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Chapter 57 Another village has a bright future

During a meeting under the banyan tree.

Huizhou.

Cao Sheng is fishing under the old Xin'an River Bridge.

When men reach middle age, they often develop the habit of fishing.

He developed this habit before his rebirth.

After staying at home typing for a long time, I want to go out to bask in the sun and breathe the fresh air outdoors, and fishing becomes a good choice.

With a fishing rod, two fishing lines, a bottle of rice wine, and a box of earthworms, you can sit by the river for most of the day. When you go back, you can also bring some of the catch and make a fresh fish meal with some wine.

That feeling is definitely a rare enjoyment.

His current yard is located on the bank of the Xin'an River. When he opens the gate and crosses the road, he sees the Xin'an River. Living in such a place, it is really hard for him to resist going to the river to play a few rounds.

It just so happened that he didn't have the habit of typing in the morning, so he came under the bridge early this morning.

In front of me is the slowly flowing river, next to me is a quaint stone bridge, and behind me is a long row of weeping willows along the embankment, with four or five meter long willow branches swaying slightly in the wind.

The feeling of sitting under the shade of such a tree and fishing makes people reluctant to leave.

The fish bite is pretty good today, there are always fish taking the bait.

The fish caught were a little small.

Almost all of them are small fish the size of fingers, and only occasionally can one or two small crucian carp the size of a palm be caught.

But Cao Sheng still enjoyed fishing.

He didn't mind the fish being too small. He could use the small fish to make a small hotpot of miscellaneous fish, which tasted very good.

The temperature in mid-August gradually rises as the sun rises.

So he gradually threw the fishing hook into the shade under the bridge.

There are still fish taking the bait.

Moreover, the fish are slightly bigger than before, and occasionally you can catch a crucian carp as big as a palm.

It was not until after 11 o'clock in the morning, when the fishing situation had deteriorated, that he packed up and went home.

It only takes three to five minutes to walk to your house.

After entering the yard and putting down his fishing gear, he began to prepare today's catch.

Remove the scales and gills, and take out the heart and lungs.

Fry in oil, spray with cooking wine, aged vinegar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, add water, chili pepper, chicken essence, MSG, sugar to taste...

Add a piece of tender tofu and stew it together. After simmering for a while, the aroma will become very rich.

Few children who grew up in the countryside don’t know how to cook.

Before his rebirth, he lived alone for a long time. He didn't like eating out or taking out, so he was used to buying groceries and cooking for himself.

So, my cooking skills are pretty good.

After all, at that time, almost any recipe could be found on the Internet, and for someone like him who knew how to cook, it was easy to learn some home-cooked dishes by following recipes.

The mixed fish pot was still bubbling, and he also fried some green vegetables and cooked a big bowl of mushroom meatball soup.

The rice had already been cooked in the rice cooker.

It's around 12 o'clock.

He moved a small folding dining table to under the osmanthus tree in the yard and brought two cooked dishes and a soup to the small dining table.

Bring me another cold beer.

Just sitting under the shade of the trees, eating fresh small fish and tofu with beer, occasionally eating a handful of green vegetables, or drinking a few sips of mushroom meatball soup, my heart is full of satisfaction.

The sun is high in the sky.

Under the osmanthus tree, there is a gentle breeze, carrying with it a hint of coolness from the Xin'an River and the fragrance of willow leaves.

It's a bit regrettable that the osmanthus tree in the yard has not yet bloomed.

But it should be soon.

After a while, when you sit under this tree and eat, you can smell the fragrance of osmanthus, and your appetite may be better.

Such days were what he longed for before his rebirth.

At that time, he was tired of living in high-rise buildings.

I really miss the bungalow where I lived when I was a child.

There was no one else upstairs and no residents downstairs.

You won’t be disturbed by the noise from upstairs every day, nor will you have to worry about water backflow in the bathroom of the downstairs resident one day and you finding yourself in the dock in court for no apparent reason.

He was unable to live in such a small courtyard before his rebirth, but after his rebirth, he realized it so quickly.

I couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Then I thought of the new house under construction in my hometown. I wonder if the main structure has been completed?

There is no telephone at home, and it seems that no one in the village has a telephone at the moment. He plans to take some time to go back and check on them before the new semester starts.

Apart from paying for the new house in his hometown, he didn't contribute any effort.

Before leaving, I just drew a simple blueprint for my parents.

I don’t know what the final result will be like.

……

in the afternoon.

Study room on the second floor.

Cao Sheng sat in front of a brand new computer, his eyes fixed on the screen, his ten fingers tapping on the keyboard seemingly casually.

Lines of text continued to appear in the computer document as his ten fingers flew across the keyboard.

For him, blind typing has become as natural as eating and drinking.

Typing is his livelihood.

Typing has long become his instinct.

No matter what word he wants to type, he doesn't need to look at the keyboard. When a word flashes through his mind, his hands will type it out without him having to think too much.

It's that easy.

Finally, I don’t have to write manuscripts by hand anymore.

Except for the keyboard which was better before its rebirth, everything else is very nice.

Oh, and there is air conditioning.

The cool air from the air conditioner finally allowed him to no longer have to endure the summer heat.

……

Cao Sheng's life was very happy.

Zhu William, the webmaster of Under the Banyan Tree, is personally communicating with the head of Huacheng Publishing House over the phone about the royalties sharing issue of Cao Sheng's new book.

Neither party in the communication felt happy.

Zhu William: "Mr. Xu, is there really nothing to talk about?"

Mr. Xu: "Mr. Zhu! It's not that there is nothing to talk about, but that we can't talk about it! Logically speaking, his first book was so popular, and his second book was published, we should give him a higher royalty. He didn't agree with the 8% we mentioned before, okay, no problem! We can talk about it, giving him 10% is not impossible, even if it's a little higher, giving him 11%, it's not completely impossible.

But you said he wants 14%, how is that possible?

Yes! I admit that his last book sold very well, and the popularity of this book "I Want to Become an Immortal" on your website seems to be very good, but..."

After a pause, he continued, "But, Lao Zhu! We are old friends, so I will tell you a few words from the bottom of my heart, okay?"

Zhu William: "You say."

Mr. Xu: "Well, how should I put it? Let's just talk about the type of his last book! "Living with the Air Hostess" is a typical love story. This kind of story is naturally suitable for all people, regardless of gender, age or status, and everyone can read it and is interested in reading it.

But what about the book he is writing now, "I Want to Become an Immortal"?

I admit that the beginning of his book is very innovative, the writing is good, and it is very attractive. I personally like reading it. "

Zhu William: "Then you are still unwilling to give in?"

Mr. Xu: "Listen to me!"

Zhu William: "Okay, you say!"

Mr. Xu: "But this book "I Want to Become an Immortal" is about immortals. The word "immortals" sounds very grand, but in the current publishing market, it is a brand new theme and a very niche theme. Many people may not be interested in this theme at all. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhu William frowned, "How is that possible? This book is very popular on our website..."

Mr. Xu interrupted him, "What does this prove? People who visit your website are all novelists, and there are many of his fans. It's not surprising that they like this book. It's like during the Spring Festival, you are on the train and you find that all the passengers have tickets. But can you conclude from this that everyone has bought tickets for this year's Spring Festival travel rush? No way, right?"

Zhu William: "So, you will never agree to 14%? Right?"

Mr. Xu: “If he insists on 14%, then I really can’t agree to it.”

……

In the next few days, the editors of Under the Banyan Tree used their connections to contact other publishing houses in the mainland.

Because of Cao Sheng's current fame and the quality of "I Want to Become an Immortal", several publishing houses are indeed interested in publishing it.

However, several publishing houses responded in succession and all disagreed with giving a 14% royalty share.

Until one morning a week later.

An editor came to report to William Zhu.

"Boss, good news! Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House replied to my letter. They are interested in "I Want to Become an Immortal". I told them that the minimum royalty is 14%, and they didn't refuse it outright. But they want to add a few preconditions. What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)