Zhou Pengfei admired the results of his designs, so when he went to the screen printing factory, he went with him.
He felt a sense of accomplishment for the first time when he saw the black and gold patterns printed on the bright red cloth.
It was an indescribable sense of satisfaction, like the daily practice and effort, the passion that persisted day and night regardless of the weather, finally bearing fruit.
Looking at the Z-shaped signature cleverly hidden among the patterns, Zhou Pengfei was filled with excitement. This was his first truly meaningful work! Twelve yuan—it sounded cheap, but it was his first affirmation of his future.
I have to thank my good partner Yang Yajing for this!
She could have hired professionals to design it; she could have avoided making the packaging multi-functional, saving money... She could have kept it all for herself without giving him a single penny...
Zhou Youcheng brought a sample box to his principal for confirmation, and the principal replied that he was satisfied. Not only was he satisfied, but he was also particularly surprised that the two children could come up with such a presentable year-end gift.
The red cloth wrapped around the gold box and tied into a pretty knot serves two purposes, avoiding the waste of flashy but impractical packaging.
This pattern is designed with a blend of traditional and modern styles. Whether you're an old-fashioned girl or a trendy lady, you'll love it.
Upon hearing that the Yang family was asking for only 8 yuan, the intellectual felt that such an artwork was being sold too cheaply. He handed 120 ten-yuan bills directly to Zhou Youcheng, instructing him to send the full amount to the Yang family.
"Didn't you say it was eight yuan a box? Did your principal give you too much?" Zhang Aijia counted the money and felt that the amount was not right.
"The principal said it's intellectual property, and he's willing to pay ten yuan a box to buy it. He even used trendy language, saying that this is a limited edition of just over a hundred cloths and gift boxes!" Zhou Youcheng smiled and told Zhang Aijia to put the money away.
"Oh! So it's all thanks to Zhou Pengfei?" Yang Yajing's eyes lit up. "Then we'd better hold onto this cash cow!"
"Yang Yajing!" Zhou Pengfei thought she was being greedy for money again.
"What's wrong! You don't want to split the money with me?" Yang Yajing winked at Zhou Pengfei.
"Huh?" Zhou Pengfei didn't expect Yang Yajing to say that. "What money are you talking about?"
“Of course, we’ll split the extra 240! Now listen to how pathetic that 12 yuan is! Here’s 120 yuan, and you’re not allowed to refuse any work in the future.” Yang Yajing pulled out 12 ten-yuan bills and stuffed them into Zhou Pengfei’s hands.
"One hundred...one hundred and twenty?" Zhou Pengfei was stunned as he looked at the amount in his hand, which was equivalent to what an adult could earn in half a month of hard work.
He's just a ten-year-old kid... and he earned money on his own? He drew a pattern and actually got 120 yuan?
"Hey! Stop daydreaming! Put the money away, we still have work to do!" Yang Yajing nudged Zhou Pengfei.
For the rest of the day, Zhou Pengfei helped fold paper boxes, wore gloves to apply mung bean paste, and wrote artistic fonts on cards... He was full of energy, wasn't he?
When the principal came to pick up the goods, he couldn't stop smiling as he looked at the van full of trendy items, feeling as if he was beaming with pride.
Absolutely! They've bribed all one hundred or so professors at the school and the twenty or so leaders at the Education Bureau! Their future is limitless!
After this whole ordeal was over, everything returned to its original calm.
Soon, the Spring Festival quietly arrived.
As in previous years, Yang Guohua would go to the post office to pick up a parcel before the Spring Festival. Yang Yajing would always receive a gift in the parcel, but she had never asked about it before.
But this time, she was curious.
"Dad, who sent this gift?"
“A distant relative, whose family is quite well-off,” Yang Guohua replied.
“A distant relative? Why does he only ever send gifts and never come to our house for the New Year?”
"Him? He lives in Hong Kong, so it's inconvenient for him."
"Hong Kong? We have relatives in Hong Kong?" Having lived two lives, this was the first time Yang Yajing had ever heard that her family had relatives in Hong Kong.
"Yes! He was still in Jincheng when you were born, and he immigrated later. He's a very accomplished uncle."
"What's his name?" Yang Yajing continued to ask curiously.
"Oh! His name is Xu Wenbin."
"Xu Wenbin?" Yang Yajing felt that the name sounded familiar, as if she had seen or heard it somewhere in her previous life, but she couldn't remember where.
It's only 1991 now, and her family doesn't even have a private phone, let alone computers and the internet—things that nobody has ever heard of! There's no way to investigate!
The World Wide Web was only invented in 1989, Google wasn't founded until 1998, and Baidu wouldn't be established until the new millennium!
For the first time after her rebirth, she missed her college colleague, the gossip queen, and her good friend, Yu Yue.
She thought, if Yu Yue were here, he would definitely know who Xu Wenbin is!
Since even someone as oblivious to the world around her has some impression of her, she must already be quite famous!
No longer thinking about who he was, Yang Yajing happily unwrapped her New Year's gift.
"Wow! It's a new album cassette tape by the Little Tigers! And Beyond too, Danny Chan! Dad! My distant relative is so awesome!" Yang Yajing boasted with a smile.
"Awesome? What kind of awesomeness?" This was another word that people in Jincheng didn't understand back then.
The Japanese loanword "Geili" only became popular in 2010, but its use nowadays is really baffling, isn't it?
"It just means very strong!" Yang Yajing explained.
"Oh! It must be quite strong." Yang Guohua nodded and turned the page.
Luckily, her dad didn't ask where she learned the word, otherwise how would she answer? She hadn't even figured out how to make up a story yet!
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