Chapter 95: The Royalty Payment Arrives

Jiang Zheng had not expected that the sensation of using a skill he had acquired through a technical specialization would feel completely different from a temporary skill.

At the very least, that rapid-learning sensation had never existed with the temporary skills before.

He could also faintly sense another difference: right now, he could only display hacker techniques corresponding to the knowledge he had actually learned.

Back when he relied on temporary skills, he only needed to absorb a bit of basic knowledge before he could bring the entire technique fully to bear. Even if he did not understand it, his instincts would still guide him to use it that way.

But now, Jiang Zheng could not unleash techniques beyond what he had learned. It felt as though he had been sealed off; only by continuing to study could he unlock more.

Though there was such a restriction, the astonishingly fast pace of learning made its impact much less severe.

That afternoon, Jiang Zheng still typed away earnestly, storing up drafts with equal diligence.

Another few days passed.

It was time for royalties to be paid.

Jiang Zheng had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Last month’s royalties had been considerable.

A single month had brought in over ten million. It was the first time he had ever earned so much money.

Had he not already possessed the system, and had his mind not been somewhat prepared for it, he probably would have been carried away the very instant he saw such a sum.

The reason his monthly royalties had surpassed ten million was the result of his enormous update volume and the already very high sales.

After all, it had been the novel that ranked first in monthly votes last month. How could the royalties be anything less than impressive?

Put simply, Jiang Zheng was now standing at a relatively top position among online authors.

Not the absolute pinnacle, of course, since he had only entered the field for a short time.

But he was not very far from the summit either.

No matter what industry it was, once a person became part of the top tier, the money came in fast.

When the royalties arrived, Jiang Zheng looked at the enormous sum that had appeared in his bank account and felt as if he were dreaming.

By the standards of his old plans, he would never have earned this much in an entire lifetime.

He had once worked part-time as a police officer, so he was not naive about wages. He would never have imagined that simply graduating from university would automatically mean earning more than ten thousand a month.

Now ten thousand a month was not uncommon, but it was by no means the norm.

Even if Jiang Zheng, after graduation, could make ten thousand a month, he would still not earn a million in a lifetime before retirement.

And now, in just one month, he had earned that much.

That unreal feeling left him as though he had fallen into a dream.

For a fleeting moment, Jiang Zheng even thought he might as well keep working in this line from now on.

With his current reputation, once this book ended, his next works would still earn a great deal as long as they were not too disastrous.

He would not necessarily become fabulously wealthy, but at the very least he would never want for food or drink, and he could live with great ease and comfort.

If he stayed focused in this field, his starting point was already exceedingly high.

But that feeling vanished quickly.

Because Jiang Zheng had the system, his mind was naturally not so fragile as to lose itself over ten million.

With the system, he had limitless possibilities. He was still young and did not want to decide so soon which road he would take.

After receiving the royalties, the first thing he thought of was taking his parents out to spend some money.

His parents had worked hard for more than half their lives, and now that he had money, the first thing on his mind was how to show them his filial duty.

He wanted to take them to the mall in the city and buy whatever they liked without worrying about the price.

Or perhaps buy a car for the family, or replace the house.

But very soon, Jiang Zheng dismissed the idea.

It was true that he had money now; he could buy a car, buy a house, and take his parents out for a good time.

But there was one problem: the moment his parents learned that Jiang Zheng had this much money, their first reaction would probably not be joy, but shock.

He could explain, tell them the money came from writing novels.

After finally persuading the two elders to believe that he now had the ability to earn money and that they no longer needed to worry so much about the future, what would they think if Jiang Zheng then said he was done writing this book and would stop?

Jiang Zheng felt that, more than likely, they would take turns urging him to keep doing this work, to the point that quitting would be out of the question.

If that happened, his plans to pursue other things would be somewhat constrained.

Once he realized this, Jiang Zheng immediately restrained those thoughts.

There were other ways to be filial to his parents. He could take it slowly; there was no need to settle everything at once. If he went step by step, his parents would also have time to accept it.

Having figured that out, Jiang Zheng smiled.

That evening, his parents came home from work.

His mother had specially bought a piece of beef and said, "Yesterday you said you wanted potato stew with beef, so today I went to look around and found this piece. It seemed pretty fresh."

Jiang Zheng responded, then said, "Mom, Dad, why don’t you both take a day off tomorrow?"

"Take time off for what? It’s peak season right now; it’s not easy to get leave," Jiang’s father asked.

"I want to go buy some things," Jiang Zheng said.

Hearing that, Jiang’s father asked, "What are you buying? How much money do you need?"

"No, I just want you both to go with me," Jiang Zheng said.

"We really can’t take leave. Let’s talk about it after this busy stretch is over. I’ll have your mother transfer the money to you; if you want to buy something, just go buy it yourself," Jiang’s father said.

Jiang Zheng shook his head. "Then forget it. I won’t go buy anything for now."

After hearing this, Jiang’s father thought for a moment and said, "All right then. Once we’re through this busy period, we’ll take you to buy it."

Jiang Zheng answered, quietly thinking that perhaps it was not a bad thing that his parents would not go.

He knew his parents very well. They had spent their entire lives being frugal. If he really dragged them out to buy something, they would probably take one look at the price and end up not buying it.

In the end, they would only choose the cheapest option and be done with it.

If he bought things for them himself, he would not need to worry so much about the price, and they would not carry such a heavy psychological burden.

Once he understood that, Jiang Zheng immediately felt much more at ease.

"Mom, let me help you. What else do you need to do?" he said, getting up.

"Go on, go on. There’s nothing in the kitchen that needs you. Sit down and watch some TV," his mother said.

Helpless, Jiang Zheng backed out of the kitchen. He did not insist. He knew his own cooking skills better than anyone; at most, he could boil noodles or fry rice. Anything too complicated was beyond him.

Time passed slowly. Before long, the potato stew with beef was ready in the kitchen, and the aroma quickly spread through the room.

"It smells amazing!" Jiang Zheng said.

At that moment, his mother came out of the kitchen and said, "Let it simmer a little longer, and then I’ll stir-fry some vegetables. After that we can eat."

After a brief pause, his mother asked, "By the way, I thought I heard you mention buying something in the kitchen just now?"

"No, I’m not buying anything for now," Jiang Zheng said, shaking his head.

"If you want to buy something, just say so. I can give you the money," his mother said.

Jiang Zheng replied, "Really, it’s not necessary. I still have money here. If I want to buy something, I can buy it myself. You don’t need to give me money."

"That’s different. After you graduate and find a job, your father and I won’t give you money anymore," his mother said.

Jiang Zheng said a few more things before finally managing to gloss over it.

Once dinner was ready, Jiang Zheng ate heartily, repeatedly praising how delicious it was.