Chapter 79 The Little Fish Has Grown Taller, Royalties Set
Yao Xiaoyu, who recently got a haircut, is in a great mood—she's grown taller!
When she first arrived, she measured her height on the wall, and then shamelessly took a straw rope to a tailor shop to have it measured. Converted to modern units, excluding the centimeters, it was exactly 145 cm.
This figure wasn't considered bad in the Republic of China era. Nowadays, most women are between 1.4 and 1.5 meters tall, and men are between 1.5 and 1.6 meters tall. Those who can grow to 1.7 meters are already considered extremely tall. Moreover, this phenomenon is not limited to China; it is common all over the world.
At that time, people didn't particularly like to marry tall men. Firstly, they felt they were shorter than women and lost their so-called dignity; secondly, resources were limited, and if one man was taller than the other, the other would be shorter. There was even a saying: "Tall, big-handed, can't be subdued or beaten, wastes fabric for clothes, wastes food, really not good, not good!"
Yao Xiaoyu's height is just right for this era. If she doesn't grow any taller, she can be described as petite; if she grows a little taller, she can be described as well-proportioned.
But Yao Xiaoyu couldn't accept it!
Although her forehead wasn't level with a 1.8-meter-tall man in modern times, she wasn't exactly someone who could stand up and greet people. Now, not only has she become skinny, but she's also shrunk so much!
Forget about saying "it's easy to get married." In modern times, the most offensive insult without using any profanity is "Find a man and marry him!"
In this era of war and chaos, aside from all external factors, the most direct deterrent is physical strength. But while one can fake being strong by wearing thick clothes, one can't always wear 20-centimeter high heels!
After Yao Xiaoyu determined her height, she immediately became enthusiastic about growing taller. She ate and slept a lot, and every day she coaxed her period to come later, focusing all the nutrients she absorbed on her bones.
Even her recent haircutting spree was partly due to the feeling that long hair was thick and heavy, absorbing nutrients and stunting her growth.
The human body is a very familiar entity. Matter determines consciousness, but consciousness can also influence matter to some extent. Yao Xiaoyu had been fooling herself for a year, and although she hadn't gained much weight, she had indeed grown taller.
Although 155 cm isn't a huge number, she's still in her rapid growth phase before puberty. At 14, she's at the age where her bones are growing. As long as she takes good care of herself, reaching 170 cm isn't just a dream!
Yao Xiaoyu glanced at the new sign on the wall, which was a bit higher up, and decided that starting tomorrow, she would order some milk from the cheese shop every day, and also get some dried cheese that could be stored for a longer time. She also made sure to have beef, mutton, fish, shrimp and bone soup. She would just focus on getting bigger and stronger, and she would take care of the rest!
Dumplings should be eaten piping hot, and women should grow strong and healthy!
Capitalists were busy making money. Starting from when Yao Xiaoyu got her hair cut, in just over two weeks, Miao Youjin's publisher had already passed the screening stage and started signing contracts.
"New Moon Publishing House was founded in the last two years, but it has a very good reputation and is very sincere."
Yao Xiaoyu trusted Pi Kangxiu's judgment. After reviewing the contract and confirming that there were no loopholes, she nodded in agreement, signed her name, and pressed her fingerprint on the inkpad.
From then on, the first publication of Miao Youjin's story belonged to Xinyue. The first print run was 30,000 copies, priced at four cents, with a royalty of 15%. They were just waiting for Pi Kangxiu to send over the contract, and the royalty of more than a thousand yuan would be in their hands next time. Because the last royalty payment was delayed for too long, this time Yao Xiaoyu, as the seller, required that the royalty be paid in full within half a month of the contract signing.
"So many, will they be able to sell them all?"
Yao Xiaoyu asked with some curiosity, "In the Republic of China era, royalties were usually paid around the three festivals, based on actual sales. It was only because a small fish was so popular that they started paying in advance before selling the books. Now, they've even reversed the system, paying before the books are printed."
“They don’t just sell to Shanghai; they also ship to places like Suzhou and Beijing.”
Pi Kangxiu didn't mention that when they first signed the contract, they even wanted to print 50,000 copies at once, but they thought they needed to save some money to buy the follow-up from Miss Qiu, so they reduced the number. Yao Xiaoyu would get a share of the money for each book printed, and the smaller print run was real money. Saying it would only upset Yao Xiaoyu.
"That's good."
As Yao Xiaoyu sighed, she signed the contract for the second edition of Ding Xian's biography. The Kaiming Bookstore was once again tasked with publishing the book for the second time. This time, they planned to print 25,000 copies, with the price remaining the same, but the royalties were raised to 12%. It wasn't high, but it showed their sincerity, so Yao Xiaoyu agreed.
In Shanghai, royalties are generally between 10% and 25%, with a very few reaching 40%. However, those who offer high prices often have many requirements for authors. Yao Xiaoyu plans to keep the royalty rate for her books capped at 20% in the future, as a way to live a quiet life.
She just wanted to be a quiet writer, someone who didn't want any publicity.
After the contract was signed and the manuscript was approved, Yao Xiaoyu, as usual, took thirty silver dollars out and found a random driver to go to the Blind Box Restaurant and ordered a table. However, after eating so much good food, her taste buds had become more sensitive. Despite the abundance of delicious food on the table, Yao Xiaoyu only used the serving chopsticks to pick at the food at the beginning and then only reached for one meat dish and one vegetable dish.
The vegetarian dish was stir-fried pea shoots. I don't know where these pea shoots came from at this time of year. They were stir-fried with duck fat and turned a vibrant green. They were tender and refreshing to eat. The oil added fragrance but didn't stick to the vegetables, so they weren't greasy at all.
The meat dishes consist entirely of fresh river fish. The bones of the eels, which are all the same size, are removed, and only the meat is selected and cooked in a red oil sauce. Each piece of meat is the same size. According to the waiter, the eels are transported from Shandong, and the seasonings are of good quality from Guangdong. It is an ordinary dish that is served to both people from the north and south.
Yao Xiaoyu didn't care about any of that. After finishing her meal, she happily went home and went straight to sleep—one of the dishes was stewed in wine, and she got drunk from it.
After a few days of leisurely rest, Yao Xiaoyu, under the pseudonym Miss Qiu, finally published her article in Ta Kung Pao. "I've already bowed, what more do you want!" It spread throughout Shanghai. With her own efforts and highly satirical writing, she directly pulled down the Japanese who were gradually climbing over the Chinese people and trampled them underfoot.
In just three days, the perfectly enunciated "secret Marseille" spread throughout the streets and alleys, becoming a synonym for unrepentant. Parents, looking at their dirty son and hearing the words that made them want to slap him, silently raised the bamboo sticks they had bought not long ago.
According to insider rumors, Japanese officials were furious after seeing the article and raised the reward for Ms. Qiu's article. However, they also wanted to commission her to write more articles. The reason is simple: someone who can make the Japanese lose their temper can easily make other countries lose their temper as well.
The chain reaction of this article doesn't stop there: although the cultural scene is not entirely dominated by foreigners, due to various reasons, there is a trend of Westerners first, Japanese second, and Chinese third. But this does not mean that China is willing to be third. It's just that writers without rules are like soldiers without guns, but now the guns have arrived!
Within just a few days, newspapers and magazines were flooded with articles smearing Japan, covering various angles and topics. Some authors were vying for power and profit, while others were simply taking advantage of the situation to hurl insults. In any case, Japan's reputation began to plummet after Miss Catherine's letter was published...
Even the beggars on the street knew that the Japanese were rotten from head to toe, with pus flowing from their feet and sores on their heads. They were always up to no good in everything they did, and every word they spoke was malicious. The Japanese, whose situation in China was becoming increasingly precarious, were in even greater difficulty. Yao Xiaoyu didn't care about any of this.
What's that saying again? Their descendants have already paid the price for the people of this era!
Compared to before she arrived, when the Japanese ate Chinese food, stole Chinese guns, and earned Chinese money to buy bullets to fight Chinese people, the current treatment is really too lenient!
Before joining Zhonghua Bookstore, Yao Xiaoyu made a trip around Shanghai according to her own plan, and received Ms. Qiu's Miao Youjin and the envelope for the royalties of "Bowing", and also received Catherine's royalties - yes, in order not to attract attention, Yao Xiaoyu delayed until now to receive the money sent by David and Smith.
But it was all worth it. Fifty US dollars could be exchanged for two hundred silver dollars, and her royalties reached a new high—sixteen yuan per thousand words!
This payment is just too good to pass up. If this trick could be used more often, Yao Xiaoyu could make the entire Xisheng Daily only have her articles!
Unfortunately, this isn't a peaceful era, so it's better to keep a low profile.
Yao Xiaoyu carefully put away the bank draft, check, and remittance slip, circled the end-of-year date to prepare for unified redemption, and then peacefully completed her onboarding at Zhonghua Bookstore. Since she didn't need to do anything and her monthly salary was only one silver dollar, being able to read books was already the biggest perk.
Every day, I lazily get out of bed, leisurely eat breakfast, take my water bottle to the library of Zhonghua Bookstore, find a corner to spread out paper and pen, and write or read whenever I want. If it's too quiet, I can go out for a stroll anytime.
Peaceful and tranquil times always pass quickly, and before she knew it, it was the end of the month. As usual, Zhou Chunhua began to take stock of the accounts, and after a while, her brows finally relaxed.
Yao Xiaoyu's monthly salary of ten yuan is fixed, and Tao Xiaoxiao's monthly salary of three yuan is also relatively stable. Both she and Wenrou earn money by doing handicrafts. Because of Tao Jingu's relationship, the commission is very small. The two of them earned a total of six yuan and three jiao this month. Yao Ping'an took on jobs on his own last month and didn't earn much money. This month, he didn't take a break and earned six yuan.
Excluding the unexpected income of fifteen yuan obtained by exchanging Yao Xiaoyu's hair, the Yao family's total income for the month was twenty-five yuan and six jiao. Compared to the Yao family before their decline, it was pitifully small, but compared to the days when she pulled a rickshaw and fifteen copper coins were considered a large sum of money, it was already quite good.
After calculating income, it's time to calculate expenses.
The rent of six yuan was absolutely not to be delayed. Yao Xiaoyu and Tao Xiaoxiao did not eat at home. The four of them consumed more than a dan of rice a month. In addition, there were miscellaneous expenses such as firewood, vegetables, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, which cost six yuan and thirty cents. Then Yao Tianrui would bring his own food to school, and the firewood cost twenty copper coins for heating it at noon.
With 25 yuan, Zhou Chunhua managed to save a little over 13 yuan to pay off her debts. She carefully counted the money she had saved through frugality and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
We now have a hundred or so silver dollars in savings. There are still some days until the New Year, and the family can still save some money to pay off the debts.
There's still 580.54 yuan left. Once that's paid off, the Yao family can finally hold their heads high!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
