Chapter 207

Mrs. Lu saw this time’s payment was 5,600 yuan. There must have been quite a few books printed before, but she didn’t inquire further.

The two brothers in their family had already married and separated their households, so the financial situation in her son’s home was no longer her concern.

Moreover, this money was earned by her daughter-in-law, so strictly speaking, the couple were more qualified than her to handle these matters.

Shi Tingyu opened the package and looked at the sample books of the deluxe edition that had been sent over.

Mrs. Lu also leaned over curiously to take a look.

Three volumes of books were wrapped in a waistband with a portrait of Zhuifeng printed on it. There was also a hardboard case with “Loyal Dog” embossed in gold on it.

The packaging was so high-end that Mrs. Lu didn’t dare touch it.

“Xiaoyu, these books look really nice,” she said.

Shi Tingyu smiled, “These books still have the same content as before, just packaged into three volumes with new covers.”

When she had agreed to publish the deluxe edition, Shi Tingyu had also created some exquisite illustrations for “Loyal Dog,” making this deluxe edition highly collectible.

At the time of the agreement with the publishing house, she had asked them to keep a few sets of sample books for her.

For previous comic books, they usually kept about five sample copies, but this time, for the deluxe edition, the publishing house had sent her ten sets.

Mrs. Lu didn’t quite understand these things.

Shi Tingyu explained it to her, and Mrs. Lu finally understood.

So, this was like making money without doing much.

Of course, it wasn’t that her daughter-in-law didn’t put in any effort at all. It was just that this was a collection of previously published works, so there was no need to come up with new content.

Shi Tingyu also opened the comic books and found that the paper quality of the deluxe edition was much better and more delicate than that of the previous single volumes, whether in terms of cross-page layout, clarity, or color accuracy.

This was the quality of a deluxe edition, and Shi Tingyu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

Overall, Shi Tingyu was very satisfied.

Along with the parcel, there was also a letter from the chief editor of the publishing house.

In the letter, they asked if she had any plans to continue drawing comics in the future, and whether she wanted them to send her the letters from readers that had been received by the publishing house.

Publishing a book was like launching a TV series. At the beginning, there was a lot of discussion among readers, and at that time, reader letters were the most frequent.

Now, the letters from readers of “Loyal Dog” had stabilized, so they were considering sending some to Shi Tingyu.

After thinking it over, Shi Tingyu went to write a reply to the publishing house.

She was grateful to those who liked “Loyal Dog.”

Those who could send letters must really love it.

If they sent them to her, she could take a look, and it wouldn’t be in vain for their affection.

Mrs. Lu heard that readers were writing letters to Shi Tingyu and felt proud. She thought to herself, Xiaoyu, whether big or small, is becoming quite a celebrity.

When Lu Weiguo returned from training, Shi Tingyu gave him the letter and remittance slip, saying, “When you have time, help me send this letter and deposit the money into the bank.”

Lu Weiguo nodded. “Sure, I’m going to the city tomorrow for some errands. I’ll do it on my way back.”

About a week after the letter was sent, the loudspeaker in the family housing estate announced Shi Tingyu’s name. She knew it must be the arrival of letters from readers.

When Mrs. Lu and Shi Tingyu walked to the door, they could see several large hemp bags from afar.

Shi Tingyu knew there should be quite a few letters.

According to the chief editor, there were at least a thousand letters.

Considering that her comic book had printed over a million copies overall, this number didn’t seem excessive.

As they approached and confirmed that the three large hemp bags were indeed their items, Mrs. Lu’s eyes widened.

“Xiaoyu, weren’t these supposed to be letters from readers? Why are they packed in hemp bags?”

In Mrs. Lu’s view, letters were usually thin, so how many could there possibly be? At most, a few dozen at most.

Who would have thought these letters were actually packed in hemp bags?

She lifted one to gauge the weight. While it wasn’t as heavy as a bag of grain, it certainly wasn’t light either.

“How many are there?” she wondered aloud.

By now, people around them also realized that the bags contained letters from readers sent to Shi Tingyu.

Goodness, after unloading these bags, it seemed there must be at least a thousand letters.

For a moment, their gazes towards Shi Tingyu became respectful and awe-struck.

One must have considerable fame to receive so many letters from readers.

Sensing the attention around her, Mrs. Lu straightened her back proudly and said, “Xiaoyu, these things are heavy. Let me carry them back for you. After all, they represent the heartfelt sentiments of your readers.”

Shi Tingyu looked at the numerous letters and knew Mrs. Lu couldn’t possibly carry them all. “Mom, let’s go back and get the bike to bring them over.”

Mrs. Lu thought about it and realized it would be quite strenuous to carry these bags back herself.

If her husband, Lü Weiguo, was here to help, it would be manageable, but relying solely on herself would indeed be a bit challenging.

If there were a handcart or a wheelbarrow available in the housing estate, they could borrow it and transport everything in one trip.

However, no one in the housing estate owned such vehicles, as there was no need for them here.

The guard looked at Shi Tingyu’s slightly swollen belly and Mrs. Lu, who was not young anymore, and said, “Grandma, Sister-in-law, if you trust us, you can leave these letters here for now. When Captain Lü returns from training, I’ll let him know and he can take them back for you.”

Shi Tingyu had no objection, just worried about inconveniencing the guards.

“There are quite a lot of these, will it bother you?” she asked.

The guard smiled and replied, “No, it’s just taking up some space.”

With that settled, the two women thanked the guard and left.

After they left, the bags of letters became a sight at the entrance.

Word spread quickly, and people came specifically to see so many letters.

When Lü Weiguo returned from training and tried to enter the housing estate, he was stopped by the guards.

“Captain, there are too many letters from readers for Sister-in-law. Grandma and Sister-in-law couldn’t carry them, so we left them here for you to take back.”

Lü Weiguo looked in the direction they pointed.

Wow, so many?

Seeing Lü Weiguo’s puzzled expression, the guard nodded solemnly. “All three bags are full.”

Lü Weiguo didn’t say anything and just lifted one bag in each hand.

He’d have to come back for the remaining bag.

It wasn’t that the weight was too much for him to handle; it was more about the bulky size making it awkward to carry.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Lu was cooking. When she saw her son return with two bags of things, she hurried over to help him carefully unload the bags.

“These letters sure have some weight to them,” Lü Weiguo remarked.

Mrs. Lu proudly replied, “Of course, this is all about honor, so naturally, they’re heavy.”

After bringing the items into the main room, Lü Weiguo went back out to fetch the rest of the letters.

Shi Tingyu roughly organized the letters, estimated there were fewer than two thousand, but still over a thousand and several hundred. This was after the publishing house had screened them.