Literary Master 1983

Chapter 232 "Little Shoes" is available in Japan

In early April, a new round of Yu Qie's novels were released in Japan. At that time, Lao Nie was the only one in the visiting group whom Yu Qie knew, and the others were all strangers to him.

It's very awkward when we get together, because Lao Nie knows everyone, and Yu Qie also knows everyone.

Why is Nie Weiping still in Japan?

He is working hard for the China-Japan Go Tournament. Wu Qingyuan, the "Go Saint" from Japan, said that Nie Weiping is a freak and a genius, and the overall Go level in mainland China is far inferior to that of Japan, especially in theoretical research.

With the original intention of bringing out the best in both parties, Nie Weiping stayed in Japan and studied with Wu Qingyuan for a period of time. Since 1980, Nie Weiping has visited Wu Qingyuan many times.

Wu Qingyuan is a complicated person, involving some historical regrets. Wu Qingyuan was once a Chinese, and later joined the Japanese nationality during the war years. Then he defeated all the Japanese chess players at that time in the ten-game match and won the title of chess saint.

During the war years, ordinary people certainly had many difficulties and could not control their own destiny. This was a chess fanatic who, after becoming famous, used his influence to support and care for a large number of Chinese chess players.

But Yu Qie was not from the Go community, so he had some reservations about "Mr. Wu". However, Wu Qingyuan liked Yu Qie very much, "It's rare for a Chinese to completely defeat his Japanese counterparts. It's even better than what I did back then. After all, he did it as a foreigner."

Wu Qingyuan asked Nie Weiping to invite Yu Qie to his home.

Yu Qie met Wu Qingyuan the last time he came to Japan, and he went there again this time. After several visits, the chess master seemed to feel that Yu Qie did not respect him as much as Nie Weiping, and gradually stopped mentioning Yu Qie's visit.

Rejection between adults is always so silent. After coming to Japan, Yu Qie actually learned to "read the air".

But this made Nie Weiping a little embarrassed. He said: "In fact, Mr. Wu Qingyuan is really a good person. He is just a chess player. What else can he do in that era?"

Yu Qie shook his head: "I don't know what to do either. I understand him, but I don't have any particular ideas I want to communicate with him. Old Nie, please understand me."

Nie Weiping said: "In fact, you and Wu Qingyuan have at least one thing in common, which is persistence. Mr. Wu's persistence is 'insane', but you know what's going on and do it on purpose. You have some self-centered ideas, which is not good."

Yu Qie laughed out loud: "No wonder you are my friend, Old Nie, you have seen through me completely."

Yu Qie and Nie Weiping also have similarities, so they appreciate each other. They are both in an awkward situation where their overall level is not as good as that of their neighbors, but they are better than the individuals of their neighbors. This can easily lead to heroism. So Yu Qie always uses a game called "American Professional Men's Basketball" as an example: "If you are the core of the team, you know that your teammates are worse than you, but you are better than everyone on the opposite side... At this time, you have to play the boss basketball, let others squat in the bottom corner, and you swing hard."

"You are not the only one, you are not playing alone, you just haven't clearly realized the nature of competitive sports... Of course, literature is sometimes like this. A good article is better than ten thousand essays written by elementary school students."

"What is Boss Basketball?"

"It's like when I play soccer from the midfield and break through the entire Japanese team's defense to score a goal."

Nie Weiping immediately understood and gave a thumbs up: "You are really awesome, my goodness."

Yu Qie's new book was released, and Nie Weiping went with him to witness the sales of "Little Shoes" in Japan. Nie Weiping also heard about Yu Qie forcing the publishing house to typeset according to his ideas. The president of a well-known publishing house was threatened by a writer. These things are simply unimaginable in mainland China.

A hat of disunity was put on.

"I do this because it can really sell books. Old Nie, I'm not just a writer, I also have some ideas in other areas. Today I'll let you see them." Yu Qi said.

The two went to the Jimbocho area in Tokyo, which is the world's largest bookstore district and was once Chinatown. Eighty years ago, the "Qing Dynasty Students' Association" was here, and a group of bigwigs started businesses here. Mr. Zhou also studied here. In a park, the Japanese erected a monument that read "Mr. Zhou once studied here."

After seeing the stele, Nie Weiping could not move anymore and stood there for a long time.

"What, you want to start a business too?" Yu Qie said.

Nie Weiping chuckled and said, "Don't be ridiculous! I just thought, this is a park in Japan. It used to be a school! After the earthquake, it was all in ruins and had to be rebuilt... But the Japanese erected a monument specifically for him. I wonder if we will be remembered like this one day. Can only politicians have this kind of influence?"

"That's not the case." Yu Qie said, "I think ours is even easier. You just need to defeat all the Go players in the world. Isn't it easy?"

"Are you speaking human language?" Nie Weiping shook his head. "Why can't you finish the story?"

As a result, Nie Weiping witnessed the most bizarre book-buying scene he had ever seen in his life at Neishan Bookstore.

Yu Qie put the two versions of "Little Shoes" on the shelf in a prominent position. Readers who had read both versions chose to "pay more" to buy the charity version without hesitation.

Add money, add money, and add money.

Nie Weiping saw a couple coming to choose traditional novels, and immediately picked up Yu Qie's novel. After a quick flip through, the husband suddenly saw the last page, which was a letter written by Yu Qie to the readers. The husband showed this page to his wife.

After reading it, the two were very excited and bought two charity copies which required an extra 100 yen.

Nie Weiping was surprised: "Why?"

Then, a bunch of students showed up. They flipped through the book aimlessly and were very price sensitive. But as someone turned to the last page and showed it to his friends, word spread, and soon everyone bought the premium version.

Nie Weiping doubted his life again: Why?
What really shocked him was the arrival of a primary school student. The student was carrying a classic school bag from Japanese movies and TV shows, and it looked like he had just finished school. He fell in love with Yu Qie's novel at first sight, and soon realized that there was another version of the book. This version was more expensive, but the extra 100 yen might help Ali's sister stand up and no longer have to worry about the risk of paralysis.

His eyes lingered between the two books, his face flushed with anxiety, and he finally chose the paid version. Nie Weiping was touched and puzzled: "Why?"

Why?

Because Yu Qie knows a lot of marketing techniques, such as book jackets, letters from authors, and title dogs... These methods, which have been used to death in later generations, can be used at will to produce miraculous effects.

However, Yu Qie did not answer Nie Weiping's question directly. Instead, he waited until the president of Iwanami Publishing, Midorikawa Toru, came to apologize to him, and then he told Nie Weiping: "In the future, if you encounter something that is 90% sure, don't listen to other people's opinions. As long as you can win, everything is fine. If you lose, no grace will be of any use."

Only then did Nie Weiping suddenly realize: Wow, it turns out that Yu Qie is teaching me how to do things.

Midorikawa Heng, the elite publisher, bowed deeply to Yu Qie without feeling awkward at all: "Mr. Yu, it's a good thing you insisted on your opinion, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see this grand occasion."

So the Japanese are weird?
When they make money, they don’t talk about making money, but instead talk about “literary prosperity”. Japanese people are very good at playing their roles, and they all have a layer of skin. Kawabata Yasunari cheated countless times, but he acted like an innocent boy, which made his fans sympathize with him. Comrade Yasushi Inoue, although an old friend of the Chinese people, wrote his extramarital affair into a documentary novel, and wrote it with sincerity.

Midorikawa Toru had just apologized to Yu Che, and then he had a big fight with Yu Che over the royalties for the next round of books. Both sides refused to give in, and Yu Che said he could find another publisher. Midorikawa Toru threatened, "For foreign literary books, there is no better publisher than Iwanami Publishing!"

Yu Qie said, "Is what I write really a foreign classic? I am speaking Japanese to you now, writing a Japanese novel. Even if I change to a local publisher, what will happen?"

Midorikawa Toru looked like he was going to eat someone, slammed the door and left. As a result, the next day, Midorikawa Toru's daughter, Midorikawa Chikako, came to apologize to Yu Qie on behalf of her father, and then talked about the issue of royalties again.

This time all of Yu Qie's requests were approved.

Soon, Midorikawa Heng once again brought two bottles of red wine and an expensive 1902 edition of Dante's Divine Comedy to chat with Yu Che. As if the previous incident had never happened, after dinner, Midorikawa Heng was too drunk and left the red wine and Divine Comedy to Yu Che.

"Italian version of the book? You also read poetry? You also understand Italian?" Nie Weiping was very surprised.

You know, Yu Qie spends much more time playing cards and ball than reading novels.

Yu Qie also looked at the cowhide-bound copy of The Divine Comedy with envy, and said, "I once mentioned that Ba Lao loved The Divine Comedy when he was young and could recite many of its chapters in full in Italian. I also said that I really didn't know what to give Ba Lao to thank him. Midorikawa Heng heard it and helped me prepare these things."

Nie Weiping was amazed. The best-selling author actually made the president a butler-like figure, and now the father and daughter were fighting together.

Later, Chikako Midorikawa also became Yu Qie's transatlantic editor in Japan. Chikako was a top student who had just graduated from the UK. Like Toru Midorikawa, she was very knowledgeable about British and American literature. She was also a beauty in her twenties. Chikako always wore a women's suit and had delicate makeup. She was very careful about her image in front of Yu Qie. Chikako was also completely opposite to the Japanese cute girls later on. She was not only tall but also had a good figure. She was exactly the kind of strong woman.

After she got involved, she was very good at using the business stratification system. She required that when Yu Qie appeared on Japanese programs, the seating arrangement must be based on actual achievements and qualifications; if it was a face-to-face literary interview, then Yu Qie's interviewees could not be lower than Akutagawa-nominated writers, that is, writers at the level of Murakami Haruki.

With this operation, Yu Qie not only maintained his "mystery as a writer", but also made real money. Nie Weiping was very envious, because even the Japanese chess players who had contact with him asked him to ask Yu Qie to sign his books, hoping to have some friendship with Yu Qie, an Asian-level writer.

But who the hell could have known that Yu Qie would cheat in chess?
The separation of the charity edition and the regular edition of "Little Shoes" is a genius plan! Some people buy this kind of book specifically to show that they are "loving" people. They even call the publisher and hope that the word "charity" can be printed in large letters on the cover, otherwise their friends will not know that they have spent an extra 100 yen.

In the 1980s, some Japanese cities established friendship with Chinese cities, so the libraries and some schools in these cities also purchased a series of Yu Qie's novels... Ambassador Song of the embassy was often asked: Is Mr. Yu still in Tokyo? I hope that Mr. Yu can be present at the next gathering.

Nie Weiping was envious again: Yu Qie, everyone will know you when you sit at home.

"Of all the Chinese writers I know, you are the most popular in Japan. I don't know how Lu Xun was doing back then. Anyway, he didn't live to see himself being popular in Japan."

"Are you invincible in writing novels?"

Yu Qie corrected Nie Weiping's statement and said something that Nie Weiping didn't want to hear: "At present, I am the only person who can represent Chinese contemporary literature in Japan. I am the only one in this ecological niche."

"So, I almost represent the best young Chinese writers in Japan. Just like Murakami Haruki, he is not the best Japanese writer... But abroad, as long as his novels sell well, foreigners will think so."

Nie Weiping said: "I don't understand what you are saying, why don't we play cards?"

Yu Qie immediately dropped his work and started playing cards.

After a while, Yu Qie had to return to China from Japan. The first writer assessment of the School of Literature began, and without Teacher Yu, it would be impossible to proceed.

The domestic film version of "Little Shoes" has also been approved. Director Xie Jin has recruited a group of actors and he hopes that Yu Che can serve as the screenwriter of the film.

Playwrights are the highest paid writers in the writer system. For example, if they can create a complete movie script with 50,000 to 60,000 words, their various incomes will eventually reach tens of thousands of yuan. The salary of a screenwriter at this time is often much higher than that of an actor.

Iwanami Publishing bought him a plane ticket to the capital, but Nie Weiping had to stay in Japan. Before boarding the plane, Nie Weiping gave Yu Qie a box of chess pieces: these were the chess pieces that he and Yu Qie often used at the New Otani Hotel, and they were the chess pieces that Chinese chess players had used in the challenge tournaments.

He gave this to Yu Qie, hoping that Yu Qie could continue to win. There is also a metaphor of "sugar pills". He personally watched Yu Qie struggle for half a year in this charity event, and they spent these days together.

Yu Qie took off his Akutagawa Prize-winning watch and gave it to Nie Weiping. Old Nie was embarrassed to accept it, so Yu Qie said, "You will also have a competition in the second half of the year. I give you this watch because I hope that when you feel shaken during the competition, you will think about how I did it."

"If you can beat me and them, doesn't that mean I am also equal to a Go 9th dan? I don't mind having an additional identity. Let me tell you quietly, Japanese literature and Japanese Go are not as good as ours."

Nie Weiping was amused and laughed out loud.

(End of this chapter)