Chapter 1339: Dead Water
Fangzheng asked, “Uh… It’s not that bad, right?”
Yu Nian shook his head with a bitter smile. “It can only be worse than you think. Do you know? My wedding is today.”
Fangzheng nodded in acknowledgment.
Yu Nian said, “But you definitely don’t know how many times I went on blind dates to reach this point.”
“How many times?”
Yu Nian said, “The blind dates started three years ago. Five times a month, sixty times a year, a hundred and eighty times in three years! Basically, I used up all the connections around me before I found someone who’s willing to chat a little more with me. Most of the time, the woman will ask me what I do. When I say that I’m a web novelist, and that’s basically the end of the date.”
“That pitiful?”
Yu Nian said, “More or less. In the eyes of most girls, web novelists are a bunch of poor losers. As they don’t know you, they can only ask their friends. The web novelists that their friends know are mostly one of the five to six million people, or those that barely make a living. Therefore, the feedback they receive is… there’s no way to live with them.”
“Then do you hate them?”
Yu Nian shook his head and said, “No, why should I? They weren’t wrong in the first place. It’s just a blind date, not a betrayal. Everyone has the right to choose their own happiness. I can’t request others to make do with me because of my misfortune.”
Fangzheng smiled when he heard that. “It’s great that you think of it that way. You previously said that you earned 1,200 last year, so how much did you earn this year?”
Yu Nian said, “You can call me a late bloomer. After practicing my literature skills for ten years, I finally had a break through in the second half of last year. Now, I earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per month. In addition, I’ve received the highest of more than a hundred thousand yuan in one month, along with the different platform fees and the earnings from physical publications.”
Having said this, Yu Nian was a little proud. He did not forget to add, “Besides, my copyright is being negotiated. If I succeed, I should be able to get about one million.”
Fangzheng gave a thumbs up and said, “Impressive. In that case, your conditions should be very good. At the very least, you are better than most people in our Songwu County, right?”
Yu Nian said, “I think so too, but in marriage, it’s not what I feel that matters. It’s what the woman feels about it…”
Fangzheng said, “By the way, it’s your wedding today? Why did you come to This Penniless Monk’s place?”
Upon saying this, Yu Nian’s eyes, which were originally in high spirits, instantly dimmed. He said bitterly, “Master, I actually wanted to ask you if I should still continue writing web novels.”
“Why are you asking This Penniless Monk?”
Yu Nian subconsciously took out a box of cigarettes. He wanted to smoke, but when he took it out, he remembered that he was a monastery. He couldn’t smoke.
Fangzheng smiled. “Go out. You can smoke outside.”
Yu Nian nodded gratefully and followed Fangzheng out.
Although the snow on the mountain was thick, it had not snowed for many days. The mountain breeze was strong enough, blowing away a layer of a stone-like snow crust. One wouldn’t sink into it when walking on it; it felt like walking on cement.
The only difference was that it was a little slippery…
Furthermore, there were many tourists. The people who came every day would have to rely on their feet to open up a path in many areas on the mountain.
Hence, it was not difficult for the two of them to walk.
Yu Nian lit a cigarette and took a deep suck before saying, “I’m very lost. I don’t know if I should continue.”
Fangzheng did not say a word as he waited silently.
Yu Nian continued, “I like to write. I’ve liked it since I was young, but I don’t have any channels that can let me make a living. As you know, traditional magazines’ have low sales volumes, and the remuneration they give is pitiful. Most importantly, it’s very difficult to get selected without any connections. Therefore, even if it’s just a few yuan, it’s not that easy to make money from it.”
Fangzheng nodded with a deep sense of emotion. This was because One Finger Village had an old teacher in the past. He used to teach private schools, and he was very knowledgeable. Every word he said was poetic. Back then, Fangzheng felt that he was a poser, but when Fangzheng grew up, he realized that the old teacher spoke beautiful words. Everything he said was classic and very interesting.
Fangzheng still remembered that the old teacher had once been infuriated. He stood on the street and cursed for more than an hour before reciting an essay. Back then, Fangzheng was curious and listened, but he did not memorize it.
After attending school and learning this essay, he finally learned that this poem was used by Old Mr. Wen Yiduo to curse at people back then: Dead Water!
And when the old man sent it for publication at the county, he was rejected.
There was nothing wrong with rejecting him. At the beginning, the old teacher said that there were too many excellent literates in the world. The thing he wrote was still lacking…
But when the issue was published, the old teacher saw that the poem that took his place was actually…
“Ah, the sky. You are very blue.”
“You are so, so very blue…
“Even in dreams, I wish I could fly up to you.
“Alas, there’s no chance.”
That’s right, it was a poem that took the spot that the old teacher had spent a month working hard to come up with.
Hence, the old man got angry and rushed to the county city overnight. He stood in front of the publication office and scolded the people inside. Later on, he found out that the person who wrote the poem was a retired official. He had nothing better to do, but he wanted to be a cultured person and edified his sentiments.
Not only did that poem replace the old teacher’s poem, but it also received a huge prize in the city back then. The cadre was also stunned. When he went to receive the award, he threw the certificate away and said, “What the heck… my lousy thing can still receive an award? Are you kidding me? Or are you scolding me?”
The old cadre then left in a huff…
That became a joke as well.
The old teacher did not know the subsequent developments. Anyway, after returning, he cursed and also recited Dead Water that very day.
Fangzheng could not remember the content of the Dead Water. However, he felt extremely pleased with the last two sentences. Therefore, he had a deep impression of it. Now, he could memorize it: “One may as well let the Devil cultivate it! And see what kind of world he will create!!!”
With this in mind, Fangzheng mentioned it casually.
When Yu Nian heard that, he sighed with emotion. “Sigh, even though it’s not all like that, as long as one’s luck is bad, he might lose all mood in writing if he meets one.”
Fangzheng nodded slightly. The old teacher left One Finger Village ever since that incident. He never heard from him again.
It was probably because he felt complete despair towards certain matters…
Yu Nian said, “Thankfully, after web novels appeared, I saw an opportunity. When I earned my first sum of money—200 yuan—from web novels, I made a decision to take this path. This is my hobby, and if I continue to work hard, it’s possible to support myself. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. To suddenly give it up is really difficult for me…”
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