I am a literary giant in Japan

Three hours later.

The group of people who returned to the large SUV were no longer laughing and joking; they all looked solemn and serious, and the atmosphere inside the vehicle was extremely heavy.

Yevgeny had previously tried to stop Kitagawa from getting off the bus to take a look because he had a stereotype about the Nizhny Novgorod slums.

Having grown up in a privileged environment and coming from a middle-class working-class family in Moscow, he knew little about the slums and impoverished areas in the country.

He also indirectly learned a lot about them from the internet, books, television, and newspapers.

These traditional media outlets are mostly controlled by the government. Under the current domestic environment of Tsarist Russia, they would definitely have to vigorously promote themes such as "great power spirit," "winning big," and "national peace and prosperity." Otherwise, they would not be able to convince the people that even if Russia disintegrated, it would still be a behemoth that could rival the United States.

Since the propaganda focus is on this area, the real situation of slums and vulnerable groups should naturally not be shown to ordinary citizens.

Therefore, even writers and sociologists who were relatively closer to the lower classes were not clear about the true living conditions of the lower classes in Tsarist Russia.

Yevgeny saw and heard nothing but false information about the slums being chaotic, filled with firearms, drugs and other contraband, and that violent incidents occurred frequently.

Yevgeny would never have come to this godforsaken place if Kitagawa Hide hadn't insisted on bringing him here!
But actually.

Three hours ago, the group got out of the car fully equipped and took a walk in a place with lots of people, good lighting, and a wide view.

Then they didn't see any of the contraband, the violent incidents, or the horrific scene of people swarming around rich people.

All that could be seen were emaciated children, elderly and young people barely clothed, disheveled women, and the village's dire situation where not a single able-bodied man could be found.

Yevgeny and his colleagues could hardly believe that this was an urban village adjacent to the most prosperous area of ​​Moscow!

For the first time, Hideya Kitagawa experienced what it meant to be "blind to the obvious".

In terms of location, the Nizhny Novgorod slum is definitely "under the emperor's nose".

If they can endure a few more years until the major urban redevelopment of Moscow, when these urban villages are demolished in large numbers, these emaciated poor people will instantly become millionaires envied by thousands.

But will those in power really let these people live until then?

Or, on that day, will the compensation from the demolition actually end up in their hands?
Decaying, degenerate, and utterly worthless.

The sense that Tsarist Russia was causing Kitagawa Hide's empire to crumble was growing stronger.

The group wandered around and around, but the dangers they had imagined never materialized. Instead, they encountered many unimaginable tragic scenes that repeatedly challenged their understanding of the world.

Three hours of field research, accompanying Kitagawa Hide, and Yevgeny felt like an eternity. Suddenly, I realized that my upcoming book wasn't appealing at all.

His new book maintains his consistent style, on the one hand writing "hard-hitting war fiction," and on the other hand incorporating the daily lives of the middle class to enrich the reading experience.

Overall, Yevgeny's novels are very similar in style to the Hollywood blockbusters that were very popular in the 90s and 00s, which focused on the "American Dream," "patriotism," and "middle-class affluent life."

For example, Pearl Harbor and Tora! Tora! Tora!

This is also the narrative direction that the Tsarist Russian government currently hopes the literary world will move in the direction of.

Yevgeny himself was once immersed in this dream of "love and hate" and "patriotism" as a "middle-class superhero".

But after following Kitagawa Hide on a tour of the Nizhny Novgorod slums, his desire to write this kind of story instantly faded.

"Damn it!" Yevgeny couldn't help but curse as he drove.

It's their own country, yet they know less about it than a foreigner who just arrived.

This feeling is absolutely terrible.

"The next part of the itinerary is..." Kitagawa Hide wasn't too provoked.

He had seen the same miserable slums in Japan, and even more tragic cases of abuse against disabled children. The victims of this abuse in other countries were also helpless. This level of suffering was far from enough to make Hideta Kitagawa, who had lived through the information explosion era, feel sad.

But for Yevgeny and others, these images and truths were still too heavy a burden.

"Kitagawa, I... I might not be able to go with you to see those things today."

Yevgeny, who was in a terrible mood, glanced at Kitagawa Hide's expression through the rearview mirror.

This young writer from Japan taught him another valuable lesson.

During the three-hour journey, he became convinced that Kitagawa Hideya was also moved by the tragic scenes in the Nizhny Novgorod slums.

Kitagawa Hide is definitely not a heartless person.

Similarly, he was well aware that his lamenting here would neither truly help the poor nor have any practical significance.

Like Hideaki Kitagawa, he should break free from the prison of his emotions as soon as possible and throw himself back into writing novels. That's what he should be doing now.

It is extremely difficult to put knowledge into practice.

During this period, Yevgeny forced himself several times, trying to learn Kitagawa Hide's words and actions, and trying to detach his emotions from his mind.

Without exception, all of these attempts ended in failure.

Kitagawa Hide, however, seemed to have accomplished all of this with ease.

Even if it's because he wasn't Russian and the impact he experienced wasn't strong enough, it's still remarkable.

Kitagawa Hide's body contains unimaginable energy.

His previous assessments of Kitagawa Hide were completely overturned at this point.

Is Kitagawa Hide a worthy opponent?

Now Yevgeny has a clear answer.

Definitely is!
Then comes the problem.

Can Yevgeny really become a worthy opponent for Kitagawa Hide?
He wasn't quite sure.

It's highly unlikely to work.

The recurring realities repeatedly pulled Yevgeny out of his ideal world.

He felt a bit suffocated and needed some time to catch his breath and think. His previously conceived new book now seemed utterly unworthy to compete with such a formidable opponent.

He needs more innovative works, a deeper core, and a more realistic background!
Kitagawa Hide, who could understand his feelings, nodded slightly and did not force Yevgeny to protect him.

"When we get home, I'll have the bodyguards take you on more field trips."

Don't worry about safety. They were all well-known soldiers before retiring, and they can absolutely guarantee your personal safety.

Yevgeny glanced at the rearview mirror with a guilty look on his face.

Kitagawa Hide remained calm, as if nothing could affect his emotions.

His composure is completely out of character for his age!
Yevgeny sighed inwardly for a moment, then drove quickly to his villa.

With Yevgeny's bodyguards accompanying him, Kitagawa Hide became even more eager to go out and collect materials.

If he were alone in Tsarist Russia, a place where he knew no one, he really wouldn't dare to go into some of the dark corners.

But with these tough veterans protecting them, that's a different story.

The more in-depth the research and the more detailed the material, the easier it will be for him to write "Childhood".

This is a masterpiece that will give the Western literary world a resounding slap in the face, and Kitagawa Hide is determined to give it his all!

While Hideaki Kitagawa was engrossed in his research and studies in Moscow, Japan implemented a new round of economic stimulus policies.

Keizo Obuchi, who was appointed to the position in a time of crisis, was indeed working step by step to solve the economic problems that Japan had encountered due to the bursting of the bubble economy.

Compared to his predecessors, the more moderate Keizo Obuchi was more popular with the people.

No matter how hard he tried, the "lost thirty years" were still an unavoidable outcome.

This was already a certainty when the Japanese government previously opted for a "soft landing" to defuse the housing and stock market bubbles.

The Japanese government at the time thought that rather than letting housing prices plummet overnight back to levels seen decades ago, it would be better to slowly erode them.

As a result, Japanese housing prices began to decline steadily from 1991 onwards, national consumption slumped, unemployment soared, and the social economy rapidly shifted from inflation to terrifying and irreversible deflation.

Ultimately, no one dared to call the "soft landing" a success, but going back to the beginning, no one dared to make the decision to make a "hard landing."

All these negative consequences have now accumulated during Keizo Obuchi's cabinet term. It is already quite remarkable that he was able to withstand and slowly improve the current socio-economic situation.

Faced with sluggish consumption and a new wave of unemployment upon graduation, Keizo Obuchi racked his brains and had no choice but to unleash his ultimate weapon—regional revitalization vouchers.

原历史中，地域振兴券是日本政府为应对泡沫经济破裂引发的消费低迷，于1999年4月1日至9月30日期间实施的消费刺激政策。

The total value of the bonds was 6124 billion yen, covering approximately 3107 million people (25% of Japan's population at the time).

Later, a professor from the Department of Economics at the University of Tokyo provided a set of reliable research data, which indicated that the consumption vouchers increased the marginal propensity to consume by households by 20%-30%, and the consumption of semi-durable goods increased by an additional 30%, prompting the growth rate of Japanese household consumption to turn from negative to positive in 1999.

During the policy implementation period, affordable brands such as Uniqlo and Daiso achieved significant sales growth (Uniqlo's single-store revenue growth rate reached 67%, and Daiso's revenue growth rate reached 70%), accelerating the formation of a rational consumption trend in Japan.

However, about 60% of the consumption vouchers were used to replace daily expenses or converted into savings, with a GDP growth effect of about 0.1%.

If Kitagawa Hide were in Japan at this time, he would definitely exclaim that Obuchi Keizo was an "expert."

Isn't this the same "specific consumption voucher" and "national subsidy for specific commodities" policy that the neighboring country later adopted in the original history to deal with the sluggish consumption?

However, unlike Japan, the consumption vouchers there are hard to get and the discounts are generally not very generous. The so-called "national subsidies" only apply to big-ticket consumer goods, such as home appliances and automobiles.

In Japan, the regional revitalization vouchers, scheduled to be issued in early April, will be in the form of paper vouchers, each with a face value of 1000 yen. Each recipient will receive 20 vouchers, totaling 2 yen.

The usage rules include: it can only be used for purchases at retail service locations, cannot be used to buy lottery tickets, pay taxes or public fees, must be used within six months, and cannot be used to make change or be resold.

Eligible applicants include three categories: children under 15 years old and their dependent families, elderly people over 65 years old who are not dependent on others, and low-income groups recognized by the government.

In other words, Japan's regional revitalization vouchers this time are essentially giving money to specific groups of people.

To prevent a situation where people claim items on a large scale but don't consume them, Keizo Obuchi and Nobutaka Machimura made a bold attempt.

They had the relevant departments add Kitagawa Hide's image to the first batch of regional revitalization vouchers issued in April. With this voucher, customers could enjoy a 4% discount on any product related to Kitagawa Hide's novels!
As is widely known, the Russian trilogy that Kitagawa used to angrily criticize the Nobel Prize officials will be published in the April issue of "Literature".

In addition, Kitagawa Entertainment's publications, including "Kitagawa," "Taipei," and "Kitagawa Bunko," as well as several physical novels by Kitagawa Xiu, are all best-selling products in the publishing industry.

In this era of low desires and widespread fear, only Kitagawa-sensei's works can arouse the consumption desires of most people.

Linking regional revitalization vouchers to Kitagawa-sensei's novels can, to some extent, encourage people to spend more rather than hoard vouchers.

Furthermore, the 2000 yen banknote to be issued next year will feature Hideaki Kitagawa's portrait, so it's a good opportunity to practice with the regional revitalization vouchers and see how the public reacts.

After Machimura Nobutaka made this suggestion that killed three birds with one stone, Obuchi Keizo immediately adopted it. He then sent people to seek the consent of Kawade Shizuko and others without delay, and then had the factory start printing consumption vouchers.

As expected, the news generated a strong social response, with many people starting to consider using the vouchers to buy large quantities of Kitagawa-sensei's novels.

That's equivalent to a 2 yen consumption voucher.

How much does a copy of "Literature" cost?
Even the deluxe collector's edition of "Selected Novels of Kitagawa Hide" published by Kawade Shobo is priced at only 9999 yen!
Kitagawa-sensei's novels will never be outdated.

Many older editions of "Literature and Art" magazine and physical copies have seen their value appreciate continuously on the black market for novels, becoming appreciating commodities comparable to collectibles!
Realizing that the distribution of this wave of regional revitalization vouchers would inevitably cause a consumption frenzy in the literary market, Yumeko, Jabami Rei, and Saito Rena also seized the time to write their novels, preparing to take advantage of this trend to gain some traffic.

And just like that, time flew by and it was April 1, 1999.

The first batch of regional revitalization vouchers issued by the Keizo Obuchi cabinet quickly reached the hands of the relevant people, and that afternoon, discount stores such as Uniqlo ushered in a shopping frenzy.

Meanwhile, having completed his research trip, Kitagawa Hideya, who then spent the entire time writing at Yevgeny's home, completed the first six chapters of "Childhood" (out of a total of twelve chapters).

Yevgeny revised his writing approach and ideas, and after many stumbles, he wrote about 3 words, which he felt was not a slow pace.

But when he saw the six chapters of "Childhood" that Kitagawa Hide had written in the past few days, totaling 120,000 words, his overflowing confidence was severely damaged.

Yevgeny refused Kitagawa Hide's request for him to help review the manuscript.

He really wanted to read it, but he was even more afraid of being disappointed again, so he went to the editorial office of "Modern People" without looking back, hid there to write his new book, and didn't answer anyone's calls.

Left with no other option, Kitagawa Hide took the manuscript to the editorial department of *New World* magazine himself. (End of Chapter)