Age: My Small World

After finishing his meal, Yang Jun did not stay at Wei Ran's house for long.

Wei Ran saw him out, and when they were alone, he couldn't help but whisper, "How about we stay at the guesthouse tonight?"

Yang Jun couldn't help but pinch her cheek: "I have things to do today, let's wait a while."

Wei Ran immediately curled her lips: "You little man is really no good. Fine, fine, I'll let you off this time."

In fact, last time she was the one who begged for mercy repeatedly.

After leaving Sishui Hutong, Yang Jun went to Huyang Village this time.

Besides visiting Gu Nanke, he also needed to collect his royalties.

Yes, the payment has come in.

His work was published in Beijing newspapers until the end of April, after which he received his payment.

Yang Jun couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Although royalties have experienced a significant decline, they are still relatively high, especially for newspapers. After all, the previous adjustment was to publication fees, which is something that only big-name writers worry about, and has little to do with a small writer like Yang Jun.

Upon arriving at the gate, Yang Jun casually knocked on the door and heard Xiao Xiaobai and Baicai barking.

This wasn't an attempt to intimidate outsiders, but rather a gesture of welcome.

These two dogs have a very keen sense of smell; they could smell Yang Jun's familiar scent from a great distance.

"Okay, stop yelling."

Gu Nanke didn't even need to ask to know that Yang Jun had returned; the dog was practically a doorbell.

"Why did you come today? Aren't you going to stay with her?"

The "she" that Gu Nanke was referring to was naturally Xiaoyuer.

Yang Jun chuckled: "I had something to do today, so I went out early this morning, wandered around for a bit, and then came here to take a look."

Seeing that she was heavily pregnant, Yang Jun quickly helped her back into the house to sit down.

No matter how slender a woman's figure is, many problems will inevitably arise in the later stages of pregnancy, causing Gu Nanke great concern every time she sees them.

For example, the stretch marks on his stomach and thighs, one after another, were tangled on his stomach, which Gu Nanke found extremely unsightly, yet he was helpless to do anything about it.

She didn't have as many stretch marks when she gave birth to her first child, so she had a feeling that this time she would definitely have a boy, and he would be particularly mischievous, always making a fuss in his mother's belly.

"By the way, did any mail for me arrive today?"

That's right, the address he gave to the newspaper was Huyang Village, but the specific address was definitely not provided.

Shen Tang originally suggested sending it directly to the school, but he was afraid that someone would see it. It wouldn't be a good thing if people found out about so much money.

“There really is one; Aunt Liu brought it back for you.”

"Then please tell her thank you for me."

Gu Nanke simply smiled; there was no need to make a fuss about such a trivial matter.

She hasn't opened the letter since receiving it, so she doesn't know what's inside.

Now that it's been taken out for Yang Jun, I heard him say, "Let's take a look together, it's not a confidential document."

Her curiosity was piqued, and upon hearing this, she placed the full moon on the chair next to him, filling the chair to the brim.

"Here."

Yang Jun took out the letter, which also included several newspapers.

Upon opening the letter, it was found to be written by Ning Weisheng.

Ever since he returned to the capital and saw Yang Jun's amazing work, he couldn't wait to have it reviewed with the deputy editor-in-chief, and it was eventually approved.

His writings are all substantial and not exaggerated, with positive and uplifting themes that would leave no room for doubt in anyone who reads them.

After the manuscript was reviewed, the short story was published in several installments in newspapers. It took two months and tens of thousands of words to complete the serialization.

It wasn't that they weren't dedicated; it's just that the sections in the capital that could publish novels only released them four times a month.

Being able to finish sending it out in two months is already considered fast.

"Xiaoshan, here is a money order."

While he was reading, Gu Nanke had already started examining the contents of the envelope.

Besides the newspaper, there was also a remittance slip, which was his payment for the article.

"What is the amount on it?"

Yang Jun himself was somewhat curious about how much he could get.

Gu Nanke suddenly widened his eyes: "It seems to be five hundred yuan."

"so much?"

Yang Jun was also somewhat surprised. The fact that he had previously received a hundred or two hundred yuan in royalties was purely due to chance.

If you can get more now, it means this article is truly enjoyable.

"No wonder Editor Ning said that the newspaper office was piled up with people writing to me. It's probably not just letters, but also countless tips that came with them."

Yes, tipping exists these days, and it can even be quite extreme.

Some readers really love an article so much that they will send all the money they have saved—one dollar, five dollars, or even more—to the author along with the letter.

So don't be surprised if you see money falling out when you open the envelope.

"No, these letters must be returned. A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way."

He planned to write a reply to Ning Weisheng and ask him to deliver all the letters back on his behalf.

"Xiaoshan, did you write all of these articles?"

Gu Nanke picked up the newspaper and started reading. It was the article Yang Jun had written about his mother last time.

"Well, you can take a look if you're interested."

Yang Jun didn't mind her watching.

So Gu Nanke started reading with great interest.

She initially thought it was just a story, but as the details unfolded, she realized it was about her mother, not an outsider.

Gu Nanke then watched even more intently, her eyebrows furrowing on her small face.

Li Xiaohua came to take care of her many times, and she had always had only a rather cold impression of this mother-in-law. Unexpectedly, in the story, she was a completely different person.

Judging from the story alone, this article is well-written, not to mention that Yang Jun uses the formulaic writing style of modern wish-fulfillment novels.

It must be admitted that once this article was published, it was very popular among many educated young people. The letter was also sent to Yang Jun by them, and they were indeed very wealthy.

Fortunately, the address he left was the newspaper office's location; otherwise, his house would have been flooded by now.

After a long time, while Yang Jun was still pondering the power of the Five Elements Fist, Gu Nanke finally finished reading it.

She looked at Yang Jun with teary eyes.

"Xiaoshan, Grandma has worked so hard. She raised you all with such difficulty. Now I realize how fortunate I am to have such a life."

Even though there was a period when she was hated by everyone in the neighborhood and became a rat crossing the street, her life was never like that when her family was still decent. In fact, her personality was still that of the older generation who wanted to be a model of a well-bred lady.

She is a virtuous wife and loving mother even after marriage, and it can be said that her family is harmonious and everything is well.

Now, she is even more grateful for that encounter, which saved her from suffering more hardships.

"How can you compare them like that? Stories are stories; we all have our own lives to live." (End of Chapter)