"Nianhua, most of the translation work was done by you, we share equally, it’s not fair," Fei Jiayi said.
Liao Jinling chimed in, "That’s right, out of those fifteen orders, you translated ten, and you proofread the remaining five, we wouldn’t have completed even one order without you."
"I agree you should take half, and the rest of us will split the remaining," Zhou Wanwan also expressed her stance.
Chang Hui and Ding Guo nodded in agreement, though they didn’t speak a word, the meaning in their eyes was very clear, identical to what Fei Jiayi and the others suggested, evident that they had discussed it privately beforehand.
"You guys..." Xu Nianhua looked at each of them, helplessly saying, "Everyone contributed to the studio, how can I take half all by myself?"
"If you’re unwilling to take it, we won’t participate in the studio’s affairs anymore," Fei Jiayi stated bluntly.
Zhou Wanwan added, "We can learn a lot from following you, and frankly, we feel embarrassed to take this money when we are barely contributing."
"Exactly, Nianhua, we can’t even translate now; you’re doing all the work. If you don’t take half, who should?" After Liao Jinling spoke, she continued, "I think even half is too little for you, how about Nianhua takes seventy percent, and we split the remaining thirty percent?"
Seeing that everyone agreed with Liao Jinling’s words, Xu Nianhua hurriedly said, "Don’t rush, wait a moment."
"Okay, I’ll take half this time, but starting next semester, we six will split equally. You’ve all made significant contributions, it’s not fair if I’m the only one getting the lion’s share while you get the scraps. If there is meat, we should all eat it together!" Xu Nianhua spoke earnestly; she had established the studio initially to earn some pocket money and also to improve everyone’s English.
After the studio truly started to take shape, with Xu Nianhua having invested so much effort, she aspired to build it bigger, hoping it could go further and maybe even become a translation company in the future.
For the six partners aiming for longevity, it was essential to agree on profit sharing early on, to prevent future disputes over money from souring relations.
"But the studio relies on you; without you, our studio simply couldn’t have started," Fei Jiayi and the others were very self-aware.
"However, the studio is not just about translating; there is also a lot of communication with clients. Now, we have only a few orders, but later, when there are more client orders, and after we all graduate, I believe the studio will do better and better, and each of you will be able to stand on your own. Maybe in the future, I might even have to take advantage of you!"
Xu Nianhua said playfully, very assertively finalizing the matter, "If you don’t agree, then I don’t want to take half this time either."
The five people including Fei Jiayi exchanged glances. Initially, the arrangement had always been to calculate the payments this way, but Xu Nianhua was unusually resolute, leaving them uncertain about what to do, yet deep down, they greatly treasured this friendship.
None of them were fools. They had experienced the coldness and warmth of the world. If it were anyone else, they would probably want to keep all the profits for themselves. Who would share with them like Xu Nianhua did?
Speaking from the heart, most of the money earned was thanks to Xu Nianhua’s efforts; they were still benefiting from her generosity even if they took half.