Chapter 91: Shy Gong Ruxue

Chen Yixue flashed him a glance.

"First, don't think about all that nonsense."

"Make a proper plan on how to exchange the gold for cash."

"I've thought it through: take it out of town to exchange, and don't exchange too much each time—no more than half a tael."

Xu Yuexin, confident, said, "So the current large gold bars definitely won't work; they need to be split into small portions for cash exchange."

"We bought 24K pure gold; it's soft and easy to split, but we must prevent waste during the splitting process."

Chen Yixue's gaze lingered on Xu Yuexin for a moment longer.

Not bad—being able to prepare such a thorough plan in advance, considering the details.

After speaking, Xu Yuexin went to the bedroom and fetched the pre‑prepared diagonal pliers, boar‑bristle brush, hammer, and the balance scale his father usually used.

Before handling the gold, Xu Yuexin had Chen Yixue place a 25‑gram weight on one side of the balance and laid a stack of paper pads beneath the large gold bar.

"Clank."

After twisting off a small piece of gold, Xu Yuexin tossed it onto the scale.

22.5 grams, no problem.

Next, the following piece.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

After repeatedly snapping off several pieces of gold, Xu Yuexin used the hammer to flatten the small gold chunks into thin gold discs.

"Why smash them?"

Chen Yixue asked, puzzled.

"In ordinary families, heirloom gold is usually in this form of gold disc."

"Moreover, if you take the gold chunks to a gold shop, an experienced dealer can still tell they were split from a whole large gold bar."

Xu Yuexin explained, handing the hammer to Chen Yixue, "Use the brush to sweep the gold powder off the top, then wrap it in paper."

Chen Yixue nodded, picked up the boar‑bristle brush and carefully brushed the gold off the hammer head. The gold powder fell onto the paper, making a rustling sound.

……

After a round of labor, Xu Yuexin finally split all the large gold bars into pieces under half a tael each, and hammered them all into gold discs.

Chen Yixue also collected roughly half a tael of gold powder.

Xu Yuexin fetched a bottle to store the gold powder, then slipped a gold disc into his pocket.

"Go exchange them right now?"

"Yeah, go now."

Xu Yuexin nodded.

After leaving, he didn't ride a motorcycle; instead, he took a bus first, then a coach, hurrying to Changping County town.

These days the suburban roads are poor, and Xu Yuexin felt sorry for his beloved vehicle. Moreover, riding a motorcycle would be too conspicuous, contrary to his low‑key intention.

Upon arriving in Changping County, Xu Yuexin found a gold shop and went inside to sell the gold.

Unlike modern gold shops, this era's gold shops only bought, not sold, because policies on personal purchase of gold jewelry had not yet been relaxed.

Xu Yuexin took out a thin gold disc and greeted the clerk, "Comrade, hello, I'd like to sell gold."

"Oh, you've seen the policy, right?"

The clerk put on gloves to keep sweat off the gold, took the disc and placed it on the precious‑metal digital scale.

The digital scale displayed a reading; the clerk tapped the abacus and quoted the price: "22.5 grams, a total of 175 yuan 7 jiao 8 fen."

Seeing the style of the gold in Xu Yuexin's hand, the clerk assumed it was heirloom and did not question him.

After yesterday's news announced a rise in gold purchase prices, this morning many individuals came with similar gold discs to sell.

At first the gold shop would inquire about the gold's origin, but after many repetitions they grew lazy to ask.

Xu Yuexin took the money from the clerk's hand and slowly tapped it.

After confirming it was correct, he slipped the money into his pocket and walked back toward the train station along the route he came.

In the days that followed, aside from attending classes, Xu Yuexin's daily task was nonstop gold exchange.

Finally, before the harsh winter arrived, he exchanged all fourteen whole large gold bars for cash! Xu Yuexin received nearly 27,000 yuan, with a little over 7,000 yuan belonging to Da Yizi.

On the day they split the money, Chen Yixue held a thick stack of banknotes, her eyes shining.

It was the largest single income she'd ever earned in her life!

Chen Yixue put the money into her Shoulder Bag, then turned and took a piece of clothing from her handbag.

"The coat I bought for you, try it on quickly."

Chen Yixue said gratefully.

Xu Yuexin had been shuttling back and forth to exchange gold these days, expending a lot of effort, and Chen Yixue knew this well.

Therefore, before the cold set in, she had prepared this coat.

Xu Yuexin took off his coat, received the coat from Da Yizi's hands, draped it over himself, spread his arms, and slipped his hand into the sleeve.

Chen Yixue's eyes never blinked as she stared at Xu Yuexin, thinking he looked very handsome in the coat, especially with a masculine bearing!

"What are you staring at? Button it up."

Xu Yuexin pointed at the still‑open coat with his hand.

"Can't you button it yourself?"

Chen Yixue stubbornly replied, stepped forward and buttoned it for him.

Looking at the coat‑clad Xu Yuexin, Chen Yixue couldn't help but examine him again, then nodded, "Hmm, looks quite spirited."

"I knew it would suit you when I bought it."

"What makes it suitable?"

Xu Yuexin raised an eyebrow and asked deliberately.

Chen Yixue smiled lightly, lifted her face and said nothing.

"Isn't it just that you want to hear me praise you? I, on the contrary, won't."

"If you don't say it, the thing that should have been there disappears."

Xu Yuexin took off his coat and said, "Don't regret it."

Again.

Chen Yixue let out a hum inside and said.

"Alright, you're tall and well‑proportioned, so this clothing suits you."

"Isn't it just that you want to hear this sentence?"

"Good, this is my dear Da Yizi."

Xu Yuexin slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and said, went back into the room, took out a jewelry box, handed it to Chen Yixue, "Here, open it and have a look."

"Is this... for me?"

Chen Yixue opened the box and found a finely crafted gold necklace inside.

"Yes, it was made by a craftsman I found in the countryside."

Xu Yuexin said concisely, "I also prepared one for Qiao Qiao."

Chen Yixue suddenly understood why, when the money was divided earlier, Xu Yuexin's share was a little less than she had expected.

"I can't take it."

Chen Yixue, of course understanding the significance of a man giving gold jewelry, immediately refused, "Give both to Qiao Qiao."

"Put it on."

Xu Yuexin forcefully said, pressing one large hand on Chen Yixue's shoulder, picking up the necklace with the other, and personally placing it on her pink, snow‑white swan‑like neck.

Chen Yixue's already outstanding temperament became instantly elegant and noble after wearing the gold necklace.

"Look, how beautiful."

Xu Yuexin said to the bewildered Chen Yixue, pulling her hand, "Come, let's go check a mirror."

Chen Yixue was led by him to the restroom and saw herself in the mirror.

It does look good on.

Chen Yixue couldn't help exclaiming, her gaze continually appraising her reflection.

"And you still said you didn't want it?"

Xu Yuexin released Chen Yixue's hand and said, "Wear it out from now on, it's so charming."

Chen Yixue let out a slight sigh, took off the necklace and handed it to Xu Yuexin, "Here, back to you."

"Next time, don't give something so valuable."

"We ultimately can't."

Fine, if you don't want it, then don't.

Da Yizi's reaction was actually quite normal.

Xu Yuexin took the necklace, pulled Chen Yixue into his arms, "You've also reached the age to consider a lifelong matter."

"Only I and you are suitable."

Chen Yixue stood quietly, neither embracing him nor pushing him away.

"Don't make things difficult for me." After a long silence, Chen Yixue whispered, her tone tangled, "Is it still not enough to be excessive?"

Xu Yuexin kissed Da Yizi's forehead, looked at her affectionately, "Hmm, it's never enough."

This time being kissed, Chen Yixue didn't get angry as before; she just avoided his gaze and sighed softly, "You, you."

"Truly a headache."

……

After seeing Da Yizi off, Xu Yuexin picked up the 500,000‑word manuscript of *Great Ming 1566* and headed to the People's Literature Editorial Department.

The manuscript was so massive that if it got lost in the mail, all his recent effort would be wasted.

Since the last time he finished the routine with Da Yizi, Xu Yuexin had been finding time to finish the remaining parts of *Great Ming 1566*.

As of today, it finally declared a great success.

Xu Yuexin put on the coat Chen Yixue gave him, started his motorcycle, and headed to People's Literature.

In deep autumn Jingcheng, the streets were covered with fallen leaves, pedestrians wrapped in thick clothing, each bowing their heads to avoid the wind.

When Xu Yuexin rode to Chaonei 166, he happened to meet Wang Chaoyin commuting on a bicycle.

"Lao Wang, heading to work?"

Xu Yuexin stopped his motorcycle and greeted him.

"Right."

Wang Chaoyin stopped his bicycle, looking at it curiously, "The motorcycle looks impressive, where did you get it?"

"Bought it."

Xu Yuexin replied, turned, opened the rear box, took out the bag containing the manuscript, waved it before Wang Chaoyin, "Look, the *Great Ming 1566* manuscript."

"So much."

Wang Chaoyin examined it happily, "Let's find a place to talk."

After that, he rode his bicycle ahead, leading Xu Yuexin to a breakfast shop where they sat down.

"I haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"

"I've already eaten."

"Hmm, this is all the remaining manuscripts, right?"

"Yes, the whole book is finished."

"You write so fast; none of the authors here can write like you."

"There's so much manuscript; I definitely can't review it all at once. But you still have to come back to the editorial department with me; High Mountain and The Horse Herder need additional print runs."

Wang Chaoyin picked up a steamed bun from the steamer and said cheerfully.

After Wang Chaoyin finished his breakfast, Xu Yuexin and he returned together to the editorial department.

"We've changed the chief editor. Old Li was elected as the Writers Association Executive Vice Chairman, and the new chief editor is our Writers Association Chairman, Comrade Zhang Guangnian."

As they went upstairs, Wang Chaoyin said to Xu Yuexin, led him to the reception room to sit, and took the manuscript back to the editorial room himself.

After fetching the contracts for High Mountain and The Horse Herder, Wang Chaoyin returned to the reception room and handed the contracts to Xu Yuexin for review.

"The terms in this contract are the most generous among all our Magazine Office authors."

"Hehe, a unique one."

Wang Chaoyin leaned on the sofa and said.

"Each gets an extra 10,000 copies, which adds up to 200,000 copies."

Xu Yuexin held the contract in his hands and muttered to himself.

"Right, the price increase request has also passed the Planning Committee's approval. The price per copy rose by 1 jiao, now it's 3 jiao per copy."

Wang Chaoyin explained enthusiastically, "Based on a 9% royalty rate, your royalty is 5,400 yuan."

From 2 jiao to 3 jiao, that's a fifty percent increase in income for oneself.

Xu Yuexin was pleased to hear Wang Chaoyin's words, turned the contract to the second page, and indeed saw the price increase.

Sign, stamp, take the money.

When leaving Chaonei 166, Xu Yuexin had a huge envelope in his hand.

Back home, Xu Yuexin combined this royalty of 5,400 yuan with the income from selling gold and his previous savings, and carefully tallied his assets.

During this period, he earned some money by selling songs, and the few publishers he had previously contacted also did additional print runs of his works, which together also amounted to a sizable income.

"45,000, 46,000, 47,000…"

"51,000."

Xu Yuexin put down the last stack of Great Unity and stretched lazily, feeling content.

One stack of cash is 1,000 yuan; the drawer held a full 51 stacks! These days, a ten‑thousand‑yuan household is considered quite wealthy, and anyone with over 50,000 yuan in savings would scare people if they said it.

Xu Yuexin's current mood can be summed up in one word.

Cool! By the way, he began to think about how to allocate this money.

The next three years will be an era of soaring national economy and rapidly rising prices.

Only by finding a good place for the savings can one avoid being eaten by inflation.

Xu Yuexin had already planned to look for an opportunity later to go to Xiangjiang and gamble on silver.

Of course, it's spot silver, not futures.

Xiangjiang's futures market started very late; the futures exchange was only established in 1976, with a single product line—so far only sugar, soybeans, and cotton—its liquidity is poor, much like later Hong Kong stocks.

Honestly, in a market like this, even if a silver contract were offered, Xu Yuexin wouldn't enter.

The more stagnant the market, the easier it is to be manipulated, often creating the absurd situation where the international market rises while it falls.

Xu Yuexin plans to go to Xiangjiang in a while; before that, he needs to send a telegram to Lin Qingxia.

These days, traveling to Xiangjiang is not as convenient as in later times; one either goes on an official dispatch or visits relatives and friends.

Xu Yuexin intends to have Lin Qingxia invite him, giving himself a reason to go.

After sending out the telegram, Xu Yuexin returned home and sat at his desk.

He had promised to write a script for Gong Ruxue, and now it's time to focus on fulfilling that promise.

Xu Yuexin has always taken promises seriously, especially those with a top‑class beauty like Gong Ruxue.

Following the previous line of thought, Xu Yuexin thinks the story should start with land, depicting the changes in the countryside.

However, the perspective should be broadened; it shouldn't be limited to the Contracting Production to Households since last year, but can start from before the founding of the nation.

Farmers were bullied and had their land taken by local tyrants; after the Red Army arrived, they redistributed land to the poor, but when the Homecoming Brigade returned, they seized the land again.

Then came the land reform, the People's Commune collectivization movement, and finally the current Contracting Production to Households.

Such a plot is richer, better showcasing decades of rural development and the weighty tides of history, prompting the audience to observe and reflect deeply.

After deciding, Xu Yuexin buried himself in writing.

Having practiced with Great Ming 1566 before, Xu Yuexin wrote this script very quickly.

In just one afternoon, he completed a script of over six thousand words.

As for the title, let's call it Tomorrow.

Because the ending is open, when writing the Contracting Production to Households section, the protagonist's family not only enjoys a great harvest but also sees the labor force liberated.

The second son at home is planning to open a brick kiln, changing the fate of farmers who for millennia could only scrape food from the soil.

In fact, this is a major significance of Contracting Production to Households in Xu Yuexin's eyes—it liberates rural labor.

The title Tomorrow can give the audience more hope and imagination.

Having finished the script, Xu Yuexin rode his motorcycle to the Drama Troupe and handed it to the just‑off‑duty Gong Ruxue.

"Finished? Great!"

Gong Ruxue eagerly took the script, opened it immediately, and asked, "Is it about a rural theme?"

"Yes, a script tailor‑made for you."

Xu Yuexin nodded and said, "The female lead in the latter half, Xue'er, fits your temperament well."

"I see, let me take a look."

Gong Ruxue flipped the script to the back and quickly found Xue'er's storyline.

In Xu Yuexin's writing, Xue'er is a young, beautiful, quiet, shy yet internally resilient village girl who married the second son of the Xu Family.

Looking further, Gong Ruxue's face became a bit flushed.

Because Xu Yuexin's depiction of the Xu Family's second son follows exactly his own template.

Could it be intentional? Gong Ruxue closed the script, lifted her head to look at Xu Yuexin, and found he had been staring at her the whole time.

Gong Ruxue's face instantly turned even redder.

"Why are you looking at me…"

Gong Ruxue shyly turned her face and asked in a soft voice.

"You're good-looking."

Xu Yuexin said with a smile, "Can your Drama Troupe accept outsiders to play roles?"

Sure enough…

Gong Ruxue vaguely guessed Xu Yuexin's intention, and the little deer in her heart began to thump.

(Gong Xue photo) (End of chapter)