Tonight, Yang Yi invited Guo Ziyi and Ding Xiang over for dinner, mainly to prepare for the small gathering he was hosting at home tomorrow. He couldn't manage it alone and needed their help.
"It's not for free—I'll give you both a big red envelope later!" Yang Yi said with a smile as he served his daughter some food, glancing at Guo Ziyi and Ding Xiang.
He was getting more familiar with Chinese social customs, having even bought books to study them. The "tradition" of slipping red envelopes was something he'd picked up from reading.
"No need, no need!" Ding Xiang and Guo Ziyi waved their hands almost simultaneously, speaking in unison.
Xixi slurped her food, her big eyes fixed on Ding Xiang, occasionally darting to Guo Ziyi. She knew both of them, but this was the first time she'd seen them together!
Guo Ziyi chuckled, "Brother Yang, you know I'm not short on cash. I'm just here to lend a hand and mooch a meal. Why give me anything? How about you give both red envelopes to my senior sister?"
What's a senior sister?
Xixi's eyes lit up like lightbulbs—she had a question!
But at that moment, she was busy tackling a piece of tender, sweet braised pork and didn't have time to ask.
"I don't want it either." Ding Xiang blushed, waving her hand. "Brother Yang already gave me such a great job and such a generous salary—how could I take more money?"
"Salary is salary; this is your time off," Yang Yi tried to persuade.
But Ding Xiang was firm. "Really, no need, Brother Yang. Just let me help!"
Yang Yi wasn't one to drag things out. He shrugged and smiled, letting it go.
"If Brother Yang gives it to you, just take it," Guo Ziyi said, his mouth stuffed full. He was the indecisive one.
By then, Xixi had finally finished that big piece of braised pork. With her greasy little mouth, she excitedly blurted out the question she'd been holding in: "Uncle Guo, is Sister Ding Xiang your girlfriend?"
Girlfriend?
Yang Yi's first reaction wasn't laughter but wariness. Where had his daughter picked up that word? Had someone confessed to her in kindergarten? Which clueless little brat?!
Guo Ziyi and Ding Xiang both turned bright red at the little girl's sudden question.
They quickly waved their hands, denying it in unison.
"Xixi, where did you hear that word? Girlfriend?" Yang Yi asked casually as he served her more food.
The little girl looked disappointed at their denial—she thought she'd guessed right. Unfazed by her dad's question, she replied, "It's from TV! Little Bingbing is Little Dragon's girlfriend, so Little Bingbing can't play with Dazhuang!"
What kind of cartoon was that? Yang Yi was speechless. He'd have to limit Xixi's TV time.
Because he was planning to publish books, Yang Yi had looked into the market for children's books and entertainment in this world. He found it inconsistent—some works, like Rem's, were excellent, while others, like Little Dragon, had rough animation.
More importantly, even Rem's content leaned toward being adult-oriented.
The whole market was like that. Adult cartoonists and writers created content from an adult perspective, mimicking a child's tone but crafting stories better suited for kids ten and older.
"Looks like I need to write Journey to the West and other storybooks sooner," Yang Yi thought to himself.
While Yang Yi was worrying about the world and future generations, Ding Xiang was reminded of something by Xixi's comment. She smiled and asked Guo Ziyi, "What about that graduate senior sister you were chasing? How's that going?"
Guo Ziyi puffed up proudly. "Too easy. I'm the entertainment rep for my class. I talked it over with everyone, and they all agreed to put me forward. At the freshman welcome party, I'll do a solo performance!"
"What are you going to sing?" Ding Xiang asked curiously.
"Southern Town," Guo Ziyi said, thinking it was his best song.
Yang Yi frowned. "That song doesn't fit the mood for chasing a girl."
By now, Xixi had finished eating. Her dad wiped her mouth, and she hopped off, leading the three full kittens for a stroll in the living room. Yang Yi didn't stop Ding Xiang and Guo Ziyi from discussing this and even joined in, planning to offer advice.
Guo Ziyi scratched his head, confused. "Is Southern Town no good? How about I sing your song, Brother Yang, 'The You of Once'?"
"Brother Yang's song? He writes songs too?" Ding Xiang was surprised.
"Heh, you didn't know? Remember that Chen Yijie..." Guo Ziyi proudly recounted how Yang Yi had sold a song to Chen Yijie, then laughed. "But don't spread it around. Brother Yang doesn't want fame and paparazzi bothering him, so he keeps his identity hidden."
Ding Xiang's reaction was subdued. She had neither the chance nor the interest to follow celebrity gossip. She had no concept of how big a star Chen Yijie was.
Still, she nodded seriously and promised Yang Yi, "Brother Yang, don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
Yang Yi smiled and waved it off, unconcerned.
"But 'The You of Once'—you haven't released it publicly yet, right? Would it be bad if I sang it?" Guo Ziyi pondered.
"It's fine, sing it if you want." Yang Yi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I think 'The You of Once' and 'Southern Town' both miss the mark. How about I give you a different one?"
"What?" Guo Ziyi's face lit up.
"'College Days'!" Yang Yi said calmly.
...
That night, as he'd planned, Yang Yi started writing down the manuscript for Journey to the West.
But he was torn: should he copy the original text verbatim or adapt it into simple, accessible vernacular?
No doubt, the original text had more flavor—it was an ancient story. But Yang Yi felt he wasn't proficient in classical Chinese. Even if he could recite it, explaining it would be tough.
In the end, he remembered his original goal: not to write for scholars or adults seeking refinement, but to add joy to children's childhoods!
So, he decided to write it in vernacular. Even if it was rough, as long as kids could understand it, ordinary adults could read it aloud, and children could enjoy the stories, that was enough!
Before that, Yang Yi opened his email to send the manuscripts he'd accumulated to Qiangzi, sparing him the anxiety of constant reminders.
But he found several new emails from Ju Jie, including a remittance slip for three million yuan!
"Interesting!" Yang Yi smirked.
[Seeking one or two night-owl deputy moderators~ to help delete posts from trolls who, after failing to strike deals with me, go on a rampage. I'm really at my wit's end—wake up from sleep to find dozens of them, spend ages deleting. Also... going from three or four chapters a day before the paywall was exhausting; I don't have that much backlog to keep exploding with updates. Now, 3+1 daily is pretty sincere, right? Can you really bear not to vote? Xixi says she'll come out and cry for you, TWT.]