applying for visas at the embassy gate for five yuan each - he made several hundred yuan."

Novels have become the most popular commodity!

People in Hong Kong have also experienced this. Cha Liangyong, who wrote martial arts novels, was in Hong Kong. When his novels were published, the streets were deserted and the books were in great demand.

Could it be that there is a martial arts novelist in mainland China?
The student said, "Yu Qie doesn't write martial arts novels. His books are useful! His book is about studying abroad."

what?
Mainlanders also know how to study abroad!
The mainland only restarted its study abroad program six years ago. The current number of students studying abroad in the entire mainland is estimated to be less than that in the fishing port of Gangdi. There is a huge information gap.

These reporters were attracted and searched all over the city for the book "Da Saba".

Finally, with their unstandard Mandarin, they quickly borrowed the book. After reading it all night, the Hong Kong reporters were not surprised by the couples breaking up and getting back together. In Hong Kong, where commerce is highly developed, it has long been a Matthew effect - the rich can openly have several wives, while the poor can only hope to marry women outside Hong Kong.

But among them, everyone likes "Gu Yan", a loyal, honest and lucky character.

Some people see the shadow of "God" in this. God cleans up the mess for everyone and also gets everything.

Some people believe that this is the most traditional Chinese man - this male image also appeared in their fathers in the 1960s and 1970s when Hong Kong's economy was booming.

"This is indeed a good novel! I didn't expect it was written by a mainlander!"

They did not include this incident in their reports because their reports mainly focus on major economic and political events, and the South China Morning Post is a highly professional English publication.

However, this interesting story still spread to the newspaper circles in Hong Kong. Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao reported the incident from different angles.

(End of this chapter)