Chapter 65 Miao Wuni Changes Her Name to Yao Xiaoyu and Changes the Ending

After sending out her submission for "Paper Wedding Dress Vest," Yao Xiaoyu stopped paying attention to it. An article of this quality would have no chance of being unpublished unless it was completely ignored by the editor. From the day she sent the letter, she marked a date for half a month later, deciding that if she didn't receive a reply by then, she would resend it to another publication.

If she doesn't receive a reply after three submissions, Yao Xiaoyu is prepared to let Paper Wedding Dress's pseudonym debut on Editor Pi's platform!

...

"Give me a clay pot rice with preserved meat, and two braised duck feet to go."

Sitting in the rickshaw, Yao Xiaoyu looked at Tao Xiaoxiao carrying a food box and felt that her idea of ​​turning people into relatives was a stroke of genius—with Tao Xiaoxiao, who had established an image of daring to spend money, supporting her, she could now ride in rickshaws, buy clothes, and go to restaurants openly, and her quality of life had risen sharply.

"Do you still have braised beef?"

As they passed the braised food stall, Yao Xiaoyu signaled to the rickshaw driver to stop. The vendor, upon seeing Yao Xiaoyu and Tao Xiaoxiao's faces, immediately beamed with joy.

"Yes, yes, the cow was slaughtered just this morning, the meat is beautiful!"

Yao Xiaoyu pretended to look at it, then asked the vendor to slice the beef into thin slices. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the beef slices glistening with green.

Yes, it's fresh.

Braised beef is a great thing; it tastes good no matter how you cook it. This restaurant has an exceptionally good control over the braising sauce. Even without any other ingredients, it's not too salty to eat on its own. Paired with the duck feet buns they bought, it's enough to satisfy Yao Xiaoyu's teething needs for the whole afternoon.

The Yao family had no shortage of vegetables, so Yao Xiaoyu didn't buy any. She only bought some ice on the way, and enough fresh noodles for her and Tao Xiaoxiao. After thinking for a moment, she grabbed a small handful more.

Yao Xiaoli is still growing; she can't just drink porridge all day.

The driver drove very fast, and the clay pot rice he carried away was still piping hot when he got home. The cook was from Guangdong who came to Shanghai to make a living, and his skills were superb. The sausages were salty with a hint of sweetness, and after a few chews, your mouth was full of freshness.

Duck feet wrapped in chicken or duck intestines are duck feet tied together, with the nails removed very cleanly. The main feature is that everything except the bones is edible. The taste is quite different from the braised duck feet commonly seen today, but it is still a top-quality treat for chewing.

Yao Xiaoyu ate half of the beef, chewed several more slices, then pushed it away with great self-control, wiped her hands with a damp cloth, and began to continue her writing task for the day.

Since she quit her job at the hospital, her daily writing quota of 2,000 words has increased to 3,000 words. In addition to the extra 4,000 words she had saved each week, although Miao Wuni in the newspaper is still doing business with great enthusiasm, Yao Xiaoyu's story is nearing its end.

This is the joy of having drafts saved up.

While secretly feeling a little smug, Yao Xiaoyu quickly went over the scene of Miao Wuni's departure in her mind to prevent herself from veering off course while writing—

Miao Wuni did not leave Shanghai. After leaving home, she disguised herself as a man and rented a house near the concession. She became Zhang Shitou, the son of a farmer who came from another place to make a living. This place was only halfway between Miao's home and Shanghai, but for the Miao family, who had not left the neighborhood for several years, it was no different from another world.

Oh, right, my eldest brother didn't meet a good master. Although he used the money Miao Wuni gave to Miao's mother to pay the apprenticeship fee, he was kicked out when the three-year term was up and had to make a living by working at the docks.

Zhang Shitou, a kind-hearted farmer who had just arrived in the area, did not rush to start a business. With the guidance of her kind neighbors, she unlocked a business of earning money by carrying goods without any initial investment, and spent a month getting a feel for this unfamiliar place.

In the second month, Zhang Shitou, having saved a little money, rented a rickshaw from the car factory. He gained a better understanding of the local bigwigs and outsiders in the area, and by traversing the streets and alleys, he unlocked his own "live point map" and determined the most suitable place for him to do business.

In the third month, Zhang Shitou bought a cartload of firewood, borrowed steamers from one neighbor and a cart from another to cobble together the equipment for setting up a stall. He found a place to start selling steamed buns and truly began to deal with the 369 Sect.

The simple-minded Zhang Shitou couldn't understand the intricacies of the situation. Every day, people would come and eat and take things for free, and some would even take the opportunity to cause trouble. He finally managed to earn some money, but being a soft-hearted person, he would give it to any beggars he encountered.

Such a business was bound to fail in the long run. After only a month, Zhang Shitou returned the items to the owners and left dejectedly. He had worked hard for a month, but when he tallied up the accounts at the end of the month, he hadn't made a single penny except for enough to fill his stomach. Zhang Shitou was too proud to stay there any longer.

The next day, with no scars on his face, Miao Shisan, who was stronger than Zhang Shitou, settled down in a house two streets away. He spent two days buying what he needed, and on the fourth day after moving in, he started a wholesale business. Everyone around knew that this man was working hard to earn money so that he could buy a small shop as a dowry for his sister.

This younger sister is the new identity that Miao Wuni prepared for herself. She seems to have broken free from her family, but she only realizes that blood ties are not reliable. She is still influenced by her family in her thinking and believes that women should always get married and be content with a modest life.

Miao Shisan was strong, had connections, and knew how to get things done. Her business was going very well, and she gradually became a little arrogant. She used to think that literacy was very important. Although she didn't have many resources during her years with the Miao family, she still learned a lot of characters. But now she felt that not being literate didn't seem to matter: she only knew numbers, which didn't prevent her from building a business empire.

Then Miao Wuni stumbled.

The person selling the shop played tricks on her with the contract, selling the same shop to two different people. By the time she discovered it, the seller had already run away with his family. She couldn't afford to offend Miao Shisan, the other buyer of the shop, and all her hard-earned money went down the drain.

Miao Wuni suffered such a huge blow that she fell ill and was bedridden. Fortunately, she hadn't neglected herself and was willing to spend money on doctors. After a few days of medication, she recovered almost completely and returned to the wholesale business. She saved up some money again, but this time she didn't buy any fixed assets. Instead, she hired a tutor to give her one-on-one instruction, starting with literacy, thus completing her second transformation.

The teacher is a good teacher.

For men only.

Miao Shisan had a poor foundation, but he was serious, respected his teacher, and was generous with money. Over time, the two developed feelings for each other, and he even helped Miao Shisan change his name.

As Miao Shisan learned more characters, she gradually felt that her original name and alias were not good. She wanted to give herself a nice name, but all she could think about was money. However, "Miao Youqian" (meaning "Miao Has Money") was too straightforward, so she changed it to a common equivalent, becoming "Miao Youjin" (meaning "Miao Has Gold"). But her teacher still thought it was too vulgar, so in the end, she chose a homophone, becoming "Miao Youjin" (meaning "Miao Pomelo Gold").

The name change brought the two closer. After Miao Shisan received a hint and gave a large sum of money that cost him dearly, the teacher began to teach him some practical tips besides knowledge—how to sleep with women.

This is a lesson that many men learn without a teacher, but which is never taught to women.

Miao Youjin could find a prototype for each example, and each ending could send chills down her spine. Listening to the teacher's methods of devouring women was like seeing her future self. The education women received and the education men received constantly clashed in Miao Youjin's mind, forcing her to complete her second transformation—family is unreliable, but marriage is not reliable either.

After Miao Youjin realized that marriage was not necessary for her, the ambition hidden deep in her bones was finally ignited. She wanted to earn lots and lots of money, climb to higher and higher places, and see the best and best scenery!

Miao Youjin re-entered the turbulent business world. With her abilities, connections, and a bit of luck and a bit of opportune timing, despite betrayal and tears, she ultimately succeeded.

...or so?

Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory suggests that human needs are divided into five levels, from lowest to highest: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. [1]

Having achieved her goals, Miao Youjin was rich, powerful, and had close friends. She should have been considered a standard fourth-tier member of society, and she always thought so. However, at a banquet, when she wanted to become an agent for foreign products, a Japanese man jumped up and slapped her in the face, pointing at a sign at the door telling her to get out, while everyone else tried to smooth things over.

Miao Youjin didn't understand English, and she later learned that the sign said "No Chinese or dogs allowed."

Yao Xiaoyu looked at the words she had written, took a deep breath, and then continued writing furiously.

Miao Youjin returned home seething with anger, only to receive half of the agency rights. She went to investigate and learned that her experience at the banquet was simply pure bad luck.

In their eyes, the Chinese people who sign any treaty are easy targets for humiliation, and the Chinese people are no exception. They just randomly chose someone to bully, and then, as compensation or charity, they gave her some of the agency rights that they originally did not intend to give her.

This agency right is like coal and iron; managing it means a fortune flowing into your hands. All you have to do is humiliate them with some insults like "yellow-skinned monkey" and get a beating, and you can get it. In many people's eyes, it's such a good deal. They think Miao Youjin should do the same, and they're even prepared for Miao Youjin to be grateful to them.

Perhaps in another ten years or so, when the youthful passion has cooled down, she will really think it was a worthwhile deal, but Miao Youjin is still too young now.

Hearing the arrogant words of the person who delivered the agency documents, Miao Youjin quietly completed her third transformation—she truly realized the significance of the nation and its people: there are never any special individuals; it is only when a great power rises that ordinary people have dignity.

The Japanese man who did it died within three days; his neck was twisted into a pretzel.

The reason it wasn't on the same day was because finding the person who did it and tracing their whereabouts would take time.

She neither accepted nor refused the agency rights. Miao Youjin sold them to the opposing forces at the banquet, letting them fight amongst themselves. Then, she used the money to inquire about starting a factory, preparing to save the country through industry.

As Yao Xiaoyu wrote this, she flipped through the outline and frowned—the ending she had prepared for Miao Youjin was for her to become the factory manager of a factory with a thousand employees, firing the first shot in the rise of domestic products. This wasn't a bad ending, but it seemed like it could have been better.

Anyway, she writes light novels, so she might as well go all the way and enjoy it to the end!

Yao Xiaoyu drew a box around the original ending to indicate it was pending, then picked up her pen and turned to a new page:

As the movement to promote domestic products was in full swing, Miao Youjin noticed the low costs of Japanese factories. After investigating, she discovered the reason – indentured laborers.

Those young girls who were tricked into coming here, who were abused in terms of food, clothing, and shelter, and whose numbers were reduced by nearly half in three years, used their lives and blood and tears to drive down the cost of the textile factory again and again.

As a result, those Japanese factories changed hands, and the laborers who raised young girls for profit and showed no regard for human life received their just deserts. Meanwhile, the bonded laborers, who had been crying out to heaven and earth in vain, finally gained their freedom.

Then, Miao Youjin used these Japanese factories as springboards to take control of the entire textile industry, reclaim the market that had been taken by Japan, integrate the upstream and downstream industries, standardize labor remuneration, and prevent the situation of over-harvesting in the textile industry from happening again. Wan Jia's women secretly built a shrine for him.

Once the entire textile industry was consolidated into an impenetrable fortress, Miao Youjin mastered the brand effect on her own. With silk as the mainstay, she propelled silk back to the top of the world's luxury market. All the wealth she earned supported Hongxing, bringing the new era to a head sooner!

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Miao Jinyou did not let the silk industry, a money-making machine, stop. Because of this industry, the country's financial situation improved, and the pressure of repaying debts was not so great. As the silk business continued, Hongxing gained a better understanding of foreign countries and became more cautious in signing contracts, and there were almost no instances of spending money to buy scrap.

Yao Xiaoyu stared blankly at the last paragraph she had written, and tears welled up in her eyes without her realizing it.

-----------------------

Author's note: I saw online that readers don't like the name ABB. Should I change Tao Xiaoxiao's name?

————

Those interested in the story of bonded laborers can read Xia Yan's articles about them; it was truly tragic.

————

[1] Maslow believed that human needs, from lowest to highest, are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

————

————