Chapter 176 Preparation
Lin Yuan suggested adding details of the scientific expedition, while Nan Zhiyi proposed writing about the symbiotic ecology of extraterrestrial plants.
When she got excited, she grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down her inspiration on the spot.
Finally, when it came to royalties, Lin Yuan said seriously, "The price of the standalone book is one yuan and fifty cents, and I will give you an 8% royalty. The first print run is 30,000 copies, and subsequent print runs will be calculated separately. This is the highest standard that the publishing house can negotiate."
Nan Zhiyi stared blankly as she calculated.
The serialization fee of seven yuan per thousand words had already surprised her, but this royalty was something she had never heard of before.
Lin Yuan: "Now that the policies on literature and art have been relaxed, the editor-in-chief said that the treatment of outstanding works should be improved."
"Yes, thank you. Editor Lin, thank you to the editor-in-chief as well."
After seeing Lin Yuan off, Nan Zhiyi sat on the sofa and opened the readers' letters.
Some were written on factory stationery by workers, some were torn from students' notebooks, and one envelope was particularly exquisite, signed "Qingdao Institute of Oceanography".
Upon opening it, I found it was a book review co-authored by several researchers. Some described the details of life in weightlessness, while others offered their ideas on extraterrestrial ecology.
The letter concluded with the statement: "Looking forward to seeing China's own interstellar fleet."
She found some stationery and first wrote short thank-you notes to several researchers, then wrote encouraging words to the readers who drew the illustrations.
Gu Xiao didn't come back for dinner. His orderly, Xiao Liu, came over and said that Deputy Division Commander Gu had a meeting and that he didn't need to wait for him that night.
Nan Zhiyi was immersed in excitement all night.
After putting Xiaoman to sleep, she sat on the sofa downstairs, writing an outline in her notebook while waiting for Gu Xiao to come home.
Hearing the door open, she jumped up from the sofa and ran to the entrance.
Before Gu Xiao could even stand up straight, she pounced on him.
"Gu Xiao, I'm publishing a book, and there are royalties..."
He hugged her briefly, then gently pushed her away, saying, "Take your time, I'm cold."
Nan Zhiyi was indoors, wearing only a thin nightgown; he didn't want her to get cold.
He took off his coat and hung it up before asking, "It's not finished yet, how come it's published?"
Nan Zhiyi, beaming with joy, recounted the afternoon's publication in detail.
"Great. Perfect timing, I found this for you." He pulled a book wrapped in kraft paper from his coat pocket.
When Nan Zhiyi opened it, she found it was a book translated from English into Chinese titled "A Review of Space Survival Technology," with a blue stamp from a certain organization on the title page.
"Just some reference material for you to look at for fun," Gu Xiao said casually.
Nan Zhiyi knew that finding this book must have been a difficult task.
"Gu Xiao, you're the best person I've ever met... Why are you so good to me..."
Gu Xiao was very pleased with her praise. He lifted her up and hugged her, and when he looked up at her, his eyes were full of affection. "Being good to you is what I should do."
These words sent a chill down Nan Zhiyi's spine.
She had seen and heard too many stories of husbands who became indifferent after their passion faded, their deep affection turning to nothing in the end.
Gu Xiao never felt that these sacrifices needed to be taken seriously, as natural as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
"That's not what I should be doing." She bit his chin.
Gu Xiao's smile deepened as he helped her upstairs: "Then how about giving my wife a bigger reward?"
Nan Zhiyi didn't hold back and went to nibble on his Adam's apple. He groaned and chuckled softly.
For the next few days, Nan Zhiyi became completely engrossed in the book.
The English translation was covered with annotations. She meticulously analyzed it word by word and was busy developing a new outline, completely forgetting about the time.
When Gu Xiao came home one evening, he suddenly said, "It's the 26th of the twelfth lunar month. Let's go back to Jian'an in a few days."
Nan Zhiyi looked up blankly and noticed that red lanterns had been hung outside the window at some point.
How many days of vacation?
“I’ve taken half a month of leave to visit my family. From the 29th to the 15th of the lunar year.” Seeing that she was still in a daze, Gu Xiao added, “My eldest brother and third sister are both coming back this year.”
"We need to prepare gifts for our family members."
Gu Xiao nodded.
Nan Zhiyi stopped writing articles and instead dragged him to write a shopping list.
The next day happened to be the weekend, and Gu Xiao drove her to Wangfujing.
The market was packed with people. Nan Zhiyi clutched his sleeve and muttered, "We definitely need the West Lake Longjing tea for Dad, my eldest brother likes calligraphy brushes, and my third sister needs a pair of leather gloves..."
Gu Xiao protected her as they walked through the crowd and waited in line at the tea counter for half an hour.
Longjing ordered the premium-grade tin can, and also bought Moutai for his fourth brother who loves to drink.
Upon reaching the stationery counter, Nan Zhiyi took a liking to a set of Huzhou wolf-hair brushes, while Gu Xiao asked for several more sets of stationery to prepare for the children.
When picking out scarves for her sisters-in-law, Nan Zhiyi hesitated between navy blue and maroon.
Gu Xiao pointed directly to the maroon color: "It's the New Year, so we should all change into something bright and cheerful."
Finally, carrying large and small bags, Nan Zhiyi squeezed out of the store, then suddenly remembered: "I forgot to buy Gu Yan a gift!"
Gu Xiao stuffed everything into the trunk of the Jeep: "What does he need? Bringing a girl back is the most practical thing to do."
These words made Nan Zhiyi laugh.
The car window was covered in frost. She used her finger to draw a simple sketch of a family of three, making Gu Xiao look especially tall.
"Fifth Brother, look at my drawing."
Gu Xiao reversed the car with one hand on the steering wheel, and reached out with the other to shake her hand: "That's right, I have to protect you two."
The jeep drove along Chang'an Avenue, and the shop windows were decorated with red paper-cut window decorations.
Nan Zhiyi lowered her head and stroked the calluses on his tiger's mouth, thinking back to before she married him, she never thought she would have such a peaceful life.
For the next two days, Gu Xiao was busy packing his luggage after get off work.
Nan Zhiyi then pulled Sister Zhang aside and asked her to clean the little house before they returned.
She slipped her salary and a red envelope to Sister Zhang in advance; the red envelope contained brand-new ten-yuan bills.
Unable to refuse, Sister Zhang said, "Be careful on the road, I'll take good care of the house."
The next day, before dawn, Xiao Liu arrived in his Jeep.
Gu Xiao laid a thick quilt on the back seat, and Xiaoman wrapped the quilt into a cotton ball and placed it in the middle.
As soon as the car drove out of the compound, the child started excitedly babbling and shouting.
Gu Xiao lifted Xiaoman onto his lap, and Xiaoman immediately grabbed his father's clothes and stood up, his chubby legs bouncing on his father's knees.
As they passed through withered white fields and snow-covered villages, the children would widen their eyes and exclaim in amazement whenever they saw a donkey cart or tractor.
Around noon, the car was parked on the side of the road to rest.
The adults quickly ate their dry food, Xiaoman drank some milk powder, and was then given a biscuit to chew on.
Before long, he was holding the cookies and fell asleep in Gu Xiao's arms.
Nan Zhiyi leaned on Gu Xiao's shoulder, and he pulled her into his arms.
It wasn't until dusk that the jeep drove into the Jian'an Military Region compound.
The streetlights gradually came on, and the sound of a broadcast could be faintly heard in the distance.
Gu Xiao gently patted Nan Zhiyi awake: "Wife, we're home."
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