Road to Revival

Sun Dunquan slept until ten o'clock before getting up. After eating the leftovers his wife had left for him, he began his day's work—continuing to type out his story about the education system in the Republican era. Due to his laziness, he didn't have many drafts saved up. His habit was to post two chapters a day, each around five thousand words. This basically fixed his daily workload; to avoid missing a day, he had to type out those five thousand words. Fortunately, he was a free man, and apart from his own laziness, nothing external interrupted his work.

Seemingly suffering from the aftereffects of alcohol, Sun Dunquan's train of thought was stuck today. An hour passed and he had only typed less than 200 words, not even turning a single page, and he was so dissatisfied that he simply deleted it.

He lit a cigarette and silently organized his thoughts.

While online novels may be considered lowbrow, they have their own rules. The plot must be able to unfold, like the Bible saying, "Enter through the narrow gate, not the wide gate." A good story should begin with a small, unassuming tale, but expands further as it grows, like entering through a narrow door, traversing a thorny, difficult path, and finally arriving at a magnificent, flower-filled garden. If it's done the other way around, it's destined to fail.

His current online novel, set against the backdrop of the education sector in the Republic of China era, has made this fatal mistake. His story, after 30 words, hits a dead end—there's nothing left to tell.

"What to do?" He realized the problem, but couldn't come up with a good solution. If the story hadn't been published, he could have reluctantly abandoned it. But the story was already published, and giving up would be unfair to the readers who had paid to subscribe.

"Damn it, I feel bad for all those obscure books I bought," Sun Dunquan muttered.

He did his homework for this book, making two special trips to Bei'an to buy books and maps describing the customs and culture of old Yanjing, especially notebook-style works. In total, he spent nearly two thousand yuan, not including his gas money. Some of the old books and newspapers were found at the antique market in the Cultural Palace, costing much more than buying new books. His wife, Yin Yutao, laughed at him: "Don't let him not even recoup his costs!"

His results frustrated him. Sun Dunquan had a broad knowledge base and understood the principle of opportunity cost: you can't be satisfied with your current achievements; if you don't do this, you'll definitely do that. Even working as a security guard (two of his neighbors were security guards at a bank), his monthly income exceeded what he was currently earning from writing books.

His monthly income of less than 2000 yuan made him ashamed, and he felt increasingly inferior in front of his wife, even though Yin Yutao never scolded him severely, at most she would make a few good-natured jokes.

Sun Dunquan realized his deep-seated character flaws long ago, otherwise he wouldn't have "fallen" to the point of making a living by selling his writing. His weakness lies in his inability to work with people, especially those in power. However, writing books allows him to "play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses" very well. You don't have to worry about anyone's opinion (except for the readers), and you can immerse yourself in your own fictional world without leaving home.

Writing a book is no easy task; it requires a wealth of knowledge and experience, otherwise, one cannot craft a compelling story. While the plot may be fictional, the details must be authentic. If you haven't lived in the United States for a considerable period, you'll find it difficult to describe American lifestyles. If you haven't been a county magistrate, you won't understand the daily challenges a county magistrate faces. The older generation of writers had an extremely rigorous approach to their work; Liu Qing even spent several years as a farmer in Shaanxi to write *The History of Entrepreneurship*. Modern writers, of course, lack that drive, and online writers don't have the resources. Sun Dunquan is no novice; he deeply understands the importance of detail in a work, which is why he spared no expense in acquiring those ancient books, hoping to gain insight into life during the Republican era.

He had long noticed that contemporary urban works were relatively popular. These works generally followed two storylines: the first was the protagonist's path to success in his career, which was characterized by the acquisition of wealth or power; the second was the protagonist's romantic path, such as the possession of beautiful women or the attainment of tragic love.

Nobody likes to describe the lives of ordinary people. If you were to write a story based on yourself, about being so excited about buying a Hyundai Tucson that you couldn't sleep for several nights, probably no one would read it.

But he couldn't write those proven success stories. He tried, but rejected it after only ten thousand words.

It wasn't until I accompanied Tao Tang to the East Lake Clubhouse that a thought suddenly became clear to me: I could actually write an urban novel, because I had the material.

An indispensable powerful figure—Zhou Hongyou was certainly one. He was the powerful vice mayor of Pingquan City, a true deputy director-level official, and also Sun Dunquan's classmate in middle school. However, it was unlikely that he could delve into Zhou Hongyou's life. Recalling Zhou Hongyou's aloof demeanor, Sun Dunquan concluded that he could only observe him from afar, and even then, such opportunities would be few and far between.

Gu Meijun could be considered one of them. General Manager of the Provincial Branch's Corporate Department—sounds quite prestigious. However, this woman is even more distant from me; it's difficult to know much about her life. The reason she came to Pingquan that day, and appeared at the Donghu Club, was probably because of Tao Tang. The reason was likely related to Hongxing's basic household registration issue.

Tao Tang could be considered a member of the elite—in the past, Red Star's rank was equivalent to a full-fledged division commander; nowadays, state-owned enterprises no longer have ranks, but the more than 20,000 state-owned enterprise employees, thousands of employees of large collective enterprises, and tens of thousands of their family members were still de facto emperors with considerable power! Tao Tang was also one of his few friends. He had a perfectly clear understanding of how Tao Tang lived and what problems he encountered every day.

Tang Yikun is undoubtedly wealthy. Sun Dunquan believes that in terms of sheer wealth, there are few private entrepreneurs in the province like Tang Yikun. In terms of age, Tang Yikun stands out even more. Moreover, he is a self-made entrepreneur. Tang Yikun's parents were ordinary employees of Hongxing Factory; his family had neither officials nor wealthy members. In the language of forty years ago, the Tang family would have been considered typical working-class, but now they are the envy of everyone at Hongxing Factory. All members of the Tang family have long since left Hongxing and joined the board of directors or senior management of Donghu Company.

Having several real-life models around him, isn't that enough to inspire him to conceive a book? If he can't write it, then it's entirely a problem with his own writing ability.

Because of his love for *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Sun Dunquan has studied the history of Cao Xueqin's family. Clearly, Cao Xueqin used the Cao family as a model for his story. He disagrees with arguments that Jia Baoyu's prototype is Nalan Rongruo. Cao Xueqin's ancestors were merely officials in Jiangning Textile Bureau, yet in his novel they became founding dukes. Cao Xueqin's aunt was the Princess Consort of Pingjun, but in the novel she became an imperial concubine… This shows that fiction and exaggeration are major characteristics of literature. It's foolish to claim a lack of material when you have figures like Zhou Hongyou, Tang Yikun, and Tao Tang around you.

Beautiful women are an indispensable element in online novels… Lü Qi is considered a beauty, and even a faded beauty is still a beauty. Classifying Lü Qi as a faded beauty is somewhat abrupt; Father Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to her, making her look at least ten years younger than her actual age. Yin Yutao knows Lü Qi and greatly admires her youthful appearance. He once jokingly said to him, “You had poor taste back then! Look at Lü Qi, she’s still so beautiful, and her figure is still so good… Besides, she’s a department-level leader, her annual salary must be at least 100,000, right?” He said it wasn’t a matter of taste, but rather that he was self-aware enough not to be worthy of Lü Qi. Beautiful women are a scarce resource; only wealthy and powerful men can possess them. “A good-for-nothing like me, being able to marry you is already a blessing from my ancestors.”

Sun Dunquan knew that Tao Tang had once had a crush on Lü Qi. But it wasn't until that day at the Donghu Club that he discovered Lü Qi was more infatuated with Tao Tang! He clearly saw the two of them cuddling together in the K room on the third floor, a scene of mutual affection. Besides the good-for-nothing Han Ruilin, Gu Meijun and Tang Yikun must have seen it too.

Tao Tang is now a widower, but Lü Qi is a married woman. Will their relationship develop into a plot that's been overused in novels? Could this be developed into another main storyline?

Sun Dunquan became excited, experiencing the unique excitement of conceiving a new work. So, he put aside his old draft and began writing the outline for his new book. By the time Yin Yutao left work, he had actually finished the outline.

During the meal, Sun Dunquan told Yin Yutao his new story.

"I think you could write about Tao Tang, but let's skip Tang Yikun."

"Why? I think Tang Yikun's entrepreneurial history must be a moving story, containing the most touching elements of all urban online novels. I can learn what I want to know through Tao Tang. I can tell that Tang Yikun has his eye on Hongxing; he needs something from Tao Tang."

He told his wife what happened at the club that day, but omitted the incident between Lü Qi and Tao Tang. This was both because Tao Tang was his friend and to avoid his wife's nagging.

"That kind of person is definitely not a good person. A good person wouldn't accumulate such a huge fortune in twenty years. Are you going to write your protagonist as a villain? The story of Red Star is enough for you to write about. I haven't read a single online novel that depicts a state-owned enterprise."

Because of her husband, Yin Yutao often reads online novels and recommends some of the articles she finds interesting and readable to him.

"You have a point. But state-owned enterprises have too many rules, even the top executives feel uncomfortable. How can they compare to the owners of private companies who can do whatever they want? This limits the development of the plot..."

"I was just offering a suggestion, hoping it would make you famous," Yin Yutao said with a smile.

Sun Dunquan's afternoon nap was an unwavering habit. When he woke up, his wife had already gone to work. His card-playing friend, Bao Xianbing, called him to play cards, so he took 200 yuan and went to Bao Xianbing's house, which was one of their usual spots.

"Old Bao, you missed out last night," Sun Dunquan said to Bao Xianbing.

"What's the loss? It's just a meal. Hurry up, we're waiting for you." The three mahjong players were impatiently waiting for one more player. This was arguably the most anxious feeling one could have while waiting for someone.

"At least we can have a big meal, and drink as much Wuliangye as we want."

"I'm not part of that circle. I'm just a worker. I won't have anything to say if I go. Oh, you brought these cigarettes back, right?" Bao Xianbing took the Yellow Crane Tower 1916 cigarette from Sun Dunquan and lit it. "It's so short, not worth it." After taking a puff, Bao Xianbing examined the cigarette.

"Tang Yikun is treating us, so why not take it?"

"How expensive are these cigarettes?"

"I don't know, it won't be cheaper." Sun Dunquan genuinely didn't know the price.

Another card player, however, knew better: "It's a hundred or so yuan. You know, a pack of cigarettes for someone else costs more than a day's wages for us. People really can't be compared."

"Tao Tang asked about you; he remembers you," Sun Dunquan said to Bao Xianbing.

"That's just being polite. I remember him, but he might not remember me. You were all good students back then, and I barely spoke a few words to him."

"Old Bao," said Zheng Quan, the card player who knew the price of cigarettes, "you should take advantage of this relationship, after all, he's a classmate, different from others."

"He's his general manager, and I'm his welder. What's the big deal? Classmates? We have plenty of classmates. If he were to take care of his classmates, could he possibly take care of everyone? Besides, I don't really need anything from him. I just hope he'll take pity on me and pay me the back wages he owes me as soon as possible. I'd be incredibly grateful. If he could give me a raise, I'd be willing to call him my dad."

"Whiteboard, tap." Zheng Quan continued, "That's the truth. But your classmate isn't bad; he went to our workplace yesterday morning and got surrounded..."

"What do you mean?"

"We need to ask for our salaries. He's the top boss, who else can we ask if not him? But President Tao is shrewd; what he says is pleasing to everyone."

"They've agreed to reissue it?"

"That's why I say he's skilled. He talked for so long and satisfied everyone, but he still hasn't agreed to pay the difference." Zheng Quan won his first hand of the day by self-draw. "I don't care about being cut into a thousand pieces for not winning the first hand. Pay up, seven pairs."

"Not bad luck," Sun Dunquan thought as he pulled out his wallet, calculating how much to take out. Just then, his phone rang; it was Lü Qi calling.

"I'm playing cards at Lao Bao's house. What? No way? That unlucky guy, I know, I know." Sun Dunquan hung up the phone. "I'm so sorry, I have to go. Lao Bao, come with me. Lao Zheng, you two wait a moment, I'll be right back."

"What a lazy donkey trying to grind grain..." Zheng Quan couldn't help but curse in Pingquan dialect, meaning that he would find an excuse to dodge at the crucial moment.