My dear wife, I still love you more.

The family spent all their money on the wedding and even incurred debts.

Because of her parents' anxiety, she had a child a year after getting married. After having a child, what kind of conflicts arose between the woman and the man, and they eventually broke up because of their incompatible values?

Everything seemed so ordinary, so mundane, even the most unoriginal.

After the divorce, at what point did she discover her health was failing, until her eventual death?

Hasegawa estimated that this story would be around 100,000 words long.

One hundred thousand words is considered a long novel in traditional fiction. It's completely different from online novels or light novels. After all, online novels are almost embarrassed to call themselves long novels unless they're several million words long. Even light novels usually have at least five or six volumes.

When writing, I didn't embellish it excessively. I simply wrote down what I had actually experienced.

A man who was pampered like a treasure at home since childhood meets a woman who was also pampered like a princess at home since childhood.

A prince and a princess? Although they are their parents' prince and their parents' princess, can it be considered a romantic fairy tale? No, not at all; it's reality.

Men's concessions allowed women to gradually exert pressure, and with the sudden emergence of so-called feminism in society, women's status was reversed, and they were placed on a pedestal.

Faced with a wife who is high and mighty, the man, who had always been pampered like a prince by his parents, was unable to bear it and got a divorce.

There was no embellishment, no beautification, and no deliberate attempt to vilify anyone. Hasegawa wrote it from a God-like perspective.

If this book were written and placed in China, and given to two groups of people, men and women, the men would probably find the women in the book too ugly, while the women would find the men in the book too despicable. Men would think being a man is too difficult, and women would think being a woman is too difficult.

Of course, if this book were placed in Japan, Hasegawa could even imagine that men who read it would probably think the women in the book were too much, while Japanese women who read it would probably despise the women in the book; at least most Japanese women would feel that way.

However, although what he initially intended to write was merely an autobiography of his past life, once he had started writing, Hasegawa wanted to publish and distribute it. Therefore, Hasegawa naturally wanted to make his novel more readable.

Hasegawa is currently in Japan, so simply writing about things in China wouldn't resonate with Japanese readers.

So after writing half of it, Hasegawa hesitated for a moment and then drew up a new outline.

He also included a family from Japan in his writing, interweaving the two accounts.

If someone without a certain level of writing skill were to write like this, it would probably seem like a jumbled mess to the reader, like something completely nonsensical. However, with his Level 4 writing skills, Hasegawa managed to perfectly balance the two aspects, making the book not only not messy, but also more interesting and readable.

However, this change in approach inevitably slowed down Hasegawa's creative pace, especially since he wasn't very familiar with the family situations in Japan.

Chapter 111 Mrs. Yuihama Wants to Marry into China

"Hasegawa-kun, what's wrong? Is there something you need?" Mrs. Yuihama looked at Hasegawa curiously.

"Well, I suddenly had the idea to write a book about family, so I want to learn about some things between husband and wife in a normal family," Hasegawa said, scratching his head a little embarrassed.

To be honest, Hasegawa did feel a little embarrassed, especially since Mrs. Yuihama was already divorced and had an unhappy family life. Asking her this question now felt like reopening old wounds. However, besides Mrs. Yuihama, Hasegawa didn't seem to have anyone else he could consult.

After thinking it over, Hasegawa decided to give it a try, and if Mrs. Yuihama was unhappy, then he would give up.

After all, it's a traditional novel, and given the style of the book Hasegawa is writing, everything must be based on realism. If readers make wild guesses without understanding the context, it will make them feel completely disconnected from the story and instead appear ridiculous and laughable.

"Family? Matters between husband and wife?" Mrs. Yuihama was taken aback, then her expression became a little strange, and her face flushed slightly. "Hasegawa-kun, matters between husband and wife, um, um, perhaps, perhaps I can help you find some DVDs..."

Hearing Mrs. Yuihama say that, and seeing her expression at that moment, Hasegawa was a little confused. Mrs. Yuihama, are you missing something?

"Ahem, Mrs. Yuihama, well, I meant everyday life, daily interactions. Just those kinds of things in our daily interactions," Hasegawa quickly explained.

"Oh? Is that so?" Mrs. Yuihama was a little embarrassed.

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. I want to write a traditional novel about the differences between families in China and Japan,” Hasegawa quickly explained.

"Oh, I see!" Mrs. Yuihama exclaimed in realization.

“That’s right, exactly.” Hasegawa nodded emphatically.

"Hmm, in that case, it seems like there's not much to say. After all, it all seems quite ordinary. Although he later started gambling and became a different person, thinking about it, it seems like there's not much to say, because I have no idea where to begin." Mrs. Yui racked her brains.

Hasegawa breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing Mrs. Yuihama's demeanor, as it seemed she no longer cared about her ex-husband.

"Mrs. Yuihama, please wait a moment. I'll go get the manuscript. You can compare it with the manuscript and you'll know what to say." Hasegawa quickly ran back to his room to get his notebook.

When Mrs. Yuigahama saw Hasegawa run back, her previously indifferent expression dimmed, and she sighed. She had been hiding her true feelings from Hasegawa; after spending so much time with her husband, how could she not have them? She had simply concealed them all.

Hasegawa quickly ran down, carrying a notebook in his hand.

"Mrs. Yuihama, take a look. After you've seen it, you should know what to write." Hasegawa placed the laptop in front of Mrs. Yuihama.

"Really? But this is the novel you're going to write, Hasegawa-kun. Would it be appropriate for me to read it?"

"Of course it's appropriate, after all, it's not finished yet, and there are still many things I need to consult Mrs. Yuihama about."

"Alright then, I'll take a look first."

Mrs. Yuigahama sat next to Hasegawa, curiously watching what he was writing in his notebook. She was sitting right next to him, almost touching him. While they weren't completely pressed together, their hips and legs were touching.

Breathing in the air emanating from beside him, Hasegawa suddenly felt his heart race.

"So this is what it's like in China?" Mrs. Yuihama suddenly asked, startling Hasegawa awake.

"Huh? Uh, oh, that's right, that's how it is." Hasegawa nodded quickly, so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the passage of time.

"Hasegawa-kun seems to know a lot about the situation in China. He's almost like someone from China," Mrs. Yuihama couldn't help but say.

"Well, I'm just a little curious, a little curious about China. Because, because, because a long time ago I met someone from China, I think he was a tourist, and he told me a story, which is the story I'm writing now. Well, maybe that person was the male protagonist in this story." Hasegawa quickly explained.

This was an excuse Hasegawa had considered before.

"Is that so? Things seem really strange over there in China."

"strangeness?"

"Of course! Do all men in China know how to cook? And even housework is all done by men, which is so strange. Besides, Chinese women... I feel they're so unreasonable. They look down on men who earn 8,000 a month even though they only earn 3,000. Chinese men are so family-oriented. They're completely different from men in Japan, so very different," Mrs. Yuihama couldn't help but sigh.

"Well, the national conditions are different."

"Hmm. That's true. But a monthly salary of three thousand is so low, especially for a man. Eight thousand is only 12 yen."

"Um, well, money isn't calculated like that. Prices in China are much lower than in Japan. Although the exchange rate is indeed calculated that way, a monthly salary of 8,000 is actually about the same as a monthly salary of 250,000 yen in Japan. Well, the cost of living is about the same," Hasegawa said after thinking carefully.

"Huh? Is that so? If that's the case, then this salary is already very high. But why are women still not satisfied with such a high monthly salary?" Mrs. Yui exclaimed in great surprise.

"That's just how things are in our country."

"Is that so? But it still feels strange that men in China can tolerate this situation. If it were Japan, they would have divorced long ago, no, they shouldn't even be married in the first place," Mrs. Yuihama said with a look of incomprehension.

"Everyone says it's because the national conditions are different."

"National conditions are truly amazing. Suddenly, I feel like I'm marrying into China. Women in China are so lucky. If what Hasegawa-kun wrote is true," Mrs. Yuigahama exclaimed loudly.

Listening to Mrs. Yuihama's sighs, Hasegawa felt strange. Was he proud? Maybe a little, but he also felt wronged and thought he was being unfairly treated.

Chapters 112 Summer Vacation Has Arrived

From Mrs. Yuigahama's words, Hasegawa gained a general understanding of the situation of ordinary Japanese couples. However, this understanding was still somewhat insufficient for writing a novel.

Having not experienced it firsthand, and having spent too little time in Japan, Hasegawa lacked a clear understanding of the society as a whole. This allowed him to highlight the differences between Japanese and Chinese families in his novels, something he was unwilling to do.

Therefore, Hasegawa had to set aside time each day to chat with Mrs. Yuihama, discussing life, Japan, and even aspects of the economy, society, news, and politics. However, Mrs. Yuihama was just an ordinary housewife, and now divorced. So there were some things she herself wasn't entirely clear about, let alone something Hasegawa could clearly understand.

Scratching his head. Hasegawa felt it was really difficult.

Hasegawa decided that after the school summer vacation, he would think of some ways to specifically ask some families for information, even if it meant paying a fee for it.

Sometimes Hasegawa thought, why not just cut off the story of Japanese families altogether? But since he had started writing, Hasegawa wanted to write it as well as possible, wanted to publish it, and wanted it to be popular.

Just like movie directors, who doesn't want their films to have high box office returns? Even art-house film directors will use various promotional tactics to lure more audiences into theaters, even if the average person doesn't understand art-house films and leaves criticizing them. The director will simply say that this generation of audiences is too poor, uncultured, and doesn't understand art or appreciation. While criticizing, they still hope that more people will go to the theater, even those ordinary viewers they look down upon.

Human nature is just that complicated.

Hasegawa felt the same way; even when writing traditional novels, he hoped to gain wider acceptance and recognition. He wanted more people to see, and subconsciously, he even hoped that readers would criticize the female protagonist, his ex-wife from his previous life.

In TV shows and movies, after a divorce, the couple always wishes each other well and hopes the other is doing better. But in reality, I secretly hope you're doing worse, at least worse than me, so I can feel at ease.

Therefore, Hasegawa made a tremendous effort to remain as neutral as possible and write the novel from God's perspective, which shows great self-discipline.

……

"Ms. Hasegawa, our publishing house has made a decision." Machida Sonoko's voice sounded excited on the phone.

"Has it been decided to republish volumes one and two?" Hasegawa asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Hasegawa-sensei already guessed? That's right. The publisher has decided to republish volumes one and two. After all, the revised version is far more exciting than the previous one. I think readers will definitely not hesitate to buy it, because it's really worth it," Machida Sonoko said earnestly.

"Is that so? I hope the readers will really be happy." Hasegawa was still a little uneasy. After all, he had a feeling that this whole thing wasn't entirely sincere. If it were truly sincere, even if volumes one and two weren't given to readers for free, at least readers should be able to exchange them for their original copies. It's just a pity, though. After thinking about it, Hasegawa ultimately decided that he was just an ordinary person, why should he turn down money?

Those famous novelists revise their novels all the time, every few years, and then release them again. Whether the quality improves or deteriorates after the revisions, that's what they do, isn't it? And not many people say anything.

Hasegawa is just an ordinary person. He writes novels partly because it fulfills a long-held wish, and partly because it's all about money. So why be pretentious?

Thinking about it this way, Hasegawa felt better.

“Readers will definitely be happy; at least the vast majority of readers hope to see higher quality novels. The publisher has decided that the first and second volumes will be published next month along with the third volume. The third volume is expected to print 50,000 copies, while the first and second volumes will initially print 10,000 copies each. That means a total of 70,000 copies will be printed,” Machida Sonoko told Hasegawa Publishing about the arrangements.

Seventy thousand copies—that's another considerable sum. Hasegawa felt a surge of satisfaction as he thought about the money that was about to arrive in his account.

Two million eight hundred thousand. Adding that to the money from before, and disregarding the money already sent back to Hasegawa's parents, the amount in his bank account is going to rise to over five million.

Five million yen—even a relatively high-level office worker would need to work for two years to earn that much. After all, the average monthly salary for an office worker is only between two and three hundred thousand yen. (I'm not very familiar with the cost of living in Japan, but a reader told me that it's about 8,000 yen in China. Considering the cost of living, that's comparable to a monthly salary of four hundred thousand yen in Japan. Wow, that's really high!)

……

Speaking of summer vacation, well, before we know it, it's summer vacation time.

Late March.

Hasegawa, carrying his schoolbag, looked back at the school. Summer vacation had begun. He wouldn't have to come to school for at least a month. To be precise, forty days.

Not having to come to school during the hottest month of the year is quite a good thing.

"Hasegawa, let's go," Yui Yuigahama said cheerfully to Hasegawa.

"Okay." Hasegawa nodded and turned to walk out.

"Hasegawa-kun." Just as Hasegawa was about to leave the school, Saeko Busujima's voice came.

"Bukushima-senpai? School's on holiday today, you must have a lot of things to take care of at the kendo club. Why aren't you there?" Hasegawa asked Busujima Saeko with a smile.

"The kendo club does have some things to take care of, but the vice-captain and the others can handle it. Hasegawa, you won't be able to come to school after the summer break. If you want to practice kendo during the summer vacation, you can go to the kendo dojo." Saeko Busujima was worried that Hasegawa wouldn't go to the kendo dojo to practice kendo during the summer vacation, so she came to remind him.

"Don't worry, Busujima-senpai, I'll go."

"Also, don't forget, you're going to participate in the Jade Dragon Flag Kendo Competition in a few days. So make sure you're in top form."

"Yes, I will."