Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 633 is a bestseller.

While Chen Fan was toasting Zhang Wenliang in the brigade headquarters canteen under the electric lights, it was a beautiful time in New York City, USA, with the sun rising in the east and a gentle morning breeze blowing.

In the villa's dining room, Zhou Zhengdong held a newspaper in his hand and ate his breakfast slowly and deliberately.

A typical American breakfast consists of milk, oatmeal, fried eggs, bread slices, fried sausages, fried potato pancakes, two florets of broccoli, two large shrimp, and a steak. These foods are enough to ensure a day's nutritional needs are met.

Therefore, he rarely eats lunch and usually has afternoon tea instead.

He flipped the newspaper to the last page, found nothing of interest, and put it aside. He looked up at his wife, who had arrived late, and said, "Good morning."

Turning to her daughter, who was still exercising in the garden, she called out, "Ali, come and have breakfast, or you'll be late tonight."

Without turning her head, Zhou Yali said, "I don't have classes this morning, and I won't be late."

Zhao Wanru pulled out a chair and sat down. The nanny, who had been with the Zhou family for generations and was about fifty years old, also pushed a food cart over and placed the food in front of her.

She turned around, smiled, and thanked her, "Thank you, Sister Lan."

He then looked at his daughter outside and said, "This girl, I don't know what kind of boxing style she learned from Xiao Fan, she's been doing it for half a month."

Zhou Zhengdong raised an eyebrow. "The longest record before was seven days. It seems this time it's not just a game."

He suddenly smiled mysteriously, turned to Sister Lan and whispered, "Don't discourage her, let her move around more, it's good for her health."

Lan Jie's family were all servants of the Zhou family. Her husband was once Master Zhou's personal attendant, so there was no doubt about his loyalty.

I used to complain that Zhou Yali was just showing off her skills and that she should have learned martial arts from her family. Unfortunately, that girl didn't know what was good for her. She kept saying that Uncle Song and Uncle Xu's kung fu wasn't good-looking and refused to learn it.

The elderly people were so angry that they almost fainted. Was that kung fu just for show?

It's utterly hopeless.

After thinking it over, since the young lady had someone to protect her, she figured she might as well not practice, and that was the end of it.

Actually, Zhou Yali was also very aggrieved. She had tried to learn it once, but no matter how she was taught, she couldn't learn it. Was she supposed to admit that she was stupid?

In the end, you can only blame it on the fact that the kung fu wasn't good.

Just as Liu Xiulan was about to push the food cart away, she heard Zhou Zhengdong's words and a strange look flashed in her eyes. She turned her gaze to Zhou Yali in the garden, who was moving even slower than the old ladies in the park, and said softly, "Miss, this set of boxing techniques is extraordinary. It is not comparable to the fancy but ineffective techniques of the past."

The master hadn't asked before, and since it wasn't a bad thing that the young lady had learned the true essence of the martial arts, she hadn't mentioned it. But now that the topic had come up, she naturally wouldn't hide anything.

Zhou Zhengdong frowned slightly and glanced at his daughter. "What do you mean?"

When the young master asked the question, Liu Xiulan naturally answered without reservation, immediately saying, "Miss's Baguazhang is quite extraordinary; it is a superior skill that has been passed down through generations."

As soon as she finished speaking, she walked out slowly and smiled at Zhou Yali, "Miss, don't you get bored practicing by yourself every day?"

Zhou Yali continued her movements, only glancing at her, "Aunt Lan, don't come any closer. My kung fu is very powerful, even more powerful than Grandpa Xu's, and it's also Baguazhang. However, I haven't mastered it yet. If you get too close, I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

Liu Xiulan walked around her a few steps, then suddenly, without a word, thrust her palm forward.

Hearing the sound, Zhou Yali, who was exercising, reacted instinctively and struck out with three palms in quick succession. Her palms were as sharp as knives, which startled Liu Xiulan, who quickly took two steps back.

Zhou Yali stopped at this moment, checked on Liu Xiulan first, and found that she was alright. She patted her chest and said in an annoyed tone, "Aunt Lan, I told you not to come over. Look, you almost got hurt."

He then lowered his voice and muttered quietly, "If my brother finds out, he'll definitely scold me again."

Wait, why did I say "again"?

Liu Xiulan chuckled dryly twice, "Alright, alright, you practice yours, I'm leaving."

After saying that, he turned and left without any hesitation.

She returned to the restaurant, stood next to Zhou Zhengdong, and whispered, "I just tried it out. Miss's kung fu should have been passed down from the great master Han Muxia, but with a lot of modifications. It's a bit different from the original Han family Baguazhang. I can't tell the specifics yet, but it shouldn't be worse than the original."

Because of the modifications, it might be difficult for someone who isn't particularly familiar with Han-style Baguazhang to discern its secrets. Fortunately, I managed to probe and uncover some of its intricacies.

The martial art she practiced was Han Muxia's unique Han-style Bagua Palm, which combined the styles of the Northern and Southern Bagua.

However, like the Han family's Xingyi Quan, this set of palm techniques was not specifically named like the Chengshi Bagua or Gongshi Bagua, so it was not well-known. Only the disciples of the Han family martial arts school passed it down by word of mouth, which distinguished it from other schools of boxing and palm techniques.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong was utterly astonished.

Han Muxia was a famous martial arts master in Tianjin. He studied under nine martial arts masters in the late Qing Dynasty and learned the true teachings of Xingyi and Bagua. Dong Haichuan, the famous founder of Baguazhang, was his grandmaster.

After completing his apprenticeship, with the consent of his masters, he founded a "Martial Arts Hall" on Yuwei Road in the HB District of Tianjin in 1912, where he taught Xingyiquan and Baguazhang.

Tianjin was a hub for martial arts in northern China during the Republic of China era. Life-or-death battles were commonplace there. Anyone who dared to open a martial arts school there was a master, not an ordinary person.

At that time, the Zhou family was still doing business in Tianjin. When they heard that Han Muxia had real skills, they sent several of their sons to a martial arts school, where they studied diligently for more than ten years until they left Tianjin for the United States, at which point their studies were interrupted.

It can be said that the Zhou family's ability to survive and establish themselves in the United States is largely due to the educational experience of their several children raised in captivity.

Unfortunately, a few years after they left, it was said that some puppet troops came to invite Han Muxia to come out of seclusion. However, in order to refuse to work for the puppet regime, Han Muxia closed his martial arts school, cut off his right arm, and crippled his martial arts skills. From then on, he supported his family by running a small business and no longer cared about any matters of the martial arts world.

Because Han Muxia's martial arts school did not charge tuition fees, and he was invited to teach martial arts at Nankai University, he never asked for a salary. Instead, he often used money to subsidize his poor disciples. So even though his disciples were all over Tianjin, he didn't have much money himself.

After abandoning his martial arts skills, he refused the help offered by powerful and influential disciples, and eventually died in poverty in 47.

When Zhou Zhengdong heard that his daughter's boxing skills were actually passed down from Han Muxia, he was naturally extremely surprised.

He thought for a moment and said softly, "Could it be that Xiao Fan's master also studied at the Han family's martial arts school back then?"

Liu Xiulan paused for two seconds, her brows furrowing slightly, but her gaze remained fixed on Zhou Yali. She said softly, "I've been observing for half a month, and I just tested it again. This Baguazhang is incredibly versatile and unpredictable, quite different from the original Han-style Baguazhang. It seems to have incorporated elements of the original Dong-style Baguazhang, and even has some resemblance to battlefield fighting techniques..."

At this point, her eyes suddenly lit up. "Ah, I know!"

At this moment, Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru looked at each other in bewilderment.

They had just heard Sister Lan say something about how unpredictable and magical it was, and then they looked at their daughter's slow movements. They wondered how Sister Lan could have figured it out.

Just a few seconds of handover?
Hearing Lan Jie's soft exclamation again, they couldn't help but turn to look at her, "What do you know?"

Sister Lan's face was flushed, as if she had a sure thing. "I've heard some martial arts colleagues from the mainland say that Master Han's son, Young Master Han, joined the People's Liberation Army in 48. He fought bravely across the north and south and participated in the war that founded the nation."

I've heard you mention that Young Master Fan's master is a retired soldier. They must have met Young Master Han in the army, learned the Han-style Baguazhang from him, and together created this entirely new palm technique within the military!

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru nodded repeatedly.

As he thought about it, he said, "Xiao Fan's master also fought in the north and south, and participated in the war in the north. Moreover, they are both martial arts masters, so they must have crossed paths. From this perspective, it is indeed possible."

He then looked at Sister Lan and asked, "What is Young Master Han's real name? I'll ask him next time I return to China."

He turned to Zhao Wanru and said with a sigh, "When my father was still alive, he often said that if it weren't for Master Han's sincere teachings back then, which multiplied the Zhou family's guards' martial arts skills several times over, we would probably not have been able to survive in this foreign land."

Back then, we were separated by oceans and had no news of the Han family, so we could only look at the moon and reminisce.

If we can get in touch with the Han family now and do our part, it will be a way of repaying the kindness we owed them back then.

If the Zhou family were destitute, then naturally all this would be out of the question. But the Zhou family is doing alright now, so it's best to repay any favors they can.

Liu Xiulan couldn't help but nod in agreement. She learned Baguazhang from her father, who was one of the home-born students at the martial arts school back then. Naturally, she also benefited from this kindness.

Years ago, when she heard the news of Han Muxia's death, her father was filled with sorrow. If he could find the Han family and repay this debt of gratitude, he would finally be able to put his mind at ease.

Moreover, Han Muxia was once renowned throughout Tianjin, with countless disciples, many of whom had wandered overseas, from North America to Europe, from Hong Kong to Southeast Asia—the list is endless. If news of the Han family could be found and the Han Clan re-established, the connections and benefits involved would be astonishing.

Zhou Zhengdong was still staring at her expectantly, "Sister Lan, what's Young Master Han's real name? Do you know?"

"Oh,"

Liu Xiulan came to her senses and said, "His name is Han Shaoxia, and he also has an older sister named Han Xiaoxia. Han Daxia only has this one son and one daughter."

Even with Zhou Zhengdong's extensive experience, he couldn't help but pause for a couple of seconds in surprise.

There really are people called "Young Hero"?

After chatting for a while, Zhou Yali finally finished her daily routine of exercise and strode towards the restaurant.

Liu Xiulan quickly pushed the food cart to the kitchen to get her breakfast.

Zhou Yali first went to the bathroom to take a quick shower, changed into casual clothes, and came over just as breakfast was being served.

She looked up and smiled, "Aunt Lan, are you alright?"

Liu Xiulan stood aside with a smile, "You've only been practicing kung fu for a few days. You're still a long way from being able to hurt me."

He paused for a moment, watching Zhou Yali drink more than half a glass of milk in one gulp, and continued, "However, Miss, you're progressing quite fast. You've only been learning for a month and a half, and you've already mastered this palm technique to this level. It seems you've put in a lot of hard work."

Zhou Yali raised her head, about to say that she had only practiced for three weeks, or strictly speaking, only learned from her cousin for a week, but she swallowed the words back.

With a quick glance and a grin, he said, "Now you know I'm a genius, right? Last time, Grandpa Liu said I had no talent. I'll go see him this weekend, show him what I've got, and see what he says."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiulan couldn't help but chuckle, "Then you'd better go easy on him, he doesn't have much of a beard left."

Zhou Yali waved her hand and said, "Don't worry, plucking beard hairs is something only children do. I wouldn't be that childish."

Liu Xiulan left with a smile, leaving the family to their own space.

Zhou Zhengdong finished his breakfast slowly, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and asked Zhao Wanru, "How are the sales on the first day of the new book's release?"

Zhao Wanru swallowed what was in her mouth and said softly, "I haven't called to ask yet."

She smiled at Zhou Zhengdong and said, "It's only the first day. No matter how good the new book is, it won't sell very well unless it's by an established author."

"After tomorrow, it'll be a new week. I've already spoken with the editor-in-chief of the book section, and he'll reserve a spot for me on the bestseller list."

Zhou Zhengdong frowned slightly. "Bestseller list? Doesn't the New York Times bestseller list rely on sales figures? This new book's sales haven't even been tallied yet, how can it be on the list?"

Zhao Wanru's face showed a hint of amusement, "That depends on who it is. Even for the world's largest publishing group, getting a new book onto the bestseller list requires a considerable price to pay."

However, some things, as you know, are only for external use, not internal.

According to the rules of the New York Times bestseller list, sales data comes from sales reports from booksellers, and the Times editorial department only strictly controls the sales reports…

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong immediately understood the trickery involved and said with a wry smile, "Select distributors from the list who have a good relationship with us, make arrangements with them, send the books over, and pay a service fee."

Then we'll have our workers, with the money we've given them, go to these bookstores to buy books..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Wanru gently shook her head and smiled, "No need for such trouble. There are specialized service companies that handle this kind of business, and you don't need to ask about their background."

What we need to do first is to choose a professional book cleaning company, pay a service fee first, and then pay for the books.

After receiving the money, they would hire workers across the United States to buy books from different bookstores, using different credit cards and different shipping and payment addresses.

After she finished speaking, she shrugged slightly, put down her fork, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and smiled, "So, that's why I asked you to arrange for an initial print run of 100,000 sets."

Of these, 50,000 sets were used for "book washing." Generally speaking, a book that sells 40,000 copies a month can make it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and 50,000 sets are enough to rank it high.

Moreover, these books will not be wasted; we can buy them back at the best possible discount.

"If it can make it onto the bestseller list, coupled with Xiao Fan's captivating story, I have every reason to believe that this series will truly become a bestseller throughout Europe and America, and dominate the top of the charts!"

Zhou Zhengdong let out a long breath, shook his head and smiled wryly, "So that's what the bestseller list is like."

He paused for two seconds, then looked up and chuckled, "If that's the case, then it'll be even more fun."

Just as the couple were exchanging smiles, Zhou Yali, who had wolfed down her breakfast, picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth and said in a seemingly nonchalant tone, "You two, don't you have any faith in my brother?"

Zhou Zhengdong and the other man both frowned and looked at her together. "Hmm?"

Zhou Yali chuckled and said to them, "Yesterday, just yesterday, I was monitoring the warehouse shipments every single moment. Guess how many we sold yesterday?"

Zhou Zhengdong glanced at his wife, Zhao Wanru, who raised an eyebrow and spread her hands, indicating that she didn't understand.

He turned to look at his daughter, "How many did you sell?"

Zhou Yali suddenly raised her hand to cover her mouth, laughing coolly and continuously, and then raised a hand to slap her.

Zhou Zhengdong's eyes lit up, "5000 sets?"

Zhao Wanru couldn't help but remark, "This number is not bad, as word spreads..."

Then Zhou Yali interrupted, "Can't you guys have a little imagination? Putting aside everything else, Uncle Cohen's store alone has more than two thousand customers a day. Uncle Cohen added stock three times yesterday. In addition to the first batch of 200 sets, he added a total of 2500 sets, and he promised to sell them all."

Exclusive sales?

200 sets plus 2500 sets?
Zhou Zhengdong felt his mind go blank for a moment, and looked at his daughter in disbelief, "So, you mean 5 sets?"

"of course."

Zhou Yali chuckled and said, "There are dozens of well-known bookstores on Fourth Avenue, and tens of thousands of book lovers linger on this street every day, not counting other tourists."

I showed my brother's book to my classmates, and even the bookworms who don't like reading novels couldn't put it down once they picked it up and started reading from the first page.

Where have these foreigners ever seen a system that teaches how to cultivate battle qi and magic from the very beginning?

I'm sure that most people who have read this set of books will buy it, and the fact that all the bookstores on Fourth Avenue asked for more yesterday is enough to prove everything.

That's why Uncle Cohen dared to order so much stock; he wasn't worried about not being able to sell it.

She stretched and stood up, saying, "Dad, our publishing house's highest record is only a little over 38000 copies sold, which is less than my brother's daily sales. Shouldn't we raise his royalties?"

Zhou Zhengdong was initially quite happy. His nephew's new book was very popular, and the publishing house had a blockbuster, which could help it reach a new level and even boost other aspects of the company's business.

But now, hearing his daughter's words, he suddenly felt an urge to kick her out of the house.

Zhao Wanru couldn't help but shake her head repeatedly. This girl dared to openly betray her brother... Well, fighting for her cousin's interests doesn't seem like betraying him.

She could only sigh and say, "Yesterday your father and I discussed it, and once Xiao Fan's work takes off, we'll give the publishing house to you and incorporate it into your joint assets, so it'll be half and half for each of you."

As he spoke, he stood up and patted his daughter's head, "From now on, you'll be the boss of the publishing house. You can give Xiaofan as much royalty as you want; your dad and I won't care."

Zhou Zhengdong stood up and pretended to run over to help his wife, saying, "Madam, slow down. You're pregnant, so please be careful."

The two walked faster and faster, disappearing from the restaurant entrance in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Yali was left dumbfounded. She was pregnant? What did that mean?
Am I going to have a younger brother?
No wonder they handed over the publishing house to me; is this a sign that they're about to split up?
(End of this chapter)