Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the fluttering white curtains, casting jagged shadows on the living room floor.

The aroma of Longjing tea gradually filled the living room.

Zhang Qiming lay on the sofa, his hands clasped behind his head, watching a quiz show on TV.

This was his first day off since July, his first perfect morning without having to change out of his pajamas or check his schedule. He slept exceptionally well last night, without waking up in the middle of the night to think about any data metrics, or reviewing documents in his dreams.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip, letting the tea swirl in his mouth, its warm and mellow fragrance filling his nostrils.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Zhang Qiming turned to look and saw Zhang Ruiyi coming downstairs. She was wearing a white T-shirt and light-colored jeans, and her hair was tied up and held tightly at the back of her head with a hair clip.

Strangely enough, ever since Han Fei took her home that night, she's stayed in her room and hasn't come out. In the last few days, she's only shown up for meals. Li Ting went to her room a few times and said she'd been reading something like *The New Yorker* magazine.

Zhang Ruiyi walked down the stairs, dragging her feet through the living room, pretending not to see Zhang Qiming on the sofa, and continued towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Zhang Qiming finally couldn't help but ask, his tone very restrained.

Zhang Ruiyi stopped and hesitated for a moment before turning around and saying, "I called Han Fei yesterday and we made an appointment to go to his publishing house today."

Zhang Qiming cleared his throat, trying not to show any relief: "Drive carefully. Give me a call if you're late."

Zhang Ruiyi raised her eyebrows, as if she had been waiting for these words.

"Okay, Dad."

A smile involuntarily crept onto Zhang Qiming's lips as he felt a strange, warm sensation welling up in his abdomen. Laughter bubbled up in his mind like water, and his head felt lightheaded, as if he were drunk.

He sat up, put his feet on the footstool, and just as he found a comfortable position, the phone rang, almost drowning out the sound of the Alfa Romeo's engine. To avoid changing his comfortable position, he leaned forward and reached for the phone with his fingers.

"Hello there."

"Mr. Zhang." It was the secretary's voice.

Zhang Qiming suddenly had a bad feeling.

Ever since this secretary unilaterally rejected Han Fei and received a sharp rebuke from Zhang Qiming, she now calls Zhang Qiming to confirm every decision beforehand. However, Zhang Qiming had clearly instructed her before taking his day off yesterday not to disturb her unless it was urgent.

"Mr. Zhang... I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Zhang Qiming took a breath: "Speak."

"Here's the thing, a product vice president from NetEase, named Wang Yu, came by unexpectedly this morning. They arrived without an appointment, but they're of very high rank, so the receptionist didn't dare neglect them and has already escorted them to the VIP reception room. As you know, General Manager Zhao went to Guangdong, so..."

"NetEase?" Zhang Qiming frowned. "Did they explain their purpose?"

"They said it was to learn about the latest industry trends and discuss new cooperation plans."

Zhang Qiming hung up the phone, realizing that his plans for his day off were ruined.

A comfortable sitting posture is no longer comfortable.

......

Han Fei put his feet on the desk, found the most comfortable sitting position, lit a cigarette, then clipped a stack of manuscripts to the writing board, picked up a red pen, and began to review them.

Wen Jie said on the phone that thanks to his week of working overtime until late at night, the website's progress was ahead of schedule, and the final verification before going live should be possible in the next couple of days. This stage requires simulating real user scenarios.

This means that Han Fei must select a sufficient number of manuscripts as soon as possible.

The publisher has received 153 manuscripts so far, and after review by the editorial department, 105 of them have met the publication standards.

Han Fei's current task is to review the manuscripts that have met the publication standards again, underline a line of text with a red pen, or write brief annotations in the margins, and finally score the manuscripts. On the day the "New Rural Fiction Competition" closes, the manuscripts will be ranked according to their scores.

Han Fei quickly glanced at the article "Borrowing Seeds" that he had already read and wrote a note:

The ending, where the son digs up Wang Dali's grave, is a good scene, but it could be even more ruthless—making him dig out the bones and throw them into the pigsty. This isn't just about venting anger, but about conveying a message: hatred can be passed down, and violence can be inherited. It leaves the reader with a chilling feeling after the initial satisfaction.

Then I gave it a score: 92.

Han Fei turned the pages of "Borrowing Seeds" and paused his finger on the next manuscript.

The title is "Living a Widow's Life," and the author's pen name is "Wild Grass."

The article begins by stating:

There's a river in our village called Widow's River. The older generation doesn't know the origin of the name, only that a great flood years ago swept away all the men in the village, leaving only the women along the riverbank, hence the name. The women by the river seem to be destined for loneliness. Liu Chunmei is one of them, but her widowhood is a little different.

Liu Chunmei's husband is named Wang Jianjun. He works on a construction site in the south, tying steel bars. He only comes back once a year, like a migratory bird.

Li Laowai, a bachelor in the village, lived on the other side of the river. He was over forty years old. Because of a brain injury he suffered when he was a child, he had difficulty speaking and was a simple and honest man, but he had inexhaustible strength. His greatest hobby was squatting on the earthen slope on the other side of the river, staring intently at Chunmei's yard, sometimes for half a day at a time.

The villagers teased him, "Old Wai, looking at your wife again?"

He grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, and chuckled, "Hmm, my wife... is beautiful."

Han Fei raised his eyebrows and continued reading, marking in red: "Chunmei has a slender waist, but a round and plump bottom. The curve of her walk is so striking that it can make the old men who pass by stare and the women's mouths water." Next to this sentence, he annotated: "Accurately captures the characteristics, creates a strong image, and effectively establishes the character at the beginning."

The story that followed was that the village was flooded, and the floodwaters inundated the low-lying vegetable fields. Chunmei's yard was in a low-lying area, and the water entered the house. Li Laowai saw this, and he waded across the river, rushing into Chunmei's house.

The news reached the ears of Zhao Youcai, the village party secretary.

Zhao Youcai was the undisputed leader in the village. He went to Chunmei's house under the pretext of showing concern, and sat in the main room, his eyes scanning Chunmei like searchlights.

As the Chinese New Year approached, Wang Jianjun returned home. He brought with him the money he had earned outside, but also exhaustion and a strange irritability. He had heard some of the gossip circulating in the village.

After reading the whole thing, Han Fei couldn't help but shake his head in regret.

The novel tells the story of Liu Chunmei and two men. The author's writing is very good, but he is obviously still not open enough. Several key plot points are not written boldly enough, with only descriptions like "touching the back of her hand when she was pouring water".

The ending is even more literary: "She knew that this tranquility was as fragile as the moonlight on the river, easily shattered."

Han Fei wrote the annotation:

There's no need to deliberately avoid clichéd physical relationships, nor to deliberately preserve any glimmer of humanity. The level of conflict is slightly weaker, but the impact could be increased.

Score: 80.