Chapter 27 Twenty-six

When you read the daily newspaper, you don't necessarily want to read anything.I accidentally saw an advertisement for a movie theater. It turned out that there was a first-run theater showing "Butterfly Dream".I once wrote a movie script for "Butterfly Dream" for Mo Yu, but it was not adopted, so my curiosity suddenly arose, and I really wanted to see how much better Mo Yu's script was than mine.According to the advertisement in the newspaper, this play was written and directed by Mo Yu. (Mo Yu is a director who was born on the spot. He only relies on plagiarizing Hollywood techniques to deceive the audience of Mandarin films. Even writing a smooth letter is a problem. How can he have the ability to write a script?) With such doubts, I am eager to see This movie is over.

Homen called and asked me if I had translated Grammand's article.I told him frankly: Got drunk again last night. You can't give up on yourself like this! Homen, our Avant-Garde Literature has no future.Readers demand to read martial arts novels and pornographic texts; and we want to run a literary magazine at this time.Our obstinacy not only fails to bear fruit; it leads to greater disappointment. I know. Now that you know it, why do you have to do it? I don't want to make money because literature is not a commodity. But it is not a commodity, so it must lose money. If you spend five thousand yuan to save a little vitality for Chinese literature, its value is no longer measurable by money.I advise you to do more meaningful work and drink less alcohol.Tomorrow morning, I hope you can translate the article and send it to the printing house as soon as possible.

Hang up the phone, and fall into a state of war inside.I don't know what to do.I could drink less, but be reluctant to do more meaningful work.Distraught; the burdens of life have weighed me down.I write yellow text on purpose for a living. Now, I am very hungry.Look at the watch: half past one noon.Go downstairs, walk into the tea restaurant, and ask the waiter for a plate of Yangzhou fried rice. After dinner, take a ride to see "Butterfly Dream". To my surprise, most of the film was shot according to my script, and all the scenes, including dialogues, were similar to what I wrote.However, I did not get a penny of screenwriting fees.

The film company authorities would definitely not be so despicable; the problem must lie with Mo Yu. Not paying the screenwriter's fee is the next best thing; even the opening credits are written in troubled waters as the director and director of Mo Yu, which is too much. I have known Mo Yu for more than twenty years, and we don't have close contacts with each other, but I am quite familiar with his personality.Before, he wasn't so despicable; now, maybe because he's been in the film industry for too long, he's become so cunning. In anger, I finished watching this "Butterfly Dream".Walking out of the cinema, I can no longer contain the excitement in my heart.After making a phone call to Mo Yu, the first sentence was:

I just watched "Butterfly Dream". Please advise, please advise, he said. I find the script very problematic. Very problematic?what is the problem? This script has only artistic value and lacks commercial value. Mo Yu smiled, a forced smile. Why do old friends say such things? Are you still willing to treat me as a friend? We are old friends for more than twenty years. Ok, now, I have a problem and I want to ask you to help me out. No problem, no problem, as long as I can do it, I will help you. Until now, I have not found a job, and owed a debt to others, which must be repaid.

Mo Yu paused and asked: How much? three thousand. This number, I am afraid How about it. Can it be reduced a little?I've been short of money recently, and three thousand yuan is not a small sum, and it's hard to get it together for a while. Three thousand dollars is just the cost of a script. Mo Yu paused again, and said: Okay, okay, I will try my best to find a way. After one day, I will send someone to bring the money over. Are you still living in the old place? No, I moved. I told him the address, hung up the phone, walked into a tea restaurant nearby, and ordered a glass of whiskey.

(This is a society where people eat people, I think. The more despicable and shameless people are, the higher they climb; those who are loyal to their conscience will always be suppressed at the bottom of society and trampled by others.) After I've had two glasses of wine, I want a third. (People’s desires are endless. I must control myself. My current income depends entirely on the salary of "Avant-garde Literature". In fact, it is a salary, but it is like charity. I cannot turn all my living expenses into alcohol Drink it.) Thinking of this, my heart burns like fire.I never had any hopes for Avant-Garde; now I don't want to go any further. "Avant-Garde Literature" has no budget for manuscript fees: three-tenths of the manuscripts will be written by myself.Writing a manuscript for "Avant-Garde Literature" cannot be estimated.Sometimes, you may not be able to write 500 words after sitting at a desk for a day.Literati in Hong Kong are all smart.No one wants to do this kind of work that is close to hard labor.Why should I be so stupid?Others are already buying mansions and taking cars; I am still engaged in serious literary work in a state of half-starvation.Now, even the money for drinking is almost gone. If this continues, one day I will sleep on the street and eat the northwest wind.I have to figure it out right away.Although my martial arts novels cannot be written by others, it is not difficult to write pornographic novels. As long as you have the courage to write about the sexual life of men and women, you will definitely be popular.This is a shortcut, why should I be so stubborn?The reality is cruel, if you don't change, you can't survive.In other countries, as long as a serious literary and art worker can write a decent work, he can immediately earn a stable life from royalties.However, this is not the case at all in Hong Kong.If the so-called literary and artistic creation exceeds the standard of "Youth Garden", even the agent will refuse to publish it.So talented, well-educated, and even aspiring authors all compete to write popular novels for a living.Even so, popular novels with a slight commercial value are often robbed of the author's rights by shameless pirates.Pirates here are secretly allied with agents.The pirates here will steal whatever the agent asks for.Pirates also have editorial offices.Hire a group of eighth-rate shameless literati to specialize in stealing.In the previous period, martial arts novels were very popular in Nanyang. In order to protect their own rights and interests, authors had to print their manuscripts in separate volumes and ship them to Nanyang; then they began to serialize them in Hong Kong newspapers.However, there are not many authors who are able to publish monographs at their own expense, so most authors still cannot keep their due rights.In fact, even authors who can afford to self-publish may not necessarily reap any benefits.If his works do not sell well, of course he will lose money; on the contrary, if his works sell well, there will be a copy immediately.The authors thought they had come up with a clever solution, but they were the ones who suffered the most.In Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian regions, the rights and interests of Chinese writers are not guaranteed.Only because of this, the authors are unwilling to engage in hard writing. )

The more I thought about it, the more annoying I was, I gritted my teeth and asked the buddy for another glass of whiskey. (If literary and art workers at this stage want to protect their own rights and interests, there is a method, although clumsy, it is worth studying. I think that if a new system can get the approval of most authors, it will kill pirates. The authors contact We will try our best to build a system for readers to buy books directly from the author. In this way, not only the author can prevent pirates from infringing on his rights, but readers will not suffer unnecessary losses. Usually, the publisher sends the book through an agent If the reader is willing to buy books directly from the author, he can get a 30% discount. In fact, the agent is just a bridge, and his job is just to put the publisher's books into the market. For As far as the advancement of the entire cultural undertaking is concerned, his position is far less important than that of the author and the reader. However, under the current situation, the author's rights are exploited for him; while the reader's burden has doubled for no reason. If readers are willing to buy books directly from the author, they can buy two books for the price of one book. Moreover, if the author publishes the work at his own expense, the copyright fee can be lowered. It costs nine cents, plus a 30% discount, and readers can buy a book that is usually priced at one yuan for seven cents. However, when this system is implemented, pirates can also pirate works of authors, so readers want If you want to read cheap books, you must resist buying reprinted books, and then write directly to the author to buy them according to the address advertised in the newspaper. In this way, pirates have nothing to do, and authors can use this to protect their own rights; Readers can save more than half of their financial burden without buying poorly printed and typo-ridden books.)

(This is a way to deal with pirates and at the same time defeat intermediate exploitation. On the surface, it seems a little clumsy, but in reality, it is beneficial to both readers and writers.) (If all writers in Hong Kong unite and take concerted action, then this unreasonable agency system will definitely be overthrown!) (If readers are willing to take the trouble, writers don't have to waste most of their energy writing popular novels, martial arts novels, or pornographic texts just to make money.) (However, this is a principle, and there are still many technical difficulties.)

(Readers must help the author overthrow the system of intermediate exploitation, so as to have a catalytic effect, so that works that are thoughtful and reflect the times can come out as soon as possible.) Thinking of this, I asked the buddy for a glass of whiskey.I've had three glasses of wine and this is the fourth. Even if the mood is bad, it must be done in moderation.I told the clerk to pay the bill and wanted to go home and have a rest.When I got home, I was surprised to find Mai Hemen sitting in the living room. How long have you been here?I asked. an hour or so. Sorry, I didn't know you were coming, I went out to see a movie.

See a movie? Yes, watch "Butterfly Dream". What's so good about this movie?Has Gramon's article been translated? I'm sorry, Homen, I Before I could say anything, Homen said in a rough voice: The printing office is waiting for the manuscript to be typed, and you go to the movies. This movie is different, I made it up, why mention it again?In short, this is a society where people eat people! As long as you have confidence in yourself, no one else can eat you up. I have no intention of defending myself in front of Homen.He is a young man with ambition, perseverance and extremely pure thinking. He has no deep understanding of the ugly side of society.Although I was deceived by Mo Yu, I didn't intend to share my anger with Hermen. After unlocking the door with the key, I led Homen into my room. Grammond’s article has been translated into 500 words and is still spread out on the table.Homen didn't say a word, picked up the manuscript and read it, the anger on his face disappeared. The translation is very good, Xin, Daqiya, he said. Thank you for your compliment, but let me tell you frankly that I don't want to continue translating. Why? because I didn't have the courage to speak out what was in my heart. I lowered my head and smoked a cigarette in pain. Mehman asked me repeatedly, asking me to tell the reason for stopping the translation. Why?He asked emphatically. I think it's stupid of us to do this. Is there any need to say this?However, if there are no fools to stop literature from going backwards, will there still be hope for China? Using such a weak force to prevent literature from going backwards will have an effect? Even if the mantis is acting like a car, he should show a little courage at this time. Did you know our magazine never lasts long?I asked. Yes, Mehman answered. So, what am I going to do to support myself after the magazine closes? That's for later. If you don't think about it now, when problems arise, you have to sit and wait. Although there are many poor people in Hong Kong, starvation seems to have never happened.Besides, even if "Avant-Garde Literature" is not running now, you may not be able to find a job immediately. I am going to write yellow text. You are a literary worker, how can you sell toxins? Only toxins can be exchanged for the conditions of survival! Survival is meaningless if it is only possible to survive by spreading poisonous words! People have an obligation to live. Must live like a human being! like a person?I'm not even qualified to be a ghost now! You are drunk again, this problem, we will talk about it when you are sober! After all, he left angrily.No doubt Mehman was angry.From the time I got acquainted with Mehman, small disputes often occur, and there has never been a quarrel like this.Although I drank four glasses of wine, I was definitely not drunk.It was just because Mo Yu stimulated me so deeply that I was too excited to adapt to the current reality with reason.Mahomet expects more from me; than from myself.But in order to live, I must rebel against myself and at the same time defy his will.There are two ways to go: one is to make up your mind to edit "Avant-Garde Literature"; the other is to ignore Mehman's advice and continue to write popular texts. I can't make a decision. I had a sleepless night. The next morning, as soon as I got up, Mrs. Lei hurried over and said that someone was looking for me outside. It was Mo Yu who sent someone to deliver a letter. The letter is very short, with only a few words: I would like to ask people to send you fifty Hong Kong dollars, and I pray for it to be collected, and I will help you sincerely. I am angry.Immediately, I stuffed fifty yuan into another envelope, and attached these two sentences: Even if I starve to death, I don't want your charity.Then seal it and give it to someone to take it back. (Friendship is the most unreliable thing in Hong Kong, I think. The reality is cruel, you can't continue to be a fool.) So, I decided to write a text that can be exchanged for the manuscript fee. Stuffing Grammand's articles into the drawer, I began to write yellow text in a new style of storytelling.The title is: "Pan Jinlian as a chartered woman".The outline of the planned story is: Pan Jinlian's father died, and she went to work as a female worker in the rubber flower factory. As a result, she was upset by the bearded foreman. She was very anxious and asked the bearded man to register at the marriage registry. The bearded man gave a hundred yuan money to her.She threw the banknotes on the ground, grabbed the bearded man and beat him.While beating hard, a middle-aged woman suddenly came and stopped Pan Jinlian from hitting the bearded man.Jin Lian was quite surprised, upon questioning, it turned out that the person was the bearded man's wife.Pan Jinlian left the plastic flower factory in a fit of rage, intending to work elsewhere.However, Hong Kong is a society where individuals are superfluous, and finding a job is not easy.There is no other choice but to marry the charterer, Dwarf Winter Gua, as his wife.Dwarf Donggua is a widower. He is extremely short in stature and has nothing to do. He only earns his living by collecting rent.Pan Jinlian has no relatives and no family. After losing her job, she can't even eat three meals a day. Since a short winter melon proposed to her, she nodded in agreement for the sake of food and clothing.Not long after the marriage, Ai Donggua suddenly suffered from hemiplegia and became a living dead while lying on the bed. Fortunately, there was rent to collect, so there were no problems in life.However, when she is full of warmth and longing for lust, Pan Jinlian has no worries about food and clothing, and she has nothing to do for a long time, so it is inevitable that she will have unreasonable thoughts.So, I started with the little Afei in the first room, and then went to the hotel with the little Afei's father to get a room; then I had sex with Tang Shuiqi in the middle room; The relatives are talking and talking; and in short, as long as they are men on this floor, all of them have sexual relations. Such novels are not only meaningless, but also harmful. But in Hong Kong, such novels are the easiest to exchange for money. If I can write the sexual relationship between Pan Jinlian and the male tenants more thoroughly, readers will love it more. Calculated in terms of time, as long as readers have an appetite, it can be serialized for ten or eight years. I am going to use 9/10 words to describe the sex life between Pan Jinlian and the male tenants, how Pan Jinlian is lewd; how she seduces men on the bed; how she makes those male tenants get the most satisfaction and so on , there is no need to conceive, no layout, no need to portray characters, let alone create an atmosphere, as long as you describe the bed every day, you don't have to worry about cheating the manuscript fee. It's a breeze.If the writing is popular, not only can the thirst for alcohol be relieved, but also a fairly comfortable life can be lived. I can't go hungry. I can't stop drinking. I can't worry about not being able to pay the rent. From eleven o'clock in the morning to three o'clock in the afternoon, I had finished 6,000 words. After rereading it, I felt that the beginning of "Pan Jinlian as a Chartered Woman" was quite commercial. I was a little hungry, so I stuffed the manuscript into my pocket, and first went to a nearby Shanghai restaurant to eat a meal of Sixi Vegetable Rice; then I went to a newspaper in Central that specialized in pornography to find the editor of the newspaper. Have a look, can it be used?I said. The editor's surname is Li, and his name is Wu Chan. He specializes in writing pornographic texts.I have known him for many years and rarely communicate with him on weekdays.When I handed him twelve pieces of manuscript paper, he read the title, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face: Are you willing to write such an article? Seek rice sorghum. My answer was so blunt that he couldn't ask a second question.He started to read the text, and after reading two, he exclaimed: Brilliantly written! I hope you will do me a favor. where?You did us a favor! With that said, you decide to adopt? See you later. In terms of royalties? Of course we can't keep up with their big newspapers.You've been writing for big newspapers, so maybe it feels less. How much is a thousand words? eight yuan.However, we bill every five days.In other words, forty yuan per issue.After the article was published, readers responded well, and after two months, it can be added to a thousand words and ten yuan. OK, so be it.but anymore question? I would like to pay one hundred yuan in advance for the manuscript fee. I wonder if Brother Wu Chan will be willing to accommodate me? This confuses me a bit.Our newspaper has never been in arrears with manuscript fees; there has never been a precedent for advance payment of manuscript fees. Just this once, please help. Li Wuchan pursed his mouth, his eyes rolled around, as if he was thinking about an important issue.After a long time, I finally made this decision: Let me lend you one hundred personally. What's the point of this? We are old friends for many years. He took out the blank paper and asked me to write an IOU to him. When you get the money, you have to celebrate for yourself.First, he walked into a restaurant to drink a few glasses of wine; then he captured Yang Lu's youth in the dark.Yang Lu asked me to invite her to dinner; I said I had no money.Yang Lu said she was willing to treat me to dinner, but I said I was not free.She was angry, and the fire of anger was burning in her eyes.That's fake, I know.Anyway, the darkness has drowned the shame, and kissing became the best dialogue.The second time, she asked to have dinner with me, and I said yes.She said she wanted to taste the taste of hot-boiled lamb, and we walked into a northern restaurant near the sea.Choose a seat and sit opposite each other.Under the light, I suddenly made a strange discovery.I was wrong.I have always thought of her as a low animal; but her feelings are like gold hidden in the sand.She expresses her boredom with wax tablets and longs to be a housewife.I couldn't give her any encouragement to turn the conversation elsewhere.Speaking of Elvis, she shook her head.When it comes to potato dancing, she shakes her head.When it comes to Mandarin movies, she is as excited as a flame in a furnace.She likes Lin Dai with big eyes; she also likes Du Juan when she is angry. I asked the guy for two glasses of brandy; but Yang Lu suddenly asked for vodka.I didn't care, so I ordered two glasses of vodka. Have you ever seen a puppet show?I asked. Saw it in a movie. Puppets can make audiences cry or laugh too, don't they? Not bad at all. So a puppet can also be a star. I don't understand you. If a puppet can be a star, Miss Aile is even more so.You know, Miss Philharmonic is a flesh and blood animal. Then came two more shots of vodka.Yang Lu's drinking capacity is not too bad.When we walked out of the restaurant, she was 70% drunk.I'm going to take her back to the ballroom; she wants me to take her home. Yang Lu lives in a one-story wooden building in Wanchai District, renting a tail room, her mother is lying on the bed, and her father is out to gamble. There are only two younger brothers and two younger sisters left in the family.Seven people live in a small board room, which makes people feel like canned sardines.After I handed Yang Lu to her mother, the two boys followed me downstairs. Sir, sister is drunk? Yes, your sister doesn't drink much. Why don't you take her to the hotel? I don't understand you. Others say that my sister is not a good person, whoever has money can take her to a hotel to open a room. Never say that! Why? Because your sister is a good person. No, sir, she is not a good person, as everyone said, whoever has money can take her to a hotel to open a room. She's a dancer for you. We didn't teach her to do that. But you have to eat and study. Dad will make money for us. Your father gambles outside all day, how can he have the money to pay for your tuition? Two boys looked at me, four eyes equal to four question marks.I showed an unnatural smile and walked towards the tram stop. When I got home, Mehman was waiting for me in the living room again.As the night wore on, I was surprised by his visit.Enter my bedroom and close the door. How long have you been waiting?Don't go to the newspaper office to work? Without directly answering my question, Mehman took out a thick letter from his briefcase, which was a new work sent by the overseas Chinese dramatist Mr. Zou Kun; it was a one-act play, set in a small town in China during the Anti-Japanese War, and portrayed an old man Various hallucinations caused by bombing. Well written, the technique is original; the content is Chinese and meets our requirements. This is Mehman's view. However, I did not take over this manuscript from Mehman. You might as well read it, Mehman said.If you think it can be included in the first issue, it is best to send it to the printing office for arrangement tomorrow morning. I don't want to read. Why? I have become disheartened and have decided not to engage in serious literary and artistic work in the future!To be honest, in such an environment, even if a work like "The Old Man and the Sea" is written, who will appreciate it?Those who specialize in shaving green backs are advocating retro, and those young people who study foreign books, except for ABCD, don't even know what it is.As for those pseudo-intellectuals who read martial arts novels as the "Bible", if they are asked to calm down and read "The Old Man and the Sea", they may not accept ten yuan a piece.Homen, I've figured it out.I don't want to base my dreams on my pain.If I could be a European or an American in my next life, I would devote my whole life to serious literary work. Are you drunk again?asked Homen. No, I'm not drunk.I had a few drinks, but never got drunk. Mai Hemen lit a cigarette and took several puffs in a row.After a long time, he said in a calm tone: Every writer wants to be recognized by others, but the recognition of others is not necessary.You once said to me yourself: Joyce was misunderstood and insulted by others during his lifetime; but he was still not discouraged.Our work is doomed to failure; however, we must pin our hopes on readers a hundred years from now.If our efforts today can achieve cognition a hundred years later, then what is the pain and misunderstanding we suffer today? Reality is too cruel; I cannot live in a dream. Remember what you said yourself?Proust suffered from asthma and shut himself up for ten years in an airtight bedroom; the result was the great Retraces. Homen, please don't talk to me like that!In order to improve my life, I decided to write yellow text!The hundreds of literary classics on this bookshelf are all ordered from foreign countries directly by me.If you are interested in reading it, it is all given to you. Homen protested with silence. I didn't have the courage to look at the painful expression on his face, so I moved to the window, faced the night outside the window, and said: Today I wrote a new version of a 6,000-character story, which was very pornographic. I took it to a newspaper in Central and paid 100 yuan in advance for the manuscript. For a hundred dollars, he actually sold out his ideals? I want to live, and I want to live wisely at the same time. I don't want to do stupid things anymore. Yes. What about the editorial work of "Avant-Garde Literature"? I told him frankly: I am unwilling to be the editor of "Avant-garde Literature", the reason is: I am no longer interested in literature.Mehman was so disappointed that he kept smoking. silence.An awkward silence.This is not a sad thing; but for Homen, it is an unexpected blow.Everything had been planned very carefully, but at the end, he wanted to retreat after attacking.He Men had nothing to say, sighed, stuffed Zou Kun's one-act play into his pocket, and left. Then I found my vision suddenly blurred.