Chapter 117: Two in One

Chapter 117: Two in One

"Old lady, don't get your hopes up. Do you think everyone who writes can make money? Even in ancient times, many poor scholars ended up starving to death. This line of work isn't easy—there are plenty who live in poverty and hardship. You need to think carefully."

Old Lady Ge was really overthinking. Literature only briefly flourished in the 1980s, but even then, not many made money. In the future, making a living by writing online novels would be even rarer. Most people wouldn't earn a dime and would end up being scammed into paying hefty fees for writing courses.

Qin Yao had friends in this racket, engaging in unethical practices. They would first buy a few WeChat public accounts with followers, making it seem legitimate. But in reality, hardly anyone visited those accounts, and even fewer were real fans.

This unscrupulous friend had even managed to join the Writers Association, which has low entry requirements. Using her titles, she ran training sessions and writing classes. Her writing courses cost between 6,000 and 10,000 yuan, and Qin Yao initially thought no one would sign up. But to her surprise, many did, mostly stay-at-home moms looking for part-time work. These women eagerly paid thousands or even tens of thousands in training fees, hoping to become successful writers. This unethical friend would then teach them how to write articles for public accounts.

After the course, she would give the students a list of several public accounts (her own), telling them to submit their work there. No matter how poorly they wrote, these accounts would accept their submissions, paying only 50 to 100 yuan per article.

By charging thousands or even tens of thousands for the writing courses, she could get rid of the students by spending just a few hundred yuan, all while keeping them blissfully unaware. It was easier to make money scamming than actually writing.

This kind of scam was quite comfortable and targeted fools. Who doesn't have a dream of writing? The scammed were more than willing and couldn't be persuaded otherwise, happily spreading the word about how they were making money writing articles for public accounts... but earning barely enough to cover the cost of the training.

"Don't try to fool me. Clearly, you're making money," Old Lady Ge glared at her. Qin Yao's words hit a nerve. Indeed, scholars who read and write often end up poor.

Qin Yao shrugged. "Just because I made money before doesn't mean I will in the future. Old lady, have you heard the story of 'Jiang Lang Cai Jin,' where a talented person loses their ability to write? I'm not even sure if I can write good articles in the future, let alone teach someone else."

"If you're really doing this for your granddaughter, you should encourage her to study hard and find a proper job in the future."

With these words of cold reality, Old Lady Ge's enthusiasm waned, but she still wanted to hold on, thinking maybe Qin Yao was just trying to scare her.

Seeing this, Qin Yao continued, "Old Lady Ge, do you know how many intellectuals, both in China and abroad, have committed suicide?"

"How many?"

Qin Yao sighed, pretending to be melancholic. "People who love writing often get lost in their own thoughts, and the more they dwell on them, the more troubled they become."

"The world of fantasy is splendid, but the real world is a mess. In books, authors are all-powerful, but in reality, they're just ordinary people. Old lady, do you know what it feels like to be disillusioned?"

Qin Yao made a slitting motion across her throat. "It's like dreaming every night that you're living a luxurious life, only to wake up and realize you're still struggling to make ends meet. Could you handle that kind of blow?"

Old Lady Ge swallowed. "..."

Actually, she could accept dreaming of being an emperor every day. Besides, even if she woke up to eating gruel, she was the matriarch of the family, having finally gained respect after years of being a daughter-in-law.

"That's why many poets and writers end up committing suicide, unable to accept the gap between fantasy and reality. It's not bad to be an ordinary person." Qin Yao smiled faintly.

Old Lady Ge thought, I don't want my granddaughter to be ordinary. I want her to marry someone important, like Qin Yao.

"Aunt Qin, can I write about flying in my book? I want to be a fairy!" seven-year-old Jiang Xue asked innocently.

Just moments ago, she didn't want to learn writing, but now she was lost in her fantasy. Jiang Xue didn't want to be an emperor; she wanted to be a fairy!

Qin Yao: "..."

Before Qin Yao could respond, Old Lady Ge was startled. "Little girl, don't talk nonsense."

Old Lady Ge was a shrewd one, having seen much in the countryside. The term "fairy" wasn't a good word. Before and after Jianguo's time, many in the village claimed to be "fairies," either as swindlers or lunatics.

One day, they claimed to be possessed by bird spirits; the next, by fox spirits...

"Let's go, let's go home. Behave yourself and study hard. As a girl, you shouldn't be rolling in the mud like your brother outside. A young girl should act like a young girl."

"If it weren't for your father's success, you'd still be picking dung balls in the countryside. If you don't want to stay clean, I'll send you to the production team to pick cow dung. You need to cherish the good life you have now..."

Old Lady Ge dragged her granddaughter away, nagging non-stop, a reflection of the older generation's values.

Qin Yao covered her mouth and laughed. She admired how she had just made things up on the spot, but it didn’t matter. As long as she could get rid of them, any method worked.

She was just worried that even if she sent Grandma Ge away today, there might still be others bringing their children to ask her to teach writing tomorrow. That was a real headache.

"Xiao Qin, I saw what happened. How about I help you refuse them in the future?" Neighbor Sister Zaohua, carrying a basket, walked over and volunteered to take on the task.

Now that she looked "rejuvenated," Zaohua felt confident and chatty.

Qin Yao smiled and said, "Sister Zaohua, then I won’t be polite. Please help me refuse them."

"No problem, neighbors should help each other. I remember what you said, and I’ll use that to refuse people in the future."

Qin Yao hesitated for a moment but decided not to worry too much about it. It was just one of those things that people would forget about soon enough.

"Okay."

At this point, Zaohua couldn’t help but ask, "Xiao Qin, do you think our Jiajia has any writing talent?"

"It’s hard to tell at her young age."

Zaohua sighed, "Well, I guess I’ll have to live with it."

Zhou Jiajia, realizing she almost got stuck with a tutor, wailed in the yard, "Mom, you’re killing me! I can’t even make up a diary, yet you want me to learn writing from Aunt Qin. Why don’t you just let me die?"

Zhou Zhengwei, smoking angrily, said, "You useless thing."

"Your dad used to be a cultured person. I could even write poems, but you haven’t inherited any of my literary genes."

"And you have the nerve to mention the diary? You wrote that your dad is dead!" At the mention of the diary, Zhou Zhengwei’s anger surged.

He admitted he was too busy with work to pay much attention to his kids' studies. Every now and then, he tried to be a responsible dad and check her homework.

That’s when he unfortunately came across a diary entry where Zhou Jiajia wrote that her father had died, and there was a black-and-white photo hanging on the wall. She described how heartbroken she was—

After reading it, Zhou Zhengwei blew a fuse.

Zhou Jiajia said, "Diaries are all made up, right? I wrote this entry, and the teacher praised me for writing with emotion."

"Writing about your dad’s death with emotion? I think you’re asking for a beating."

Zhou Jiajia grumbled, "Cut out the 'dad' talk. Uncle Gu speaks much more politely than you."

"Why don’t you make him the political commissar?"

Zhou Zhengwei sneered, "He’s polite? If he scolded you on the spot, you’d probably wet your pants."

"Before he got married, they called him 'Mr. Cold Face.' After marriage, he became a henpecked husband. He puts on a show in front of you, Aunt Qin, but behind your back—"

Zhou Jiajia shrank her head and pointed outside. Zhou Zhengwei looked back and saw Gu Cheng staring at him.

"It’s a curse to have you as a neighbor," Zhou Zhengwei threw out and went back into the house.

Gu Cheng remained still. Although he had been married for three years and had long heard people calling him henpecked behind his back, it rarely came up to his face. He usually let it slide, but this Zhou guy actually said it to his face.

Zhou Jiajia, not afraid of Gu Cheng at all, waved at him, "Uncle Gu, I almost called you 'Master'!"

Zhou Jiajia didn’t understand why her dad was afraid of Uncle Gu. In her eyes, the neighbor Uncle Gu was quite gentle, though he looked fierce. After being neighbors for a few years, she had never seen him be fierce to Aunt Qin. He was always the one being scolded… Now that was true iron-handed benevolence. Unlike her dad, who pretends to be cultured but can barely string a sentence together, always picking his nose at home.

If he were really that cultured, why was his daughter’s writing so terrible?

"What's wrong?"

"So many people want to ask Aunt Qin to be their teacher to learn writing from her, even my mom is obsessed with the idea."

"If Aunt Qin hadn't rejected them, Uncle Gu, when you go back to the residential compound, there would be a bunch of people calling you Grandmaster."

Gu Cheng: "Is it correct to call someone Grandmaster?"

Shouldn't Grandmaster be the teacher of a teacher?

"Since Aunt Qin is a woman, her husband, Uncle Gu, would be called 'Grandmaster' by association."

Gu Cheng: "..."

A few years ago, Zhou Jiajia was still a shy girl, but now she's becoming more and more cheeky. After a few years as neighbors, and with Qin Yao around, she’s not afraid of Gu Cheng at all.

She even joined a group of children to call him Grandmaster.

"After being called Captain Gu for so many years, now I haven't even become some big executive, but instead, I'm a Grandmaster."

Gu Cheng didn’t mind the kids’ teasing and even teased his wife when he got home.

"Yaoyao, when you take on apprentices, remember to tell me in advance. As Grandmaster, I need to prepare."

Qin Yao kicked him and said, "Stop acting crazy. Wait until everyone stops calling you Captain Gu and starts calling you Grandmaster—then we’ll see how you feel! Ptooey, calling me Grandmaster is just taking advantage of me!"

The term Grandmaster just doesn't sound right! Hearing this word always makes people think of old masters with "youthful faces and white hair" and "immortal demeanor."

Gu Cheng couldn't help but laugh. "Grandmaster... you're really making me sound old."

He's only a thirty-something man; he can't be called Grandmaster.

"Don't act like you're gaining something when you're not."

With the help of Neighbor Sister Zaohua, the commotion about taking on apprentices finally passed. Only a few male officers occasionally teased Gu Cheng by calling him Grandmaster.

Because of this, Bai Qiuling specifically came to apologize to Qin Yao.

"I'm sorry, Comrade Qin Yao, for causing you trouble." Although she said this, Bai Qiuling was actually quite happy that her mother-in-law had brought her daughter to try. In her previous life before rebirth, her education level wasn't high. She could manage teaching elementary school language, but she couldn't write articles herself.

After her rebirth, Bai Qiuling planned to seize opportunities in the 1980s to make a fortune. If her daughter could become a talented woman, that would be a good thing. If Jiang Xue could ask Qin Yao to be her teacher, Bai Qiuling would be very pleased.

If their family and the Chen family were closer, Bai Qiuling would have wanted her daughter to learn musical instruments from Chen Baozhen, but her mother-in-law disagreed with that.

"It's nothing, it's all in the past." Qin Yao observed Bai Qiuling. As the female lead of a period novel, Bai Qiuling was a simple yet fiery woman. After living in the residential compound for a few years, Qin Yao had seen Bai Qiuling tear into her problematic relatives several times.

In these kinds of novels, the heroine’s standard setup is to get rich and deal with difficult relatives. If she weren't tough, how could she tear into them? Female leads like this need to fight back immediately, or else the readers would find it too frustrating and think the female lead is too weak.

It was fine when reading about it, but watching it in reality was just headache-inducing.

Qin Yao was curious about how Bai Qiuling would succeed in getting rich in the future. Had she already become rich? Could she hitch a ride on Bai Qiuling's success and make some money from her?

So Qin Yao casually mentioned what she’d seen in the capital. "Now it seems no one is managing the black market. There are small markets in the city where everyone goes to sell things."

"After the educated youth returned to the city, the population grew, and it became impossible to control."

Qin Yao was right. By 1976-1977, many black markets were practically operating in the open. Officials didn't bother to control it, and the people didn't report it. Many bold individuals started selling things or exchanging extra food coupons and oil tickets.

How could anyone have extra food coupons?

There were plenty of them.

At this time, women in the city received nearly one jin (about a pound) of food rations per day. Many women couldn't finish it and had leftovers, while men with bigger appetites didn't have enough food rations and had to exchange with their female colleagues in the unit.

Many women could save quite a lot of food coupons each year and exchange them for other things.

"Have all the educated youth returned to the city? Maybe there's a possibility that the college entrance exams will be restored in the future, Comrade Qin. If you're thinking about going to college, you should start studying now." Bai Qiuling reminded Qin Yao. She herself was reviewing for the college entrance exams and wasn't afraid of Qin Yao knowing, but was wary of her mother-in-law finding out.

If people knew she was studying now, no one would question her success when she passed the exams and got into college next year.

Bai Qiuling wasn't worried that rumors of the exams' return would raise suspicions. In fact, many people were privately guessing about it, and quite a few were secretly studying.

"I'm not interested in going to college. Besides, if the college entrance exams are really restored, who knows when that will be," Qin Yao said, waving her hand, not caring at all about the "restoration of the college entrance exams" that Bai Qiuling mentioned.

Bai Qiuling found it amusing, thinking that Qin Yao was just like them. When the exams were officially restored in December 1977, Qin Yao would likely be shocked.

Qin Yao followed up, "Comrade Bai, have you visited the black market? If individuals are allowed to run small businesses in the future, would you be interested?"

Bai Qiuling was startled by this question and blurted out, "Do you know something?"

Immediately after, she covered her mouth.

Qin Yao realized that Bai Qiuling was indeed secretly doing business and might already be thriving in the black market.

"So, it’s true then." Qin Yao pretended to have found out something and showed a simple, honest smile that a cultured person would have. "Be careful, just in case something happens in the future."

After all, the first people to open private restaurants were prepared to go to jail at any time.

"You misunderstood, it's not me." After the initial panic, Bai Qiuling scolded herself for revealing too much. She was indeed running a small side business to accumulate capital for future opportunities. Now that the economy hadn't been liberalized yet, it was a good time to make money.

Her sister-in-law, Jiang Xiaomiao, and Xiao Pan collected food and meat coupons. They also raised pigs secretly and sold them at the market, with Bai Qiuling getting a share. If they ever got caught, it wouldn't be traced back to her.

Since Bai Qiuling couldn't appear in person, she had Jiang Xiaomiao do the work. After marrying Xiao Pan, Jiang Xiaomiao had been lazy and didn't do much work or have children, almost becoming a thorn in the side of the Pan family.

However, she found a good side hustle and secretly made money, becoming the Pan family’s secret breadwinner. Now, the Pan family doted on her.

Bai Qiuling thought she had been discreet about her side business, but she didn't expect that Qin Yao had already heard some rumors. It must have been Xiao Pan, who couldn’t keep quiet and had told Qin Yao.

The more Bai Qiuling thought about it, the more frightened she became. She feared that Qin Yao knew about Xiao Pan and Jiang Xiaomiao's business and that today, Qin Yao was deliberately probing her to see if she was involved.

Bai Qiuling had long known that Xiao Pan wasn't reliable. Even before they got married, he was jealous of Qin Yao.

What Bai Qiuling didn't know was that this time, she had wronged Xiao Pan. Xiao Pan was busy making money raising pigs and didn't have time to show off in front of Qin Yao.

"Comrade Bai, how much can you earn from doing this?" Qin Yao pretended to be innocent and clueless.

Bai Qiuling smiled and said, "Don't think about it. You need tickets to buy things even if you have money. Without tickets, you can't buy much, no matter how much money you have."

"Your family must save quite a bit each month." Bai Qiuling knew that Qin Yao and Gu Cheng were among the wealthiest in the residential compound. Gu Cheng had a decent salary, and Qin Yao earned royalties from writing. The couple had saved quite a lot of money, probably tens of thousands.

There were indeed many people with this kind of money, but it was rare to make a fortune in the 1980s. For people like Qin Yao, instead of using tens of thousands of yuan to start a business, they would buy color TVs, refrigerators, and air conditioners.

Even if you bought just a few imported appliances, tens of thousands of yuan could be spent quickly. A domestic black-and-white TV could be as cheap as a few hundred yuan, while imported color TVs could sell for up to seven or eight thousand yuan.

Being a ten-thousand-yuan household in a village was already impressive, but in large cities across the country, tens of thousands of yuan didn't last long.

An ordinary person's bicycle cost one or two hundred yuan, but a Santana car cost tens of thousands. Other sports cars and luxury vehicles could cost hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Qin Yao replied nonchalantly, "We manage to save a bit."

Bai Qiuling nodded and didn’t ask any more. If in a few years, Qin Yao still had money, she might be able to get some investment from her.

The key was that Qin Yao shouldn’t spend all her money. Bai Qiuling felt a bit of superior disdain in her heart.

In the 1980s, goods from over a dozen countries flooded the market, and people's desire to consume was strong. Many wealthy households, after becoming rich, bought expensive things that left their descendants "shaking their heads in regret."

"My grandfather was the first ten-thousand-yuan household in our village. While others used their wealth to buy land, build houses, or move to the city, he splurged on a car that’s now just scrap metal, leaving me with nothing."

"My father was even more foolish. He was the richest in the village and spent his money on..."

After seeing off Bai Qiuling, Qin Yao sighed. She was conflicted. Although she wasn’t a greedy person, if she didn’t get something out of the coming boom, it would be a waste of her opportunity to travel through time.

She, Comrade Qin, wasn’t someone who viewed wealth as dirt either, nor had she tasted the life of being the richest.

Qin Yao wasn’t confident that she could become wealthy on her own. Even with her foresight, investing in the original female lead, Bai Qiuling, seemed like a sure-win business.

Of course, it wasn’t guaranteed. There was always the fear that she, as a big butterfly, might ruin everything for Bai Qiuling.

It should be noted that in the original story, Jiang Xiaomiao didn’t marry Xiao Pan. Based on Bai Qiuling’s behavior just now, Qin Yao guessed that Jiang Xiaomiao had led the Pan family to business success.

Xiao Pan’s sisters and brothers-in-law weren’t exactly easy to deal with!

Human hearts change easily, and the addition of troublesome relatives to the female lead, Bai Qiuling, would only increase her entrepreneurial difficulty. There would certainly be more conflicts.

Third Brother Qin had been allocated a new unit apartment, a two-bedroom unit. He invited Qin Yao and her husband to bring their child for a housewarming dinner. On this island, with no other relatives, it would just be her brother-in-law's family. He wanted to gather everyone for some lively company.

Qin Yao agreed and chose a date when Gu Cheng was available, though he could only return in the afternoon and would miss lunch. Third Brother Qin would invite a few colleagues for lunch, and in the evening, they would have the housewarming dinner with his sister and brother-in-law’s family.

Third Brother Qin’s new apartment was on the second floor of a six-story building shared by several work units. He was lucky to get a two-bedroom unit, around 400-500 square feet, with no common areas deducted from the total space. It felt surprisingly spacious, with large rooms.

The apartment had been uniformly decorated by the unit, with terrazzo floors in the corridors and blue floors inside. The walls in the bathroom and kitchen were tiled with white squares.

A fire burned in the kitchen and was still going strong by the evening.

With the move to the new home, logically, Third Brother Qin should have been feeling comfortable and happy, but an unexpected guest at noon put him in a sour mood that lasted the whole day.

Their daughter, just over a year old and able to walk, was placed on the sofa by Xie Hongni, who then busied herself pouring tea for Qin Yao and her husband.

Third Brother Qin leaned in. "Can you talk some sense into your sister-in-law? She’s got business on her mind again... I’m only bringing it up because we’re family."

Back when they were sent down to the countryside, Xie Hongni often visited the black market. Though she had stopped, she remained very familiar with its workings.

According to Xie Hongni’s speculation, she believed that now, with less strict controls, there was a real chance for things to open up.

"In the south, a small market has already formed. Everyone goes there to sell things. Everyone knows about it but stays quiet, knowing that the law doesn’t punish the masses."

"I’ve been observing. That Guan Laosan has made quite a bit of money." Holding her daughter, Xie Hongni couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. For some reason, she had an addiction to making money.

Even if she threw the money away, she found the thrill of making it exhilarating. Watching others succeed only fueled her envy.

Qin Yao smiled and said, "Third Sister-in-law, there’s no need to rush. The early bird gets the worm. It’s better to wait until things become clearer before you try your hand."

Hearing this, Xie Hongni thought it made sense.

She wasn’t the most daring one. There were others who were bolder.

Just as Third Brother Qin finished setting the table, there was another knock at the door. He and Xie Hongni exchanged a glance, both feeling a mix of emotions.

The two outside were Xie Hongni’s younger sister and brother-in-law. They brought trouble.

This involved Xie Hongni’s maternal family. Her mother was the daughter of a capitalist, and the Feng family was a large clan with some members staying in China and others abroad. Recently, they had reconnected with the overseas branch and unexpectedly learned that investments made in Hong Kong in the 1940s and 1950s were still generating significant dividends, which had accumulated into a considerable sum over the years.