Chapter Twelve: The First Payment for My Manuscript

Having written two consecutive bestsellers, the young Gu Zhi was soon hailed by the media of Huaguo as the representative of the new generation of writers. After his first book, "The Chronicles of Wukong," was published, most of his fans were students, not much younger or older than himself. Many middle-aged and elderly readers, who had already established families and careers, found "The Chronicles of Wukong" childish and, in turn, considered Gu Zhi less significant as an author. This group refused to acknowledge Gu Zhi as a bestselling writer, and some even criticized the younger generation online for their lack of taste, forming an opposition to Gu Zhi’s fanbase.

However, when his second book, "The Path of Hardship," was released, the voices of doubt diminished. This novel attracted fans from a much broader range of ages. At the time, Hong Kong cinema and its economy were at their peak, and the mainland had not yet fully risen. Whenever people thought of Hong Kong, a prosperous cityscape would naturally come to mind. Economic dominance brought about a cultural dominance as well, and in this era, many Hong Kong stars had huge fanbases in the mainland, enjoying a solid foundation of viewers. Andy Lau, Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, Carina Lau—these are just a few examples, and their popularity laid the groundwork for their later smooth transition to the mainland.

Thus, "The Path of Hardship," with its distinct Hong Kong flavor and its tale of police and gangsters, became an instant success upon publication. Many readers, after finishing the book, suspected that Gu Zhi’s family must have had some connection to gangs in Hong Kong; otherwise, how could a teenager understand the intricate relationships between Hong Kong police and triads so thoroughly? Nearly every journalist who came to interview them asked about this. Typically, after querying Gu Zhi himself, the reporters remained skeptical and would turn to his parents, Gu Wenzhi and Lin Zhi, for further confirmation, leaving the family both amused and exasperated.

Since the two books became popular, journalists called almost daily requesting interviews with Gu Zhi, most of them from television news and entertainment programs. Gu Zhi initially accepted all requests, provided the reporters were officially certified. But as his fame grew and the books sold even more, the number of daily calls rose to a dozen or more, overwhelming him with annoyance. Realizing he was now famous enough, Gu Zhi began refusing interviews altogether and disconnected the family’s telephone line, sparing himself further disturbance.

At this time, mobile phones were not yet widespread domestically; pagers were in vogue, and only a few wealthier individuals owned the chunky, ostentatious cellphones known as “Big Brother”—large, black, thick, and long, used mainly to show off. Gu Zhi had none of these devices. Gu Wenzhi used a pager provided by the university, while Lin Zhi had once considered buying a “Big Brother,” but Gu Zhi persuaded her otherwise—it was ugly and inconvenient, completely out of sync with her temperament. In two years, Nokia would enter the market, and the knock-off phones of Huaqiangbei would rise; there was simply no need to buy a “Big Brother” now.

Finally enjoying a rare period of leisure, Gu Zhi decided to take a break and grant himself a holiday. On weekends and holidays, he accompanied his parents to the cinema; the rest of the time, he read books, continuing his studies in screenwriting and directing. After the family watched "Endless Trouble," a momentous event took place in Huaguo only days later.

On December 20, 1999, Portugal transferred the sovereignty of Macau to Huaguo, and the Macau Special Administrative Region was officially established. That day, Gu Zhi and his parents put aside their work to sit before the television, watching the live broadcast from CCTV. It was undoubtedly a moment of pride for everyone in Huaguo—ancestral lands returned, fulfilling the hopes of the people.

Moreover, Gu Zhi knew that, for the next decade or so, Macau would remain peaceful, quietly prospering at Huaguo’s side. Unlike neighboring Hong Kong, which, despite being part of Huaguo, still clung to its British identity, preferring to play the loyal dog to Britain rather than earnestly profit from the mainland.

Taking advantage of the occasion, Gu Zhi suggested to his parents that they travel to Macau over the Spring Festival holiday. He had just received his first royalty payment—176,417 yuan. "The Chronicles of Wukong" had sold over a hundred thousand copies, contributing the bulk of the royalties. "The Path of Hardship" had not sold as much, but its earnings were substantial, too. When signing with the publisher for "The Path of Hardship," Gu Zhi leveraged his fame to secure a 12% royalty rate; after taxes, he earned 1.8 yuan per book sold.

When he first received the money, Gu Zhi tried to give it to his parents, but they refused, so he let the matter drop. Now, with Macau’s return, he hoped to use the funds to become one of the first tourists to visit the newly rejoined territory with his parents. Gu Zhi pictured a wonderful trip, but his parents immediately rejected the idea.

"This year, we must go to your grandmother’s for New Year. How can we not go home for the holiday?"

"No, not Macau, not grandma’s—we should spend New Year at grandpa’s place. We haven’t been there in a year."

"Let’s go to my mother’s! I haven’t seen her in a year, either!"

"No..."

As Lin Zhi and Gu Wenzhi began a deep discussion on whose family to visit for New Year, they gradually forgot Gu Zhi, who quietly took a banana and retreated to his room, unwilling to be drawn into the endless debate.

Neither Lin Zhi nor Gu Wenzhi were natives of Shenren City—a common situation among families living there. Shenren was a city built by outsiders; since the opening-up policy, countless people from other provinces had flocked to Shenren, constructing its foundation and becoming the new generation of Shenren residents.

Every year, Lin Zhi and Gu Wenzhi would argue about which family to visit for New Year. Gu Zhi, in his previous life, had grown accustomed to it. Truthfully, he didn’t want to go to any of the relatives’ homes, as he barely knew them and found it awkward to sit together and make small talk during the holidays. Moreover, after his family’s fortunes fell in his last life, not a single relative stepped forward to help, and Gu Zhi had long seen through these so-called kin. This time around, he cared even less. Wherever they went, it was simply to accompany his parents.

The next day, unexpectedly, the whole family had free time. At Gu Zhi’s suggestion, they went together to the shopping mall. With the New Year just over a month away, every household needed to purchase holiday goods and new clothes. They didn’t need new clothes themselves—Lin Zhi always took care of that each year.

By now, shops in Huaguo malls were plentiful, and the product variety was rich. During holidays, many families went out shopping, and the mall was packed with customers. After a whole day of wandering, they bought two cases of fine liquor, four boxes of beautifully packaged nutritional supplements, three packs of premium Tieguanyin tea, five cartons of soft-pack Zhonghua cigarettes, three cartons of local Shenzhen specialty cigarettes—Good Days, Temis, Xili—and two large bags of Golden Monkey and White Rabbit milk candies. All these were gifts to bring home for New Year visits. For themselves, they only bought a five-yuan salted duck, a serving of spicy chicken wings, and a small bag of cherry tomatoes for that evening’s meal.

That day, the parents busied themselves with buying gifts, while Gu Zhi, having returned from 2017, found the current products unimpressive and felt no desire to shop; in the end, the family bought nothing for themselves.

Days passed quietly, drawing closer to the New Year. Before the holiday arrived, Gu Zhi finally settled on the first script he would write.