The Burden of the 00s (10)

When Duan Qingen and the others came back, Sister-in-law Niu was listening to Aunt Duan imagining the future with a numb face.

"Sister-in-law, don't mention the past. My mother-in-law was so good to me. I was too ignorant and turned my face away from her. In the future, I must be filial to her."

"She wanted to see Xiuhong before, but I always stopped her from going. It was really wrong. My mother-in-law didn't stop me from going home to see my mother. In the future, she can go whenever she wants. Even if she wants to take the children with her, it's okay. It would be even better if Xiuhong could bring Qingen back to stay for a few days. How happy the family will be together."

Sister-in-law Niu: "..."

She didn't want to talk anymore.

She even suspected that her sister-in-law was replaced by someone.

Otherwise, how could she suddenly become so considerate?

When Duan Qingen and Wang Xiuhong came back, she was puzzled and finally understood after looking at their clothes.

No wonder!

Before, she said that it was impossible for Duan Qingen to achieve anything at this age, and wondered if her sister-in-law was confused or just trying to fool her. Now, looking at the nice clothes they were wearing, she thought, oh, this might really be true.

Then, Wang Xiuhong opened the door and led two men in carefully, holding the glass.

"Slow down, be careful, don't bump into them..."

Niu's wife was stunned, and Aunt Duan went to meet them first.

"Xiuhong, what are you going to do? Why did you buy such a big piece of glass?"

"Sister-in-law."

Wang Xiuhong's mentality had been adjusted at this moment. She smiled at Aunt Duan and explained lightly: "Isn't Dad in good health? I saw that the room was stuffy and uncomfortable, and it was difficult to poke the window paper, so I thought of installing a glass window in his room."

"When the weather is hot and humid, you can open the window to get some fresh air. Even if it is cold outside, you don't have to suffer from the cold wind with this window, and the room can be brighter. Dad may feel better."

Aunt Duan immediately praised: "Xiuhong, you are smart to think of this idea. Before, your brother and I also thought that Dad was stuffy in the room, but we just couldn't think of any good way."

"Otherwise, how can you say that Qingen was raised by you? He is so smart because he learned from you."

Wang Xiuhong smiled and said nothing.

In fact, everyone present knew that this idea was not difficult to think of, but the difficult part was the money to buy and install the glass.

But she didn't expose it, and just smiled and flattered back gently: "I'm not with my parents all year round, and it's you, sister-in-law, who takes care of them every day, so I can only be filial occasionally."

This made Aunt Duan feel relieved.

Isn't it? Although she knew that her attitude was definitely not good, she had taken care of her father-in-law and mother-in-law before, and she didn't fall behind at all.

It's just that they are much poorer, and they can't live a good life, so they are so fussy.

But now Wang Xiuhong has raised a good son like Duan Qingen, and there are still many good days in the future.

A sister-in-law who always needed subsidies from her parents' home and never came back to help has become a sister-in-law who comes back with big bags and small bags and contributes money and effort. Of course, she is happy.

The two sisters-in-law talked affectionately, and Sister Niu, who was standing by, looked at the workers who were carefully carrying glass upstairs, and she came to her senses.

It seems that the daughter of the Wang family has really become rich.

Her face changed, and she naturally approached to ask for friendship, completely unlike the previous provocation to Aunt Duan.

Duan Qingen watched silently from the side and said nothing.

This world is actually so realistic.

You are a genius, so whatever you do is right.

You have money, so you don’t have to do anything, and naturally all kinds of people will gather around you.

This trip back to her parents’ home was very comfortable for everyone.

For Wang Xiuhong, she visited her father who had been ill in bed for a long time, and helped her mother consolidate her family status so that her sister-in-law could treat her mother better in the future.

For Mrs. Wang, she knew that her daughter was living well and was filial, and she could already feel at ease.

For Aunt Duan, her sister-in-law suddenly became rich, and she no longer had to worry about the old lady taking the family’s money to throw stones into the sea. She also had one more wealthy relative, and her son would have one more wealthy aunt to take care of him in the future.

And Uncle Duan...

He still didn't notice the ups and downs at home, and was simply happy that his sister could come back. He even made a wooden pony for Duan Qingen.

On the way to Grandma Duan's house, Duan Qingen played with the lifelike pony in his hand, and asked his mother while playing:

"Mom, how can uncle be so good? This pony looks like the real thing."

Wang Xiuhong didn't know he was thinking about something else, and thought her son liked this pony, and a gentle smile immediately appeared on her face.

I thought to myself that children are children, no matter how high Qingen's IQ is, he will still be attracted by these toys.

She said in a gentle voice: "Your uncle learned the craft from others when he was a child, but later his master died. Your uncle went to the town to set up a stall for a few days and didn't sell it, so he came back to farm."

Speaking of this, Wang Xiuhong also sighed: "In fact, your uncle is really good at making these. When I got married, the dressing rack, tables, chairs and benches were all made by your uncle."

Duan Qingen recalled the furnishings at home, raised his little face and asked: "But we don't have a dressing rack at home, and the tables, chairs and benches are also made of plastic."

"Those are all at your grandma's house. Your dad had a conflict with your grandparents before, so we moved out. We didn't take these things because they were not easy to get."

Wang Xiuhong's eyes were a little melancholy.

Those were all her brother's wishes, but within a week after marrying her, she had to leave with her husband, and she couldn't even take away a lot of dowry.

Duan Qingen held her mother's hand comfortingly, but she had something on her mind.

It can be seen from this pony that Uncle Duan's craftsmanship is really good, and Wang Xiuhong also said that Uncle Duan learned the craftsmanship when he was a child, which is almost at least ten or twenty years ahead.

At that time, most parts of the country were still in poverty, and they didn't have enough to eat, so there was no time to think about anything else.

No matter how beautiful and detailed Uncle Duan's food is, it is still worse than a bowl of white rice in the eyes of many people who don't have enough to eat, so of course no one buys it.

Since then, he has been immersed in farming, only occasionally making small toys for the children at home. Since he is not specialized in carpentry, he certainly does not always have large pieces of wood, so he learned this craft in vain.

But Duan Qingen had an idea in his heart.

Just relying on them to pull the Wang family back will definitely not work. No one can live on charity all the time. Only when they can make money can it be considered okay.

Because it was just an idea, he didn't say it out loud, he just thought about it in his heart.

Soon, he followed Wang Xiuhong to Grandpa Duan and Grandma Duan's house.

The Duan family is actually also poor, but because Grandpa Duan and Grandma Duan are very agile, their situation is better than that of the Wang family.

Grandpa Duan and Grandma Duan live in a small house by themselves and do not live with their other sons. According to them, even if they have hands and feet, they are living a good life and there is no need for their sons to take care of them.

Seeing Wang Xiuhong and Duan Qingen arriving, the two old men were a little embarrassed.

Although Grandma Duan had helped her daughter-in-law before, she still couldn't act like a serious mother-in-law in front of Wang Xiuhong.

After all, they had severed their relationship at the beginning.

Although her eldest son is gone now, if Wang Xiuhong is willing, she can never come back. After all, if she comes back and recognizes this relationship, it means that she and Duan Qingen will have a share in supporting the elderly in the future.

So this time Wang Xiuhong brought Duan Qingen to visit them. The two old people guessed in their hearts that Wang Xiuhong wanted to remarry and let them raise Duan Qingen.

Grandpa Duan didn't like to talk, so he just smoked cigarettes, but Grandma Duan's smile was a little awkward. She no longer patted her chest like the last time they met | she told Wang Xiuhong to remarry if she wanted, and it was time for her to raise her grandchildren.

She felt a little guilty and secretly told Wang Xiuhong that the other sons in the family did not agree with the idea of ​​letting Qing En, a good grandson, follow them.

In fact, what Grandma Duan thought before was that they could still work and feed their grandchildren.

But others thought differently.

The two old people are old after all. Even if they look healthy now, they are old people. If an older person falls down, he may have big problems. If something happens, he will not be able to work. , or he is old enough to go underground, what should Duan Qingen do?

He is less than ten years old this year, and he will have to be taken care of for at least eight years in the future.

You still have to go to school, tuition, living expenses, and accommodation. Someone has to pay for these. The old people can't afford it, so why don't they ask their sons to pay for it?

How unjust they were. It was hard to raise their own children, and they had to raise children for others, especially the eldest brother whom none of them liked.

After a few such quarrels, even if Grandma Duan really liked this grandson whom she had not met for a few times, she had to give up the idea of ​​raising a grandson uncomfortably.

I was feeling guilty at first, but now seeing Wang Xiuhong bring Duan Qingen to the door, I felt even more uncomfortable.

No matter how uncomfortable it is, you still have to speak clearly.

Otherwise, wouldn’t it harm the child?

Wang Xiuhong was not surprised. Her man's popularity was not good to begin with, so it was strange that her brothers were willing to help raise their children.

She didn't show any displeasure, but just smiled and said that they just happened to have a break, so they came to see the old man.

Grandpa Duan and Grandma Duan breathed a sigh of relief, raised their smiles again, and rummaged through the boxes and cabinets to find delicious food to entertain them.

The mother and son stayed with them for almost two hours, and during this period, none of Duan Qingen's uncles and aunts who lived not far away came out to see them.

It wasn't until they left that Uncle Duan was pushed out by his wife, and he arrived at his parents' house in embarrassment.

"Father, mother, sister-in-law brought the child here, do you want you to raise the child?"

Although he didn't want to raise Duan Qing'en, he was his eldest brother's biological child after all, and he said such words to his biological parents. He always felt guilty when he said it, but no matter how guilty he was, he finished the sentence stumblingly.

"You must not agree. Our children are all going to school now. Qingzheng, the third brother's family, still goes to a big city. It costs a lot of money every month. We really can't afford to raise another child. Come on, I also know that it’s not easy for my sister-in-law to raise a child alone, but it’s not easy for our family either.”

Grandpa Duan said in a low voice: "Xiuhong and Qingen are just here to see us. Keep your hearts in your stomach, she has no intention of remarrying."

Uncle Duan was a little dazed: "Huh?"

Compared to her husband's understatement, Grandma Duan was much more high-profile. She raised her chin proudly and said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "Didn't you hear what your father said? Xiuhong is living a good life with Qingen. My Qingen is now a famous writer and has published books. He spends a lot of money every month. He lives a good life. Look, he just brought so many things over. Look at this clothes and these nutritional supplements. These are all good things. Look, the prices are written on them."

Thinking that she has not eaten well during the day and has not slept well at night, she has been worrying about her grandchildren. Now Grandma Duan can only describe it in four words: proud!

"My Qingen has made a great career! He doesn't want you to support him. He also said that he wants to support me and your father!"

Oh, her Qingen.

He really made her proud!

****

After returning to his hometown, Duan Qingen was relieved to find that Wang Xiuhong's mentality had indeed changed in line with his wishes.

Since returning from her hometown, Wang Xiuhong no longer pays little attention to dressing up like before. Although she has not bought new clothes, she has also started to dig out old clothes from the closet and try to make better-looking outfits.

She even discussed with Duan Qingen and bought the second-hand sewing machine that she had always wanted to buy but her husband did not allow her to buy, and took time to step on it every day to make clothes.

Now that the weather is getting colder, the hat Duan Qingen wears on his head and the scarf around his neck are all made by Wang Xiuhong.

When she buys fabrics, she is no longer just concerned with the price as before, but also looks at whether the color is good-looking and whether the clothes are comfortable to wear.

Sometimes when Duan Qingen goes home, he can still see Wang Xiuhong holding an old magazine to study the clothes worn by the models on it.

She seems to have finally discovered an eternal truth: people rely on clothes and horses rely on saddles. Only when you dress well and your aura looks strong, people will smile at you.

Of course, there is another more important condition, which is to have money first.

Although Duan Qingen has been telling her that his money is equivalent to her money, and he doesn't have to work hard to make money, Wang Xiuhong still feels very uncomfortable spending her son's money.

If she is older now and Duan Qingen is in his prime, it would be fine, but the key point is that she is now in her prime, and Duan Qingen is just a child under ten years old.

Wang Xiuhong really can't let such a child earn money to support her mother who should be supporting the family.

But the money earned from making clothes in the factory is always the same. It is impossible for her to earn a lot of money by working hard, but it can only be enough for food and clothing.

So, Wang Xiuhong naturally turned her attention to other places.

For example, the beautiful clothes she and her son bought last time to return home in glory.

When they went there, there were quite a few people buying clothes. In order to make them feel anxious, the salesperson said a lot of things in a casual way, such as how beautiful the clothes she liked were, how many people liked them and bought them at first sight, if she didn't buy them today, they might be gone tomorrow and this was the last set, etc.

Now thinking back, Wang Xiuhong boldly thought of another point.

So, since those beautiful clothes were bought by many people and in short supply, if she made such beautiful clothes at home, would there be people who would buy her clothes like those clothes?

She thought more and more, for example, it was impossible to make them according to other people's materials, and she had to have her own innovations, for example, the materials must be selected well, otherwise it would be a scam, and for example, she could set up a stall after making them, and she could learn from the clothes in those stores, and hang them on a rack to show the effect of wearing them on people, so as to attract more people to look at them.

Basically, she would discuss any ideas with her son now, and in order not to disturb her son, Wang Xiuhong bought a small notebook and wrote down some ideas on it. After making sure that everything was foolproof, she gave the notebook to Duan Qingen with a little caution and expectation.

Duan Qingen had already guessed what she wanted to do, but after seeing her mother's notebook recording everything in detail, he was still a little surprised.

While her son was watching, Wang Xiuhong carefully observed his expression. She waited until she saw Duan Qingen carefully turn to the last page, then she clenched her hands nervously, with an expression of waiting for the verdict on her face, and asked carefully: "What do you think?"

Duan Qingen did not pretend to be mysterious, and nodded directly and affirmatively: "I think it's okay."

He raised his head as if he had discovered a new world, looked at Wang Xiuhong with bright eyes, and praised: "Mom, you are so smart, I can't think of so many."

Wang Xiuhong's originally tense body suddenly relaxed, and her face showed a shy, embarrassed, and a little happy smile:

"Qingen, if you think it's okay, then I will do it according to this first."

"No problem, Mom, just do it."

Duan Qingen was telling the truth. Wang Xiuhong didn't know whether he had a talent in this area or was too careful. He considered every aspect very well. Even if it really didn't succeed, according to her plan, she wouldn't lose too much.

Wang Xiuhong, who was praised by her son, seemed to have a new life. She started her own business plan happily and motivatedly.

Duan Qingen has already started writing his second book.

The second book tells a story from history. He directly arranges the protagonist to travel through various scenes in the history book, and then a series of events happen and history goes off track.

The protagonist finds that once history changes, even if it is just a passerby who should be alive, but ends up dying, it is a change no less than an earthquake for the real world.

He had to desperately maintain history and pull the derailed history back to where it should be. Duan Qingen wrote it in a humorous style, and added various small stories and interesting styles in the middle.

These days, his history books were not checked in vain.

In particular, he also asked for help from the principal. As a primary school principal, his collection of books is unexpectedly more, at least in terms of history, basically five thousand years.

Because the information was checked clearly, Duan Qingen wrote very smoothly. He planned to write a longer book and divide it into pages according to historical events. It took him a week to finish the first historical story and sent it directly to the publishing house.

The publishing house immediately arranged it.

When Editor Ma saw this book, he was actually a little disappointed, because the pace of this book was obviously not as fast as the first one, and although it was still good, they had never tried this kind of story format before.

This is equivalent to the first person to eat crabs. No one knows whether he will find it delicious or be poisoned after eating crabs.

But after hesitation, it was arranged because of the excellent quality.

Anyway, Duan Qingen said in the letter that if the publisher thinks this format is unreliable and the book does not sell well, then it can end with this story. Anyway, for books of this format, as long as the author wants, he can't finish it even if he writes for a hundred years. Similarly, as long as the author wants, he can arrange the end anytime and anywhere.

Editor Ma has no hope for the sales of this book. It may be mediocre, but children still prefer the kind with magical colors. For example, in Duan Qingen's first book, the protagonist becomes a little man. This kind of historical books, to put it bluntly, most children don't like to learn history. After buying the book, they may not even understand what these stories are talking about.

At the beginning, the sales of this book were indeed only a small hit, and it did not attract the whole nation to buy it like the first book.

Although he was a little disappointed, Editor-in-Chief Ma also felt that he had too high expectations and should not be disappointed because it was a small hit instead of a big hit.

Before, the publishing house had so many books, and he had to be happy even if there was a small hit.

He sighed and readjusted his thinking, thinking that he still respected Mr. Duan Qingen too much.

It seemed that from the first book and the correspondence between the two, he felt that Mr. Duan Qingen was a powerful person.

And this time, when the manuscript of this historical book was sent over, Mr. Duan was very confident in the letter, saying that this book would definitely be a big hit.

He trusted Mr. Duan Qingen too much at the time, and when Mr. Duan said that, he also believed in his heart that it would definitely be a big hit.

As a result, it is only a small hit now, and his mentality cannot be calmed down.

After thinking it through, Editor-in-Chief Ma quickly adjusted his mentality.

At the same time, he also realized one thing, that Mr. Duan is not omnipotent after all.

As for the author, he always treats his own works very well.

How could it be that he said it would be popular?

The next day, when Editor-in-Chief Ma had just sorted out his thoughts, his assistant rushed in excitedly as soon as he entered the office.

"Editor-in-Chief, this book, "I'm in the Long River of History", was publicly praised by the well-known educator Mr. Ming, who said it was very educational, allowing children to learn the correct history while liking it. It also respects many historical figures. If students read it, it will be very helpful for their studies. Many parents took their children to buy books after watching his interview. I heard that several schools are also planning to buy a large number of books and put them in the school library for children to study."

"It's almost sold out now, it's a big hit, Editor-in-Chief!!"