FWTS Chapter 153: Spring Festival Long Holiday

As the end of the year approached, there was no shortage of work at Qingtian Film Company. With high-investment projects like "Xuan Yuan Sword Master" in the pipeline, there was even more to do.

Chu Qing had received an email from Hou Muyun a while ago but hadn't had the chance to read it. After finishing some tasks and finally getting a breather, she opened the email. Initially, she intended to call Hou Muyun to ask if he needed help finding a translator. But upon seeing the email, she was intrigued—it was entirely in English.

Curious, she started reading and was soon dumbfounded.

After finishing the prologue, Chu Qing furrowed her brows.

Having lived in America for a long time and completed nearly all her education there, Chu Qing had a substantial reading background. She knew very well the level of the over ten thousand words she had just read.

Leaving aside the plot and characters, what surprised Chu Qing was the impeccable, humorous, and thought-provoking word choice throughout the text! The usage habits were also spot-on!

Chu Qing felt like she was reading a novel by a top American author!

Thus, she was very curious about where Hou Muyun found such a translator. Moreover, a translator of this caliber would likely be very familiar with American publishers and wouldn't need her help at all.

She called Hou Muyun and asked him about this. His response made her quite exasperated. He shamelessly claimed that he had translated it himself!

Chu Qing asked, "Did you study abroad?"

Hou Muyun replied, "No."

Chu Qing questioned, "Then how can your word choice be more precise than an American's, and your usage habits not reflect any Chinese influence?"

Hou Muyun laughed and said, "Are you saying I can't be more precise than an American? Have you heard that the math skills of our country's seven- or eight-year-olds can crush most American high school students? Being good at studying is a feature of our country's education system. Oh, by the way, you probably haven't experienced our exam-oriented education. As for usage habits, watching a lot of movies and reading a lot naturally helps. Besides, how can a genius like me be judged by common standards?"

"Stop with the nonsense!"

Chu Qing was a bit angry, "I'm serious. I'm not joking! Copyright laws in America are very strict. The author is the author, and the translator is the translator. Tell me who the translator is quickly. If we really want to publish it, we need to sign a contract with the translator."

"I'm not joking either. It really was me. I'm somewhat of a bestselling author myself, you know. I'm aware of copyright issues."

Hou Muyun knew he couldn't be vague about this matter from the start. As for others doubting his proficiency in English, that was their problem. When it comes to learning, others don't have evidence to the contrary.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure!"

"Not lying?"

"I'd be a puppy if I were lying. Is that good enough?"

"…‘Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.’ Translate this into Chinese!"

"Give me a harder one to test, okay? This is too easy."

"The simpler, the harder!"

"I'll translate it poetically: ‘生如夏花之绚烂，死如秋叶之静美.’"

"Like a dog, like a god."

"Like a dog, yet like a god, haha. Poetic, poetic. ‘好像突然有了软肋，也突然有了铠甲.’"

"Nice to meet you."

"有生之年，相逢甚幸."

"…Translate 'Jiang Xue' for me. '千山鸟飞绝，万径人踪灭。孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪.'"

"From hill to hill no bird in flight, from paths to paths no people in sight…"

"‘Book of Songs’, 'Guan Ju'!"

"By riverside are cooing, a pair of turtle doves…"

"That's enough, I believe you!"

When Chu Qing heard "Jiang Xue," she was completely convinced of Hou Muyun's capabilities. It wasn't a literal translation, but it perfectly conveyed the meaning and realm. The sentence structure, rhythm, and word choice were all incredibly beautiful, breathtakingly so, and filled with rich poetic imagery.

With such god-level translation skills, Chu Qing found nothing surprising about Hou Muyun's pronunciation.

"You… really are a freak! Contact me when you're ready."

Chu Qing hung up the phone, shaking her head repeatedly in amazement. She had met many outstanding people, but Hou Muyun was the first such monstrous genius. The more she interacted with and understood him, the more incredible he seemed. She had to admit, even though he was sometimes overbearing and arrogant, he had the right to be!

"Whoa, you know English too?"

At this point, Fatty had just learned about Hou Muyun's plan to publish an English version of his novel and was quite surprised.

Hou Muyun chuckled, "Low-key, low-key."

Fatty was speechless.

Upon arriving in Ruicheng, Hou Muyun dropped off Fatty at the entrance of his neighborhood before heading to his rural home.

Fatty didn't go straight home but instead went to the bank next to the neighborhood. Having been away from home for a while, he had always told his family that he was doing well. Naturally, now that he was back, he wanted to withdraw some money to bring home, reassuring his family. Of course, he also wanted to check how much money Hou Muyun had put on the card he gave him.

He inserted the card, entered the PIN, and checked the balance. He was stunned. He didn’t dare withdraw any money, so he quickly took out the card and called Hou Muyun.

"Monkey Bro, the red envelope was already substantial, but this card has... too much money! I've only been working for a short while!"

"Stop being melodramatic! If you think it's too much, consider it your salary for next year. I'm driving, gotta go."

Listening to the beeping on the phone, Fatty didn’t know whether to laugh or cry...

By the time he got home, it was nearly six o'clock. Knowing that Hou Muyun was coming back, many relatives and friends had gathered. When Hou Muyun arrived, the house was full.

The house had been fully built, and although rural people weren't very particular about the decor, it was clean and tidy enough. His parents had already moved in, and Hou Muyun had previously arranged for someone to buy some furniture and appliances.

After nine o'clock, when all the relatives and friends had left, Hou Shixiong let out a long breath. Despite being a man of few words, he couldn't help but sigh, "When you are poor, no one cares; when you are rich, distant relatives show up!"

Cai Xuemei glared at him, "The child rarely comes home, why say such things!"

Hou Muyun knew the reason very well; it was just the fickleness of human nature.

Now that he was famous and considered a "celebrity," all the relatives and friends knew about it. They had also heard that he made a lot of money and was investing in movies. Although it wasn't exactly flattering to say it, many people had come to borrow money recently. His parents had mentioned this several times on the phone when he was away.

This reminded Hou Muyun of the news about a farmer singer, "Big Coat Brother," who became famous on a variety show and lent a million yuan to villagers, none of whom repaid him, and even resented him. They thought "Big Coat Brother" made money easily and had so much that he didn't miss that bit, even feeling that repaying the money was a loss...

The more you lend, the more resentment you attract.

A small favor is appreciated, but a large favor breeds hatred!

Although it's melodramatic, the Hou family undoubtedly faced the same issue now.

However, Hou Muyun was not as kind or as honest as "Big Coat Brother."

He said to his parents, "Mom, Dad, this is actually very simple. Those who helped our family, whether financially or otherwise, as long as they ask, we’ll lend them money. We aren't ungrateful people. If they repay, we can lend again; if not, we won't lend anymore. As for those who didn't help at all or even showed no concern during our tough times, no matter how close they are, we won't lend them anything. We won’t be suckers!"

"As long as we have principles and a bottom line, regardless of what others say, we can find warmth in our own hearts. Just follow my lead on this. Get some rest early; tomorrow we’re heading to Hainan. Our family, Auntie’s family, Cousin Shou’s family, and Uncle Hongjiang’s family, we’re all going to Hainan for the New Year."

Hou Muyun’s parents were still processing his words when they heard about spending the New Year elsewhere and were momentarily stunned.

"Even if we stay at home, we probably won’t have a peaceful New Year."

Hou Muyun continued with a smile, "Besides, I've always wanted to take you on a trip after making money. I’ve been busy all year, traveling around. Now that it’s the New Year and we have some time off, I can take you out. And with Auntie, Uncle, and Uncle Hongjiang’s families joining us, you’ll have company, and it’ll be lively. With so many people, celebrating outside will still feel like the New Year!"

Hou Shixiong opened his mouth to speak, "But..."

Hou Muyun interrupted, "No buts. I’ve already talked to the three families; the plane tickets are bought, and the rooms are booked. Dad, Mom, you’ve worked hard all your lives; it's time to enjoy. I suggested buying a house in the city before, but you didn’t want to move, saying you wouldn’t get used to it and couldn’t stay idle. I listened to you then; this time, you have to listen to me. Otherwise, what’s the point of me making money!"

Hou Shixiong wanted to say more, but Cai Xuemei pulled him back, "Listen to your son!"

Hou Shixiong nodded obediently.

Hou Muyun grinned, "Mom, it's not that Dad is listening to me; he’s listening to you."

"Stop it!"

Hou Shixiong gave him a light tap on the head.

Cai Xuemei’s eyes brightened, "You should find someone to keep you in line too!"

"There you go again! You can turn anything into this topic!"

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