Chapter 40

"The math, physics, and chemistry test papers! Didn't you ask someone to bring them from the big city for him, Grandfather?"

The papers used by the repeat class were all mimeographed by the school, but at the time, Teacher Ke clearly stated they were "test papers created by student Li Ye." Although Xia Yue and the others didn't believe it, Li Dayong did.

Li Dayong looked rough and uncouth, but he was very meticulous. Ever since Li Ye and Watching Wen Leyu started tinkering with novels, the test questions handed out in class quickly lost their novelty.

Isn't this obvious enough? It's all thanks to my brother!

Li Zhongfa was very puzzled because he had never used any connections to get any test papers for Li Ye.

With his cognitive level—where he couldn't even recognize all 24 English letters—he didn't know that high-level test papers were an effective means of improving college entrance exam scores.

So, Li Zhongfa asked Li Ye suspiciously, "Test papers from the big city? Did that girl from the Lu family send them to you..."

"It wasn't her."

Li Ye denied it flatly.

He really couldn't understand why people around him still thought he and Lu Jingyao were entangled.

Li Zhongfa knew he had guessed wrong. He had thought the Lu girl really wanted to fulfill her father's promise and help Li Ye "get into the capital"!

Now it seemed she had flown onto a high branch and become a phoenix...

But Li Zhongfa always felt that his grandson didn't seem so obsessed with that phoenix anymore.

So the old man continued to ask, "Xiao Ye, then where did you get the papers?"

Li Ye said, "I created them myself. Originally, it was just for Dayong and a few close friends to copy and practice. Later, the teachers felt they should be shared with everyone..."

Li Zhongfa frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Then how much effect can these test questions actually have?"

Li Ye thought for a moment and said modestly, "Given the current situation in our class, if we continue to study like this, we can probably improve by 150 to 200 points!"

".........."

Everyone around was dumbfounded.

In this day and age, even Li Zhongfa, who called himself a rough man, knew what an improvement of 150 to 200 points meant.

But precisely because they knew what it meant, no one believed Li Ye's "nonsense."

In an era where you could get into a junior college with just over 300 points, you say you can help your classmates improve by 150 to 200 points?

If this were to spread, what would the consequences be?

Countless parents would definitely lead their children to your door, begging for improvement.

Come, come, this is my grandson, please put in some effort, Old Master. Never mind 150 points, 100 points will do... I'll kowtow to you first.

Good heavens!

Li Zhongfa smacked his lips and said to Li Ye, "You have to be responsible for bragging. Tell your grandfather the truth, how many points can you really improve?"

Li Ye couldn't answer. You wouldn't believe the truth anyway! Do you want me to lie?

At this moment, Li Dayong spoke up "loyally" from the side, "Master, I dare not say 100-plus points, but it really is effective.

I used to rank in the thirties for math and physics in the first class. In the test a few days ago, I ranked fourteenth in math and eleventh in physics... the other classmates also improved a lot..."

Li Zhongfa and Li Kaijian looked at each other, then both slapped their thighs.

"Oh my!"

"You fools!"

Before Li Zhongfa could speak, Li Kaijian got anxious and started firing away at Li Ye.

"Do you two silly kids know that the college entrance exam isn't about competing for scores, but for rankings? Only so many people are admitted in total. One point more or less means a different fate.

By helping others improve their scores, you're squeezing out your own rankings..."

Li Ye smiled: "It's not that extreme. I'll definitely get in. Besides, Dad, what kind of awareness is this? You're a veteran!"

Actually, Li Ye knew that soldiers weren't all blindly selfless; he was just trying to shut Li Kaijian up.

When facing danger, soldiers would charge forward without hesitation, but don't ever think that soldiers don't understand human affairs.

If you don't believe me, look at the veterans around you. Except for those who are particularly honest and simple, they are actually very clear-headed, very good at "handling things," and every one of them is sharp-eyed.

Li Kaijian opened his mouth to scold, but couldn't. For no other reason than that he, as a workshop director, loved to talk to people about "awareness" the most.

But the old grandmother of the Li family didn't care about that; she poked her precious grandson right on the forehead with her finger.

"You're just a simple child, only thinking of others. Do others think of you? When Lu Jingyao took the college exam last year, did she help you? Why haven't you learned your lesson?"

Only the grandmother in the family dared to mention Lu Jingyao in front of Li Ye; no one else would bring up a sore subject.

Everyone stopped talking, and Li Dayong on the side was also sheepish and very embarrassed.

He had deep personal experience with what Li's grandmother was talking about.

Not to mention anything else, that small group led by Xia Yue got a set of new papers from the county's first high school and wouldn't even let Li Dayong and the others copy them.

There was no one as righteous and selfless as Li Ye, who used paper after paper, only to be met with sarcasm and cynicism in the end.

Li Ye was poked on the forehead by his grandmother and had to explain: "Grandmother, you've got it wrong. How could I be a silly kid?

A fence needs three stakes, a hero needs three helpers. I'm just seeing who knows how to repay kindness, and giving them a hand along the way; it counts as having helpers in the future."

Li's grandmother was still not satisfied, muttering that her grandson was being taken advantage of.

Li Ye kicked Li Dayong in the calf, and the latter hurriedly came out to attract fire.

"Master, Mistress, Uncle Kaijian, what Li Ye said is all true. Li Ye doesn't create papers for the class anymore because many people are ungrateful wretches..."

These days, because Li Ye stopped explaining questions to his classmates, many people were saying strange things and spreading rumors. Li Dayong, Hu Man, and others were arguing with those people every day.

But fewer and fewer people believed that student Li Ye was "devoted to the public," while more and more people were mocking Li Ye for being selfish.

As it stands now, the "Pro-Li Party" centered on Li Dayong and Hu Man is down to just a few people.

"Look, look, didn't I say you were a silly kid? You have a heart of gold for them, but end up being reviled by others..."

"Enough!"

Li Zhongfa gave a sharp shout, then asked Li Ye and Li Dayong: "How many of these helpers who know how to repay kindness do you have?"

Li Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Seven."

Li Dayong also followed up: "Including Watching Wen Leyu, it's seven."

"Seven is not a small number," Li Zhongfa said. "Last year, our whole county didn't even have seven people get into college."

"Then what are your thoughts for the future? If the teachers come to you for questions and papers again, what will you do?"

Having experienced so many storms, Li Zhongfa immediately found the key point.

Looking at the current situation, it's impossible for Li Ye to create and explain questions for his classmates anymore, but what about the teachers?

There's still quite a bit of time before the college entrance exam. It's impossible for you seven not to do new papers, right? Then when the teachers come to you, Li Ye, for questions, how will you handle it?

The positions of students and teachers are different.

Students are squeezed onto a single-plank bridge, wishing they could knock everyone else off and be the only one left on the bridge.

But teachers want the students under their charge to line up and cross the bridge smoothly, one by one.

One follows inner selfishness, the other holds great and noble public justice. When the two collide and conflict, the individual is clearly weak on a moral level.

Li Ye nodded and said, "This is indeed a trouble. I plan to start having Dayong and the others drill questions in a few days. The teachers will definitely find out."

Li Zhongfa straightened his face and said in a deep voice, "You don't need to worry about this matter; I'll solve it for you.

Besides, how do you plan to receive that editor from the Island City? Do you need me to find some people from the County Federation of Literary and Art Circles to accompany you?"

"That's not necessary," Li Ye refused. "With outsiders present, it's not easy to talk about the price."

"Price?" Li Zhongfa was stunned and asked, "What price?"

"The manuscript fee!"

Li Ye said strangely, "The state stipulates that the current manuscript fee is 3-10 yuan per thousand words. My goal is the highest tier of 10 yuan... Actually, I value the royalties after reprinting more; that's the endless stream of cash."

Li Zhongfa: ".........."

Li Kaijian: "..........."

The Li family members plus Li Dayong: ".........."

After a long while, Li Zhongfa asked, "Xiao Ye, are you writing novels just for money?"

"Of course," Li Ye said firmly. "Who would do it if they didn't pay?"

Li Kaijian was full of disdain and contempt: "You're so young and you only know about money. You've become obsessed with money..."

"What's wrong with money? What's wrong with money? You two grown men aren't even as good as my grandson!"

Li's grandmother wouldn't have it. She sprayed her husband and son a few times, then asked Li Ye: "Good grandson, how much money can your novel earn?"

Li Ye pondered for a moment and said, "The first part will be a few thousand yuan! The later parts will be a long, steady stream..."

"Whoa~~"

Everyone was shocked. After all, a few thousand yuan in this day and age is a genuine, massive fortune.

But Li Zhongfa's heart stirred, and he pondered one thing.

The money from Li Ye selling malt sugar is still a bit "hot" to handle; he doesn't dare to spend it much while hiding it at home. But if there's this large sum of manuscript fees, wouldn't that cover it all up?

Thinking of this, Li Zhongfa looked up at his grandson, just in time to meet Li Ye's eyes.

Li Ye smiled triumphantly.

【Grandfather, you thought correctly; that's exactly what I was thinking.】

Dong Yuejin squeezed onto a green-skinned train for over a dozen hours, then took a bus for two hours, before finally arriving at Qingshui County from Island City.

After getting off the bus, he asked his way all the way until he finally reached Qingshui County No. 2 High School.

"Who are you looking for? Which unit are you from?"

Sun Laoliu at the reception room blocked Dong Yuejin with a muffled voice.

"I'm looking for Li Ye. I'm from Blue Sea Publishing House. This is my work ID."

Dong Yuejin took out his work ID and handed it to Sun Laoliu.

Sun Laoliu took it and pretended to look at it, his turtle eyes rolling upward to steal a glance at Dong Yuejin.

He couldn't read, but he knew how to read people.

Dong Yuejin looked like a standard intellectual at first glance, "one of a kind" with the teachers in the school.

As a school gatekeeper, Sun Laoliu knew how troublesome teachers were; they could lecture you for a whole day over a single point.

"The office is over there... forget it, I'll take you there!"

Sun Laoliu cursed his bad luck in his heart, but after thinking about it, he still led Dong Yuejin over.

After being taught a lesson by Jin Peng a while ago, Sun Laoliu held a grudge against Li Ye.

But a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him. Seeing that Li Ye was about to rise to power, he couldn't afford to provoke him, so he had no choice but to admit defeat.

"Principal Chang, this comrade is from the publishing house, here to see Li Ye. I've brought him over."

"From the publishing house?"

Principal Chang, who was reading documents, looked up abruptly and greeted him with a beaming smile.

"You must be the comrade from Dahe Publishing House, right? Oh my, welcome, welcome!"

"........."

Dong Yuejin felt the sincerity of Principal Chang's handshake and muttered suspiciously in his heart: "Dahe Publishing House? That's not right..."

Dong Yuejin was jolted awake, guessing Li Ye's slick move of "submitting one manuscript to multiple places."

"Oh, oh, that, can I see Li Ye? Our president gave me a task; I must see Li Ye in person as soon as possible."

"Understood, understood. This child Li Ye has a bit of a stubborn temper, but he's a young man after all! He's bound to have some spirit and vitality...

After receiving your call, we have already criticized and educated him..."

Dong Yuejin was a bit confused.

【Child? Principal, what are you talking about?】