My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

Seeing that his elder brother was in low spirits, Zhao Wen said he would host a grand banquet in Tianjin to entertain celebrities and asked Chen Erfeng to offer toasts and apologize.

Brother Deng only said one sentence: "Don't! If I really drink that toast, I'll definitely lose you as my good brother! Ah Wen, help me ask Chen Erfeng if she'd be willing to come to my company, uh, as a martial arts instructor?"

Wu Deng eventually left, saying he never hit women.

Inside the Meiling Acupressure Center, four women stared intently at Zhao Wen, scrutinizing him.

"Aunt Chen and Aunt Xu, the way you're looking at me makes me feel very embarrassed..."

"I need to take a closer look, Ah Wen. That's Ghostly Sorrow! How could it have such a relationship with you?" Aunt Xu looked even more closely.

"Aunt Xu, that book you've been talking about every day lately, 'Love Letters,' is one I wrote, so..."

Although I know that this explanation doesn't really explain why Guijianchou would call his own brother, it's the only explanation I can come up with.

It seems like a long time has passed...

"Ah!" Aunt Xu covered her mouth and let out a soft exclamation, which earned her a disdainful look from her daughter.

"What are you looking at? Do you even know who your brother Ah-Wen is? He's Mr. Snail!"

"How come you only found out now? I knew a long time ago!"

"You're saying you already knew?"

"Um!"

Wenwen had indeed heard Mr. Fujino and the others call him that before, but for a little kid, the name "Mr. Snail" wasn't even as fun as the fat koi in the old ceramic fish tank...

Everyone in the room could hear Wu Deng's last words to Zhao Wen, so Chen Erfeng was the first to speak: "This guy doesn't look like a good person at all, I'm not going."

Aunt Chen: "Actually, Erfeng, I feel like you're the ones who are in the wrong. I mean, you're more at fault..."

"Chen Meiling, whose side are you on? We've been bullied like this, hiding for half a year now. What did we do wrong!" Aunt Xu said righteously, acting coquettishly towards Aunt Chen.

"What are you hiding for? The person they want to catch is Erfeng!"

"Erfeng is doing this to avenge Tianjin. If I don't come and keep her company, would I even be human?"

The turmoil in the martial arts world was easily resolved, and the unease in their hearts vanished. The mood of the group immediately relaxed, and the atmosphere became much more lively.

Three women make a drama, and with four women together, Zhao Wen felt that the moxibustion therapy couldn't be done today, so he said goodbye and went home.

"Wait a minute, sit down. There's something wrong with your head." Chen Erfeng had been scrutinizing Zhao Wen for a long time, and when she saw that Zhao Wen was about to leave, she quickly spoke up.

"What do you mean you have a problem with your brain? You idiot, you're talking nonsense again! Ah Wen, Er Feng is talking about your neck and shoulder problems."

Zhao Wen was curious about what would happen after he sat down, so he sat down as instructed.

Chen Erfeng's Tai Chi skills far surpassed her sister's; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to fight eleven opponents unscathed.

The moment she made contact, her strength penetrated to the bone, guiding the meridians, promoting blood circulation, and her palm force traveled to the congested areas of the shoulders, neck, and back, instantly causing the stagnant blood and energy to surge throughout the body.

This skill is far beyond what Aunt Chen can match!

In just seven or eight minutes, Zhao Wen felt completely refreshed, as if his meridians had been opened, and he felt indescribably relaxed and comfortable from head to toe.

"Wenwen, what's your formal name?" Chen Erfeng finished her practice, and Zhao Wen stood up refreshed, asking the question he had just wanted to ask Wu Deng, because the "Jinmen" restaurant reminded him of someone.

"Jia Jinwen, what are you doing?" Wenwen looked at Zhao Wen warily. She was always being complained about and was afraid that someone asking her real name meant they were planning to tell the teacher.

Although Zhao Wen was mentally prepared, he was still stunned for two seconds when he heard the name.

This tomboy is absolutely adorable!

It turns out to be Jia Jinwen, the future top costume drama goddess who will be popular across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong and have a huge national following!

At this moment, the past and the future, time and space are out of sync, and all perceptions instantly overlap.

Zhao Min's radiant beauty and Wu Meiniang's magnanimity led him to believe that these stunningly beautiful women must have been quiet, gentle, and well-mannered little girls in their childhood.

Can anyone tell me if the goddess of my dreams was this goofy girl when she was little?

-

On June 1, 1982, Mr. Snail quietly published a new book. The bookstore only had a banner that read, "Mr. Snail's Children's Day Gift for Kids."

The book is titled "Spirited Away." However, once you open it, you'll find that it contains two stories; the other is "The Alchemist."

Children aren't eligible to buy these books, but each child has a parent. A small portion of these parents are fans of Mr. Snail's books and buy them casually while browsing the bookstore, figuring they can't be cheated by buying Mr. Snail's books anyway.

After dinner, most parents would supervise their children to do their homework, but now it has turned into the whole family fighting over books.

Even a child who can read will hold onto their book tightly and refuse to let go. How could the soot sprite in the bathhouse or the talking white dragon bear to do their homework?

For children who can't read yet, adults read to them. But as they read, they get so engrossed that even when the child in bed has been asleep for a while, the mother or father is still reading softly.

Following in the footsteps of the shepherd boy, they walked all the way to the desert. In the early 1980s, everyone harbored a dream—

Some want to venture out and explore, while others want to rekindle a passion from years ago. The crystal shop owner's regrets and the King of Salem's proverbs make people toss and turn at night, pondering what their "destiny" truly is.

Word spread quickly, and the first print run of 30,000 copies sold out in less than two weeks.

No one expected this outcome—Mr. Snail suddenly ventured into children's books, which many book critics were not optimistic about, because children's books have always been the most difficult to write.

However, Jiuge and the United Literature Society had already put their minds at ease, and the low-key release without promotion was also Mr. Snail's idea. The current 30,000 copies are just an appetizer.

The editor of the supplement of the Min Sheng Daily has a child at home, so he is one of those who stay up late reading to his child. The next day, he wrote a short article titled "A Children's Book That Makes Adults Lose Sleep," which was published in the supplement of his own newspaper.

Then more and more newspapers followed suit, and the calls from booksellers across the country requesting restocks overwhelmed Jiuge and United Literature Press.

Chinese bookstores in Hong Kong and Singapore have come to discuss importing our products, and even Chinese communities in Southeast Asia have inquired about bulk orders.

There were no book signings or media interviews, but by the end of June, the book had already been reprinted five times, with a total print run exceeding 100,000 copies.

"Did the Alchemist Find the Treasure?" was originally just a festive gift quietly handed to a child, but it eventually became the hottest cultural event in the entire Chinese-speaking world during the summer of 1982.

No one can say for sure whether it's children's book or adult literature, just as no one can say for sure why a fairy tale about a mysterious spirit and a desert journey would captivate so many people.