Rebirth and making money first

Zhang Zhi came to Zhang Jing and said, "Sister, I feel like life like this is so boring! Look at my husband, he doesn't come home often, our daughter is with you, and our son is grown up now. I take care of a child every day, and I can't eat much, and I'm always sitting around like this. It seems quite boring! You say, let's go out and have a meal with friends, but they all have jobs! We really don't agree. Do you think I should do something?"

Zhang Jing asked, "So what do you want to do? Or maybe you should go back to the insurance company?" Zhang Zhi shook her head. "Well, if I go back to the insurance company, I'll have to drum up business. The only people I sell insurance to are friends and strangers. I don't really have the energy for it."

Zhang Jing asked, "So what do you want to do? If that's not possible, why don't you open a shop and do business?" Zhang Zhi replied, "Business takes up a lot of energy. I have to be in the shop all day. Besides, I don't know how the business will perform. If I lose money... I won't be able to explain it to myself! My husband won't agree either."

Zhang Jing said, "So I'm saying, you should write novels like me! You were pretty good at writing when you were in school, so you should have plenty of time. Plus, you can type on a computer, so why not buy a computer and write at home? Write as much as you want, no matter how much you write. Just treat it as a chore. If you can earn some money, that would be even better!"

Zhang Zhi listened and thought for a moment. Zhang Jing's suggestion rekindled her interest. She said, "Sister, I've always known you were writing. Could you tell me? How much money did your books earn? Do you make a lot of money? And by the way, what's your pen name? I've never asked you, and you wouldn't tell me."

Zhang Jing rolled her eyes at her. "Who writes a novel and tells their family? We can't reveal our identities. Novels are written for strangers, not for acquaintances!"

Zhang Zhi asked: "I don't know how to write, can you teach me?" Zhang Jing said: "No, you have to figure it out on your own. But there are some training courses. If you don't know how to write, you can look online and pay the tuition to learn."

Zhang Zhi said, "If you teach me for free, I'll understand. Why waste the money? Which website should I register on? Where should I submit my paper? At least tell me! Otherwise, I'll be completely in the dark and have to take a lot of detours!"

Zhang Jing said, "There's no standard for this. You can submit wherever you want. Buy a newspaper on the street and look for your address. Submit your article, whether it's a story, prose, or poetry. As long as it's published, you'll make money."

Zhang Zhi said, "That's it." Zhang Jing said, "That's it. Who didn't start like that? If you're not proactive, it means you're not short of money!"

Zhang Zhi slapped her thigh and said, "Since that's the case, I've decided. I'm going to start writing, just like you. Although I can't write long essays like you, I can write short stories."

So Zhang Zhi, excited, sent her son to Zhang Jing as well: "Sister, if you want to support me, please help me look after my son first. When I write something famous, I will come to pick him up. If I can't write anything famous, I will also come to pick him up."

Zhang Jing said, "I'm not your sister, am I? You've been writing novels, and all the kids are sent to me. I should switch to a nursery!" Zhang Zhi said, "There's no other way. You have to support me. Don't worry, I'll be quick!"

Zhang Zhi bought a few newspapers and piled them up at home to read. She came to Zhang Jing and said, "Sister, I've read these newspapers and I understand them. The stories here are really coincidental. Later, I looked through the e-books on my phone and the stories online. Wow, they're really amazing! I thought about my story and decided to polish it carefully."

Zhang Jing looked at Zhang Zhi, who had thrown both children to her family. Adding her own two children to the mix had already given her a headache. Zhang Jing thought, she was just looking for trouble!

Zhang Zhi's son, Xiaoxuan, was a quiet, gentle boy. He ate whatever he was given and happily played with his siblings. Naituanzi had also started school. With three children, Zhang Jing found it difficult to manage them. Finally, a nanny arrived.

Zhang Zhi hired the nanny from her hometown. It was said she was a relative's sister-in-law who had come from a long way back. She was tall, dark, and strong, but her presence here made Zhang Jing feel even more exhausted. She had to teach her everything, and she had to speak in her hometown dialect. Her cooking wasn't something anyone was used to, but she herself was a big eater! When she went grocery shopping, she always complained about how expensive this was and how expensive that was. If she behaved like this at home, the children wouldn't understand, and Zhang Jing sighed at the thought.

Zhang Jing complained to Zhang Zhi, "Oh, I feel even more tired!" Zhang Zhi said, "You must be patient and train her well. Once you train her well, you will be relieved!" But before Zhang Jing could finish training her, she said she didn't want to do it anymore! She missed home, she missed her husband, she missed her children, she was not used to it!

Zhang Jing couldn't stop the nanny from going home. So, after less than two months, the nanny left, and Zhang Jing paid for her services. She was terribly anxious, and after some thought, she decided to find another nanny. She went through several nannies, but none satisfied her. Either the nanny was dissatisfied, complaining about the large number of children, or Zhang Jing wasn't satisfied.

Zhang Jing felt that with so many children, she could open a kindergarten. But there was nothing she could do. Zhang Jing felt exhausted. She was getting thinner and thinner, and it was all due to her exercise and this kind of exhaustion. She was now desperately hoping that Zhang Zhi would write a novel soon so that she wouldn't have to suffer.

Zhang Zhi finally finished writing a novel! She gave it to Zhang Jing, asking her to take a look. Zhang Jing took a look at her novel and gave her a blunt, four-word response: "The plot drags."

Zhang Zhi objected, and Zhang Jing said her descriptions were too long-winded. Zhang Zhi replied that this was the best novel she could come up with. "Are you dissatisfied with anything? Just tell me!" Zhang Jing replied that the purpose of a novel is to tell the reader what the story is. It's primarily about the plot, not the surroundings—the flowers, plants, fish, and birds. If you were a reader, would you want to read all that?

Zhang Zhi said, there aren’t that many storylines, so what should I do?

Zhang Jing said, "If you don't have one, think about it. Your storyline needs to have conflict and resonate with everyone. What kind of things resonate with everyone? They need to stir up emotions! In short, make the reader want to stand in the protagonist's shoes and teach the villain a lesson. That way, you've achieved the climax! In the end, the villain will be punished, leaving everyone feeling utterly satisfied. In short, the good guys will be rewarded, and the bad guys will get their comeuppance!"

Zhang Zhi said, "So old-fashioned?"

Zhang Jing concluded, "Stories don't have to be clichéd, because people want to read them! If you can write something like that, you've reached a certain level!"

Zhang Zhi said, "Sister, you see, what I wrote is a love story." Zhang Jing said, "So, your love story is straightforward and unoriginal. No one wants to see people showing off their love! On the contrary, your love story has ups and downs, twists and turns, a third party, a little white flower, and a protagonist who has suffered all kinds of hardships. In the end, forget it, it's hard to explain it to you. Go read it yourself! So, I recommend a novel for you to read. Read the other person's text and see how they write it."

Zhang Jing casually recommended a novel she was reading to Zhang Zhi. Zhang Zhi said she had read countless novels and didn't believe it, "Then let me take a look and see how it was written!"

After reading someone else's novel, Zhang Zhi said to Zhang Jing, "Oh my god, this makes me so angry! This novel is so well written that the more I read, the angrier I get, but by the end, it's so satisfying! So this is written to stir up emotions! I get it, isn't it just to stir up emotions and make us feel that life is full of ups and downs, with twists and turns?"

Zhang Jing said, "If you can write this, you'll be that thing." Look at that great writer, Mou Yao. Her stories, if applied to real life, would absolutely shatter your worldview. But when you look at her works, how many middle school students shed tears over her novels?

Now we're all grown up, but looking back at it now, it seems so strange. But back then, which of her stories didn't accompany us growing up? We don't know how many tears we shed, how much pocket money we spent. It's only when we truly enter society that we realize that fiction is fiction, and reality is reality.

Zhang Zhi listened and went back to revise her novel. When she was almost done, she showed it to Zhang Jing. Zhang Jing said it was barely acceptable. She thought she could submit it and give it a try. Zhang Zhi asked, "Really let me submit it? Where should I submit it?"

Zhang Jing said, "That's up to you. You can submit wherever you want. There are so many novel websites anyway. You can find a suitable one." Zhang Zhi asked, "Sister, where should you submit?" Zhang Jing said she downloaded Zhihu and if that didn't work, she could go to Zhihu.

Zhang Zhi said, "I feel like Zhihu seems so high-brow. My education level doesn't seem to be as high as others. Will no one read my post?"

Zhang Jing said: "How will you know if you don't try? People are wearing fake identities, how do you know their educational background? There are many stories there that need answers. You can go and have a look. Many questions can be answered with stories. You can also try it!" Zhang Zhi finally tried it.

After sending Zhang Zhi off, Zhang Jing picked up her novel and continued typing. But soon, she couldn't continue. The four children were making a scene. Zhang Jing thought about it. Since she couldn't find a babysitter right now, and the two children were over a year old and needed someone to look after them, what should she do? She decided to go to the kindergarten and ask the teacher.

The park replied that they would not admit children who couldn't handle their own urination and defecation, unless they could do so themselves. Even if they knew to call for help, they would be lenient and help take care of them.

Zhang Jing sighed. "That's still a year and a half to two years away!" Just thinking about it made her feel discouraged. Whenever she got upset, she'd get angry at Achen. Achen didn't understand. She could only retreat to the side with the children and secretly watch her.

Her mother-in-law called to say her sister-in-law had given birth to a boy. After some discussion, they decided not to hold a full-month banquet until the hundredth day. Zhang Jing figured it was a boy, so she asked Ah Chen to go and give the red envelope.

When Uncle Zhang came to visit, Zhang Jing realized that he had been back for a while. She couldn't help but complain to Uncle Zhang why he didn't tell her earlier. Uncle Zhang said, "I know you're busy, so I didn't want to disturb you. I came here just to see the kids." Zhang Jing grabbed the two kids and greeted Uncle Zhang. Seeing Uncle Zhang holding them, she said happily, "Good boy, you've grown so big! Come and let grandpa take a look." Manyi also circled around the old man, calling him "Grandpa." Uncle Zhang agreed and said, "Oh, I can finally relax and take a good look at my grandson!"

Speaking of Zhang Yongle, Uncle Zhang said he had returned to Shenzhen. He had also returned to his original unit, but his position there was no longer available. He had moved to a new unit, taking on a more relaxed logistical role.

Zhang Jing agreed and asked, "Did your sister-in-law stay in Shanghai?" Uncle Zhang frowned and said, "No, she realized she couldn't make it in Shanghai with my father and me back. She couldn't raise the child alone. We discussed it and decided to move the child back to Shenzhen. She's used to it here, so she's fine with staying here forever."

Zhang Jing asked Uncle Zhang curiously, "How is my godmother now? Didn't you and my godmother live together in Jiangsu? Didn't you take her with you when you returned to Shenzhen? And then you went to Shanghai. Where is she? I didn't have time to ask you."

Uncle Zhang said, "Oh, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you! We separated a long time ago. People are better off being married since childhood. Look at those who married later in life, how many of them are good? We didn't encounter any major problems. If we did, we would go our separate ways! When disaster strikes, we each run away!"

Zhang Jing asked, "Did she ask you for money or something?" Uncle Zhang said that she had been with him for a while, and he couldn't let her down, so he gave her some money. "Now, I don't ask for anything. I just want to take good care of my health and see my children more often. I don't have any big aspirations. Zhang Jing, godfather will come to see the children often in the future. Please don't be disgusted!"

Zhang Jing said, "Look at what you're saying. I'm so happy you're here! There are so many children here, I'm overwhelmed. I'm looking for a nanny, but I haven't found the right one. Can you help me find one?"

Uncle Zhang said, "We need to know everything about the family. The two children are grown now. We'll only have to wait for another two years. We should ask around. It's not easy to find a suitable one. We must find a good one!"

The mother-in-law called Zhang Jing and told her that her sister-in-law was going to have her own mother look after the baby after the full month. Since she was free, the mother-in-law wanted to come live with Zhang Jing and asked if it was okay. Zhang Jing said, "That's great! I was just thinking of hiring a nanny, but I can't. These kids are making such a fuss at my place. I can't do anything all day. Come quickly!"

So it was agreed that Zhang Jing's mother-in-law would start work. She arrived a month after her baby was born. She took on the responsibility of buying groceries and cooking, while also looking after the children. Of course, Naituanzi would often come over to help out. Only Zhang Zhi's son, a somewhat timid one, had to be fed by Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing called Zhang Zhi and asked how her writing was going. The child was back home, and now her mother-in-law was here, and the burden was too heavy. "Sister, you're too late. I've already paid the tuition, several thousand yuan. And then there's the writing class! You can help me for a while."

Zhang Jing asked, "Did you get scammed?" Zhang Zai replied, "No, everyone's saying you have to pay for knowledge these days. Since it supports payment, you have to pay. Who will tell you the secrets of martial arts if you don't pay? I'll pay to learn systematically, and I'll teach you when I've mastered it! This way, we pay one price and two people learn, so we make a profit!"

Zhang Jing asked, "So what did you learn?" Zhang Zhi replied, "A lot! I learned how to outline and structure a novel, and the rest is just filling in the details..." Zhang Jing asked, "Tell me how long it will take you to complete this course, and how much tuition you paid. Can I get a refund?"

Zhang Zhi said, "It's only a few thousand yuan, what's the refund? There are over 100 people in the class, and they all paid thousands of yuan. Some people really can't write and want a refund, but the teacher says that once the tuition is paid, it's non-refundable!" Zhang Jing said, "Isn't this an unfair clause? It's just like your insurance company! It's even more unfair than your insurance company. Your insurance company should at least deduct a small amount when refunding the money, and you can't say you won't refund it at all. I paid tuition to study this novel, and they don't give me a refund? If you don't study hard, you're really not worth the tuition!"

Zhang Zhi said yes, so I have to work hard!

Zhang Jing said you can bring your son and work on it together! Take your child home, and when he's asleep, you can write. When he's awake, you can listen. This is a very freeing profession. If you can't even do this, I advise you not to do it!

Zhang Zhi said, "Sister, you are so cruel! You have already climbed ashore, so why can't you let us swim in the water for a while longer? It would be good for me to learn a little more."

Zhang Jing said: "This bowl of rice is not tasty, you have to think it through! I suggest you don't pay so much tuition, just learn the basics occasionally! And by paying so much tuition, aren't you paying an IQ tax?" Zhang Zhi said, don't look down on people, I must write it down for you to see!

To Zhang Jing's surprise, Zhang Zhi didn't write a novel. Instead, she wrote a prose poem praising Shenzhen's reforms. It was nominated for a prize in a competition!