124. What an unfilial wretch, selling out his own father-in-law without a second thought. (Seeking full subscription)

A hundred yuan in Foreign Exchange Certificates?

Cheng Xuemin surreptitiously counted them and discovered that the royalty payment his father-in-law had slipped him in secret amounted to a staggering one hundred yuan—and in Foreign Exchange Certificates at that!

Foreign Exchange Certificates!

In this day and age, they were the rarest, most difficult to obtain, and most highly sought-after currency. Whether at the Overseas Chinese Store or the Friendship Store, imported goods could almost exclusively be purchased with these certificates; otherwise, one had to exchange national currency for them first.

But such exchanges were far from easy. The monthly quota at the post office was pitifully small, and ordinary families could never get their hands on them. Even if you tried to exchange them with private individuals, setting aside whether they would be willing to part with them, the exchange rate was at least five to one. That meant it took five yuan of national currency just to get one yuan in Foreign Exchange Certificates, and you would owe the other person a significant favor on top of that. The official rate at the post office and banks was around four to one, but one could rarely ever make such an exchange there.

So! The hundred yuan in certificates his father-in-law had slipped him was equivalent to five hundred yuan in national currency?

Not bad at all!

Just as his father-in-law had said, as long as Cheng Xuemin didn't expose himself, and the old man kept his mouth shut, who would know that the China Literature translation department even paid royalties for reprints? The father-in-law had just mentioned that even his own wife didn't know, which showed he had been embezzling his own "petty cash" quite frequently, and most of it was in Foreign Exchange Certificates.

Impressive!

With an exchange rate of at least one to five, Cheng Xuemin felt that the true tycoon of the family was his father-in-law. After all, if he could casually squirrel away a thousand or so in certificates, that was a secret stash worth several thousand yuan.

Should he report it?

Cheng Xuemin thought of a very, very spirited way to appease his mother-in-law: shift the conflict and sacrifice his father-in-law’s secret stash? Yes, yes, yes—he would be the whistleblower and plead for leniency from his mother-in-law!

"Don't you dare say a word. I think your other two manuscripts have a good chance of being published too!"

Father Feng felt a chill down his back. He glanced at his hapless son-in-law, thinking that the boy was so bad at hiding secret money that he’d been pointed out by Old Tang. He was truly a fool! Thinking that as a man, one ought to have some pocket money, he had slipped him the royalties for those two manuscripts. But now, thinking about it, was it too risky? If this boy was too honest and turned around to hand it over to his wife—his own daughter—would he sell out his father-in-law? He had to emphasize that there was more to come.

"I won't say a word, I promise!" Cheng Xuemin nodded repeatedly, then asked with feigned concern, "Dad, you told me not to say anything, but you won't tell Mom or Jiayou, will you?"

"Jiayou already warned me just now—once is enough! If she finds out again, I’ll really be done for!"

"Is she really that strict with you?" Father Feng didn't answer directly but countered with a question.

That couldn't be right, could it? If she were truly that overbearing, he, as her father, would have to have a word with his daughter. She shouldn't be like her mother; his son-in-law’s situation was different from his own!

"Not really!"

Cheng Xuemin shook his head repeatedly. Feng Jiayou didn't actually restrict him much. As far as money was concerned, she didn't skimp on him either. Although all the royalties he earned were handed over to Feng Jiayou, she didn't really have a secret stash of her own; the place where they kept their money was open to both of them. It was more like they were managing their savings together. In fact, his daily pocket money was always provided by Feng Jiayou, and she herself never carried more than two yuan in her pockets. And those two yuan often sat untouched for a whole week, eventually ending up either taken by her younger sister, Feng Jiamo, or used to buy snacks for their young nephew and niece on the weekend.

Feng Jiayou didn't really spend much money on herself. So, to say she was strict would be to do her a grave injustice; it was just her nature—she was a little miser who loved to save and count money!

Right! And she was filial. Two days ago, when they withdrew the two thousand yuan from the script royalties, she had promptly remitted three hundred to Cheng Xuemin's parents in Northern Shaanxi. Including the amount from the beginning of the month, she had already sent them five hundred yuan!

Five hundred yuan in this day and age, especially in the countryside, was a massive fortune! Cheng Xuemin could only imagine the shock and excitement his parents would feel upon receiving these two remittances. He wondered if they would let the entire production brigade know that their son and daughter-in-law had sent them five hundred yuan. Probably not—his parents understood the principle of not flaunting wealth better than anyone. At most, they would brag about how capable their son was and how filial their daughter-in-law was, mentioning that they had sent royalties to honor them. As for the exact amount, they certainly wouldn't breathe a word.

"Then don't say anything!" Father Feng nodded, emphasized his point, and said no more. The two men strolled back into the courtyard.

At this moment, the three women of the house were already waiting for Cheng Xuemin: Mother-in-law Mother Feng, his wife Feng Jiayou, and the sister-in-law Feng Jiamo, who loved to watch the drama unfold. Feng Jiayou winked at Cheng Xuemin, signaling that she was powerless to help, while the sister-in-law wore a look that said, "Oh, big brother Cheng, you're doomed."

This rhythm...

Cheng Xuemin gave his father-in-law one more complicated look, his hand deep in his pocket gripping the Foreign Exchange Certificates tightly. He debated whether he should expose his father-in-law right now to shift the conflict.

"Mom, I told you, that's just how it is!"

"When Xuemin submitted those manuscripts, *The Appointment of Factory Manager Qiao* was already being written and was nearly finished!"

"I originally thought the best one, *The Appointment of Factory Manager Qiao*, should definitely go to you, Mom. The others were just meant to be submitted elsewhere so we could earn some royalties as soon as possible!"

"But who would have thought..."

After winking at him, Feng Jiayou gave Cheng Xuemin a cue, stubbornly arguing her case to her mother.

***

This moved Cheng Xuemin, making him feel that hiding secret money was truly wrong! *Should we just confess together, Dad, and hope for leniency?*

"Are you two really that short of money?"

As a mother, how could Mother Feng not know what was on her "debt-collector" daughter's mind? This was definitely an idea instigated by her! But as for those two manuscripts in Shanghai and the one in *Yanhe Literature*, if her daughter had really known about them earlier, she, Gu Xueqing, would change her last name to Feng! However, as her daughter argued, the timeline did barely hold up. One "atomic bomb" of a story had been prepared for her mother, so it made sense to submit the others elsewhere to earn royalties. But did this make it seem like they were so desperate for money? Had the Feng family treated them so poorly?

"Mom, we are short on money!"

"Xuemin and I are planning to buy a house and move out as soon as possible, so that when the time comes..."

Feng Jiayou blurted it out on the spot. Originally, they hadn't planned to talk about buying a house so early! But now, they had no choice. Besides, their current "secret stash" was more than enough to buy a small place—they were just missing a good listing. There was no need to hide it anymore; perhaps her parents, with their extensive connections, could help them find a good property.

Before Feng Jiayou could finish, Mother Feng stood up from her stool with a start, asking in shock, "Wait, you're buying a house and moving out?"

"Just how much money are you two burning through that you need to buy a house?!"

It wasn't just Mother Feng who exploded; Father Feng also stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Cheng Xuemin, and asked, "Xuemin, you're planning to buy a house?"

Buying a house—such a big deal, and they had kept it hidden from them, their parents! Were these two getting too arrogant and reckless?

"Dad, Mom! Jiayou and I really want to find a place closer to Yan University so that it's more convenient for her to attend classes!"

Cheng Xuemin was also surprised that Feng Jiayou would throw such a bombshell to change the subject. He had been ready to sell out his father-in-law! Now that the topic had shifted, the certificates in his pocket were safe and sound, and he could keep them hidden!

"Yes! Dad, Mom! Xuemin and I thought that when his parents come over, they'll have a place to stay, and they can help look after our future children!" Feng Jiayou added.

"Xuemin, your parents are moving here too?!"

Mother Feng and Father Feng exchanged a look, their feelings becoming even more complicated and shocked! They had previously dropped hints to their daughter that if she had a child, could she let her eldest brother and sister-in-law raise it? After all, the couple would be in university and wouldn't have time. But their daughter had played dumb and hadn't given an answer, making them think she was just considering it. Who knew they were planning to move out and bring over his parents to help with the grandchildren? That meant the children wouldn't be given to her brother and sister-in-law?

Mother Feng felt a bit conflicted. She realized she had been too presumptuous. She had truly believed they wouldn't have time to raise the children, and since the eldest son's household hadn't had any luck, she had wanted to bring some life into their home. Now that her daughter had made this indirect statement, Mother Feng realized her previous suggestion had been a bit too overbearing and wishful thinking! Her son-in-law wasn't a live-in husband, and the Cheng family only had this one son. Apart from an older sister who was already married, there were no other brothers! How could his parents possibly give their grandchildren to the Feng family?

"Mom! That's just the idea for now, but they have deep roots in their hometown. They'll probably only stay for a while and then go back!" Cheng Xuemin said, not yet aware of his mother-in-law's inner thoughts.

As he said, his parents hadn't mentioned wanting to move to Beijing permanently in their letters. Cheng Xuemin could understand the older generation; they had farmed their whole lives, and they certainly wouldn't adapt to city life. Moreover, since they had farmed their whole lives, he couldn't let them end up with no land at all. In a couple of years, the household responsibility system would begin! Although Cheng Xuemin didn't care for those few acres, his parents, who had worked the land for a lifetime, would certainly treasure it. After all, with thousands of years of deep-rooted ideology, a farmer without land is hardly a farmer, right?

If they wanted to move to the city and become city dwellers, they would need to transfer their household registration! But in this day and age, especially in recent years, it was extremely difficult for even the sent-down youth to settle their household registrations. Many couldn't even return home, so moving from agricultural to non-agricultural status was out of the question! Therefore, Cheng Xuemin respected their wishes to stay in Northern Shaanxi.

"They should definitely come for a visit. Xuemin, why don't you just bring them over during the winter break? Our two families should get together properly..."

Before Mother Feng could finish, she felt her daughter, Feng Jiayou, tugging at her. *What is it? What does she mean? Not allowed to talk about it? As the in-law, what's wrong with inviting them to stay for a couple of days?* Did she think the Feng family's rented house couldn't accommodate them? If necessary, she and Old Feng would just stay at a guesthouse!

"Thank you, Mom! When Jiayou is on winter break, I do plan to go back before the New Year. The household registration issue hasn't been settled yet, so I need to go handle that!" Cheng Xuemin nodded. Since his mother-in-law had extended the invitation, he should definitely go back and bring his parents so the two families could meet. Even if it wasn't the right time for a big wedding, he still needed to provide the betrothal gifts he owed.

"The household registration must be settled as soon as possible. Don't drag your feet on that, Xuemin. As for the house, don't be in such a hurry!" Father Feng chimed in. His unit was already working on housing allocations, which might come through before or after the New Year. If his son-in-law and daughter spent a fortune buying a house now, wouldn't they be fools? Besides, he had never heard of people buying houses with their own money; weren't they all allocated by the work unit?

"Don't be in a rush about the house. You have a little money and it's burning a hole in your pocket? Wait until you graduate from university and start working; won't your units arrange housing for you then?"

Mother Feng nodded in agreement, telling her daughter not to be so reckless just because she had a little money.

"But living at home isn't a long-term solution. Besides, Liqin and Liwen are growing up fast, and the second brother will be back soon. How are we all going to live in this house?"

Feng Jiayou, who hadn't been that keen on buying a house before, was now the one in a rush! As she said, even if her father's unit allocated a house, how big could it be? Could it accommodate such a large family?

This left Father and Mother Feng in silence. It was true, as Feng Jiayou said! For such a large family, unless the eldest and second brother moved out and applied for their own housing, there would be no space.

"So, how much money do you have on hand now?" Mother Feng asked after a moment of reflection.

"About... eight or nine thousand!"

Feng Jiayou had originally wanted to say six thousand—she only had a little less than six thousand on hand—but to show her strength to her parents and justify buying a house, she included the royalties from Cheng Xuemin's picture books that hadn't arrived yet!

"How much?! Eight or nine thousand?" Mother Feng's eyes widened, and she asked in shock, "Where did you get so much? Didn't you say it was only five thousand?"

As a mother, she knew exactly how much her daughter had in savings. After all, she was clear on the manuscripts her son-in-law had published, and the total was roughly five thousand. But for her daughter to suddenly say she had eight or nine thousand—three or four thousand more than expected—how was that possible?

"Xuemin had a secret stash of over three thousand!"

The math didn't add up, so Feng Jiayou simply sold her husband out. She had been eager to brag about knowing about his other submissions, and now, in her haste, she had exposed her husband!

Cheng Xuemin could only look up at the ceiling, thinking, *Wife, can you please be a little more careful? Just saying you had some other income would have been better than this direct confession!*

"How much!?"

"Isn't it just three manuscripts? Where did he get so many royalties?"

Now it was Mother Feng's turn to lose her composure. If he had a secret stash of three thousand, just how many manuscripts had he secretly published?! She demanded urgently, "Just how many manuscripts has he secretly published? Don't make me angry—can you just tell me everything at once?"

"Sister, big brother Cheng, you guys are so rich?! Eight or nine thousand—you're practically ten-thousand-yuan households!" Feng Jiamo, the sister-in-law, exploded when she heard her sister had eight or nine thousand yuan!

Cheng Xuemin ignored the sister-in-law's shouting and looked miserably at his mother-in-law. He had thought Feng Jiayou had smoothed things over, but it turned out his mother-in-law had seen through it all along; she just hadn't exposed the lies. Now that she was questioning him directly, he had to say, "No, no, no, Mom! Apart from those three manuscripts, I really haven't submitted anything else!"

"Then where did those royalties come from?" Mother Feng was even more confused.

"Xuemin has been contributing quite a few pieces to Old Pan at the People's Literature Publishing House!" Father Feng also marveled at the speed at which the two were making money—they were practically ten-thousand-yuan households without even realizing it!

"Contributing to Old Pan at the People's Literature Publishing House, and you say you haven't submitted anything else?!" Mother Feng's face fell.

"Old Pan is the editor-in-chief of the Fine Arts Department at the People's Literature Publishing House, specializing in illustrations and comic books!" Father Feng rolled his eyes.

"Oh, him!" Mother Feng realized. "Xuemin, you can draw illustrations and comic books!?"

"I drew a few pieces, and Director Pan was satisfied. I didn't dare tell Jiayou because I was afraid she'd say I wasn't focusing on my proper work!" Cheng Xuemin nodded, helping Feng Jiayou out of the situation. He couldn't let his wife take all the heat.

"It is indeed not your proper work. Writing manuscripts is exhausting enough; drawing for fun to clear your head is fine, but don't overdo it. You can never finish earning all the royalties in the world!" Mother Feng's expression softened. She was tired and didn't want to say more. She stood up to return to her room, pulling on Feng Jiayou's sleeve—clearly, the mother and daughter had more private things to discuss.

"Why did you pull me back and not let me speak just now?" Mother Feng asked. "Is it because Xuemin wants his parents to come over to help with the kids and you don't want them to go to your brother and sister-in-law?"

"Mom! Xuemin is the only son in his family; how could he possibly give his children to my brother and sister-in-law? I didn't even dare to bring that up to Xuemin before!" Feng Jiayou dared not suggest such a thing to her husband. It was an impossible request—why would she stir up trouble and create a rift between them? That would be asking for trouble!