Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor.

On the four red lacquered solid wood desks arranged in a row, the rustling sound of paper and pen scratching never stopped.

Reviewing and editing breaking news, writing serialized novels, organizing and optimizing the food section...

Liu Xingmo worked until dark to finish the paperwork.

I had a quick dinner and then started the printing process.

Typesetting text, applying ink, pressing out scrap paper...

One after another, freshly printed newspapers were clipped at the two corners and hung on a thin string.

The autumn air was dry, and the ink dried up quickly.

They collected the newspapers, folded them neatly, and stacked them into a large pile, ready to be sold the next day.

As night fell, the four exhausted people spread out their blankets and went straight to sleep.

The next day, delivering newspapers was also a tough battle.

Liu Xingmo set off before dawn, following a well-planned and familiar route, knocking on the iron doors of the treehouses one by one to promote the fruits of his labor.

"Auntie! Today's newspaper is different; we've added a new column. Look, it's this half-page."

"Oh, let me see." The old woman picked up the newspaper, which still smelled of ink, and flipped to the last page. "Hmm~, old stories of the mountain city, exploring the memories of the tongue... I'll take a good look."

"More for the same price, still only one dollar per serving!"

"That's right, that's how it should be done. Business should be conducted with such integrity."

……

After saying goodbye to the regular customers, we immediately headed to the next store.

"Sir, today's newspaper is different!"

……

"Beautiful lady, today's newspaper has been updated with some stylish and witty content!"

……

"Kids, there's something good in today's newspaper!"

……

After a busy morning, around noon, Liu Xingmo found a shop to have lunch and rest.

Naturally, someone in the store started reading the newspaper aloud, and a large crowd gathered around, listening intently.

The person reading the newspaper looked familiar; he was one of my regular customers from the morning. This old man was retired and liked to show off his education whenever he had free time.

The aged, melodious voice, though not loud, was very penetrating, telling the story word by word.

"Passing through the bustling ghee market, turn into an old alley covered with moss. When you see a chrysanthemum peeking out from the wall, you can smell the aroma of soy sauce and firewood wafting from not far away—that's most likely the Dahe Canteen that the old folks often talk about."

"Well written!" someone exclaimed.

"Clap clap clap!" Someone clapped.

"Keep going!" someone urged.

The old man squinted his eyes, clearly enjoying himself, as if he were the creator.

He read in a rustic voice, "The dishes here don't use fancy techniques. The braised pork is slow-cooked in an iron pot, and the soy sauce is made with our own secret recipe. The caramelized sugar coats the cubes of meat, making them tremble and gleam with oil."

"Glossy, it must smell so good..." someone started chuckling.

The old man smiled kindly, then looked down at the small print in the newspaper and read, "The secret to this fatty yet not greasy meat lies entirely in the cooking time—the landlady said it has to be stewed in a wood-fired stove for a full hour so that the aroma permeates every strand of meat."

"Oh my... I want to eat braised pork too." Someone swallowed hard.

……

The banquet, which featured no food, reached its climax amidst the crowd's cheers. Many people now longed to visit the old restaurant they had never seen before.

Liu Xingmo saw this and was delighted.

GG is indeed effective; the experience and methods accumulated in the information age will surely make a name for themselves in this world.

After eating and drinking his fill, Liu Xingmo felt sleepy. He forced himself to stay awake, and with his aching legs, continued on his newspaper-selling journey.

As the sun sets in the west, the city lights begin to twinkle.

Liu Xingmo returned to the library and discussed the day's findings with the staff.

A total of 793 newspapers were sold, no more, no less, a normal sales volume.

The key question is how much customer traffic the new food program, "Old Tales of the Mountain City," will bring to the partner restaurants.

The four of them packed up and set off together for the Langqiao Canteen, where they had eaten last time.

Walking through the familiar alley, I came across the winding river. As I walked along the riverbank, a cacophony of sounds filled my ears.

Looking up, I saw a giant log spanning the river, with people crowding on both sides, and some even running onto the bark roof.

The people inside, having eaten and drunk their fill, were trapped inside and unable to get out.

Fortunately, someone helped maintain order.

A large capybara, towing a makeshift wooden tub boat, swam to the bottom of the bridge, caught people jumping out of windows, and settled them on the boat.

The four people from the newspaper were somewhat stunned.

Xu Wenting took off her scarf to calm herself down, muttering to herself, "Does it have to be this exaggerated..."

Liu Zhili's eyes widened: "To think we could attract so many people! I've always underestimated our newspaper..."

Liu Huimin leaned closer and put her arm around Liu Xingmo's shoulder: "The president is amazing! I knew it, the president is always right!"

"Hehe, actually I didn't expect it to turn out like this either." Liu Xingmo smiled wryly. "Looks like we'll have to eat dinner somewhere else tonight. Has anyone found any good restaurants this week? Can you recommend one?"

"Me! Me! Me!" Liu Huimin raised her hand high. "Everyone, follow me!"

The four of them returned the way they came, winding their way through the city center, and found another shop to eat at.

Surprisingly, there was someone reading a newspaper in this store, and that person was the store manager.

A middle-aged woman, overweight and wearing a leather apron, reads aloud a tattered secondhand newspaper by the dim light of an oil lamp.

Many people, having finished their meal, leaned lazily against the counter, squinting as they listened to stories from afar.

Liu Xingmo didn't order any food, but instead led the three of them to sit down in a corner.

The 4000-word serialized novel was vividly presented with embellishments.

Liu Xingmo couldn't help but marvel.

The readers who were listening in, however, began to sigh deeply.

"That's it? I waited seven days! Now I have to wait another seven days!"

"This storyteller really knows how to play tricks on people; he loves to end things at crucial moments, leaving you on the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting the next installment!"

"When I become an elder of the clan, I will definitely arrest the storyteller, lock him in a dark room, and make him write stories day and night!"

Liu Xingmo couldn't help but mutter, "Isn't that illegal..."

Some people declared righteously, "The will of the people is our bond; the law will not punish the masses!"

Liu Xingmo quickly changed the subject: "Let's check out the new food section!"

Someone turned around: "Hey! Aren't you the newspaper seller? You must be the storyteller, right?"

Someone angrily exclaimed, "I see you feasting and drinking with beautiful women every few days! You scoundrel, instead of writing more stories, all you do is squander our money!"

Someone tried to maintain order: "Everyone, hurry up and hold this guy down! Don't let him escape! Force him to tell us what the next chapter is about!"

Someone offered a terrible idea: "I have some sedatives for livestock; I can use them on people too!"

Liu Xingmo was so frightened that he almost lost his mind.