1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 16 Using Manuscript Fees to Buy Wine

……

Today is February 14th. Chen Fusheng was invited to the editorial office of Northern Literature magazine to sign the "Notice of Acceptance of Manuscript".

Like Fangcao, Northern Literature also paid him 7 yuan per thousand words. In addition, he did not need to revise his novels himself. Even if there were some typos and grammatical errors, his editors would help him correct and proofread them. The final draft had more than 93,000 words.

Then, Northern Literature also rounded up his payment to the nearest hundred thousand words.

Therefore, the final income that "Cliff Walkers" brought to Chen Fusheng was only 700 yuan.

"Comrade Fusheng, are you sure you don't want this money deposited into your bank account?"

When the accountant of Northern Literature heard that Chen Fusheng wanted to settle the account in cash, he was a little troubled, but not incomprehensible.

After all, many people still don't trust banks these days and prefer to keep their money at home.

At this point, the accountant also regarded Chen Fusheng as this type of person.

What she didn't know was that Chen Fusheng wanted to settle in cash because he needed a large sum of money to buy a product called Tiger Bone Ginseng and Deer Antler Wine.

If we deposit the money into his bank account, he'll just have to go to the bank to withdraw it later, so why bother?

Of course, Chen Fusheng is not the kind of person who would make other people's work more difficult for his own selfish desires.

If the safe deposit box of "Northern Literature" didn't have that much cash flow, he wouldn't mind going to the bank to exchange it himself.

But then again, how could "Northern Literature," as the flagship magazine of Harbin Province, not even have 700 yuan in cash flow?
So when Chen Fusheng came out, he was much heavier.

However, in the dead of winter, people wear thick clothes. Chen Fusheng is wearing a military overcoat like the ones seen in many movies and TV dramas, so even though he has 70 ten-yuan bills in his pocket, it's not very noticeable.

So much so that even his brother-in-law, who came with him, didn't notice.

It wasn't until Chen Fusheng led him into the Harbin Department Store and to the shop where he had bought the wine last time, and told the salesperson that he wanted to buy all the remaining tiger bone ginseng and antler wine, that his brother-in-law noticed that his brother-in-law actually had so much money on his waist!

They were so shocked that they forgot to stop Chen Fusheng from making the deal with the salesperson.

In later generations, this day was called Valentine's Day. Originally, Chen Fusheng was thinking of using the money he had earned from his writing to buy his wife some gifts.

But now that he had bought such expensive wine, he was afraid of being targeted by someone with ulterior motives, so after leaving the wine shop, he didn't buy anything else and went straight back to the Oriental Rose residential area with his brother-in-law.

When the two of them returned carrying a box, their family members were puzzled.

"What's going on? Weren't you going to 'Northern Literature'? What is this?"

"Brother-in-law, are these some New Year's gifts from the magazine company that you received?"

"Boss..."

As soon as they entered the house, they were surrounded by everyone, who asked them all sorts of questions.

However, the brother-in-law didn't want to say anything at all, and just gave Chen Fusheng a look that meant, 'Explain it yourself.'

Chen Fusheng finally felt a little guilty.

Before opening the box, he looked at his father-in-law and asked, "Dad, how did you feel after drinking that tiger bone and ginseng wine last time?"

"It's good; I slept much better after drinking it."

"After all, it's such an expensive wine!" The mother-in-law still felt a pang of heartache when she thought about it.

However, at this moment, Liu Xiaoli, who knew Chen Fusheng best, seemed to have guessed something. Staring at the large box that her husband and elder brother had carefully carried back, she asked incredulously:
"Brother Sheng, this isn't that bar, is it?"

Although Chen Fusheng had not yet admitted it, Liu Xiaoli's words still startled everyone in the room.

"Fusheng, is this really the tiger bone and ginseng wine you bought last time?" Some people asked Chen Fusheng for confirmation, while others confirmed with his brother-in-law.

"Boss, tell me, what's in here?"

Seeing his brother-in-law's troubled expression, Chen Fusheng knew he couldn't hide it any longer and took the initiative to speak:

"Uh...yes, this is indeed the same wine we drank last time. My dad was reported by a villain a few years ago and was sent to the countryside in the northwest for two years. Those two years left him with some health problems. Last time, I heard the salesperson say that this wine can strengthen muscles and bones and dispel wind and dampness, so I bought some to try first."

When I went to the train station to see my dad off that day, I secretly asked him how the product was doing. He said it definitely helped. Since it was effective, I thought I'd buy him some more to take back with me.

To find a reasonable excuse for his impulsive act, Chen Fusheng fabricated a story that was half true and half false.

For example, it's true that his father was reported by a villain a few years ago and sent to the countryside, and it's also true that he suffered from hidden injuries during those two years. But Chen Fusheng's claim that he secretly asked him how the treatment went at the train station is pure fabrication.

As he spoke, Chen Fusheng also opened the box, revealing that there was still more than half a jar of tiger bone and ginseng wine inside.

Including the medicinal herbs inside, the total weight was 38.6 jin (approximately 19.8 catties), which was 18 yuan per jin (approximately 6.5 kg). Therefore, the value of this jar of wine was 694.8 yuan, and Chen Fusheng paid 695 yuan.

In return, the salesperson gave him the wine jar as a gift.

After hearing Chen Fusheng's reasons, everyone had already accepted his explanation.

But when the entire jar of wine was revealed, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

"My God, how could you buy so much? How much does this cost?" The mother-in-law had always liked her son-in-law, but at this moment she really wanted to scold him: You spendthrift!
Facing everyone's questioning gazes, Chen Fusheng's confidence wavered once again.

He didn't dare to answer directly, so he went around in circles and said, "Actually, not only did I not spend a penny today, I also made five yuan."

Everyone looked at him with suspicion.

Only the brother-in-law knew what was going on, and then stared at his brother-in-law with a look of utter disbelief, thinking to himself:
'I never knew you could put it so convincingly! My brother-in-law is truly a scholar; I've learned something new.'

Liu Xiaoli also realized what was going on and hit the nail on the head again: "You used your novel royalties to buy this jar of wine, didn't you?"

"My wife is smart!"

"And then there are five pieces left?"

"Yes."

"How much do you get paid for your novels?"

"700 yuan."

"So, this jar of wine cost you nearly seven hundred yuan?"

"Yes……"

At this moment, everyone looked at Chen Fusheng with complicated emotions.

I was both shocked by his extravagant spending and had to admire his ability to make money.

That evening, Liu Xiaoli sought out Chen Fusheng alone for an in-depth conversation between husband and wife:

"Brother Sheng, in the future, when you make decisions that require spending a lot of money, could you please discuss it with me first?"

In fact, Chen Fusheng realized that his behavior this time was somewhat wrong. It wasn't that he regretted it, but as Liu Xiaoli said, he should have discussed it with her beforehand.

"I'm sorry, honey. I acted impulsively this time. I apologize and promise to communicate with you beforehand next time, no matter what happens..."

(End of this chapter)