Chapter 2

This is the second time this month that Zhang Xuan has received a remittance slip. He politely exchanged a few words and calmly took it, with little fluctuation in his mood.

It was the postman's loud voice that brought Ruan Xiuqin, who was heating water outside, back.

"Xiao Lin, thank you for your trouble." Ruan Xiuqin was familiar with the postman who had been delivering mail for several years. She found a clean enamel cup, filled it with steaming hot water, and hurriedly took a bottle of orange jam from the bedside table to give to him.

Ruan Xiuqin knew the postman well, and the postman was also aware of the Zhang family's difficult situation. He did not take the jam but instead blew on the hot water, took a sip, and congratulated them:

"Your son Zhang Xuan is really making great progress. This is the fourth time I've delivered a remittance slip to him in the past six months. He will definitely become a great writer in the future."

Ruan Xiuqin silently took the remittance slip from Zhang Xuan, looked at it, and then put it in her pocket. She smiled warmly at the postman and said, "Thanks for your good wishes. If he really makes it, it will be because of your blessings."

As she spoke, Ruan Xiuqin handed the orange jam to the postman again.

"No, no, I have this at home." The postman waved his hands, refusing to take it.

"You have it at home, but it's cold outside. Take it to quench your thirst."

This time, Ruan Xiuqin directly put the orange jam into the postman's bag and quietly asked him to keep it a secret for her son.

"Don't worry, I understand. I promise not to tell anyone." The postman no longer refused, looked at the orange jam, and quickly patted his chest to assure her.

The postman left.

Ruan Xiuqin saw him off at the door, then closed it and took out the two remittance slips from her pocket, carefully examining them again and again. Although she said nothing, her face, which had been gloomy, was now filled with a smile, and her satisfaction was evident.

Zhang Xuan lowered his eyes and quietly observed this scene, remaining silent.

In his previous life, after relentless effort, he was admitted to a good university. When it came to choosing a major, he asked Ruan Xiuqin, "What major should I choose?"

After some serious thought, Ruan Xiuqin told him, "We are a poor family. Don't think too much. Aim for careers like civil servants, teachers, or doctors. After two or three generations, our family can truly escape poverty and enter the middle class."

As his mother wished, Zhang Xuan became a teacher at a second-tier university.

After becoming a teacher, he often enjoyed walking quietly around the campus, reading books, practicing martial arts, and chatting with friends. Although he could be considered a bookworm, he was quite sociable.

However, when it came to his mother, Zhang Xuan never knew how to express his affection. Many times, he wanted to talk to her, help her wash her feet, massage her back, take a walk together, or give her a hug and say, "Mom, you've worked hard in this life" or "Mom, I love you," but the words always died in his throat, and he found it hard to express his love.

Gathering his thoughts, Zhang Xuan glanced at his mother, who was still smiling to herself, and then opened the package. Inside was a copy of the magazine "Zhiyin" and a letter.

Since "Zhiyin" magazine was very popular at the time, Zhang Xuan had already successfully submitted three articles to it, and they had become familiar with each other.

He quickly flipped through the magazine, which was full of recycled stories, and found it uninteresting, so he tossed it aside.

Next, he unfolded the letter.

At the beginning of the letter, the editor used the usual praise, commending Zhang Xuan's mature writing style, rich content, clear structure, and insightful analysis of urban emotions, which were engaging...

After a quick read, the last paragraph caught his attention.

What? The editor was actually inviting him to write for a regular column? To become a special contributor?

Each issue would feature a 5,000-word article, which could be an essay, a love story, or a reflection on urban emotions.

He read it again, and it was true! They were really inviting him to contribute!

Although it was still in the trial stage, his heart suddenly felt much lighter.

As a reborn old hand, he didn't need to see too much of the love and romance between men and women. As a young person once said, to live a good life, one must have a bit of green...

Having witnessed the rise and fall of "Zhiyin" magazine, he understood its appeal.

"Zhiyin" magazine had a large readership. Due to the cultural background of the time, most people, especially those over middle age, were emotionally repressed. One characteristic of this repression was a fascination with the private lives of others, especially those involving men and women, even if they were the lowest and most hypocritical, they were still in great demand.

These people often enjoyed a cup of tea, sitting comfortably, and applauding articles about infidelity.

What were these "infidelity articles"?

Zhang Xuan had long grasped the twisted psychology of such readers.

As long as he wrote articles like "The IQ of lovers is negative, even if green hats are woven one after another, you still praise their craftsmanship," he was sure to receive good reviews, sell well, and earn more稿费.

Of course, Zhang Xuan never wrote about ordinary people. Those who struggled for survival did not interest the readers, as they could not provide the readers with a sense of superiority in their schadenfreude.

Only by writing about unfortunate celebrities, fallen officials, or businesspeople involved in romantic scandals could he make the readers cheer and comment enthusiastically.

This was the reason for the existence of "Zhiyin" magazine. As long as the content was not too controversial and did not involve sensitive issues or figures, the more popular it was, the more readers it attracted, and the higher the magazine's circulation, the higher the author's income. For this reason, "Zhiyin" was willing to invest in such articles...

The letter mentioned a remuneration of 150 yuan per thousand words.

This was relatively high compared to other newspapers and magazines, but for a large publication like "Zhiyin," it was only average.

Moreover, "Zhiyin" was a monthly magazine, and one article per month, 5,000 words, did not amount to much money.

Zhang Xuan, who was eager to earn more, sighed. He realized he needed to focus more on other newspapers.

For example, urban newspapers like "Xiao Xiang Urban News," "Changsha Evening News," "Xiao Xiang Morning News," "Today's Express," and "Market Guide" paid 20 to 50 yuan for a few hundred-word article, but the quantity could be high.

If he had good luck in a month, he could earn a few hundred yuan.

Considering that many people's regular wages were still around 100 to 200 yuan, and even in the coastal areas, the highest monthly wage was 400 to 600 yuan, this was a substantial income.

Zhang Xuan should have been satisfied, but the sight of the messy house and the accumulated debts of tens of thousands of yuan made him feel anxious.

They say that the bolder one is, the more one can achieve.

In this period of great social change, Zhang Xuan could smell the scent of money in the air. He also wanted to put aside his studies and venture into Shenzhen or Hainan to earn money.

He wanted to roll up his sleeves and earn money to improve his family's life. He really didn't want to live a life of constant worry about the next meal, with eight out of ten meals being sweet potato rice.

For the past six months, he had been dreaming of earning money, even coming up with a small booklet of legitimate and illegitimate ways to earn money.

There were countless legitimate ways, but let's not talk about them.

As for the illegitimate ways, Zhang Xuan felt that with his good looks, he wouldn't starve...

As the saying goes, in youth, one doesn't appreciate the comfort of a rich wife, mistaking a young girl for a treasure. Meeting a good person, one should marry first; meeting a benefactor, one should start a career first; meeting a rich wife, one should marry and start a career.

His eagerness to earn money was so intense that he was willing to roll naked in the world.

But when he glanced at his emaciated, slightly sagging mother, he suppressed his burning desire.

He knew that if he proposed giving up the college entrance exam to earn money, Ruan Xiuqin would change her face faster than the weather, grab a broom, and cry, "I can't live anymore... You scoundrel..." and chase him to the ends of the earth.

After much thought and self-consolation that he was not yet fully prepared to earn money, he decided to focus on writing for remuneration.

After all, he had been a university teacher and read a lot of books and newspapers. This task was not difficult for him.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zhang Xuan took out a pen and ink, thought for a moment, and began to write. The story he planned to write was "The Air Conditioner Haunted at Midnight, Turns Out to Be a Human Trick."

He intended to innovate, elevating the story of luxurious private lives with a touch of the supernatural, horror, and sentiment.

He hoped that this approach would attract more readers and gain the editor's further favor, potentially increasing his remuneration.

Writing 5,000 words by hand, Zhang Xuan wrote from noon until the afternoon, and his wrist ached.

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