Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 20 Newspaper sales exceed 10,000 copies

That morning, Lin Zhou drove his Ford Mustang out of the parking lot downstairs from his apartment building. With the steering wheel in hand, he wandered aimlessly through the streets of Hong Kong, sometimes turning into markets filled with fresh fruits and vegetables; sometimes stopping by the seawall, gazing blankly at the cargo ships passing by in the distance, letting the sea breeze ruffle his clothes and brush against his cheeks with its salty, damp scent.

Since handing over the management of Zhonghua Daily to Lao Chen, Lin Zhou has become a true hands-off manager. Every aspect of the newspaper, from editing and layout to distribution, is handled by dedicated personnel, and Lao Chen manages everything meticulously, requiring little effort from Lin Zhou.

His daily life was simple and casual, with no fixed schedule or official business to attend to. His only "job" seemed to be occasionally delivering novel manuscripts to the newspaper office and checking on the newly hired staff in the finance department. The newspaper office was his cash cow, and he couldn't afford any mishaps.

That noon, Lin Zhou ordered a char siu rice at a tea restaurant on the street. At the next table, a few young people who looked like high school students were chatting together. Their voices were not loud, but they were clear enough to reach his ears.

"Did you watch 'A Step into the Past' last night? Xiang Shaolong actually exposed the Marquis of Julu's conspiracy! It was so exciting!"

"Of course I read it! I got up half an hour early today just to buy the Zhonghua Daily, but I didn't expect the newsstand downstairs to be sold out. I had to run three blocks to buy it."

"Who doesn't watch 'A Step into the Past' these days? My old man used to only read Cantonese opera weekly magazines, but now he's begging me for Zhonghua Daily every day, saying it's even more enjoyable than listening to storytelling."

"I heard the printing plants are working around the clock, probably printing as many as they can sell. That sales volume is terrifying!"

Lin Zhou listened to their discussion, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips. He had actually anticipated the popularity of "A Step into the Past," given its proven track record from his previous life, but the fact that it was selling so well every day that he had to walk three blocks to buy one still surprised him. He put down his chopsticks, drove to the newspaper office, and made a phone call to the printing plant.

After the call connected, Factory Director Wang's slightly tired but still cheerful voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"

"Director Wang, this is Lin Zhou, the owner of Zhonghua Daily." Lin Zhou's voice was gentle. "I haven't been in touch for a while and had almost forgotten about you. I'm truly sorry."

Factory Manager Wang was taken aback for a moment, then reacted, his tone immediately warming up: "So it's Boss Lin! Don't be so polite, you're a rising star in our Hong Kong newspaper industry now!" He paused, a hint of weariness in his voice, "To be honest, your Zhonghua Daily is incredibly popular right now. Our machines are running non-stop from morning till night, and the workers can't keep up. Since I couldn't find you, I had to take matters into my own hands and hire workers myself, putting them in three shifts and working overtime, but we still can't meet the order demand. I was just thinking of going to you to ask if you could help coordinate something."

Lin Zhou felt a slight warmth in his heart, but even more so, a deep sense of guilt. When he acquired the printing factory, he had been drawn to Director Wang's honesty and experience, and the two had a very pleasant conversation. However, after the newspaper was officially launched, he became preoccupied with eating, drinking, and having fun, and hadn't paid any attention to the printing factory since. He never expected to cause such a big problem for them.

"Director Wang, I'm so sorry, it was my oversight." Lin Zhou's tone was apologetic. "Thank you for your hard work with the workers these past few days."

"This is all we should do. If the newspapers sell well, we benefit from it too," said Factory Director Wang with a smile. "It's just that the workers are really working very hard, and the machines also need to be inspected and maintained in between, otherwise I'm afraid they won't be able to keep up."

Lin Zhou thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Director Wang, listen to me. If the current production capacity really can't keep up, don't force it. Find other reliable printing plants to cooperate with directly, and our newspaper will cover all the costs. The most important thing is not to affect the supply of newspapers, and not to let readers wait to read them but not be able to buy them, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Factory Manager Wang breathed a sigh of relief: "Boss, you've really hit the nail on the head! Actually, I've been wanting to find a partner manufacturer for a while, but I was afraid you wouldn't trust me, so I didn't dare to bring it up. Don't worry, I'll contact a few trustworthy printing plants right away and guarantee the printing quality so that the distribution won't be delayed."

"I absolutely trust you regarding the quality," Lin Zhou said with a smile. "You are fully responsible for the cooperation. Call me anytime if there are any problems. Please be considerate of the workers and make sure they are paid their due overtime wages. Buy them some nutritional supplements to help them recover; the money will come from the account."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhou felt a surge of emotion. Acquiring the newspaper was initially just a way to fulfill his entrepreneurial dream, but he never imagined it would grow to its current scale. Behind this success, besides the inherent appeal of "A Step into the Past," lies the meticulous management of Editor-in-Chief Chen and Manager Li Wangcai, the hard work of Factory Director Wang and the workers, and the silent support of the readers.

A few days later, Director Wang brought good news: he had contacted three sizable printing plants and signed cooperation agreements with them to adopt unified printing standards and paper to ensure that the quality of every copy of the Zhonghua Daily remained consistent.

With the addition of the cooperating printing plant, the newspaper's printing capacity increased significantly, and the original situation of supply falling short of demand was quickly alleviated. Not only could freshly printed Zhonghua Daily be purchased at major newsstands and convenience stores in Hong Kong at any time, but the distribution network in Kowloon, the New Territories and other places was also constantly expanding, and more and more readers were able to read the latest chapters of "A Step into the Past" in a timely manner.

The release of production capacity directly led to an explosive growth in sales.

The daily sales of Zhonghua Daily skyrocketed, starting at 30,000 copies, then 50,000, then 80,000, and in less than two months, they broke the 100,000 mark.

This figure was absolutely a miracle in the Hong Kong newspaper market at the time.

It's worth noting that even long-established newspapers that have been deeply rooted in Hong Kong for many years rarely maintain a daily circulation of over 100,000 copies. Yet, the Zhonghua Daily, a newly renamed newspaper, achieved such an astonishing leap with just one book, "A Step into the Past," causing a huge stir throughout the entire Hong Kong newspaper industry.

In the newspaper office, Li Wangcai held the latest sales report, his hands trembling slightly with excitement. He strode into the main office, slammed the report heavily on the desk, and exclaimed in a hoarse voice, "Look everyone! Our daily sales have surpassed 100,000 copies! 100,000 copies!"

The office erupted in excitement. The editors and reporters who had been engrossed in their work rushed over, eagerly eyeing the striking figure on the report, their faces beaming with unbelievable joy.

"My God! It really broke 100,000? I'm not seeing things, am I?"

"That's amazing! It hasn't been that long, and we've already caught up with those old-established newspapers!"

"It's all thanks to Boss Lin's 'A Step into the Past' being so good, and the editor-in-chief and manager leading the team so well!"

"From now on, our Zhonghua Daily will also be one of the giants of Hong Kong's newspaper industry!"

Everyone discussed it excitedly, their joy infectious. During this time, they had watched the newspaper's sales rise day by day, seeing more and more readers embracing "A Step into the Past," and a sense of pride had long since welled up within them. Now, with sales exceeding 100,000 copies, it was the best reward for all their hard work.

"Brothers and sisters, this sales figure of 100,000 copies is the result of all our hard work and a testament to the readers' recognition of us. But this is just the beginning; we cannot be complacent. Moving forward, we must continue to focus on high-quality content, ensuring the continued quality of the serialized 'A Step into the Past,' while also strengthening our editorial efforts across other sections, making Zhonghua Daily a truly insightful, engaging, and influential newspaper!"

"Okay!" everyone responded in unison, their fighting spirit high.

The news that sales had exceeded 100,000 copies spread like wildfire throughout Hong Kong.

On the streets and alleys, whether in bustling commercial districts or quiet residential areas, you could see people engrossed in reading "A Step into the Past" from the Zhonghua Daily. On buses, in restaurants, and in tea houses, the topics of conversation mostly revolved around Xiang Shaolong's adventures and the turbulent changes of the Warring States period. "A Step into the Past" became an indispensable topic of conversation for Hong Kong residents, and the Zhonghua Daily truly became a household name.

Even some cultural figures who initially dismissed the novel couldn't resist buying copies of the Zhonghua Daily to see what made this work, which had captivated the entire city, so appealing. After reading it, many praised the plot and character development of "A Step into the Past," believing that the novel was not only highly entertaining but also contained a certain historical depth and humanistic reflection.

The sudden rise of Zhonghua Daily has put unprecedented pressure on other newspapers.

The atmosphere in the Ming Pao editorial department was exceptionally heavy. Jin Yong put down the Zhonghua Daily, his fingers lightly tracing the edge of the newspaper. His face was expressionless, yet an invisible pressure emanated from him. On his desk in front of him were several other newspapers, their front pages almost all reporting that Zhonghua Daily had surpassed 100,000 copies in sales, or analyzing the secrets to the success of "A Step into the Past".

As a leading figure in Hong Kong's newspaper industry, Jin Yong witnessed the rise and fall of countless newspapers, but he had never seen a new newspaper rise so quickly in such a short period of time as the Hong Kong Chinese Daily, even posing a significant challenge to established newspapers.

He carefully read the latest chapter of *A Step into the Past* and had to admit that the novel's concept was indeed ingenious. Using a modern youth's journey back to the Warring States period as its starting point, it combines fantastical imagination with a realistic historical backdrop. The plot is full of twists and turns, and the characters are vivid and lifelike, making it extremely captivating. In particular, the author's grasp of historical details and portrayal of power struggles are in no way inferior to traditional historical novels, which explains its large readership.

"Mr. Cha," the editor beside him spoke cautiously, "The Zhonghua Daily is currently riding high, and 'A Step into the Past' is enjoying immense popularity. Shouldn't we adjust our layout strategy? Or perhaps find some novels of a similar style to serialize?"

Jin Yong was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Imitation will only ever leave you following in others' footsteps. The success of Ming Pao Daily News is not only due to the novel 'A Step into the Past,' but also because they grasped the needs of their readers and dared to innovate. Our Ming Pao has its own positioning and style, and we cannot blindly follow the trend just because others have succeeded."

Not only Ming Pao, but other long-established newspapers such as Oriental Daily News and Sing Tao Daily also held internal meetings to study the success of Zhonghua Daily. Some analyzed that Zhonghua Daily's layout was simpler and clearer, making it easier to read; some believed that their distribution channels expanded rapidly and had a wide coverage; and many more focused on "A Step into the Past," believing that this phenomenal novel was the key to Zhonghua Daily's rise.

Lin Zhou, the instigator of all this, was sitting in a seaside café, leisurely sipping coffee and reading the Zhonghua Daily. When he saw the good news that "daily sales have exceeded 100,000 copies" published in the newspaper, he simply smiled faintly, without much emotion in his heart.

For him, sales figures are certainly important, but what's more important is that he used his words to bring a wonderful story and a unique kind of enjoyment to the people of this era. As for how far the Zhonghua Daily will go in the future, he doesn't want to interfere too much; just as he has always done, he lets things take their natural course and does what he wants.