RBCT Chapter 21 received a tremendous response from readers, with letters pouring in.
Chapter 21 received a tremendous response from readers, with letters pouring in.
Sitting down at his desk, spreading out blank grid paper, and turning on his fountain pen, Chen Zhiyuan quickly calmed down and entered a focused creative state once again.
In the morning, Zhang Hui returned from going out to buy groceries.
She was radiant, her face beaming with joy, happier than ever before. Even her voice was filled with barely suppressed delight as she entered the room.
"Son! You really made your mother proud today!"
Chen Zhiyuan had just finished writing over two thousand words and was relaxing on the living room sofa watching TV when he saw his mother so happy. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Mom, what's making you so happy? Did you find a treasure?"
"I'm happier than if I found a treasure!" Zhang Hui put down her shopping basket and said with great excitement, "You have no idea, I ran into several neighbors at the market just now."
Grandpa Wang, who loves reading newspapers, held up a copy of the Jiangnan Daily and asked me, "Little Zhang, is Chen Zhiyuan, the author of today's serialized article, your son?"
She mimicked Grandpa Wang's tone, her eyes shining: "How could I hide it? I nodded and said right then and there, 'Grandpa Wang, yes, it was my son who wrote it!'"
Guess what? Good heavens, several of our old neighbors who were out buying groceries gathered around, looking on with such envy!
Recalling the scene of being surrounded by neighbors praising and admiring her, Zhang Hui couldn't suppress the pride in her heart, and she couldn't stop smiling.
Actually, neither she nor Chen Jianjun are people who like to show off, and they have never deliberately promoted themselves.
But when asked, they never denied it.
And so, word spread like wildfire, and more and more people in the Shuguang Machinery Factory residential area learned about it.
After meals, envious whispers and discussions were endless:
"That lad from the Chen family is really something! His article's even been published in the provincial newspaper!"
"I saw it too, 'Those Things About the Ming Dynasty.' The opening was so original! At first, I thought it was just someone with the same name, but it really is him!"
"Incredible! This is a long-running serial! Even most authors can't get published!"
"..."
For Chen Zhiyuan, today's Jiangnan Daily is just the beginning.
In the days that followed, the Jiangnan Daily would serialize his novel in a fixed section every day without fail.
Because of its high quality and novel writing style, the novel caught the eye of many readers, who then became so engrossed in it that they even started to follow the updates.
Just like online novel readers later "urged for more updates," readers of newspaper serials also felt that three thousand words a day was simply "not enough."
The number of letters from readers to the editorial department of the Jiangnan Daily has surged, almost piling up into a small mountain.
The letters were remarkably consistent: in addition to praising the book as well-written and of high quality, they almost all shared a strong demand—to increase the serialization length!
"Three thousand words is too short! It's simply not enough to satisfy my reading cravings!"
"It has to be increased to 10,000 words! At least 8,000!"
"Editor, please publish more! We're eagerly awaiting your submissions!"
There are just too many letters coming in; the pressure is immense.
The editorial department had to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the matter. The final decision was for editor Zhou Shutang to speak with Chen Zhiyuan to see if the daily word count could be increased from 3,000 to 5,000.
It's not that the newspaper doesn't want to publish more, but rather that the author's writing speed must be taken into consideration first.
If the author's manuscripts cannot be supplied, even if they want to increase the quantity, they are powerless to do so.
That morning, Chen Zhiyuan, as usual, changed into his red basketball jersey number 23, put on his sneakers, and started his five-kilometer morning run before the summer heat began.
After a few days of consistent training, his guess proved to be correct: as long as he persisted in exercising, the speed of his physical improvement was visible to the naked eye.
Just a few days ago, I was a "weakling" who would be out of breath after running only a few steps. Now, after running five kilometers, although I still sweat, my breathing is much more stable and my fatigue is greatly reduced.
He not only felt his stamina increasing, but his muscle definition was also beginning to show.
Previously, it was a single, unified abdominal muscle, but now it's starting to show signs of becoming segmented.
He'd only been training for a few days; what would the results be if he persisted for a month or two? Chen Zhiyuan was genuinely looking forward to it.
On the way back, I came to that familiar section of road again, under that old locust tree with its lush branches and leaves.
He Fei and her mother, Li Xiufang, were indeed setting up their stall again.
Chen Zhiyuan was completely unreserved, acting like a "community bully," waving enthusiastically and greeting everyone loudly from a distance.
"Good morning, Auntie! You're setting up your stall again? How's business today?"
"Good morning, He Fei!"
After seeing Chen Zhiyuan jogging by every morning for several days in a row, Li Xiufang became familiar with this sunny and cheerful young man and smiled sincerely: "Little Chen, jogging again? It's good for young people to exercise more!"
Chen Zhiyuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the stall next to him—where a neatly folded copy of today's Jiangnan Daily lay.
He realized that He Fei had most likely bought the newspaper.
He guessed right.
Ever since Chen Zhiyuan's articles began to be serialized, He Fei has spent five cents every day without fail to buy a copy of the Jiangnan Daily.
She had always enjoyed reading newspapers, but she had only bought them occasionally before, since each one cost 50 cents, which was not a small expense for her.
But things are different now. In order to read "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty", she has become the most loyal reader, eagerly anticipating it every day.
Seeing Chen Zhiyuan's gaze fall on the newspaper, He Fei felt as if her little thoughts had been seen through, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
Although a little embarrassed, she mustered her courage and, with a hint of anticipation, tentatively asked, "Chen Zhiyuan... how will the story unfold next? Could you... give me a little hint?"
She desperately wanted to know what Zhu Yuanzhang would do next.
Chen Zhiyuan grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, and said cheerfully, "That's hard to reveal, it can't be explained in a few words. This book is quite long, I plan to write about two million words."
In his previous life, he remembered clearly that "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" consisted of seven volumes, each with about 300,000 words, totaling over two million words.
He read that set of books no less than five times, and sincerely admired the original author as a genius, saying that the books were simply too well written.
Now that he has brought this "masterpiece" here, even a quiet and introverted girl like He Fei has become his "little book lover," which naturally gives him a special kind of happiness and sense of accomplishment.
Upon hearing this, He Fei's admiration deepened, and her eyes widened slightly: "Two million words! Chen Zhiyuan, you...you're really amazing to be able to write such a long book."
"It's alright." Chen Zhiyuan smiled, then, as if remembering something, said naturally, "If you really want to see the later parts in advance, I have tens of thousands of words of drafts that I can show you first."
"Really!" He Fei blurted out, her voice filled with undisguised surprise.
Even she herself didn't notice that at this moment, she didn't blush or feel shy, which was unusual for her.
She was no longer as reserved as usual, only a pure desire to read remained, and her personality seemed to have become more cheerful as a result.