Chapter 96 This Time We Have Time

The call with Lou En lasted for 20 minutes until my mother urged me to go out for dinner.

The two sides finalized a lot of things, including that the publishing contract would be sent as soon as possible. Even though Zhai Da had not finished writing it yet, they were willing to lock in the publishing rights.

After the contract is signed, Zhai Da can split the first 1 to 2 words and post them on the Internet. There is no need to limit the number of words in each blog post, just follow the plot.

At the end of the call, Lou En also “casually” asked about Lu Zetao’s recent situation, some nonsense like whether he was in good health recently.

This is obviously an act of building relationships, and it is definitely a favor. The good work is a pleasant surprise. Lou En also hopes to take his family on a trip abroad next year.

Zhai Dasin said, “I don’t know anything. I only know that his daughter is in good health.”

After hanging up the phone, Yu Xiaoli and Lu Wei were already waiting for him at the dining table when he went out.

The TV was turned on and there was a special program for the Beijing Olympics. As the time got closer, more and more related content appeared.

Yu Xiaoli fiddled with the dishes and asked casually, “Who have you been talking to on the phone for so long?”

After saying that, she observed Lu Wei’s expression. It was obvious that she didn’t really care who Zhai Da called, but was worried about whether Zhai Da had any calls in that regard.

There is no need to ask who she has a crush on.

There is no need to ask what you are interested in.

Unfortunately, Lu Wei, a taciturn person who is only 1.7 meters tall, didn’t realize anything and just waited obediently for her meal.

Zhai Da didn’t realize that there was something else behind his mother’s words. Instead, when she asked him this, he felt that it was time to talk to her.

It’s not shameful to make money. The college entrance examination is just a few days away. I’d like to share some good news with my mother and advise her to calm down and not work so hard.

He remembered that after winning the lottery in his previous life, he met a like-minded older brother who patted him on the shoulder and said: A man should hide it from his mother, his wife and children, and bear everything on his own.

At that time, Zhai Da also agreed with it, but now think about it, Big Brother should be talking about the frequent visits to “blind date clubs”.

It was obvious that he was under a lot of pressure, after all, when he was found by his wife and daughter, one of his shoes was missing.
But if it’s good news, why not?
Zhai Da cleared his throat and said solemnly: “Mom, I have good news to tell you. You know that I write very well, right?”

Yu Xiaoli nodded, not understanding why.

“So actually some time ago, I did some part-time work.”

“You write essays for others?”

“Well, it’s a little more advanced than that. I participated in a micro-novel competition, won first place, and received a bonus.”

When Yu Xiaoli got to this point, she was already a little confused, and her brows unconsciously frowned, as if she could pinch an amoeba to death.

“The micro-novel competition was held by Xinglang. After winning the award, they said that if you want to get the prize money, you must become an active user.”

When it came to this, Yu Xiaoli no longer understood anything.

Zhai Da explained the whole story in detail, and finally concluded: “The first month’s income has been remitted today.”

Yu Xiaoli caught the key word “income”, which she understood, and her expression relaxed a lot. It turned out to be just this little thing. She probably earned a few hundred yuan.
“How many?”

“More than 70,000.”

Yu Xiaoli:
“Hell money or Japanese yen?”

“That’s called Japanese Yen! Don’t interrupt me. What I received was RMB.”

Yu Xiaoli nodded: “I understand, it’s a telecom fraud, don’t send the money back, let’s make the scammer lose money!”

“No, not at all. I still have a contract.”

Zhai Da got up and went to the room to get the contract. He also showed her the screenshots in the QQ chat history that Lu Siwen occasionally sent him, which were all feedback on the number of blog readers.

Of course, there are also SMS messages on mobile phones.

Although the temperature of the dishes on the table was gradually decreasing, it was obvious that the current matter was more important. It took Yu Xiaoli about ten minutes to barely digest them all.

Zhai Da said seriously: “Anyway, I can make money now, which is more than enough for my college tuition and living expenses in the future. Mom, don’t work so hard. Take a rest when you want.”

“I still have half a novel. A publishing house is very interested and the negotiations are going very well.”

“I currently have 100,000 yuan in my hand. I’ll go to the bank and transfer 30,000 yuan to you. Just treat it as a subsidy for our family’s living expenses and as a way to show my filial piety to you. I won’t spend the rest carelessly. I may use it during the summer vacation.” “Anyway, you will have a similar income every month in the future. It will only gradually increase, not decrease, within a year.”

Yu Xiaoli looked around, as if hoping someone would remind her that this was just a ridiculous joke, but unfortunately there was no such person.

“Let’s forget about the arguments like ‘this is not a long-term solution’. I don’t plan to be a blogger for life. I just want to make some money. It doesn’t even take up any of my energy. Another classmate helps me with the chores.”

“To sum up, you can praise me.”

Yu Xiaoli tilted her head and asked a question that many middle-aged and elderly people have in common: “Is it so easy to make money on the Internet?”

To put it bluntly, an ordinary worker works hard for a year and develops occupational diseases, but still cannot earn more than 70,000 yuan, at least 30,000 yuan.

Yu Xiaoli’s doubts come from both her lack of understanding of “new things” and the impact on “old ideas”.

Zhai Da smiled and said, “It is true that your son’s intelligence is the main factor, but the Internet is indeed a place with more opportunities nowadays.”

Yu Xiaoli sighed after a long while and said, “Mom has really been eliminated by the times.”

To Zhai Da’s surprise, Yu Xiaoli did not show any excitement, and was far less happy than when she learned that Zhai Da’s grades had improved.

Instead, it brings a bit of sadness.

Seeing that the food was almost cold, Yu Xiaoli waved her hand, indicating that everyone should eat first, then she picked up Lu Wei’s bowl and served her a bowl of soup.

As he scooped, he suddenly laughed.

“It’s funny that it’s more than 70,000 a month, not 60,000 or 80,000, but 70,000.”

“Xiao Da, do you know that all our family savings added up to more than 70,000?”

Zhai Da shook his head. He had never asked Yu Xiaoli this question in his past or present life, because he didn’t expect it to be an easy number.

Yu Xiaoli’s salary was less than 2,000 yuan, which was once the only source of income for the family. She had to take care of the food and drink expenses of two people, pay for Zhai Da’s studies, and even give him pocket money to ensure that he would not fall behind in school.

Being able to save 70,000 yuan is already a lot of money.

Although the value of money is constantly changing, this 70,000 yuan
It took up half of Yu Xiaoli’s life.

She thought she was hardworking and frugal, but her lifelong savings were surpassed in one day. The two identical numbers were in stark contrast.
That’s why she suddenly felt sad.

“I originally thought that this money should be enough for you to go to college, and Xiaowei can also do it. After all, I am not old yet and can still work, right?”

Lu Wei raised her hand and said, “Teacher Yu, I have a little money. I can work part-time to earn money for my studies and get scholarships and student loans. I will work during the summer vacation.”

As a poor little “guest” here, she had obviously thought about these things privately and did not want to put pressure on Zhai Da and Teacher Yu.

Yu Xiaoli placed the soup in front of Lu Wei and said gently, “Don’t interrupt me. I want to say that now it seems that I am really old, not in my body, but in my mind.”

“I am not afraid of wearing outdated clothes, but I am afraid of outdated thoughts. I am destined to be a worker all my life.”

Zhai Da said, “Mom, you are wrong. Broadly speaking, aren’t we all workers? What’s the matter? Just because I earn 70,000 yuan, I become a capitalist? This is what I earned through labor, not exploitation!”

“What do you mean by ‘being a worker all your life’? You are just too stressed out in life and don’t have time to care about other things.”

“If workers can earn good wages, have the time and ability to travel, surf the Internet, cultivate hobbies, and learn skills outside of work, then are their horizons worse than others? Are workers inferior to others?”

Yu Xiaoli felt that what Zhai Da said made some sense.
Zhai Da also picked up Yu Xiaoli’s bowl and served a bowl of soup to his mother:

“Don’t think so much. You seem to be upset when I make money.”

Yu Xiaoli felt relieved: “Okay, it’s something to be happy about. Mom has said this several times, but I still want to say it this time.”

“Xiao Da, you have grown up, that’s great.”

Zhai Da placed the bowl of warm soup in front of his mother:

“And you’re not old yet, that’s great.”

　After an hour, it will be doubled, and everyone can release it to their heart’s content~
If you remember to vote when you see the update tomorrow, you can do so. Rest is important.

　
(End of this chapter)