Millennium ancient capital

Arriving at the Chief Editor’s office door, Zhang Jian knocked, and Xiao Fei, no longer as casual as before, stood quietly to the side.

“Come in!”

Zhang Jian opened the door and led Zhao Dongchuan inside, with Xiao Fei following.

“Uncle Li!”

“Oh, it’s Little Zhang, and Xiao Fei, why did you come over too!”

“Uncle Li, I just came to join the fun, hahaha, to get a glimpse of a young talent!”

“Hahaha, good, good, good, this must be the young talent you mentioned!” Chief Editor Li looked at Zhao Dongchuan.

The Chief Editor of Yan River was an elderly man with white hair, wearing a Zhongshan suit, and a pair of lace-rimmed reading glasses, reading a newspaper. Seeing the group enter, he put down the newspaper and spoke to them.

“Chief Editor, it’s like this, this is the author of 'love of life'—Zhao Dongchuan. He came today, and we discussed…” Zhang Jian then began to report to the Chief Editor.

“Oh? Little Zhang has a keen eye for talent, excellent. To have such skill at such a young age, my literary world has successors!” The Chief Editor smiled and said to Zhao Dongchuan.

“Chief Editor, you flatter me. I just tried writing something. I still ask for your guidance!” Saying this, Zhao Dongchuan took out a stack of novel manuscripts from his bag and handed them to the Chief Editor.

The Chief Editor took the manuscript, motioned for them to sit, and began to read.

Xiao Fei, however, was completely at ease, picking up the teapot nearby and pouring a cup of tea for each of them.

After roughly flipping through it for a while, the Chief Editor put down the manuscript and said, “This book is well-written. Although I haven’t read it in detail, the storytelling is strong, it has great critical significance, and it aligns well with some current situations!”

“Alright, Little Zhang, since this Comrade Zhao was discovered by you, I’ll leave this matter to you. Organize the manuscript, make a sample, and we’ll study it together to see if it should be serialized or…”

Then the group began to discuss. Zhao Dongchuan was an outsider and didn’t know the rules for publishing, only occasionally offering his opinions. Xiao Fei, however, knew more than he did.

By the time the discussion was almost over, it was nearly closing time.

“Comrade Zhao, thank you very much for choosing us to publish this novel. We will ensure it is published as soon as possible. As for the manuscript fee, as you know, current policies don’t allow it. We can only give you some remuneration for writing, as well as some industrial coupons and such!” Chief Editor Li rubbed his eyes and said apologetically.

“Chief Editor, I understand that. However, regarding the copyright issue, I hope to confirm that the copyright of this book will still be mine after publication…”

“Of course, the copyright of this book is yours! We don’t have specific policies for that at the moment!”

In those days, whether it was movies, novels, poems, essays, plays, or any other genre, there were no manuscript fees. Only a small amount of remuneration for writing or other items would be given as rewards. The main thing was that getting published would bring fame and was considered a great honor.

But in a few years, things would be different. With copyright, there would be royalties later on. As long as Zhao Dongchuan held the copyright, these things were only a matter of time.

Moreover, he wasn't planning to write novels again in the near future. The current environment wasn't good. He just wanted to use this work to make himself more stable. After all, a poem couldn't sustain him for long, but a novel was different; its influence was greater. This would solidify his identity as a writer, giving him greater freedom to develop his instances or complete system tasks.

Thinking of the system tasks, Zhao Dongchuan looked at the system panel in his mind, then subtly glanced at Zhang Jian.

This guy’s popularity is a bit low, isn’t he? Is he just being isolated in the office like this?

Looks like I need to investigate!

As the discussion concluded, Zhao Dongchuan, Xiao Fei, Zhang Jian, and others bid farewell to the Chief Editor and left the office.

“Comrade Zhao, why don’t you come to my house for dinner tonight? I’ll host a welcoming meal for you!” Zhang Jian said to Zhao Dongchuan.

“No need, I haven’t had time to register at the guesthouse yet. I’ll go register first.”

“No need to go to the guesthouse! My dorm is empty; I barely live there. You can just stay in my dorm.” Zhang Jian said enthusiastically.

“No, I’ll stay at the guesthouse. I reported to my leader about this trip, and it’s reimbursable.”

Xiao Fei, standing by, seemed to want to speak but hesitated. She wanted to find an opportunity to talk more with Zhao Dongchuan. She especially loved the poem 'love of life', and loving the house for the sake of its occupant, she naturally developed a good impression of Zhao Dongchuan.

“Or, you can go register for a room at the guesthouse first, and then we can all go out to eat together?” Xiao Fei suddenly suggested.

“I won’t delay you two. I’ll just grab something to eat!”

If it were just Zhang Jian, he would definitely agree. But with Xiao Fei there, and her being a bit too enthusiastic towards him, he was afraid of “getting into trouble”!

Seeing Zhao Dongchuan’s insistence, Zhang Jian and Xiao Fei naturally had no choice but to give up.

He was about to bid them farewell and leave.

Xiao Fei suddenly said, “You don’t know where the guesthouse is, do you? It’s on my way, I’ll take you!”

Zhao Dongchuan was at a loss now; Xiao Fei was clearly set on him.

However, he really didn’t know where the guesthouse was.

“Then I’ll trouble you!” Zhao Dongchuan couldn’t refuse again; it would be too obvious.

Subsequently, Zhao Dongchuan bid farewell to Zhang Jian and slowly walked towards the guesthouse with Xiao Fei.

Along the way, Xiao Fei introduced Zhao Dongchuan to the history of the surrounding buildings, local delicacies, and customs. He listened with great interest, occasionally asking questions, as he really didn't know much about the provincial capital and had never been there in his original life.

Just like that, they soon arrived at a nearby guesthouse.

“How long will you be staying in the provincial capital?” Xiao Fei asked.

“About a month, I suppose. After I finish discussing the publication, I’ll take some time to see the sights here.” Zhao Dongchuan thought about the system task's one-month time limit, so he naturally had to stay for about that long.

“Alright, I understand. See you!” Saying this, Xiao Fei waved goodbye to Zhao Dongchuan.

Watching Xiao Fei’s departing back, Zhao Dongchuan smiled slightly. Youth is truly wonderful!

Entering the guesthouse, Zhao Dongchuan took out his work ID and registered for a room. After receiving the key and receipt, Zhao Dongchuan entered the room.

The guesthouse environment was good, with a private bathroom and hot water supply.

Zhao Dongchuan then took a hot shower, took out a clean set of clothes from his space, and changed.

Feeling refreshed, he began to think about how to solve dinner… Although there was still plenty of pre-made food in his space that he could take out and eat, Zhao Dongchuan didn't want to just settle for anything.

Let’s go, to experience this thousand-year-old ancient capital!

Zhao Dongchuan strolled through the streets of the provincial capital. He had been in a hurry when he arrived before and hadn't had time to look closely. On the way to the guesthouse, Xiao Fei had only talked about some history. This time, he planned to take a serious look.

For example, the First Emperor’s Mausoleum ~ He wondered if it was open now. If he had the chance, he wanted to go see it.