Riding the wind of rebirth

"The requirements for proofreading ancient books are very high, and the points earned are also the highest in the settings. Godfather, if you proofread the 'Records of the Starry Sky' in the local chronicles for us, I estimate that you will have more points than you can use in the digital library."

"Hahaha, this is great!" Godfather was overjoyed: "Your godmother always teases me for having a belly full of knowledge but no practical experience, and now it's finally come in handy! 'The Record of the Starry Night,' I'm a pro at that!"

"Would you be interested in being our reviewer? Being a proofreader is too much of a waste of your talents." Zhou Zhi immediately seized the opportunity: "This website actually pays for articles. And with your skills, I can guarantee a considerable income."

"This...would you consider it a mistake to have a part-time job?" The godfather hesitated a bit: "Isn't it said that civil servants aren't allowed to have part-time jobs?"

"Why don't you ask your godmother?" Zhou Zhi said. "It seems the province just issued a notice that income earned from literary creation in one's spare time is considered legitimate income and is even encouraged. Besides, you're already working in the cultural field; how can you manage without writing?"

“After meticulous selection and polishing, I was fortunate enough to be chosen. Who would say that many are not worthy of recognition?” Zhou Zhi recited “An Explanation of Learning” to his godfather: “In the past, it was just a hobby. Now, it not only satisfies our hobby but also produces results and generates income. Individuals, organizations, and society all benefit, so of course it will receive support.”

"Okay, I'll look into it. I'll do it if I don't make any mistakes!" The godfather got a little excited: "Wow, we've been chatting for so long. I'm hanging up now. Send me the stuff later."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Zhi looked at the now-hot phone and smiled at Mai Xiaomiao, "Godfather only just remembered that calling him from the phone costs money from both ends. Even though it's from his work unit, this call probably made him wince."

"Congratulations on recruiting another trainer," Mai Xiaomiao said with a smile.

Although China has a vast collection of ancient books, they are still insufficient compared to modern language books.

Moreover, the grammar used in ancient books is much more complex than that of modern Chinese. For example, there are many rules regarding taboos, line breaks, and headings in different dynasties. Furthermore, there are special variations in chronology, star charts, and the Five Elements compared to traditional biographical writing. In addition, musical scores, talismans, and transliterations of Buddhist scriptures are basically three separate character systems from Chinese. Furthermore, the grammar of poetry and prose is also very different from that of classical Chinese.

Furthermore, as time goes by, the same poem can have five or six versions, such as Li Bai's "Drinking Alone Under the Moon." At the same time, many errors will appear in ancient books during their transmission. Let alone Xiao Zhi identifying them, even a four-year undergraduate student majoring in classical Chinese would be completely bewildered when they see those texts.

Moreover, classical Chinese texts emphasize conciseness and contain numerous historical allusions, the meaning of which must be understood within the context of the passage.

For example, the "bluebird" commonly found in classical Chinese texts refers to a common blue bird in Zhang Heng's "Western Capital Rhapsody"; in Li Shangyin's "Untitled Poem," it refers to a divine bird in mythology that fetches food and delivers messages for the Queen Mother of the West; in Wang Rong's "Preface to the Poem on the Third Day of the Third Month at the Winding Stream," it refers to the bluebird as a deity; in Chen Zi'ang's "Spring Terrace Preface," it refers to the spring season; in Ge Hong's "Baopuzi," it refers to the ancient geomancer Qingwuzi; and in Ren Fang's "Records of Strange Things," the bluebird is also an alternative name for a sheep.

If you don't understand what the "bluebird" in the original text actually refers to, your analysis of the article will go completely astray.

There's an even more excessive form of phonetic loan, such as the word "朅来" (qiè lái), which can be used interchangeably with "曷来" (hé lái), meaning "why did I come?" The Song Dynasty poet Chen Yuyi wrote in his poem "On the Road to Hengshan," "朅来岩谷游，却在浮云外？" (qiè lái yán gǔ yóu, què zài fú yún wài?), which conveys this meaning.

However, this word is also interchangeable with "盍来" (hé lái), meaning "why not come?". This meaning is also found in Li Shangyin's poem "Well Mud" from the Tang Dynasty, which includes the line "I wish to hold the handle, why not come and join me?".

The same word can have two completely opposite meanings, so as the saying goes, even undergraduate students of classical Chinese might not fully understand it. It's inevitable that Xiaozhi's analysis will contain various errors. This is why it needs expert training. Compared to later AI systems trained with massive amounts of low-quality online material, which became rudimentary, Zhouzhi's requirements for Xiaozhi were very high; it needed to reach at least an expert level.

This requires that the person who can train Xiaozhi be more skilled than the average expert.

Such people are hard to find, especially when it comes to relatively obscure knowledge such as ancient texts like "Treatise on Astronomy," "Treatise on Stars and Fields," "Treatise on the Five Elements," and "Treatise on Official Posts." Even fewer people can have a comprehensive grasp of these texts.

Every one of these people is a treasure; Zhouzhi would never have too many.

Fortunately, these kinds of people have two characteristics. First, they have a genuine love for these subjects; otherwise, they wouldn't have spent more than a decade honing themselves into experts in these fields.

Secondly, this kind of knowledge is difficult to "monetize." In other words, these experts, apart from publishing papers, find it difficult to gain attention from people outside their field. In other words, they lack "popularity" and are generally "old scholars" who sit on the sidelines for a long time with a small salary.

Now Zhouzhi has given them an opportunity to prove their abilities and reap substantial rewards. Most of them share the same attitude as their godfather just now: "Give them a little sunshine and they'll shine."

"Hehehe, for my godfather, taking on this job will at least double his income!" Zhou Zhi chuckled slyly. "Besides, this is his hobby. It's like a mouse falling into a rice jar and still making money. Of course he's very happy."

Master Ma also laughed and said, "Zhuangzi once said that when he first started working, he was overjoyed with just a few jars of rice, but later on, no amount of salary could make him happy. What was the original saying?"

Zhou Zhi said: "In Zhuangzi's Fables, it says: 'Zengzi served in office twice, and his heart was transformed twice. He said: 'When I first served in office, I was happy with three cauldrons of wine; but when I served later, I was not satisfied with three thousand zhong of wine, and my heart was sad.'"

"Yes, yes, that's it!" Master Ma nodded. "If you ask me, the happiest time was back when I rode my old bicycle all over town, scavenging for bargains at the junkyard. Now, I can't find that kind of fun anymore..."

“Now everyone knows you. Anything you picked up at the big willow tree, even if you leave it there without buying it, the stall owner will immediately double the price, saying that even Master Ma has looked at it.” Zhou Zhi laughed, “This is probably the trouble of being a celebrity!”

"Aren't you one yet?" Master Ma said, "Now you're just ordering food from the auction catalog and relying on Lin Wanqiu to source the goods for you. What fun is there left?"

Although Zhou Zhi hid in Lianhe Township, his relationship with Han Hai did not end. Lin Wanqiu searched for antiques all over the world, and Zhou Zhi was her big spender and major client.

The two had several ways of cooperating, depending on the items. Some involved jointly purchasing items and reselling them at a higher price; others involved Lin Wanqiu borrowing items from Zhou Zhi for a short period, selling them upon return, and then repaying Zhou Zhi; some were purchased by Zhou Zhi through Lin Wanqiu for his own collection; and some paintings and calligraphy were acquired at low prices and then auctioned off after Zhou Zhi completed their restoration...

In short, there were various ways of cooperating. Lin Wanqiu treated Zhou Zhi quite well, but most of Zhou Zhi's legitimate income, such as appraisal fees, repair costs, and dismantling interest, did not return to Zhou Zhi. Instead, it became items that Lin Wanqiu had acquired from overseas that Zhou Zhi also liked, stored in Xinbaozhai in Hong Kong. (End of Chapter)