Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 42
“If we don’t handle this well, our entire village’s reputation will be ruined, and it will become difficult for our girls to find husbands.”
“It’s like a mouse dropping that spoils the whole pot of porridge.”
This was a matter of vital importance to them. If the village girls’ reputation was tarnished, it could affect their chances of marriage and even their bride prices. Father Jiang was both fearful and angry with Mother Jiang, “You were the one who wanted to send her to work every day and nearly pushed her into this mess.” Mother Jiang felt guilty and breathless, admitting, “I didn’t know Jiang Yueqin was involved in such things.”
“Nowadays, city workers earn only 1,780 yuan. How could a waitress earn 2,400 yuan?”
Mother Jiang also mocked Father Jiang, “What good is hindsight now? I told her to go to work, but you didn’t stop it.”
“Didn’t I try to stop it?”
“I suggested she work, and you didn’t object. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re implying. Now that there’s trouble, you’re blaming it all on me. It’s all because of her mother,” Mother Jiang snapped, her tone sharp with anger.
Jiang Ning stood silently behind them, observing as the two argued and shifted blame onto each other. Mother Jiang pondered their options. She couldn’t bear to let Jiang Ning go out to work alone.
“I wouldn’t feel at ease. If something happens, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.”
But it was mid-year, and those villagers who still went out to work typically returned for the New Year before heading out together again.
Mother Jiang truly didn’t want Jiang Ning to study.
“Thankfully Ning Ning spoke up for herself. Otherwise, we might have let her go with them, and regretted it later,” Father Jiang sighed. “It’s better for Ning Ning to focus on her studies; she’s still so young.”
“She’s already fifteen,” Mother Jiang retorted, glaring fiercely at Father Jiang. “You know I’ve been urging you to call Song. Did you? School starts in a few days, and Song still hasn’t returned. You’re not worried about Song, but you have time to worry about whether she studies.”
Turning to Jiang Ning, Mother Jiang ordered sharply, “Since you can’t go work there, go to the kiln and move bricks.”
Her sister worked at the brick factory in the neighboring town. It was tough work, but many women did it, so why couldn’t she?
 “I’ll go tell your aunt tomorrow and ask her to take you in,” Mother Jiang firmly declared.
She had planned to rise early the next morning and take Jiang Ning to her sister’s house. However, when Jiang Ning woke early, she and Father Jiang prepared crayfish, then rode their bicycles to the nearby market to sell them. Selling crayfish was profitable, so Mother Jiang didn’t disturb them. She packed some home-dried bracken and pickled fish and set off for her sister’s house in the neighboring village.
Without a bicycle, Mother Jiang had to walk the entire way, which took over two hours. She arrived sweating at her sister’s house, only to find her absent; she was at the brick factory. Mother Jiang hurried to the brick factory once again.
After reaching an agreement with her sister, Mother Jiang returned and informed Jiang Ning, who had just caught another basket of crayfish, “I’ve spoken with your aunt. Tomorrow morning after breakfast, you’ll start working and return for dinner. The factory manager will pay three yuan a day.”
That amounted to ninety yuan a month, slightly below Mother Jiang’s ideal amount. Girls from the village who worked at garment factories could earn between one hundred to sixty yuan a month, with more agile workers earning even more.
Early the following morning, before dawn, Mother Jiang arrived and knocked loudly on the door. Jiang Ning finished breakfast and, under Mother Jiang’s urging, headed out. The sky was still dark, adorned with twinkling stars. Jiang Ning blended into the night’s dark hues as she ventured forth.
Jiang Ning went crayfish-catching.
With school starting in a few days, she aimed to earn enough money during this period to cover her first semester of high school tuition.
For the past few days, she had been eagerly awaiting responses from various magazines. It wasn’t until two days before school began that Jiang Ning received her first reply.
It was from Zhiyin Magazine. They had accepted her manuscript, and the royalties were already deposited into the bank account she had provided.
Upon careful examination, she learned that as a newcomer with high-quality writing, she was paid fifty yuan per thousand words. Her novel totaled less than 5,000 words.
Jiang Ning had known that Zhiyin paid handsomely for manuscripts; in her previous life, she had a friend who received 600 yuan per thousand words in 1998. Still, she didn’t expect such a generous payment as a newcomer. This was significant considering many workers struggled with incomes of less than two hundred yuan a month and faced layoffs.
Initially, she had hoped for twenty yuan per thousand words.
She rushed to the bank and found not only her royalties but also two additional payments: one for forty yuan and another for sixty yuan. Together, these royalties totaled three hundred and fifty yuan.
Combined with her earnings from selling crayfish in recent days, she finally amassed enough to cover her first semester’s tuition.
With tuition secured, Jiang Ning felt relieved. She returned to the mountains and asked Grandpa Jiang to visit the brigade headquarters occasionally to check for any letters addressed to her. If any arrived, he was to keep them safe until her return.
Grandpa Jiang prepared a large tin of salted fish cubes and a bag of crispy rice for Jiang Ning. The fish cubes were tightly pressed, and the rice was crunchy.
Jiang Ning intended to leave the salted fish for Grandpa Jiang to enjoy and only take the crispy rice. However, he insisted she take the fish. He looked displeased, saying, “I don’t like fish. I ate it enough when I was young. I’m afraid it will spoil, so take it away quickly.”
In truth, Grandpa Jiang loved eating fish the most.
In the end, Jiang Ning didn’t argue and simply said, “Grandpa, don’t always eat pickled radishes. Eat more fresh vegetables; they’re nutritious. Take good care of yourself at home. I’ll work harder so I can support you in your old age when I come back.”
In her previous life, Jiang Ning’s grandfather had passed away just after she graduated from university. She hadn’t had the chance to be filial or take him to places like Leifeng Pagoda or Yue Wang Temple.
Grandpa Jiang lived a solitary life in the mountains. Father Jiang had bought him a radio, which became his cherished possession. He listened to it every day, especially enjoying stories about Yue Fei and Yue Jiajun told by storytellers. He never got tired of them.
Grandpa Jiang teared up as he listened, his eyes turning red, but his face relaxed with a smile. He chuckled with immense satisfaction, “Alright, alright. I’ll be waiting for my granddaughter to come back and take care of me in my old age.”
Comments for chapter "Chapter 42"
MANGA DISCUSSION
Geners
- Action (12)
- Comedy (29)
- Completed (31)
- Drama (30)
- Fantasy (24)
- FANTASY (1)
- Futuristic (4)
- Gender Bender (1)
- Historical (8)
- Manga (0)
- Novel (48)
- One shot (4)
- Original Novel (8)
- Psychological (7)
- Reincarnation (19)
- Romance (56)
- ROMANCE (1)
- School Life (7)
- Sci-Fi (6)
- Slice of Life (2)
- Supernatural (13)
- SUPERNATURAL (0)
- Thriller (2)
- Tragedy (3)
- Transmigration (13)
- Wuxia (1)
- Yaoi (8)
- Yuri (2)