My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

Chihiro took the bitter pill given to her by the river spirit, broke it in half, and fed one half to Haku, which forced out the seal and poisonous insects in his stomach, saving his life; she fed the other half to the crazed No-Face, who vomited violently, expelling all the people and gold he had swallowed, and returned to his original quiet self, never causing trouble again.

"Afterwards, she carried the white dragon's scale and followed Yubaba's sister on the sea train, drifting across the boundless shallow sea to apologize in person. She also helped the white dragon regain his true name: Nichihachi Kohaku Nushi. He was actually the river spirit of a certain river, but because humans filled in the river to build houses, he became homeless and came to seek refuge with Yubaba. With his name restored, the shackles of magic were broken."

"In the end, Yubaba made a bet with Chihiro, saying that if she could identify which two of the dozen or so pigs in the pigpen were her parents, she would let them go. Chihiro looked around and shook her head, saying that her parents weren't among them—she won the bet! The contract was void, and she could take her parents home. Haku escorted her to the tunnel entrance and told her to keep going straight and never look back."

"When she passed through that old tunnel again, her parents acted as if nothing had happened, as if they had simply gotten lost in the forest and had completely forgotten what had just occurred, as if it were all a dream. Only the hair tie that Yubaba had given Chihiro was still faintly glowing—proving that it was all real!"

After the story was finished, the dinner table was quiet, and you could hear the koi fish blowing bubbles.

Editor Gao was silent for a while, then let out a long breath, his gaze at Zhao Wen was very complicated—he had thought that "Love Letter" and "You Are the Apple of My Eye" were the pinnacle, but he did not expect that this casually told story contained such intriguing growth, loss, and redemption.

Editor Lou snapped out of his daze, slammed his cup on the table, and raised his voice: "Mr. Snail! Awen! This story is ours! I'm not fighting over 'Love Letter' anymore! This story could be written into a medium-length or long novel. Give it to our United Literature Society for first publication. Name your price!"

Editor Gao remained silent, but he was absolutely certain that if this story were expanded into a full-length novel, it would be even more explosive than "Love Letter."

"If I were to write it in detail, it would easily be a novella of 50,000 to 70,000 words. I also have another story on hand, called 'The Alchemist,' which tells the story of a European boy who crosses the desert in search of treasure. The core of it is somewhat similar to this one, about initial aspirations and destiny. It would be about 80,000 to 90,000 words long. Combining the two novellas into a single volume would be just the right thickness."

Neither editor said a word, waiting for Zhao Wen to continue.

"What I mean is, this collection should be jointly published by your two companies." Zhao Wen glanced at the two of them. "United Literary Society has the best distribution channels on the entire island, and Uncle Gao is familiar with my manuscripts, so the operation is also smooth for him."

After he said that, there was a two-second silence at the dinner table.

Editor Gao was overjoyed. Although Jiuge was a well-known name in the local literary world, it was nowhere near the level of United Literature Press in terms of distribution channels and literary influence. The joint distribution seemed like a pie-sharing arrangement, but in reality, Zhao Wen was helping him out!

By leveraging the United Literary Society's channels to distribute the books throughout bookstores and newsstands across the island, sales will only skyrocket—a sure-fire way to make money. Editor Gao nodded vigorously, "No problem on my end! Leave all the proofreading and typesetting to me!"

Editor Lou was just trying his luck today, never daring to dream of getting a new book so soon. But then, a joint publishing right fell into his lap, and it's even Mr. Snail's new manuscript! If he takes this back to the publishing house, even the editor-in-chief will praise him for his competence!

So he shouted, "No problem! I agree on this! I'll go back to Taipei right away to report to the president. You can name any terms you want, and we'll definitely use our maximum promotional resources!"

Zhao Wen smiled, picked up his soda, and took a satisfying sip. This was a win-win-win situation!

Tying the two literary societies together is much more reliable than giving it to just one, especially since Editor Lou's side is a top-tier literary society in Taiwan! Auntie, what are you going to do this time?

As 1982 approached, the popularity of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" showed no signs of waning. Some bookstores had bought a hundred or two copies of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and still couldn't rent them all! The whole island was curious about the same thing: what would Mr. Snail's next book be about?

Some bet he'd continue writing youth campus novels to cash in on his popularity, while others guessed he'd switch to romance novels, following the current trend of making the most money. So, some readers wrote to Jiuge Magazine, earnestly advising him not to switch to writing for his aunt...

While the outside world was in an uproar, the old wooden house on Section 2 of Yongfu Road remained quiet. Zhao Wen sat at his desk by the window, his fingertips tracing sentences on the manuscript paper, meticulously polishing "The Alchemist".

This book, hailed as the "world's first modern fable," has sold nearly 100 million copies worldwide since 1988! If Zhao Wen were willing to give up, this book could have allowed him to live a comfortable life as a wealthy man, find a young woman, have children, and enjoy his retirement.

The original author of "The Alchemist" was actually a rock lyricist by profession and had no fame in the literary world. This resulted in the embarrassing situation that the book was sold out immediately upon publication, with only two copies in the collection.

The reason I decided to plagiarize this book now is because of the interference of the United Literature Society. With such a powerful literary society supporting you, why not jump on the bandwagon?

Furthermore, given the current context, the book requires almost no changes; all that's needed is to slightly reduce the excessive mystical elements.

"Love Letters" has been printed, with an initial print run of 100,000 copies. No one at Jiuge Magazine dared to utter another word.

When Editor Gao delivered the samples, he was carrying freshly baked pineapple cakes. As soon as he entered, he heard Zhao Wen playing the piano and singing.

"Back to square one"

记忆中你青涩的脸

......

I long to go back to those years.

Back to the classroom seat

Intentionally provoking your gentle scolding.

......

Meeting again

I will hold you tight.

Holding you tightly—

Zhao Wen saw Editor Gao enter the room, but he didn't stop. He just smiled and nodded—their relationship was now more than just that of uncle and nephew in name only.

Editor Gao listened to the whole song in a very strange standing posture. January in Tainan is similar to spring in many mountainous areas of mainland China.

A gentle breeze ruffled the editor-in-chief's hair, and the sound of the piano, carrying the boy's thoughts, flowed through his more than forty years of life and crashed into his heart.

Editor Gao finished his cigarette in the wind: "Absolutely amazing! This song... this song paired with your book 'Those Years' is a match made in heaven!"

He's a cultured man, acutely aware of the weight of emotions. Zhao Wen doesn't possess remarkable guitar skills; his lyrics, though simple and straightforward, perfectly capture the bittersweetness of youth. It wasn't just teenagers; even this older man was reminded of the girl with the ponytail in the front row...

"It's the theme song for this book. If you think it's suitable, help me find a record company to record it. It will give the book a boost."

"Perfect! Perfect!" Editor Gao put down the pineapple cakes, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to Zhao Wen. "I know a producer at a record company. We've worked together before; he's very reliable. I'll go see him tomorrow!"

Zhao Wen nodded: "However, I have to be there to supervise the recording. The arrangement doesn't need to be too complicated. Just focus on the guitar to avoid piling on too much and ruining the clean feel."

"Don't worry, I've explained everything to them." Editor Gao patted his chest and agreed, already planning the schedule in his mind—to release the song before the release of "Love Letter," creating a synergy between the old and new songs, which would boost the long-tail sales of "Those Years" and keep the hype going.

(In recent years, the Lunar New Year celebrations in Taiwan have consisted mainly of family gatherings and various other things... those who know, know. So I won't go into detail about the Lunar New Year celebrations in recent years. I hope you understand.)