Chapter 10

Li has gone out to look for a job, but unfortunately, it is difficult to find one

Xuelan also lacked confidence, but fearing that she might not earn those two dimes, she said: "How can we know it won't work if we don't try? Perhaps we can even earn our meal money; it's certainly better than just spending without any return"

Do not, shivering under the blanket, Shelan rubbed her hands together and thought, this cursed weather is truly cold

Having finished reading, Xuelan closed the magazine and suddenly felt a surge of confidence

Xuelan was not verbose; she selected a copy of a newspaper from the store and also purchased paper, pen, and ink. Unfortunately, they did not sell envelopes or stamps. In the end, she came across a magazine titled "Novel Weekly" and was left in a daze.

Then Xuelan went to browse through "Novel Weekly," and the results were even more shocking

There was no table in the room either, so Xuelan spread the paper and ink on the floor and knelt down to write

First, there are several translated foreign novels, followed by introductory essays on expository topics, then short stories and poetry by domestic authors, and finally, two serialized medium-length novels

Xuelan's calligraphy can be aptly described as resembling a dog's crawl; the previous Wujie certainly could not have produced such a dog-like script

One day, the sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and firecrackers exploded as a small sedan chair was joyfully carried into the Shen residence

Li sighed and said, "Fifth Sister, we currently have no money and cannot spend recklessly"

The youngest daughter is a new youth, full of ideals and aspirations, and she even has a crush on a male classmate. However, she is confined at home, waiting only to be delivered to the bridal sedan. The girl is strong-willed and unwilling to submit; in the dead of night, she jumped into the lotus pond at home and took her own life

Heavy snow falls, blanketing the sky and the land. At this time, there was no greenhouse effect; winter snow always fell heavily. After a night, the snow on the ground could reach up to the knees, and in the middle of the night, one could still hear the sound of snow breaking the branches.

It is not that she is arrogant, but rather that she comes from an era a hundred years later, a time of information explosion. Every day, she browses the internet, reading and writing. If she imitates the writing style of professional authors, she can easily achieve a level that is not the best but certainly better than many others.

Li naturally refused, thinking that she was just being greedy and wanted to buy something to eat

Later, Mr. Hu proposed the famous Eight Nos in "On Literary Reform," which became widely circulated in the cultural circles of that time

If a person is free from worries about food and clothing, sitting in a warm room, they might be in the mood to appreciate the beautiful snow scene outside. However, this does not include the three from Xuelan.

After going around in circles, she found a housekeeping job close to home, helping with the three meals, and then returning home in the evening. However, she quit after just two days. When she got home, she sighed and lamented, and after asking for a long time, she finally learned that the male head of that household had made inappropriate advances towards her

Xuelan donned a thick cotton coat and stepped out into the wind and snow

Third Sister gently touched her head and continued to watch from the side. As she watched, she suddenly exclaimed, "Fifth Sister, your writing is truly excellent. Is this... about our family?"

One day, Xuelan heard her mumbling

The girl said that she is not sure, but she heard that it was a former concubine.

Most importantly, even if she cannot create good stories herself, she has the support of the movies, television shows, and series she has watched for decades

She had no hat, her head bare, her face exposed, with her hands tucked into her sleeves, struggling to move forward. After a while, the third sister chased after her, shielding her younger sister from the wind, and the two of them walked together towards a nearby bookstore

Had I known, I would not have bought cotton; I have a cotton-padded jacket to wear, and sleeping on a straw mat is not that cold.

Several years ago, since a writer with the surname Zhou published the first vernacular novel in the history of China, vernacular language has gradually replaced classical Chinese.

The shopkeeper of the bookstore is a gentleman dressed in a long gown. Upon seeing two young girls enter, he directly asked them what books they wished to purchase

Li did not understand what a writing fee was and curiously asked, "Can you make money?"

First: It is essential to have substance in discourse; Second: Do not imitate the ancients; Third: It is necessary to adhere to grammatical rules; Fourth: Do not create unnecessary national discourse; Fifth: Strive to eliminate clichéd phrases; Sixth: Do not use allusions; Seventh: Do not emphasize parallelism; Eighth: Do not avoid colloquial words and expressions.

It is truly a good trend tailored for someone like Xuelan, who cannot even understand classical Chinese literature

He believes that the language of new literature is vernacular, and its style is free, thus allowing for the infusion of new content and new ideas

On her first day entering, she encountered a mad old woman, who asked the maid, "Who is that crazy woman?"

Then Caiwei went mad

There is a magazine called "New Youth". The editor-in-chief, Mr. Chen, is a professor at Peking University. He and Mr. Li advocate for the New Culture Movement, calling for articles to progress with the times.

Upon turning my head, I saw Third Sister sitting beside me, silently shedding tears

The result is blinding at first glance; over the course of a hundred years, this style has remained utterly unchanged

The story unfolds within a feudal traditional family, centered around the authoritative patriarch, Master Shen, who is known for his unwavering decisions. The narrative begins when he brings a new concubine into the household, who becomes the protagonist of the story. Her name is Caiwei, and she is a former actress.

Xuelan asked Li for two cents

Xuelan was in poor health in her previous life, a recluse who spent half of the year in the hospital

I would like to write an article to submit to m.hetushu.com, to earn some remuneration for my writing. "Xuelan said.

Xuelan is not writing about others, but rather the story of the Liu family mansion

The girl said that she is not very clear about it, but she heard that it was an old concubine.

Xuelan enjoys writing, so she often sends her work to magazines. Sometimes her submissions are accepted, and sometimes they are not. She earns about one to two thousand yuan each month. She also writes serialized novels online, but this is her only means of making a living

The Li family has become reluctant to burn coal, only lighting a fire when cooking. In fact, coal is not expensive at all; a load costs only 0.2 yuan. However, they cannot afford even that 0.2 yuan. After paying this month's rent and buying a bag of cornmeal, only six silver dollars remain at home, which should be enough for a month's expenses. If they cannot find work soon, they will have to sell their last few pieces of jewelry, or else they will end up sleeping on the streets. Thus, the days of the Li family are filled with sighs more than ever, and they are almost worried enough to turn their hair gray. If they cannot find work soon, they will have to sell their last few pieces of jewelry, or else they will end up sleeping on the streets. Thus, the days of the Li family are filled with sighs more than ever, and they are almost worried enough to turn their hair gray

Li is beautiful, with delicate eyebrows and large eyes, and her skin is very fair. Although she is in her thirties, she is more attractive than many young women in their twenties. Working as a maid is likely not a long-term solution.

She is certainly not a mere parasite, but can only support her mother with very limited strength. Nevertheless, her mother always complains about her hard work and does not allow her to do much more.

The story style is very dark, depicting the abused maid who dies, the concubine driven to madness by infidelity, and the seemingly benevolent yet inwardly cruel first wife.

This magazine is still being published a hundred years later, and Xuelan has submitted an article here. Therefore, she bought a copy and then went home with her third sister

Every magazine has its own style. If one wishes to submit an article to this magazine, it is essential to first study its overall style before putting pen to paper. When Xuelan submitted to this magazine at hetushu.com, she devoted considerable effort to research, and even revised her manuscript dozens of times when it was not accepted.

Sister San was watching, and after glancing a couple of times, she looked at her and said: "You... your handwriting... how..."

She once thought she was incredibly happy, adorned in fine clothes and enjoying abundant food, with two lovely daughters by her side. She felt countless times luckier than the sisters in the brothel. However, one day, her eldest daughter was sent away, given to a powerful official with peculiar sexual preferences, and died within a few years. Caiwei was devastated, fiercely protecting her youngest daughter like a mother lion. Yet, the day would come when her youngest daughter would also grow up, and ultimately, she too was sent away for the sake of her father and brothers' future

The ready-made story material, where Li killed his wife and tormented his concubine, has been recounted vividly, and Xuelan has heard it seven or eight times. By rephrasing the straightforward dialect into a more refined style acceptable to "Novel Weekly," a good article could emerge.

Xuelan said: "I want to buy a newspaper, and I also want to buy paper and pens"

Li thought to himself, two dimes are not much, so he gave Xuelan two large coins

Sister San listened from the side and felt a bit tempted; perhaps it really could be profitable. When she was in school, there was a female student in her class who had an exceptional writing talent. She wrote a small poem that even the teacher praised highly. The student sent the poem to a newspaper, and it ended up being published, reportedly earning her some payment for the manuscript. Sister San had also read that poem and found it quite catchy, but she believed she could never write such a delicate piece herself

This is a small bookstore, inside there is a fireplace, and as soon as one steps in from outside, it is so warm that one's face feels as if it might melt.

The article was completed, and Xuelan left the title "A Harem of Wives and Concubines" at the end.

The newspapers brought home were diverse and varied. Xuelan discovered that although there were still many articles in classical Chinese, vernacular Chinese had already taken up half of the space

As for the third sister, it is even more needless to say; she hasn't even graduated from middle school. Even if she can read and write, what kind of job could she possibly find

Every day, she crazily hugs a pillow, gently pats it, and calls out the names of her daughters

The initial ambition was shattered by reality, leaving the Li family in a state of despair. They began to be frugal, no longer spending a single extra penny

Having lied too much, it has become second nature. Xuelan pouted and said, "Last time I fell ill, my hand still lacks strength, and I tremble whenever I write. Once I finish writing, could you help me transcribe it?"

A month later, Beiping welcomed its first snowfall of winter

Then, Third Sister hesitated and said, "It is indeed worth a try, but Fifth Sister, can you do it?"

She is a woman in her thirties, illiterate, and not very skilled in household chores, so she can only work as a maid. However, being a maid requires full-time commitment, living with the employer's family. Yet, Ms. Li has two daughters and cannot possibly leave her daughters at home.

In order to survive in this household, Caiwei immersed herself in the dust, compromising her own dignity and wholeheartedly serving the master and mistress of the house. She also bullied the servants and marginalized other women. Ultimately, she established her position because she gave birth to two daughters

The newly arrived concubine asked the maid beside her, "Who is that mad woman?"

However, in this era, it is indeed difficult to be certain...

Xuelan wrote all day long. During this time, she stood up and walked around several times because her legs were too cold from kneeling on the ground. Later, Third Sister gave her a cushion and urged her to continue writing. As Third Sister watched, her eyes became red, for the protagonist of this story was none other than Aunt Li

As for Xuelan, she is even more useless. Not to mention that this body is only thirteen years old, and coupled with the weakness from nearly drowning, she catches colds easily. Therefore, she hides in the house all day long, fearing the cold, and does not dare to go outside