Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 426 A very good work
Time finally came to 2010, and we entered the "ten years".

The research institute was bustling with activity until the early hours of the morning, and many people were still reluctant to leave. It's said that they didn't leave until almost dawn.

Zhai Da then escorted the teacher back to the hotel after midnight, leaving the excitement to the others.

Mr. Qian will stay in Harbin for several more days. The group will make their own arrangements, such as visiting Harbin Engineering University, but they don't need Zhai Da to make any arrangements. There are plenty of people to receive them.

In fact, if Mr. Qian hadn't explicitly refused, a single Coaster could have become a fleet of vehicles.

Zhai Da also adjusted his plans, intending to accompany his teacher in Harbin to walk the same paths they had taken when they first returned to China.

However, there is another important matter on January 1st.

That is Zhai Da's third novel, "The Severed Finger," which has been released for sale.

As an established author who won the title of best-selling domestic novel in 08 and 09, his books have covered most of China as soon as they are released. Except for remote provinces, major cities have been filled with his books.

Fans have mixed feelings about this maverick writer. Of the original "Three Gods of Young Writers", Zhai Da has quietly climbed to the position of "The Only True God of Young Writers" by dominating in both sales and literary merit.

His reputation is much better than the other two, and he has also gained recognition from the mainstream literary world.

After all, he was a genuine top scorer in the college entrance examination. Even mainstream literary figures who want to criticize him should take a look at their own scores.

When a writer reaches the top of the industry, it is normal for them to digress and do other things. However, compared to the other two "Three Gods of the Phantom World," one is obsessed with racing and the other is heading towards the entertainment and film industry, Zhai Da has made a 90-degree turn and stepped into the "technology world".

This contrast, while perhaps not unprecedented, is certainly rare in literary history.

Is it that studying literature can't save the Chinese people?

The last person to possess the dual identity of "writer and scientist" was probably Xu Xiake from the late Ming Dynasty.
What? Stephen Hawking?

He may be neither a writer nor a scientist.

He's a genuine Little White Cave explorer.

So much so that when many book fans saw Zhai Da's new work, their first reaction was: This guy is still writing books?

Huashan Road, Shanghai.

Inside a stylish bookstore, Dilraba picked up the book on top of the stack and felt a moment of daze.

I couldn't help but recall the day I swallowed the great sword.

It was really hard; I almost gagged.
The journey, introduced by the teacher, was initially a nightmare, but the subsequent joy and fulfillment completely changed that feeling. After the show aired, her excellent appearance attracted some attention, and with the "Take my sword" meme, she became somewhat famous.

This trip was of great significance to her, a young woman just starting out in her career. She saw the world and witnessed what a "capable person" truly is.

However, having just entered the Shanghai Theatre Academy, she was still far from the entertainment industry, and her teachers advised her not to rush into signing a 15-20 year contract with a small company.

Today, while passing by the bookstore, I unexpectedly saw a banner with Mr. Zhai's name on it. I instinctively went inside and picked up the book with the black and white cover, and I was momentarily stunned.

The earnings from a book should be nothing to that person anymore; is it just a pure hobby?

What she didn't know was that, while she was writing, someone felt like they were about to go bankrupt.
The predominantly black cover seems out of place with the previous lighthearted style, but anyone who has read Zhai Da's books knows that.

The idea that it's easy or relaxing is a lie; if you get hooked, you'll be pinned down and stabbed in the back.

It was a bittersweet experience.

On the pile of books, there was one with its plastic wrap torn off. Dilraba picked it up and flipped through it. It would take too long to read the contents directly, as the book was quite thick, so she looked at the front and back title pages first.

Then you see the last few pages, filled with photos of many children and their parents' contact information, including the time and place they went missing.

At a glance, there are no fewer than a hundred children, taking up a considerable number of pages. The children's photos are all clear and printed in color. Just these few pages alone would significantly increase the cost of the book.

Dilraba thought to herself: This is probably one of the reasons why President Zhai insists on writing books.
What a warm-hearted person.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the other side, in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province.

A father carrying his child walked into the bookstore with a smile. Seeing the stack of books several meters high at the entrance, he said to his child, "Yangyang, do you still remember your Uncle Zhai?"

The boy named Yangyang lost his right thumb, and the unsightly scar, deliberately created, cannot be removed. However, he is dressed very cleanly and neatly, clearly indicating that he is being cared for with love and care.

The boy looked at the photo on the banner, recalled for a moment, and said, "I remember, he stole my beef noodles."

The father's face stiffened: "They're trying to save you, you should thank them."

The child, whose personality had become eccentric due to the torment, has become much more normal under the renewed care of his parents.

He's still young, there's still a chance. Maybe when he grows up, the memories of that time will fade.

So, following his father's instructions, he softly said something to the person on the banner:

"Thank you uncle!"

Yangyang's father is quite strong. He held the child in his arms while flipping through a book with one hand. Seeing the rows of photos of children in the back, he was deeply moved.

Having spent many years searching for relatives across the country and participated in numerous mutual aid organizations, he recognizes the faces of many of the children and even knows their parents offline.

Hopefully, this book can help them find their children soon.

On the back cover of the book, there is a line of small print. This can only be seen after purchasing the book, unless the plastic wrap has been removed:

Special Notice

"One-third of the royalties from this work will be used to support nationwide mutual aid organizations similar to 'family reunification associations' to thank every reader for their support. The other third will be used to reward acts of bravery nationwide for reporting human trafficking and beggar gang crimes. Specific evaluations will be based on the determination of local police agencies."

"The publishing house, Phoenix Media Group, will contribute an equal proportion of the amount to support public welfare."

"If needed, the color-printed pages can be torn off for use in reporting to the police, finding missing persons, and comparison."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Fujian Province, Fuzhou City.

Outside a bookstore, several middle-aged men were carrying a large stack of books and handing them out to everyone they met at the entrance.

"Here's a copy of writer Zhai Da's new book, little girl."

"Young man, are you here to buy a book? Would you like to check out author Zhai Da's new book? It's a great work!"

Several book lovers who came to buy books inexplicably received books without spending a penny. However, the bookstore behind them had no objection, because these people had bought the books from the bookstore, and they simply cleared out their inventory.

They are all parents from families who have lost their children, and belong to the same family reunification support organization.

The cost of doing this for the purpose of disseminating information is indeed too high, far more expensive than distributing flyers.

However, its impact on an individual is far more profound than that of a flyer.

In a sense, they didn't want more people to know about it, but rather they wanted to use this book to draw more attention to it.

The person who organized this book launch was a fairly large business owner from out of town, surnamed Feng. He had lost his only son many years ago and could be said to be willing to spend any amount of money. Before Zhai Da started writing, he also contacted Feng through other people to gather material.

A photo of her child is located somewhere at the back of the book.

After years of searching, the clues seemed to lie in Fujian Province. That led to today's book donation event in Fujian Province.

The middle-aged man unpacked each book, then found his son's photo, circled it with a pen to make it more noticeable, and also showed photos of other parents' children from the mutual aid society.

But they also carefully avoid obscuring other people's faces and contact information.

Even if you distribute 10,000 flyers, not a single person might read them carefully, but this book can truly achieve that.

"Author Zhai Da's new book! I'm giving it away myself, everyone should check it out, it's a great work!"

"Author Zhai Da's new masterpiece, 'The Severed Finger,' is now on sale! Everyone, come and check it out!"

These parents were shouting and hawking their wares far more enthusiastically than the bookstore sales staff.

Just then, a little girl walked over, holding a book called "The Severed Finger" in her hand, looking very hesitant.

Mr. Feng, who was shouting to his customers, looked up and asked, "Young lady, what's wrong?"

The other person looked to be only in junior high school, or even in the first or second year of junior high. They had just received a book.

It is said that he was a fan of "Zhai Da" before, and although the subject matter is very different this time, he still decided to buy a copy to support his idol. As a result, a copy was handed to him at the door.

"Uncle, I think I recognize the person behind me. He's my elementary school classmate."

The middle-aged man froze for a moment, then his whole body began to tremble, as if something was surging from his body to his throat, and his voice became trembling and urgent:

"Really? Where is it?!"

He tried to grab the other person's hands, as if afraid that they would disappear if they turned around, but in the end, Boss Feng restrained himself and said as gently as possible, "Don't be afraid, Uncle is not a bad person, really, Uncle is looking for his son."

The girl was a little scared, but she still found the back and pointed to a photo.

Li Jiaping went missing in 03 at the age of six. He lived in Xingcheng, Hunan Province. He has a mole on his right arm.
"This person, but his name isn't Li Jiaping, it's Fan Xuan. We used to be in the same class, and he also has a mole on his right arm."

"When he was transitioning from elementary to middle school, it seems he fell behind because of his household registration, and we lost contact after that. But I know where his home is. Was he really abducted?"

The middle-aged man looked at the photograph with a seemingly moist warmth in his eyes, but then his whole body went limp, as if all his strength had been drained away.
A clue that is almost certainly credible.
But it wasn't his child.

The middle-aged man remained silent for only a few seconds before putting on a gentle smile: "This is very important. Thank you, young man. Could you come with me to the police station later? We will contact Li Jiaping's parents."

The girl nodded: "It's okay, I'm on vacation. No rush."

The man gave a few instructions to someone to take good care of the girl, then picked up a dozen books and started hawking them even more enthusiastically.

She cried while wiping away her tears, her voice hoarse from shouting.

"Come quick... come and see!"

"Author Zhai Da's new book, 'The Severed Finger,' is on sale today!"

"A wonderful film! A wonderful film!!!"

(End of this chapter)