Chapter 36 Get ready for a barrage of melodramatic scenes! Mingxi throws...
Mingxi put down her pen, looked up, and stretched languidly. Just then, a hand reached in from her left side and picked up the manuscript she had just written.
Mingxi was taken aback, then turned her head and realized, "Hey, Huang Pingping, you haven't left yet?"
Huang Pingping snorted and pouted sarcastically, "Wow, I thought I was invisible and no one could see me, but I didn't expect you could still see me. How come I've been standing here all afternoon and you only just realized I didn't leave?"
Mingxi hugged Huang Pingping's arm and quickly apologized with a smile, "I'm sorry, I got so busy just now and neglected you. It's my fault, please don't be angry with me~"
Huang Pingping glanced at Mingxi, raised her chin, and feigned modesty: "Don't think I'm someone you can easily coax with a few words. I'm very hard to coax!"
Mingxi nodded, then shook Huang Pingping's arm and blinked.
Huang Pingping: "Never mind, I'll forgive you this time since you sincerely admitted your mistake."
"However, I'd like to see what you're writing that you can be so focused on!"
"Well……"
Mingxi pursed her lips, thinking about what she had written, and fell silent.
When she was writing, she only thought about making the two main characters seem pitiful, so she exaggerated the plot a little bit...
Okay, she admits it's not as simple as exaggerating a little bit.
She blends elements from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, incorporating the feuding family tales of traditional love tragedies like "Romeo and Juliet" and "The Butterfly Lovers," as well as the cross-dressing element, and adds essential elements of modern melodramas such as car accidents, amnesia, and terminal illnesses...
In short, it's a story about a handsome but poor male protagonist and a wealthy female protagonist who, due to her parents' preference for sons, had to grow up disguised as a boy. They meet and fall in love in college. After learning of their relationship, the female protagonist's family, due to a feud between her parents and the male protagonist's parents, strongly opposes their relationship. Despite the protagonists' various attempts to defy their families, the story ultimately ends in tragedy.
The story doesn't focus on the romance between the male and female leads; it's all about their suffering. The male and female leads go through a series of mishaps, including being caught while eloping, escaping again and getting into a car accident, losing their memories and forgetting each other, being forced by their families to almost marry someone else before regaining their memories, and the male lead being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
In the end, the female lead, unwilling to let the male lead leave the world alone with his terminal illness, decides to commit suicide with him. However, just after the female lead takes her medication, as the male lead holds the lifeless female lead and cries, he suddenly learns that his terminal illness was fake, merely a tactic used by the female lead's family to force the two to break up.
To sum up the plot in two words: melodramatic and cliché.
It's incredibly melodramatic and cliché.
Mingxi herself was so bad that her toes were practically digging into the ground.
However, Mingxi had clearly forgotten one thing.
That is, it is now the 1980s.
The 1980s, before they were bombarded by the melodramatic romance novels of later generations.
Mingxi's novel, a collection of melodramatic tropes from later generations, left Huang Pingping, a local girl, completely bewildered.
"Waaaaah—"
A burst of crying, like the buzzing of a kettle boiling, rang out in the room, and Mingxi's eyes widened instantly.
"Hey, no, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Waaaaah..." Huang Pingping cried, tears streaming down her face. "Liang Huan and He Zhaohui are so pitiful, how could they be so miserable..."
Liang Huan and He Zhaohui are the names of the main characters in Ming Xi's novel.
Mingxi was too lazy to think of a name for the main character, and also wanted to make Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu feel more involved, so she changed Luo Huan and Zhu Zhaohui's surnames and used their given names directly.
Huang Pingping: "Waaaaah... Liang Huan and He Zhaohui are so pitiful. They had such a hard time. When they ran away from home, they were almost tricked by bad guys. They finally escaped, but their families caught them and took them back. They tried every possible way to escape from home again, but then they got into a car accident and forgot about each other... Waaaaah, finally, when they were able to be together, He Zhaohui was diagnosed with a terminal illness..."
Mingxi: "Ahem, you haven't finished reading yet, have you? There's more to come. He Zhaohui doesn't have a terminal illness. The Liang family bribed the doctor to lie to him, just to make him leave Liang Huan on his own."
"What?! How could the Liang family be so wicked! How could they do this?!"
Huang Pingping said angrily, "Did Liang Huan and He Zhaohui discover the Liang family's conspiracy? They must have seen through it, right?"
Faced with Huang Pingping's hopeful gaze, Mingxi guiltily touched her nose.
"This...that..."
Huang Pingping knew something was wrong as soon as she saw her reaction. She quickly turned to the next page, saw the ending, and then burst into an even louder cry.
"Waaaaah... Why, why did Liang Huan commit suicide? Why..."
She grabbed Mingxi's sleeve: "Why did you give Liang Huan and He Zhaohui such an ending? They've already gone through so much, couldn't you just let them be together? Why did you have to make them end up separated by death?"
Mingxi scratched his head: "Then, how about I kill off He Zhaohui too, so the two of them can be reunited in the underworld?"
Huang Pingping was stunned for a moment, then her crying became even more shrill: "Waaaaah, are you even human...?"
Mingxi was still unwilling to lose her human status, so she quickly told Huang Pingping why she wanted to write such a novel.
Mingxi: "Tell me, if I don't make Liang Huan and He Zhaohui's lives more tragic, how can I move Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu?"
Huang Pingping's sobs gradually subsided: "That's true, too."
“But Liang Huan and He Zhaohui are still too tragic.” Huang Pingping pouted: “I don’t care, I don’t care, you have to write me a separate ending where Liang Huan and He Zhaohui are happily together.”
Mingxi: "...Okay."
Unable to refuse, Mingxi had no choice but to agree, and Huang Pingping finally smiled.
After seeing Huang Pingping off, Mingxi showed her work to Zhao Sulan.
After reading it, Zhao Sulan wiped away her tears and cursed, "That Liang family is really despicable! It's just two young people dating, why can't they agree to it? They even lied to them and said they had a terminal illness. In the end, they ruined their daughter's marriage!"
Seeing Zhao Sulan's reaction, Mingxi felt reassured. She organized the manuscript and sent it to the newspaper the next day according to the submission address.
Five days after she sent it out, the newspaper finally replied. To her delight, it wasn't a rejection letter, but an acceptance letter. Mingxi's article had been selected for publication in the next issue. Enclosed with the letter was a remittance slip for one hundred yuan, Mingxi's payment for the article.
This is a pleasant surprise.
Mingxi's novel is not long, only a few thousand words in total, but I didn't expect the royalties to be so high.
She happily accepted the money, planning to use it to go shopping at the department store the next day when she had the day off.
However, things always take unexpected turns.
The following Sunday, while Mingxi was still sleeping in her room under the covers, she heard a commotion outside, as if guests had come to visit.
The voices grew louder and louder, waking Mingxi up. She rolled over, covered her ears, and muttered, "Who is it? Coming over so early in the morning and making so much noise?"
The noise outside hadn't subsided for a long time, and Mingxi couldn't fall back asleep even if she wanted to go back to sleep. She jumped up, slipped on her slippers, and pushed open the door.
"Mom, who is it, so early in the morning..."
Mingxi stopped speaking halfway through her sentence because she saw a room full of people sitting in the living room.
“Mingxi is up…”
"Why didn't Mingxi sleep a little longer..."
"Did we disturb you...?"
"..."
The room was full of people: neighbors from one courtyard, acquaintances from several nearby courtyards, and even high school classmates that Mingxi hadn't seen in a long time. All eyes were on Mingxi, their eyes filled with smiles as they spoke amiably.
Even though everyone's words were very gentle, Mingxi still got goosebumps all over.
She rubbed her messy hair, took small steps to Zhao Sulan, and asked softly, "Mom, what's going on? Why are so many people here so early in the morning? And why do I feel like everyone is looking at me so strangely?"
Before Zhao Sulan could speak, Aunt He interjected, "Hey, isn't it because none of you have ever seen a great writer before, so you've come over to see what a great writer looks like?"
Mingxi: ? ? ?
What the heck? A great writer?
Who is it?
Her?
Aunt He stood up with a smile and patted Mingxi on the shoulder: "Mingxi, you're really something! You've even made it into the newspaper! But tell me, why didn't you tell any of us when you submitted your article to the newspaper? If Ma Liang hadn't seen your name in the newspaper this morning and asked your mother, we wouldn't have known about this!"
Mingxi: "Ah, this..."
Aunt Ma also said, "That's right, Xiaoming, you know, being in the newspaper is such an honorable thing! Why didn't you tell everyone in the yard sooner?"
Mingxi scratched his head.
"Oh my, I knew it before. Our Xiaoming is a cultured man, he has the genes of culture, he's just different from us roughnecks..."
"Come on, last year you were saying that Xiaoming couldn't get into university even after repeating the exam for several years, that he wasn't destined for studying! I have to say I had good judgment. I could tell Mingxi was smart from a young age. Do you guys remember? Her head was bigger than other kids' heads when she was little..."
"Hey, son, come here. Take a good look. This is your sister Mingxi, the great writer in our alley. Look at what she looks like. Learn from her and try to become a great writer yourself..."
Mingxi: "..."
Because of her article being published in the newspaper, Mingxi suddenly became a celebrity in the courtyard, or more accurately, in the alley. Over the next day, almost everyone in the alley came to Mingxi's house one after another.
Mingxi felt like her house had become a tourist attraction, and she was the landmark of the attraction, with everyone coming to take photos with her.
Mingxi could only keep smiling and see off wave after wave of neighbors who came to check in.
It wasn't until evening that no outsiders finally came over. Mingxi collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted: "My God, Mom, all I did was submit an article that got published in the newspaper. How come I suddenly feel like a celebrity?"
Zhao Sulan: "People in the alley are exaggerating a bit, but it's not surprising. It's in the newspaper, you know. Not just anyone can get on that page!"
Zhao Sulan slapped Mingxi's arm loudly, her face full of pride and joy.
Mingxi grimaced, "Mom, be gentle, be gentle..."
She now understands what it means to fear fame, just as a pig fears growing fat.
The next day, Mingxi learned her lesson and got up and went out early in the morning, when it was still dark outside.
If she didn't leave soon, she was afraid that more people would come to take photos in the alley!
Mingxi hid outside for two days before her popularity in the alley gradually subsided. However, while her popularity in the alley faded, the popularity of the novel she wrote rose.
Mingxi submitted her work to a local literary newspaper in Beicheng. The newspaper's sales were always average, and it was only subscribed to by young men and women who loved literature or by artists.
However, the issue featuring Mingxi's novel was an exception.
Her novel differs from the mainstream obscure poetry and literature of the time; it is full of melodrama and plot twists, making it more eye-catching and accessible to all readers.
The newspaper became an instant hit in the northern part of the city on the day it was published, and its popularity only grew stronger day by day. People who didn't usually read newspapers went to newsstands to buy the issue after hearing the story.
For this reason, the Beicheng Literature Journal specially printed an extra batch of newspapers.
Of course, a novel's popularity inevitably brings controversy.
Many people like Mingxi's novel, but naturally there are also those who dislike it.
Many people have publicly criticized the novel for its exaggerated plot, lack of logic, clichéd storyline, and stereotypical characters. Some even believe that the appearance of Ming Xi's novel has ruined the literary world and also destroyed the prestige of Beicheng Literary Newspaper.
But Mingxi didn't care at all. She was self-aware and knew that the novel's success was purely due to her captivating subject matter and writing style, not to any particular literary talent. Therefore, since her novel was published, she hadn't read any literary journals and remained completely unaware of any criticism from others.
She is now fully committed to persuading Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu.
Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu don't read newspapers, but Mingxi has an inside man. The day before the newspaper was published, she secretly passed a message to Luo Huan and Zhu Zhaohui, asking them to buy the newspaper for Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu the next day.
With the help of Luo Huan and Zhu Zhaohui, Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu successfully saw the story that Mingxi wanted the two of them to see.
Although the names of the two main characters in the novel were so familiar, Mingxi had specifically reminded Luo Huan and Zhu Chaohui to cover up the author's name, so Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu did not know that the novel was written by Mingxi, nor did they expect that this novel would be related to them, and simply treated it as a story.
As a result, both of them were in tears after watching it.
When Mingxi arrived that day, Aunt Fu was still grumbling to Luo Huan: "The Liang family in that story went too far! Why drag the children into the parents' feud? Liang Huan and He Zhaohui were having a good relationship, why did they have to force them to break up? Especially Liang Huan's family, they even forced Liang Huan to marry a divorced, abusive man, it's just so unreasonable!"
Mingxi: "Aunt Fu, you're right!"
Mingxi strode through the door, and Aunt Fu said, "Comrade Ming, you're here! Come in, come in and sit down."
Mingxi entered and sat down. Aunt Fu poured her some water. Mingxi said, "Aunt Fu, you're absolutely right. The grudges between elders have nothing to do with the affairs between the younger generation! So you see, regarding Luo Huan and Zhu Zhaohui's matter, shouldn't we also..."
Aunt Fu's face immediately darkened: "This is different!"
She spoke of the Liang family in the story with ease, but when the same situation happened to her own family, she still couldn't accept it.
Mingxi: "Aunt Fu, tell me, what's the difference? I don't see any difference between Xiao Luo and Xiao Zhu and Liang Huan and He Zhaohui in the newspaper."
"Th-th-that..."
After thinking for a long time, Aunt Fu said, "He Zhaohui's parents are both dead, but Zhu Zhaohui's parents are still alive!"
Mingxi couldn't help but laugh: "So you're hoping that Aunt Zheng and Uncle Zhu will die?"
Aunt Fu glared: "Who said that!"
She straightened her back, her expression righteous: "Although I don't like Zheng Yunfen, I'm not a bad person. I don't wish for anyone to die all the time."
Mingxi nodded: "Yes, yes, you have a kind heart."
Aunt Fu glanced at Mingxi; she felt there was something strange about what Mingxi had said.
Mingxi: "So what are your thoughts?"
She winked at Luo Huan, signaling her to leave so she could speak with Aunt Fu alone. Luo Huan, receiving the signal, promptly stood up, made an excuse to cut fruit for Mingxi, and went into the kitchen. Soon, only Mingxi and Aunt Fu remained in the living room.
Mingxi: "Aunt Fu, Huanhuan isn't here right now, it's just the two of us, and there are no outsiders. So please tell me frankly, why don't you agree with Luo Huan and Zhu Zhaohui's relationship?"
"To be objective, Huanhuan and Zhu Zhaohui are quite well-matched. In terms of qualifications, they are both high school graduates and work in factories. Your family and Aunt Zheng's family are also in similar circumstances. Do you not think Zhu Zhaohui's family is good enough and are trying so hard to marry Huanhuan off to a rich and powerful family?"
Aunt Fu: "I didn't think that way!"
Although there's an old saying that men should marry down and women should marry up, Aunt Fu only has one daughter, Luo Huan, and she can't bear to let Luo Huan suffer the hardship of marrying up.
Aunt Fu doesn't have high requirements for her son-in-law's conditions, as long as they are similar to hers. The most important thing is that her son-in-law is a good person and treats her Huanhuan well.
Mingxi: "Look, Zhu Zhaohui perfectly meets your criteria. He and Huanhuan have a good relationship. Even if you and Aunt Zheng force them to break up, they won't agree. It's obvious how good he is to Huanhuan. After all, they grew up together as childhood sweethearts and know each other inside and out. Besides, if Huanhuan marries Zhu Zhaohui, you'll still live in the same courtyard after the marriage, so she won't really leave you. If you look for someone else, you won't find someone with such suitable conditions."
After Mingxi finished speaking, Aunt Fu's attitude visibly softened.
She hesitated for a moment, then her softened expression turned cold again: "No, still no!"
"Zhao Hui is a good boy, but Zheng Yunfen is no good. With a mother like Zheng Yunfen, I will never let Huanhuan marry him!"
Seeing that Mingxi was also having a hard time, Aunt Fu sighed and said, "Xiaoming, let's be honest, I really don't dare let Huanhuan marry Zhu Zhaohui. Zheng Yunfen and I don't get along. If our Huanhuan marries into that family, it will be like a little rabbit going into a wolf's den. If Zheng Yunfen wants to act like a mother-in-law and make things difficult for our Huanhuan, there's nothing we can do. Don't you think so?"
Mingxi finally understood.
"Aunt Fu, is that what you're worried about?"
Aunt Fu: "What do you mean by 'just this'? Xiaoming, you don't know until you're married. Daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law are natural enemies. Even if there's nothing wrong before marriage, they might still have disagreements after marriage. Not to mention that Zheng Yunfen and I don't get along at all. If she takes her anger out on my Huanhuan, then my Huanhuan will really have to swallow her anger."
Mingxi waved her hand: "No, no, Aunt Zheng isn't that kind of person."
Aunt Fu curled her lip: "Hmph, who can say for sure?"
Mingxi was both amused and exasperated. She still couldn't persuade Aunt Fu this time, but she had finally gained something.
She found the root of Aunt Fu's problem. Once Aunt Fu's problem is resolved, everything will be much easier.
After leaving Aunt Fu's house, Mingxi thought for a moment and then went to Aunt Zheng's house.
When Mingxi entered, Aunt Zheng was crying while looking at the newspaper. When she saw Mingxi come in, she quickly wiped away her tears and greeted him warmly, "Comrade Ming, you've come! Come, come, sit down, please sit down."
Mingxi: "Aunt Zheng, what are you looking at? Why are you crying?"
Aunt Zheng held up the newspaper: "Don't say that! I'm reading the story in this newspaper right now. The parents in this story are so hateful! The two young people are having a great time dating, but those awful parents insist on breaking them up! If it were me, I definitely wouldn't make such a fuss. Let the young people date and have fun. Why do you, an elder, have to interfere so much?"
"Hey, right, Comrade Xiaoming, what brings you here today? Is there any progress on introducing a potential partner to my son Zhaohui?"
Mingxi smiled and said, "Aunt Zheng, this is a bit difficult to say."
Aunt Zheng asked anxiously, "Oh? Why is it still hard to say?"
Mingxi: "If you're talking about introducing someone to Zhaohui, I do have a suitable female comrade here, and Zhaohui is willing to meet her, but I'm afraid you might not be."
Aunt Zheng hadn't even reacted yet: "Who is it? Someone I'm introducing to Zhaohui. As long as Zhaohui is willing, that's fine."
Mingxi: "Luo Huan."
Aunt Zheng's expression immediately changed: "Xiao Ming, are you kidding me?"
Mingxi laughed: "See, I told you Zhaohui was willing, but you couldn't possibly be willing, could you?"
Aunt Zheng pursed her lips into a straight line.
All those words that had just been spoken now felt like silent slaps to her face.
Aunt Zheng still tried to argue: "This is different..."
Mingxi: "Aunt Zheng, you're being a bit unreasonable. When you were telling the story in the newspaper, didn't you say that if you were a parent, you certainly wouldn't break up a couple? I think Luo Huan and Zhu Zhaohui have a pretty good relationship, so why don't you want the two children to be together?"
Aunt Zheng: "I... I did that because of Fu Peizhi."
After much hesitation, Aunt Zheng finally spoke her mind: "Actually, I have no problem with Huanhuan. She practically grew up under my nose, and I like her quite a bit. But Fu Peizhi doesn't like me, so she definitely won't agree to Huanhuan being with my son Zhaohui."
Mingxi laughed: "Look at what you're saying! When has Aunt Fu ever looked down on you?"
Aunt Zheng: "Of course she did. She's looked down on me ever since we were young..."
Aunt Zheng chattered on and on with Mingxi for the entire afternoon.
Let's start from several decades ago.
We've been talking about it until now.
However, Mingxi felt that Aunt Zheng was overthinking things after hearing this.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Little Huang: I'm not easy to coax!
Xiao Ming blinked.
Xiao Huang: Okay, okay, I forgive you.
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