Chapter 91

The call with Lou En lasted 20 minutes, and it only ended when Mom urged him to go out for dinner.

Both sides finalized quite a few things, including the fact that the publishing contract would be sent over as soon as possible; even if Zhai Da hadn't finished writing it entirely, they were willing to lock in the publishing rights.

Once the contract was signed, Zhai Da could split the first 10,000 to 20,000 words and post them online; there was no need to limit the word count per blog post, just follow the plot.

At the end of the call, Lou En "casually" mentioned something, asking about Lu Zetao's recent situation—useless small talk like whether his health had been good lately.

This was clearly a move to build a connection; he was definitely doing a favor, and the quality of the work was just a pleasant surprise. Lou En was even counting on being able to take his family abroad for a trip next year.

Zhai Da thought to himself, "I don't know a damn thing; I only know his daughter's health is quite good."

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

The TV was on, providing background noise; it was a special program about the Jingbei Olympics. As the date approached, there was more and more related content.

Yu Xiaoli fiddled with the bowls and chopsticks and asked, seemingly at random, "Who were you on the phone with for so long?"

After saying this, she observed Lu Wei's expression. Clearly, she didn't really want to police who Zhai Da was calling, but was worried about whether Zhai Da was having "that kind" of phone call.

Who she favored in her heart was not a matter that needed asking.

What she favored was an even less necessary matter to ask about.

Unfortunately, Lu Wei, that 1.7-meter-tall little quiet-box, didn't sense anything at all and just waited honestly for the meal.

Zhai Da didn't sense that there was more to his mom's words either; instead, at this moment of being asked, he felt it was time to give his mom a heads-up.

Making money wasn't a shameful thing. With the college entrance exam only a few days away, revealing some good news could be a way to persuade his mom to relax her mindset and not work so hard.

He remembered that after winning the lottery in his past life, he met a like-minded older brother who once patted him on the shoulder and said: "A man must hide things from his mother above and his wife and children below, and shoulder everything himself."

Zhai Da had agreed deeply at the time, but thinking about it now, the older brother was probably talking about frequently visiting "matchmaking clubs."

It was clear that his pressure was indeed very high; after all, when his wife and daughter found him together, he had even lost one of his shoes...

But if it was good news, why not?

Zhai Da cleared his throat and said solemnly, "Mom, I have some good news to reveal to you. You know my essay writing is very good, right?"

Yu Xiaoli nodded, not understanding.

"So, actually, a while ago, I took on a bit of a side job..."

"You ghostwrote essays for others?"

"Uh... it's a bit more high-end than that. I participated in a micro-fiction contest, won first place, and got a bonus..."

By the time he reached this point, Yu Xiaoli was already confused, her brows furrowing involuntarily, as if she could pinch an amoeba to death.

"The micro-fiction contest was hosted by Xinglang. After winning, they said that if I wanted to claim the bonus, I had to become an active user..."

By the time he said this, Yu Xiaoli couldn't understand a word of it.

Zhai Da explained the ins and outs, focusing on the key points, and finally concluded, "The first month's income was wired today."

Yu Xiaoli caught the keyword "income." She could understand that. Her expression relaxed significantly; so it was just this little thing. She guessed he had earned a few hundred yuan...

"How much?"

"Over seventy thousand."

Yu Xiaoli: ...

"Hell money or Japanese yen?"

"That's called Japanese Yen! Don't interrupt... what I received was RMB."

Yu Xiaoli nodded: "I get it, telecom fraud. Don't send money back; let's make the scammers lose everything!"

"No, it's absolutely not. I even have a contract."

Zhai Da got up to go to his room to get the contract, and also showed her the screenshots Lu Siwen occasionally sent him in their QQ chat history, which were all feedback on the blog's readership.

Of course, there were also the text messages from his phone confirming the deposits.

Although the dishes on the table were getting cold, it was clear that the matter at hand was more important. It took Yu Xiaoli about ten minutes to barely digest it all.

Zhai Da said earnestly: "In short, I can earn money now. Whether it's for future college tuition or living expenses, it's more than enough. Mom, don't work so hard; if you want to rest, just rest."

"There's also half a novel; a publishing house is very interested, and the talks are going very well."

"I have one hundred thousand on hand right now. I'll go to the bank later and transfer thirty thousand to you; consider it a subsidy for our family's living expenses, or a filial gift to you. I won't spend the rest recklessly; I might use it during the summer vacation."

"Anyway, there will be similar income every month from now on, and it will only gradually increase within a year, not decrease."

Yu Xiaoli looked left and right, seemingly hoping someone could remind her this was an off-key joke, but unfortunately, there was no such person.

"Also, let's skip the 'this isn't a long-term plan' rhetoric. I don't intend to be a blogger for life; it was just picking up some loose change, and it didn't even take up any of my energy; another classmate is helping me handle the chores."

"In summary, you can praise me now."

Yu Xiaoli tilted her head and asked a question shared by many middle-aged and elderly people: "Is the internet that easy to make money from?"

To put it bluntly, an ordinary worker works hard for a year, gets occupational diseases, and still can't earn seventy thousand... thirty thousand is a stretch.

Yu Xiaoli's confusion stemmed both from her lack of understanding of "new things" and the impact on her "old concepts."

Zhai Da smiled: "Admittedly, your son's intelligence and talent were the main factors, but the internet is indeed a place with more opportunities right now."

After a long while, Yu Xiaoli sighed and said: "Mom has really been left behind by the times..."

Contrary to Zhai Da's expectations, Yu Xiaoli didn't show excitement; it was far less joyful than when she learned of Zhai Da's improved grades.

Instead, there was a hint of nostalgia.

Seeing that the dishes were almost cold, Yu Xiaoli waved her hand, signaling everyone to eat first, and then picked up Lu Wei's bowl to serve her a bowl of soup.

While scooping, she suddenly laughed.

"It's funny to say... over seventy thousand a month, not sixty thousand or eighty thousand, but exactly seventy thousand..."

"Xiao Da, do you know that all our family's savings combined are also just over seventy thousand?"

Zhai Da shook his head. In his past and present life, he had never asked Yu Xiaoli this question, because he assumed it wouldn't be a comfortable number.

Yu Xiaoli's salary was less than two thousand yuan, which was once the family's entire source of income. She had to manage the food and expenses for two people, pay for Zhai Da's schooling, and provide him with pocket money so he wouldn't be left out at school.

Being able to save seventy thousand was already scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Although the value of money was constantly changing, this seventy thousand...

Had cost Yu Xiaoli half her life.

She considered herself hardworking and frugal, but half a lifetime of accumulation had been surpassed in one go, and the two identical numbers made for such a strong contrast...

That was why she suddenly felt nostalgic.

"I originally thought this money would be enough for your college, and Xiao Wei would be fine too... after all, I'm not old yet, I can still work, right..."

Lu Wei raised her hand and said: "Teacher Yu, I have some money, and I can work-study... I can also strive for scholarships and student loans. I'll go work during the summer vacation..."

As a "guest" living here, the poor little thing had clearly thought about these things in private, not wanting to cause pressure for Zhai Da and Teacher Yu.

Yu Xiaoli placed the served soup in front of Lu Wei and said gently: "Don't interrupt. I wanted to say... it seems now that I am truly old, not in body, but in thought."

"People... aren't afraid of dressing out of style, but are afraid of their thinking being out of style. I really am destined to be a worker for life."

Zhai Da said: "Mom, you're wrong there. Broadly speaking, aren't we all workers? What? I earned seventy thousand and became a capitalist? This is earned through labor, not exploitation!"

"What 'destined to be a worker for life'? You're just under too much life pressure and have no time to care about anything else."

"If workers could earn a superior wage, have the time and ability to travel, go online, cultivate hobbies, and learn skills outside of work... would their horizons be worse than others? Are workers a cut below others?"

Yu Xiaoli felt that what Zhai Da said... made a little sense...

Zhai Da also picked up Yu Xiaoli's bowl and served his mother a bowl of soup:

"Don't think so much; why does it seem like you're miserable just because I earned money?"

Yu Xiaoli felt much more relieved: "Alright, in any case, it's something worth being happy about... Mom has said this a few times, but this time I still have to say it..."

"Xiao Da, you've grown up. It's really good."

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

"And you're not old yet. It's really good."