Chapter 73: An Additional Ten Thousand Copies

Class Three, Grade Two. Mahua gave Wen Caille, who was stuffing his mouth with steamed buns, a friendly pat. “Hey, Fatty, did you finish the book you bought yesterday? How was it, any good?”

“You mean ‘The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast’?” Wen Caille mumbled through a mouthful.

“Yeah, that one.”

“I finished it, finished it.” Wen Caille gulped down the last bite, not even bothering to wipe the grease from his lips, and said excitedly, “It’s amazing. I spent two whole days reading it, and last night I couldn’t think of anything but Coldblood and Lifechase, those thirteen wolf-like fiends, the Invincible Gentleman, master of lonely heights—wow, it was simply too brilliant.”

“Is it really that good?”

Wen Caille shot her a disgruntled look. “Of course! If you don’t believe me, go ask Four Eyes.”

Mahua immediately ran over to Four Eyes. “Hey Four Eyes, how’s the book? Is it good?”

Four Eyes was hunched over, engrossed in “The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast.” He barely spared Mahua a glance. “Can’t you see I’m reading? I’ll lend it to you after I’m done, but don’t even think about it right now.”

“I’m not asking to borrow it, just wanted to know if it’s any good. Why so stingy?”

“It’s not about being stingy. I’m just really into it right now—don’t want to let it go.”

“So it’s really that good?”

Four Eyes waved him away impatiently. “Obviously. Would I be reading this long if it wasn’t? Now move along, you’re in my way.”

Seeing Four Eyes so ravenous and absorbed, Mahua couldn’t hold back any longer. He hurried back to Wen Caille. “Fatty, lend me the book.”

“Sure.” Wen Caille gladly pulled “The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast” from his bag and handed it over. Good things are meant to be shared, he thought, though he couldn’t help feeling a bit proud—after all, it was he who’d dug this gem out from the bookstall, and he felt a shared sense of accomplishment.

With the book in hand, Mahua rushed back to his seat and began reading.

One class ended—Mahua didn’t look up.

Two classes—still no sign of stopping.

Three classes—Mahua remained hunched over the book.

“Mahua, come check out the pretty girl! Liu Qiao’an from Class One, Grade Three! Didn’t you say you were head over heels for her?” Wen Caille called from outside the window.

Without lifting his head, Mahua replied, “No time.”

Wen Caille stared at Mahua, who was so absorbed in the novel, and found it hard to believe. Liu Qiao’an was Mahua’s goddess—every break he would shamelessly run to her class just to sneak a glance, swearing he’d marry no one else in this life.

Every time, Wen Caille and Four Eyes would tease him, saying he was a toad lusting after a swan, that unless Liu Qiao’an became his sister, he’d never have a chance. Mahua, in all seriousness, had replied that even if she were his sister, it wouldn’t change his resolve to marry her.

His infatuation was legendary.

But now, this love-struck youth was so enraptured by a book that he didn’t even spare his goddess a thought.

Wen Caille, already pleased, grew even more smug. “Of course a book I recommend would be good.” Turning around, he saw even Four Eyes, usually the biggest troublemaker, had his nose buried in “The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast.” Wen Caille’s pride swelled further.

He nudged another close friend, a girl named Wanwan. “Wanwan, let me recommend a martial arts novel. It’s absolutely gripping.”

Wanwan asked curiously, “What book?”

“‘The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast.’ Haven’t you noticed? Both Four Eyes and Mahua are completely hooked.”

And so, under Fatty Wen Caille’s influence, “The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast” quickly became all the rage in Class Three, Grade Two, and soon spread to neighboring classes.

Meanwhile, at the little bookshop where Wen Caille bought his books, the stack of “The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast” on the shelf had already been cut in half.

Two young men walked in and asked, “Boss Ma, got any good martial arts novels lately?”

“A-Bing, A-Can, you two aren’t working today? Good timing. Fresh Literature Bookstore just released ‘The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast.’ It’s really good and selling very well. I just brought in a second batch two days ago, and over half are gone already.”

“Oh, really? Great, give me one.”

“Just the one, or one each like usual?”

“One is enough, we’ll share.”

“All right, that’s three hundred and twenty.”

After the two youths left with their purchase, Boss Ma lazily tallied his accounts, muttering, “Hmm, in another couple of days, ‘The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast’ will be sold out again. Looks like I’d better stock up more next time.”

Scenes like this played out in bookshops large and small across Taiwan.

Old publishers in Taiwan are generally called “book bureaus,” as are bookstores—a style left over from the Republic era. These book bureaus are scattered everywhere, though not every single one sells “The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast.” But for those that did, sales were brisk.

Maybe not as brisk as Boss Ma’s, who was already preparing for a third restock, but certainly nothing languished on the shelves.

These sales numbers quickly made their way to Fresh Literature Publishing, where the general manager was listening to a staff report.

“Manager, ‘The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast’ is selling very well. We’ve already distributed five hundred copies to rental bookstores in Taipei, Taichung, and Keelung. The owners report high circulation—demand is outpacing supply. Should we expand and distribute more to Kaohsiung and Tainan?”

“If the response is good, of course we should expand. How are sales in the book bureaus?”

“Excellent. The initial print run of two thousand five hundred sold out in less than a week. Including the five hundred for rental shops, the first three thousand copies were just a taste. Our market research shows readers love it, rating it as good as works by famous authors. They’re very satisfied with Fresh Literature’s publication this time.”

“That’s good news. Since we haven’t yet established a presence on FreshNet, we must seek our own channels and bring quality works to readers. Reprint it—get the marketing department on it right away.”

“Manager, marketing is already planning to contact the printers. Should we print another five thousand?”

The manager stroked his chin, then made a decision. “Five thousand is too few—print ten thousand more.”

“Print ten thousand at once? Isn’t that a bit much? That brings the total to thirteen thousand. Even well-known writers rarely sell that many.”

“It’s not too much. When I first saw the book, I knew it would sell well. I only held back to see the market response, but it’s even better than expected. There’s no reason to go slow and miss the opportunity.”

“Alright, I’ll get on it.”

…

With the first three thousand copies of “The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast” quickly sold out, Fresh Literature Publishing immediately printed another ten thousand and sent them to bookstores across Taiwan. Though Fresh Literature was a newcomer, its owner had sharp instincts and had already built a solid distribution network on the island.

After the ten thousand copies hit the market, it didn’t take long—about half a month—for the sales results to land on the manager’s desk again.

“Another eight thousand sold in half a month. Excellent. Looks like ‘The Four Great Detectives Shake the Northeast’ really is a hit. Time to print another batch—and we should start distributing to Chinese communities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia as well.”