Chapter 73: Lao Zou's Efforts
Huang Qiang really had never known about it. He just read a book called "The Inspector General of the Song Dynasty" published by Peking University Press. When he saw that it was written by Liu Hongmin, he opened it and took a look. He was immediately attracted by the story.
The content of "The Inspector General of the Song Dynasty" is more serious than "Shao Bao", and it is definitely not as popular in Hong Kong as "Shao Bao". However, the story of "The Inspector General of the Song Dynasty" is still good, and with Liu Hongmin's reputation, even if the film does not reach the level of a phenomenon, it will definitely be a hit.
So, Huang Qiang got excited and went straight to the capital.
Now hearing from Liu Hongmin that the filming of Zhongtai had been completed, he immediately said goodbye to Liu Hongmin and rushed to Zhongtai.
Liu Hongmin thought that Huang Qiang would not come back after he left, so he was busy helping Ge Chaoguang and his family move. But two days later, Huang Qiang came to visit again.
"Brother Qiang, didn't you buy the broadcasting rights?"
"I bought it!" Huang Qiang waved his hand and explained, "We just signed the contract. Others will take care of the rest."
Liu Hongmin: "Congratulations, Brother Qiang. It saves us a lot of trouble."
Huang Qiang waved his hand, "I'm just trying this out. The TV series produced by China Television are too serious and may not suit Hong Kong's viewing habits."
He changed the subject, "No, Brother Liu. You have other novels, why didn't you tell me? If I hadn't seen your simplified version of the book, I wouldn't have known you wrote "The Judge Advocate of the Song Dynasty"."
Liu Hongmin spread his hands, "You didn't ask! Besides, "The Inspector General of the Song Dynasty" is not very suitable for the Hong Kong market."
Huang Qiang shook his head. "You are wrong to think so. Good novels are still recognized by Hong Kong readers. I think you should discuss with Sanlian Publishing House to publish "The Judge Advocate of the Song Dynasty" as well."
"Is there really anyone watching?" Liu Hongmin was a little skeptical. This was a little different from his impression of Hong Kong.
"Of course!" Huang Qiang looked at him with amusement, "You underestimate your fame in Hong Kong. Let alone novels like "The Judge Advocate of the Song Dynasty" which are less well-received, even if your other novels are published, there will definitely be people who read them."
Liu Hongmin suddenly realized that it was the celebrity effect! He thought the tastes of Hong Kong people had changed!
But if that’s the case, it seems like “The Inspector General of the Song Dynasty” can also sell for some money!
Huang Qiang asked again: "Brother Liu, do you have any other novels?"
Liu Hongmin: "There are two more. One is "My Brothers and Sisters", which is about four brothers and sisters in a small town in Northeast China. This is totally unsuitable for Hong Kong, so don't even think about it. Another short story is "The Last Military Expenditure of the Anxi Army of the Tang Dynasty", which is now being made into a movie by Beijing Film Studio. It is estimated that the post-production will be completed in March or April and it will be scheduled for release."
Huang Qiang felt a little regretful, "Brother Liu, you should write more novels! Otherwise, we won't be able to adapt them!"
Liu Hongmin couldn't help laughing, "Brother Qiang, you are relying on me! There are so many talented people in Hong Kong, can't you even make a TV series?"
"Our own film can't be as popular as the one adapted from your novel!"
Huang Qiang said helplessly: "Ever since Shao Bao Er was broadcast, TVB has taken back the ratings. We have tried many ways, but we just can't beat TVB!"
RTV and TVB are old rivals. If they can beat TVB, why would they need to seek foreign aid?
Liu Hongmin: "I have two novels in my hands now. I haven't started writing "The Ming Dynasty 1566" yet. I may have to wait until the second half of the year to finish it. The other one is "Judge Bao". Compared with Shao Bao, it is not as suspenseful. If you want to adapt it, you need to choose the leading actor. Liu Zhirong has no problem playing Shao Bao, but he can't play "Judge Bao". He is too thin and lacks dignity."
Huang Qiang was overjoyed when he heard this.
"Really? Brother Liu, you must give me the adaptation rights." "Don't worry, we have such a pleasant cooperation, of course I will give it to you."
Liu Hongmin assured that he had a pleasant cooperation with RTV, so there was no reason for him to join another company. Moreover, he still had some conflicts with TVB. How could Liu Hongmin cooperate with TVB easily without TVB paying something?
After getting Liu Hongmin's assurance, Huang Qiang left happily.
Soon, Liu's father and mother also returned to their hometown. Without a Beijing hukou, they could not live in Beijing permanently. Moreover, spring was about to come, and they also needed to go back to work. Liu Hongjun and Liu Hongying also had to go back to school. They had been in Beijing for several months, and the two little ones had not studied a day. They didn't know if they could keep up when school started.
Zou Shifang also rushed back from his hometown. He didn't even go to school, but went straight to Liu Hongmin's courtyard.
He handed a manuscript to Liu Hongmin and asked, "Take a look, what needs to be changed?"
Liu Hongmin took the manuscript and roughly flipped through it. "You wrote it pretty fast! You've already written the fourth story?"
"Of course!" Zou Shifang said proudly.
"Don't be happy too soon. If it's not good, you'll have to rewrite it."
“I’m not afraid of rewriting it!”
Liu Hongmin took the manuscript to the main table, sat on a chair, and began to read. He only read the first story, "The Case of the Chopping of the Beauty", and he had to admit that Zou Shifang was quite good. As he said, he was familiar with Liu Hongmin's writing style, so he imitated it very well.
However, his reasoning ability was relatively poor, so it would be impossible for him to write "Less Bao", but he was fully capable of writing "Judge Bao".
While comparing it with the TV series in his mind, Liu Hongmin wrote down his revision suggestions. After a while, he had written three full pages, with more than a hundred places that needed revision.
When Zou Shifang saw so many revision suggestions, he was not angry. Instead, he happily snatched them away and read them carefully. These were the problems in his writing. As long as he corrected them, wouldn't he be almost as good as Liu Hongmin?
Liu Hongmin ignored him and tore the part about "The Case of the Chopping of the Beauty" from the book and threw it to Zou Shifang. He continued to read the second case "The True and False Number One Scholar" and then wrote some revision suggestions.
By the time he finished writing his revisions, it was almost dark.
After Liu's father and mother left, the cook Liu Hongmin hired had already prepared the meal and was serving the dishes to the round table. Ge Chaoguang and his friends also came out of the basement and walked into the living room with a depressed look.
"Busy working?"
Liu Hongmin: “I’m done for now!”
He patted Zou Shifang who was still concentrating, "Okay, eat first, and then we'll do it after dinner."
Zou Shifang stood up with red eyes, and it was obvious how much he cherished this opportunity. After a quick meal, he said hello to everyone, then took the manuscript and revision suggestions to the side room to continue revising.
A few days later, he handed the revised manuscript to Liu Hongmin. Because there was not enough space in the manuscript, Zou Shifang put a lot of notes on the manuscript, which was also Liu Hongmin's habit when revising manuscripts.
In the days before computers, editing a manuscript was a very troublesome task. If you put a note on the manuscript, whether you want to modify or delete it, it will be very fast.
(End of this chapter)
