Chapter 97 End of the text
The next morning, He Susu woke up a little late.
She woke up a little, changed her clothes, and went to the next room to wake up the sleeping lazy pig: "Tangyuan, get up, the sun is shining on your butt!"
Tangyuan woke up in a daze, and when he saw the light coming in from the window, he looked at his mother and called out in a baby voice, "Good morning, Mom!"
"Good morning, get up quickly!" He Susu opened the closet and took out a set of clothes for him to change into.
Tangyuan is like her, she likes to sleep in in the morning, and even if she goes to bed early at night, she often wakes up late the next morning.
The mother and daughter cooperated well on this point. Otherwise, unless Tangyuan got up as early as his father, he would not be able to get breakfast if he woke up early.
While the little guy was changing clothes, He Susu went to the kitchen to turn on the coal stove again to heat up the breakfast in the pot, and then went to the bathroom to wash up.
When she came out, Tangyuan also consciously moved a small square wooden chair, stood on it, took the toothbrush and squeezed toothpaste to brush his teeth facing the washbasin, and then washed his face.
He was reluctant to brush his teeth at first, as he always thought it was troublesome and easy to get teeth stained and painful. It was He Susu who exchanged strawberry-flavored children's toothpaste for him from the shopping system, and explained in detail the disadvantages of not brushing teeth which would lead to worms. With daily supervision, Tangyuan finally developed the good habit of brushing his teeth every morning and evening.
Now her supervision is no longer needed, He Susu believes that Tangyuan will brush his teeth well.
She brought out the heated porridge in a bowl, took a can of shrimp and preserved radish and scooped some into the two bowls with a spoon.
Little Huang came over and barked twice as a greeting to the hostess, then ran to the toilet and played next to his little master.
It had already had breakfast, and the arrival of "Xiao Huang" made Cheng Shi have a dog to accompany him when he had breakfast every day, and he also drank white rice porridge.
After Tangyuan washed up, he brought out a small square wooden chair, put it on the chair at the dining table and climbed up to sit on it. Xiao Huang obediently lay on the ground waiting for him to eat.
"Wow, we have shrimp and preserved radish today!" Tangyuan said in surprise after looking at the breakfast in the bowl. He really likes shrimp and preserved radish, and every time he finishes eating, his mother will buy some and send it to him, but his mother said that he can't eat it often, only every three or five days.
He Susu sat down to eat breakfast: "Yes, eat more if you like."
The glutinous rice balls should be eaten with shrimp and preserved radish, spoonful by spoon.
After finishing his meal, he followed his mother to take his bowl and chopsticks into the kitchen. When his mother was washing the dishes, he leaned over and asked, "Mom, I fell asleep in the middle of listening to the story last night. Can you tell me more later?"
He Susu had expected this: "Okay, I'll tell you about it later."
Breakfast was simple, with only two pairs of bowls and chopsticks. He Susu quickly washed and put them away. After wiping the water off her hands with a dry rag, she went back to her room to read the fairy tale book.
Each fairy tale in this book is only three or four hundred words long. After taking note of the story Cheng Shi told her yesterday, she put the book down, walked out and sat down in the living room.
Tangyuan knew that his mother was going to tell him a story, so he sat down obediently on a chair in the living room. This was almost a daily routine, and Xiao Huang was also familiar with it. He lay on the ground beside him as if he could understand it.
He Susu began to tell a story: "A long, long time ago..."
Tang Yuan was so engrossed in listening that he was still savoring the story after it was over. Afterwards, he definitely praised her, "Mom, your stories are so good, better than Dad's!"
He Susu accepted the compliment and said with a smile, "Don't let your father hear this, or he won't tell you a bedtime story."
Tang Yuan stuck out his tongue after hearing this: "Mom, please don't tell Dad. Dad still speaks better than before."
He Susu nodded: "Okay, when you know more words, tell your parents stories. We promise that we won't mind if you don't tell good stories."
Tang Yuan smiled and said, "I will definitely work hard!"
He Susu thought that there were lemons at home, so she simply went to the kitchen to cut some lemons and soaked them in warm water. She poured a cup for herself and Tangyuan, and put the remaining lemon slices in a cold kettle and soaked them in warm water. She could come back here to pour more after she finished drinking.
Tangyuan loves to drink lemonade. He thinks the sour and sweet taste is delicious. He sits on a chair in the living room holding a cup and drinks it slowly.
He Susu had just sat down when she heard a knock on the door.
Xiao Huang was the first to bark and rushed to the courtyard gate, followed closely by Tangyuan.
With Xiao Huang following them, the family compound was safe, so He Susu was not worried.
After a while, she heard the sound outside and realized that it was Su Yu who came with Dabao and Erbao. She stood up to greet them: "Sister-in-law, you are here."
Dabao and Erbao smiled and called out, "Hello, aunt."
Then they ran with Tangyuan to play with Xiao Huang. They have been playing with Tangyuan since they were young and they take good care of this younger brother.
They also like cats and dogs, but their family doesn't allow them to have one. Ever since my aunt's family raised Xiao Huang, they have been extremely envious of Tangyuan. In addition to coming over during holidays, they sometimes like to drag their parents for a walk over at night just to play with Tangyuan and Xiao Huang.
Seeing Dabao, Erbao, Tangyuan and Xiaohuang playing together in the yard, He Susu called Su Yu: "Sister-in-law, come and sit in the living room. I just cut a lemon and soaked it in water. I'll pour you a glass to try."
Su Yu smiled and sat down: "Okay, drinking lemonade in summer is quite refreshing."
He Susu went to the kitchen, fetched a cup, scalded it with hot water, poured a glass of lemonade and came out: "Sister-in-law, how come you have time to come here today?"
Su Yu smiled and said, "Even if you make money in business, you still need to rest, right? Dabao and Erbao are on holiday, and I can cook two meals for them at home. I haven't been to your place for a long time, so I brought Dabao and Erbao over to sit with me. The two children are so happy, and they miss your little Huang all the time."
He Susu: "It's normal for children to like Xiao Huang. They are all very loving. Sister-in-law, you should take a rest. Making money is important, and your health is also important. Don't get tired."
Since the policy was relaxed, Su Yu has rediscovered his skill in making pastries. He makes mung bean cakes, yam cakes, red date cakes, and egg cakes at home and sells them in the county town.
Because the military family compound only goes to the county town on the fifth or tenth day of each month, she simply bought a bicycle, and rides the bicycle to the county town to sell cakes after making them every day.
She has good skills and the pastries she makes are not only beautiful but also taste better than those sold in the supply and marketing cooperatives. The price is a little higher but they don’t require sugar coupons, so many people are still willing to buy them.
Gradually, I accumulated a lot of repeat customers. Every time I went to the stall in the county market and put the cakes out, customers would come to buy them one after another.
The policies in the county are relatively relaxed. Ever since the first bold person took the first step and tasted the sweetness, more and more people have followed suit and started doing business.
Most people brought their own eggs, vegetables and various bamboo products to sell, while some people had connections and got some things from outside to sell.
The county government simply designated an area as a market, where people could sell goods by paying stall fees to the administrator. Because the goods in the market were rich and varied and no tickets were required, it gradually attracted many people to come here to buy goods.
Of course, although the business of state-owned units such as supply and marketing cooperatives, department stores, and grocery stores has been affected, their scale is still sufficient and they are still operating well. However, it is hard to say how they will perform in the future.
When Su Yu first decided to set up a stall in the county town to sell homemade cakes, apart from her husband and sister-in-law's family who had supported her with advance communication, even the military wives she was on good terms with were very pessimistic and kept persuading her.
"The job of a teacher in our army's primary school is so stable. The salary is not high but it is not low either. The children are a little noisy but there is nothing to do after class. It is so relaxing. Xiaoyu, are you sure you want to quit this job? It will be too late to regret it then."
"Yes, Xiaoyu, although the policy has been relaxed now, who knows what it will be like in the future. If something goes wrong, not only will you be in trouble, but your man will also be implicated."
"Xiaoyu, the cakes you make are delicious, but selling them is always risky. If you can't sell them, you'll waste all your money. You'd better just stay at school and be a teacher."
Su Yu thanked them for their kindness, but still resolutely took the first step to start a business selling cakes. It didn't make sense that she was successful in her past life selling cakes, but would fail in her next life.
At that time, she became the subject of heated discussion among the wives of soldiers in the family compound. Some admired her for having the courage to quit her job as a school teacher to sell cakes, some implied that she was arrogant and wanted to make a lot of money, and some hoped that she would fail to sell the cakes and lose money, and finally return home in disgrace and unable to find a job and had to stay at home. There were all kinds of comments.
Su Yu didn't care, and the army didn't have any talks with He Lianzhou. She ran her pastry business as usual, earning more and more money every day and accumulating a lot of repeat customers.
She planned to save more money, then buy a shop and open a dessert shop, making more delicious desserts to sell.
The wives of soldiers in the family compound paid more or less attention to Su Yu's movements. When they saw that the cakes at her stall were sold out very quickly, they knew that she was making a lot of money. While they were envious, the unpleasant words disappeared.
Some brave or skilled people, seeing that a market had been set up in the county town, also started to prepare various things and set up stalls to sell them to make money.
Unlike Su Yu, they did not buy a bicycle to go to the county town every day. They only took the army vehicles to sell things on the fifth and tenth days. Even so, they made more money than usual, which was really sweet.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to feel the spring breeze blowing, and an open and relaxed era was about to come.
Up to now, at least one-third of the people in the family compound have made some small things to sell in the county town, and sometimes they even exchange the vegetables grown in their own vegetable gardens for money.
At this time, Su Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry, little sister. I know what is important and I won't ruin my health just to make money. How is your writing going recently?"
She had the memories and experiences of her previous life and knew that during this period as long as one had a little courage and could come up with something to sell, doing business would be the most profitable, with wages far higher than those of the workers in the state-owned factories.
It is no exaggeration to say that some millionaires were born here.
Su Yu has a good relationship with her aunt, and they have been getting along well and helping each other. Su Yu also wants her to take advantage of the favorable conditions of the times and make more money.
She once asked her aunt if she wanted to start a business with her. It would be nice to set up a stall selling some other food, or ask her aunt's former friends in Shanghai to help buy more fashionable clothes from Shanghai and send them over. She could then resell them here for a little more money without using coupons, which would also be a good business.
In fact, it is most profitable to go to Guangzhou or Shenzhen in the south to wholesale clothes and shoes and sell them back. The policy was implemented early there, and there are many bold and good business people. It has already formed a certain scale. Many people from all over the country go there to wholesale clothes and sell them back.
However, Su Yu didn't know anyone there, and she didn't want to take a big step and go to Shenzhen and Yangcheng to wholesale clothes, for fear of attracting too much attention from her husband and the army. Selling cakes was enough for her to make money in the early stages.
But after listening to me, my aunt thought about it and refused, saying that Tangyuan was still young and she didn't have the energy, and that the royalties from writing articles were enough for her to live a good life.
After listening to her, Su Yu did not persuade her any further. Everyone has their own way of life, and it is not easy for her to force her aunt to do something. She has already done her part in the relationship between her and her aunt by offering these suggestions.
After hearing what her sister-in-law said, He Susu said, "I've been writing quite well recently. Now that people's living conditions are a little better, their spiritual needs may have increased. They are more willing to spend money on books and magazines than before, and the royalties they give me have also increased. I've been writing for so many years now that I'm used to it. I feel uncomfortable if I don't write something every day. I'm quite satisfied that I can earn royalties from writing like this."
Su Yu was happy for her after hearing this: "That's great, as long as you enjoy writing articles. Now that the policy is good, maybe the stories you write can be published as a book."
"I heard that some families in Shanghai and Beijing can now buy TVs to watch at home. Aren't TV dramas also based on a story that is made into a drama and broadcast on TV? I think you may meet someone who will pay to buy the copyright of your story and make it into a TV drama. You may make a lot of money from that."
After hearing this casually, Su Yu thought more and more that it was possible. She really approved of the novels written by her aunt.
In the next few years, as the film and television industry developed, many companies would buy the copyrights of novels to make TV series, as well as audio and radio dramas, all of which could make money by selling copyrights.
Some great authors can sell the copyright of a novel for millions in the future. If I keep writing like this, I will gain fame sooner or later, and it is not impossible for me to sell the copyright then.
When He Susu heard her sister-in-law say that her stories had been published as a book, she had an urge to tell her the good news, but she swallowed the words and decided to wait until the time came.
When she heard that the story her sister-in-law told was being made into a TV series, she smiled with anticipation: "Then I appreciate your good wishes, sister-in-law. I hope that I can really make some money by selling the copyright in the future."
Su Yu smiled and nodded: "Yes, I believe you."
Outside in the yard, Dabao, Erbao and Tangyuan were laughing and playing, mixed with Xiaohuang's barking, and the rustling sound of leaves swaying in the summer breeze.
He Susu asked with a smile: "How are Dabao and Erbao doing recently?"
After graduating from elementary school, Dabao went to the county town to attend junior high school. Even though Su Yu bought a bicycle and went back and forth to the county town every day to sell cakes, she still chose to let Dabao stay in the school, take him home after school on Friday, and send him back to school on Sunday afternoon.
Firstly, she wanted to let Dabao develop independence, and secondly, she had to make cakes at home every morning, so she couldn't go to the county town so early, and naturally she would miss the time to send Dabao to school.
My second child is in the fourth grade this year.
Su Yu smiled and said, "They are still the same. They are OK in their studies. Dabao's test scores are often in the top three in the class, and Erbao is in the top five. They are only serious in school. They do their homework as if they were fighting a war. When they get home, they just play. They are still playful."
He Susu: "As long as the grades are good, you and my brother don't have to worry about the homework. It's normal for children to like to play. It will be fine when they grow up. Tangyuan is the same. He basically plays all morning. In the afternoon, he looks at some flashcards to practice writing. Then he runs around the yard with Xiao Huang. He has a lot of energy all day long."
Su Yu nodded in agreement: "Dabao and Erbao were like this before, they both came of this age. With Xiao Huang playing with you, Tangyuan will definitely have more fun. But it's good to have Xiao Huang to play with Tangyuan, it makes the house more lively and he won't be bored. You only have Tangyuan at home, unlike Dabao and Erbao, who can play together."
At this point, she asked with a smile, "Little sister, don't you and Cheng Shi plan to have another child?"
He Susu smiled and said, "Neither of us has taken any measures, but there has been no news in the past three years. Let nature take its course. When the time comes, it will come naturally."
She and Cheng Shi were willing to let fate take their course in having another child. Having Tangyuan was enough for the family, and having another one to make a couple would be nice, but it all depended on fate.
Su Yu understood: "It's okay, just listen to you and let it go."
She was determined that Dabao and Erbao were enough, and she and Lianzhou had been taking measures over the years.
The aunt and sister-in-law chatted about some other topics. It seemed that they could make people laugh by talking about those little funny things in daily life. There was laughter in the living room and even more laughter in the yard.
It was almost noon when Su Yu returned home with Dabao and Erbao, whom she was reluctant to leave.
He Susu called Tangyuan, who was sweating all over from playing, over and said, "Go get a towel and wipe the sweat off your face, and then change your clothes to avoid catching a cold. I'll pour you another glass of lemonade, drink it later to replenish your water."
Tangyuan agreed with a smile, went to the bathroom to get a towel to wipe the sweat off his face, and then went back to the room to change clothes.
Xiao Huang, this follower dog, follows Tangyuan wherever he goes.
He Susu went to the kitchen to prepare meat dishes for lunch.
He Susu waited for Cheng Shi to come back and cooked and ate. After resting for a while, she sent Tangyuan back to the room for a nap.
This child has had the habit of taking a nap since he was young. Unlike some children who refuse to take a nap, he is as energetic as a tree. Tangyuan doesn't need to listen to stories during his nap. He just lies on his bed, covers himself with a quilt, and falls asleep after tossing and turning.
In the main room, He Susu and Cheng Shi were also lying down and taking a nap.
The afternoon breeze poured in through the open window, bringing with it a bit of dryness and heat. The wind from the electric fan blew in from inside, and it almost dissipated the heat, adding a bit of coolness.
The couple were sleeping soundly on the bed, not cuddling together, but their hands touching each other also witnessed the love between them.
He Susu’s nap was not long. When she woke up, she felt relaxed and refreshed.
She got up and walked out of the room, and went to the small room first. Tangyuan was sleeping soundly on the bed, covered with a quilt. She walked out of the room quietly and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
When He Susu finished drinking the glass of water, Tang Yuan came out rubbing his eyes: "Mom, how long have you been awake?"
"I just woke up a while ago."
Tang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, I didn't sleep too long."
He likes to sleep longer than his mother. It's okay for him to get up a little later than his mother in the morning and at noon, after all, there's nothing fun in getting up early. But it's not okay to get up too late either, as it wastes too much time.
He Susu went to pour him a glass of water. It is better to drink more water in summer. Tangyuan sweats a lot when running, so he needs to drink more water.
After the child finished drinking water and saw that he was in high spirits, she assigned him a study task for today: "Go and learn the words on pages 31 to 35 of the flashcards, and then write each word on pages 26 to 30 ten times. After that, you can go and play."
Tang Yuan was not opposed to studying, and responded with a smile: "Mom, I know, don't worry."
After saying that, he picked up the glass of water that his mother had just filled for him, went into the room, sat down at the desk, picked up the literacy card, turned to page 31 and prepared to start studying.
Xiao Huang followed in, wagging his tail, and lay down beside the desk and began to sleep.
He Susu looked at this scene with a satisfied smile, took her cup of water back to her room, sat down at the desk, took out the manuscript paper and continued to write her story.
She still mostly writes long stories now and is no longer confined to the magazine she published back then.
During these three years, she also tried to submit her works to two other magazines, which also mainly published serial stories in installments. At the beginning, they were paid five yuan per thousand words. He Susu then submitted her works to these three magazines in turn.
In addition, after finishing a long story, she would write some short stories of two to three thousand words to practice.
Now that her writing ability has improved, she has a corresponding understanding of the personalities of various characters and story types, and is able to conceive ideas with ease. Short stories with a weak plot line are even easier for her to come up with, and it takes her less than half a day to complete the process from conceiving the theme, content, and characters to starting writing. The royalties she can earn from submitting her manuscripts are as high as 7 or 8 yuan per thousand words.
What I just said to my sister-in-law is true. After the policy was relaxed, not only did it become more convenient to do business, but literary industries such as publishing houses and magazines also recovered. More people were willing to pay for works, and the corresponding remuneration paid to authors also increased.
From 5 yuan per thousand words to 7 or 8 yuan per thousand words, and then to 10 yuan per thousand words, with the improvement of her own abilities and the favorable trend of the times, her remuneration has now risen to 18 yuan per thousand words.
That is to say, if she sits at her desk and writes a story of more than 3,000 words in an afternoon, she can earn 54 yuan in royalties.
He Susu was very satisfied with such income.
Even Cheng Shi couldn't help laughing when he knew about it: "Susu, you are really amazing now. I can't compare to you. Who knows, I may have to rely on you to support me in the future."
"It's okay for me to support you. We are just friends." He Susu responded with a smile.
In fact, the family expenses over the years have all been covered by Cheng Shi’s allowance, and she has kept the royalties she earned and has hardly used them.
Cheng Shi has always been a very responsible person. When he gave his allowances and bonuses to her to manage the household, even though he knew she could earn royalties from writing, he always let her save them for herself and just use his money.
Her thoughts returned, and He Susu focused on the plot pouring out of her pen, writing fluently.
After finishing writing, she checked to make sure the logic was correct and there were no typos, then put the manuscript away. She then brought up the shopping system screen with a thought.
In the past two years, she earned diligence points by writing articles to get system rewards, and occasionally competed with her mother to prepare dishes to earn some diligence points. Of course, she could also earn diligence points by educating Tangyuan.
Since her mother went back, the job of preparing lunch and dinner fell back on her. In addition, she could earn 1 diligence point by educating Tangyuan every day, and she could also get diligence points as rewards if her submitted articles were selected. He Susu once again became a big diligence point holder, and saved a lot of it, which she could basically exchange for anything in the shopping system at will.
She swiped her card and redeemed a big watermelon first.
Eating watermelon is the most refreshing thing in summer. She and Cheng Shi love to eat it, and so do Tangyuan. Even though it is still a little early in the summer, He Susu plans to bring back a watermelon next time she goes to the county town.
Then she rummaged around and exchanged two sets of cotton short-sleeved shorts for Tangyuan for summer wear, and picked out a pea green dress, two short-sleeved tops and a pair of light and cool trousers for herself.
Cheng Shi always wore olive green training clothes, so she simply exchanged them for two white vests and army green shorts to wear at night or on holidays at home.
Then exchange some apples and bananas. It’s always good to eat more fruits.
After exchanging a bunch of things in the shopping system, He Susu finally walked out of the room with the cup.
After completing his mother's study assignment, Tangyuan first played with Xiao Huang in the living room. When the sun outside was not so strong, he ran to the yard to play.
Knowing that his mother was writing an article, he would restrain his laughter and not laugh so happily. Occasionally, the little yellow dog would laugh a little loudly, and the little master would put his index finger to his mouth and hush, and he would immediately quiet down.
When He Susu walked out, she saw a child and a puppy sitting side by side on the ground in the yard. Tangyuan was mumbling something about the rules of a game. The small pile of soil dug out from the vegetable garden was divided into several pieces. Xiao Huang was listening there, not quite understanding what they were saying.
The sun was setting in the sky, and an orange glow covered half the sky. She smiled.
At the end of May, He Susu received a sample book from the magazine she had been submitting articles to.
She has been publishing serial stories in the long story column of this magazine over the years and has accumulated a lot of readers, who can be said to be loyal fans.
Just as the literary field was shining brightly again, the magazine wanted to expand its publishing business and selected some of the excellent and popular long stories in the past to compile and publish them as a book for sale. He Susu was chosen because she published many long stories that were very popular with readers.
After discussing with her through correspondence, the magazine signed a publishing cooperation contract, reselected eight of her previous long stories, compiled them into a book, and asked someone to write a preface.
The publishing fee alone was three thousand yuan, and this was because the selected story had been published in the magazine before.
The magazine intends to cooperate again in the future. At that time, He Susu will directly write a long story and publish it as a book. The royalties including copyright fees will be higher.
As a publishing benefit, He Susu added a new postscript to each story.
When she looked through these stories, sorted out the plots and wrote the afterwords, it was like returning to each period of creation. Her mood, what happened and how she was doing at that time all came to her mind. What she can be sure of is that she is constantly growing and getting better and better.
At this time, He Susu opened the package and revealed the cover of her first published book.
The background is an ink-colored landscape with emerald green bamboos growing tall and straight. The cover has a striking introduction printed on it: "A passionate collection of long stories by the famous author He Susu, Stories from the Bamboo Forest."
She was just about to turn to the first page and take a look.
Cheng Shi came out of the kitchen and sat down next to her with a smile: "Has your published book arrived? Let me take a look at it."
Tang Yuan came over and said, "And me, and me. I want to read mom's first book and be mom's first reader."
Xiao Huang ran over and lay on the ground: "Woof woof woof!"
He Susu raised her eyes and looked at them with a smile, then nodded: "Okay, let's watch it together."
Turning the title page, we find that every story in the book is rich, wonderful, and has a beginning and an end. Their lives outside the book continue, plain yet warm.
(End of text)
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