Chapter 66
Jian Li had long wanted to keep her side business clear from her parents. After moving to the new house, although she had her own study, it was not easy to hide her painting from her parents.
When moving, Wang Mengmei was surprised where she got so many dot papers and comic books, and even more drawing boards and paper.
Jian Li was afraid that if she didn't tell him, Wang Mengmei would raid her study room again and reveal her identity. If her identity was exposed, it would be no joke.
Why not just talk about how I make money by drawing comics?
"The comic I submitted was accepted, and I was paid for it."
Jian Li had already withdrawn the money. Her savings now barely exceeded ten thousand, and Jian Li withdrew four thousand.
After a thick stack of money was taken out, Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei fell silent.
Their daughter actually earned so much money without realizing it!
Jian Li pushed the money aside. She had to pay an additional 7,000 yuan to the factory, but she still had 3,000 yuan in savings at home, and with this 4,000 yuan, it was just enough.
"Dad? Mom?"
Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei stood there in a daze. Their daughter's words contained so much information that they were unable to react for a moment.
It was not until Jian Li stretched out her hand and waved it in front of them that the two of them responded as they should.
Wang Mengmei asked questions anxiously, asking this and that. Sometimes she asked when it started, and sometimes she worried whether Jian Li had been cheated.
It's always like this for parents. If their children are too honest, they worry about being cheated. If their children are too flexible, they worry even more about being cheated.
Especially with such a huge sum of money, although Jian Feng didn't say anything, he was filled with worry in his eyes.
Jian Li had no choice but to take out the letter she received from Jiang Rou last year, which clearly stated that the manuscript had been accepted.
The moment they saw the letter, Wang Mengmei and Jian Feng believed that their daughter really made money.
Four thousand dollars!
Jian Feng was spinning in circles happily, and Wang Mengmei was even happier than the day she bought the house.
"No wonder, no wonder I always see you with the lights on in the room..."
Their daughter did great things without making any noise, and the couple felt extremely proud from the bottom of their hearts.
Jian Li took the opportunity to ask her parents not to tell anyone about the comic submission. The previous magazine submission incident had already troubled many children in the compound who were not good at writing. If this happened again, those who were not good at drawing would be scolded by their parents.
Jian Li doesn't want to become the public enemy of the compound.
Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei agreed, and the family celebrated together at home.
Wang Mengmei cooked several dishes, including a pot of pork wrapped in dumplings, sweet and sour spare ribs, and a pot of crispy pork in sour soup, all of which were Jian Li's favorites.
Wang Mengmei was busy cooking in the kitchen, Jian Li was eating secretly in the kitchen, Jian Feng went out to take out the trash and happened to run into the opposite side.
Ever since Jian Feng's family moved in, they have gradually become familiar with everyone upstairs and downstairs.
The man across from me asked through the security window with a hint of envy: "You guys are cooking meat for lunch."
Jian Feng's eyebrows jumped, and he subconsciously said, "The child just got first place in the exam, let's celebrate for her."
After a few pleasantries, Jian Feng returned home.
Wang Mengmei took off her apron and asked, "Who were you talking to just now? Was it Xiao Liu?"
Jian Feng hummed and reminded Wang Mengmei: "Keep a low profile recently."
The factory was in turmoil. This was the case for the main cotton spinning plant, as well as the grinding wheel plant, sales company, branch plant and gas turbine plant.
Everyone was anxious and worried. Jian Feng felt uncomfortable and didn't want to eat meat and smack his lips when others were hungry.
After dinner, the family nestled in the warm living room to watch TV. As soon as the winter vacation came, movies like "Journey to the West" and "The Legend of the White Snake" began to be broadcast on TV. Jian Li had watched them many times and still enjoyed them with gusto.
It was unbearably quiet outside the window. Jian Feng didn't want to lose his temper in front of his wife and children, so after dinner he left the house on the pretext of going to Wang Liming's house.
The weather was getting completely gloomy and cold, as if snow was brewing and no one knew when it would fall. He walked in the family yard where he had grown up, and every blade of grass and every tree was very familiar to him.
Jian Feng, who never smoked, went to the dimly lit canteen and bought a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes.
The stinging smoke made him cough several times.
Before he knew it, he had reached his former home.
In previous years, at this time of year, the tube-shaped buildings were bustling with people welcoming the New Year.
In the month of Ram, people in the factory start to pickle Chinese cabbage. The cabbage piles up like small hills can fill every household's yard. Some families also buy meat in advance to make sausages. The sausages are always hung on the clothesline at the door to dry. There are also coal briquettes. If there are not enough honeycomb coal briquettes, you can't feel at ease during the New Year.
But this year, there are not many cabbage, sausages or coal piles.
Everyone was worried, and many people went to the factory to make trouble.
The factory agreed to provide severance pay, at least several thousand yuan per person, but what good is a few thousand yuan?
Too many people don't have any special skills, and if the factory goes bankrupt, they will lose their source of livelihood.
Jian Feng stood in front of his window. The factory took over his house, but later it couldn't sell it, so it remained vacant.
Across the small courtyard of several square meters, Jian Feng could see that the inner room was pitch black.
This is where he grew up, got married and had children, and lived here for decades.
Jian Feng held onto the fence, bent over and began to sob.
*****
This year was destined to be extraordinary. During the last month of July, the family compound was no longer as bustling and prosperous as before.
Wang Mengmei's shop also had less business. Some people ate without paying, and some people drank and acted crazy. Fortunately, there was Ni Hao in the shop. He could get most of the bills back just by standing there.
Ni Hao also frowned, as several people in his family had been laid off. His father was a fifth-level mechanic in the factory, his brother was a third-level printing and dyeing worker, and his sister-in-law worked in the factory's logistics department. They all resigned this time.
Originally, Ni Hao and his girlfriend had decided to get married on May Day next year, and they both wanted to meet their parents during the Chinese New Year. Now that Xia Gang's incident has happened, Ni Hao's family is filled with sorrow, and Ni Hao doesn't know how to bring the girl back.
Xue Ling's family did not own a cotton textile factory, but were local households. Her parents ran a grocery store, so they were not greatly affected.
But several other dishwashers in the store came to Wang Mengmei one after another, and kept asking her if she still needed people.
The factory went bankrupt, and everyone was looking for a way out like a headless fly. They begged and begged, and finally came to Wang Mengmei, hoping that Wang Mengmei would let them work full-time.
Wang Mengmei smiled bitterly. How could she take over the business when the store was doing so badly?
It's not just Wang Mengmei. All the shops on the street have seemed deserted recently.
Jian Feng's delivery frequency also decreased significantly, and Kong Guorong could do nothing but sigh.
When a large factory goes bankrupt, there are too many people and things involved. The cotton textile factory rushed to pay the previously overdue wages on the 23rd day of the lunar month. As for the compensation, it would have to wait until the factory was sold at the beginning of the year.
However, the workers who received the money all kept their mouths shut and became cautious about spending.
In the past, the factory paid wages every month, and even if there was a time when I was short of money, I could borrow money from others and pay it back in less than a month when my wages were paid. But now the factory is going to be gone, and the agreed compensation will not be paid until the factory is sold.
But I don’t know when this money will come.
After the Chinese New Year, school starts, and there are tuition fees for children, medicine for the elderly, and household expenses...
There are places to spend money everywhere.
In previous years, when everyone was busy buying New Year's goods, many people started looking for jobs.
When Wang Menglan heard that her brother-in-law was going to resign, she ran there without saying a word and gave her sister one thousand yuan.
Wang Yuedong also came with Wang Yunyun, carrying large and small bags of things in their hands.
Wang Mengmei's eyes were moist, and she turned her back: "Why are you so nervous? Take it back quickly."
Wang Yuedong and his wife both earned their money through hard work, but Wang Mengmei refused the offer.
After pushing and shoving, Wang Yuedong finally put the things down and said, "Second sister, if you have any difficulties, please tell me. I don't have much money, but I won't make it difficult for you to eat and drink."
This time he brought a large bag of flour, two large buckets of oil, and a plastic bucket filled with eggs, about a hundred of them.
Although Jian Feng had left the factory a long time ago, everyone still felt that without the unit they would lose their backbone.
It was a personal job that could be quit at any time if someone said they didn't want it, and it was uncertain what the future held. Moreover, everyone had heard that the factory wanted to compensate employees before paying them for their years of service, so the Wang siblings did their best to express their support for Jian Feng and his wife.
Wang Yunyun even pulled Jian Li into the house and opened her schoolbag: "Xiao Li, I have some money here, take it and use it first."
Jian Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I have money, even if you give it to me, I won't be able to explain it..."
Wang Yunyun thought Jian Li was just showing off: "I heard from my eldest aunt that my youngest aunt is going to pay the factory. How are your parents going to come up with so much money all at once?"
Wang Yunyun stuffed the money into Jian Li's pocket and said, "The serial I invested in last year has achieved results. You can quietly give the money to my aunt."
Jian Li put the money back into her sister's schoolbag: "I really have it."
Jian Li took the comic book off the desk and showed it to Wang Yunyun, then casually took off her vest.
“So I said I really have money.”
"Sis, since you are here, don't go back. Spend the New Year at our house."
Anyway, her mother will take her back to Wangjiazhuang on the second day of the Chinese New Year, so they can just go back together then.
While Wang Yunyun was still hesitating, Jian Li had already gone out to ask her uncle to keep Wang Yunyun.
Wang Mengmei also said, "Since we have room at home, let Yunyun stay to keep Xiaoli company. I will send her back after the New Year."
Wang Yunyun stayed at her aunt's house, and the two little girls began their happy days of watching TV or reading comics every day.
The more Wang Yunyun watched, the more fascinated and addicted she became. She shook Jian Li's shoulders and asked her how the story would develop next.
Jian Li, who was urged to update her work on the spot, demonstrated what it means to draw and edit on the spot, and Wang Yunyun was dumbfounded.
"Is this okay?"
Jian Li: "Why not? This is how I paint. I will set an outline in advance, but there are very few restrictions during the painting process. Sometimes I can paint wherever I want."
Wang Yunyun was puzzled: "Then, wouldn't the story be messed up?"
Whenever she wrote a series, she would first prepare all the details, and would even revise it many times in the process. She would add to and revise a story so many times that she would never be completely satisfied in the end.
Jian Li asked Wang Yunyun what type of novel she wrote. Wang Yunyun was a little embarrassed and finally said it was a romance novel.
Jian Li clapped her hands, finally understanding why her sister took so long to write the series before achieving any results.
"Sister, do you always feel stuck when writing a story?"
Wang Yunyun nodded frantically. She was not just stuck, sometimes she even cried. She racked her brains but could not understand why the stories she wrote were so dry and not attractive enough.
Jian Li said with a sigh, "Sister, do you think people will act completely according to their parents' ideas?"
Wang Yunyun shook her head. She herself was an example. Writing novels behind her parents' backs sounded rebellious enough now.
"That's it. Since you don't follow your parents' ideas, the characters you write about will certainly have their own thoughts."
Jian Li patted Wang Yunyun's shoulder with a sympathetic look on her face: "From the moment you start writing, the characters you write about have their own personalities."
There was a buzzing sound in Wang Yunyun's head.
The problems that had troubled her before were suddenly answered, and Wang Yunyun hugged her sister with her eyes shining.
"I understand!"
****
Because business was bad this year, Wang Mengmei closed the shop on the day of the Little New Year. A notice saying "Open after the Lantern Festival" was hung outside the shop. Wang Mengmei gave up and said, "There are not many people here anyway, so I might as well have a good New Year."
Wang Mengmei took more than 20 days off in one go and bought a lot of food for her home.
This year, Wang Yunyun was also a little guest. Wang Mengmei used all her cooking skills to feed the two children. Fried pork with peppers, steamed pork with rice noodles, fried fish, fried shrimp, and fried potato chips...
Jian Li also taught Wang Mengmei how to make tender beef and five-course stew.
"Don't overcook the beef, just marinate it and fry it!"
"Wrap it into a pentagon!"
Wang Yunyun not only ate the novel tender beef and five-spice powder, but also tried various snacks she had never seen before.
Jian Feng heard nothing but bad news outside, either someone he knew was getting divorced, or a former friend came to borrow money for the New Year. Walking on the street, he could still see the mobile workers setting up stalls. Jian Feng returned home in a bad mood, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw his daughter grinning with her big teeth bared.
Imitating the skit replayed on TV during the Spring Festival Gala: "Palace Jade Wine, 180 yuan a cup~"
Wang Yunyun also sang along with Jian Li, pinching her throat: "How about this wine?"
"Listen to me blowing you!"
…
Wang Mengmei laughed so hard that she held her stomach, and Jian Feng also suddenly laughed.
No matter how stormy it is outside, at home everything is peaceful.
But this peace was soon broken.
On the night of the 28th day of the lunar month, Wang Mengmei's shop was broken into by thieves and all the items inside were stolen.
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