Chapter 52
After He He squeezed in, she discovered that the bookstall had a really wide variety of books, even more than Xinhua Bookstore. She had no idea where the stall owner had found them.
She spent money to buy a book she didn't own and sat down next to Chen Jingyi to read it.
She came out just to join in the fun; since she doesn't have to watch the stall, she can read in peace.
However, the light was poor at night, and after reading for a short while, her eyes felt uncomfortable, so she obediently put the book away.
Bored sitting there, she glanced at the people who borrowed books, wondering how they could read under such light. She then realized that they were using flashlights to read; they must really love reading.
There were pastries at a street stall. Cheng Sulin, who had run off to buy some, ran back and handed the steaming pastries to Chen Jingyi and He He.
He He took a small bite, and the taste was surprisingly good, comparable to that of state-run restaurants. "Hey, do you guys think state-run restaurants won't go out of business in the future? With so many delicious shops and stalls opening up, will state-run restaurants still have any customers?"
She said it casually, but Chen Jingyi was startled. "You can't say that. How can these small businesses compare to state-run restaurants? State-run restaurants belong to the country, they won't go out of business, they'll definitely prosper."
She also had a vague feeling that there would be more and more privately owned restaurants on the street, and it was really hard to say whether state-run restaurants would still exist in the future. However, there were so many people around, and walls have ears, so it was not appropriate to say such things that were not good for the collective.
"I won't say anything more, I was just talking nonsense." Seeing Chen Jingyi's nervousness, He He realized that she had misspoke and dared not say anything more.
After a short while, seeing that no customers were coming, He He took the initiative to chat again, "Sister Jingyi, how long do you plan to keep your stall open? Will you keep it open even during winter vacation?"
Chen Jingyi nodded in agreement: "I will set up a stall. Anyway, I have nothing to do. There will be more people buying things during the winter vacation and Chinese New Year. I should be able to make more money then."
Xiao Bai needs a lot of money to treat his ears, so she needs to earn more money so he can go to the capital to get treatment.
She also felt guilty about what happened back then. If Xiao Bai hadn't protected her, her ear wouldn't have been injured, and she wouldn't have been looked down upon by so many people because of her ear all these years.
He He was overjoyed: "Then I'll help you too, since I have nothing to do at home anyway."
Chen Jingyi smiled and said, "Sure."
She was afraid she wouldn't have been able to get things done this past month if it weren't for Su Lin and Xiao He accompanying her. She was truly grateful to them.
"Auntie, you haven't even asked for my opinion yet! This business was set up by Jingyi and me, so you should ask her instead of me!" Cheng Sulin was quite unhappy.
Originally, it was just him and Chen Jingyi, so it was convenient for them to talk secretly and hold hands. But once He He arrived, Chen Jingyi only cared about her and completely forgot about his existence as her partner.
He He rolled her eyes at him. "What's the use of asking you? I can come whenever I want. Do you dare to make decisions for Sister Jingyi? If Jingyi tells me to come, you have to obey her."
Chen Jingyi couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
Cheng Sulin couldn't utter a single word for a long time. Although that's what he said, He He should at least show him some respect, even if it was just a formality to ask him.
He He: "What, you think I'm disturbing your time together?"
Cheng Surin had no way to express his suffering. At this moment, he thought of Chen Jingbai and asked, "Where is Chen Jingbai? Why don't you go and stick to him?"
He He: "He's busy, you know that. I can count the number of times I see him on one hand. He's not as free as you."
Cheng Surin: "What exactly is he busy with? Are architecture students really that busy? So busy that he's even overlooked you."
If Chen Jingyi hadn't been there, he would have advised He He to break up with Chen Jingbai. What's the point of a relationship that you only see a few times? It's just a waste of time.
Chen Jingyi knew that Chen Jingbai was indeed very busy. The teacher valued him, and in addition to studying, he often helped the teacher in the office.
Even though she was his older sister and they went to the same school, they probably saw each other less often than he did with He He. When they occasionally bumped into each other on the street, Chen Jingbai was always in a hurry.
She defended Chen Jingbai, saying, "He really is very busy. He didn't intentionally ignore Xiaohe. I occasionally run into him on the street, and we only exchange greetings. We don't even have time to chat before he rushes off. I'll talk to Xiaobai another day and ask him to put down some of his work and spend more time with Xiaohe."
He He couldn't possibly let Chen Jingbai put down what he was doing; studying was indeed more important. "Don't trouble Sister Jingyi. If we can't see each other, we can't see each other. I have my own things to do, and I don't necessarily have to see him."
She has things to do too! Chen Jingbai is so busy, it makes it seem like she has nothing to do.
Chen Jingyi felt she needed to talk to Chen Jingbai. Xiaohe clearly wanted to see him more often, but she just didn't say it. She was afraid that Xiaohe would really leave once she actually said it.
Chen Jingyi didn't mention Chen Jingbai again, but smiled at He He and asked with concern, "Xiao He, what have you been busy with lately besides studying?"
He He said, "There are so many. I participate in clubs and such, especially our school's literary society, which has a lot of activities. I also read the articles written by my classmates, and they ask me to help them revise them. Some of them write very well."
"It's really strange that only one or two of them get accepted. I think the others are well-written, but they just can't get accepted no matter how many times they submit them. It's such a pity. If I were a newspaper, I would definitely accept their submissions."
Cheng Sulin poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Is it really that good? If it were really that good, how come you couldn't hit the target?"
He He retorted angrily, "The newspaper has no vision, and neither do you!"
Chen Jingyi eased the tension between them and praised He He, saying, "Hey He, you're so amazing! You can even revise their papers."
He He raised her eyebrows: "Of course, many people have asked me to help them make changes."
She was overjoyed to receive so much recognition, and she even helped revise the few pieces that were selected by the newspaper.
Chen Jingyi was happy for her, and then she remembered when He He first decided to set up a stall, she said that she didn't know what she wanted to do in the future, and she was worried that she would not like the job she was assigned after graduation.
Thinking of this, Chen Jingyi leaned close to He He's ear and whispered, "I think if you don't know what to do in the future, you can turn yourself into a 'newspaper'."
She paused and continued, "Of course, I'm not saying you should become a real newspaper owner. I'm just giving an example. It means you could buy your classmates' manuscripts, or you could publish them together with a publishing house at your own expense, and then you could open your own bookstore to sell those books. Weren't you just envious of the booksellers who have it easy, sitting there without having to hawk their wares, and customers just come to them?"
He He's eyes lit up. "You're so smart, Sister Jingyi! How come I didn't think of that?" Opening a bookstore is really great. She was so envious of the book stall owner who made money so easily. Sister Jingyi's suggestion was like a godsend.
Chen Jingyi: "This is just an idea I came up with based on what you said."
He He thought about it again and realized that it made sense. The idea was one thing, but putting it into practice would be quite difficult. "Can a bookstore be opened? I see that the authorities seem to be very strict about these kinds of shops and don't allow private individuals to open them."
Chen Jingyi: "In the past, private individuals were not allowed to do business. If you were caught, you would be charged with speculation and profiteering. But now look at everyone, they are openly setting up stalls and opening shops. The authorities have not said anything. Who can say what will happen in the future? What if, after you graduate, bookstores are allowed to be opened by private individuals?"
He He: "You're right! So do you think I should buy all the students' books now, and sell them in my bookstore when I open one in the future?"
Chen Jingyi shook her head: "You can set up a stall now to test the waters, or ask a bookstall owner to help you sell your books. But I have to tell you, unknown authors may not even have anyone to buy their books. You may have to be prepared to lose your money."
“That seems to be true.” He He thought it made sense, but she trusted her classmates’ abilities and her own taste. “But I think what they wrote was really good.”
The books she chose couldn't possibly go unsold, and she wasn't the only one who thought the articles were good; many of her classmates also thought they were good.
Chen Jingyi didn't want to dampen He He's enthusiasm, but things had to be done slowly. "Don't rush. You don't need to buy your classmate's article so quickly. You can ask your classmate if she'd like you to help her publish it. Spend the publishing fee to print a few copies and see if anyone wants them on the market."
He He excitedly hugged Chen Jingyi, "Sister Jingyi, you are simply my strategist."
The two were chatting happily, whispering to each other in private. Cheng Surin, who was standing to the side, couldn't hear them and asked curiously, "What are you two talking about? You're laughing and hugging, excluding me, aren't you?"
He He made a zipper gesture with her finger near her mouth, her expression smug, "It's a secret, I'm not telling you."
“You’ve got a secret from me, huh?” Seeing that He He wouldn’t tell him, Cheng Sulin turned to Chen Jingyi and said, “Xiaoyi, tell me what you and she talked about.”
Chen Jingyi looked at Cheng Surin apologetically: "Xiao He doesn't want me to say it, there's nothing I can do."
He He is a woman of great energy and efficiency. The very next day, she went to talk to the classmate she thought had the best writing. However, she didn't talk about publishing first. Instead, she told her classmate that her friend also wanted to read her writing.
Sister Jingyi said to show her the article first, and if she approves, then we can discuss the collaboration with her classmate.
Her classmate was also a freshman majoring in Chinese literature, but from another class. She was a beautiful and intelligent girl with a gentle name, Su Xiuyun.
Su Xiuyun knew that other people also liked her articles, so she readily agreed. What she gave He He was the revised original manuscript.
The original submission to the newspaper was a separate copy. She copied it carefully for several days, rewriting it every time she made a mistake, but unfortunately it was not selected in the end.
She wrote a short story, only about 20,000 words long, which she showed to many people, and many of them said it was well written.
In an event organized by the literary society, her article was voted first by her classmates, but the newspaper refused to accept her manuscript, even those that were not as good as hers were selected.
This made Su Xiuyun a little discouraged. However, even though she wasn't selected by the newspaper, she was still happy to share her work with classmates who wanted to read it. This was an affirmation of her writing, and she would work hard to write better articles so that she could be selected by the newspaper next time.
After receiving Su Xiuyun's manuscript, He He held it in her hands with great care, and then showed it to Chen Jingyi that evening.
After reading it, Chen Jingyi also thought it was really good and suggested that she give it a try. So He He immediately went to Su Xiuyun to discuss it.
After hearing He He's words, Su Xiuyun was very surprised and almost speechless with excitement. "Is what you said true, Xiao He? You really want to help me publish it? I... can I really do it? Isn't it a bit risky? What if no one buys my book? Wouldn't you lose money? How about we split the publishing and printing costs in half?"
He He didn't know how much publishing would cost, but she had the money and could afford it. "Don't be shy. Once it's published, we'll split the profits 50/50. Consider this an investment. I believe in your abilities; it won't be unsellable."
Su Xiuyun never dreamed that someone would be willing to help her publish it. She thought the article would just rot under her desk, so she had no right to ask for so much profit, not to mention that it was uncertain whether it would even sell.
He He was good to her, but she also had to be sensible. Su Xiuyun said, "If it can be sold, you don't need to give me so much. I'll split it 20/80. Besides, you'll need money to help me with the publishing and printing. We don't even know if we can break even. Let me split it 20/80 after you break even. Otherwise, how can I ask you to help me with the publishing?"
Su Xiuyun spoke earnestly, so He He couldn't insist any further, "Alright then."
He He took some time and went with Su Xiuyun to the provincial publishing house with the manuscript.
Even for self-published articles, the publishing house still has to review whether the articles meet the standards, and the two of them waited for several more days.
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