Chapter 331 Wen Leyu: "Are you from here?"
"Auntie Chen, do you have any more garlic? Give me two cloves."
"I want another bowl of noodle soup. I've eaten too much. It helps me digest the food."
"I want another bowl of noodles. I'm not full yet!"
In Jiang Xiaoyan's noodle shop, Li Ye, Li Yue and seven other people were enjoying their meal, each with a big bowl of noodle.
Eating a bowl of hot mutton noodle soup in the middle of winter can instantly dispel all the coldness in your body.
Jiang Xiaoyan's father, Jiang Yougui, came out of the kitchen with a smirk and placed a handful of garlic cloves and two bowls of noodle soup on the table for everyone.
"Hey, eat more, it's free, I'll make you full, as much as you want."
"How can we not want money? Uncle Jiang, if you don't want money, we won't dare to eat it."
"I can't ask for money. I really can't ask for money."
Jiang Yougui rubbed the corner of his clothes and retreated to the kitchen with an embarrassed look on his face.
Then Jiang Xiaoyan, who was busy in the kitchen, scolded him in a low voice: "Do you know how to talk? You keep talking about money all day long. If you continue to be so annoying, just go back home."
"I didn't say it's bad! You can't ask for money. We are all your classmates, asking for money is nothing."
Listening to the man's aggrieved voice, Li Ye, Hu Man and others couldn't help but laugh and feel helpless.
There was no short holiday during the Spring Festival in the 1980s, so Jiang Xiaoyan and her mother did not go home with Li Ye and others, nor did they return to Beijing together. They only stayed in their hometown for two days and then hurried back to run their own small noodle shop.
After Li Ye and others arrived at Jiang Xiaoyan's noodle shop, they found that Jiang Yougui, who had been in his hometown last year, had come, but Jiang Xiaoning, who had stayed in Beijing for several months, was nowhere to be seen.
Everyone was too embarrassed to ask in person, so they waited until they had finished eating and were ready to leave before asking Jiang Xiaoyan at the door.
Jiang Xiaoyan said: "What's there to say? My brother couldn't stand the hardship in Beijing, so he went back to his hometown!"
Han Xia was outspoken and had a good relationship with Jiang Xiaoyan, so she asked casually, "Is your brother willing to do this? The last time I saw him, he refused to go back home!"
Jiang Xiaoyan shook her head and said, "He got a job at a joint venture instant noodle factory in his hometown. He works eight hours a day and makes forty or fifty yuan a month. What's there to be unhappy about?"
Han Xia nodded thoughtfully and said, "Yes, your business is too exhausting."
Although Jiang Xiaoyan's business is small, they have to get up at three or four in the morning to knead the dough and close the business at ten in the evening. After years of hard work, they can even take a nap while standing.
Jiang Xiaoning has never done heavy work since he was a child, how could he bear this?
There is another reason that Jiang Xiaoyan didn't mention.
That means Jiang Xiaoning suffered so much but still couldn't make any money!
My mother and sister were very strict with money, giving him only five yuan pocket money every month. If he said one more word, they would send him back as a "blind migrant".
Jiang Xiaoning works day and night and has no time to go around the capital city. His life is so difficult!
Finally, under the coercion and inducement of his sister, Jiang Xiaoning agreed to the humiliating contract of sending 15 yuan every month, and waited obediently at home for Chen Jinhua to save money for him to marry a wife.
As for bringing his father Jiang Yougui to the capital, Jiang Xiaoyan was unwilling to do so. His mother Chen Jinhua had a serious illness, which made him hate his father Jiang Yougui very much.
Just now in the noodle shop, Li Ye and others noticed the conflict between the father and son.
Li Ye looked at Jiang Xiaoyan who looked unhappy, and said to the other students: "You guys get in the car first, I have something to say to Xiaoyan."
Jiang Xiaoyan immediately said unhappily: "Li Ye, do you want to give me money for dinner again? Can you stop wasting time?"
“Am I a nagging person?”
Li Ye glanced at Jiang Xiaoyan and pointed at the noodle shop's sign and asked, "Did your mother decide on this sign or did you decide on it?"
Jiang Xiaoyan’s noodle shop is called “Chen’s Noodle Shop”, which is the name of Chen Jinhua’s Chen.
Jiang Xiaoyan said puzzledly: "I discussed this with my mother, what's wrong?"
Li Ye smiled and said, "Do you think your mother is a smart person?"
Jiang Xiaoyan didn't understand what Li Ye meant and could only nod silently.
Even though Jiang Xiaoyan is a college student, she has to admit that her mother is a smart and capable person. If it weren't for her mother's insistence, she, Jiang Xiaoyan, would have dropped out of school and become a farmer long ago.
"So! Your mother wasn't being stupid by bringing your father to the capital," Li Ye whispered, "Your mother is probably preparing to split up the family."
"Separation?"
Jiang Xiaoyan was stunned, and suddenly seemed to understand something.
No wonder I strongly opposed it. I wanted to bring my father from my hometown to the capital.
Li Ye looked at Jiang Xiaoyan and said with a smile: "Before, your mother had never been out of Qingshui County, so her horizons were somewhat limited, but from now on, your mother is the head of the household."
“.”
Li Ye watched as Chen Jinhua managed to make the small noodle shop very successful in just one year, and she was already planning to open a second branch.
Once such a woman with strong action ability broadens her horizons, how could she still be restricted by the people in the Jiang family?
Just like the signboard at the door of the noodle shop, "Chen's Noodle Shop", in this small home in Beijing, Chen Jinhua can completely control the power.
Jiang Yougui is an honest and dutiful person, so from now on her only role is to be a "good wife"!
. . . . . . .
Li Ye returned to Beijing early for two reasons. The first was because of the school debate team's training and preparation, and the second was of course to visit the lanterns with Wen Leyu.
And the second reason is the main one, the debate team matters were just a side job.
Many years ago, the flower-growing countries had a very strict separation between men and women. But during the Lantern Festival, both young ladies from wealthy families and ordinary girls could look at handsome men under the lanterns in the streets and imagine the stories of talented men and beautiful women in the vernacular novels.
Therefore, taking girls to view lanterns during the Lantern Festival has a profound meaning throughout the ages. Romance is not an imported thing, and our ancestors have played with it countless times.
Li Ye and Wen Leyu walked hand in hand, each holding a string of candied haws, on the streets hung with lanterns.
Occasionally, Li Ye would put his string of candied haws in front of Wen Leyu's little face.
Wen Leyu never looked down on it. She would open her little mouth, bite it with her teeth, and shake her neck to pull the hawthorn off the bamboo stick.
Then, in less than a minute, Wen Leyu would extend his string of candied haws in front of Li Ye, and then take the next step.
It can be said that their current relationship is only a step away from being a real couple, and if Li Ye is a little bolder, he might even give it a try.
"Oh, by the way, a few days ago my mother asked a colleague to bring back some literary review magazines from the lighthouse. There were reviews about A Song of Ice and Fire on them. After reading them, she was a little angry."
"Um?"
Li Ye spat out the hawthorn seeds in his mouth and asked seriously, "What did the comments say?"
Wen Leyu said: "There is a famous writer who said that our book is neither fish nor fowl, and is not based on Western thinking at all. It is purely to defraud readers of their money."
"This comment is a bit harsh."
After the first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire was published, the market response was very good. Now it is the second volume and it has made a lot of money, but it can be said that it is a scam.
Li Ye suddenly asked, "Is the writer who made the comment called Wood?"
Wen Leyu nodded and said, "Yes, it's him. My mother asked classmates who are familiar with the Lighthouse literary circle, and this Wood is not an unknown person."
"You don't know the inside story," Li Ye said, "Back then, our A Song of Ice and Fire also held a writing contest with prizes at the Lighthouse, and Wood's first draft won first place in the Americas, but he didn't have time to come to Hong Kong Island."
Li Ye briefly described what happened in Hong Kong Island, and then said: "Originally, Wood was very arrogant and didn't bother to argue with us, but he couldn't resist the good sales of A Song of Ice and Fire!
I asked Pei Wencong during the Chinese New Year. According to incomplete statistics, last year's revenue should be between 4.5 million and 5 million US dollars.
If Wood had accepted our translation contract at that time, he would have received $450,000 to $500,000 in translation fees.
When the next few volumes are released, the royalties will be several times higher, which is an understatement. Wood is very proud, so this money went to someone else, and he regretted it."
“Ahem~”
Li Ye suddenly heard Wen Leyu coughing.
He quickly took out a small silver kettle from his arms, opened the lid and put it into the girl's mouth.
"Ton ton ton~"
Wen Leyu drank half a pot of warm water in one breath, then opened his eyes wide and said to Li Ye: "Didn't we agree at the time that we should just pay them wages? Why are we giving them so much?"
Li Ye had told Wen Leyu before that the value of "A Song of Ice and Fire" would exceed tens of millions of dollars in the near future, and there would be no upper limit in the future.
Wen Leyu was somewhat skeptical at the time, but Teacher Ke trusted Li Ye very much.
Later, Li Ye also told Wen Leyu the news that his royalties exceeded one million, but it was all within Wen Leyu's psychological tolerance and it was nothing.
But how long has it been? It has skyrocketed to 5 million? What's more terrible is, why should those "tool people" take away 500,000 yuan in royalties?
That's half a million dollars!
Li Ye had no choice but to hold Wen Leyu's waist and said, "There's nothing we can do about it! Our first draft cannot meet the requirements of Western readers, and we must pay 10% of the translation fee.
But they earn a lot, so shouldn’t we earn more? After deducting 20% of the translation fee from the two authors, Pei Wencong gets 30%, and we get 56%.”
"Oh, we make more, much more."
Wen Leyu nodded repeatedly, comforting himself while quickly calculating in his mind what one third of fifty-six percent was.
The answer is close to one million. In addition, Mr. Ke also said that Wen Leyu would be in charge of his share, so the total amount in Wen Leyu's hands is nearly two million US dollars.
But she suddenly thought of something and asked again: "The five million you mentioned, is it the American version? Or is it the sum of the European version?"
Li Ye smiled and said, "Of course it's the American version. The sales of the European version are a little lower, about three million!"
Wen Leyu: “…”
She had to recalculate.
Li Ye looked at Wen Leyu, whose eyes were shining with gold, and couldn't help but laugh: "Xiaoyu, why do I hear people say that girls from a family like yours don't seem to be interested in money?"
Wen Leyu was stunned. He tilted his head, glanced at Li Ye with squinted eyes and said nothing.
Because Wen Leyu was wearing a furry mink hat, he looked like an underage Northeastern golden shaded cat, cutely trying to identify Li Ye - "Are you from here?"
If it wasn’t local, I would have tried my best to taste it!
You said I have no interest in money? Then what do you want to do in the future?
Wen Leyu is not a greedy person, but there is one thing written in her little notebook: "Have a good talk with Li Ye, and don't allow wanton waste. Learn to be frugal."
If you want someone to be frugal, isn't the best way to make him have less money in his pocket?
Although being frugal with an annual salary of ten yuan is different from being frugal with an annual salary of one million yuan, Wen Leyu always feels that he has the responsibility to help Li Ye establish good living habits.
Li Ye blinked, not understanding what Wen Leyu meant by that look, and continued, "I heard from people that the education you have been exposed to since childhood is relatively high-end.
For example, who defeated whom, who played chess better and screwed whom, so a little money, such a vulgar thing, may not be worth your attention. "
Li Ye's words were not nonsense, because although he was a small figure in his previous life, he also accompanied the boss to meet a big shot once, and the situation was like this at that time.
But Li Ye is not sure whether today in 1984 will be the same as forty years later.
"Money is not something that can be mentioned on the table, but it is also necessary to have it. And it also depends on how much money you have."
Wen Leyu narrowed her eyes, reached her little hand into Li Ye's sleeve, grabbed his wrist and pinched it hard.
"Besides, I follow my husband wherever he goes. From now on, whatever you are interested in, I will be interested in as well. What's high-end or low-end? If you say something like this to me again, I'll pinch you until you bleed."
Li Ye felt a pain in his wrist and immediately realized that he was wrong. No matter how fairy-like a girl was, she was still a girl and had the same little problems as ordinary girls.
However, Li Ye felt really comfortable hearing Wen Leyu's words like "Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog."
There will be three updates tonight, but it will be very late, probably after 2 a.m., so everyone should get up tomorrow morning to watch it! Sorry, sorry
(End of this chapter)
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