Take the Long View

Hearing Young Master Zhou Yao ask that, Yan Liusheng was so delighted that he danced for joy in his heart, but not a trace of it showed on his face. He remained as steady as Mount Tai.

Yan Liusheng smiled and replied, "Young Master Zhou, to tell you the truth, our Liusheng Bookshop has published quite a few novels and storybooks.

"Generally, we split the proceeds seventy-thirty: our Liusheng Bookshop gets seventy percent, and the author gets thirty.

"However, I have great expectations for this novel you wrote, Dream of the Red Chamber, so our Liusheng Bookshop is willing to split the proceeds thirty-seventy.

"In other words, our Liusheng Bookshop will take only thirty percent, while you, Young Master Zhou, will take seventy. This is to show our sincerity in working with you. What do you think, Young Master Zhou?"

After hearing Yan Liusheng's words, Zhou Yao looked at him with a deep frown. The sight made Yan Liusheng's heart go cold, and he was terribly afraid that Young Master Zhou Yao was dissatisfied with the split.

Just then, an idea struck Yan Liusheng. He rose and said to Zhou Yao, "Young Master Zhou, please wait a moment."

Zhou Yao watched Yan Liusheng go into the back room. Before long, he came out carrying a bundle.

Then Yan Liusheng smiled and said to him, "Young Master Zhou, there are three hundred taels of silver here. Please consider it a token of our Liusheng Bookshop's sincerity. Please don't refuse it, Young Master Zhou. I ask that you accept it."

"Above all, I truly have great expectations for the novel you wrote, Dream of the Red Chamber, and I admire your great talent. That's why I would like to be your friend, Young Master Zhou. I know you're not short of silver, but I still ask that you accept these worldly goods."

Hearing Yan Liusheng say this, Zhou Yao was delighted too. Yan Liusheng really did have a knack for business! As the saying went, "You don't strike a smiling face." Forget it! Forget it!

So Zhou Yao smiled and replied, "Boss Yan, since you've put it that way and shown such sincerity, if I still refuse to let you publish it, I, Zhou Yao, would seem far too petty. All in all, I'm the one getting the better end of the deal. Boss Yan, I'll accept your offer, then."

With that, Zhou Yao accepted the three hundred taels of silver.

Seeing Young Master Zhou Yao accept the three hundred taels, Yan Liusheng's face instantly split into a grin, and the heart hanging in his chest finally settled.

Yan Liusheng smiled and asked, "Young Master Zhou, about the agreement...?"

"Boss Yan, just draw up a written contract, and then we'll both sign it and affix our fingerprints. From now on, I'll leave the publication of my Dream of the Red Chamber entirely to your Liusheng Bookshop. All I'll have to do is wait for the money to come in."

"Ha ha ha... good... good... good... Young Master Zhou, you're a generous man. This is an honor for our Liusheng Bookshop!"

With that, Yan Liusheng immediately drafted the agreement. Once he was finished, he handed it to Young Master Zhou Yao to look over. Zhou Yao read it carefully and found no problems. Then both parties signed their names and affixed their fingerprints. Each kept a copy of the agreement, and only then was it settled.

Yan Liusheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. As far as he was concerned, although he had given Young Master Zhou Yao three hundred taels of silver in cash and seventy percent of the profits,

It looked as though our Liusheng Bookshop had taken a loss, but that wasn't how the accounts should be reckoned. Although our Liusheng Bookshop had only thirty percent of the proceeds, setting aside the costs, we could still make a profit. It was only a question of how much.

Also, although we had given Young Master Zhou Yao three hundred taels of silver in cash, if we took the long view, our Liusheng Bookshop would earn even more.

As Dream of the Red Chamber became a runaway hit, more and more people would come to our Liusheng Bookshop to order it, more and more people would learn about our Liusheng Bookshop, and our Liusheng Bookshop's reputation would grow higher and higher. When the time came, all of that would be shining silver!

Just thinking about it made him happy! Ha ha ha... At that moment, Yan Liusheng was over the moon.

Zhou Yao was over the moon as well. Yan Liusheng had a head for business; judging by everything he had done, he was a born merchant.

Zhou Yao wasn't publishing Dream of the Red Chamber to make money, but for reputation. Reputation wasn't something an ordinary person could obtain, yet all Zhou Yao had done was plagiarize Mr. Cao Xueqin's work. He could only hope that Mr. Cao Xueqin had no objections down below.

After signing the agreement, Zhou Yao chatted with Yan Liusheng for a while, then took his leave and drove his carriage toward Happiness Village.