godfather

Meng Xiaobei also found outside work during the summer vacation.He will soon face the third year of high school. He originally wanted to focus on his studies, take training classes at Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts after school, and not accept private work. However, it was the head of their grade's academic affairs team who found him this time.

The head of the academic affairs team talked to Xiao Bei in private, and was very polite, and insisted on giving him a pair of iridium pens, saying that a relative of hers is in charge of children's publications at a publishing house in Xi'an, and has seen your paintings and admired your talent. I want to invite you to draw a whole set of books and publish them!

All units are trying to make money after invigorating and opening up, and each is looking for a way to make a fortune.

This time, Meng Xiaobei's brains were astute.He made it clear to the other party on the phone that we all have to sign a contract in this line of business, you ask me to sign a contract, how much will I pay for a drawing?Pay with one hand, and hand in the painting.

The other party said, Mr. Xiao Meng, where do you want to meet and talk?You pick the place.

Meng Xiaobei didn't even blink, they are all locals, fellow villagers, otherwise, the old Liu's family would make buns!

A few bowls of steamed buns, a table of people sitting around, Meng Xiaobei broke the steamed buns slowly and meticulously this time, wishing that every small bun could be broken evenly, pondering over and over every sentence.

The publisher said that we published this set of books, but did not purchase the copyright from an American company.

Meng Xiaobei was at a loss, what does it mean that there is no copyright?

The publisher explained that we also want to buy the copyright, but the propaganda outlets above are now stuck importing American animation and mass entertainment cultural works into China, and the censorship is particularly strict.Transformers hit the gun this time, and was named and approved by "People's Daily"!The review is not approved, so I quietly tell you that in our country... there are no genuine toys and books of this brand from the United States at all, and they are all imitations from the south.Our set of books uses American creative structure, newly edited story content, and your hand-painting. Everyone in this industry does this!

Meng Xiaobei bowed his head and thought for a long time, do you think my paintings are authentic enough to be published?

The publisher said proudly, authentic enough, we sieved the whole city of Xi'an with a fine flour sieve, and you are the best at drawing this picture, which is better than the original version.

There is a market for this kind of comics, and it will definitely be popular when it comes out!

Meng Xiaobei compiled a [-]-word script for a long "Autobot Galactic Heroes", and plans to draw it into five issues.

In the first issue, six chapters will be published first, that is, six thin volumes, and Meng Xiaobei has been drawing for a whole summer.He was not afraid of delaying his homework in the summer cram school. He attended classes during the day and drew manuscripts at night.I know his grade level best, and his ability is not in coping with the exam.No matter how hard he studies, he can't keep up with those invincible academic masters in his grade.His mind is full of lines, points, surfaces, light and shadows, color blocks, proportional composition, and cartoon shapes. He does not have the left hemisphere of the brain responsible for processing abstract logical data.He felt that he seemed to be "half a human being"—why didn't the college entrance examination take sketching and watercolor!

When signing the remuneration, the publisher gave him the buyout price, draw a book of 500, six books, round up for you, a total of [-] yuan.

A brilliant spark exploded in Meng Xiaobei's mind in a silent place.Sparks slowly bloomed in front of his eyes, and with a pop, the sky was full of stars... His eyes were shining with excitement, five hundred? !

Meng Xiaobei had previously calculated the "potential market positioning" of his works and carefully researched them.

He calculated like this at the beginning: There are 1000 or 120 students in his school, if one-tenth of them buy his books, it will be [-] books.I know that Lao Tzu Meng Xiaobei is famous in four or five schools, and if his works can sell five or six hundred copies in the end, that would be an achievement he never dared to imagine.

Meng Xiaobei is so busy these days that he doesn't have time to call his little dad back.

His usual homework books and workbooks are all piled up on the bed, and his desk becomes a drawing table. There are more than a dozen tubes of pens with different nibs spread out on the table, as well as ink and white correction water, and a ruler, square, tape, and utility knife.On the corner of the table and on the floor are stacks of storyboard scripts, sketches and drawings on the original drawing paper... Meng Xiaojing stepped on the toilet paper all over the floor when he entered the room, and the soles of his shoes were also stained with paper, because Meng Xiaobei's half of the room was covered with paper. All that was thrown was toilet paper and old towels stained with black pen water!Get into a working state focused and crazy, with nothing else on your mind.

Meng Xiaobei turned his back and said to his brother, "I will finish painting the third book tonight, and I may have to stay up late, so you go to bed first, and I will leave a small lamp."

Meng Xiaojing put on a pair of neat and fashionable cropped trousers, a new T-shirt, opened the door of the wardrobe, looked in the mirror silently, looked closely at his eyebrows and eyes, maybe to see if his eyelids were oily again.

Meng Xiaojing said: "Oh... I... go out at night, maybe I will come back later, you draw yours."

When Meng Xiaojing went downstairs, Meng Xiaobei held up two pens before he could put them down, strode quickly to the window, stretched his neck and glanced at it gossipingly.He saw a black car starting from downstairs in their compound and slowly driving out of the gate.

He heard that Meng Xiaojing met the daughter of a certain leader of their TV station at that time, and they were dating.The girl was beautiful in a tight dress, high heels, and an emerald green clutch.

……

In the evening, the CALL machine was bi-bi-bi on the table, and Meng Xiaobei used the two pens alternately in his hand, wearing sleeve sleeves on his elbows, concentrating under the lamp, his eyes narrowed.The calluses on his index and middle fingers were red, and he blotted off the excess ink from the pen tip with toilet paper, and pressed down the beeping machine with the belly of his palm.

Eyes boiled red.

Originally, the two eyes were not big, but they turned into a pair of swollen eyes, which became more conspicuous and smaller!

The daily telephone porridge later turned into a call every weekend.

Shaotang went to Inner Mongolia in May, and went north to Shenyang in August to negotiate orders with a car factory in Shenyang. The tempting spring breeze of the market economy in the 80s awakened not only local governments and individual bosses with active ideas, but also the military.Armies in various places have started to set up their own factories and enterprises, ranging from military regions to small armed police corps, they are swarming everywhere to invigorate business and generate income to make up for internal losses caused by cuts in military expenditures.Shaotang and his armed police logistics department also have hotels and catering groups invested by the military in Beijing. They built an office building in Jianguomen and collected rent on the ground. They also have several sales offices that represent cars and jeeps.

When Shaotang was on a business trip, he still thought about calling Meng Xiaobei and told Meng Xiaobei that the summer in the northeast is quite cool, and eating and drinking beer on the street at night is a kind of enjoyment, next time he will bring his baby over for a beer.

Meng Xiaobei said, "Godfather, you look like a half-businessman now!"

Shaotang said: "Everyone has the heart of a businessman now, but they may not have the ability to be a businessman."

Shaotang half-joked on the phone: "Don't worry, boy, take the exam with peace of mind, venture out boldly, if you don't succeed, I will help you follow up and give you the bottom line... The university doesn't admit you, I will admit you! Don't stress, Understand."

Meng Xiaobei: "...Oh, okay."

As long as Meng Xiaobei heard his little daddy's deep and slightly sexy voice on the phone, a gentle smile on the other side's face would immediately pop up in his mind.

Shaotang is also running to the big house, otherwise why is he running around in the wind and rain?There are some things that he can't say, he doesn't want Meng Xiaobei to go home next time, well, the two of them in this big Beijing city can't find a bed where they can sleep together.

This is the case with couples who are separated by two places. Sometimes it is difficult to imagine the inextricable changes that have happened to each other. After a long time, the two parties seem to have nothing to say.I used to write letters when we were not together, and I don’t write letters now. When I picked up the phone, there was a cold silence, and the heart-wrenching longing filled the receiver.

It's not that they don't miss each other in the cold, but that both parties are busy, and sometimes they don't want to think about each other.When I think about it, I inevitably feel lonely and longing, so I try not to think about it.

Shaotang called several times in the past few days, and left three or four messages to report the business trip to Da Baoer, and when he was about to leave the hotel, Meng Xiaobei made an appointment to pick up Shaotang's long distance.

Shaotang on the other end of the phone sounded like the vicissitudes of life from traveling in the wind and dust, the smell of human fireworks from cigarettes, and even more strongly suppressed emotions.Shaotang's voice was low and hoarse: "Beibei."

Meng Xiaobei said, "Big treasure——bao!"

Shaotang's voice was angry: "What's wrong with you? Why didn't you wait for my call?"

Meng Xiaobei frowned and explained: "Are you really busy these days? Catch up on manuscripts, hand in drawings on weekends, and finish the summer work after drawing the last volume!"

Shaotang: "It's agreed that I'll go to see you when you're on vacation, but you haven't mentioned this to me again, have you?"

Meng Xiaobei: "I'm about to bring it up, I'm drawing recently, come over as soon as I hand in the manuscript!"

Shaotang spouted unreasonably: "Where is the painting... Painting is more important or me?!"

Meng Xiaobei beat Hulu to the receiver, imagining that it was Shaotang's head, and said cheerfully, "Shaotang—little daddy—you are always the most important, don't be sour on me!"

The old man can also act like a baby, and his temper is even bigger, Shaotang snorted: "You are almost wild outside, are you still mine?"

Meng Xiaobei's expression was restrained, and he said seriously: "It's your man, I've left you my virgin body for 17 years."

Shaotang became more and more worried because one day Meng Xiaobei was about to lose his wings and leave his shelter. He was so selfish that he didn't even want his Xiaobei to grow up and leave the nest.

Meng Xiaobei said proudly: "Godfather, I am now a small self-employed person. I am the boss myself. I sell paintings to publishers to make money."

Shaotang frowned: "You are in such a hurry to make money, what are you going to do and who are you going to find?"

Meng Xiaobei said, "I'm not going anywhere, I'll take care of you."

Shaotang: "...Who will support whom?"

Meng Xiaobei repeated three words: "I support you."

Meng Xiaobei thought very clearly, and reasoned word by word on the phone: "My own father is only half of my father, and Meng Jianmin's other half—in fact, the other half—belongs to Meng Xiaojing. I can't Relying on him and spending his money all my life, I don't have such a big face."

"What about you, Shaotang, you are my godfather, and you are not my own. I can earn enough to raise me for ten years. I can't be too greedy or hollow out the core of the mine, and I can't spend my whole life. Eat your food and spend your money to make me a good-for-nothing, little daughter-in-law."

Shaotang: "...I don't mind raising your trash, little daughter-in-law."

Meng Xiaobei said roughly: "I don't mind! Who is a waste!... You are older than me, and you will be old in the future. I am a man and I can't do anything if I can't support my family. In the future, you will retire from the army. You have another old cadre in Beidaihe Nursing Home in Miyun, and that is you. I won’t let you do that, don’t worry big baby, I will earn money to support you, love you, and buy you a house for the two of us in the future.”

On the other end of the phone, Meng Xiaobei's "big baby" didn't say a word for a long time, his chest was panting deeply and deeply, it took him a long time to digest the words, and he was unprepared.

……

On the day when the manuscript was submitted and the payment was made, Meng Xiaobei thought about it, didn't tell his parents, and didn't call his buddies at school, so he went to the appointment alone.

He packed up all the thousands of large drawings, tied them up, and carried a large red and blue woven bag, just like catching a train.Before he left, he walked around the door of the house, worried, went upstairs again, and took out a kitchen knife from the kitchen drawer.He felt that the kitchen knife was too big and conspicuous, so he carried a watermelon knife and put it in his handbag.

Afraid that the other party will fool him again and not give him money, why not go out to discuss business, you have to make yourself ruthless.

Meng Xiaobei was walking on the street near the clock tower, wearing a hat, sunglasses, big shorts and a drawstring board, with half a cigarette between his fingers.

Carrying a woven bag on the shoulder.

Put a watermelon knife in your waist.

In the next few years, Meng Xiaobei met and discussed things with people in the industry, always in such a rough outfit.He's also in a league of his own.

This is the first time he manages people to ask for money to "collect accounts".

Pay with one hand and deliver goods with the other.

The publisher and the department editor had already read the storyboard and manuscripts earlier, this time they carefully counted the pages of the ink line draft, and nodded: "Okay, great! We will start typesetting and production immediately, start printing, strike while the iron is hot, and strive to start school soon Just put it on the market at various book stalls!"

"If it sells well, let's continue to cooperate. If it doesn't sell well, there may not be a second set of books."

Meng Xiaobei received a pack of money bound with kraft paper, ten yuan a note.

When counting money, he pursed his lips tightly, with a calm demeanor. In fact, his fingertips began to tremble when he touched the unique texture of RMB bills. He had never been in close contact with so much money. He almost shook the knife hidden in his pocket to the ground...

Until he came out and stood in the sunlight, Meng Xiaobei strode blankly wandering on the street, hearing the bell tower crashing and roaring in the distance, the sunset and crows wandering in the sky.The sky was dyed bright red, like the color on the Xigou mountain ridge in the year he was born.

Meng Xiaobei was clutching a bag of money at his waist, and with his other hand, he touched the watermelon knife in the bag from time to time, and he couldn't stop being silly!

He stopped suddenly, and ran to the canteen on the street to make a call, but there was no response when he called Shaotang's CALL machine, and he waited for more than ten minutes at the public phone, but he still didn't get it.Meng Xiaobei was so excited that he couldn't restrain himself, he walked around like a lunatic at the entrance of the canteen, and finally bought a long stick of Kanto candy and put it in his mouth, before walking away contentedly.

He made money.

500 yuan is such a big sum, he counted the money for 10 minutes, and he has never seen a big ticket full of ten yuan, just like playing cards with his godfather when he was young, the player too strong caught a handful of masters all at once, the master Too much fun to dizzy and I can't hold it!

He knew that the monthly wages, benefits and allowances of the first batch of veteran employees of Shaanxi Automobile like his father were about 140 yuan.His mother was on duty in the telephone room and earned half the salary of his father.Relatively speaking, the front-line commercial workers are much lower. The salespersons in department stores may get 85 per month, while the employees of their district grain bureaus only get 60 per month.At that time, TV stars didn’t earn much. It was reported in newspapers that the main actors of “Dream of Red Mansions” were paid only [-] yuan per episode.

Five hundred yuan for painting, this is the first "big money" that Meng Xiaobei earned with his own hands, the first pot of gold in his life.