Chapter 21, "Ding Xian," reflects on how this newspaper office has deteriorated to this state! ...
"Newspapers for sale! A new story in *The Complete Collection of Storytelling*, about the sweet young couple Ding Xian and Wen Lang!"
Zhang Sancao waved the newspaper in his hand vigorously, shouting loudly. The stack of newspapers under his arm quickly thinned out. When the last newspaper was bought with copper coins, Zhang Sancao weighed the bag, which was heavier than usual, and ran towards the head of the newspaper with a grin.
The newspapers they received were handed directly to the newspaper editor by the newspaper office, who then distributed them to these children to sell. Zhang Sancao was illiterate, but he was quick-witted. Every time the editor told him about something in the newspaper, he would combine his own understanding with some catchy phrases to sell his wares. So even though he couldn't go to the best locations, his income was still among the top.
This newspaper is selling so well, he should order more. His family said that he should use half of his earnings for food and lodging at home and save the other half until he has enough for tuition, then he can go to school.
Zhang Sancao had inquired and found out that the cheapest primary school would take four years and cost two silver dollars per semester, and he had already saved more than half of it.
Yao Xiaoyu held the freshly printed newspaper, quickly flipped to the new story section, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that it was indeed her own work and not just someone with the same name.
Her royalties are guaranteed!
"Give me three ginkgo nuts."
Yao Tianrui glanced at his sister, touched the silver coins and copper coins in his pocket, and called to the peddler who had just put down his load.
After he received his first month's wages, Zhou Chunhua felt it wasn't good for the workers to have no money in their hands, so she only took the whole silver dollar and didn't touch the remaining change.
Yao Tianrui lived and ate at home and didn't have many social engagements. Except for occasionally buying a one-copper-coin pancake to fill his stomach when he worked overtime, he didn't spend money at other times. The newspaper he bought for Yao Xiaoyu was the only expense besides the pancake.
This is the second serving.
Fried ginkgo nuts are a common summer snack in Shanghai. Vendors have mastered the trick of offering discounts for buying in bulk: one coin can buy three, three coins can buy ten. On the streets and alleys, you can often see children pooling their money to buy fried ginkgo nuts, and then arguing endlessly over who gets the last one.
Of course, most children just watched longingly as the fried ginkgo nuts and broken porcelain pieces rattled in the pot, hoping that the vendor would accidentally scoop the fried ginkgo nuts out of the pot so they could also taste them.
Looking at the circle of children, Yao Tianrui thought of some things from the past—before the Yao family fell into ruin, Yao Tianrui's pocket money was in silver dollars. Sometimes when he was happy, he would use a silver dollar to buy a whole pot of fried ginkgo nuts from a vendor and distribute them to the children around him.
But he doesn't eat them himself; his family is strict and they think the snacks from outside are unsanitary.
"Alright, here's some fragrant and sweet stir-fried ginkgo nuts, please keep them."
The vendor wrapped the fried ginkgo nuts in lotus leaves. Yao Tianrui touched them with his hand to make sure they weren't too hot to eat before handing them to Yao Xiaoyu.
"Eat something."
Yao Xiaoyu looked at the warm ginkgo fruit with some curiosity—she had seen many ginkgo trees, but this was the first time she had seen its fruit in real life.
"Big brother, you should eat too."
Yao Xiaoyu put the ginkgo nuts in her mouth and chewed them. They had a slightly sweet taste, probably because they were dry-fried. Although they were not hard to chew, they were not soft. They were even a little crunchy when bitten into from certain angles.
"I can't eat anymore."
Yao Tianrui shook his head. Yao Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes, found the right angle, pressed down on Yao Tianrui's chin, and after Yao Tianrui reflexively opened his mouth, she directly shoved the ginkgo into his mouth.
She hadn't had breakfast yet and didn't really want to play any of those tricks involving tearing apart red envelopes.
"eat!"
Yao Tianrui, who was about to say something, closed his mouth, and then his cheeks began to bulge slightly.
So this is what stir-fried ginkgo nuts taste like.
The two returned home with the newspaper, and it was time for breakfast. Yao Xiaoyu handed the last ginkgo nut to Yao Xiaoli, whose eyes widened in surprise as she hadn't had a snack in a long time.
For breakfast, they ate cabbage porridge. Yao Xiaoyu bit into a very old cabbage leaf, which she chewed for a long time but couldn't chew properly. She thought she was just having bad luck, but when she looked at the table, she saw that everyone was wearing a mask of pain.
"No wonder that farmer insisted on giving me the cabbage."
Zhou Chunhua forced down most of the cabbage, thankful that she didn't have the habit of taking advantage of others. She had already consumed most of the cabbage today, and she could grit her teeth and finish the rest tomorrow.
Their family relied entirely on their teeth to divide food; if she brought back a few more teeth… Zhou Chunhua shuddered and didn't dare to think any further.
"Grandma, I'm going to Manager He's place tomorrow."
When Yao Xiaoyu heard that she would have to eat cabbage for another day, she was completely stunned. She lost all interest in working for the newspaper and only wanted to collect her payment as soon as possible so that she could coax her grandmother into buying her a kitchen knife.
Wasting food is wrong, but at least cut it into bite-sized pieces!
As Yao Xiaoyu chewed on the strangely rubbery cabbage with a ferocious expression, Ding Xian's story gradually spread along with the "Complete Collection of Storybooks".
teahouse.
Old Han ate two steamed buns, drank half a cup of tea, and finally picked up the newspaper to start reading. He had been hired by a group of people who had raised money to come here. The people in the teahouse looked down on storytelling and found chatting boring. The regulars pooled their money and each contributed some copper coins to cover Old Han's tea and breakfast, so that he could read the newspaper, listen to stories, and broaden his horizons in the teahouse.
Old Han was happy to oblige. He did know a few characters, but his handwriting was like chicken claws, making it impossible for him to copy books. When he was young, he did all sorts of heavy work to earn money, which made him very weak. Although he still had some savings, he was just sitting around eating away his savings as long as he didn't spend them. Reading a newspaper could earn him a breakfast, which was a good deal.
This teahouse is run by the lower class; few people there care about national affairs. They only buy newspapers with lots of stories. "The Complete Collection of Storybooks" and "The Complete Collection of Words" are among their regular purchases. Whichever newspaper is on display, Old Han will pick it up and read it first.
The book shown above is "The Complete Collection of Storytelling".
"Old Han, any new stories?"
Seeing that Old Han had taken the newspaper, someone asked him the question as usual, and to everyone's surprise, Old Han actually nodded this time.
“There is one.”
Everyone immediately became excited.
"What is it? Never mind, whatever the story is, let's read this first."
They were confused by the previous stories, as many authors would use long strings of names that they couldn't match up. When they had no other choice, they could make do with what they had, but now there are new stories!
"This story is about a woman named Ding Xian..."
The one who paid was the boss, and everyone agreed. Old Han also turned the newspaper over and read it in one go. At first, some people found it boring, but as Old Han's mouth opened and closed, the originally noisy teahouse gradually quieted down.
The waiter, carrying a teapot, listened intently from behind the curtain of the teahouse; the innkeeper's fingers, which had been working on the abacus, stopped, and he stared at Old Han, lost in thought; the tea drinkers' expressions changed constantly as the story unfolded, and the tea they had brought to their lips remained untouched.
"[The young master of the Wen family took out a bouquet of flowers, handed it to Ding Xian, his face flushed red like a New Year's lantern, and whispered, "After the New Year, I'll come to your house to propose marriage, okay?"]
Similar smiles appeared on everyone's faces as they awaited Ding Xian's reply. Old Han, however, changed the story and continued reading. Some impatient individuals immediately began to shout, but Old Han silenced them with a single sentence:
"That's all the newspaper wrote."
Old Han's words also carried a hint of resentment, but no one paid attention. After confirming that Old Han was not lying, they felt as if the sky had fallen!
This story is so good, how can it end here?!
...
Inside a building in the concession.
The maid placed the delivered newspaper on the table. Because she was concerned about the temperature in the kitchen, she accidentally mixed up the Shanghai Daily that the master of the house was reading and the Complete Collection of Storybooks that the mistress of the house had subscribed to. The man, who had come downstairs, habitually opened the newspaper and realized the mistake. Just as he was thinking of switching them back, Ding Xian's story came into view.
"Oh, Master Wu has changed his ways today, he's actually reading a newspaper about love and romance."
The woman playfully pointed at the man's face, and he snapped out of his daze, his face instantly turning red. The woman laughed heartily, and also became somewhat interested in the story the man had just read.
Her husband neither gambled nor smoked opium, nor did he seek out women or keep concubines. However, he was also quite rigid and boring. He only read the daily newspaper and the official gazette. That's why she nicknamed him "Master" and teased him for being like an old scholar. She never expected that he would be reading a book today.
"...This story is different."
The man was unusually embarrassed, which amused the woman even more. She teased him until he was completely overjoyed. Only after he finally couldn't resist going upstairs to "take refuge" did the woman smile and pick up the newspaper to read about the story he had just experienced.
Half an hour later.
"It's gone?!"
The woman flipped through the newspaper in disbelief, but it didn't change the fact that the story was still stuck on the agonizing marriage proposal. That damned newspaper hadn't even given Ding Xian an answer!
No, how can a person be so evil!
...
Shanghai county town, high walls and large courtyards.
"Grandma, the 'Complete Collection of Storybooks' I ordered has arrived. Would you like to hear a story?"
A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl pounced on Wan Gong's bed and quietly asked, and the seemingly sleeping old lady suddenly opened her eyes.
"read."
There's nothing to eat or do in this rural area. You can't watch children's plays, and there are no friends to chat with. It's good for nothing except being cool. If it weren't for her clever granddaughter subscribing to many newspapers, she would have been bored to death.
"Eat something first."
The young girl coaxed the old lady out of bed, then snatched one of the old lady's gold bracelets before finally starting to read the newspaper with satisfaction. First, there were sequels to several stories she had heard before, and then a new story.
"Ding Xian?"
The little girl curiously repeated the main character's name before beginning to read the story. The old lady listened intently until she discovered that the story had unexpectedly stopped at the scene of the Wen family child's confession—
"Which newspaper is this? I'll have my son go find them!"
What did this old lady do to deserve this? Not only did she not hear the complete story, but she also got stuck at such a crucial point. Doesn't she know that elderly people shouldn't hold back their stories?
"I want to tell my older brother too!"
The young woman's face also turned red with anger.
...
"Kang Xiu, did Ding Xian actually agree to it later?!"
A man rushed into the newspaper office, grabbed Pi Kangxiu's shoulders and shook her violently. Pi Kangxiu was dizzy from Erkang shaking Ziwei, and it took a lot of effort for her to break free with the help of others.
"You'll find out what happens next when it's in the next newspaper article."
Pi Kangxiu spoke in an official tone, but his friend was no pushover either. The two exchanged barbs, and in the end, the friend still managed to read the five thousand words that couldn't be left behind, and then became even more distraught.
After the hook comes an even deeper hook.
Watching his dejected friend leave, Pi Kangxiu proudly received all the thumbs-up—in just half a day, they had already received a lot of "feedback," with many important figures they had never met before expressing interest in reading the rest of the story.
It was worth it for them to end Ding Xian's story at this point.
"Hello, Ding Xian..."
Look, someone else is coming.
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The author's note: The insidious thing about the editor is that when you don't have the right to see the later parts of the story, you will be tormented by the hooks deliberately placed by the editor; when you have the right to see the later parts of the story, you will be tormented by the hooks placed by the author.
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