When Cao Zhiqiang pushed the bicycle and walked into the gate of the courtyard, he was immediately stopped by the third uncle Yan Bugui who was watering flowers in the front yard.

"Cao Zhiqiang, wait a moment, don't leave!"

"Uncle San?" Cao Zhiqiang stopped and turned around, "Do you have something to do?"

"Oh, I've bought meat again." Mr. San looked at the pork belly on the bicycle handle first, "This is at least three pounds, right?"

"You are wise." Cao Zhiqiang smiled, "No more, no less, exactly three pounds."

"Oh." Mr. San sighed, "Zhiqiang, since you started working, you have to buy so much meat every time you come back from get off work.

Isn’t it that I’m talking about you, you said, you’re just starting to work and earning just how much do you earn? You buy meat every day?

Even if you and your sister are the only ones in your family, and you have a small population, eating meat like this every day is a big expense.

You can’t just eat meat, don’t you? You also have to buy clothes, buy daily necessities, pay tuition for your sister, and you also have to save money to get married, right?

If you want to live a good life, you have to learn to calculate. If you can’t calculate, you will suffer from poverty. You can’t spend money, otherwise you will have no money when you ask for money in the future, and you will cry, do you know?"

"Haha." Cao Zhiqiang smiled, "I understand the truth, but I like to eat meat more. I am the one who can't enjoy it without meat. If you don't eat meat in a meal, you will feel uncomfortable. There is nothing you can do.

What's more, when my sister is growing up, she also needs a lot of meat to supplement her nutrition.

As for getting married, I am still young and don’t worry.”

"Yes, you can do whatever you want." Mr. San nodded, and then saw the tape recorder in the back seat of the car, his eyes immediately shrank, "Oh, this box is not open? Recorder? Shanghai brand?"

Speaking of this, Mr. San looked up at Cao Zhiqiang with a smile on his face: "This, can't it be a real recorder inside, right?"

"Of course it's true." Cao Zhiqiang smiled elegantly and casually, "A brand new recorder, original factory!"

"Hiss..." Mr. San took a deep breath, "Really? Where did you get it?"

"Of course I bought it on the Gulou Street." Cao Zhiqiang said with a smile.

“How much did I buy it?”

"It's not expensive. I bought it from the second dealer. It was worth three hundred and eight."

"Three hundred and eight are not expensive? Where did you get the money?"

"It's earned."

"How did you make it?"

"You shouldn't worry about this, right?"

When Mr. San frowned when he heard Cao Zhiqiang say this, and then his face became serious: "Cao Zhiqiang, I have no other intentions, but you are still young and have a formal job, and have a bright future. You can't do this illegal thing. Don't go on the road of crime."

"Don't worry, Mr. San." Cao Zhiqiang said with a smile.

"I have already changed my mind and have drawn a clear line with those friends in the past and will not be in contact anymore.

As for illegal and criminal matters, of course I dare not do it.

Even if I don’t do it for myself, I have to do it for my sister.

If something happens to me, what should I do if my sister is a child?

Anyway, I made money from buying a tape recorder with great utmost importance, clean and without any problems.”

Mr. San frowned again, then nodded: "You... forget it, since you think so, I won't say much, so take care of yourself."

"Yes." Cao Zhiqiang nodded, "Is there anything else? I'll leave if it's okay."

"Oh, yes, there's something going on!" Grandpa San Yan Bugui said quickly, "Look at me, I almost forgot about the serious business."

Speaking of this, Yan Bugui said, "Your letter is also available, but when the postman came, you were not here. I signed for you just like before. Wait, I will get it for you."

"Thank you, Mr. San." Cao Zhiqiang immediately smiled.

"It's okay." Mr. San put down his watering can, "I'll take it for you."

Soon, Uncle San Yan Bugui returned home and came over with a letter: "Then, your letter."

Cao Zhiqiang smiled and took the letter. He saw that the envelope was intact and had not been torn apart.

How to say it, although this old man likes to calculate, his character is still OK.

At least, he disdains to do things like stealing and secretly slandering people, which is quite good.

Seeing Cao Zhiqiang receiving the letter, Mr. San came over and said with a smile:

"Cao Zhiqiang, by the way, you have letters almost every day these days, and they are almost all sent back by different magazines. Is it a royalty to you?"

"Yes." Cao Zhiqiang blinked.

"I understand." Yan Bugui said, "You even rely on manuscript fees to eat meat every day, and you also rely on manuscript fees to buy this inclusion machine?"

"Yes." Cao Zhiqiang blinked again.

Mr. San frowned: "Then I just asked you where the money came from, why don't you tell me?"

Cao Zhiqiang shrugged: "I'm too lazy to say it."

Mr. San said, "Cao Zhiqiang, I shouldn't have asked, but today I saw that you actually bought a 38-year-old recorder. I was really curious. By the way, how much did you earn in the royalties?"

"This is hard to say." Cao Zhiqiang curled his lips, "I have written a lot of articles and sent a lot of magazines. I can't remember the details of the manuscript fee."

"That's it." Mr. San rolled his eyes and said, "Or, can you open this letter to me and let me see how much your manuscript fee is this time? Is it better to have a good idea for me?"

"This..." Cao Zhiqiang hesitated a little.

"Don't worry, I'll take a look. I'm not jealous and don't lend you money." Mr. San said with a smile, "Besides, let me see your royalties. When someone asks you about buying a tape recorder, I'll help you smooth things over, right?"

Cao Zhiqiang hesitated and tore the letter apart.

Sure enough, there was a text message inside.

The content of the text message is mainly a formulaic publication notice, which notifies your article that will be included in the Science Pictorial Magazine and will be published in the next issue of the magazine.

But this is not the point, the point is another remittance order.

When Cao Zhiqiang took out the remittance form, Mr. San's eyes immediately widened:

"This, this...2280.60 yuan?"

After saying this, Mr. San opened his mouth wide and looked at Cao Zhiqiang, and his body shook like he was looking at a monster: "You, you, you..."

"Uncle San!" Cao Zhiqiang hurriedly supported Uncle San, "Don't be excited, Uncle San, please be careful! I can't afford to have something wrong!"

"Two, more than two thousand?" Mr. San took two deep breaths and grabbed Cao Zhiqiang's arm tightly, "Is this really your royalty?"

Cao Zhiqiang sighed: "Of course it's true. Mr. San, don't you write it all on the remittance slip very clearly?"

"How could it be so many?" Mr. San frowned.

"Because this is a scientific pictorial!" Cao Zhiqiang smiled.

Indeed, Science Pictorial was the most well-deserved popular science magazine at this time.

In 1982 alone, the circulation of Science Pictorial reached as many as one million copies, with a peak of more than one hundred and ten thousand copies.

Perhaps many people don’t know how terrifying the power of a million magazines was during this period, but for most people, especially those in the city, few people do not know about the Science Pictorial, and few have never read the Science Pictorial.

In this courtyard, not to mention that every household has subscribed to the scientific pictorial, at least one-third of the people have subscribed to this thing, and at least two-thirds of the people have seen it, which shows the popularity of this magazine.

Of course, because this magazine currently has the highest circulation and strong background, it can be called a giant in magazines and has always been rich and powerful, so the royalties of Science Pictorial are currently the highest in magazines in the country, no one.

In the era when the manuscript fees of various magazines were generally between 3 yuan and 10 yuan, the scientific pictorial could give manuscript fees of 10 yuan or even 100 yuan, which was not even a rival in China at that time.

Even the People's Literature, which was also known for its large circulation and high royalties at the same time, was also topped off by a thousand words and hundreds of yuan, and there was no royal remuneration of more than one thousand words and hundreds of yuan.

Those who can get a thousand words and hundreds of yuan are very few great writers. They can count one hand and most people can’t get it.

At the same time, in the 1980s, when the scientific literacy of the people was generally low and the quality of manuscripts was generally low, the quality of manuscripts in Science Pictorial was also the highest quality and the strictest requirements among similar journals, and there was no one.

To a certain extent, in the 1980s when professional academic journals were not yet popular, the status of Sci-Pictures can be said to be the domestic "Nature".

For a long time, many domestic scientific workers used it directly as the most authoritative academic journals in China.

At this time, many major professionals in colleges and universities were proud to publish their works on them, and even used them as indicators for evaluating professional titles. This shows the weight of this journal at this time.

Therefore, if you can submit and publish it in the Science Pictorial at this time, it is not only a rich but also a very considerate thing, but also a very worthy thing to show off.

Especially in 1983, the value of articles published in the Science Pictorial was not an ordinary big deal.

"So it's Science Pictorial." Mr. San nodded after coming to his senses, "If Science Pictorial is, the royalties are indeed high."

Immediately afterwards, Mr. San asked again, "What article did you submit to others?"

"It's nothing," Cao Zhiqiang said, "It's just some popular science articles."

"Popular science articles are good." Mr. San nodded.

"Now, those who can write popular science articles are truly high-level cultural people. If you are good at learning mathematics, physics and chemistry, you won't be afraid of traveling all over the world.

But even if it is a scientific pictorial, the royalties are relatively high, it is not so outrageous, right?

What did you write? People give you so much money?

This is almost worth my annual salary.”

Cao Zhiqiang smiled: "It's very simple. I just submitted a popular science article explaining genetic engineering before. I also hope to open a column explaining genetic engineering in them and systematically explain what genes are.
To be continued...