Chapter 7 Commercial Press

"Very well, I must not hide it from you, sir. The Nanyang Public School has a good relationship with our humble institution. Previously, the school also offered a business class, but we lacked teaching materials. Now that your books are published today, it will be much easier. " After a pause, Mr. Xie asked again, "Mr. Yang, speaking of business, our humble institution wishes to purchase the copyright. The royalty for this..."

Yang Rui's greatest fear is being asked about his origins. Is this something that can be clearly explained? Not really. However, when others ask, one must say something, even if it requires a bit of embellishment. He steadied himself and said: "This is quite a long story. My ancestral home is in Linxi. My father's generation went abroad to America. In my childhood, due to the lack of a school, I could only grasp the basics of traditional Chinese studies, which I truly find shameful. I studied Western learning from a young age and learned quite a bit. After graduating from high school, I intended to continue my studies, but due to poverty, I had to give it up. Later, I could only audit classes at the university and spent several years studying in Europe, gaining a little knowledge of Western studies."

Mr. Xie, upon hearing the twists and turns in Yang Rui's words, couldn't help but exclaim, "God bless." Noticing the atmosphere was not favorable, he changed the subject and spoke of serious matters, saying, "Sir, our humble library wishes to publish those few books, but we do not know when you will be able to complete the translation. Our library intends to acquire the exclusive rights."

Oh, I have also seen "The Original Wealth"; it turns out it was translated by your esteemed institution. Your institution's vision is indeed top-notch. This book is also developed from "The Original Wealth," and the two books complement each other. Yang Rui remembers that the publisher of "The Original Wealth" is Nanyang Public School, so it seems that the printing house and Nanyang Public School still have a deep relationship

Yang Rui noticed that the other party was quite direct and replied, "The book has actually already been translated once; now it mainly requires revisions, which should be relatively quick. It should be completed within two months." He then recalled the half-completed economics manuscript and added, "The first volume of the economics manuscript is already finished; I brought it with me today." With that, he took out the manuscript.

Yang Rui calculated the days: "It can be delivered by the end of this month"

"Where is this place? The library may not be grand, but it is indeed remarkable with its collection of books, as seen on hetushucom.com." Yang Rui had to be polite and refrained from mentioning the publishing matter, thinking to himself that this library would become renowned both domestically and internationally in the future, even if it appeared somewhat modest now. The two continued their polite exchanges, and at that moment, tea was brought in from outside. However, Yang Rui did not dare to drink, as it is said in ancient times that serving tea to guests is a customary practice. Mr. Xie did not notice that Yang Rui was preoccupied with thoughts about serving tea, and continued speaking: "May I ask where you are from, sir?" The two continued their polite exchanges, and at that moment, tea was brought in from outside. However, Yang Rui did not dare to drink, as it is said in ancient times that serving tea to guests is a customary practice. Mr. Xie did not notice that Yang Rui was preoccupied with thoughts about serving tea, and continued speaking: "May I ask where you are from, sir?"

On Friday morning, Yang Rui set out for the Commercial Press, and since it was nearby, he did not take a rickshaw. After searching for a while upon arrival, he discovered that the renowned Commercial Press was not located in any commercial building, but rather in an independent residential courtyard. Currently, it consists of two stories, with a courtyard at the back, and another two-story building behind that, which is likely a printing factory or something similar. The front of the building had a door, on which were several traditional Chinese characters—Commercial Press. Yang Rui entered, and a young man approached him and asked, "Sir, may I ask who you are looking for?"

The young man saw Yang Rui dressed in a foreign style and felt no suspicion as he entered. Yang Rui stood for a moment when a middle-aged man, resembling a country gentleman, emerged from the inner room. The man appeared to be around 30 years old, with a prosperous face and prominent eyebrows, giving off a gentle impression, much like a priest in a church. Upon seeing Yang Rui, he immediately clasped his hands and said, "Hello, Mr. Yang. I have been waiting for you since this morning."

A few days later, I finally received news about the manuscript I submitted last time. The letter from the Commercial Press was very brief, yet the content was quite pleasing. It stated that the manuscript was excellent, and the press was eager for the author to discuss matters such as royalties and publication. The letter was signed by someone named Xie Changhou. I couldn't recognize the character in the middle, which made me break into a sweat. I thought it would be better to delay my visit for a few days, and first copy out the book. I promptly replied in the format used by the other party, stating that I was quite busy recently and would visit next weekend. I still couldn't recognize the character in the middle, which made me break into a sweat again. I thought it would be better to delay my visit for a few days and first copy out the book. I replied in the same format, saying that I was busy recently and would visit next weekend. I also imitated the other party's signature and created my own, hetushucom.com, which turned out to mean "unstoppable momentum" and "success is achievable."

Being addressed as "you" by an older person, Yang Rui still felt quite embarrassed. He also mimicked the other person's gesture and said, "Mr. Xie, you are too kind. I have been quite busy these past few days, and in addition to organizing my manuscript, I should have come to visit earlier."

Yang Rui happened to want to find someone to ask where Mr. Xie was, so he said: "I am here at the invitation of Mr. Xie. My surname is Yang. Please inform Mr. Xie."

Mr. Xie nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said: "Sir, our establishment offers 1,200 taels to purchase the copyright of this book, what do you think?" Fearing that Yang Rui might have objections to the price, he added: "Last time, our establishment spent 2,000 taels to acquire the rights to 'The Original Wealth', but the translator, Mr. Yan, is from the officialdom, and our establishment did not dare to act rashly, so we had to set the price relatively high."

The days of copying books pass quickly, and in just a few days, it will be the beginning of winter. The two families downstairs have bought a lot of vegetables, and the little girl is cheerful all day long. Old Deng has also gone home, and it seems that Xiao Guangdong has not returned normally either. Yang Rui does not pay much attention to these matters. In the evening, Mrs. Xu downstairs had the little girl bring a bowl of glutinous rice balls up, and soon after, Mrs. Huang also sent a bowl of glutinous rice balls up, but the person delivering them was Qian Bo Cong. Yang Rui found it a bit strange to see Qian Bo Cong and asked him why he was not at school. He replied that today is Saturday, and there is no school tomorrow, as he was brought here by his aunt for the beginning of winter. Yang Rui did not pay much attention to this either. In the evening, Mrs. Xu downstairs had the little girl bring a bowl of glutinous rice balls up, and soon after, Mrs. Huang also sent a bowl of glutinous rice balls up, but the person delivering them was Qian Bo Cong. Yang Rui found it a bit strange to see Qian Bo Cong and asked him why he was not at school. He replied that today is Saturday, and there is no school tomorrow, as he was brought here by his aunt for the beginning of winter. Seeing that Yang Rui was busy with his work, with manuscripts all over the desk, he did not dare to disturb him and went downstairs after a while.

In fact, Yang Rui did not see wrong; that person was indeed Qian Bo Cong. He was with a group of classmates and, upon seeing Yang Rui, immediately hid behind his classmates. After a while, he peeked out to check the intersection, only to find that the rickshaw had already disappeared, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. A classmate beside him asked, "What are you hiding from? Why are you so nervous?"

The tenant at my aunt's house, I still don't know how to tell my family about what happened this morning

Having money and a good mood is nice, but a good mood that one cannot share with anyone else can be quite stifling. Back in his room, Yang Rui found it impossible to sit still. Thinking about his newfound wealth, he decided it would be best to redeem that gold chain and then take a stroll around. He found the pawn ticket from before, locked away his important belongings in a box, and hurriedly went out.

Mr. Xie asked again, "When will the manuscript for the second volume of this book be completed?"

After spending a few more days, I finally finished copying the chapter on supply and demand, which is estimated to be over 200,000 words. I should be able to compile a first volume now. Yang Rui will no longer copy; instead, he will go back to revise, correcting misspellings and deleting some content that should not appear—there are some economic theories that should not be introduced so early; it is better to wait until Europe and America fall for them.

As the car passed through an intersection, Yang Rui saw a group of young people walking along the roadside. Although they were not lined up, the scene was still quite impressive. Suddenly, he noticed someone in the crowd who resembled Qian Bozong. When he tried to take a closer look, that person disappeared into the crowd. It was already winter, and the weather was a bit cold. The driver was moving quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they had passed the intersection. Yang Rui did not pursue the matter further; perhaps it was just someone who looked like him.

Mr. Xie understood that this storytelling could only be sold in China and not abroad. At this time, China was primarily focused on importing foreign technology and culture, and had not yet considered exporting. Furthermore, the establishment of publishing houses had only been a few years, and the domestic market was already overwhelmed, leaving no energy to think about foreign markets. As for the material, although there is a lack of understanding of what other materials exist besides paper, all current books are made of paper, and no one uses bamboo slips, which is undoubtedly the case at present

"What are you talking about? That old man Guo from the village doesn't treat us like human beings. If it weren't for him, would we be like this?" a classmate said angrily. Qian Bozong was speechless, contemplating how to explain this to his parents.

Mr. Xie is somewhat obsessed with books; upon receiving it, he immediately began to flip through it. He managed to read through the more than 200 pages of the manuscript in about half an hour. By the time Yang Rui and the librarian were both feeling a bit sore in the back, Mr. Xie finally came to his senses and sighed, "This book truly explains economics thoroughly, covering a wide range of topics. Once this book is published, it will undoubtedly stand out. Previously, my humble library did invite someone to translate Adam Smith's 'The Wealth of Nations,' but it does not compare to the quality of this book!"

Mr. Xie does not understand and asks: "Chinese paper copyright, this is ... ... "

"It's nothing, it's nothing, Mr. Yang, please come this way." Mr. Xie greeted Yang Rui with enthusiasm, inviting him to enter. There was a staircase by the side door of the inner room, and at the top of the stairs was a small partitioned office. The outer area was a reception room. After sitting down, Mr. Xie sighed, saying: "My humble establishment is simple, and I hope it does not cause Mr. Yang any embarrassment."

Next, the contract will be drafted. The economics book was transacted for 1,000 yuan. As for the remaining two books, if their quality and word count are comparable to this one, the price will be referenced accordingly. If there are significant differences, the price will be negotiated based on this amount. Once the contract is finalized without any objections, both parties will sign and seal it. Additionally, the publishing house has paid 1,000 yuan for the books, and the payment was made in cash, issued by the Bank of China. Yang Rui had no objections, as it is indeed difficult to handle all in silver dollars. After everything was settled, Yang Rui chatted for a while before taking his leave. Although the conversation was pleasant, Mr. Xie was quite busy, and several times someone came upstairs, saw that he was in a meeting, and chose to avoid interrupting. Once the contract was finalized without any objections, both parties signed and sealed it. Furthermore, the publishing house paid 1,000 yuan for the books, and the payment was made in cash, issued by the Bank of China. Yang Rui had no objections, as it is indeed difficult to handle all in silver dollars. After everything was settled, Yang Rui chatted for a while before taking his leave. Although the conversation was pleasant, Mr. Xie was quite busy, and several times someone came upstairs, saw that he was in a meeting, and chose to avoid interrupting.

The copyright of printed materials in Chinese primarily refers to copyrights in the Chinese language, while foreign languages are not included. As for the copyright of electronic versions, it is indeed difficult to explain, so it was not mentioned, and the text is strictly confined to printed materials.

The general location of the pawnshop was known. Upon entering, the same few attendants were present, settling accounts and making payments. The chain was finally retrieved again, and Yang Rui carefully placed it away, as there were not many belongings on him, and losing one would mean losing them all. After leaving the pawnshop, he found a rickshaw and headed straight for the French Concession. On the way to the pawnshop earlier, Yang Rui thought about taking a stroll, realizing that there were only two places in Shanghai he had not visited: one was the French Concession, and the other was the area around Huashi. He did not dare to go to Huashi, as there were no queues there, and moreover, Yang Rui did not want to buy a fake queue or a book queue to hang on the back of his head, so he had no choice but to head towards the French Concession.

Yang Rui and others had been waiting for a long time for this statement. Seeing that the other party finally spoke, he could not rush them and said: "Mr. Xie is looking for the Chinese copyright of the book, right? This is not a problem. As for the royalties, let's follow the rules of your esteemed institution."

After leaving the publishing house and walking on the back road, Yang Rui felt invigorated. One thousand yuan, plus two more books, should amount to three thousand yuan. This is another step closer to the plan. There are still many books; if published, they should be worth tens of thousands of yuan. However, some books are better left unpublished. Yang Rui became a bit cautious, deciding to publish only microeconomics and not macroeconomics. Hmph! Let's wait until after the Americans in 1929 to discuss it; it would be better to let the economic crisis be more severe. However, some books are better left unpublished. Yang Rui became a bit cautious, deciding to publish only microeconomics and not macroeconomics. Hmph! Let's wait until after the Americans in 1929 to discuss it; it would be better to let the economic crisis be more severe.

Yang Rui previously believed that the copyright of a book was worth only a few hundred dollars. According to current prices, a dollar is roughly equivalent to one hundred renminbi in later generations. Therefore, a few hundred dollars translates to several thousand renminbi, which aligns with the price of newspaper articles. However, the difference is that they value this book as a classic collection, hence the high price. Upon hearing that it could be over one thousand dollars, he was quite pleased. Seeing the other party's honesty, he felt a sense of goodwill and did not mind the details. He remarked, "Mr. Xie, your candor is greatly appreciated. How about this: I will offer the copyright for the Chinese printed version to your institution at a price of one thousand. Would that be acceptable?"

The next day, when Yang Rui brought the bowl down, Qian Bo Cong was reading a book. This time it was not "The Wealth of Nations," but a book on the study of things, which upon closer inspection turned out to be physics. Upon seeing Yang Rui come down, Qian Bo Cong hurriedly took out "The Wealth of Nations" to ask for guidance, as Yang Rui was currently copying economics. Once he got into it, he shared some of the copied content with him. After all, it was a modern textbook, and with Yang Rui's simplified explanations, Qian Bo Cong found it quite easy to understand. The entire morning passed in this manner. In the afternoon, Yang Rui did not go down but stayed in his room to copy books. In the evening, when Qian Bo Cong came to bid farewell, Yang Rui encouraged him a few words before letting him go.