Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Working overtime in the evenings is a physically demanding task.

Inside the iron plate frame, the copper blocks engraved with reversed characters are arranged in reverse order. After verifying that they are correct with the original manuscript, rosin is applied to fix them in place.

Next, brush a layer of ink onto the paper, lay the blank newspaper neatly on top, press it down to allow the ink to soak into the paper, and finally peel it off to dry.

We worked until the early hours of the morning to finish two thousand newspapers.

The four of them took out their prepared bedding, separated into two rooms according to gender, and spent the night in the library.

The next day, as dawn broke, the crowing of roosters echoed throughout the city.

Reluctantly, Liu Xingmo crawled out of bed and rubbed his throbbing temples with his fingers.

After a quick wash, I slung my backpack over my shoulder, which contained a thick stack of 200 copies of the Heilong Weekly, and then set off.

Conditions were harsh, there was no other way. Even the deputy director had to go out into the sun and wind.

Liu Xingmo stepped onto the streets of Zhongcheng under the indigo sky.

As the core urban area, besides various large public buildings, the most common buildings here are tree stump houses.

The massive cylinder, covered in rough bark, features an exquisitely carved black iron door and clean stained-glass windows. The top of the cylinder is covered with red tiles, stacked into a pointed cone shape.

This type of architecture is a native product of this world, making simple use of the giant trees in the jungle.

Liu Xingmo went door to door, promoting the latest issue of the newspaper.

Three large sheets of paper printed with Chinese characters could be sold for one iron coin. In Heilongzhai, where entertainment was scarce, this was a rare pastime.

As the sun gradually rises, the treehouses cast straight shadows to the west. The sounds of traffic fill the morning light, and the town awakens from its slumber.

Liu Xingmo sold 30 newspapers in just over two hours in the early morning. Most of the customers were regulars, and it was a simple cash-on-delivery transaction. He spent most of his time running around.

He looked tired and sat down at a breakfast shop, where a crowd had already gathered.

A middle-aged man held up a newspaper and read it aloud, while countless people craned their necks to listen and occasionally offered their comments.

Liu Xingmo smiled and began to enjoy his breakfast.

In Heilongzhai, not many people are literate; less than one-tenth are literate.

I've heard that some fourth-tier powerhouses and even fifth-tier grandmasters, who have lived for hundreds of years, are still illiterate and need to be accompanied by lackeys—oh no, secretaries—to help them with paperwork.

Liu Xingmo finished his breakfast.

The middle-aged man at the shop entrance had already finished reading the newspaper once, and he began to read it aloud again, so that the newcomers around him could listen.

Of course, this is a serialized story, and the residents are more interested in it. As for the innate mythical beast, the Rock Boar, it's too far removed from ordinary people and doesn't sound very realistic.

Liu Xingmo listened to the comments and felt that his 4,000 words this week had received a pretty good response.

With my backpack on, I continued on my way.

The area we just visited has less than one percent of that.

It feels less like everything in this world has grown larger, and more like humanity has shrunk. Not only plants and animals, but also mountains and rivers are vast, ten times larger than in the previous life.

Heilongzhai, located in the central part of the Xing'an Mountains, has developed for over a thousand years and has a population of hundreds of thousands.

Continuing with tradition, it's called a village, but it's actually more like a small country. However, it's still just a human settlement in the mountains and forests.

Liu Xingmo walked along the planned road, heading towards the next street.

Morning, noon, afternoon...

Newspaper after newspaper was sold, and coins after coins were collected into pockets.

As the sun set, I returned to the library.

The four people at the newspaper sold a total of 756 copies.

According to their contributions, Liu Xingmo received 312 yuan.

The remaining thousand or so newspapers were handed over to the macaque curator. He would sell them to bookstores and schools, and the proceeds would be used to purchase paper, ink, and other materials.

Liu Xingmo had been busy for two days, barely having time to eat or sleep, and was feeling completely exhausted. But he was still happy because he had money in his pocket and felt at ease.

I said goodbye to my colleagues and prepared to go home.

When they arrived at the library entrance, the giant macaque spoke in words: "Wait a minute, Xiao Mo."

"What's wrong, Curator? You've approved my comic book project targeting illiterate customers?"

"Pah! I'm not going to do this kind of uncultured stuff." The big macaque pouted in disgust and pushed up its gold-rimmed glasses.

Then, he used his furry paws to pull out a heavy bag and placed it on the counter: "All the tips you've received over the years are here. I'm giving them to you."

"What? I even received a tip!"

"Incidentally, along with the update request letter sent here, there were also razor blades, which I've kept for you. You can take them anytime you want."

"I just want the money! Forget the razor blades..."

Liu Xingmo grabbed the heavy money bag, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy.

The macaque's lips curled into a kind smile, and it continued:

"Little Mo, when you were ten, you knocked on that door, timidly saying you wanted to find a job. It feels like it happened just yesterday; I can't help but laugh every time I think about it. Hahaha..."

"I watched you grow up, and I don't want to see you make mistakes because no one is watching you. You're smart and persistent, but you're too young and too playful—you like fishing! That's not good."

"Don't blame me for withholding your reward money before. A child like you doesn't understand the importance of saving money. I'm keeping this money for you so that one day it can be used as a wife's reserve, so you can find a good wife..."

"Huh?" Liu Xingmo's eyes widened. "Director! I already have a wife!"

"What?!" The enormous monkey face froze, its glasses nearly falling off. "When did this happen? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Liu Xingmo shrugged: "After my parents passed away, I rented out the empty rooms in my house and found a female tenant. That's how we got together. It's all so ordinary, nothing much to say. Also, my wife is from abroad, and she doesn't like to be in the public eye, so we haven't been very ostentatious."

A huge monkey face jutted out from behind the counter, spitting wildly at the tiny person in front of it: "You brat! So that's why you took such a long leave before, you got married! I thought you went on a long trip, fishing for a month!"

"Haha!" Liu Xingmo awkwardly touched his nose.

The curator was somewhat amused and exasperated, and finally sat back down in his seat, looking rather embarrassed.

"You know, all the money we earn goes to running schools. I'm dirt poor." The monkey paw handed over a cloth bag that looked quite heavy. "These books should be helpful to you, so I'm giving them to you."

"Thank you, curator!" Liu Mo happily opened the package.

"The Record of Tortoises and Soft-shelled Turtles", "The Classic of Nurturing Wonders - Annotated Edition", and "The Miraculous Path of Fortune: Exploring the Mysteries of Ancient Kingdoms"

It's definitely a useful book; I'll study it carefully in the future.

Liu Xingmo carried a heavy package on his back and went home after get off work.

By the way, now that I have so much money, maybe I should go to Midtown Pharmacy and see what limited-edition goodies they have.