An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Chapter 229 Money Again

Mrs. Gao excitedly told Gao Yueyuan the good news.

The latter was naturally overjoyed upon hearing this—the person he had entrusted with the task was indeed reliable and had not let him down!

Overjoyed, he burned incense and kowtowed before a small statue of a deity.

Mrs. Gao just watched with a smile.

She didn't really believe in ghosts or gods; she believed in fate more than anything, and that fate was something you had to fight for yourself.

Just like how if she hadn't insisted on bringing Gao Yueyuan with her to redeem herself, she wouldn't have had those good years later.

Now she's encountered another obstacle, so she's set her sights on Jiang Baobin.

She was confident that her judgment was correct; he was the benefactor who could change her destiny once again!

Whether or not Gao Yueyuan can win him over will depend on her performance.

After Gao Yueyuan finished her prayers, the two of them began to whisper among themselves.

Mrs. Gao acted as the one offering advice, and the idea was clearly a bit embarrassing.

This made Gao Yueyuan blush and feel embarrassed.

Jiang Baobin sneezed twice in a row, rubbing his nose and muttering:

Shouldn't I be able to catch a cold in the middle of summer? Is someone trying to sabotage me again?

Damn it! Why are there always treacherous subjects trying to harm me?

When I entered the Intermediate Court, I saw He Yuzhu practicing horse stance.

He then mocked, "Oh ho! Young master, did the sun scorching your backside wake you up?"

He Yuzhu said shyly, "There wasn't a breath of wind last night, it was so hot, and my dad was snoring loudly."

"I lay there for a long time but couldn't fall asleep, so I didn't get up today."

Jiang Baobin sneered, "You can't even get up in the morning, how can you possibly practice ball skills?"

"Just focus on chopping your cake and get out of my way!"

He Yuzhu immediately panicked: "Don't do that, Brother Jiang!"

"I really love kung fu, and I promise I'll never sleep in again. Please forgive me this time."

Jiang Baobin said impatiently, "Whether you sleep in or not is none of my business. Go do whatever you're supposed to be doing!"

After saying that, she ignored him and went straight inside.

Sha Zhu scratched his head and continued to obediently practice his horse stance.

The saying goes, "A strict teacher produces outstanding students." Like a sapling, pruning may hurt, but it helps it grow into a useful tree.

Regardless of whether Sha Zhu continued practicing or not, Jiang Baobin would still give him a nudge from time to time.

Qin Huairu had already gotten up and kept complaining to him that she could barely speak and that her hand was cramping.

If he dares to do it again, I'll bite him!

He managed to fool his wife by laughing and saying nice things.

After spending time with his wife, he rode his bicycle to the publishing house.

They need the money; they're drowning in debt. They might not say it, but they're probably really anxious about it.

5000 million!

Even the well-informed Jiang Baobin was taken aback when he saw this number.

Is writing books really that lucrative these days?

Haha, that's really true!

During the Republic of China era, writers were a high-income group, and it was not uncommon for them to earn several thousand or even tens of thousands of silver dollars from the publication of a single book.

At that time, a skilled worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty silver dollars.

Therefore, successful scholars all lived in large houses and had many servants.

Bestselling authors and famous actresses could make a lot of money back then.

The old habits are still in place, but the good days are coming to an end.

His editor exclaimed happily, "Writer Jiang, your book is a huge bestseller!"

"Especially after your story was featured in various newspapers a while ago, this book sold incredibly well!"

"We've reprinted it five times already, and it's sold over a million copies."

"I never expected this! I really never expected this—"

Jiang Baobin rolled his eyes. "You just said my book wasn't very good."

The fact that they achieved such good sales is simply a matter of pure luck!

Hmph! People who can't keep this in mind and don't know what's good for them won't amount to much in the future.

This editor hasn't yet realized that Jiang Baobin has already sentenced him to death.

Balabala continued saying things that Jiang Baobin didn't like to hear: "But recently sales have declined quite significantly. Those who wanted to buy have already bought it."

"So there probably won't be as many royalties after this, so please be prepared—"

You're not much! Your whole family isn't much either! Jiang Baobin thought to himself, cursing wildly.

That person's language is absolutely foul!

But there's nothing we can do; people are generally very practical these days.

However, once he handed the passbook to me...

This guy immediately changed his expression and said, "Great, great, that's quite a lot already, hehe."

Don't you know the quality of your own book?

Aside from being emotionally charged, there's nothing else to say; it's just copying bits and pieces from one book and another.

If I had to summarize one more advantage, it would be that it's easy to understand.

It's all in plain language, so even illiterate people can understand it just by listening to others read it.

Don't think this is easy to do; you should know that it's only been about thirty years since the promotion of vernacular Chinese.

Scholars are often very aloof, and many of them like to show off their writing skills.

Works like Jiang Baobin's, written entirely in plain language and so simplistic that critics disdain them.

It is truly rare, yet this is precisely the kind of work that people at the bottom of society love to see.

Just like in martial arts novels.

The common people can understand it, find it engaging, and feel a sense of identification with it, which is why they like it so much.

Hmm, there isn't a "Flying Snow Shoots the White Deer" poem yet these days. Should I create one myself?

But thinking about that huge book, these days there aren't even computers, it's all handwritten.

In the end, I decided against it; it was too tiring!

Regardless of their level of understanding, after reading "The Ugly America," readers will basically only have two impressions left—

Old Mi is so mean! I'm furious!

Wow! It's quite remarkable that you can leave some trace after reading a book, isn't it?

Actually, he was quite proud, having sold over a million copies, which speaks volumes.

At that time, the vigorous campaign to eradicate illiteracy had not yet begun, so only one in five people could read.

He's certainly proud of himself for selling so many.

However, he did not know that this was a very long-lived book.

The publisher reprinted it again and again, and it continued to sell until the late 1970s, when it was finally ordered to be withdrawn from the market.

But that's not all; an even bigger surprise awaits him—

How does it feel to be rich? One word—awesome!

Then Jiang Baobin went to the Workers' Daily office, but he didn't see Hu Hongjun; the other person was out doing interviews.

We really need to thank her; she's the one who pushed us out of this situation.

Otherwise, who would know who he is?

Talented horses are common, but discerning judges are rare, so no amount of gratitude is too much.

I managed to find out Old Zhu's home address from someone at the newspaper.

As for Gao Sanbao, who also sacrificed his life, it took quite a few twists and turns.

Because his personnel file is not here, but in some other department.

After a lot of effort, all I found out was that he was from Henan Province.

After passing through Huayuankou and the Great Famine, there were no more relatives left in the family.

Jiang Baobin could only sigh. His life had been full of hardships; he was a poor child, and yet things still turned out this way. It was too tragic!

Next, we arrived at the Zhu family's residence.

Old Zhu was in his forties when he died, which was about the same age as most ordinary people back then.

So the Zhu family members are in relatively good spirits and have basically recovered from Old Zhu's sacrifice.

Old Zhu's wife has already been given a job, and his children also receive preferential treatment.

Especially the eldest son, who is a sophomore in high school this year, the newspaper promised that he can go to work there immediately after graduation next year.

Even if the newspaper doesn't make a promise, Zhu Laoda certainly won't have to worry about finding a job.

High school students these days are comparable to those of later generations—

I don't know how to compare anymore. In the future, what kind of education would make employers fight tooth and nail to hire you before you even graduate?

I spoke with the Zhu family about Old Zhu's final days, because no one knew him better than they did.

Many of his things and words were things the Zhu family was hearing for the first time.

So there's no end to the sighs.

He was grateful that a hero like Jiang Baobin had come to his home and patiently told his family about Old Zhu's experiences.

They were all very grateful to him.

When they parted, Old Zhu's wife reluctantly accepted the local specialties from the south that he had given her, but resolutely refused the money.

Well, these days, even if people suffer, they grit their teeth and won't easily show weakness.

Jiang Baobin expressed his admiration for the integrity of Lao Zhu's family.

Then came another meeting, but it was a happy one.

The delegation's tour of reports, which lasted for more than half a year, has finally come to an end.

Therefore, a lively summary meeting was held.

Afterwards, we had a feast! We ate large chunks of meat and drank large bowls of wine!

Everyone was very happy, partly because reading the script was simply unbearable.

No, even the dumbest person in the group has memorized it.

I've read it hundreds of times already, how can I not memorize it?

Another one is that they can return to their old units, and unsurprisingly, they will all be promoted.

Many people were even promoted without regard to seniority!

Who wouldn't be happy when the harvest season arrives?

So, recalling those glorious and eventful years, let us drink and sing!

Almost everyone was drunk, including Jiang Baobin.

Thankfully, I didn't completely lose consciousness and could still sing: "Goodbye, my friend, goodbye, my friend—goodbye, Korea—"

I stumbled and swayed my way home.

The gate to the courtyard was bolted, but that didn't stop him.

Pushing open a crack, the fingertip touched the latch, and it was sucked into the space.

His ears are so sharp; he hadn't even come out of the side gate yet.

He could already hear people whispering in the courtyard, and it was two people he would never have guessed in his wildest dreams—