My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

When Xiao Wenwen saw that the handsome guy recognized the boxing style she practiced, she immediately became proud. She ran over, clung to the massage bed, and whispered in Zhao Wen's ear, "My master is Chen Erfeng!"

The little girl's pronunciation was still a bit unsteady; she repeated her name twice, turning it upside down, with her chin held high.

Chen Meiling chuckled, continuing to massage Zhao Wen's shoulders as she teased her, "Oh, so Chen Erfeng is your master and that makes you so great? What am I supposed to say, that Chen Erfeng is my own sister?"

Zhao Wen's heart skipped a beat, and his initial slight curiosity instantly doubled.

Chen-style Tai Chi has a very strict lineage and is already a niche art form in Taiwan. How could such a person be hidden in the alleys of this old town in Tainan? And is she Aunt Chen's younger sister?

Could Aunt Chen be a hidden master as well? What connection does this little girl have with Aunt Chen's family?

Seeing that her daughter had played enough, Wenwen's mother stood up and called out, "Let's go, Wenwen! Your grandpa is waiting for you to come home for dinner! And your teacher too!"

Wenwen wrinkled her nose, made a face at Zhao Wen, and skipped and hopped out the door with her mother.

Zhao Wen and Wenwen strolled back from the acupressure center. When they opened the door, they saw the two editors still huddled together on the sofa, like two students squatting against the wall, engrossed in the manuscript of "Love Letter".

Editor Gao was flipping through the pages quickly; his fingers had barely turned half a page when Editor Lou next to him immediately reached out and pressed down on the edge of the paper: "Hey, hey, slow down! I still have two lines to read!"

"You're so slow and dawdling, you're reading the manuscript like you're doing embroidery."

Zhao Wen walked over and glanced at it. Well, there was still a little over half left. At this rate, it wouldn't be ready in less than two hours. Seeing that it was almost dinnertime, he turned and walked to the entryway, picked up the phone, and prepared to have the Jiangzhe restaurant he'd been frequenting these past few days prepare a meal and send it over.

Hearing Zhao Wen reciting the menu, Editor Lou finally looked up and glanced at him, his hand still gripping the manuscript. "Don't rush to order the dishes. Let us read them first. We won't be at ease until we've read them."

It's not that this book is so captivating that you can't look away for even a second; it's just that the editor's old habit kicked in—the emotions, foreshadowing, and rhythm between the lines have to be followed smoothly and read through in one go. Being interrupted halfway through is worse than death.

Zhao Wen responded and recited the names of the dishes, agreeing to have them delivered at 8 p.m.

After hanging up the phone, Chong Wenwen gave him a wink, and the two of them tiptoed out again. They pushed their bicycles along the old street, ate two skewers of fried chicken, bought a case of Taiwan Beer, and dawdled until almost eight o'clock before heading back.

The living room was quiet. The manuscript was neatly laid out on the coffee table. The two people sat side by side on the sofa, neither of them speaking. They just stared blankly ahead, not even touching the tea in their cups, which had gone cold.

Even after the food was served, the two were still immersed in a faint sense of melancholy, unable to shake off the feeling. The table was full of braised bamboo shoots, drunken chicken, and steamed fish, but they didn't taste much of it. It wasn't until they downed three bottles of chilled Taiwanese beer and the aroma of alcohol filled the air that the atmosphere at the table began to liven up a bit.

Editor Lou, holding a half-empty glass of beer, nudged Editor Gao's arm, his eyes gleaming mischievously: "Hey Gao, how many years have we known each other?"

Editor Gao picked up a piece of steamed fish and chewed it slowly, without even lifting his eyelids: "Don't give me that, buddy!"

Editor Lou put his arm around Editor Gao's shoulder: "Xiao Gao, really, you're my only good brother. Just give me a break, let our United Literary Society handle 'Love Letters.' From now on, whatever you say goes, I'll do it. I'd give you my life, okay?"

"Brother, when you stole my manuscript from 'The Banks of the Tamsui River' five years ago, why didn't you say you were willing to risk your life for me? Five years have passed, do you know how I've survived these past five years?"

Zhao Wen, sipping his iced soda, clinked glasses with Wenwen while eating melon seeds, unable to bear watching the two of them anymore.

Editor Lou kept nagging, and Editor Gao felt like he was seeing stars.

Zhao Wen interrupted with a smile: "Editor Lou, don't waste time with him. I've just come up with a new story, it's not long, why don't you two listen to it? If you think it's interesting, I can write it down soon."

Upon hearing this, both of them fell silent instantly.

Editor Lou immediately pulled his arm back and sat up straight. Editor Gao also put down his chopsticks and leaned forward slightly. "You Are the Apple of My Eye" was a hit, and "Love Letter" still made his chest feel tight. Who wouldn't be curious about Mr. Snail's new story?

"There was a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro," Zhao Wen said slowly, holding a bottle of soda in both hands. "She was moving with her parents when they took a wrong turn and ended up in a deserted town, passing through an old tunnel hidden in the weeds. The town was lined with stalls selling braised meat and grilled fish, and the aroma was even better than the food on our table. Her parents, seeing no one was watching the shop, sat down and started eating, saying they'd pay later. As they ate..."

He paused, then glanced at the two of them.

"They've turned into two big, round, fat pigs!"

Editor Lou nearly spat out his beer, coughing and choking: "What? Turn into a pig?"

Editor Gao didn't say anything, but his eyes shone even brighter.

Zhao Wenwen was very nervous. She was eating well, so how did she turn into a pig?

Chihiro was terrified. It was already dark, and many semi-transparent ghostly figures were floating in the street. Her own hands were also starting to turn transparent, and she was about to turn into smoke and disappear. At this moment, a boy dressed in white named Haku appeared, fed her a pill, and said that if she wanted to save her parents, she had to go to the bathhouse at the end of town and find the owner, Yubaba, to ask for a job. If she refused to work, she would all turn into animals and never be able to leave.

"The little girl ran to find Yubaba, that old woman was fierce and greedy, and she had magic. She would catch any humans who broke in. Chihiro reluctantly asked for a job, but Yubaba took her name and changed it to 'Chihiro'. She signed a contract and stayed at the bathhouse as a handyman."

The bathhouse was a place for all sorts of gods to bathe and rest, so all the dirty and tiring work fell to Chihiro, leaving her so exhausted she could barely stand up straight.

"On the first day, a river spirit arrived that stank so badly it could kill people. Everyone in the bathhouse thought it was filthy and kept their distance, except for Chihiro, who held her nose and went to serve it. She spent most of the day washing it with a hose and pulled out a bunch of bicycles, scrap wire, and broken cans from the river spirit's body—all the garbage that humans had thrown into the river. The clean river spirit shone brightly and gave her a bitter pill before leaving, saying it could save people in a critical moment."

Editor Lou leaned forward, his cup halfway up in the air, forgetting to drink. Editor Gao, on the other hand, was focused, constantly pondering the logic within the story.

"The good days didn't last long. Another incident occurred at the bathhouse. There was a guy wearing a white mask called No-Face. He couldn't speak and would squat outside in the rain. Chihiro kindly left a door open for him, and he went inside. He could conjure up gold and charmed everyone at the bathhouse, serving him the best food and drink. He became increasingly ravenous, even swallowing people whole. The entire bathhouse was thrown into chaos by him, and no one could control him."

"Misfortunes never come singly. The white dragon who saved her stole Yubaba's older sister's magic seal and was beaten badly by the guardian beast. He fell from the sky and was about to die. On one side, the crazed No-Face is turning the bathhouse upside down, and on the other side, her savior is on the verge of death. Both sides are dead ends."

He paused here, picked up his cup, and took a sip of soda.

Editor Lou slammed his fist on the table in frustration: "And then?!"