Chapter 82

Chapter 38: Double Happiness

County Chief Li hurried back to the county that very evening, but the entire Hai Zhuang Town Committee and government were in a state of tension, with all sorts of rumors and gossip flying around. The Fang family restaurant had returned to its bustling days, but all the local people who came to eat were trying their best to pry for some inside information.

Liu Yong said that Zhao Gui Rong returned home in high spirits, though she didn't explicitly say why. Fang Mingyuan could imagine that Li Dongxing must have praised her at the meeting and might even adjust her jurisdiction. If Success were to fall completely, Zhao Gui Rong would naturally take another step forward. Even if Success wasn't defeated, with the protection of County Chief Li, the newly promoted Deputy Town Chief Zhao Gui Rong would have more say in the town. How could she not be overjoyed?

However, another side effect was quite unexpected for Fang Mingyuan. His father, Fang Sheng, was also promoted to a deputy section chief in the factory, working under Lei Xin, responsible for the machine room. This result left the entire Fang family both surprised and delighted. They were all ordinary citizens, and now they finally had an official in the family. Although it was only in the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory, Fang Sheng was very content.

After Fang Mingyuan came to his senses, he understood the factory's intentions. Promoting Fang Sheng was partly to curry favor with County Chief Li Dongxing. Deputy Factory Manager Lu had accompanied him the whole time and had seen everything. Although they didn't understand why Li Dongxing favored Fang Mingyuan, these old foxes knew that if promoting a small deputy section chief could maintain a harmonious relationship between the factory and the county, it was worth it. Even if they were wrong, it didn't matter; in such a large factory, there were dozens of section chiefs, so it wasn't a big deal.

Secondly, it was probably Lei Xin's request to bring Fang Sheng to the machine room. If something happened in the machine room in the future, could Fang Mingyuan just stand by and do nothing? Regardless of how Fang Mingyuan learned about computers, as long as he maintained these three machines, it would be a significant achievement when the department asked.

Fang Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Even if Lei Xin hadn't done this, he would have to visit the machine room frequently in the future. Although the 386 looked like an antique to him, who was used to modern computers, every small step counts. All the computer software in the future started from programming basics. More importantly, with a computer, he could implement some of his ideas instead of just letting them linger in his mind and fade away. This thing was not only priceless but also unobtainable with money. Where else could he go if not here?

Although this result was unexpected, the effect was good. Fang Sheng finally escaped the status of an ordinary worker and officially became a factory official.

Three days after the incident with Success becoming Deputy Town Chief, news came from Fengyuan that Kōmoto Orichi was returning. This time, he brought the assistants Fang Mingyuan needed. Su Aijun had also found local assistants for him in Fengyuan, and he needed to see them in person. So, Fang Mingyuan went to Fengyuan with Fang Bin.

"Fang, it's great to see you!" Kōmoto Orichi greeted him with a warm hug, which startled Fang Mingyuan.

It turned out that Kōmoto Orichi had returned to Japan with the contract. Upon learning that he had successfully thwarted *Weekly Shonen* from signing Fang Mingyuan to *Shonen Monthly*, the entire magazine staff was elated. Kōmoto Orichi received repeated praise from the company, his position was promoted, his salary increased, and the company explicitly stated that Fang Mingyuan would be his responsibility in the future.

With Fang Mingyuan's contract, *Shonen Monthly*, which was well-prepared but lacked the final push, immediately launched *Yu Yu Hakusho* and vigorously promoted it. The fact that the author was from the East, China, was a significant selling point. The results were a huge success. By mid-month, the sales of *Shonen Monthly* had already matched the total sales of the previous month. Feedback from all over Japan indicated that readers highly praised *Yu Yu Hakusho*. Many people bought *Shonen Monthly* just to read *Yu Yu Hakusho*.

This result naturally thrilled the entire magazine staff. On one hand, the magazine increased its printing, sales, and promotion efforts; on the other hand, they instructed Kōmoto Orichi to bring the assistants Fang Mingyuan needed and immediately head to China to ensure a steady supply of Fang Mingyuan's subsequent manuscripts. They also hoped that Kōmoto Orichi could establish a good personal relationship with Fang Mingyuan to secure his next work for their magazine.

"Fang, here is the latest issue of *Shonen Monthly*. Please take a look!" Kōmoto Orichi inadvertently used more formal language with Fang Mingyuan.

Fang Mingyuan casually flipped through the beautifully packaged magazine. His *Yu Yu Hakusho* occupied nearly 30% of the issue. He calculated that the manuscripts Kōmoto Orichi took last time could support another issue, which explained why he had rushed back.

"Mr. Kōmoto, I forgot to ask you something last time," Fang Mingyuan said, handing the magazine to Fang Bin.

"Fang, please go ahead!" Kōmoto Orichi quickly responded.

"I hope you can buy every issue of the major magazines in Japan and send them to me. The cost can be deducted from my royalties. This way, I can have a deeper understanding of the current state of the manga industry in your country. I believe this will be very important for my creation and the selection of my next work," Fang Mingyuan said formally. In reality, he wanted to know which of the manga he had read had already been released and which had not, to avoid any "collisions" that could damage his reputation and cause unnecessary trouble.

"Slap!" Kōmoto Orichi slapped his forehead, regretfully saying, "Fang, you're right. We were negligent in not considering that you couldn't get the latest information about the manga industry in China. I will take care of this as soon as I return. As for the cost, Fang, there's no need to mention it. It's our mistake for not considering it, and we shouldn't burden you with additional expenses."

With that, Kōmoto Orichi stood up and bowed deeply to Fang Mingyuan, saying, "This is our work error. We apologize for the trouble it has caused you. We promise to send you the magazines as you requested."

Fang Mingyuan hesitated for a moment and finally added, "Mr. Kōmoto, please don't include any adult manga or manga with content that violates our laws!"