Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 316 News Flying Everywhere, Hometown is Peaceful

At this moment, a bold male editor rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "Boss! We were just talking about President Cao's income! There are a lot of news reports today that he has recently earned more than 100 million. Such big news, we couldn't help but talk about it. I don't think we can be blamed for this, what do you think? Hehe."

Bao Jianfeng was taken aback. "President Cao? Which President Cao is so capable? How did he earn so much?"

Male editor: "That's our company's CEO, Mr. Cao!"

Bao Jianfeng was taken aback. "You mean President Cao Sheng?"

Most of the editors present nodded in agreement.

"Correct!"

"That's right! Which other CEO Cao could it be?"

"President Bao! I never expected that our President Cao would be such a valuable asset! With President Cao around, our company will never have to worry about running out of money again!"

"Yes! Yes! Mr. Cao is a billionaire now, our company will definitely not be short of money!"

……

Everyone started chatting, and the office area became lively again.

Baojianfeng was stunned.

Earned over 100 million recently? Become a billionaire?
"How did he make that much money? You can't make that much money writing novels, can you?"

Bao Jianfeng couldn't help but press for more information.

Someone explained to him, "The script! It's clearly written in the news that Mr. Cao recently sold two scripts to Hollywood and earned more than ten million US dollars, which is more than one hundred million yuan."

"Writing a script..."

Bao Jianfeng had no interest in dealing with the issue of everyone chatting during work hours, and even if everyone was still talking non-stop, he didn't care.

He returned to his office with a complicated expression. He sat behind his desk, thought for a while, and then suddenly looked up at the computer on the desk.

He estimated that such big news would have been reported online.

Thinking this, he quickly went online to search for the keywords "Zhongyuan Yidianhui" and "Yiyi".

A bunch of related news articles were quickly found.

He randomly clicked on an article and read it, and even after finishing, his eyes still showed an expression of disbelief.

Two scripts sold for over 100 million?

What kind of script is so expensive?

Is it really that easy to make money in Hollywood?

He didn't doubt the authenticity of the news article because he had just seen many related news articles, and he subconsciously felt that since there were so many related news articles, the authenticity of the news article should be beyond doubt.

Little did they know that the information the media received from Cheng Long was inaccurate to begin with.

Cheng Long said that Cao Sheng's two scripts sold for over 100 million.

Actually?

One of the scripts, "Twilight," was sold by Cao Sheng as part of the entire series, consisting of four scripts.

Including "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," which was sold to Disney, there are a total of 5 scripts.

If the media could report accurately, it wouldn't shock countless readers to such an incomprehensible degree.

However, the fact is that the media reports were incorrect.

This has misled countless readers.

Just like Baojianfeng, he couldn't understand how two scripts could sell for so much money. Completely baffled, he picked up the landline and dialed Cao Sheng's number.

But the call didn't go through; it showed that Cao Sheng's number was busy.

After hanging up the phone, he could only suppress his doubts for the time being.

"Two scripts, over 100 million... Even scripts adapted from the Four Great Classical Novels wouldn't sell for that price, right? What kind of scripts did he write? Why are the Americans so fond of them?"

He frowned and muttered to himself.

……

Cao Sheng's hometown.

Cao Sheng drove home around 11 a.m. today, just in time for his family's lunch. Before he had even finished eating, relatives and neighbors from the village started coming to visit him.

Relatives in the village usually live very close by.

As soon as he returned, his BMW stopped at the door, which was like announcing to everyone that he was back. Before long, relatives came to visit with gifts.

Someone brought over an old hen, and with a smile, said, "I know you raise chickens, but none of them taste as good as mine. Look at these feathers! They're so shiny and glossy! And you might not believe it, but my chicken can often fly onto my roof. If it can fly that high, it must taste delicious!"

Someone brought over a few Fuji apples.

These days, Fuji apples are very famous, especially in rural areas, where they are considered a very expensive fruit by many villagers.

When bringing the fruit, she said, "This is what my daughter brought back yesterday, Ah Sheng. I know your family is wealthy, but I guess your parents probably wouldn't be willing to buy such expensive fruit, so I brought a few for you to try. Please don't be disgusted!"

Someone brought in a half-baked bamboo basket of river clams and said as they entered, "Ah Sheng! These are good things. You can't get them even if you have money when you're out there, right? My family's fishpond was drained recently. You came back late, and all the fish have been sold. I just went to the edge of the fishpond to dig these up. Have your mom cook them with some pickled vegetables for you to try. I remember you loved eating these when you were little, right? You haven't had them in many years, have you?"

To be honest, Cao Sheng hadn't eaten this stuff in a long time.

But he didn't particularly like eating this when he was a child.

It was just because his family was poor at that time and they didn't eat much meat. So, in the summer, he liked to go down to the river to catch some river clams to treat himself. In the winter, many fish ponds in the village would be drained and fish caught. After the water in the fish ponds was drained, it was easy to dig up river clams on the bank. So, in the winter, he also liked to catch these to improve his meals.

But I don't particularly like eating it; it's just a last resort when I can't get meat.

However, with such a kind relative, he naturally wouldn't say that he didn't like eating this, and he had to pretend to be pleasantly surprised and thank him repeatedly.

That afternoon, his house was constantly filled with people.

His house was bustling all afternoon, almost packed with relatives and neighbors, as well as a few childhood playmates.

Most of these people are not well-educated and have little awareness of not disturbing others.

Their behavior of staying at Cao Sheng's house for the entire afternoon would be considered very inconsiderate by some city dwellers.

But Cao Sheng knew that this was a normal phenomenon in rural areas.

In rural areas, those who are popular are almost always "unaware" of their own behavior.

These people might greet everyone they meet.

If you bump into an acquaintance on the street, you might stop them and chat for an hour or two.

When chatting, they don't really consider the other person's feelings.

For example, when they meet someone who has just gotten divorced, they will repeatedly ask out of curiosity about the reasons for the divorce.

When encountering students who have returned home for the holidays, regardless of their usual grades, they insist on asking how many points they scored on the final exam.

When someone in their family passes away, they like to ask about the cause of death.

This habit of satisfying one's own curiosity without caring about the other person's well-being will, with the development of the times, cause many young people to never want to return to the countryside after leaving.

Especially for those with low wages and who are unmarried, the thing they fear most when returning to the village is facing the villagers' probing questions. In the original timeline, Cao Sheng gradually also became somewhat afraid to return to the village.

Because people always like to ask him how much he earns each month? And why he's not married yet?
And now?
He actually quite enjoys chatting with the villagers.

Firstly, the villagers' attitude towards him now is different from that in the original timeline.

No one asked him questions he didn't want to hear anymore. Everyone who spoke to him had a smile on their face, even the village elders.

Secondly, he could glean a lot of writing material from his conversations with these people.

That's very interesting!

Someone said, "Ah Sheng! Xiao Bin from the east end of the village used to be your classmate, right? Do you remember him?"

Cao Sheng nodded with a smile, "Yes, I remember! We were in the same class in elementary school, what's up?"

Another person chimed in, "Hehe, Xiao Bin! He's really something now. You probably won't believe it, but he went on a blind date with a girl and ended up eloping with her mother. Can you believe that?"

Cao Sheng was astonished. "Really? No way?"

In the original timeline, he had never heard of this matter.

That's understandable, though. Back then, he had just graduated from university and was working outside. He would only come back once a year at most, and each time he would only stay for a few days. He also didn't visit other people's homes much, so he hadn't heard about this.

Someone said, "Do you know the son of the old carpenter in Zhuyuan Village? His son's name is Xiaobao, right? I remember you two were classmates, weren't you?"

Cao Sheng shook his head. "Xiao Bao? No! He's a year ahead of me, but we used to play together a lot. What happened to him?"

"Him? That kid's a piece of trash now. He's been messing around all these years. A while ago, he had a fight with his dad, and ended up calling over a dozen thugs who beat his dad up. Now his dad hangs his head when he sees people; he's too ashamed to show his face!"

……

and many more.

Cao Sheng used to have no interest in listening to these mundane family matters.

But now he listens with great interest, taking it all as potential writing material for the future, and keeping it in mind.

Cao Sheng heard many strange tales throughout the afternoon.

Unbeknownst to him, news about him was already flying everywhere, with reports from Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan all saying that he had earned over 100 million from his two recent scripts.

Not only was he completely unaware, but the villagers in his village were also temporarily unaware.

Unfortunately, no one in their village has internet access yet.

These days, mobile phones generally can't access the internet.

News online is not available in the village.

At dinner time, his family had to set up three large tables.

Relatives, close neighbors, and the village chief all stayed until dinner time. The village chief and accountant even took the initiative to arrange and instruct the village women to help Cao Sheng's mother cook.

Not enough ingredients?

With the Lunar New Year approaching, someone in the village was slaughtering a pig for the holiday, and the village chief personally went to fetch a pig's leg. Most of the village's fishponds had been drained and fish caught by the end of the year; some fish that hadn't been sold were being kept in nets, and the accountant had brought over a few large fish. Cao Sheng's mother thought they should kill two chickens, and was originally planning to slaughter their own, but the village secretary stopped her, saying, "So many of us are eating at your house, how can we kill your chickens? Hey you! Your chickens always eat other people's vegetables, don't they? It's almost the New Year, when are we going to kill them? Go and catch two right now, hurry up!"

The villager who was named was known as a troublemaker in the village.

But today, after being given this order by the village secretary, and facing everyone's jeers, he looked at Cao Sheng with an embarrassed expression. Cao Sheng smiled and said, "I'll pay! You bring the chicken, and I'll pay whatever it costs!"

Upon hearing Cao Sheng's words, the man quickly waved his hand and said in a show of magnanimity, "Hey! It's just two chickens! Others might not be able to eat them, but if you want to eat them, Ah Sheng, it's just a matter of a word, right? No money needed! Giving me money is disrespecting me! I'll go get them for you right now!"

……

The fickle nature of human relationships left Cao Sheng deeply moved every time he returned after his rebirth.

This year is especially true.

During dinner, the village chief and others toasted me quite a bit.

It was already past 9 p.m. when dinner ended.

Cao Sheng pretended to be drunk early on, which is why he wasn't actually drunk.

After everyone had left, he came downstairs and, while helping his mother tidy up the mess of cups, plates, and bowls on the table, said with a smile, "Mom! You've worked so hard, I'm sorry you couldn't rest until now."

His mother chuckled, glanced at him, and said with a sigh, "It's a bit tiring, but it's not your fault. You didn't invite these people. I can't blame you for being too famous and making too much money now, can I? That doesn't make sense, right?"

Cao Sheng smiled.

My dad was also helping to clear the dishes.

Hearing this, he laughed and said, "I'm a little tired, but it's all thanks to everyone's kindness. If my son wasn't capable, I wouldn't be able to invite these people even if I wanted to!"

Cao Sheng and his mother both laughed when they heard this.

When the dishes were almost cleared away, Cao Sheng went to the kitchen to get a dishcloth to wipe the table.

His mother suddenly remembered something and said to him with a smile, "Oh! I almost forgot something, Asheng! A few days ago, a lot of leaders came to the county. I can't remember what their identities were, but I remember that the leader seemed to be the county magistrate's secretary. They came to our house looking for you, but they didn't see you. They said they wished us a happy new year in advance and told us something, asking us to wait for you to come back so they could tell you."

The father nodded repeatedly in agreement, “Yes, yes! There is such a thing. If your mother hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it.”

Cao Sheng's curiosity was piqued. "What's going on? What did they want you to tell me?"

Mother: "Hehe, they said they invited you to some kind of meeting in the county, Dad! What kind of meeting did they say it was?"

The father shook his head. "How could I remember? I really don't remember! But they left us a business card. They told you to call that number when you get back and contact them. Your mother has the business card. She'll give it to you in a bit."

The mother nodded repeatedly, "Yes! Yes! They left a business card."

Cao Sheng smiled and didn't take it seriously.

They didn't feel they were qualified to attend any county-level meetings.

Mom remembered something else. "Oh, right! About two weeks ago, a woman claiming to be your junior high English teacher came to our house. She also said she was looking for you and that the principal's niece liked you and wanted to arrange a blind date for you. Hehe, do you want to go? By the way, are you and Xiaoya still together? I received a call from her a couple of days ago. You two haven't broken up, right?"

Cao Sheng chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, we're doing great! We haven't broken up."

A middle school English teacher?

Cao Sheng remembers her as a pretty female teacher.

As for the principal's niece? He had absolutely no idea who she was. He didn't even know if the current principal of that middle school was the same one as before.

He wasn't interested in blind dates either.

……

After washing up, I made a cup of tea and carried it up to my bedroom on the second floor.

When he opened his laptop, he picked up his phone and saw dozens of missed calls and hundreds of unread text messages.

This surprised him greatly.

He couldn't understand why so many people had called and texted him in just one afternoon after he had just gotten home.

I'm just going home for the Chinese New Year, not to get married. What are these people doing?

(End of this chapter)