Chapter 468 Being Taken Away

Chapter 468 Being Taken Away

Chapter 468 Being Taken Away

The head gardener was confused by the question. Even though he didn't know what they were going to do specifically, it was not what Xiaoxi was talking about.

Xiaoxi wanted to say something when the leader arrived.

He wears a pair of narrow-framed glasses and a white sweater over his shirt. He looks gentle and refined, especially with his mild face, a typical academic leader.

"Chairman, Cheng Hehua has been delivered." The head nurse immediately reported, "This is Guxi, Hehua's keeper. Xiaoxi has been awarded the outstanding employee of the park for two consecutive years."

"That's great. Our Sijiucheng Zoo is really full of talented people and is good at giving young people opportunities." Chairman Wen looked at the other party.

Gu Xi immediately felt his limbs uncoordinated, but he still followed his leader in greeting, "Chairman... I'm Gu Xi, the keeper of the panda house."

Panda Hehua took their mother Chenggong’s surname, their full name is Cheng Hehua, and their nickname is Huahua.

"Don't be nervous. Is Hehua in good health?" asked Chairman Wen.

"It's very healthy. Huahua can drink up bowls of milk at every meal. And after finishing, she will grab bowls of milk from her sister and Ye." Xiaoxi responded. Once she talked about the panda's condition, she spoke much more fluently.

She continued, "And Huahua is very lively and seems to have endless energy."

Pandas are solitary animals with a strong sense of territory, but it is fine for them to live with their younger siblings when they are young.

"That's great." Chairman Wen nodded, expressing his satisfaction.

But at this moment, the head ranger said, "Xiaoxi is still young after all, so for this mission, our panda house's Lao Tan can assist at any time. I guarantee that there will be no problem with Hua!"

Xiaoxi was a little unhappy when she heard this. Although Grandpa Tan was an old employee, she was not inferior to him at all.

She immediately said, "Then Uncle Tan..."

"The mission is very important, we have to make sure it goes without any mistakes." The head ranger interrupted.

"We should let young people take more responsibility, after all, the future belongs to them," said Chairman Wen.

"Yes, yes, the chairman is right, so Old Tan is just an assistant." The director responded, and the leader nodded with satisfaction.

Looking at the big leader’s courage and willingness to trust people, Xiaoxi feels that there is a reason why the big leader is the big leader.

Then, under the guidance of Chairman Wen, the group arrived at the courtyard.

"The yard was built according to the site of the panda house. Let's see if there is anything that needs to be added?" Chairman Wen stepped in first.

The first to be shocked was Xiaoxi. The conditions were even better than the panda house in the Beijing Zoo! And it was so big!

The head ranger and Xiaoxi used their professional knowledge to give a positive answer.

Especially the head of the garden, he was very enthusiastic, what a "pilot cultivation base", it would be naive to believe it. This matter is bigger than expected.

The land price in Xicheng District where housing prices can be raised is so expensive that they managed to build such a large yard.

And I heard from the senior leader that there are three security posts to prevent Huahua from escaping and to prevent outsiders.

About ten minutes later, the real owner arrived.

When King Gollum saw the familiar vehicle at the door, he knew he was late.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late." Gu Lu hurried back, "I left half an hour earlier, but the plan couldn't keep up with the changes."

"It's only been ten minutes since we agreed to meet at five o'clock," said Chairman Wen. "We're not that late."

"Let me introduce you to Expert Gu," said Chairman Wen. "This is the chief ranger of Sijiucheng Zoo, and this is Guxi, assistant panda researcher at our pilot breeding base. He is a very professional young man."

Suddenly became a research assistant? Xiaoxi heard that she had been promoted. Although she lacked social experience, she knew that the director would definitely listen to the words of the senior leader.

But this owner looks familiar...

"Gu Lu! The Gu Lu in the book is alive! Is it that mouse, the writer Gu Lu who wrote to Algernon?" Xiaoxi's voice contained surprise.

Cough, cough! The head gardener coughed twice and the stream stopped.

"Yes, that's right, it's about Gu Lu who is called Algernon Mouse." Gu Lu said, "I'm really sorry to trouble you with the raising of pandas."

Xiaoxi is an assistant and he is an external breeding researcher, but Gu Lu knows that assistants are the main force. Huh? Does this count as the main force, and the people above are just eating for free?

It’s true. Gu Lu labeled himself as someone who eats for free in his mind.

"No problem, this is my usual job, no problem, I will definitely raise Hehua plump and white." Xiaoxi responded immediately. She grew up watching Lu's works. When she was a junior, she copied "Young China" into her notebook. She also picked out the Little Prince's quotes and posted them on WeChat Moments. She is not an idol, but she is also a little excited.

Then he carried Cheng Hehua to the yard. What a cute little ball. Gu Lu wanted to touch it right away.

But before doing so, there are many things to note, such as how to hold the baby and how to feed him. Gu Lu studied hard.

My desire to learn hasn't been so strong in a long time.

For a long time afterwards, King Gollum played with the dumplings in the yard. Especially since Huahua was still young and had short legs, he would fall easily when running.

Then you will see why the panda is called "GongGong"... the white ball has leaked the black stuffing.

Addicted to the bear color, in a blink of an eye, it was June 6th and "The Borrower" was on sale!
Oh no, to be precise, the seven books in the "New Fairy Tales" series are now on sale.

Yangtze River Children's Publishing House, the Writers Association, and CCTV's 14 satellite TV channels shot arrows like a crossbow, aiming at Xinhua Bookstore, Xixifu Bookstore, Sanlian Bookstore...

Swish swish!
"Sanlian Bookstore... Why has it become like this?" Gu Lu sighed. In his impression, Sanlian Bookstore was a very powerful brand, but now it sells records, peripherals, board games, and even milk tea.

The book selling area only occupies less than a quarter of the space. Gu Lu took a look around and found that more than half of this quarter was filled with books such as "100 Letters from the Rockefeller Family to Their Children", "Guiguzi", and "The Parchment".

"I finally bought it." Gu Lu bought a new set of fairy tales for 258 yuan.

Changjiang did a good job. He arranged the spines of seven books, including "The Borrower", "A Hundred Years of Kindness", "The Guardian of the Angels in the Backlight", and "The Emperor of the Forest" in order. This was the picture of the little man Yun Xi that Li Xiaoxiao discovered under the floor.

It is very beautiful. It is worth mentioning that Gu Lu is not bragging. Unlike "The Little Prince" and "Who Moved My Cheese", the illustrations of this book are not drawn by Gu Lu himself.

There is also a little story about the illustration.

A few months ago, Yangtze Children's Publishing House recruited illustrators.

It is not the case that one artist draws seven books. After all, the contents of the books are different and require different styles.

Du Muyao, deputy editor-in-chief of Yangtze Children's Publishing House, encountered a very strange phenomenon.

It's normal to give it to other authors, such as the Five Family, Qiao Manshui, and Sister Nuomi, but Gu Lu...

[Editor-in-Chief Du, I have admired Mr. Gu Lu for a long time, and the realistic children's painting style required for "The Borrower" is very consistent with my style. I am willing to accept the order at the lowest market price.]
Admiring Gu Lu? Du Muyao smiled, not believing it at all.

But [Can I do "The Borrower"? 4000 is enough for a set of illustrations. I grew up reading Gu Lu's books, so I really want to work with him. ][It has always been my dream to work with Gu Lu. As for the price, any amount will do. ][Editor-in-chief Du, we have worked together so many times, my business ability should be obvious to all, so please give me this project. ]……

For a black and white illustration, the price for the right to use is about 3000 to 5000, and for a color illustration, it is about 4000 to 8000 (including revisions). Of course, there are also hourly wages and quantity calculations, which are not included in this calculation method, so I will not elaborate on them.

The above quotation is the average level of illustrators, not a newcomer, nor a master.

The [New Fairy Tales] series originally carries a certain official mission connotation, so the price of the books cannot be too expensive, and it is definitely impossible to hire a big shot.

"Is Gu Lu's fame really so exaggerated?" Du Muyao was skeptical. If one painter said this, he might not believe it, but if two or three people said this... it might be true.

Even some of Du Muyao’s friends sent him WeChat messages.

[Bald head breaks through the ceiling: Brother Si Tu, let me illustrate "The Borrower".

Du Muyao: Nonsense. With your price, the illustration budget for seven books wouldn’t be enough even if I gave you all of it.

Bald Head Breaks Through the Ceiling: I can lower the price, five or six thousand is no problem at all.

Du Muyao: Are you crazy?
Bald head breaks through the ceiling: Teacher Gu Lu is my idol, I generate electricity for love! ]
He laughed. Others didn't know, but how could a friend who was so greedy for money possibly generate electricity for love? Du Muyao asked him to speak human language.

My friend Baldy responded, "Do you know the artist [Hairless Chicken]? Maybe not. He is not well-known and his paintings are priced lower than mine. But do you know how much he earned last year?"

Du Muyao gave a number (300,000), which was estimated based on the consumption level of his friends.

"Over a million. He made over a million last year!" the bald man said. "Do you know where he made that money? He was just lucky. He illustrated Mr. Holmes, a work by Gu Lu. According to British publishing rules, he gets a share of the money for every copy sold. He also gets some licensing fees for promotional illustrations. He earns over a hundred thousand pounds a year, and after paying taxes he still gets about ten pounds."

If we can't have red eyes when we meet again, can we still have red face? The bald man gave the answer. When he heard the news, his eyes and face turned red. He was full of envy and jealousy!

Why can I just draw a few pictures for a book and then I can live a life of idleness? Why? Where is the principle of God rewarding hard work? Where is the morality? Where is the contact information? !

The circle of painters is not big, and the situation of the "hairless chicken" is basically known to everyone. With Gu Lu's work, it would be strange if they were not excited.

Okay, Du Muyao finally understood why there were so many self-recommendation emails in his mailbox, and some of them were even free painters.

Although he said he admired Gu Lu, he was only interested in the money!

"But our book may not be sold abroad..." Du Muyao was interrupted by his good friend Baldy before he could finish his words.

"Who wouldn't want to earn two to three thousand less, or four to five thousand less, in exchange for a chance to be financially free?" the bald man said, "Besides, with Gu Lu's current fame abroad, the possibility of his works being translated into foreign languages ​​is very high."

That makes a lot of sense. Du Muyao ended the chat with his friend, and finally, the illustration project of "The Borrower" was handed over to Baldy Dingbaixiece.

It wasn't because they knew each other, they were just friends. The more important reason was that the bald man asked for a lower price and even helped draw pictures of the spines of seven books without asking for any additional price increase.

The publicity really depends on Gu Lu to carry the banner. Qiao Manshui and the five family members, who want to rely on the quality of their works to step on Gu Lu to get ahead, also came to the bookstore to check out the situation.

The [New Fairy Tales] series is placed in the most prominent position in the bookstore. There is no doubt that it is treated like this because "The Little Prince author Gu Lu is writing fairy tales again after many years."

However, not many people bought a set. Most parents with children only bought "The Borrower".

"The fame has added too much value, so we can only rely on word of mouth in the later stage." The five families are very confident in their "Guardian of Angels in the Light".

After waiting for a long time, I finally saw a reader who bought a set of books without hesitation.

The five families pretended to be passers-by and walked over. "This set of books is quite expensive, buy a whole set. I also plan to buy two books for my child. I hesitated for a long time and couldn't make a choice."

At first, the man in the jacket was a little wary of being suddenly approached by a stranger, but when he talked about buying books, his expression relaxed a lot.

"Seeing that you bought all the books in one go, you must be quite familiar with these authors," said the five family members.

"I don't really understand either. I only know Gu Lu." said the man in the jacket.

We don't even know each other, so why are you buying one? Rich people, just as the five families were sighing inwardly, they heard the other party speak again.

The man in the jacket pointed at the spine of the book and said, "The main thing is that the patterns on this set of books are pretty nice, so it's nice to buy them and put them on display. Besides, since you can publish a set of books with Gu Lu, their other works should be pretty good, so you won't lose out if you buy them."

"..." The five family members were speechless in their hearts, but on the surface they still said, "Thank you, that makes sense."

Then the man in the jacket took a set of books and bought a music box related to The Little Prince, and left Sisyphus Bookstore.

There was something else in the man in the jacket's heart that he didn't say out loud. After all, he was buying a gift for a child. Whether it was good or not was another matter. The child might not necessarily read it, but he had to buy something famous!

Only when the man in the jacket disappeared did the five families turn their gazes away.

The differences between people are as great as the differences between people and pigs. Just take the Five Families and Qiao Manshui as examples. As for the other six authors, you can just go to the bookstore.

More or less, everyone has encountered the same situation as the five families.

But Qiao Manshui thought to himself, "I've really been led by the boss. I'll remember this. When a book reviewer complains about you, I'll definitely speak up for you!"

But the five families were thinking, "What an incredible popularity! The popularity gained by the little prince will be mine sooner or later!"

So, what is the actual situation?

On the first day of sales, young readers and their parents read the books, and the first book to explode in word of mouth among the seven books in the "New Fairy Tales" series was "The Borrowers"!
(End of this chapter)