Ten students, each student two hundred yuan per month, totals two thousand yuan a month, which made up to twenty-four thousand yuan a year; whereas the initial three hundred and eighty thousand had diminished over the years to a donation of one hundred and thirty thousand, leaving two hundred and fifty thousand. As for this year, accounts would be settled at the end of the year.
Gong Mingxia had fifty thousand yuan of liquid funds available, even though Meng Xiuying no longer needed her help, she still owed her fifty thousand yuan.
Gong Mingxia went to culinary school, where each semester’s tuition was five thousand yuan, totaling ten thousand a year. Since she had a strong foundation, this year was merely about obtaining a certificate. After acquiring the related graduation certificate, she would find professional exams much easier to handle, and she felt she needed a structured learning opportunity, which led her to pursue further education at culinary school.
The school fees were so expensive because the chefs brought in were exceptional, some even holding positions at five-star hotels—an invaluable opportunity. Thus, the ten thousand yuan tuition felt well spent. (The above is fictional. Please do not take it as factual.)
The school was an hour’s drive from her home. Gong Mingxia took the bus every day, and due to evening classes, Cao Yuan would ride his bicycle to pick her up at night.
Taking this opportunity, Gong Mingxia met many talented students. She quietly noted them down, planning to invite them to cook when she opened her own restaurant, transitioning from behind-the-scenes to front-and-center as the owner.
In June 2000, "cook" concluded, and the new work "City" continued, employing a similar theme to "cook" but set against the backdrop of 1990s Beijing. When she began writing "City," "cook" had just been officially published without any plot reductions, only slight modifications in certain aspects.
The primary reason for publishing "cook" was because this genre was unpopular among online novels in 2003. Hence, even posting it on a website was futile, leading her to choose publishing, which was not very expensive, barely costing thirty thousand yuan. Gong Mingxia didn’t take this money but let Meng Xiuying have it as her days were harder.
The new work "City," like "cook," would follow the publishing route, as opting for publishing increased the probability of its adaptation into a TV drama in the future, a common trajectory for rural-themed series. This content belongs to novel※fire.net
Now, if Meng Xiuying could maintain the pace of producing one long novel per year, it would suffice to support her and her child’s living, and the publishing revenue came in batches. If the first batch sold well, there would be a second, so the fees weren’t a one-time buyout.
By the end of June, royalties arrived, amounting to eight hundred and twenty thousand yuan, my God, she was astounded by this figure.
However, she also understood it was royalties from six songs, with the last two tracks having just been released earlier in the year; thus, the substantial mid-year royalties were to be expected.
With the money, after consulting with Cao Yuan, she d all of it to build a hope primary school in the mountainous areas. Taking advantage of the summer vacation, Gong Mingxia traveled extensively through the remote mountains of H province and eventually chose a town called Dalongwan. With the assistance of the local education bureau, they implemented the project, and the school was named Mingxiu Hope Primary School. If successful, the school would benefit at least ten neighboring villages’ children.
Such a grand act of charity deserved newspaper coverage, yet Gong Mingxia declined but received a jointly issued award from local charitable organizations and the education bureau.