“These short manuscripts just need a little editing to be usable. Now I just need to write one long fairy tale story…”
Qiao Shu muttered softly to herself, but she did not immediately start preparing the long fairy tale story.
Instead… she first picked up her pen and wrote a reply to Feng Xiao.
There was no helping it—Feng Xiao had sent her over ten thousand yuan, relieving her urgent financial need~!
Unlike the emotionally charged letter she had written to her parents, the one to Feng Xiao was quite flat.
She politely thanked Feng Xiao in the letter and also told him that she planned to use the money from his wage card to start a magazine agency.
She did not say much else.
Oh, but toward the end, she felt that the letter to Feng Xiao seemed too business-like. Qiao Shu worried that if Feng Xiao saw it, he might overthink things and feel they were not suitable, and then not marry her when he returned.
So she added some details at the end about her situation in the Feng Family and urged him to stay safe, making sure to always carry the herbal pills she had prepared for him.
And finally, she attached that she would obediently wait at home for him to return and marry her.
After finishing the letter, Qiao Shu checked it once more. Feeling that it definitely would not make Feng Xiao overthink, she put it into an envelope and went to bed.
However, that night, because she had found a new way to make money in this era, she was a bit excited and did not fall asleep as soon as she hit the bed like she usually did.
Instead, she thought about when the magazine agency could be set up and when they could publish the first issue…
Gradually, Qiao Shu drifted off to sleep filled with endless anticipation.
However, her partner Weng Kanya was not so relaxed that night. Weng Kanya suffered from insomnia.
The reason was simple—she had calculated everything but never expected her family to not support her starting a magazine agency with a brand-new writer.
“Weng Kanya, have you gone mad? Do you think starting a magazine agency is that simple?”
“And that promising writer you mentioned is just a nobody with no fame. She’s only written two stories, and you think she has potential and will definitely become famous, so you’re throwing caution to the wind to start a magazine agency with her???”
“Xiao Ya, your dad and mom never expected you to achieve great things. You’re a girl—have a stable job, and we’ll find you a good family to marry into later. Isn’t living comfortably enough? Why go through all this trouble?”
“I’m telling you, Weng Kanya, no money! All the money you earned from your side jobs over the years went to your brother’s marriage. Forget it…”
“Little sister, bro will definitely pay you back, but not now. I can’t watch you throw money down the drain.”
…
In the darkness, Weng Kanya wiped her tears as she lay in bed. Although she had considered that her family might not support her starting the magazine agency,
She had never imagined that not only would they not support her, but they would also hold her back like this.
Right now, she had nothing on her except the few dozen yuan from last month’s salary. She could not scrape together a single extra cent.
At this moment, she truly regretted listening to her mother and handing over every month’s salary to the family.
“Sigh…”
Weng Kanya let out a soft sigh and pinned her last shred of hope on her grandfather.
She hoped she could get some help from him.
Originally full of confidence, believing she could definitely pull this off and get the magazine agency up and running, Weng Kanya had lost that initial self-assurance after this blow from her family.
Fortunately, the next day, when Weng Kanya mentioned starting the magazine agency with Qiao Shu to her grandfather, she received his support.
And after showing him the two fairy tale stories Qiao Shu had written, she got even more affirmation from him.
“Xiao Ya, your eye for talent is sharper than your parents’ and your brother’s. Go for it—Grandpa will support you fully.”
After receiving her grandfather’s affirmation, Weng Kanya regained her confidence and got busy again.
Originally, she had planned that with the money she had saved from doing side jobs since her teens—studying frugally, working part-time after school and during breaks—and her higher salary at the magazine agency, she had accumulated a decent sum.
With her savings plus her grandfather’s sponsorship, it should have been just enough to start a small magazine agency without needing Qiao Shu to invest more.
But she never imagined that her family, who said they were saving it as her dowry, had used every cent and left her nothing…
After much thought, Weng Kanya had no choice but to sheepishly call Qiao Shu and shamelessly ask her idol for money.
However, Weng Kanya never expected her idol to be so generous.
“Short on money? I have some— is ten thousand yuan enough?”
“…”
Hearing Qiao Shu casually offer ten thousand right off the bat, Weng Kanya was so shocked her breathing stopped.
“Not enough?”
Since Weng Kanya did not reply, Qiao Shu—who had no concept of prices in this era—asked again.
Only then did the stunned Weng Kanya respond.
“Enough! More than enough!”
This was not just enough—it was way more than enough!!!
Weng Kanya took a deep breath and said, her voice still trembling, “Teacher Qiao, your ten thousand yuan is more than plenty. We might not even use it all. After all, per our plan, we’re starting small: rent a tiny single room for an office, no employees needed…”
Her original plan was for a very small magazine agency. In the early unprofitable stage, no hires needed—just the cheapest small room. That way, startup costs would be low, and her funds would barely cover it.
Qiao Shu’s ten thousand yuan was overkill???
Listening to Weng Kanya’s explanation, Qiao Shu thought it over. Since she had already decided to use the money for the magazine agency and the letter was sent,
She decided to just… go all out!
Spend every bit of the ten thousand yuan on this magazine agency~!
“No need for a tiny single room. Let’s go big from the start and buy a larger shop outright! No renting—buy it!”
Plus, what investment was more stable and profitable than buying property?
Qiao Shu did not know if her magazine agency would succeed, but buying a house definitely would.
If worst came to worst and the magazine agency failed and lost money, at least the house she bought would appreciate!
She would definitely have money to pay back Feng Xiao.
“Huh? Huh?!!”
Hearing Qiao Shu say this, Weng Kanya was dumbfounded.
“But since I’m putting up the money for the property, put my name on the deed.”
Qiao Shu ignored the speechless Weng Kanya and continued.
“And if you’re short on other funds, I can cover the bulk, but I might take a larger share of the magazine agency.”
Qiao Shu was not suggesting this purely to take advantage.
On one hand, she could see Weng Kanya’s funding shortage and that her family was not wealthy—forcing her to stake everything on this venture with her was not right.
On the other, this was Qiao Shu’s first time starting a business, so she was extra cautious. Without full confidence it would profit, she did not want to drag the girl down too much, lest real losses hurt her badly.
Regardless of Qiao Shu’s thinking, Weng Kanya had no objections.
Her mind was racing: Wow! Teacher Qiao trusts me so much! Why else would she offer ten thousand yuan for our magazine agency? Since she trusts me this much, I have to make it work!!!
“Yes, yes! Teacher Qiao, don’t worry—I’ll do everything as you say. But I still need to contribute my share!”
After chatting it over with Weng Kanya and handing the magazine agency startup to the ‘professional’ Weng Kanya, Qiao Shu hung up and continued brainstorming her fairy tales.
But before she could settle in, He Hong cheerfully brought Jiang Zheng over.
Seeing it was not quitting time, Qiao Shu was a bit puzzled.
But she soon understood—Jiang Zheng had come to talk about her plan to start the magazine agency.
“Shushu, your brother-in-law’s family is a scholarly household, full of cultured people. I called him this morning, and he said his family has people in publishing. So I had him come chat with you properly.”
Hearing He Hong’s words, Qiao Shu nodded obediently and looked at Jiang Zheng, thanking him sincerely.
“Brother-in-law, thank you. But… I don’t understand this stuff. How about… I call my partner, and you talk to her???”
Seeing Qiao Shu’s innocent look, He Hong immediately felt she was right to fuss over her little girl!
Look at her—their little one was still a child! So naive, needing all the help!
“That works too. Professional matters for professionals. You just focus on writing fairy tales at home.”
Jiang Zheng smiled and nodded. Like the Feng Family, he genuinely liked this sweet, innocent little wife of his brother-in-law.
Especially since she was great with kids. Now their two little tyrants were so well-behaved, studying diligently after school just to visit their little aunt during breaks. On top of liking her, he felt deep gratitude.
So when his mother-in-law mentioned Qiao Shu’s magazine agency plans, he came to help personally.
“Little Jiang, this is on you now. It’s Shushu’s first time—make sure it goes well.”
He Hong said smilingly, dumping all the pressure on Jiang Zheng.
And Jiang Zheng happily took it on fully—partly because he liked Qiao Shu, partly to repay her for minding their kids over summer and raising them so well.
“No problem, leave it to me. Shushu, give me your partner’s number later. I’ll coordinate a time, get everyone together for a meeting, and handle it all at once.”
Though Jiang Zheng himself was not deeply into publishing, his family had connections there, plus ties to the education bureau.
Forget starting a publishing house—even if Qiao Shu’s children’s books did not sell well, those connections would ensure they did.
Of course, he believed with Qiao Shu’s talent, no backdoors were needed.
He had read her fairy tales—not just kids loved them; even he enjoyed the whimsy and the child-rearing wisdom woven in.
So he was very optimistic about her magazine agency—
“Shushu, does your Fairy Tale Princess Magazine still need money? If so, I could invest some too…?”
Hearing Jiang Zheng’s words, not only did Qiao Shu freeze, but He Hong did too.
However, He Hong quickly came to her senses and promptly agreed on Qiao Shu’s behalf.
“Little Jiang, if you have the money, that’s perfect! Why not invest more and become a partner? That way, you can help keep an eye on things for our Shushu and her magazine…”
He Hong’s thinking was straightforward: if a family member became a partner in Qiao Shu’s magazine, then if it ever started making money, Qiao Shu wouldn’t be so easily deceived by outsiders.
After all, who could be more reliable than family?
Moreover, her future son-in-law’s values and character were truly trustworthy.
“If Shushu agrees, I’d be more than happy to.”
Jiang Zheng said with a smile, but he still looked respectfully toward Qiao Shu and asked.
“Shushu, would you be willing to let your brother-in-law join in?”
Although Weng Kanya had said that her ten thousand was enough to start the magazine, Qiao Shu figured that having another partner meant sharing the workload and risks of running the magazine, which was a good thing.
And more importantly—Jiang Zheng’s help in the publishing world was invaluable to them!
So, the laid-back Qiao Shu happily agreed to Jiang Zheng’s request to join as a partner in the magazine.
“Of course, brother-in-law. If you’re investing, I’d welcome it. Having a professional to manage things means I can be a proper hands-off boss, which is exactly what I want~!”
Qiao Shu blinked, her face full of delighted surprise.
Seeing how genuinely Qiao Shu wanted him to join in running the magazine, Jiang Zheng became even more invested in the venture.
“Shushu, thank you for letting your brother-in-law earn money alongside you.”
And so, unbeknownst to Weng Kanya, she—who had already secured massive startup funds—now gained an even more impressive network of publishing connections through him! Making their entrepreneurial journey far smoother…