Xia Baozhu's first article was published, earning her a royalties of ninety-one yuan. Along with the money order came two sample copies of "Story Club" magazine and a letter from the editor.
The letter affirmed the story's brilliance and also hinted that she should read and write more to further improve her writing skills.
Xia Baozhu took her ID card to the post office to withdraw the money, then bought two bags of milk powder and took a copy of "Story Club" to Professor Deng's house.
Professor Deng was delighted to see Xia Baozhu again so soon. Upon learning that the milk powder was bought with her first earnings from her writing, she eagerly picked up the book to read it.
The story is set in the late 1980s and features a notorious haunted house that no one dares to approach. The reason behind this is that someone is playing tricks on the house, causing strange things to happen there so that they can carry out illegal activities.
A police officer devised a plan, pretending to be frightened unconscious by a ghost and then taking the person into the house, ultimately cracking a major smuggling case spanning multiple provinces.
Xia Baozhu did not reveal the identity of the police officer at the beginning, but wrote from the perspective of an ordinary person. The plot twists and turns layer by layer, and finally has a perfect ending.
The content is tightly paced, thrilling and suspenseful at every turn, with many puzzling little hooks that keep the reader enticed to keep reading, searching for answers until the very end when everything becomes clear.
"Great! That's so well written! Xia, I never expected you to write so well on your first try."
Professor Deng read it in one go, exclaiming how thoroughly she enjoyed it. She loves reading famous works by renowned authors, and she also loves the all-encompassing "Story Collection."
"Before I started writing, I bought a lot of storybooks to read and learn from what they said. The editor said my writing still needs improvement."
"You can improve your writing skills gradually. I was also bad at writing at first, with a lot of flaws, but my writing improved as I wrote more. Xia, you can definitely pursue writing as a career."
"Yes, I write every night; it's become a habit."
Xia Baozhu only treated this as a side job; she didn't want to plagiarize, she just wanted to write the stories she wanted to write.
Moreover, writing isn't something you can do just by knowing the general plot. Even if she knew those famous and popular works, she still couldn't write them; she didn't have that skill.
"This is a good habit. Persistence pays off. The more you write, the better your grades will be. But you can't forget English either."
Next, Professor Deng took out a book of English stories and asked Xia Baozhu to read it to her.
Xia Baozhu read without any pressure; she only needed to pause where she was supposed to and wait for Professor Deng to correct her.
"Pay attention to your tone, just like when we speak normally, with emotion. Listen to me read it once, and try to understand it." Professor Deng took the book and read it to Xia Baozhu paragraph by paragraph.
The new nanny looked at Xia Baozhu with envy; they had met during shift changes. Xia Baozhu was able to gain the employer's approval and learn foreign languages, while Xia Baozhu could only bury herself in her work.
However, even if you teach her this gibberish language, she won't be able to learn it; she's tongue-tied and can't speak it well.
After finishing the reading, Professor Deng asked Xia Baozhu when she was going to Shenzhen. Upon learning that Leng Minghui had gone to Shenzhen alone, she frowned.
"Aren't you planning to have children?"
“Maybe he thinks there’s no need to rush, after all, he’s busy with work,” Xia Baozhu said with a smile, a smile that Professor Deng found incredibly bitter.
"Then you should stay home and study hard, write stories, and when you've improved your English, I'll translate your stories into English and help you publish them."
"It's better to rely on yourself than on anyone else."
Xia Baozhu stayed for lunch at Professor Deng's invitation before returning home.
She continued wandering through the streets and alleys, looking for rental information.
"Xia Zhaodi, wandering around again?" Sun Xingyan and his friend were chatting in front of the video store when he turned his head and saw Xia Baozhu's familiar figure. He quickly called out to her.
"I'm looking for a house." Xia Baozhu thought that Sun Xingyan was a local bigwig in this area, so it would be easier to ask him about houses.
"You? Looking for a place to live? What for?"
Sun Xingyan looked Xia Baozhu up and down; her clothes were still extremely plain to the point of being shabby.
Is Leng Minghui afraid that his wife will seduce men when she dresses up, so he doesn't give her money to buy new clothes?
He dressed himself up smartly, but his wife dressed like a country old woman.
Would it look good to take out? Aren't you ashamed?
This is what happens when you marry the wrong man. If she had married him, he could guarantee that she would wear a different outfit every day and dress up like a peacock.
However, Sun Xingyan didn't have any feelings for Xia Baozhu; he was simply comparing himself to Leng Minghui.
"Yes, do you know any houses with yards nearby that are available for rent? Preferably along the street."
“You’ve come to the right person, San Gou. Come on, is your yard still available for rent?” Sun Xingyan patted a man who was looking down at a cassette tape cover, making him look up and turn around to face Xia Baozhu.
"Rent it? Who would rent it?" San Gou looked at Xia Baozhu, who looked poor and shabby. He didn't think Xia Baozhu could afford to rent his house.
"How much would it cost to rent it for a year?"
San Gou turned to look at Sun Xingyan, as if to confirm whether she was telling the truth.
"What are you looking at me for? Speak up!" Sun Xingyan slapped San Gou's face to the side.
"Six hundred a year." That's three or four months' salary for an average person, which is really not cheap.
"Can we take a look at the house first?" Xia Baozhu hadn't decided what to do yet.
Before I had no money, I wanted to start a simple food stall. Now that I have money, I want to get a house and start a business.
Whether it's clothing or snacks, she needs to take a look, since she doesn't know enough about this place yet.
Actually, she prefers mental work, such as selling clothing design drafts, which utilizes her professional knowledge that was previously unused.
But she had no idea who to sell to or how to sell it.
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