Chapter 146 New Article: Pain is the Breeding Ground of Literature

Just as Yao Xiaoyu had predicted, her missed period caused a lot of worry, but it paled in comparison to the uproar caused by her words about not wanting to get married. Although the atmosphere at home was still somewhat somber, they generally had a good New Year. After the New Year, Yao Xiaoyu was forcibly dragged by Zhou Chunhua to see a doctor.

There was no misdiagnosis due to poor medical skills. Although the doctor who had been treating Yao Ping'an for many years was a little embarrassed, he accurately stated that Yao Xiaoyu was young. Zhou Chunhua paid and thanked him. When they got home, they talked about marriage and having children again. This time, Yao Xiaoyu did not make any excuses to delay, but simply said that she did not want to get married.

At first, Zhou Chunhua thought Yao Xiaoyu was just saying it casually. But after she realized that her granddaughter was serious about it, the two of them had a huge argument. The two-person battle was only at the beginning. Later, it was a series of battles against Yao Xiaoyu. But even with the whole family joining in, they could only manage a draw against Yao Xiaoyu.

This was originally the beginning of a long battle, but Yao Xiaoyu directly cut off the subsequent struggle. Different families use different methods to deal with disobedient children, but they all boil down to the same thing: physical suppression, economic sanctions, emotional coercion, and having leverage over each other. Most people would be hit hard by one or more of these methods, but Yao Xiaoyu was one of the very few exceptions.

Suppress by force? The whole family could only fight Tao Xiaoxiao to a draw, and Tao Xiaoxiao would be the Yao family's seventh-day memorial service.

Economic sanctions? Right now, the main source of income for the Yao family still depends on Yao Xiaoyu. Zhou Chunhua and others don't know her own income, but judging from how much she spends on clothes, it's possible that she earns more than the rest of the family.

Emotional coercion? There was still some affection between them before the surgery, but that slap severed everything.

A handle... Yao Xiaoyu doesn't have that.

They tried every possible method, but few were feasible. The Yao family couldn't resort to any underhanded tactics either, so they could only offer gentle persuasion. Once or twice was fine, but after a while, Yao Xiaoyu grew impatient and bluntly told everyone to shut up:

"Either shut up, or I'll move out."

As long as she has money, there are countless houses to live in. If Shanghai is in turmoil, she can simply go abroad. Last year, she and Tao Jingu learned how to fire a gun and load bullets. She can leave Yao Xiaoli a few gold bars as tuition fees and take Tao Xiaoxiao to the free America to have gunfights every day.

Relationships in the world are like springs; when one side weakens, the other becomes stronger. Yao Xiaoyu was completely unassailable, and the only one left to retreat was the Yao family. Of course, there was no shortage of pressure during the struggle, but pain is the breeding ground for literature. Amidst the queen's call to battle, the originally unsuccessful "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Name Change Record" was completed a month ahead of schedule, which amazed even Pi Xiukang.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to finish this book."

The term "bad ending" doesn't exist yet, but it's common for authors to cancel their work. It's more accurate to say that authors like Yao Xiaoyu, who deliver their manuscripts on time, are the exceptions—even a certain literary giant's "The True Story of Ah" was only successfully completed under pressure to meet deadlines.

Yao Xiaoyu didn't say how difficult it was to write the book "The Book of Changing Fate," but every time she came to deliver the manuscript after the New Year, she looked more haggard than the last time. When Pi Xiukang asked her questions, he could also clearly feel that Yao Xiaoyu was much more irritable than before. After spring officially arrived, she often delayed until he took the manuscript to check it and went straight to the printing factory, making the printing factory print it overnight.

"I thought so too."

Yao Xiaoyu smiled at Pi Xiukang. She underestimated the impact of writing bizarre stories for a long time, and also underestimated the data calculations of infinite flow. Every day, she felt that it was one thing for people to be hiding in the nooks and crannies, but the various calculations she had to perform were giving her a headache. A famous person once said that people can do anything when they are pushed to the limit. Yao Xiaoyu felt that that person must not have done any complicated math problems. This thing was truly impossible to solve.

Towards the end of writing "The Destiny Change Record", Yao Xiaoyu, in order to avoid causing problems with her breasts due to suppressing her emotions, simply rented a house outside to focus on writing. Then, every day she would perform the three-piece routine of pulling hair, screaming, and crawling in the shadows in her room, which frightened the people around her into saying that a female ghost who could be seen in broad daylight had moved into the house, and even gave rise to all sorts of legends.

Pi Xiukang thought he had witnessed Yao Xiaoyu's breakdown, but what he saw was only the tip of the iceberg, a mere drizzle. He knew nothing of the real big picture.

Yao Xiaoyu felt a pang of heartache when she thought about her frantic self back then. Were her words moving? Were her strokes beautiful? She traded her hair for them!

What are you planning to write about in your next book?

After the two vented about the trauma of the "Destiny-Changing Record," Pi Xiukang couldn't wait to ask Yao Xiaoyu about her next plans. Friendship aside, making a living was also very important.

"I haven't decided yet."

Yao Xiaoyu frowned and said that she already had some ideas in mind, but the lack of information about the writer was like a soldier not having a gun. It is true that a half-full bottle will rattle, but a bottle with only a little water at the bottom is unlikely to become a full bottle.

"This manuscript should last another month, so I'll take a couple of days off."

Yao Xiaoyu touched her face with heartache. Everyone else was trying to lose weight during the hot summer, but summer had only just begun in Shanghai, and she was already feeling scorched to the bone.

Thinking about her current savings, Yao Xiaoyu became even more determined to rest. Pi Kangxiu's brow twitched upon hearing this, but looking at Yao Xiaoyu, who was as thin as a chopstick, she couldn't bring herself to persuade her. She could only tell her to get better as soon as possible.

Yao Xiaoyu nodded dejectedly, but she hadn't completely given up hope on Pi Xiukang:

"If you have time, could you help me find some people who have studied abroad or have overseas experience?"

Pi Xiukang, who was well-read, immediately realized what was happening and excitedly exclaimed:

"Who are you……"

Yao Xiaoyu still looked sleepy and listless, and her voice was very soft.

"Let's save it for now."

After saying this, the two didn't continue their conversation. Yao Xiaoyu ate the last piece of fruit on Pi Xiukang's table, then left the editorial department with Tao Xiaoxiao. Pi Xiukang, after mentally reviewing his network of contacts, decisively rushed to the editor-in-chief's office—

The resources that need to be used must be used. Even if he gathered all the connections he had, they couldn't compare to the editor-in-chief's fingers!

As soon as Yao Xiaoyu left the editorial office, she took Tao Xiaoxiao straight to a restaurant. In order to meet the deadline, she had been eating whatever she could find for a long time. Now that she realized she was a bit sensitive, she decisively chose the relatively mild Tan Family Cuisine over hot pot and barbecue.

"...Do you have anything else you'd like to order?"

After Yao Xiaoyu ordered five dishes, she looked at Tao Xiaoxiao. Tao Xiaoxiao recalled the bowls and plates that had been used to serve the dishes when she entered the room, and then added three more. The waiter quickly recited the names of the dishes, and after confirming that everything was correct, he lifted the curtain of the kitchen.

The two had never been to this restaurant before, but the dishes were generally good. The waiter highly recommended the Weigong Tofu, and the Bamboo Chicken Soup that Yao Xiaoyu asked about was especially delicious.

Weigong Tofu is a common dish that can be found in small restaurants on the streets and alleys. However, the tofu at this restaurant is first boiled in a broth made from soybean sprouts to create honeycomb-like holes, and then stewed in clear chicken broth before being cooked. It is soft and not greasy, with the pores filled with broth. Although it may be a bit presumptuous, Yao Xiaoyu felt that the taste of this tofu was no worse than the eggplant dish from the Dream of the Red Chamber banquet she had eaten.

Bamboo Chicken Soup is another delicacy. When Yao Xiaoyu asked what new dishes were available, the waiter mysteriously revealed the information about bamboo fungus. After confirming that the name referred to those little elves in skirts, Yao Xiaoyu decisively used the extra money method to order two bowls.

It is said that the best state for an official is to be as clear as water and as bright as a mirror. The soup in this bamboo-shaped chicken soup is even better than that. After the ripples of the soup were put down gradually disappeared, if it weren't for the fresh bamboo fragrance and the mouthwatering taste of the soup itself, Yao Xiaoyu would have thought that the ingredients inside were in a semi-suspended state—there are about a hundred fish in the pool, all swimming in the air as if they have nothing to rely on.

It is said that bamboo chicken soup was originally made to relieve hangovers. Yao Xiaoyu didn't know if this was true or just the waiter's explanation of the soup's contents. In any case, there were only a pitiful three or five pieces of bamboo fungus in the bowl of soup, and not even a little bit of chicken was given. Yao Xiaoyu admitted that it was delicious, but she also felt that after drinking it, she was always in a magical state of being both full and hungry.

Overall, however, the taste of the dishes was worth the price.

Yao Xiaoyu paid with silver dollars and took Tao Xiaoxiao to the post office to mail the thick envelope. This was a new article she had secretly written under immense pressure to finish her manuscript. Even she found it amazing. But it also proved the saying that all slacking off at work is extremely interesting, even if it's just another similar job.

The new article is a medium-length novel of 80,000 words, also a story of infinite flow. However, unlike the side plots where Shangguan Jieyou leads the female ghosts of Lanruo Temple to Jiangnan and opens a first-class silk shop, it focuses more on those ridiculous and oppressive customs of women, but does not have any didactic meaning, because its main perspective is a cat.

This is a thought that often pops into Yao Xiaoyu's mind when she is under pressure to meet deadlines: How wonderful it would be if she were not a human, but a small animal that only needs to eat and sleep every day!

She had imagined herself as birds, dogs, cows, and sheep, but most often she imagined herself as a cat. She didn't know when it started, but the setting gradually improved and the story gradually emerged. By the time she came to her senses, the beginning had already been written on the paper.

As I said before, everything she did at work was fascinating, except for work itself. A little bit of relaxation, a little bit of interest in slacking off, plus a little bit of passion for writing, allowed her to finish the story before the final chapter where Shangguan Jieyou returned to reality after slaying the god.

But she didn't want to publish this story under the name of a little fish, so she created a new pseudonym and mailed her own beginning to the platform. Even if the editor didn't even look at the submission and threw it directly into the trash, she only needed to rewrite the beginning when submitting it to other platforms.

No, this pen name is the second pseudonym she can publicly use. The copying work can be completely left to her family!

Yao Xiaoyu's eyes lit up immediately!