Chen Ru dawdled. Wen Dongrong grabbed her hand. Chen Ru tried a few times but could not break free. She was taken to the study by Wen Dongrong and pressed by the shoulders to sit at the computer desk.
He turned on the computer, logged into QQ, opened the email. This series of actions flowed smoothly, showing that Wen Dongrong had operated it quite a bit these days.
“Look.”
“Look at what… hmm?”
Chen Ru was really a bit surprised. “You passed the draft?”
Wen Dongrong straightened up, quite proud. “Yes, one for the evening paper, one for Zhiyin. Next month I can get the manuscript fee.”
Chen Ru knew Wen Dongrong was writing drafts. She thought this guy would take a while to have results, but unexpectedly it came so quickly.
Even someone as cold and hard as Chen Ru was in a good mood at this time.
“So you were happy about this. Why didn’t you say it during dinner?”
“I was going to say it…”
Wen Dongrong felt wronged.
But with the big and small ones at home, the big one thought he won the lottery, the small one argued with him about salted fish. How could he say it?
“It’s not too late to say it now.”
After all, as his bedmate, Chen Ru understood Wen Dongrong’s thoughts to some extent. Surname Wen really wanted to prove his ability in front of Wen Ying.
Wen Dongrong thought about it but shook his head. “Forget it, better to wait a bit longer.”
Wait for what?
Wait for the manuscript fee to really be in the bag.
Wait for him to pass a few more drafts.
Not to mention other magazines, just talking about Zhiyin. If he could pass three submissions in a year, the manuscript fee standard would immediately be adjusted to 1200 yuan per thousand words. For authors who passed more than three, the standard was even higher.
For “documentary” manuscripts, each issue had an internal selection. As long as it got nominated, it would award ten thousand yuan. Relying on the nomination to participate in the annual overall selection, the highest bonus was another thirty thousand!
The editor also said that authors who could publish two “documentary” drafts in a year would be arranged to participate in overseas travel writing conferences organised by the magazine.
Two pieces, you could go to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand or Japan, South Korea, etc.
Three pieces, you could go to France, Switzerland, Austria, these countries.
Such overseas travel writing conferences had expenses fully covered by the magazine. Authors only needed to bring their own luggage!
“Now the treatment for contributing to magazines is so good?”
Chen Ru’s talent was in accounts and economics, with no literary cells. She usually did not pay attention to related information.
If Caijing Shibao did not do that “writer rich list” to expose Wen Ying’s income, Chen Ru would not know how much Wen Ying earned, let alone understand the manuscript fee standards of the various newspapers and magazines on the market.
With Wen Ying as an example, Chen Ru knew that bestselling authors made a lot of money.
But Wen Ying’s book sold over two million copies. It was reasonable to make money.
Now listening to Wen Dongrong, he wrote a draft of a few thousand words for Zhiyin. Not only could he get a thousand yuan per thousand words in manuscript fee, but also get nominations, compete for the year-end grand prize, and go abroad for travel… All added up, wouldn’t these few thousand words bring in tens of thousands of income?
If he wrote a few such drafts a year, Wen Dongrong’s salary plus side income seemed to catch up with hers?!
Chen Ru calculated this, and Wen Dongrong was sweating profusely. It seemed he had boasted a bit too much accidentally, so he quickly pulled back.
“Don’t think passing drafts is easy just because I did. Zhiyin’s manuscript fee standard is industry-leading, and the treatment for excellent contributors is also industry-leading. The authors who can pass a few ‘documentary’ submissions in a year can be counted on one hand!”
“Documentary” manuscripts were not easy to write. You had to grasp social hotspots, issues of social concern, recent big news. These were the foundation for writing “documentary” manuscripts. The author first grasped representative news, then processed it based on facts, ensuring the published story neither completely deviated from facts nor was too straightforward, but twists and turns enough to attract readers… Only Wen Dongrong, with years of work experience, could grasp the key to such documentary manuscripts. Ordinary people really could not handle it!
Having passed one, Wen Dongrong was confident to pass the second.
Getting a selection nomination was no problem. To get the final grand prize, Wen Dongrong did not dare boast about that.
It had to be said that the previous rejection experiences still taught old Wen a lesson, making him hold back when boasting.
Moreover, if he did not make the difficulty of getting rewards sound high in front of Chen Ru, how could he show his awesomeness?
After listening to Wen Dongrong’s explanation, Chen Ru could not help nodding. “It sounds quite difficult. Then you continue writing. When you can go abroad for a writing conference, then tell Wen Ying. See if our mother and daughter can benefit from you, spend your writing bonus on a trip abroad!”
Ah?
Wen Dongrong wanted to say his writing bonus was to buy Chen Ru a car. Now listening to Chen Ru, she seemed more interested in going abroad for travel.
That was fine too.
If the bonus was less, Chen Ru and Wen Ying could only choose Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.
If more, the mother and daughter going to Europe was no problem.
Thinking this way, passing drafts was just a beginning. The task on his shoulders was still heavy!
Wen Dongrong had no mind to be a pufferfish anymore. He looked at the clock, wanting to work overtime tonight to revise the details the editor mentioned.
Wen Dongrong was doing serious work. Chen Ru was quite supportive, turning to leave the study space alone for Wen Dongrong. At the door, she stopped again, curiously asking, “Zhiyin’s documentary manuscripts are so hard to pass. What did you write in this one?”
“‘A Poor Scholar: The Qinghua Dream Supported by a Scavenger Grandpa’. Isn’t it that Shang Wei often returns to his hometown? I heard about this matter and thought I could write about it.”
So Wen Dongrong wrote a story from around him.
A boy from a township middle school, supported by his scavenger grandpa, last summer scored as the local top scholar and was admitted to Qinghua University.
This story was deeply processed by Wen Dongrong, with great lethality. It had all the elements Zhiyin readers liked, no wonder it passed at once!
Chen Ru simply turned back to the study and finished reading Wen Dongrong’s “A Poor Scholar”.
“…The protagonist is the student you sponsored?”
“I wish I could sponsor, but it’s not my turn. Seedlings who can get into Qinghua, Jingda are treasures in township middle schools. The school is afraid such poor students drop out, so they already helped contact big bosses to sponsor their studies. My little money can’t squeeze in!”
Speaking of it, Wen Dongrong was a bit regretful.
But Chen Ru thought this was the normal situation.
Of course, seedlings for Qinghua, Jingda did not lack sponsors, but good universities in the country were not just Qinghua and Jingda. Poor students who could not get into these two also had needs for education. The best seedlings needed sponsorship, the next level of excellent students also needed care.
Chen Ru hesitated for a while, as if making a big decision. “Next time you and Shang Wei go to the countryside, if I’m not working overtime, I’ll accompany you to take a look.”
The family’s economic conditions were really not bad now.
The mortgages for two houses in Rongcheng, with Chen Ru’s income, were no pressure to repay.
The two houses in Modu, Wen Ying could also repay the loans.
The Wen family relatives, the lazy Wen Hongyan was cut off. The eldest uncle and little uncle’s families were self-reliant. Chen Ru only had Chen Li as a sister, and Chen Li’s family was much richer than Chen Ru, also not needing Chen Ru’s help.
Since not short of money, Chen Ru did not reject doing some good deeds.
Wen Dongrong first “hmm”ed, then added, “How about this, if you want to go to the countryside with Shang Wei, we can take turns. I’m thinking, Wen Ying is after all in the last semester of senior three. Weekends we should leave at least one person at home, right?”
Although Wen Ying did not eat at home every weekend, if both husband and wife ran to the countryside to care for other people’s children, Wen Dongrong still felt it was a bit unjustifiable.
Chen Ru looked at Wen Dongrong with surprise.
Was this suddenly realising how to be a “dad”?!
