Chapter 10

This is... my future mother-in-law!?

This was Wu Cheng's second thought. His first thought was that she must be Sister Zhi's mother. From her appearance and demeanor, it was clear.

The two women behind her were likely Sister Zhi's older or younger sisters. He had heard that Sister Zhi had five siblings, and she was the fourth. They did look somewhat similar.

"Auntie, sisters, please come in!" Wu Cheng smiled and politely invited the three women into the house. "Let's talk inside. I'm afraid it might not be good for Sister Zhi if we talk here!" Many of the neighbors worked at TVB, especially a big fat man and a small fat man. The big fat man was called Wang Tianlin, who had just transferred from the Shaw Brothers Studio to TVB.

This man was a big shot; his son, the small fat man, would later become the famous Wang Jing, the pioneer of the "sh**-p**-p" genre in commercial films, known as the "quick gun" in the Hong Kong film industry.

However, the small fat man had only recently graduated from university and was working as a screenwriter at TVB.

That's why Wu Cheng said this.

The woman huffed lightly and entered with her two daughters, her attitude not very friendly.

Wu Cheng was a bit taken aback. After all, she was Sister Zhi's mother and would very likely... no, not just likely, but definitely become his mother-in-law.

What's the big deal if his future mother-in-law gives him a cold shoulder?

Thinking this, Wu Cheng smiled.

Seeing that Wu Cheng could still smile, the three women were at a loss. After all, the person in front of them looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, with a clear and refined face, smooth skin, and an outstanding demeanor, nothing like the "clueless" and "rustic" mainland boy they had imagined.

"Auntie, sisters, would you like something to drink?"

"No need to trouble you. Do you really think this is your home?" The youngest girl laughed and teased, "This is my sister's place. I know it better than you!"

Wu Cheng chuckled awkwardly and then heard Zhi's mother say, "I heard from Zhi that you're called Xiao Cheng, right?"

"Yes, Auntie, my name is Wu Cheng. You can call me Xiao Cheng or Chengzi."

"Then can I call you 'Xiao Chengzi'?"

"AQian, don't be impolite!"

The girl had a playful look on her face, but her older sister scolded her sternly.

The girl rolled her eyes and made a face at Wu Cheng, then got up and went to the fridge to get a drink. She sipped her cola, wandered around, and finally entered Wu Cheng's room.

"I heard from Zhi that you came here to find relatives. Have you found them?"

Faced with Zhi's mother's question, Wu Cheng had to lie and shook his head, "Not yet!"

Zhi's mother nodded and said, "Zhi is kind-hearted and willing to take you in. I have no objections. She has to work and doesn't have time to take care of you. Why don't you move in with us? We have more people, and we can take care of you. What do you think?"

Wu Cheng understood that his future mother-in-law was worried he might interfere with Zhi's dating. She wanted to separate them to give Zhi more time. This wasn't a conspiracy but a straightforward plan.

Wu Cheng couldn't agree, or who knew what kind of rival might appear, given Zhi's appearance. He couldn't tolerate that.

"This... is a bit inconvenient!" Wu Cheng scratched his head awkwardly, thinking of a reason to dodge.

As he was speaking, a scream came from his room.

Everyone turned to see the girl running out with a stack of manuscripts, waving them at Wu Cheng, "Xiao Chengzi, did you write this?"

"Um, yes!" Wu Cheng was puzzled, "Is there something wrong?"

"Are you the Wu Cheng who wrote 'Return to the Ming Dynasty'?"

"Oh, you mean that! Yes, it's me!"

"Wow, you're amazing! How old are you? You're not older than me, right? How can you understand women so well? And you know so much about Ming Dynasty history... How is that possible?"

The girl, Zhao Yaqian, shouted, making the other two women frown.

Zhi's mother had intended to scold Wu Cheng for his refusal, but now she couldn't bring herself to do it. She scolded, "What are you shouting about? What's so surprising? You're a grown-up, stop acting like a child!"

"No, Mom, look at this!" Zhao Yaqian handed the manuscript to Zhi's mother and said, "Dad and my brother have been obsessed with the Urban Entertainment News lately. My brother even reads the novels in it secretly. I read it too and found that the historical novel isn't a martial arts story, but it's quite good. I never expected the author to be Xiao Chengzi! It's unbelievable. How old is Xiao Chengzi? Is he twelve? No, right?"

Wu Cheng held his hand to his mouth and coughed lightly, "Sister Yaqian, you're joking. I may look young, but I'm actually fifteen. As for the romantic parts, it's just that I've read a lot and copied the personalities of female characters from books. They say, 'All writing is a form of plagiarism; it's just a matter of how well you plagiarize!'"

"Are you really fifteen?" Zhao Yaqian sat next to Wu Cheng, poked his cheek, and laughed, "How can you look so young? Are you malnourished?"

Wu Cheng coughed again, "Boys usually develop later. I'm not an exception." He smiled and then said seriously to Zhi's mother, "Auntie, I appreciate your kindness. It's not that I don't want to move in with you, but I'm currently in the middle of a creative project. Zhi works during the day, and the house is quiet, providing a good environment for my work..."

"Xiao Chengzi, the Urban Entertainment News is quite popular lately, and your novel is getting famous too. How much do you earn from royalties?" Zhao Yaqian asked with a smile, then added, "Do you need an assistant? How about me? I can bring you tea and water, no problem!"

Hearing Zhao Yaqian mention royalties, Wu Cheng wanted to improve his status in front of his future mother-in-law. He smiled, "My royalties can't compare to other writers. They get fixed royalties, but I get variable royalties. Initially, it was forty yuan per thousand words. As the newspaper's sales increased by ten thousand copies, my royalties increased by one hundred yuan per thousand words. Now, my royalties are around four hundred yuan per thousand words, and they will likely reach five hundred yuan per thousand words in a day or two..."

"Wow! That's amazing! Five hundred yuan per thousand words, if you write six thousand words a day, that's three thousand yuan. That's equivalent to my second sister's two months' salary..."

Wu Cheng modestly said, "This is a special case. I doubt it will be this easy in the future!"

"How many words do you plan to write for 'Return to the Ming Dynasty'?"

Wu Cheng thought this "future sister-in-law" was very cooperative and smiled, "About three million words. The newspaper publishes about ten thousand words a day, so it will take about a year to complete."

The women did some quick calculations and were stunned.

In other words, if the royalties remain the same, he could earn one and a half million yuan in a year, or even more. One and a half million yuan was a huge sum. In an era where a few hundred thousand yuan could buy a house, one and a half million could buy ten houses. Even a small villa on the island could be bought with two or three times that amount.

Moreover, in Hong Kong, literary creators generally had high status, with Jin Yong being the most famous example. Now, Wu Cheng was also a literary creator. Even if he was from the mainland, who would still bring that up? Both Jin Yong and Ni Kuang came from the mainland.

Gradually, their attitudes toward Wu Cheng changed.

After chatting for a while, the three women declined Wu Cheng's invitation to dinner and left.

Actually, Zhao Yaqian wanted to stay, but under her mother's and sister's gazes, she pouted and left reluctantly.

In the evening, Zhao Yazhi returned. Wu Cheng greeted her with a smile, took her bag, and put her slippers out for her, saying, "Sister Zhi, Auntie came over today, and oh, her two daughters..."

"Hmm? My mom... Why did they come? Did they give you a hard time?"

"What are you talking about? She treated me like a son, very kindly!" Wu Cheng flattered his future mother-in-law and then smiled, "Why don't we go out for a walk tonight and buy some gifts for Uncle and Auntie?"

"No need to go through so much trouble."

"What's the trouble? It's a matter of politeness. They didn't come before, but now that we've met, it would be impolite not to give them gifts. They know I can earn money now. If I don't show some gratitude, how can I have the face to continue staying here with you? You don't want my rent, but I should at least give some gifts to Uncle and Auntie. You can't refuse, unless you want me to leave."

"Who said I want you to leave? Stay as long as you like!" Zhao Yazhi playfully rolled her eyes and tapped his forehead, "I didn't expect you to be so mature for your age. I wonder who you learned from."

"Hehe... Why don't you rest for a bit, and we'll go out later? We can eat out to save the trouble of cooking." Wu Cheng chuckled, then held Zhao Yazhi's hands and said, "It's a waste for such beautiful hands to be doing housework all day!"

"???" Zhao Yazhi was puzzled, thought for a moment, and then laughed, tapping his forehead, "Little rascal, what are you thinking?"

"I'm not thinking anything!" Wu Cheng laughed, looked at Zhao Yazhi lying on the sofa, and said, "Sister Zhi, you look so tired. Let me give you a shoulder massage to relax."

"Can you do it?"

"Try and see!"

Unexpectedly, Wu Cheng's massage put her to sleep.

Seeing her so exhausted, Wu Cheng felt helpless. He gently picked her up, despite the size difference, and carried her to her room. He covered her with a light blanket, kissed her forehead, and quietly left the room, closing the door.

Looking around, he thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up. He walked into the kitchen.

PS: Thank you to 'Person Under the Umbrella' and 'Qingfeng Jushi' for your generous support! Thank you!