Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

In December 1976, "Ming Pao" bought the entire Nankang Building with a mortgage of more than 8 million yuan and changed its name to Ming Pao Building.There are ten floors in this building, and a semi-open-air staff restaurant is built on the roof.In Hong Kong, where land is at a premium, this is a symbol of Ming Pao's success. In front of the dark green Ming Pao Building, on the old tram tracks, jingling trams are coming and going. Opposite is a row of short old tenement buildings, and not far away is the children's library.In the impression of Ming Pao employees, the surrounding area is surrounded by a small town.The downtown area in North Point is only a ten-minute walk away. Ming Pao employees often go to restaurants in the downtown area, such as "Dunhuang", "Xinyi", "Dongchao", etc.

The main entrance of Ming Pao Building has only one door, which can only allow one person to enter and exit, and two people cannot squeeze in.There is only a five-foot-square space at the entrance, for everyone to wait for the elevator. Opposite the elevator, there is a four-foot-high counter, and Abo, who is in charge of sending and receiving, sits behind it.Old-fashioned Japanese elevators can only carry six or seven people at a time.Jin Yong shares this elevator with his employees every day. He often waits for the elevator here at two or three o'clock in the afternoon. He will naturally greet people he knows well, including Uncle behind the counter.When the elevator came, people rushed in, and he was "wrapped" in it.This elevator needs to be inspected frequently, so we can only use the freight elevator at the back door of the building. Although it is relatively large, it is very dirty inside.

Jin Yong's office is on the seventh floor, which is divided into two rooms, one is the study room, where he reads, writes editorials and approves documents, and the other is the reception room. After the new renovation in the late 1980s, the walls of the small reception room are painted brilliant , bright red and gold, very taste of Chinese palace, the chair is a Louis XVIII style classical carved armchair painted gold. Since moving to North Point in 1966, "Ming Pao" has been here for ten years, and has gradually grown into "an intellectual newspaper with an independent newspaper". In the 1970s, when popular newspapers in Hong Kong were popular, "Ming Pao" was a serious newspaper in Hong Kong. representative. In 1975, Jin Yong talked about the difference between "Ming Pao" and other newspapers, "I think "Ming Pao" is a newspaper belonging to intellectuals, so our content is oriented towards the interests of readers in this area." "Ming Pao Monthly", "Ming Pao Weekly" and "Ming Pao Evening Post" came out one after another. The "Ming Pao" system grew rapidly in the four years before and after the "May Storm" and became a powerful newspaper group. It not only dominates the news circles in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, but also And extended to publishing, printing, tourism and other fields, and gradually developed into a comprehensive enterprise group.

On May 20, 1969, at the celebration reception at the Mandarin Hotel, Li Zhuomin, the president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told Jin Yong that he had recently been to Europe and the United States to attend academic conferences. Monthly.Jin Yong said gratifiedly in the article "Ming Pao 10th Anniversary": "With the increase of the number of newspapers, our readership is also expanding. At present, the readers of "Ming Pao" are almost all over the world. In recent years, Hong Kong residents have emigrated to foreign countries or There are quite a few people who study abroad, and some of them are readers of Ming Pao, and they are still readers of Ming Pao after they go abroad." But he said that he did not feel complacent and complacent at all, but was very worried, fearing that their abilities and equipment would not be enough. I am sorry for this kind of favor.

Because the printing quality of "Ming Pao" was not good, especially the picture effect, they ordered an offset reel machine from Germany in 1971, which greatly improved the printing quality. On May 20, 1973, Jin Yong mentioned in the editorial "Progress Together with Readers" that a few months ago, he ordered a giant high-speed offset rotary machine from the American Goss Factory for US$500,000. Fastest, highest-quality newspaper printing press. Speaking of the success of "Ming Pao", Jin Yong believes that everyone can buy machines and paper, but whether talented people can be placed in suitable positions is the key to success.He pays more attention to this aspect, and other trivial matters, daily business, etc. do not need to go through him. "Ming Pao" is a typical newspaper that relies on talents to succeed. On May 20, 1974, he recalled in the editorial "A Group of Friendship, A Pleasant Process" that in the past fifteen years, the original proofreader became the manager of "Ming Pao", the reporter became the editor-in-chief, and the editor of Hong Kong News became the manager of the publishing department. , the clerk who painted the advertisement became the manager of the evening paper, and the miscellaneous worker became the director of the printing factory. Ming Pao Service".Shen Baoxin called it the "brother class".Jin Yong said: "Our shortcoming is that the system is very loose. So far, it is still like a big family-style enterprise. In the future, it should be institutionalized as much as possible. The advantage is that it has a pleasant working atmosphere." Sun Danning said: "I'm so happy in the office, I'm happier than anywhere else."

By the 20th anniversary of its publication in 1979, the length of "Ming Pao" had increased by eight times, its circulation had increased by twenty-five times, and its staff had increased by seventy times. On May 31, 1989, the 30th anniversary of "Ming Pao", Jin Yong presented long-term service certificates and gold medals to employees. In addition to the two founders, Pan Yuesheng, Wang Ji, and Lei Wei won awards and gold medals for more than 25 years. Po, Dai Maosheng, Ye Hanhui, Long Guoyun, Weng Rongzhi and other 21 people, Huang Jundong, Cai Yanpei and other 23 people have won awards and gold medals for more than 20 years, and others have more than 15 years, 10 years, and 5 years Employees with less than five years of experience also received bonuses, and gold medals were presented to four former editor-in-chiefs Pan Yuesheng, Liang Xiaozhong, Zhang Xuliang, and Wang Shiyu, as well as Jian Erqing, Ni Kuang, Xiang Zhuang, and Xie Yongguang, who had been writing for more than 20 consecutive years. , with a letter of thanks, sent by someone.

In the long time of decades, Jin Yong has been constantly looking for talents for "Ming Pao".Ming Pao Group accommodates many important backbones with different types, different experiences, and full of personality. Hu Juren, Dong Qiao, Wu Margaret, etc. are all invited by him, and some people are completely supported by him from the lowest level. Hayashiyama Kihara is a data officer.It is these people who have made the career of "Ming Pao" together. Pan Yuesheng is always calm and unhurried in his affairs, and looks at least ten years younger than his real age. Lei Weipo privately calls him "Bai Pan".Jin Yong said that he "lifts weights like light", but he is dissatisfied with his good old man.In the eyes of his colleagues, he is "Xun Xun, elegant and humorous".He is very popular in the newspaper office. If colleagues have any problems, ask him to raise them on their behalf, and they can often be solved smoothly.He hosted "Xin Min Daily" in Singapore and Malaysia, and his old colleagues always talk about him.No one said anything bad about him behind his back, and he never said anyone's right or wrong. Jin Yong said in 1989: "At least, I never said a word. This is a record of thirty years, a truly rare one. to."

Jin Yong and Pan Yuesheng When Lei Weipo was editing the entertainment section of "Ming Pao", Jin Yong called him six times and asked him to be the director of the interview department. The burden is small, and there is a record of 20,000 papers in three months.He claims to "take things as light as possible" and is nervous about everything. Long Guoyun called him "Hitchcock" (Hitchcock) behind his back. Sun Danning sat opposite him for a long time, fearing that he would affect his health, and kindly advised him: "You Why are you nervous, 'Ming Zhou' is not Time Magazine!" He smiled at the time, but in fact, he said in his heart: "In my mind, 'Ming Zhou' is far more important than Time Magazine, and Time Magazine "What's so great about it, I didn't make it up, its success or failure has nothing to do with me!" He said: "I take 'Ming Zhou' as my own business, even though I'm just a wage earner."

At the end of 1979, Hu Juren resigned, and Jin Yong looked around for a replacement, and he fell in love with Dong Qiao, who had written in "Mingyue".At that time, Dong Qiao had a teaching position at the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a good salary and did not want to give up.Jin Yong promised to give the same treatment, please come to Dongqiao.Jin Yong introduced in the "Editor's Words" in the February 1980 issue of "Mingyue" that Dong Qiao is a well-known essayist with profound insights into Chinese literature and British literature. Working in broadcasting, I am very familiar with the general trend of the world, especially the current situation in China. "Mr. Dong is a good piano player and has extensive knowledge in literature, art, politics and economy. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of London. He has written articles for this magazine and has a lot of connections with Ming Pao Monthly. He will serve as the president. The editor, I am really proud of you." From the March issue onwards, Dong Qiao edited it.

Zhang Jianbo remembers that in August 1985, Jin Yong invited him, Feng Chengzhang and other reporters to dinner at a restaurant by the sea in Wanchai, and invited them to join Ming Pao.Unexpectedly, after a year, Jin Yong asked someone to contact him, asking if he had thought about it clearly, and if he could work in "Mingyue" first? In October 1986, he went to "Mingyue" as the editor-in-chief. On the first day of work, he said: "The specific editorial affairs are handled by you." Because the May 1988 issue published the first part of Dai Qing's "Wang Shiwei and", There is also an editor's note, which some people accused of being "anti-communist." For the first time in nineteen months, Jin Yong asked to show him the unprinted next part, but he did not raise any objections, and there were no deletions. The next part will be in June Issued as usual.

Wang Shiyu left "Chinese Evening News" and joined "Xin Bao" to run another "New Night News", which sang against "Ming Pao Evening News". After "New Evening News" opened its market, Wang Shiyu left "New Evening News" in 1972 and started his own "Tonight News", which published pornographic novels, Ma Jing, etc., and its circulation soon surpassed that of "New Evening News".Then, "New Evening News" ceased publication, and "Tonight News" became the "king of tabloids" and made a lot of money. In 1983, he sold the newspaper again and got 700,000 yuan, planning to emigrate to the United States with his family.Jin Yong never forgot about this "newspaper ghost". When he heard the news, he invited him to be the editor-in-chief and general manager of "Ming Pao Evening News", and later also served as the president of "Financial Daily". In 1986, he was also appointed as the editor-in-chief of "Ming Pao". , in the history of "Ming Pao", I am afraid that he is the first person to hold four important positions in one person. After "Tomorrow Night" was closed, Jin Yong once planned to run "Minghong Daily" and appointed him as the editor-in-chief and general manager. The business card was printed and there was a rainbow on it. Soon he announced: "Tomorrow Night" will stop publishing, " Minghong" will not be published yet.Wang Shiyu did not express any dissatisfaction in the column because of the miscarriage of "Ming Hong". Instead, he often mentioned the boss, how to travel together, eat together, etc. Many of the supplement authors of Ming Pao were also recruited by Jin Yong.Sansu has been writing short reviews in the supplements of Ming Pao since its inception.When Jin Yong wrote manuscripts, every word was written very neatly. Because of his own behavior, he often asked other authors to write more clearly, which offended Sansu.Among Hong Kong writers, Sansu and Ni Kuang are probably the most scribbled.If you are not used to Sansu's characters, you may not understand a single word. There was a protest by typesetting workers of Ming Pao.Jin Yong posted a piece of paper in the typesetting room, saying that he had heard about the scribbled Sansu handwriting, and would discuss with him, asking him to write more neatly.Unexpectedly, when Sansu heard it, she didn't take it seriously, and wrote it in a fit of anger.Jin Yong immediately apologized to Sansu himself. Ni Kuang recalled, "I was writing articles for "Zhenbao" and "Xinbao".He first wrote martial arts and essays in the supplement of "Ming Pao", using the pen names of "Yue Chuan" and "Sha Weng", and later wrote science fiction novels under the pen name of "Wesley".He is more than ten years younger than Jin Yong. Jin Yong always called him "Brother Ni Kuang", while he called Jin Yong "Old Cha". "Old Cha, Lao Cha, you may not be used to it, but after a long time, you will be filled with a kind of cordial feeling." Jin Yong said that the regular authors of the supplement are all his good friends.Sometimes he had dinner with Dong Qianli, Ni Kuang, Yi Shu and other friends (they all wrote columns in "Ming Pao"), and often asked who wrote something special outside.Once Yi Shu mentioned Huang Zicheng to him and wrote him his name, so he asked Wang Shiyu to find Huang to write two articles for him to read. After that, Huang Zicheng opened a column in "Ming Pao". Pan Yuesheng asked a peasant woman (Sun Danning) to fill in the "Ming Zhou" column, but was discovered by Jin Yong. At 11 or 12 o'clock one night, Jin Yong suddenly visited and invited the peasant woman to work in "Ming Yue" for 20 years.The peasant woman said: "Ming Pao is too strange to me, my colleagues are strange, and the environment is strange. Later, I found out that I am not the person Mr. Cha should be looking for. I can say that I have made no contribution to Ming Pao, and I feel very guilty." Tao Jie began to write a column in the supplement of "Ming Pao" in 1992, one column per day, which was strongly recommended by Jin Yong. At that time, Tao Jie was still working in the British Broadcasting Corporation. When "Sleepless at the End of the Century" was published, Tao Jie dedicated this collection to Jin Yong, "thanks to him for his support and care for a young man in a foreign country." It is no accident that Ming Pao is popular with intellectual readers. From 1973 to 1975, the mainland was at the height of "criticism of Lin Piao and Confucius". Yu Yingshi worked in Hong Kong and read "Ming Pao" every morning. He believed that "Ming Pao" news was well-chosen, fresh and lively, and the editorial and police policies were strong. What he admired most It is because it can adhere to the unique ideals of China Newspaper people without flattering the world.In his view, "Ming Pao" can generally represent the "social conscience" of most overseas Chinese, especially intellectuals. In 1986, according to the reader survey conducted by the Hong Kong Information Department, the circulation of "Ming Pao" ranked third in Hong Kong. Among the population of 4.594 million, "Ming Pao" readers reached 423,000, accounting for 9% of the total population.11 large newspapers are published every day, with more than 40 layouts, and they are printed in color. Every Sunday, a large "Sunday Color Newspaper" is sent, and the American version is also faxed by satellite. According to statistics in 1988, among the 43 daily newspapers in Hong Kong (including 41 Chinese newspapers and 2 English newspapers), "Ming Pao" ranked third in the number of readers, circulation, and advertising revenue (after the popular "Oriental Daily" " "Sing Pao"), "Ming Pao Weekly" ranks first in the top ten weekly magazines in terms of circulation and advertising revenue.The population of Hong Kong increased from more than 2 million to more than 5 million in the 1990s, and the circulation of "Ming Pao" usually remained at one-fiftieth to one-twentieth of the population. Jin Yong is very proud of the readers of "Ming Pao" and often mentions it. On May 20, 1970, the anniversary day, which coincided with the last day of the 19th Annual Conference of the International Press Association held in Hong Kong, he said proudly in the editorial "We Have the 'Best' Readers", "We do not It is not the newspaper with the largest number of sales, the most advertisements, the longest history, and the most comprehensive content, but our readers have the 'highest average quality', which is fully confident." By 1986, Jin Yong was not satisfied with the existing circulation of "Ming Pao", and wanted to expand on the basis of intellectual newspapers, "Readers are like a pyramid, and the so-called intellectuals are only at the top of the pyramid. What we have to do It’s the mass of readers down there.”He appointed Wang Shiyu, added color pages to "Ming Pao", and published "Ming Hong Edition" every Sunday, which is one of the measures. Ouyang Bi saw Wang Shiyu respectful to Jin Yong in his office on the seventh floor. When Wang left, Jin Yong said with a smile: "This Mr. Wang is very daring to speak. He is not as afraid of offending others as Mr. Pan (Yuesheng). If we want to reform the newspaper, we must use someone like him." Ouyang suddenly understood that the reason why she was used to check the newspaper was because she had not been in the newspaper office for a long time, and no one knew her, so she could work "back to back".Appointing Wang is also to let him reform the newspaper.She lamented that the boss is a master of Go.But the boss also has the helplessness of the boss. Although he announced Wang Shiyu as the editor-in-chief of "Ming Pao", he did not write a note saying that Pan was no longer the editor-in-chief.The editor-in-chief of the editorial department on the ninth floor still sits at the desk of Pan Yuesheng, the hero of the entrepreneur. Wang has no way to replace him. The editors of each edition still show Pan the completed samples according to the habit. Pan handles the samples as before, and there seems to be nothing. happened before.Since the ninth floor couldn't go up, Wang Shiyu found a place to work on the fifth floor and started editing the "Minghong Edition" on Sunday. The "Minghong Edition" printed on colored chalk paper has sexy star photos on one side of the page, and advertisements and lifestyle content on the other side, which is included with the newspaper.There are many migrant workers who stick newspapers on their bedsides and can change one every week.For this reason, Ming Pao Building set up a studio on the sixth floor, inviting female stars to take pictures. The manuscripts and beautiful pictures of the "Slim Edition" (women's edition) and the "Consumer Edition" must support the "Minghong Edition". Whether the circulation of "Ming Pao" has increased because of this is hard to say, but Jin Yong seems very happy.However, the newspaper office receives calls or letters almost every day, asking why Ming Pao changed its editorial policy, took a sexy line, and so on.There are even schools that do not want students to be "spiritually polluted" and protest by unsubscribing.He had no choice but to explain to his subordinates: "Running newspapers is just like doing other businesses. It's a business. You can't just pretend to be high-spirited and high-spirited!" It was also at this time that he realized that there were drawbacks in long-term family-style management. He needed to introduce an institutionalized track, improve and establish welfare, retirement, vacation, and office systems, and successively set up editorial committees and administrative committees.He reused Margaret Ng because he also wanted to reform, and hoped that she would turn "Ming Pao" into "the best Chinese newspaper in the world".But when the reform touched the elders like Pan Yuesheng and Long Guoyun, it couldn't go on.From December 1987, she served as the superintendent of "Ming Pao", until 1990, her reforms could only end in failure.But she said: "...in Ming Pao, expressing opinions is also unscrupulous. I have always received encouragement and preferential treatment. My 'foreign temper' is not in line with traditional Chinese habits. Mr. Cha has never expressed any dissatisfaction. … There are so many things about him that I admire deeply.” In 1986, the Ming Pao Publishing Department developed into Ming Pao Publishing House (Ming Chuang Publishing House is a subsidiary company, and Ming He She Publishing Co., Ltd. was independently founded by Jin Yong. It mainly publishes Jin Yong’s martial arts novels and has nothing to do with Ming Pao Group). One book is written by Ni Kuang (Wesley), martial arts novels by Jin Yong, Wen Ruian, etc., science fiction by Ni Kuang, detective novels by Christie, essays by peasant women, prose by Zhang Junmo, and poetry collections by Cai Yanpei. Cui Ming Holiday Co., Ltd. (travel agency), which was established in 1987, specializes in tourism business in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. By 1991, the turnover was 190 million Hong Kong dollars. "Ming Pao" became Ming Pao Group Co., Ltd. Ouyang Bi, a careful female editor, discovered the changes in the envelopes and letterheads. They used to be in black and white, with "Ming Pao Co., Ltd." printed in Chinese and English and the address. It was very simple, like a village with plain faces. aunt.After the establishment of the group, the envelopes and letterheads were changed to light yellow, and the paper quality was also higher than before. The specially designed Ming Pao logo was embedded in red and yellow, like a red sun and a moon.The boss also has special envelopes and letterheads, one is printed under "Ming Pao Group Co., Ltd. (Chinese and English) and the logo, English LOUISCHA is printed, and there is a line of English small words Chairman & Publisher below", and the other is only in English: LOUISCHA, the following is The address of Ming Pao in English.She guessed that the boss likes gold and red, and the lower end of the envelope and the upper end of the letterhead are printed with gold and red lines for decoration. His office is dominated by these two colors. Jin Yong's English name is Louis Cha, and the international press is no stranger to him, calling him "Dr. Cha (tea)", but he doesn't know that Cha actually has to read Zha. Inside "Ming Pao", whether it is the editor-in-chief or the workers in the typesetting room, everyone calls him "Cha Sheng" or "Mr. Cha". Call him "Boss Cha".He himself called the agency and called himself "Mr. Cha". Dong Qiao said: "I followed Mr. Zha in magazines and newspapers for so many years... The most practical things I learned from Mr. Zha were his skills in news writing and commenting, and his professional attention to editors and editors. Respect and tolerance. He often said that is what he learned from practice." Jin Yong said that he respected everyone working in the newspaper as a guest, and was not good at supervising and supervising the leaders. Therefore, the internal atmosphere of "Ming Pao" was very harmonious, but it was unavoidably loose and free.People who have worked at Ming Pao rarely see him lose his temper. He usually doesn't talk much, and his emotions are not displayed. The square face with Chinese characters gives people a serious and dull feeling.In Ouyang Biyan's eyes, he is a typical Jiangnan face, with a smile when he speaks.No matter what he said, he always had a smiling face.However, just laugh, he will do his best to overcome all difficulties to achieve what he wants to do.People who don't like him call him "Smiling Tiger" behind his back. He laughed, his eyes were connected into a line, and his square Chinese characters had a solemn and reserved expression on his face.Someone said, "It's fine if he doesn't speak, but when he speaks, he speaks very fast and airtight, obviously quick and active in thinking."In fact, people who are familiar with him say that he is not good at eloquence, not the kind of eloquent person, which forms a clear contrast with his good writing.Daisaku Ikeda, with whom he had many conversations, described him as "simple and reticent."Ni Kuang said that he never spoke much, neither Cantonese nor Mandarin. "He speaks very slowly, as if he has to think carefully about every word and every sentence before he speaks. Sometimes, when he is asked urgently, he will blush and be speechless for a long time, which really makes others worry for him. "Shen Xicheng left such a deep impression when he first met Jin Yong at a symposium in 1975. In charge of the huge Ming Pao Group, he has another brilliant idea. He likes to use a pen instead of a pen to write notes when he wants to explain to the staff what to do, what instructions or opinions they have, or to exchange opinions with the author. His notes are usually written on Mingpao's memo, and there is a fixed format, the first item is Mr. or Brother, and then lists the things to be done or explained. If there are more than one thing, the number will be marked, and the details will be detailed one by one. For example, the subparagraph often only signs the word "check" and the date.Sometimes there are engraved words "President's opinion please circulate" on it, and then sent to the editors of each edition.His characters are very similar to Thin Gold, with clear strokes and neat and neat strokes. They are the most popular fonts in typesetting rooms, and they are as meticulous as his character. In April 1986, Ouyang Bi was ordered to do the quality inspection work of "Ming Pao", which was to check the quality of the newspaper and compare the gap with newspapers such as "Oriental Daily" and "Sheng Pao". Jin Yong explained the specific work through such notes, including various typos, wrong titles, handling of the same news, comparison of pros and cons, etc.On the written inspection report she submitted, he would also use a red pen to write comments in the blank space. Every "red-approved" report must be passed on to the editor-in-chief, deputy editor-in-chief, and editors of each edition. All must be signed.Because the editorial department was resistant to newspaper censorship, the effect was minimal for a period of time, and he was not very happy. In August of that year, he issued a note: Ms. Ouyang is a full-time staff employed by this newspaper to check the layout of the daily newspaper.The report she inspected was reviewed by me in detail, and any errors or inadequacies were corrected by me.However, the editorial department seems to have little response to this, and the mistakes after pointing out are still repeated again and again, which is disappointing. If you disagree with her "inspection" or your opinion, please feel free to raise it, which is better than ignoring it, or even ignoring it. On December 27, 1990, he gave Dong Qiao and others a note: Jin Yong's note He also added: "You can use 'if', 'if', 'if', but not 'ruoguo'. This is a habit, and there is no reason to say it." Although the tone of voice was polite, it was non-negotiable, and it was a kind of instruction. This could be regarded as Jin Yong's characteristic "reporting with notes". Jin Yong also likes to write notes even if he asks for a columnist. Li Wenyong once received a note from Jin Yong inviting him to write a novel for the supplement of "Ming Pao". It is impossible to count exactly how many notes Jin Yong sent in "Ming Pao" in the past few decades. The number must be quite astonishing. First-hand live information.He used notes to manage the affairs of the newspaper, and the huge Ming Pao Group grew up under his notes. He said: "I manage "Ming Pao" is actually very authoritarian, I pick up the manuscript to change, from the beginning to the end." Shen Baoxin always listened to him. "I am the main investor in Hong Kong's "Ming Pao", owning 80% of the newspaper's shares. The other shareholder, Mr. Shen, who owns 20%, is my old schoolmate when I was in middle school in Zhejiang. We are good friends. My friend, he never objected to my opinions. I am the chairman, president, editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief, editorial writer, and everything is said and done without discussion.” One of his advantages is high efficiency and quick response. The editorial department called his home in the afternoon: "Mr. Cha, the assassination of President Kennedy of the United States, how should we react?" He replied on the phone: "Immediate publication In addition, both the comments and the news condemn political terror." "But we oppose the Vietnam War!" "That's two different things. The United States still opposes the Vietnam War. But it opposes the assassination of Kennedy. Whoever has a US visa, book a ticket immediately Go to Washington for an interview." "Okay. XXX has a visa." "Send him there. Tell him to answer the phone, and I will tell him how to interview." Jin Yong said, "Newspapers are the boss's personal weapon... Press freedom is actually the freedom enjoyed by journalistic bosses, and ordinary journalists must obey their bosses." In the 1980s, other editorial writers of "Ming Pao" did not agree with him on the arrangement of Hong Kong's future political system, but his position must be taken care of. "Ming Pao" mainly can only reflect his position because he is the boss.In his opinion, “press freedom is something newspaper employees strive for outside, not inside. Inside a newspaper, there is only the relationship between employers and employees, and there is no relationship between who is fighting for freedom from whom.” "When I was in charge of Ming Pao, I had a different view on the issue of direct election or indirect election of the chief executive after Hong Kong's handover. He resisted passively and I did not immediately fire him, but kept his post. , but don’t let him handle the actual work, and replace it with an obedient person.” But Jin Yong reserved a "special zone" for the cartoonist Zunzi, where Zunzi could satirize and criticize his views on the future of Hong Kong. Cha Liangyong speaks in a gentle manner, but his personality can be said to be more rigid than soft, stronger than weak.The Ming Pao series is his kingdom, his style is a bit like an emperor, he is always courteous and considerate, but it is impossible to influence his decision in the slightest. He is a man of power by nature.In his kingdom, no one can escape from his Wuzhishan. He set a precedent for literati running a newspaper that not only did not fail, but was also extremely successful. ... This is what Ming Pao columnist Lin Yanni said.Huang Shuang also said that Jin Yong was "very authoritarian and not democratic at all". Li Wenyong, another columnist for "Ming Pao", said: "Jin Yong's surface is unsmiling, indifferent and solemn, and he has a face that is not angry and majestic, so that when his subordinates see him, they are silent. "Ming Pao" There are more than a hundred employees in the organization, and they all call him "Master" behind their backs." Once Li Wenyong went to Jin Yong's office with a senior female employee of "Ming Pao", and saw the female employee carefully "sit sideways" down.In fact, he never scolded his subordinates, not even in a harsh tone.Ouyang Bi saw with his own eyes in Jin Yong's office that Wang Shiyu, who was appointed as the editor-in-chief of "Ming Pao", talked with him in Shanghai dialect, and treated him with respect. No matter what he said, he would nod his head and reply very positively: "Yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes." Wu Margaret, who worked under him for nearly five years, said, "I am very afraid of him." When she was the supervisor of "Ming Pao" and wanted to reform the high-level personnel, Jin Yong was very dissatisfied with her , thinking that she "has great ambitions and wants to monopolize Ming Pao".They also have sharp differences in the debate over Hong Kong. In August 1975, Jin Yong said to the outside world: "Personally, I am not very interested in running industry and commerce. I mainly like reading and writing. I am often troubled by too much administrative work, and I always try to reduce the work in this area." "What's more, the development of "Ming Pao" has been on track so far, and the employees of various departments are also very cooperative. The manager in Hong Kong, Mr. Shen, is very capable. He is in charge of all the work of the management department. I never interfere with his decision. . . and buy more time Come to read and write, such as writing a daily 'social commentary'." In fact, Jin Yong is very careful about some things, even the work of the compositing room has to be personally inquired about. Perhaps the past of the version being changed during the "May Storm" is still deep in his memory. "Ming Pao" also had to go through him when it hired columnists for the supplement. Not only the editor of the supplement, but also the editor-in-chief had no right to make decisions, all had to be approved by him.He was in charge of soliciting manuscripts, organizing manuscripts, and even revising manuscripts. Sometimes he even changed the entire manuscript, which caused protests from the authors.Lin Yanni recalled, "In the past, all the manuscripts for Ming Pao's supplement were selected by him, and the boss of the supplement did not have the right to order manuscripts."Supplement editors only play the role of urging manuscripts, clearing samples and proofreading, and will not delete or modify the author's manuscript, nor will they take the initiative to contact the author, which is equivalent to advanced proofreading. Cai Yanpei, a poet who joined Ming Pao in 1966 and served as the editor of the supplement for a long time, was nicknamed "Cai Xiaoshu" for this reason.Ni Kuang said: "Zha Liangyong regards his "Ming Pao" as his life and treasure, especially the supplement. He has been clinging to it for a long time." Jin Yong told Ouyang Bi: "Supplement is the soul of a newspaper. Hong Kong News and International Telecom are similar, but if the supplement is well done, that newspaper will be different." Those who were originally editors of supplements took supplements very seriously, and even came to catch them in person. They not only formulated five-character mantras ("short", "interesting", "near", "quick" (later changed to "things"), "pictures"), "Twenty-Four Character Jue" ("Novelty and interesting first choice, facts speak louder than words, don't like to sigh, brag about others and shoot hoops" twenty-four characters), and the handwriting is pasted on the editorial department of the supplement. Jin Yong's "five-character mantra" is regarded as a secret that should not be passed on. On October 20, 1988, he wrote a note to all the editors in the editorial department, "Only the supplement relies on external manuscripts and is not completely under the editor's control", reiterating the policy of "lively and attractive", and at the same time reminding them to pay attention to: When contacting the authors, you can only tell us your hopes and requirements, and you cannot reveal all the contents of the original text of our policy. Therefore, it is a major business of this newspaper and cannot be known to competitors. "Ming Pao" has a "Ming Window Xiaozha" column. Many editorial guidelines and policies are often revealed here under the name of "Xu Huizhi" (mainly written by him) if they do not want to announce them too formally. Jin Yong is also very concerned about columnists writing columns in other newspapers, and he does not want the author to appear in other newspapers with the same pseudonym. "Ming Pao" staff must obtain his consent if they want to write columns or act as hosts in other media. In 1988, Ouyang Bi was invited by the "Sing Tao Evening News" to open a column and report to him. He wrote a note saying: "I agree, the general principle is that it is best not to use the same pen name as "Ming Pao". If it has already been used, it is fine." Ming Pao employees can write to Jin Yong directly if they have any comments on the newspaper. If a reporter’s manuscript is edited by the page editor, they will write to him. If an editor wants a salary increase, they will write to him, and if they resign, they will also find him.There will also be people who report to him, saying that a certain person scolded him behind his back in the newspaper office.He is very clear, "All the people in "Ming Pao" only listen to me, which can be said to be a success or a failure." After "Ming Pao" changed ownership for the second time, Malaysian newspaper tycoon Zhang Xiaoqing once sincerely invited Jin Yong to come out as honorary chairman. He asked for actual command power, but some people didn't like it, so he had to give up. Some people say that "Ming Pao" is Hong Kong's "model of successful literati running a newspaper" in the second half of the 20th century. Jin Yong said: When literati run newspapers, it is good for literati to organize editors and interviews, but running a newspaper is mainly the work of entrepreneurs, which is relatively difficult. For literati, they will not do it. ...management of a newspaper is quite difficult and requires talents from all walks of life.It is very difficult to run a newspaper for Chinese literature alone. …Hong Kong society is a very commercial society. Those who study Chinese literature and Western literature naturally receive the influence of industry and commerce. These literati are no longer simple literati in Hong Kong society. They also have knowledge of industry, commerce and business management, so It is more likely that literati in Hong Kong will run newspapers. In 1970, Ming Pao published 2.5 sheets a day, in 1980 it produced 5 to 6 sheets, and in 1990 it exceeded 10 sheets.Regarding the success of "Ming Pao", Jin Yong said: "I think, what makes me successful is that I like to think, don't stick to the rules, and when I encounter difficulties, I usually find a solution quickly. However, I am not a person who can do big business. People who do big business attach great importance to money and are very interested in making money, but I am often confused about this.” In fact, he is not “ignorant” at all, but very shrewd.对金钱非但不是没有兴趣，而且非常在意，甚至可以说锱铢必较，他在《明报》内部一直被视为“很抠门的老板”。 在《明报》工作多年的吴霭仪评说金庸武侠小说中的人物视钱财如粪土时，这样说：“现代的现实生活不容许我们一掷千金，办报的金庸恐怕不会赞成手下当报社资产的钱财如粪土。经营一家成功的报社，金庸自然很知道钱银的用途。”金庸也说过，“办报纸，不能过分浪漫”。这句话背后包含了对每一分钱的在乎，《明报》曾经历早期极为艰苦的岁月，即使后来财源广进，他也厉行节约，甚至到了“抠门”的程度。“我办报办了几十年，对于一磅白报纸的价格、一平方英寸广告的收费、一位职工的薪金和退休金、一篇文章的字数和稿费等，长期来小心计算，决不随便放松，为了使企业成功，非这样不可。”林燕妮说，“很多人认为文人办企业，易流于情绪化，不会精打细算。查良镛却不，说了不能加薪便不加薪”。他的精明不仅表现在办报上，1982年1月14日，沈西城有意把和译成日文，他表示很是欢迎，寄上样书，并写了一封信： 惟须声明者，此项授权，以译文发表于日本杂志者为限，将来如出版单行本条件另议，因弟另有出版全套日译本之计划，将来再行商议。吾兄译文如为日本读者接受，可进行出单行本。 小时候，父亲的“没用”给他留下刻骨铭心的阴影，覆盖了他的一生。“我年纪很小的时候，十三四岁就觉得父亲没用。”他的精明正是对父亲“没用”的反拨。 《明报》员工批评金庸，可以高薪聘请新员工，但老员工的工资偏低，从来没有大幅加薪，以至新老员工的工资差距很大。有些老员工因生活负担重等原因，不得不离开《明报》，另找工作。所以有人说，金庸一直强调的《明报》从不“炒人”是事实，但员工忍受不了低工资会自动离职，不需要他主动“炒人”。他的解释是，《明报》是一家有地位、工作环境稳定的大机构，员工工资虽较低，总比在一家工资较高，但工作环境不稳定的机构工作，随时可能面临倒闭要好。他有一次公开说：“明报有四百员工，每人加一百，一年就是几十万。”在他看来办报纸完全不同于写武侠小说，而是一项十分实际的事业。他对《明报》员工一直实行“微薪制”。他对人说，“在《明报》工作是他们的光荣，不用给他们高人工，他们也会排队来《明报》工作”。 自60年代中期《明报》在报界崛起，有过《明报》工作经历的人的确会身价大增。许多在《明报》工作过的职员离开之后，开创事业多能独当一面，香港报界今天一些头面人物如董桥、《信报》社长林行止、《东方日报》主笔陶杰等，都在《明报》担任过重要职务。 雷伟坡受命主编《明报周刊》之前说，“罗素说人生两大欲求不外乎名与利，我说名可以不在乎，利我可是需要的”。金庸说：“好，那你就多拿一份薪水，给我编《明报周刊》吧！”亦舒听说雷年薪五百万，潘粤生也对雷说，听说“明周”出一本你拿多少多少。雷说，这都是误会。但优待他倒是事实。由于长期操劳过度，他不幸积劳成疾，患了TB骨（肺痨菌入骨），不得不到台湾治病，在荣民医院养病一年多，每月的工资照发。他回到香港，金庸请他继续主持“明周”，考虑到他的身体状况，准许他一星期只上一两天班，平时可以在家通过电话遥控编务，另外还给他大幅度加工资，他被称为“遥控总编辑”。有人间金庸为什么如此厚待他，得到的回答是：“因为他是一个难得的人才。” 1979年12月，在主编了156期“明月”之后，胡菊人提交了辞职信。那年，《台湾日报》老板傅朝枢因与台湾当局意见不一，报纸被当局买下，傅于是抽调资金，到香港和美国另谋发展，要在香港新办一份《中报》，看中了胡菊人，以月薪万元力邀他出任社长兼总编辑，当时他在“明月”的月薪是4700元。更吸引他的是对方称还要办晚报、周刊、月刊，整个“非常庞大”的新事业都由他全权负责。最打动他的并不是这些。《明报》虽好，却不是他理想中的报纸，他有鲁迅情结，想拯救一代青年，认为报纸应该承担这个责任。傅朝枢听了他的理想，立即答应了：“胡菊人，我就是想办这种报纸。” 金庸再三挽留，但胡菊人去意已决，怕自己过了50岁没有勇气接受任何新挑战，这是一次难得的机会。 金庸举行相当隆重的欢送会，送胡菊人黄金劳力士手表。最令胡感动的是临别赠言，他们在马会餐厅，金庸难得地也喝了酒，用非常诚恳的态度和言辞来挽留他。当知道他必然离去的时候，金庸给了他三个忠告： 第一点，菊人兄，你要知道，人的性格是个个不同的，你将来到那边工作，他们家庭成员当然要来管事，同时，在你下面还有很多人要管，人的个性既然人人不同，那么就算有人当面对你发脾气，拍桌子，你也要忍耐，不要动怒。 第二点，报纸杂志的销路，是有起有伏的，如果销路下跌，你也不要忧心，只要冷静去做就是了。 第三点，你要知道，办报难免时时接到律师信，就算打官司，你也不必惊慌。 那一天是星期天，金庸的司机放假，他们叫了一辆计程车，菊人送金庸回家。在路过天后庙道的半途上，他们并排在后座上坐着，一时竟缄默了，好像从那一刻起，各走各路，心中颇为黯然。金庸忽然打破沉默，说：“菊人兄，我们共事这么久，就算是此刻死了，也是值得的。”菊人答：“是呀，十多年来，查兄你不用与我说一句话，而我也不必向查兄征问一句话，就把《明报月刊》编得相当出色，这是非常难得的！” 菊人辞职，金庸立即宣布所有员工都获得加薪，并设宴慰劳。大家见他如此诚意，都不忍在这时离开，所以没有人跟菊人走。 菊人的离开确实令金庸心痛，事起仓促，一时找不到合适的人接替，他重新出马，亲自主编了两期。“胡菊人兄和我们是在十分友好的情况下分手的。……这十三年中，他辛勤的努力，使得《明报月刊》成为海外华人社会中一本极有影响力的刊物，中国内地和台湾的政治领袖与学人，也有不少人是本刊的读者。” 金庸请了董桥，从1980年第3期开始接手，在“明月”工作近三十年的黄俊东说，“明月”换一个主编，便会出现另一种风格，“查先生除了总是给予一个月刊立场原则的锦囊之外，便任由主编发挥”。 1980年2月27日，傅朝枢出资的《中报》创刊，胡菊人任总编辑，陆铿任总主笔，接着又创办了《中报月刊》，但仅一年，他们即双双离开。那三点忠告，胡菊人都未能遵守，所说之事一一都应验了。1981年6月1日，胡菊人和陆铿以补偿费共同创办了《百姓》半月刊。金庸对胡始终念念不忘，有一年圣诞节前，他在尖东一家酒楼宴请台湾女作家三毛，得知胡菊人就在附近一个酒会，连忙通过李文庸（慕容公子）邀来挚谈，诚意拳拳。 有“香江第一才女”之称的吴霭仪，每周在《南华早报》写英文政论，引起金庸的注意。他们同是廉政公署一个咨询委员会的委员，金庸是这个委员会的召集人，觉得她的发言言简意赅，三言两语就说到问题中心。吴霭仪1984年被他请到《明报》工作，1985年要到英国剑桥大学攻读法律。1986年7月又应他力邀重回《明报》任副总编辑，1987年9月，她又离开三个月，继续剑桥的学业，《明报》不仅为她保留职位，还一直给她发工资。 在为《明报》工作过六年的欧阳碧眼中，金庸是个“富有人情味的老板”。1990年夏天她要辞职前往美国读书，辞职信交给了总编辑董桥，金庸请她到七楼办公室，挽留她，知她去意已定，也就不留了，只是说：“这样吧，你在副刊上的专栏，我为你保留下来，一直到你回来，每个月的稿费还可以帮补你在那边的生活。”最后还说了一句令她感动的话：“你到了美国之后，在那里实在生活不下去，我们还是欢迎你回来，你随时回来，《明报》随时欢迎你。”想不到他一年后就要卖掉《明报》。金庸说： 我薪水也出得不比别人高。可能是因为和我一起工作比较愉快，我对人家客客气气，没有老板架子，不会骂人家，当别人好朋友，所以工作环境比较好。 与其他大报相比，《明报》工资低，福利薄，这是《明报》员工从编辑、记者、校对到排字房、机房工人的同感。他们对《明报》最不满的地方，就是工资加得少，连退休金都“缩水”。金庸在1979年表示，十分赞成报酬高的明星制度，不过他认为记者太出风头也不好，一旦成了名记者，就容易给别人挖走了。 《明报》港闻版编辑黄陵是个老员工，做了十几年，因年龄关系到1980年提出退休，希望能安享晚年。金庸发了一笔数万元的退休金，黄陵表示不满，一气之下，找他交涉：“我的退休金应该不止这个数目。这笔钱我就不打算要，我会全部用来登报纸，在全港报纸登启事，声明黄陵在《明报》打工，现在退休了，只得数万元退休金，由于感激你，所以特别登报纸表扬！” 这事最后以金庸给黄陵补钱而了结。 1965年进《明报》的漫画家王司马，负责监督《明报》及所属出版机构的美术工作，为《明报》画了多年漫画，表现出色，金庸很欣赏他的漫画，武侠小说修订重版，指明要他设计封面和插画。金庸大部分小说的插图出自王司马手笔，他的插图常常有点写意色彩，比如的插图与其他小说插图的线描手法不大相同，有水墨画笔法，具有“文人气息”。他的稿费却一直没有加过，一个月只有三百元。有一天，他遇到倪匡，发了一点牢骚，倪匡答应替他去说。 见到金庸，倪匡先问王司马的漫画好不好，当金庸竖起大拇指夸王司马的漫画时，倪匡立马直入主题“应不应该加稿费”，金庸想也没想就回答：“应该！”倪匡说：“你知道他只有三百块一个月吗？”“这么少，不行，不行。他想加多少？”倪匡说：“一千五百元。”金庸有点犹豫：“这太多一点了吧！”“那你可以加多少？”他想了想：“一千二百元吧！”“多谢！多谢！”倪匡马上向他致敬。原来王司马本意只要求加到五百元。 事后金庸知道了，只是笑笑说：“一千二百元买王司马的画，还是太便宜了。”1983年，王司马因患恶性肿瘤去世，他闻讯流下了眼泪。王司马的殓葬费，全由他支付。出殡那天，亲自赶去扶灵，神情懊丧，就像死去的是自己的儿子一样。 1985年，“哈公怪论”风波发生后，许国（哈公）向金庸要求退休，金庸说无退休制度，也即是没有退休金。所以许国只能再“泡”下去。他们相识很早，金庸在《新晚报》工作时，许国常给《大公报》《新晚报》写稿，后来他们在长城电影公司共事过。1975年10月许国进入《明报》，负责明报出版部的工作，整理出版了金庸的全部武侠小说，最后一次校对（七校）是由许国逐字逐句校对的，许国在编排包装上也用了不少心，并为他的武侠小说打入台湾市场尽过力。董桥主编“明月”时，与许国在隔壁房间办公，“哈公写字画画刻图章，我经常去向他讨教，学到好多正道邪道的学问”。温瑞安小说的版权就是与许国谈的，“哈公精打细算，抽着烟斗，很有名土派头，脸上常带笑容，很易接近”。 许国在《谢谢各位的掌声论》中说，“可能是哈公得天独厚，三十几年从不生病，打一份牛工，可以二十四小时'全天候'服务，病假、事假、有薪假期全都没有拿过”，表示不满。 1986年11月，许国与金钟、许行筹办政论刊物《解放月报》。1987年1月8日，《解放月报》正式创刊前夕，金庸看到许国拟的创刊广告，有一句“遗失大批水货”，赶紧请到办公室谈了一下午。事后，许国告诉朋友，退休金已解决，月底办完移交手续，离开服务了十一年的《明报》。当年5月，许国突然病倒，住入广华医院，金庸第一个送去花篮。许国第二次紧急住院时，有人告诉金庸，他派许国在《明报》时的老助手吴志标关注病情发展，吴曾几次打电话向金钟询问病情。6月15日，许国病逝，当金钟、许行去《明报》找吴志标时，吴却以这天是公众假期为由避而不见。不止一人向金庸求助，希望他出任治丧会主任，并负担一笔丧事费用，他表示可以“考虑”。6月16日下午，在《明报》每周例行的高层会议上，金庸正式表示不宜出面，费用也不宜出，许国走时已给了一笔钱。他一表态，原先考虑参加治丧会的《明报》中高层人员纷纷退缩。除了“明月”总编辑张健波，只有《明报》中国消息版编辑李谷城留下，他是许国的同乡。有人以为金庸可能会来吊唁，但他终于没有来，只送了花圈。 操办许国丧事的朋友希望《明报》刊登的讣告能减免广告费，总编辑王世瑜表示，免收广告费不成问题，不过“这张报纸不是我的，要问过老板才能决定”。6月23日晚，他们得知金庸决定免收哈公讣告的广告费，两次四个广告本应收费共约一万多港币。 据说金庸一度嗜玩“沙蟹”，牌艺高明。《明报》创办早期，由于经济拮据，他每次给员工发工资后，就会邀请他们到家里玩“沙蟹”，然后将他们的钱逐一赢回来。后来《明报》业务蒸蒸日上，他就倒过来，设牌局让员工赢钱。逢年过节，他在家里招待员工，牌局是必有的娱乐，每次设牌局都是他做庄，一开始必定让员工通赢。这个惯例保持了多年，《明报》员工提起到他家玩牌，都非常兴奋。他家的常客董培新也说，金庸本性极活泼，喜欢热闹，他每周都在家中设牌局，邀请朋友们来打扑克，他牌技好，他们的钱都被他赢去了，他会请大家吃饭，还买礼物哄输钱的朋友开心。《明报》员工有急需，也会向他和沈宝新借钱，经理部的人向沈借，编辑部的向他借，一般他们都会爽快地答应。倪匡曾问过他：“你手上一定有不少借条，如何处理？”他回答：“放在哪里都不记得了！” 《明报》有个非常好的传统，就是报馆包办员工的膳食，到楼顶的有盖露台上吃工作餐，分文不收。沈西城给《明报》翻译日本报刊的文章，不是员工，也常去沾光，从没有人说过半句闲话。 金庸给作者的稿费一直很低，办报之初经济困难，后来经济状况好了，稿费也没提高多少。沈西城说1979年他给《东方日报》写稿，三个月的连载，每天七百五十字，稿费是1000元。但给《明报》翻译日本推理小说，每天八百字，稿费只有653元，比《东方日报》少了350元。 《明报》副刊的专栏地位高，香港不少专栏作家如张小娴、亦舒等都是从《明报》出的名。“七十年代作家能挤进《明报》副刊，代表着身份受肯定。”尽管稿酬低，仍然有很多作者给它写稿。当然，还是有人对《明报》稿费不满。林燕妮先是替简而清在《明报周刊》的专栏“顶档”而被发现，金庸称她的散文“充满了香水味儿”，是“现代最好的散文女作家”，她在《明报》开了“懒洋洋的下午”“粉红色的枕头”等专栏。开始她只写散文，雷伟坡建议她也写小说，金庸从旁鼓励。当她要求增加稿费时，金庸的回答是：“你那么爱花钱，加了又花掉，不加！” 另一位女作家亦舒也要金庸加稿费，他则回答：“你又不花钱的，加了稿费有什么用？”亦舒为此在她的专栏里“骂”他，说他刻薄“爬格子动物”。虽然文辞尖刻，但他看了，不仅不生气，还笑着说：“骂可以骂，稿照样登，稿费照样一点不加。”总之，说什么也不加稿费。亦舒的哥哥倪匡是金庸多年的至交，是《明报》最早的作者之一，也尝到过向他要求加稿费的滋味。一次他大宴亲朋时，倪匡突然发难：“老查，你的《明报》可真越办越好哪！”他谦恭地说：“哪里，哪里，都是大家的鼎力帮忙。”倪匡说：“听说《明报》一年赚好几千万，对吗？”他答：“一点点，一点点。”倪匡哈哈大笑说：“那么，我的稿费也该加一加了吧！”他连忙摆手说：“倪匡兄，我不跟你说了，我回去给你写信。”一听写信，最怕写信的倪匡就傻了眼，职业作家每个字都要赚稿费，而写信没有报酬，浪费笔墨，只有傻瓜才做。金庸却偏偏特别喜欢写信。倪匡说：“老查的耐性真是好，为了稿费，他可以写三四张纸，阐述《明报》的种种困难，文辞恳切，令你觉得要他加稿费，实在是你的一大罪过。”加稿费的事自然挡了回去。 许多人都说金庸吝啬。不过，对朋友，有时他也很慷慨。这一点倪匡的体会很深，有什么困难，他都会帮忙。有时倪匡等钱用，他就会预支版税给倪匡。这是倪匡跟明报出版部的人亲口说的。倪匡支版税，并不是小数目，通常都过十万。他从来没有皱过眉头，顶多带点劝告的口吻对倪匡说：“钱不要乱用啊！”倪匡说他是第一流的朋友，当年朋友们常在他家通宵达旦玩“沙蟹”，倪匡赌品很差，一次输急了，拍桌而去，到家还在生气，他立马来电，哄小孩一样哄，让倪匡汗颜。又一次输急了，说输的钱本来是准备买相机的，他立马以名牌相机相赠。不高兴时，倪匡在他面前说：“你是最够意思的朋友，也是最不够意思的老板。”意思说他稿费付得少，在场的温瑞安表示同感。 1981年开始以“石贝”的笔名给《明报》写了十年专栏的欧阳碧也说“稿酬十分之低”。 1973年陈若曦到香港，《尹县长》《归》等小说都在“明月”发表，中间发生了倒扣稿费的插曲，胡菊人按稿纸计酬，会计处却减去空格，视为“超支”，便在以后的稿费中扣除。为了“躲债”，他有几年没有给“明月”写稿。 1985年九十月间，“哈公怪论”起风波，许国罢写，读者函电交驰，金庸迫不得已叫潘粤生出面“挽回”，给许国加三倍稿费，因为他的稿费向来是倪匡的三分之一。潘老总承诺加到与倪匡同等待遇。

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