Chapter 086: With a Wave of the Sleeve

Zhang Tan received a call from Zhang Quanshun a little after nine in the morning. He then brought Zhang Quanshun and the two representatives from the publishing house, and together they took a motorized tricycle to his rented apartment near Shuangdun Middle School.

“Why did you come to pick me up? Aren’t you afraid you’ll miss your classes and fall behind?” Zhang Quanshun asked.

“It’s fine,” Zhang Tan waved his hand. “Missing a day or half a day won’t matter.”

“Brother Zhang, you’re still worrying about Zhang Tan’s studies? With his talent for writing novels, he’s better off than most college graduates looking for jobs,” Wang Guohua said with a laugh.

Zhang Quanshun hurried to reply modestly, “Writing isn’t exactly a stable career.”

“Dad, I’m really stable, okay? Writing novels is as natural to me as eating and drinking. But studying—that’s hard for me. I don’t have the talent to get into a top university, and going to an average college is no different from falling behind. In the future, university degrees will become less and less valuable.”

“No matter what, having a college diploma is always a guarantee in society. After you go to college, you can take more exams, learn more skills—the more you know, the better.”

Zhang Tan said nothing further. He wanted to persuade his parents to let him drop out of school. But in the short term, there was no way to convince them; their values collided sharply with his own. Having lived a previous life, he found little attraction in university. He only felt a slight regret that in his past life he’d only attended a junior college and hadn’t made it to university. But his parents had an almost fervent belief in higher education.

To them, not going to university was a grave mistake in life.

This mindset fit perfectly with the values promoted in rural areas: “No matter how hard life is, children shouldn’t suffer; no matter how poor, never skimp on education.” Education has always been considered a vital part of life. In China’s civilization of thousands of years, education has been paramount—“Of all the trades, studying is the noblest.”

So, Zhang Tan fell silent for the moment. But the atmosphere in the tricycle was anything but quiet. Wang Guohua and Zhang Quanshun chatted enthusiastically, and Wang’s assistant, Wu Hai, occasionally joined in.

Before they knew it, they’d arrived at the apartment.

When Zhang Tan unlocked the door and they stepped into the two well-furnished rooms, Zhang Quanshun’s eyes widened. He’d always thought his son lived a tough life at school. Who would have guessed that not only did he not live on campus, but he’d also set up a cozy little home nearby. His daily life seemed even more comfortable than at home.

“When did you rent a place outside? Why didn’t you mention it to us?” Zhang Quanshun asked.

“Not long after the start of the semester. If you’d visited the student dorms, you’d know why I had to move out. Twelve students crammed into one room, the smell of shoes and socks could knock you out. Back then, the dorms were just tile-roofed buildings that leaked when it rained. And with so many people, it was noisy and restless. I couldn’t write at all.”

Zhang Quanshun was left speechless. Thinking about it, he realized his son had a point—writing required peace and quiet.

Wang Guohua inspected the apartment, clicking his tongue in admiration. “Zhang Tan knows how to live. The place is tidy and organized—radiators, electric kettle, washing machine, laptop, printer. Hey, are those a guitar and an accordion?”

“I signed up for the school’s music class to learn some music.”

Zhang Quanshun was astonished yet again. “You’re learning music now, too?”

“Yeah, just a hobby.”

Wang Guohua asked with interest, “Have you learned to play yet?”

Zhang Tan picked up the guitar and strummed a familiar melody—“Katyusha,” the Russian classic. Then he switched to the accordion, playing the same tune. The sound from the accordion was even more melodious than the guitar, and it was immediately clear this was the well-known “Katyusha.”

“Multi-talented!” Wang Guohua gave him a thumbs-up.

Zhang Tan smiled. “Just a wide range of interests.”

“Doesn’t learning music take up a lot of time?” Zhang Quanshun asked.

“Two evenings a week.”

“Still, you should focus on your studies.”

Seeing his father wasn’t completely opposed, Zhang Tan planned to discuss the idea of becoming an art student with him later. But now wasn’t the right time—at least not before signing the contract.

Next, they all sat down in the apartment to go through the contract.

Hunan People’s Publishing House had published many popular novels, so they had standard contract templates. After a few modifications, the contract was clear and straightforward.

Zhang Quanshun read through the contract carefully, questioning every detail and spending over an hour to ensure there were no unreasonable clauses. Only then, as Zhang Tan’s guardian, did he sign. He then attached photocopies of the household registration book, ID card, and other documents to the contract.

Wang Guohua had the official company seal with him. He stamped both copies, making the contract officially binding.

Hunan People’s Publishing House and Zhang Tan signed a publishing contract for “The Four Constables Shake the Northeast.” According to the contract, royalties were paid on a tiered system: 6% for sales under 50,000 copies, and 10% for sales above 50,000. The initial print run was 10,000 copies, with an advance paid at the 6% royalty rate. If reprinted, royalties would be brought up to the standard rate.

In other words, with just the first edition, Zhang Tan’s royalties would be calculated on at least 10,000 copies—more sales, more earnings.

This differed slightly from publishing in Taiwan, as mainland publishers generally paid part of the royalties in advance.

Once the contract was put away, Wang Guohua reached out to shake Zhang Quanshun’s hand. “Pleasure working with you. Once I return, the publishing house will set the price at a meeting and transfer the royalty payment as soon as possible.”

“All right, pleasure working with you.”

...

After signing the contract, it was already noon.

Zhang Tan took everyone to a nearby countryside restaurant for lunch.

The owner knew Zhang Tan well and greeted him enthusiastically.

“You come here often?” Zhang Quanshun asked, puzzled.

Zhang Tan replied, “I have a meal plan here. I usually eat lunch and dinner at this restaurant.”

“You eat at restaurants every day…” Zhang Quanshun was speechless. He and Tan Mingxia had worried about Zhang Tan not getting enough nutrition at school, but it seemed their son ate better than anyone.

Zhang Tan rubbed his chin. “After all, I’m still growing.”

Zhang Quanshun, though a bit taken aback, didn’t object. “True, when you’re growing, you should eat well.”

“Earning money is for food, clothing, and shelter, isn’t it? Old Zhang, as young people say these days, this is called knowing how to enjoy life,” Wang Guohua said with a laugh.

“Exactly. Now that life is better, there’s no need to deprive ourselves. If you can eat well, you should eat well.” Zhang Quanshun nodded approvingly, took a sip of his liquor, and reminisced, “Ah, life really is getting better every day. When we were kids, we’d haul dirt on the river embankment until we were half dead and still couldn’t eat our fill. At night, we’d dream of nothing more than two big bowls of plain white rice.”

Wang Guohua, about the same age as Zhang Quanshun, sighed with nostalgia. “Wasn’t it tough back then? There wasn’t even a trace of oil in our bowls. If we found some extra wild greens, we had to feed them to the two pigs at home first. To be honest, we really envied those fat pigs—they could eat, drink, and sleep all day.”

“You kept two pigs? Your family must have been doing pretty well back then,” Zhang Tan remarked.

“Not our pigs—they belonged to the production team. At New Year, when the pigs were slaughtered, we’d get a bit of neck meat to cure into bacon or make sausages. The head and trotters were all bought up by the town’s meat factory. We hardly ever got to eat those.”

And so, the meal passed in bittersweet reminiscence.

Life might have its ups and downs, but the country was progressing, and everyone’s standard of living was rising—this was obvious to all. After lunch, Wang Guohua and Wu Hai hurried off to catch their train. They came quickly and left just as swiftly, taking the signed contract with them.

Zhang Tan finally felt at ease.

At last, the simplified Chinese edition would be published!

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Last time, the list of thanks was deleted along with a few chapters, so here it is again.

Thanks to “Unregretful Youth” for the reward of 10,000 Qidian coins.

Thanks to “Ten Night Emperor” and “Book friend 150330083544078” for the reward of 1,888 Qidian coins.

Thanks to “Ah, Go To Hell,” “Young Li Dabai,” “The Unyielding Ephemera,” “Six Infernal Demons” for their rewards, as well as Law, Not a Great God, Greater China Federation, z~Online, Green Hills Remain, Lamp Empty Sings to the Sky, Piercing Throat, Zhang Jian Wu Hen, Bookworm zj, Zhang Chaoyang, zeroo707, Please Call Me Book Friend 001, Nine-sided Play, pind, Little Ghost Knocking, Lost Peter Pan, Ning Ge, Time Flows, Little Fat Fairy, Bingqing, Book Friend 15070708753665 for their rewards.

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This is the thank-you list for this time.

Thanks to “The Unyielding Ephemera,” “I Know Nothing,” and “Ah, Go To Hell” for the reward of 1,888 Qidian coins, and to “Can’t See the Color at the Bottom of Your Eyes” for the 588 Qidian coins.

Thanks also to Smile With Much Sorrow, Idle People Don’t Bother 2, Mr. Pi, Voice of the Dao, Visitor Placeholder, Awake in Lhasa, Scheming Little Fish, Cabbage Tofu Soup, Shi Ningou, Eat Well and Think of Second Sister, Rabbit Who Loves Roast Chicken, Office Automation, Qu Jingming, Ning Ge, Jun Princess, Law, Wu Zi 3014, ~Remnant~Wind~, zeroo707, Green Hills Remain, rjjo, Humble, Greater China Federation, Suddenly the Sky Is So Blue, tintinghj, Ling Yuexin #1, (Little Xin Hao) for their rewards.

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Also, Old Bai has reached Sanjiang!

I hope everyone can cast a few Sanjiang votes for Old Bai. To vote: go to the PC version of the site → find the “Sanjiang” channel in the menu → enter the Sanjiang channel and click “Claim” to get Sanjiang tickets → scroll to the bottom of the Sanjiang channel, select “Restarting Senior Year” and vote.

Thank you again!