My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

"...That day, she found me, soaked and disheveled from the rain, and took me home. From that moment on, I belonged exclusively to her; I was her cat..."

"...I just quietly curled up in her lap, letting her stroke my back again and again. We live in our own time, and the moments when we overlap are the most precious sight in the world."

Editor Gao stopped and leaned against the edge of the table, carefully reading page by page. Over three thousand six hundred words passed, and despite the constant flow of people in the editorial office, he remained completely undisturbed.

Turning to the last page, Editor Gao looked up at Zhao Wen and sized him up: "This... the writing is delicate, and the emotions are very stable. How old are you?"

"18." The newcomer, Zhao Wen, pretended to be shy and lowered his head slightly.

"That's rare!" Editor Gao neatly folded the manuscript. "I'll accept it directly; no need for a second review. I'll calculate the payment and transfer it to you in a few days. It's 130 yuan per thousand words, okay?"

"Thank you, Editor Gao!" Zhao Wen knew that when someone said "okay," they weren't asking for his opinion, but just a habitual closing remark, so he quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Are there any unfinished works on hand?" Editor Gao returned to his office, lit a cigarette, and came out again to ask.

Zhao Wen was thanking the junior editor Yi An and preparing to leave when he heard Editor Gao's words and quickly replied, "Yes. There are still three... four or five more being revised. May I ask Editor Gao to take another look in a few days?"

"Of course." Editor Gao exhaled a thick column of smoke. "Come directly to me when you arrive, and I'll review your cases personally."

"Thank you, Editor Gao!" After expressing his gratitude again, Zhao Wen left Jiuge Publishing House.

Editor Gao, you still have four or five more works! I have four or five thousand more!

Zhao Wen had absolutely no idea whatsoever that he was creating something himself.

Just kidding, some old flop, trying to create original content here? Readers will be bleeding money off him in no time. Zhao Wen, he'll have to go through that again by the third chapter...

An unwritten rule in the transmigration world: If you transmigrate and don't plagiarize, even a hero's life will be in vain!

On the way, he picked up his younger sister from school and also bought some side dishes and pork belly. Zhao Wen thought that since he was so quick-witted, and there were so many chefs on Douyin (TikTok), he should be able to make something delicious by following their steps.

At noon, I ate fried noodles with hot soup at a stall at the alley entrance, and then ordered two new school uniforms from the clothing store next door, specifically asking the shop owner to sew extra fabric at the elbows and knees.

Zhao Wenwen felt bad about spending the money and muttered to herself that the old clothes were still wearable. Zhao Wen simply rubbed her head.

I went straight to bed when I got home. Handwriting takes a huge toll on my shoulders, neck, and back, and staying up late really made me tired.

Zhao Wen woke up when Zhao Wenwen came home from school and knocked over the cutting board while cutting meat with a knife.

"Don't move! Just leave it there, okay—" Zhao Wen was terrified when he saw his younger sister holding a knife in one hand and reaching for the cutting board on the ground with the other, and quickly stopped her.

He let Zhao Wenwen do her homework by the door while he put on an old apron and went to cook. He washed and chopped the vegetables neatly, and followed the steps in the video to stir-fry, braise, and stew them, holding the spatula firmly without knocking over any utensils!

Three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table, neatly presented, with all the ingredients cooked thoroughly, neither burnt nor undercooked.

Sure enough, what can't a man who's got cheat codes do?

Zhao Wenwen was very happy. There was egg drop soup, braised pork, blanched vegetables, and one dish that she didn't even recognize!

"Let's eat!" Zhao Wen called out in a very ceremonial manner, then picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks and placed it on his sister's plate.

"Brother~"

Seeing his little sister's face contorted in a grimace, Zhao Wen sensed something was wrong. He picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, but before he could even take a bite, a pungent, fishy smell assaulted his nostrils...

The vegetables were terribly salty... The egg drop soup was barely edible, but definitely not tasty. Zhao Wen's face darkened, and he cursed inwardly, "All the chefs on Douyin are liars!"

He took a deep breath. "Let's go eat at the old man's stall at the alley entrance!"

Zhao Wenwen tried hard to hold back her laughter, but her brother was really funny today!

Watching his younger sister grinning foolishly while eating oyster omelets, revealing her canine tooth, Zhao Wen felt a warm, content feeling slowly welling up in his heart. The fragrance of roses and the bluestone path were not much different from the alleys of his old home in Chengdu in his previous life, except that there was an extra fairy-like younger sister!

I only copied a little over 1000 words from "Those Years". Last night I mainly worked on the short story "She and Her Cat".

After last night, Zhao Wen discovered that his divine ability still had some flaws—perfect memory would fluctuate depending on his physical condition!

If you are in a very tired state, your memories will become blurry, and they will only return to normal after you take a nap!

After a good afternoon nap, Zhao Wen, full of energy, didn't plan to transcribe "Those Years" all at once. After all, he could only rely on his hand now, managing to produce a maximum of 5000 words a day. This was only because he had a cheat code that allowed him to write without having to come up with ideas or correct grammatical errors; otherwise, he would have struggled to produce even 2000 words a day.

He needs to copy a few more short stories, otherwise, with over 12 words in "Those Years," it would take more than 20 days to complete the manuscript, plus the review, publication, and other processes, and it would take at least a month before it could be released.

These high-quality short stories can be submitted to Editor Gao in just a few days. "She and Her Cat," which I submitted this morning, might be published next week!

After copying for two days, Zhao Wen felt that being a plagiarist in the 80s was really hard work!

He stayed up all night copying books, and fatigue piled up layer by layer. In his previous life, Zhao Wen was a heavy smoker. After being reborn with a completely new body, his physical addiction to cigarettes was completely gone. He was secretly glad that he had quit smoking and hadn't experienced any withdrawal symptoms.

But that day in the Jiuge editorial department, the sight of Editor Gao leaning against the table, puffing away on a cigarette, awakened a fierce tiger buried deep in his heart, a tiger that lingered and could not be dispelled!

Having exhausted his last bit of restraint, Zhao Wen took advantage of Zhao Wenwen squatting at the door feeding the koi in the lotus tank, and went alone to the general store at the alley entrance, quietly asking for a pack of Huang Changshou (a type of herbal medicine).

The shopkeeper looked at the boy. He used to buy cigarettes for his father, but this time he was buying them for himself.

Zhao Wen skillfully tore open a hole, lightly patted the unopened end twice, pulled it out, lit it, and felt a familiar sensation that came after a lifetime, all the negative feelings were relieved.

However, the brand of cigarettes that Dad smokes has a very bland taste!

"Uncle Bing, bring me a few more packs to choose from."

"Ah, okay." Uncle Bing looked at Zhao Wen, feeling a little sorry for the boy; he was under too much pressure.

Zhao Wen chose the hard-pack Formosa cigarette with the highest tar and nicotine content, then took out another one and lit it. Uh, this is what a cigarette should be like.

In his previous life, he always smoked Black Liqun cigarettes, but this hard-pack Taiwan cigarette is comparable.

Huang Changshou smoked 12 yuan, and Yingbaodao smoked 24 yuan. Zhao Wen bought some tempura for Zhao Wenwen and went back smoking Yingbaodao cigarettes.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Zhao Wen visited Jiuge Magazine this time, he thoughtfully put two tissues in his pocket.

These three are all depressing...healing short stories. I can give them to Editor Gao to wipe his tears later.

If Editor Gao doesn't even flinch, then he's definitely not human!