Chapter 174 Impossible
Xia Yuan's face froze as she left the government compound. She got on her bike and headed home without looking back. Shao Yunlu followed behind on her bike, Shao Yunhan in tow. Both of them felt a little uneasy.
They knew that their mother was really angry this time.
When Xia Yuan got home, she immediately threw everything on the coffee table to the floor. The clanging sound attracted the neighbors to look in. However, the door of the Shao family was tightly closed, so they had no idea what had happened.
In the room, Shao Yunlu and Shao Yunhan stood trembling in front of Xia Yuan, with their heads lowered and not daring to say a word.
Xia Yuan vented her anger, but the frustration in her heart did not subside at all. She took a few deep breaths, looked at the two sisters standing in front of her, and said, "Shao Yunlu, if you dare to show the expression of a common woman again, you will not be allowed to enter this house, and I will not care about you anymore."
Shao Yunlu pursed her lips and was silent for a while before saying, "I understand."
Xia Yuan was dissatisfied with her hesitant answer, but she didn't say anything else. She looked at Shao Yunhan and said, "You, come up with a new novel as soon as possible. I want to see the outline in a week."
"Mom, I..."
"You are not allowed to say you can't do it. Shao Yunhan, you are a child prodigy, you must be able to do it." Xia Yuan said coldly.
Shao Yunhan clenched her fist and nodded. She was an ordinary elementary school student. She had never encountered novels before. It was the novel written by that person called "Nian Dou Bao" that first exposed her to novels. She had just encountered it and was asked to write it again. She really didn't know how to write it.
But thinking of the glory her reputation as a child prodigy brought her, the envy of her classmates, and the praise from the adults around her, she decided to write no matter how difficult it was. After all, if she didn't write well, her mother would help her.
"Okay, go back to your rooms."
After hearing her words, the two sisters returned to their room. Xia Yuan narrowed her eyes and thought about how she had received more than 60,000 yuan in royalties from "Nian Dou Bao".
That's more than 60,000 yuan, and she felt heartbroken just thinking about it. When she first heard that "Nian Dou Bao" wanted royalties instead of payment, she laughed at her stupidity in her heart, but now it seems that she is the stupid one.
More than 60,000
Her monthly salary was only a little over 40 yuan, and Shao Yuhe's was also over 40 yuan. Their family income was nearly 90 yuan a month. In other words, if they didn't eat or drink, it would take them 60 years to save more than 60,000 yuan.
How could she not be jealous? If she had chosen to ask for royalties, she could have earned that much.
After squinting her eyes and thinking for a while, she got up and went to work. When she got to the office, she picked up the phone and called Director Wang of the People's Publishing House.
After the call was connected, she smiled and said, "Director Wang, you should have heard that 'Sticky Bean Dumplings' received over 60,000 yuan in royalties."
Wang Jicheng knew Xia Yuan would ask about this sooner or later, but he didn't expect her to find out now. He said, "I heard about it. 'Whose Childhood Wasn't Troubled' has a readership, so it's normal for it to sell well."
Xia Yuan sneered, "Director Wang, if I apply for royalties for my daughter's book now, it should be possible."
Wang Jicheng didn't expect Xia Yuan to make such an unreasonable request. He was silent for a moment and said, "Do you really want royalties?"
"Yes." Xia Yuan said.
"Well, if you choose to take royalties, let me do the math," Wang Jicheng wrote on a piece of paper, aloud: "The price of 'Childhood Troubles' is 2 yuan per copy. We've sold 3,000 copies so far, which is 6,000 yuan. Based on a royalty rate of 10%, that's 600 yuan. The original royalty you were paid was 3,271 yuan, so you should return us 2,671 yuan."
"Impossible!" Xia Yuan's voice was a little sharp, but after realizing it, she softened her tone and said, "How could 'Childhood Troubles' only sell 3,000 copies?"
"It's true that only 3,000 copies were sold," Wang Jicheng said. "That's because 'Whose Childhood Wasn't Troubled' was forced to be removed from the shelves."
"How could that be?" Xia Yuan absolutely didn't believe that her book couldn't sell as well as one written by a child.
"Editor Xia," Wang Jicheng chose to tell her the truth. "Your daughter's book 'Childhood Troubles' is indeed well-written, and the child is very talented, but the language isn't suitable for elementary school students. And the target audience for this book is elementary school students. Selling 3,000 copies in Kyoto is already quite good."
"Only sold in Kyoto? Don't you sell it in bookstores outside Kyoto?" Xia Yuan asked.
"Editor Xia," Wang Jicheng said helplessly, "After our trial in the Kyoto market, if the response wasn't good, there's no need to expand into markets outside of Beijing."
Xia Yuan was too embarrassed to say anything else, so she hung up the phone hastily. She angrily swept everything on her desk to the floor. After leaning on the table and breathing heavily for a while, she picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers, then a sinister smile appeared on her lips.
Gu Siqing naturally had no idea what was happening in Kyoto. The Gu family was busy installing telephones. After the supermarket opened, they would have to deal with product manufacturers frequently, so installing telephones was a must. Since they had to install them, Gu Jianguo decided to install three: one each for the supermarket, the clothing store, and the home.
But installing a telephone was incredibly expensive back then. One landline cost 3,000 yuan, and three phones cost nearly 10,000 yuan. Buying the supermarket building, renovating it, and adding the merchandise cost less than 20,000 yuan overall, with the telephones alone costing just under 10,000 yuan.
But since he had the money to buy the things he needed, Gu Jianguo naturally didn't feel bad about it. However, Wang Yueju nagged him a few times, saying that in the past, their family might not be able to save up 10,000 yuan in their entire lives.
Gu Siqing smiled and said, "This shows that my dad is capable. You made the right choice by marrying him."
Wang Yueju felt a little embarrassed by what her daughter said. She raised her hand and hit her lightly, saying, "I'll teach you how to be disrespectful."
Gu Jianguo laughed beside him, but he said modestly: "We have a good life, which is the result of our family's hard work."
Gu Siqing flattered him, "Your leadership is good."
Gu Jianguo was delighted by the photo. He patted her head and asked, "What do you want to do now?"
Gu Siqing chuckled, "After the phone is installed, let my second sister call Zhang Zijun and ask him to help see if there is a suitable house in Kyoto."
Gu Siqing originally wanted to buy a small house in Hai City, but she didn't know anyone there, so she decided to buy one in Kyoto. In fact, most houses bought nowadays are for investment, and the possibility of living in them is very small.
Decades later, the living conditions in high-end residential areas are much better than those in courtyard houses and small Western-style buildings, so as long as she can afford one, she will not be picky about courtyard houses or small Western-style buildings.
Gu Jianguo knew that his daughter was telling him that she might need the money soon, so he smiled and said, "As long as your money is for legitimate purposes, I will not hold back."
Gu Siqing secretly praised Comrade Gu Jianguo, saying that he was such an open-minded parent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
