Chapter 122: The Feng Family’s Youngest Draws Picture Storybooks—Could It Actually Be The Plum in the Golden Vase?

"Damn it, how could I be so unlucky?"

Cheng Xuemin rarely sat in that spot, and he had just tucked it under the mattress that morning. How could it be such a coincidence?

"Well, you need to explain this to me in detail!"

Feng Jiayou nodded. She had merely felt something poking her, and upon reaching for it, she had uncovered quite a treasure.

*Journey to the West*?!

Opening it up, she found the pages were mostly blank, containing only text, with drawings only on the first few pages. It was clearly the work of her husband.

She didn't wait to ask what this was about, or if he was "looking for inspiration" again. Her husband had simply spilled the beans!

So, that extra three hundred yuan in royalties wasn't from writing manuscripts—it was earned by drawing illustrations for the People's Literature Publishing House?

Can you really make money drawing these things?!

No wonder her husband was so nervous when she teased him about these illustrations yesterday, offering one excuse after another. It was all just a cover-up!

"Explain in detail... well, wife, if this *Journey to the West* of yours is completed, the royalties could reach fourteen or fifteen hundred yuan!"

Cheng Xuemin felt his soul leave his body as he confessed everything. He had originally hoped to use this *Journey to the West* comic book to build a secret stash and grow closer to Feng Jiayou. Who would have thought he would be exposed before he even really got started?

"How much?!"

Feng Jiayou stood up with a start, staring at Cheng Xuemin in utter disbelief. She flipped through the small *Journey to the West* booklet in her hand and gasped.

Fourteen or fifteen hundred yuan?

This... this was almost as much as her husband earned for a major novella! The two-hundred-thousand-word manuscript they had given to Li Qingquan of *Yanjing Literature* had only fetched just over fifteen hundred yuan.

Yet here her husband was, telling her that this little comic book in her hands could earn fourteen or fifteen hundred yuan upon completion?

It completely defied her imagination. Is drawing comic books this lucrative? But aren't the people who read these things just little brats the age of her niece and nephew? Is money from kids really that easy to make?

"It's not just this one volume!"

Seeing the shifting expressions on his wife’s face, Cheng Xuemin knew that his little money-loving wife had found a new way to pad the coffers. He confessed everything: "To be precise, there are three volumes—upper, middle, and lower—totaling one hundred and eighty-nine panels. This is the upper volume."

"Old Pan from the Art Editing Department at the People's Literature Publishing House gave me a price of seven yuan per panel."

After speaking, he pulled the remaining two volumes out from the stack of books under the desk and laid them honestly before his wife.

"Upper, middle, and lower, one hundred and eighty-nine panels in total? Seven yuan per panel?" Feng Jiayou took the other two volumes, flipped through them, nodded, and asked, "How long will it take you to finish them?"

Nearly two hundred panels was a massive project. Feng Jiayou estimated it would take at least three months. If you calculated it that way, writing manuscripts actually paid faster, and drawing these comics wasn't necessarily cost-effective.

Still, the fact that he was secretly building a private stash behind her back, calling it "looking for inspiration" or "clearing his head," was quite something. Her husband certainly had a nice plan. If she hadn't sat on that exact spot today, he would have continued to build his secret little fund right under her nose!

Besides, fifteen hundred yuan—wasn't that sum a bit too large?

"Old Pan at the publishing house said it would be best if I could finish before the new year!" Cheng Xuemin nodded and continued his honest confession. "My original plan was to set aside half a day each day to work on the comic while writing my manuscript. I estimated I could finish it all within this month."

"And that was while trying to hide it from you. If I were to go all out and focus solely on this, I could finish it in ten to fifteen days at most!"

Cheng Xuemin wasn't bragging. Ten or fifteen days was plenty. If he gave it his all, he could do even better. Ten drawings in the morning, ten in the afternoon, and ten at night—that’s thirty a day! By that math, he could finish the whole set in about a week. Ten to fifteen days was just a comfortable pace.

After all, he didn't need to brainstorm. He chose *Journey to the West* because he had read it as a child; the imagery was fresh in his mind, and he could simply pay homage to it by copying the style. Coupled with his existing artistic skills, doing a dozen or twenty a day was easy!

"Ten or fifteen days? That fast?"

Feng Jiayou's heart skipped a beat. She had thought it would be time-consuming and unprofitable, but her husband claimed he could earn fifteen hundred yuan in just half a month?

"What did you expect?!" Cheng Xuemin, sensing her softened attitude, started to get a bit cocky. He smiled triumphantly, "This was a new track I accidentally discovered for earning royalties. You see, the day I went to the publishing house to submit my manuscript..."

"Yes, yes, tell me in detail, Xuemin! Tell me how you found this new... track!"

Although Feng Jiayou didn't quite understand what a "new track" was, she assumed it meant a new path to making money. Fifteen hundred yuan in half a month—this track was practically robbing a bank!

"Alright, alright, wife, sit down first, don't tire yourself out. I'll explain it to you slowly!" Seeing his wife’s excitement, Cheng Xuemin pulled her to sit down and continued, "You know I went to the People's Literature Publishing House to proofread the sample issues last Thursday, right?"

"Yes, yes, just this past Thursday!" Feng Jiayou sat down and nodded repeatedly.

"Right, Thursday. You have a good memory, wife!" After a quick compliment, he didn't dare waste time and continued, "I was just about to head home when Old Pan from the Art Editing Department suddenly rushed in with a stack of storyboards, asking if I had drawn them!"

"I was confused at the time—how did the storyboards from the script I gave Director Xie for *Herdsman* end up in Old Pan's hands?"

"It turned out Director Xie had invited Old Pan to discuss things, and Old Pan had taken the unused storyboards back to the publishing house, saying they were going to publish individual volumes for *Herdsman* and *The Tender Years* and needed illustrations..."

Cheng Xuemin told her the whole story of how he had opened up this new revenue stream.

"So, that three hundred yuan was for the illustrations for *Herdsman* and *The Tender Years*, and you've already submitted them?"

After hearing this, Feng Jiayou was stunned. This could actually work? She finally accounted for the extra three hundred yuan!

"The three hundred yuan was indeed for those illustrations. Wife, count it yourself—I really didn't spend a cent, it's all here!"

"Wife, seeing as I'm working so hard for our family, can you forgive me this once?"

"I promise, it won't happen again! From now on, every cent I earn, no matter how small, will be handed over to you, okay?"

Seeing Feng Jiayou's expression soften, Cheng Xuemin took the opportunity to butter her up, hoping to celebrate tonight without having to kneel on a washboard.

"Go find that novella opening and let me see it. Isn't Sister Xiaolin waiting outside?"

Feng Jiayou didn't commit, but she stroked the *Journey to the West* booklet in her hands, feeling absolutely delighted. In less than two weeks, another fifteen hundred yuan would be coming in—how could she not be happy? If her husband kept this up, they might become the first "ten-thousand-yuan household" in the area by the new year!

"Ah... okay!"

With his wife still non-committal, Cheng Xuemin felt uneasy again. Seeing her urge him to get the manuscript, he had to get up to find the opening of his novella.

"Xuemin, is it... do I really keep you on such a tight leash? If you need money, just tell me!" Feng Jiayou asked, feeling a bit bitter as she watched him get up to find the manuscript.

"No, no, wife, not at all! I... I really wasn't planning on hiding it from you for long. I just wanted to earn some extra money before the new year to buy you some new clothes, leather shoes, and jewelry!"

"I really wanted to give you a surprise, not hide secret money from you! And you don't keep me on a tight leash either. Look at the allowance you give me—I haven't even spent it all in a month; I have plenty left!"

Seeing his wife suddenly become sad and choked up, Cheng Xuemin tried his best to soothe her. If he hadn't been caught, it would be his secret fund; now that he was caught, it was all his wife's, saved specifically for her holiday gifts!

"Who wants your new clothes or leather shoes!"

"Cheng Xuemin, let me tell you, this is the last time. Don't do things behind my back. If we're going to do something, we do it together, understand?!"

Feng Jiayou was mostly moved and felt a pang of heartache. Her husband was working so hard for their little family that she couldn't help but feel for him!

"Yes, yes, you're right, wife. It won't happen again. If we do it, we do it together!" Cheng Xuemin nodded repeatedly, hoping this was the end of it.

"Good! Then teach me to draw comic books later. I actually have a talent for drawing; I even won an award for it when I was a kid!" Feng Jiayou wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded. She wanted to try this new track too. Writing was hard, but looking at the comic book in her hands, she felt she could do it.

"Sure, even if you hadn't asked, I was going to bring you along! I saw your drawing skills back in Chengjiawan—they were excellent!" Cheng Xuemin immediately started flattering her. If she wanted to try, that was great! He already had a plan: let her follow his lead.

"You really think I can draw well?" Feng Jiayou cast a glance at him, looking surprised and touched.

"Definitely! My wife is a talented woman; of course, you're proficient in everything!"

"Good! Let's start with the Four Great Classical Novels!"

Feng Jiayou nodded and then took the manuscript Cheng Xuemin had pulled out. "Is this the new draft for Sister Xiaolin?"

"Yes! This is it!" Cheng Xuemin said, "I was going to give her this, but since she mentioned wanting to focus on the 'Reform and Opening-up' theme, I have to change it. This one..."

"Parents' Love?" Feng Jiayou took the manuscript, puzzled by the title. "Is this like your *Loess Plateau* in *Yanhe Literature*—writing about our parents' past?"

"Well... wife, if I say it's based on the lives of our parents, will they kick me out of the house?" Cheng Xuemin wasn't actually writing about his own parents, but paying homage to a classic work from his past life. However, as he wrote, he realized it bore a striking resemblance to the stories of his mother-in-law and father-in-law!

"You're writing about my parents? You dare to write this?" Feng Jiayou was stunned. Was her husband suicidal? Writing about his in-laws behind their backs?

"Well, that's why I think I should change it. I won't write this one, I can't!" Cheng Xuemin realized that if his mother-in-law found out, it would be a disaster.

"Let me take a look first!" Feng Jiayou was intrigued. She wanted to see how he had portrayed her mother!

"Well, take your time reading!"

Seeing her interest, Cheng Xuemin sat back down at his desk. He had to prepare a new, short opening for Li Xiaolin to keep her satisfied for now. He realized the novella wasn't suitable for her to see yet—at least not until he knew where the story was going.

Inside the room, Feng Jiayou quickly forgot about Li Xiaolin waiting outside, becoming completely absorbed in *Parents' Love*. Cheng Xuemin, meanwhile, was writing furiously, trying to finish a short piece before lunch.

Outside, Li Xiaolin was left completely bewildered. What was going on? The couple had gone inside, and now they wouldn't come out. Was it really that hard to just grab a manuscript opening? Had they forgotten about her?

Feeling miserable, Li Xiaolin headed to the kitchen to chat with Teacher Gu.

"Xiaolin, why are you in the kitchen? Where are Xuemin and Jiayou? Didn't they keep you company?" Mother Feng asked, surprised to see her.

"They're still in the room. They said they were getting me a manuscript opening, but they haven't come out yet!"

Mother Feng immediately understood. Her daughter must be "disciplining" her husband! She guessed they were busy counting money or settling accounts. She couldn't help but chuckle.

Near noon, the door to the east wing finally opened. Feng Jiayou walked out with a manuscript in hand and called to Li Xiaolin: "Sister Xiaolin, this is a draft Xuemin just finished. Could you take a look and see what you think?"

*Huh? Just finished?*

Li Xiaolin was stunned. They had spent the whole morning rushing to write this? Would the quality be guaranteed if it was rushed like that?

...