The Burden of the 00s (12)

Editor Ma felt that he might be dreaming.

No, it may be that Mr. Duan Qingen guessed that he was coming, so he invited his son to tease him.

Although the relationship between them does not seem to have reached the point of teasing each other, Mr. Duan found a child to tease him, which is more convincing than Mr. Duan being just such a child.

"Um……"

He opened his mouth after thinking about it, but after humming for a long time, he still couldn't get the rest of the words out.

Duan Qingen didn't think his attitude was weird.

Previously, in order to be able to submit the manuscript, he did not tell Editor Ma his age.

After all, most adults always have a condescending attitude toward children: "You don't understand anything, so it's more important to study well."

Therefore, now that Editor Ma has expressed his acceptance of bad behavior, Duan Qingen can wait patiently for him to recover.

Editor Ma spoke again.

"Um……"

He still didn't give up and asked again: "Well, you...no, you, are you really Mr. Duan? Is it Mr. Duan Qing'en who wrote "I am in the Long River of History"??"

Duan Qingen also answered again, nodding affirmatively: "Yes, I am Duan Qingen."

Editor Ma: "..."

No matter what, it's still hard to believe.

Wang Xiuhong put the washed fruit on the table and smiled enthusiastically at Editor Ma: "Editor Ma, eat the fruit."

Editor Ma immediately seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, turning his head eagerly to look at the only adult present: "Excuse me, are you really right?"

Editor Ma's temperament is that of a cultured man. If he had talked to him before, Wang Xiuhong might have felt uncomfortable. However, after being fed chicken soup by Duan Qing'en intentionally or unintentionally these days, he wore a completely different outfit than before. Wang Xiuhong did not feel panic or embarrassment, but said with a proud smile:

"If the person you are looking for is Duan Qing'en who corresponds with you, he is my son."

She should be proud, after all, her son has already achieved such an achievement when he is less than ten years old this year.

Even the editor-in-chief of the publishing house came to see him personally.

Editor Ma was still full of hesitation in his heart, but after seeing Wang Xiuhong's generous answer, he suddenly felt: This is not impossible.

After all, looking at Wang Xiuhong's appearance, one should know that the children she raised should be good.

Since "I am in the Long River of History" can be an unexpected hit, why can't its author be a primary school student?

Moreover, the books written by Mr. Duan Qingen in the past were all loved by children. Before, he always believed that only adults could grasp the rhythm of books.

But if you think about it differently.

Perhaps only children know what children like to see and can write words that children like.

After telling himself this repeatedly, Editor Ma's originally stiff expression slowly relaxed.

He told himself that it didn't matter. Even if Mr. Duan was completely different from what he imagined, he was still someone he respected.

As the saying goes, people are judged by their looks, so it is also appropriate not to judge people by their age.

Thinking about it, Editor Ma slowly showed a smile on his face, took the tea poured by Duan Qingen, and said calmly: "Mr. Duan, I am here this time..."

He couldn't speak anymore.

Although he knew it was rude, Editor Ma still couldn't help but look at the child sitting opposite, even though he was a gentleman, even though he had a temperament, even though he looked neither humble nor overbearing, he was still a primary school student.

"I'm sorry, could you please verify your identity? Anything is fine. I know it's rude, but this is really, really..."

"I understand."

Duan Qingen didn't look offended, but nodded, took out a pen and paper from the drawer, and neatly wrote the title of his second book on it.

"I am in the long river of history".

As these seven seemingly gentle words were written down, Editor Ma, who had corresponded with "Mr. Duan Qing'en" countless times, also recognized them.

This is Mr. Duan Qingen's handwriting.

Even if the truth was hard to believe, now that it was out there, he could only accept it in a daze.

Editor Ma tried hard to maintain the expression on his face. After calming down, he coughed a few times: "I'm sorry I don't believe your identity, Duan..."

He looked at the boy sitting opposite and continued: "Mr. Duan, actually I came to you, firstly because I admire your literary talents, and secondly, on behalf of our publishing house, I want to discuss long-term cooperation with you. thing."

After all, this publishing house does not belong to him. No matter how much he wants to come over to meet someone, he has to find a valid reason.

The legitimate reason Editor Ma found was to discuss long-term cooperation with Mr. Duan Qingen.

In the past, due to Duan Qingen's request, they had always communicated through letters, and even paid royalties through this method. This kind of communication without a contract and no guarantee was actually because Editor Ma took the risk to continue.

He believed in his own vision. Although he didn't know why Mr. Duan refused to sign the contract and chose such a method that was very insecure for the author, he believed that words would not deceive people. It can be popular wherever you go.

As long as the stuff is good enough!

Now, Editor Ma finally knows why Mr. Duan Qingen is not willing to talk in detail.

If the book "I'm in the Long River of History" had not been popular before, and the next book was still popular, even if the first book sold well, he would definitely not dare to sign a contract with Mr. Duan after seeing such a small version.

There are too many uncertain factors for young authors. They have to complete their studies, lack self-discipline, and have no correct values. The spirit of contract is rarely achieved by children. These shortcomings are enough to make Editor Ma dare not sign.

But now, "I'm in the Long River of History" is popular, and it is the kind of popularity that can make at least ten more books popular. Don't say that Duan Qingen is a child, even if he is a baby, they are willing to sign!

Although their publishing house is large, the competition around them is definitely not to be underestimated. It is rare to have an author like Duan Qingen who is popular for everything he writes, so naturally they must seize it firmly.

Even if Duan Qingen is just a flash in the pan, as long as they seize the subsequent books of "I'm in the Long River of History", the publishing house can still earn enough fame and money.

This time, Editor-in-Chief Ma was confident that he could convince Mr. Duan. After all, their publishing house was very sincere. Not only did they increase the per-thousand-word quota, but they also increased the commission to 3%.

And they signed a contract in a serious manner. Although Duan Qingen was a child, since he could write such words, he should know what it meant.

Duan Qingen certainly knew what it meant.

The publishing house was so straightforward and didn't deliberately cheat him. He didn't hold back. After asking clearly, he agreed to sign the contract.

Editor-in-Chief Ma was delighted and noticed that Wang Xiuhong didn't participate in the whole process. At most, she came to send some fruits and melon seeds. Duan Qingen, who looked like a primary school student, didn't ask Wang Xiuhong's opinion and made the decision by himself.

He sighed in his heart, it was right for them to raise such an excellent child.

At such a young age, he was so independent. No wonder he could write such a good book.

Editor-in-Chief Ma had already thought about how to spend the day on the way here.

First, he wanted to have a cordial meeting with Mr. Duan Qingen. From Mr. Duan's words, he could see that Mr. Duan was a gentleman who knew how to behave. Such a gentleman would definitely take the initiative to invite him to visit the surrounding scenery.

They could have a meal and chat, visit the forest garden and talk about the future. There are many forest gardens here, and there is also a very famous museum. They can also go to the museum to have a look and talk about which historical story to write in the next short story.

Then all these editors Ma could not do.

Duan Qingen was still a primary school student. He had to go to school and had to go to bed early and get up early. He could only go home at noon and at night.

So, after discussing the specific contract, editor Ma could only leave this beautiful place with regret.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but sigh.

Such a place full of ancient style can cultivate talents like Mr. Duan.

But he could also imagine how much uproar it would cause when Duan Qingen's age was reported back to the publishing house.

But it doesn't matter. He firmly believes that Mr. Duan will never let him down.

When Editor Ma left, he didn't notice that the young wives and old ladies who were chatting in the yard immediately quieted down the lively discussion when they saw him coming down from upstairs.

Until he left, the discussion tone, which was originally only three points, suddenly rose to five points.

The reason why it didn't reach ten points was because the content of their discussion was related to the Duan family, and the sound insulation here was not very good, and they were afraid that the Duan family upstairs would hear it.

"Who is this person? I haven't seen this relative in Xiuhong's family before."

"He looks like a scholar, and he looks very powerful."

"He also carried a big bag. I remember he came by car."

Of course there were taxis at this time, but for many people, renting a car was expensive, especially since their place was a small place, and a car coming over was enough to make everyone focus on it.

As they were discussing, Old Lady Jin opened the door, came out and poured a basin of water, snorting coldly: "I'm afraid it's the man Wang Xiuhong found outside, it's really embarrassing."

Because of that lesson before, she didn't dare to speak loudly anymore, but her tone still made people feel very uncomfortable and contemptuous.

If it was before, it would be fine if other people heard her say this, Old Lady Jin was difficult to deal with, and they didn't want to provoke her for no reason.

But now...

Duan Qingen is a famous genius, and Wang Xiuhong looks different from before, and she makes people want to get close to her.

Suddenly, someone spoke up for Wang Xiuhong; "You said this as if Xiuhong was cheating on someone. We don't even know what this man does. Even if he is Xiuhong's boyfriend, so what? Xiuhong's husband has been dead for so long, and she is not allowed to find another one? Qingen hasn't said anything yet."

She didn't point her finger at Jin and scold her for meddling in other people's business, but the meaning behind her words was revealed. Jin was so angry that her eyes widened. Just as she was about to open her mouth to scold, the person next to her also joined in:

"Yes, how can it be shameful to find another one after the man dies? You thought this happened before. The leaders have already said that men and women are equal. Why can men find another woman but not?"

"Even if Xiuhong really found this man, I think he has good conditions, looks good, and seems to be educated. Why is it shameful when you say it?"

The saying that many people are brave is not just for words. If they were to face Old Mrs. Jin alone, these people might not dare to speak out for fear of being resented.

But now that everyone is talking about it, it doesn’t seem that difficult to get into it.

Besides, it is also beneficial to help the Duan family speak up and sell well.

Haven't you seen that their children like to play with Duan Qingen? In addition to telling stories, this child sometimes also gives them some questions.

Seeing that their children who used to be crazy about playing are now willing to study down-to-earth, can parents be unhappy and then see Duan Qingen as pleasing to their eyes?

In addition, Mrs. Jin is not a good person, and the people living in this courtyard are more or less displeased with her. Now it would be good to take the opportunity to vent the resentment in her heart.

Old Mrs. Jin just said that one thing, but it was strange that she felt so comfortable when she was met with so many words of rebuke. Her face was livid, and she secretly cursed these people as snobbery in her heart.

As soon as Duan Qingen, that little bastard, showed up, they eagerly joined in on him.

She didn't have the temperament to suffer a loss, so she immediately sneered and said: "She can find a man, but her man has only been dead for a long time. If she is looking for someone so quickly, who knows if she has someone before."

This is simply saying that Wang Xiuhong cheated on her.

Before the people around her could argue, Wang Xiuhong came down from upstairs. She came down to throw away the garbage, but when she heard this sentence as soon as she came down, she didn't even bother to get angry.

This old lady Jin is simply harming others without benefiting herself.

When she opens her mouth, she grabs others and throws dirty water on her. I really don’t know what good it will do for her.

Sure enough, as soon as she appeared, Mrs. Jin's face immediately showed discomfort.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Wang Xiuhong, but she felt that Wang Xiuhong seemed a little different recently.

His face is obviously still the same, but he is dressed a little better and his hair is tidied up, so he looks so imposing.

She felt guilty, but no one else did. Seeing Wang Xiuhong come down, she was like a chicken seeing its mother. They all gathered around and asked with gossipy faces:

"Xiuhong, who was the man who came to your house just now?"

Wang Xiuhong didn't feel uncomfortable being surrounded by them. Instead, she just carried the garbage and said with a smile: "It's the editor-in-chief of the publishing house where Qing En publishes the book. He came to Qing En to negotiate a contract."

"Editor-in-Chief!"

This is the answer that no one expected.

"No wonder he looks quite elegant. He turns out to be the editor-in-chief."

"I really envy you, Xiuhong, for having such a good son like Qing En."

Wang Xiuhong smiled and responded with a few words, and said with a smile: "Just now, Qing En was mainly chatting with Editor Ma. I listened to a few words and heard them talking about law, which reminded me of what I watched recently. This is not a law book. Come down and throw it in the trash and buy another one."

"You're still reading at this age? Or the law."

Wang Xiuhong: "That's not true. We can't just let Qing'en work hard at home. The child is still young, so I just thought about making some clothes and selling them to make some money. I'm afraid that I will encounter difficulties when I sell the clothes. So I looked at the law in advance. I didn’t know it until I looked at it. After reading it, I realized that the law is quite useful. Do you know about the crime of defamation, which I didn’t know before?”

She raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Old Mrs. Jin who was standing there with an angry look on her face. She raised her voice and said unhurriedly: "Deliberately fabricating and spreading fictitious facts that can detract from other people's personality and destroy their reputation." It's just a defamation crime, which can result in a fine at the least and imprisonment at the worst. I didn't know this before, otherwise if I met someone who spread rumors without evidence, I could call the police and send her to jail. "

As soon as this sentence came out, almost anyone who was not stupid knew who Wang Xiuhong was talking about.

Some people are surprised that she can take the initiative to fight with Mrs. Jin now.

Some people are so happy that they wish that Mrs. Jin would suffer a big blow.

For a moment, the eyes of everyone present fell on Old Mrs. Jin.

Mrs. Jin was already stunned.

Wang Xiuhong...how dare she.

Isn't she too timid to cause trouble?

Even in the previous fight, it was her mother-in-law and mother who made it clear later.

How long had it been, how could she, how could she have become a completely different person.

Mrs. Jin is illiterate and has never studied law. She is worried in her heart, but she is desperate to save her face.

"What's slanderous? It's just talk. Why, I can't talk anymore? I'm born to talk. Who dares to arrest me at such an old age."

Wang Xiuhong's increasingly white and rosy face showed a blank expression, "I didn't say anything about you, why did you just pick up on it yourself? I'm talking about the kind of disgusting people who spread rumors and create trouble without heart."

Old Mrs. Jin; "You!"

She opened her mouth to curse, but when she raised her eyes and met Wang Xiuhong's eyes, she saw the coldness in the eyes of this woman who was once so cowardly that she cried when she scolded her, and she couldn't curse anymore.

"Anyway, I love to talk. Everyone knows this. If any bitch dares to say this or that, sew my mouth shut if you can!"

She looked aggressive on the outside but felt guilty inside. She turned around and went back to her yard, slamming the door shut.

Finally, when he stood in the yard, he unconsciously raised his head and saw Duan Qingen looking down at him from the balcony.

The cold look in his eyes didn't look like that of a child.

Old Mrs. Jin was so frightened that she almost fell down and squatted down.

After staggering a few steps and standing firm, she couldn't help but curse in her heart.

Neither of this mother and son can get along with her!

She didn't believe it. Why can't people gossip about it?

Even if she really broke the law, she was so old, which police dared to arrest her?

Aren't they afraid that she would die on the way and cause trouble?

Duan Qingen stood on tiptoe on the balcony and looked down. She saw that Old Lady Jin went in muttering and cursing, and her eyes circled around the iron wire in the yard.

***

Old Lady Jin really didn't become silent because of Wang Xiuhong's words, but became more and more aggressive.

It's just that it's not as open and aboveboard as before, but hiding from Wang Xiuhong, just like a rat in the ditch, taking advantage of no one to stroll out, and immediately running away when someone comes, so that people can't even catch evidence.

Wang Xiuhong was helpless. Her mentality had changed. She didn't mind confronting Old Lady Jin face to face. But this guy was sly and ran away after talking. Although she used the crime of defamation to scare people, in fact, the crime of defamation can only be filed if the circumstances are serious. Old Lady Jin is a gossipy old lady, so it's really hard to deal with her.

Old Lady Jin may have asked people about it. Knowing that Wang Xiuhong couldn't do anything to her, she was arrogant again.

That day, she stood in the yard with her hands on her hips, and her voice became louder.

"I like to talk. Hey, someone is still scaring me. Look, what's wrong with me? I have nothing to do!"

"I will go out and talk every day from East Street to West Street. Anyway, my mouth is on my body. I can say whatever I want. Who can control it?"

A typical villain is proud.

But Wang Xiuhong really couldn't do anything to her. Even if her mentality has changed now, how can she deal with Old Lady Jin if she doesn't catch her in the act? It's impossible to just come to her door with a knife.

In that case, Old Lady Jin would not be frightened, she would be arrested and taken to the police station first.

Mom had no way out, but Duan Qingen had a way.

When he went downstairs to tell stories that day, he assigned some tasks to the older and more sensible children who kept their mouths shut.

These children were led by Duan Qingen, and there was nothing he could not do.

Soon, when Old Lady Jin went out, an old lady envied her and talked to her, saying that she was also lucky. Not only were her two sons promising, but her old man was still making money at such an old age. Not only was his job easy, but he could also sell iron wire from his workplace for money. He would have a pension in the future and would not have to worry about his life.

Old Lady Jin liked to hear this.

He boasted proudly immediately.

What a good job it is to have a sensible and filial son who can do a good job.

Although his wife was old, she also brought money home and was very popular among the old men.

He only needed to buy vegetables and cook every day, and chat at other times.

After bragging like this for a few days, she couldn't be proud anymore.

Old man Hu was fired for stealing wire.

If it weren't for his old age, he would have to claim compensation.

After all, his wire was stolen from the equipment. He only saw the wire, but the equipment was really valuable. Once the wire was removed, the equipment didn't work well, and several batches of goods were damaged.

It's okay that they couldn't catch him before, but now Old man Hu's wife is talking about this matter as if it's something proud.

Who else should be fired if not him?

Old man Hu, who lost his job, his pension, and almost had to pay compensation, returned home with a gloomy face.

That night, Old Lady Jin understood what it meant that her mouth was on her body, but her hands were on others.

She was beaten and pushed to the yard. She was shivering because of the cold weather. When she looked up, she actually saw Duan Qingen looking at her silently.

But this time, the little boy above did not have a blank expression, but smiled at her slowly.

This smile gave old lady Jin goose bumps all over her body.

She opened her eyes wide: "It's you..."

Duan Qingen tilted his head and smiled at her cutely.

But in old lady Jin's eyes, it was as scary as a wronged ghost demanding his life.

Isn't it a resentful ghost!

Can a child do such a thing! Maybe it's Duan Qingen's father's ghost who is still messing with her! !

And the next second, Duan Qingen's face suddenly lit up, staring at her palely.

Old lady Jin: "..."

"Oh my god!!!"

She screamed, turned around and knocked on the door frantically, begging her husband to let her in.

Duan Qingen looked at old lady Jin who was almost scared to pee, turned off the flashlight under her chin, and turned into the room.

He didn't know whether old lady Jin entered the room that night, but he knew that for at least the next ten years, this old lady who believed in ghosts and gods would not dare to mess around again.

This is indeed the case.

For eight years, Old Lady Jin was very well behaved.

And Duan Qingen, the genius who skipped a grade, was promoted to the sophomore year at the age of fifteen.