Chapter 9: Making Money

Jiang Mi and Xiao Jiangbao were slurping on popsicles when they passed by an old locust tree. They saw a group of children playing in the mud. The boys were playing with tiles and the girls were playing house.

Xiao Jiangbao stood aside and couldn't walk anymore, he wanted to play.

The children also watched Xiao Jiangbao eating popsicles, and their mouths were watering with envy. It was so enviable to be able to eat a sweet and cool cream popsicle in such a hot day.

Jiang Mi grabbed a handful of melon seeds from her pocket and shared them with the children. After they finished eating the popsicles, Xiao Jiangbao joined the boys and played the tile-breaking game.

First, knead the mud into a small bowl shape. Then play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever wins gets to throw the mud first. The one who throws the mud the loudest and creates the biggest hole wins.

After a little boy won the game of rock-paper-scissors, he took his tiled house and threw it hard against the curb. The tiled house exploded with a loud bang, and a hole appeared in it, sending mud flying everywhere. Jiang Mi, who was watching nearby, raised the back of her hand to wipe the mud off her forehead and took a few steps back.

After everyone has finished throwing tiles, the loser has to help the winner patch up the holes. The more they win, the bigger the tile house will be, and the children's excitement will also increase.

It was the first time Jiang Mi saw children playing this kind of game, and it was quite fun.

She grabbed a handful of yellow mud from the wet ground by the roadside, rubbed it together, and kneaded it into a clay figurine. Her fingers were nimble, and she finished it quickly. She then made clothes out of leaves for the clay figurine, and the group of little girls were deeply shocked. "It's so beautiful, just like the real thing."

"Sister, you are so awesome!"

"Sister, you have such a clever hand."

Jiang Mi was quite happy to be admired by a group of children. She smiled and said, "Do you like any small animals?"

Several little girls each mentioned a small animal, and Jiang Mi helped to make a few small animals for the little girls. In her previous life, because of a play, she specially learned to make colored clay for a while. The complicated ones were difficult to make, but these simple clay figures and small animals were very easy to make.

The old lady who was sewing shoe soles next to her and chatting with her saw that she made it so realistically, and also praised Jiang Mi for her skillful hands.

Jiang Mi: "When I was in school, there was no one to play with, so I liked to think about these things. The more I thought about them, the better I got." As she spoke, she pinched a little tiger and gave it to Xiao Jiangbao.

Several boys who were playing the game stopped playing and gathered around, wanting the little animals too.

Jiang Mi: "Then you guys praise me, I'll be happy when I hear it, and then I'll be able to pinch anything."

A little boy started by praising: "Sister, your smile is so sweet. I want a lion. I've been to the zoo in the provincial capital. The lions are so majestic."

Xiao Jiang Bao: "Is the zoo fun?"

Little boy: "Of course it's fun, there are all kinds of animals!"

Jiang Mi: "In a few days, I will take you there to play."

Xiao Jiangbao was very happy.

Jiang Mi took the yellow clay handed to her by the little boy and began to mold a lion. After a while, a majestic lion appeared in her hands. She handed it to the little boy and asked, "Does it look like one?"

The boy loved it so much that he didn't dare to move it after receiving it, for fear of breaking it. "It looks like it, so much like it!"

Jiang Mi said to the other little boys, "What do you want? You can't use the words you used to praise them."

Children are relatively short of words to praise others, such as good heart, long hair, big eyes, bright smile, etc., but these sincere words are very happy. Jiang Mi fulfilled the children's wishes, and the children all got small animals.

The children were delighted and the old ladies were also happy. They asked her name and where she lived with a smile.

Jiang Mi told the truth and took the children to make small animals again. This time she taught them how to make them and also chatted with the old ladies. This place was closest to the textile factory and the children of the old ladies were basically all workers in the textile factory.

Jiang Mi knew a lot about the textile factory.

After playing for a long time, Jiang Mi was ready to leave with Xiao Jiang Bao. The children were reluctant to let her go and hoped that Jiang Mi would come to play again next time. Jiang Mi smiled and said, "That may be a long time later. I will go to the countryside to join the production team soon."

The children's eyes were filled with tears, and Jiang Mi took them to make bicycles and cars, which made the children laugh.

Jiang Mi pinched the little girl's cheek and said, "She looks better when she smiles."

After Jiang Mi left, an old lady rubbed her hair with a needle and said, "This little girl doesn't treat the child as a child. She is really lovable."

Jiang Mi took Xiao Jiangbao to the post office and sent the manuscript she had written yesterday to the People's Daily.

The letter to my older brother and sister has not been sent yet. After Jiang Ma prepares everything, she will add the list to the letter to prevent the things from getting lost during the mailing.

Before writing this story, Jiang Mi repeatedly researched newspaper articles from the era. Using a comedic approach, she recounts the heroic deeds of two young men from the textile factory's propaganda department, each of whom is a living example of a "Lei Feng" (likely referring to a hero or heroine). The villains are both silly and evil, evoking laughter. The victim, desperate to save his family's reputation, is heartbreakingly moving, with each episode punctuated by a thrilling and captivating plot. The ending, naturally, is a chastisement of the wicked and a reward for the righteous, with the victim transformed into a resilient and courageous character.

In the article, the Propaganda Department of Bin City Textile Factory was real, and everyone else used pseudonyms. At the end of the story, she noted in small print that the article was adapted from a true event, and thanked every living Lei Feng who bravely stepped forward to help others.

Jiang Mi felt that there should be no problem publishing this article in the People's Daily. If not, she would submit it to another publication.

After sending the letter, Jiang Mi thought about it and came up with a way to make money.

Write an article!

She's done so many movies, read so many scripts, and has a knack for storytelling. Combining the original owner's memories with this, she could create a story that fits this era.

The royalties in this era were still considerable, and could definitely allow her to live a very comfortable life.

She seemed to see all kinds of delicious food waving at her.

"Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roast duck, roast chicken, roast goose, braised pork, braised duck, braised chicken, bacon, pine flower, tripe, dried meat, sausage... just wait for me."

"Gudong", Xiao Jiangbao swallowed his saliva and looked up at Jiang Mi. Although he didn't know what these dishes were, he knew that they were all meat!

Jiang Mi smiled and said, "None of the above."

Xiao Jiangbao looked at Jiang Mi aggrievedly. Jiang Mi pinched his little face and said, "Go home for dinner."

When she got home, she saw Xu Lening squatting at the door. When she saw Jiang Mi, she complained, "Where have you been? My feet are numb from waiting so long."

Jiang Mi: "What does your numb feet have to do with me? Look, you've crumbled the stone at my door by squatting on it."

Xu Lening: "..." She looked down at the stone. There really was a rotten piece, but it must have been rotten to begin with. "My cousin and I will treat you to some hairy crabs at Xie Fu Ji."

Jiang Mi: Is there such a good thing?

She shook her head: "I won't go without any reward."

Xu Lening: "Thank you for helping me last time. If it weren't for you, I would still be in the dark. If I get married and find out that my husband and my friend are having an affair, I'll be sick to death."

Jiang Mi: "I'm not doing this entirely for you." She just wanted to break the gun that Jiang Shuyin was pointing at.

Xu Lening: "My mom said that if I knew about this before the engagement, my loss would be minimal. Sister Qiuhua must have already gone to Crab Fortune. Are you going or not?"

Jiang Mi: "Let me make it clear first, I don't have the money to take you back."

Xu Lening: "I know you are poor!"

Jiang Mi and Xiao Jiangbao did not go home either. They followed Xu Lening to Xie Fu Ji. Along the way, Xu Lening would sneak a peek at Jiang Mi from time to time.

Jiang Mi: "What do you want to say?"

Xu Lening: "You are quite good-looking, just a little thin and short. Why did I think you were so ugly before?"

Jiang Mi: "I don't have any pimples on my face anymore, it will definitely look better."

Xu Lening said seriously: "It's not just acne, it's a feeling! Before, even if I didn't look at your face, I still thought you were very ugly. Now, even if I don't look at your face, I still think you're beautiful."

Jiang Mi: "I allow you to shut up." She pondered in her heart, could it be that the core of this body had been replaced?

When they arrived at Xie Fu Ji, Wang Qiuhua sat at a table by the window and waved to Jiang Mi and the other two. She was very enthusiastic towards Jiang Mi and said that Jiang Mi's skin was getting better and better and she was getting more beautiful every day.

Wang Qiuhua took Xu Lening to Jiang Shuyin's and Yan Haoyang's homes to cry yesterday, and was unanimously praised by the elders.

Last night, the old man of the Yan family brought the disappointing Yan Haoyang to the Xu family to apologize. The Xu family entertained them politely, but also said that the original arranged marriage between the two families was cancelled, and the Xu family would not hinder Yan Haoyang from finding a partner.

Yan Haoyang couldn't hide his joy at that time, and Yan's father and mother looked really ugly. The older generations of the Yan and Xu families were powerful, but by Yan's father's generation, there were not many promising children. However, the Xu family was getting better and better. Xu's father was now very famous in the military region, and Xu Lening's uncle was now in the Beijing Military Region. He had unlimited prospects and was very promising.

The Yan family originally hoped to use this child marriage to win over the Xu family, so that they could raise Yan Haoyang in the future.

Mother Xu smiled and asked Yan Haoyang, "When are you planning to get engaged to that girl from the Jiang family?"

Yan Haoyang's face flushed with excitement. Just as he was about to answer, Yan's mother said, "We'll talk about this later."

Yan Haoyang was glared at by the old man of the Yan family and did not dare to respond.

The two families were polite to each other on the surface, putting the matter behind them. They both knew in their hearts that their relationship had become distant, and now they were only doing so for Mr. Yan's sake.

However, the Yan family has lost all face in the compound. Now when people mention Yan Haoyang, they will inevitably say "bed sheet".

Wang Qiuhua: "Mimi, eat more. My second aunt will pay for today's meal."

Xu Lening opened a hairy crab. She cut it apart very slowly, explaining to Xiao Jiangbao which parts were edible and which were not. After she finished, she handed the plate to Xiao Jiangbao: "Try it and see if it tastes good. If you're not used to it, I'll get you something else."

This extremely slow disassembly action was for Jiang Mi to see, as he was afraid that Jiang Mi had never eaten hairy crabs before and didn't know how to eat them.

Wang Qiuhua also helped Jiang Mi open a hairy crab.

Jiang Mi smiled and thanked the two of them. She was eating hairy crabs. The hairy crabs in July were full of crab roe, fresh and delicious. It was such a pleasure to be able to have a bite of them in the seventies.

Xiao Jiang Bao took a bite of the crab roe and his eyes lit up: "This is better than egg yolk."

Xu Lening: "As long as you like it, I'll have a crab roe bun and a bowl of crab meat porridge later." She looked at Jiang Mi: "Will Jiang Shuyin and Yan Haoyang get married? If they get married and live happily, I'll feel as sick as if I swallowed a fly!"

Jiang Mi: "A fly is still meat."

Xu Lening: "...Do you think they will get married?"

Jiang Mi opened another crab, this one was a male. She took a bite of the crab paste and said, "Delicious!" She said to Xu Lening, "Wouldn't it be better to lock up the scumbag and the bitch?"

Xu Lening glared: "!"

Wang Qiuhua: "I love hearing that! Girls always sound nice. But I feel bad that this scumbag and this bitch got away with it."

Jiang Shuyin's family conditions are relatively good. Her father is a clerk in a textile factory, her mother is a middle school teacher, and she has a pair of smart and cute twin brothers.

These are all plus points. If you can marry her and she can give birth to twins, that would be a great achievement.

Next, it is likely that the Yan family and the Jiang family will get engaged and get married quickly.

Jiang Mi: "With your conditions, you can find anyone else who is better than the one with the surname Yan. From now on, just listen to your parents. Their vision is better than yours."

Xu Lening was hit again. She gritted her teeth and said, "Eat more! I'll block your mouth."

After the meal, Xu Lening paid for the ticket and said, "Do you have anything to do this afternoon? I'll treat you to a movie."

Jiang Mi: "Don't watch the movie, I'll treat you to some wild vegetables."

Xu Lening: “???”