Although she was very excited, Su Ting did not contact Wang Jingfang or the people from the production company immediately, but discussed the matter with her family first.
Because He Dongchuan could not come until Saturday, Su Ting mentioned this matter to He Yan first in the evening.
In July this year, He Yan took part in the junior high school entrance examination. His grades were very stable during junior high school, and he often ranked first. Occasionally, he would slack off, which would cause his grades to fluctuate, but no matter how bad his grades were, he could always be in the top three.
He did particularly well in the high school entrance examination, scoring more than ten points higher than usual. He was ranked first in the district and also ranked high in the city. He also received awards from the school and the district.
Because of his good grades, he was able to choose any key school in the city when he was promoted to high school.
After much consideration, He Yan chose a key high school in the district because he didn't want to live on campus at all.
After learning about He Yan's school selection criteria, Su Ting said that she could buy a house near his school. He Yan was silent for a long time and asked, "Is our family so rich?"
Although Su Ting bought several more houses in the past few years, she and He Dongchuan decided to keep the matter low-key after discussing it. They only needed to know about it, and they didn't even tell their two children.
It's not that I'm on guard against them, but I'm worried that they will take it for granted and treat me as a salted fish after knowing it.
Manman is still in kindergarten, and since all her good friends are in school, it’s hard to tell whether she is a salted fish or not.
He Yan used to want to be lazy, but now he is willing to work hard, because he has the promise of finding an easy job after graduation. But even so, he still wants to be lazy from time to time, which can be seen from his fluctuating grades.
After the high school entrance examination, everyone came to congratulate Su Ting and said that He Yan had done well, but she knew that if he was willing to work hard, he could get first place in the district or even the city.
He has this brain, but he just doesn't like to use it.
It’s just that Su Ting and He Dongchuan didn’t have high expectations for him. They just wanted him to finish college and find a similar job that could support himself, so they didn’t think of forcing him to go further.
Of course, the reason they can be so indifferent is closely related to the fact that He Yan, despite his poor performance, has excellent grades. If he didn't work hard and could only rank last in the class, I'm afraid Su Ting would also start to be a chicken-child.
But looking at He Yan's performance in recent years, Su Ting was very glad that she did not tell him that her family had bought several houses.
In her previous life, she didn’t understand why rich people pretended to be poor in front of their children. But in this life, she can understand it. It’s all for the future of her children!
Therefore, facing He Yan's doubts, Su Ting froze for a moment and pretended to be stupid and asked: "Did I just say something?"
He Yan repeated Su Ting's words and said, "You said that if I don't want to go to a better school because of accommodation issues, you can buy a house outside the school for me to live in."
Su Ting blinked: "Did I say that?"
"Yes." He Yan nodded affirmatively.
"That might be me saying it's wrong. What I actually want to say is that if you don't want to live on campus and want to give up a better school, then I can rent a house near the school for you to live in." Su Ting said calmly. Afraid that He Yan didn't hear it, she emphasized, "It's renting, not buying. My family doesn't have that much money."
He Yan did not doubt Su Ting's words. Although he knew that the Sanhuo series was very popular, he did not know how much royalties he would receive. After all, he was not yet an adult, and the half of the royalties his mother promised him had not yet been redeemed.
The ten yuan a month was given to him quite regularly. Over the years, with the pocket money from his parents, the annual New Year's money from his grandparents, and the rewards from his high school entrance exam school and the district, he had accumulated a total of nine hundred yuan in savings.
He Yan wasn't sure whether nine hundred yuan was enough to buy a house.
But he knew that if he wanted to buy a house as big as the one they were living in now, let alone nine hundred, three or five thousand might not be enough. Because he didn't know how much money his parents had in their savings, He Yan didn't take out his bankbook and offer to raise money for Su Ting to buy a house.
He thought for a moment and asked, "After we rent the house, will you and your sister live with me?"
"I thought you would stay there normally, and Man Man and I would go there two or three days a week."
Su Ting also considered living together, but the best high school in the city is a bit far from Fudan University, and it takes two or three trips to get there. She and Man Man both have to go to school, and running back and forth every day may not be enough for their bodies, so living there two or three days a week is enough.
She also thought about whether it was appropriate for He Yan to live there alone. Although he had already graduated from junior high school, he was only fourteen years old this year because he started studying early.
But Su Ting thought again. Although He Yan was only fourteen, his height had grown to 1.7 meters. When standing next to her, he looked several centimeters taller than her. Moreover, he had learned martial arts since he was young, so he could fight a group of people by himself. There was no need to worry about his safety.
In terms of daily life, he had a school cafeteria for meals and a gas shower for bathing. He only had to wash his own clothes. But he also washed his clothes by hand at home. After all, teenage boys would inevitably have embarrassing marks on their clothes. Su Ting would at most help him wash his shirts, and leave the rest to him.
Finally, without parents watching over the children, they might learn bad things from others. But on the one hand, Su Ting believes in He Yan, and on the other hand, she goes there to stay for two or three days a week, so she can know what happens in time.
Therefore, Su Ting felt that this method was more of a compromise. She really didn't want He Yan to give up the best option when choosing a school because of accommodation issues.
Although it is said that people who love to study can study anywhere, and the best high school in the district is not much worse than the best high school in the city, Su Ting always hopes that He Yan can choose the best.
This is also what most parents in the world think.
School district housing is so expensive, why do parents still grit their teeth and buy it? Isn’t it all for the sake of their children’s better education?
But He Yan obviously didn't think so. He shook his head and said, "It's too troublesome. Let's just leave it at that." After that, seeing that Su Ting still had something to say, he spoke first, "Mom, even if I don't go to the best high school in the city, I can still get into college."
Seeing He Yan's determination, Su Ting stopped persuading him.
He Yan's high school and junior high school are about the same distance from home, and the daily class schedule is also similar, with classes packed from morning to night. The high school even has an extra evening self-study class, and school doesn't end until 9:10.
At 9:16, Su Ting heard some noise downstairs and went downstairs to open the door.
When she opened the door, she saw He Yan standing at the door holding his bicycle. She stepped aside and asked, "Are you hungry?"
He Yan pushed the bike in and felt his stomach, saying, "A little bit."
Su Ting turned and walked into the living room, went to the cupboard, opened the drawer, took out the egg cake she bought from the supply and marketing cooperative that day, put it on the coffee table and asked, "Do you have any homework today?"
"Yes, but I finished it during evening self-study." He Yan said proudly, picked up a piece of egg cake and ate it in two bites, then stood up to pour water, "Fell asleep slowly?"
"I just coaxed her to sleep." Su Ting nodded and turned her head to look at He Yan.
He Yan was drinking water and eating cake in big gulps, but his mother looked at him and he became nervous. He slowed down his eating and asked, "Mom, why are you looking at me like that?"
"I received a letter today."
"What letter?" He Yan asked, racking his brains. "Does it have anything to do with me?"
"Um."
"What's the connection?" He Yan asked as he continued to think. He had been going to school every day since he entered high school and was very well behaved. He should not have gotten into any trouble!
He did beat up two people two days ago, but those two were street urchins who were blocking outside their school and asking students for money. He was just acting bravely.
Fortunately, those two men ran fast, otherwise he would have sent them to the police station!
He didn't continue to cause trouble for them, so it couldn't be that they wrote to his mother to complain? Not to mention whether this behavior was the first to complain, they probably didn't know him, right? How did they know where he lived?
Originally, she just wanted to keep the question a secret, but as soon as she saw the subtle expression on He Yan's face, Su Ting knew that he must be hiding something in his heart. She stopped talking in a hurry and asked, "Tell me the truth."
He Yan played dumb: "What do you want to tell me?"
Although his expression was calm, Su Ting had watched him grow up, so how could she be fooled by him? She said, "Just tell me what you want to tell me. If you confess, I will treat you leniently. If you resist, I will treat you severely."
Although He Yan is smart, he is young and immature after all. Su Ting can see that he is pretending to be stupid, but he can't tell whether she really knows his secret. For a moment, he can't even eat the soft egg cake.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Su Ting didn't ask any questions. She just smiled and looked at him mysteriously.
He Yan finally couldn't bear to look into his mother's eyes, pursed his lips and said, "I beat up two people yesterday."
This time Su Ting was really stunned.
She guessed that He Yan was hiding something in his heart, but she didn't expect that he would be so capable as to engage in fighting!
Su Ting became serious: "When did you beat someone up and why did you beat him up?"
"I..." He Yan was about to speak, but suddenly realized, "The letter you received is not about this matter, right?"
"Well, no."
"That is..."
Seeing that he was quite curious, Su Ting decided to satisfy his curiosity a little and said, "It's related to comics, which is a good thing. Let's talk about your fight first, and then talk about other things if there is no problem. What do you think?"
Although Su Ting's tone was calm, He Yan understood the underlying meaning. If he didn't explain this matter clearly today, he would be finished!
I feel very regretful.
If he had known it had nothing to do with this matter, he would not have mentioned it.
He Yan sighed in his heart and honestly explained the whole cause and effect.
The cause and effect was simple. When he was going home from school last night, he saw two youths from society taking a student into the alley.
Because the two gangsters were dressed in ruffian clothes, and the student who was brought into the alley was from the next class. He had seen him several times and knew that although the student was a little eccentric, he was generally a good student, so he followed him in.
When he went in, he saw that the student had indeed been blackmailed. He locked the car and rushed up.
Hearing this, Su Ting interrupted and asked, "Did you remember to lock the car at that time?"
He Yan said as a matter of course: "That's a bicycle. If I don't lock it, what if someone rides it away during a fight?" Even if he was very fast, he couldn't guarantee that he could catch up with the person riding the cyclist.
It is also well-reasoned and logically clear.
Su Ting continued to ask: "What happens after we rush up?"
"I fought with them, but those two guys were not very good at fighting. They couldn't even take one of my punches. They fled after less than three minutes of fighting." He Yan said, with a hint of disgust in his eyes.
Su Ting smiled: "You still feel quite regretful, right?"
When He Yan saw Su Ting's smile, he straightened his back and said seriously, "No, I don't regret it at all."
Su Ting lowered her head and rubbed her brows, then looked up at him and sighed, "Don't be so impulsive when you encounter something like this in the future. The people you met this time are not good at fighting, but you may not be so lucky next time. What if they have also learned martial arts, or they are carrying knives? It will be so dangerous if you rush in like this!"
He Yan didn't dare to say that he could definitely beat the opponent, but... He pursed his lips and said, "But if I don't rush forward, what will happen to the students who are being blackmailed?"
Su Ting was silent.
Although He Yan is usually a bit lazy, it's okay with He Dongchuan watching over him during the holidays, but he also tries to be lazy during training as much as possible, so that his progress has been getting smaller and smaller in recent years.
In the past, He Dongchuan said that it didn't matter, but in fact he still had illusions that He Yan would inherit his father's business. However, as his son grew up, he no longer had any hope for it.
But He Yan is a child from a military family after all. He is brave and has a sense of justice. So even if he knows there is danger, it is difficult for him to stay out of it when he encounters such a thing again.
Looking at He Yan's stubborn expression, Su Ting couldn't force him to be a cold person.
After thinking it over, she said, "When you encounter something like this, you can try to ask other people for help. Where was the place where you fought last night?"
He Yan mentioned a place name.
The alley was not remote, and there were residents on both sides. It was just that the high school got out of school late, and the residents on both sides were asleep, so no one heard the noise.
After analyzing the surrounding environment, Su Ting said, "In a situation like this, you can shout that someone is robbing. It would be best if the two people are scared away. Even if they don't run away, the residents on both sides will hear the noise and someone will definitely come out to help."
Nowadays, the phenomenon of "touching up a car" and "turning the tables" is not so common, and people are very warm-hearted. Moreover, the homes of high school students are not too far away, and even if they are not acquaintances, they have probably met each other before. If they see them being bullied by social youth, those who have come out will definitely not stand idly by.
No matter how strong they are, outnumbered is better than He Yan fighting alone.
"If there are few people in the alley, and you are coming out of school, there must be classmates on the road, right? Wouldn't it be better for you to shout instead of rushing in alone?"
He Yan nodded thoughtfully: "You are right."
"Take a step further, even if there is no one around, you can find a stick or a brick to go in with, at least you can protect yourself," Su Ting said, and then added, "Don't hit your head, it's easy to get into trouble."
He Yan was amused by this and said, "Mom, you are very experienced."
"That's right. Don't you see what I do?" Su Ting was proud for less than three seconds before she changed the subject. "You want to do good things and be brave. I won't stop you, but before you rush in, you have to use your brain more. How can you protect yourself while saving people? Do you understand?"
"clear."
He didn't realize it at the time, but after hearing what his mother said and thinking back to the situation at that time, He Yan knew that he was indeed impulsive. He said, "I will definitely use my brain more in the future."
Su Ting muttered, "It's better to wait until the future."
Her voice was too soft, He Yan didn't hear clearly, and turned his head to ask, "What?"
"Nothing, come with me to the police station tomorrow at noon."
He Yan was stunned for a moment and asked, "What are you going to the police station for?"
"Call the police."
Even though He Yan beat the guys away last night, the fact that they were able to rob and extort money showed that they were not good people. They might bear a grudge against him and go back to find someone to take revenge on him.
Even if they cannot find other accomplices and dare not retaliate against He Yan, they may still be bad-tempered and come back after a few days of rest to continue blackmailing high school students, or even do something even more heinous.
In order to avoid more tragedies, Su Ting felt that she needed to be a righteous citizen and go to the police station to report the incident.
She didn't expect that the thugs would be arrested immediately after she called the police, but she just hoped that the police station would take this matter seriously and improve law and order at night.
After understanding Su Ting's idea, He Yan nodded: "Okay, then I will come back early tomorrow at noon."
"good."
After talking, He Yan continued to eat egg cake.
In the past two years, his stomach has tended to become a bottomless pit. He eats a lot and gets hungry quickly. He has to look for food to fill his stomach every night.
Sometimes Su Ting would cook noodles for him. Although her cooking skills had not improved much over the years and she was not very willing to cook, the noodles she cooked were not bad.
When they feel lazy at night, they let He Yan eat some snacks to fill their stomachs. Therefore, in the past two years, there are always biscuits and pastries in their family cupboard, and they are consumed very quickly.
Fortunately, after the reform and opening up, biscuits and pastries are easier to buy than before. As long as you are willing to spend money, you will never lack food.
After eating two pieces of egg cake and drinking the water in the enamel cup, He Yan finally felt better. He asked, "You just said that the letter was related to the comic strip. Does it have anything to do with me?"
Su Ting also remembered and said, "The Three Fires comic book series is of course related to you."
"Isn't the Three Fires series finished?" He Yan asked again. He remembered that they had all been published. "Anything else?"
This time Su Ting did not keep the secret any longer and said simply, "Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio contacted the publishing house and wanted to buy the copyright of the Three Fires series from me so that they could adapt it into an animated film."
"Animated film?" He Yan turned his head and asked, "On TV?"
In recent years, two more families in the Navy compound have bought televisions. Although these two families treasure their televisions, they are not as obsessed with them as the political commissar's wife. As long as the children don't throw garbage around and make the house dirty, in most cases they don't object to the children in the compound going to their homes to watch TV.
He Yan had been to see it several times, and two of those times he watched animated films, so he was not completely clueless about it. He was just a little curious: "How are animated films made?"
“I’m not sure about this question either.”
Su Ting doesn't have a deep understanding of the animation industry. She only knows that it requires the use of computers and various software. But then again, in a few decades, how many industries will not need to use computers?
Moreover, the animation production at that time seemed to be different from that in a few decades. A few decades ago, it was all computer-drawn, but now it is all handmade. Anyway, she didn't quite understand it.
Su Ting said: "If you have no objection, I will contact the production company as soon as possible to discuss this matter with them. After confirming the adaptation, I will ask them about the specific production process."
"I……"
He Yan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, so he lowered his head and began to think.
It is undeniable that he was very excited when he heard the news, but soon he thought of one thing and began to hesitate.
Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Su Ting asked, "Just tell me what you want to say. It's okay if you don't want to adapt it into an animated film."
"I don't want to adapt it into an animation, but..." He Yan licked his lips and asked, "If it is made into an animation, will many people see this story?"
At that time, there were very few channels on TV, basically only one or two, and most of the time when you turned on the TV, all you saw was snow. News and TV dramas were only broadcast in the evening, and occasionally cartoons.
This is also the main reason why TV series that were popular in the 1980s and 1990s had audience ratings of 80 to 90 percent, and decades later any TV series with an audience rating over 2 percent was considered a hit.
As televisions entered thousands of households, there were naturally more samples. The number of TV stations increased from two or three to hundreds, so the choices naturally increased. Coupled with the impact of video platforms and short videos, without good scripts and actors, although there were many TV series produced every year, many of them failed to make a splash after they were broadcast.
Su Ting cannot guarantee whether the animated film adapted from the Sanhuo series will make a splash in another twenty years, but in this era, as long as the animated film can be made, there should be many people watching it.
“I think so.”
After Su Ting answered, she saw He Yan's face was full of confusion, and suddenly she asked, "Don't you want it to be seen by many people?"
He Yan didn't answer, but covered his face and said, "I just think that I was too stupid before, and it's so embarrassing for people who know me to know that I am the prototype."
When people grow up, they will encounter things and make many choices. These choices may seem fine at the time, but when they look back after growing up, they will feel that they are full of dark history.
Some stories in the Sanhuo series are fictitious, but some are based on real events, such as "Sanhuo Working Diary", which is completely He Yan's real experience.
Although the story was well drawn and He Yan enjoyed reading it during the serialization period, when he thinks back on it now, He Yan feels that he was so stupid when he was a child that he couldn't bear to look at him.
When he thought that after the Three Fires series was adapted into an animated film, more people would see his silly look and people around him might guess that he was the prototype of the Three Fires, he felt that he could dig out a three-bedroom and one-living room with his toes.
To put it bluntly, he has grown up and cares more about his reputation than before.
Su Ting understood He Yan's mentality, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Then I'll take some time in two days to contact the people at the production company to reject this matter. You should go and wash up quickly, because you have to get up early for school tomorrow."
He Yan breathed a sigh of relief and stood up to go upstairs, but just as he reached the stairs, he remembered something and shouted, "Mom!"
"What?" Su Ting looked up and asked.
He Yan stood sideways towards Su Ting, holding onto the railing and asked, "You just said that the people from the production company wanted to buy the copyright. What is this copyright?"
Su Ting explained: "The production company wanted to buy the rights to make the comic strip into an animated film. Because the work is mine, I disagree and they can't just rewrite it."
"Oh," He Yan suddenly realized, and asked, "How much can this copyright be sold for?"
"I'm not sure either. Maybe a few hundred, maybe a thousand. Anyway, it won't be too high." After Su Ting finished answering, she suddenly asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Su Ting thought that a few hundred or thousands was not a lot, but He Yan thought it was a lot of money.
Although he was a day student, Su Ting had to go to school and earn money, had little free time, and did not know how to cook, so he ate three meals a day in the cafeteria.
Because his mother always said that health is the capital of revolution, and always told him that eating well and drinking well is the most important, so when the canteen has vegetables, he never wronged himself to eat only vegetarian food. In addition, he eats a lot, even if the school food is cheaper than outside, his monthly food expenses are about fifteen yuan.
If we calculate it at 1,000 yuan, this sum of money is enough for him to eat for several years. Even if the whole family uses it together, it can last for a year or so.
Do you want money or face?
He Yan decisively chose the former. He turned around and walked down the stairs, returned to the sofa and sat down, saying, "I suddenly thought that adapting it into an animated film would also be good."
Su Ting raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Huh?"
He Yan did not mention money at all, and said in a high-sounding manner: "Others who want to be the protagonist of an animation film have no chance, but I am still so young, and I have become the protagonist of an animation film. How lucky I am."
His attitude changed so quickly that Su Ting asked in confusion, "Didn't you just say you didn't want so many people to know your dark history? Do you think it's ugly for people to know that your real identity is you?"
He Yan heard Su Ting mention the term "dark history" and defended himself by saying, "Actually... it's not really dark history. Besides, people in our compound already know that the prototype is me, and so do your classmates, mom. Even if the cartoon is not broadcast, they will know it."
As for his teachers and classmates at school, unless he tells them, they would never guess that he is the prototype even if they watched the cartoon.
Not to mention strangers, I don’t even know who he is.
Therefore, even if the Three Fires series is adapted into an animated film, more people will see this story, but as long as he remains calm and does not blow himself up, it will not affect his life.
Although He Yan's words were well-reasoned, Su Ting was afraid that he was acting on impulse, so she asked, "Have you thought it through?"
"I think very clearly."
He Yan was firm in his attitude, but Su Ting still felt that he changed his mind too quickly. She hesitated for a moment and said, "I think you should think about it again."
"No, I..."
Su Ting interrupted He Yan and said, "Even if you agree now, I will definitely discuss it with your father before making a decision, so I think you can think about it again and give me an answer before Saturday night."
"Okay." He Yan was helpless. To make his attitude clear, he emphasized again, "I won't change my mind."
"We'll talk about it when the time comes."
Su Ting was certainly happy that the Three Fires series was chosen for adaptation by Shanghai and the United States, but she did not have too deep an obsession with it. Two days later, regardless of whether He Yan agreed to the adaptation or not, she would respect his decision.
She was now very confused as to why his attitude changed 360 degrees just by climbing the stairs.
Recalling the conversation just now, Su Ting stopped He Yan who was about to get up and go back to his room and asked, "Can you tell Mom why you suddenly changed your mind?"
He Yan stopped and said nonchalantly, "No reason, I just suddenly figured it out."
"You figured it out because of money, right?" Su Ting said in a faint voice.
He Yan's heart skipped a beat and he turned around pretending to be stupid: "Huh?"
Su Ting confirmed: "It's really for the money."
He Yan sat back on the sofa, avoiding Su Ting's question, and said seriously: "The main reason I changed my mind is actually because I hope that more people can see the stories my mother painted."
"Even if the story in the painting contains your dark history?"
He Yan said sincerely: "I am willing to sacrifice my image."
Su Ting chuckled: "It's almost ten o'clock, go brush your teeth and wash your face."
He Yan got up quickly, took his schoolbag and went upstairs. But when he reached the stairs, he remembered and turned around to ask, "Mom, should we still split the copyright fee for the animation film equally?"
Su Ting: “…Yes.”
He Yan was satisfied and went upstairs with brisk steps.
Looking at the figure disappearing around the corner of the stairs, Su Ting felt a lot of emotion in her heart.
In the past, Su Ting always thought that He Yan could become the richest man in the original novel because he was the male protagonist and the author gave him a big enough golden finger. The plot has changed in this life, and he may not be able to start a business successfully and reach the pinnacle of life like in his previous life.
But now Su Ting thinks she may have been worrying too much. This child is indeed a good candidate for business.
Not only did he have the awareness of making money at a young age, but he was also willing to spend any amount of money to make it!