Chapter 156: First Update

Chapter 156: First Update

The summer of 1980 was sweltering during the day, but thanks to fewer high-rises and abundant greenery, the nights were pleasantly cool under a blanket of stars.

Yesterday, Gao Jianguo called with some exciting news: "Baozhen just had her baby, and you two are now proud godparents."

"Congratulations," Gu Cheng's eyebrows twitched slightly. Even though there was nothing to compete about, he couldn't shake off a nagging feeling of discontent. His mischievous child would now have an older brother instead of a younger one, and as a father, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the change.

His daughter had been the first to nestle into her mother's womb, after all!

Wearing his white military uniform, he made his way home. It was already summer vacation, and some people had gone home while others were temporarily assigned to other duties. During the day, Gu Cheng would help out at government meetings or participate in study tours.

As Qin Yao’s due date neared, he wanted to stay home and keep her company, avoiding any unnecessary activities. But Qin Yao found him to be a "source of anxiety" and pushed him to find something to do outside, lest he drive himself crazy with worry.

"Captain Gu, I’ve had it with you. Cut out the crazy talk," she said.

Qin Yao couldn't stand it. Whenever he was idle, his mind raced with worries—fretting about one thing after another. What if the baby wasn’t a girl but a boy? What if the girl looked like her uncle?

Even the most paranoid person wouldn’t worry this much.

Gu Cheng picked up a large watermelon on his way home. Watermelons were abundant in the midsummer, with several middle-aged vendors selling them by the street, their carts piled high with dozens of watermelons on beds of straw.

Their family could polish off a watermelon in one sitting, thanks to their two growing boys.

In the evening, Gu Cheng no longer played soccer but joined his two sons in accompanying Qin Yao for a walk.

"Oh, looks like our little girl is kicking again," Qin Yao said, cradling her belly. She wasn’t carrying twins this time, and physically, it was much easier compared to her twin pregnancy. But this monkey daughter was quite active, kicking vigorously. The pregnancy had brought more severe morning sickness, and on the worst days, she vomited until she was exhausted, losing some weight.

Mingming looked up, completely impatient, "When is the little sister coming out?"

"I want to take my sister out to play."

Gu Cheng said, "Okay, from now on, you’ll be responsible for taking care of your sister. If she cries, you’ll need to comfort her."

Qin Yao couldn't help but intervene, "Don’t tease him—hear me out, I’m getting this uneasy feeling. Could I be going into labor today?"

Gu Cheng smiled slightly, "We’re just in time for a walk to the hospital."

"Come on, sweetheart, time to make your grand entrance."

Qin Yao: "..."

After strolling around the hospital, they headed back. These days, the couple had rented a large house nearby instead of staying in the school family building. It was a small Western-style house built decades ago, with its exterior renovated and repainted, looking quite beautiful. The house was spacious, and they had hired a nanny. A maternity nurse had already been selected, waiting for the child's birth.

"Oh no, Captain Gu, something doesn’t feel right—we haven’t even entered the house yet, and I’m already sensing trouble."

Gu Cheng asked, "Are you serious?"

"Yes—"

In a whirlwind of activity, Gu Cheng rushed her to the hospital. As soon as they arrived, Gu Cheng sat down, holding his head in his hands. Mingming and his brother bounced over, "Dad, the nurse said Mom has given birth!"

Gu Cheng's mouth twitched, "It can't be that fast. Don't just claim a mother randomly."

"Is the family of Qin Yao here?"

The nanny, Xiao Li, quickly responded, "Yes, yes, right here."

"Congratulations, you have a precious baby girl. The little one weighs five pounds six ounces."

It wasn't just Gu Cheng who was dumbfounded; even Qin Yao in the delivery room was quite confused, as if the baby had been born just after she entered. Without a doubt, it was another squishy, wrinkly newborn.

Even though Qin Yao had mentally prepared herself, she still felt very disheartened.

Knowing that newborn babies are often not picture-perfect, she hadn't expected this one to be so ugly, and to make matters worse, it looked very much like her!

The skin was red like a cooked lobster, with unusually large eyes, especially the creases of the eyelids, which were too obvious and thus very uncoordinated. The facial features were quite mismatched.

"She can't really be that ugly... Can she? Can she?" Qin Yao, despite having just given birth, still had the energy to carefully examine her daughter's looks. She thought that the baby's features, when viewed separately, were quite beautiful, but when put together, they looked very strange.

Out of sync!

Back in the ward, nanny Xiao Li kept showering her with compliments: "Comrade Qin, to be honest, I've never seen such a beautiful newborn. Your baby is absolutely gorgeous!"

Qin Yao was skeptical: "Really beautiful?"

"Really beautiful, isn't it?"

Gu Cheng, along with their two sons, stood nearby staring in awe, like they were in a daze. The three of them were in sync, and none of them were quite ready to be a brother (or father).

Mingming covered his mouth and laughed: "I'm a big brother now. In the future, she'll be the youngest in our family. She's so ugly, Mom. If she can't get married, I'll take care of her."

Qin Yao pinched his little face: "You're quite the smart aleck, where did you learn that?"

Rui Rui: "Mom, the baby looks like you."

Qin Yao: "..."

"She'll be a great beauty! I definitely won't let others marry my daughter so easily." With an overprotective father-in-law look, Gu Cheng was already planning his daughter's future.

Qin Yao patted his shoulder: "Go on, go on, you three go dream; let me and my daughter get some rest."

Her little monkey daughter, although she failed to stay in the womb longer, was lucky enough to become the baby of the family, with two older brothers, a godbrother, a godsister, and countless cousins.

"Little monkey, how can you be so precious."

"Mom will pick out a great name for you, okay? How about the little monkey from Mount Emei?"

The little monkey had not yet been given a formal name but had already received a nickname, Meimei, Emei, Meimei... Little Meimei.

Qin Yao, having this little daughter, was extremely fond of her, doting on her completely, leaving the three men in the family feeling jealous.

Gu Cheng: "Are you only seeing your daughter now? Is there still room for me?"

Mingming fiercely repeated: "Is there still room for me?"

Rui Rui: "You can do without a younger brother, but you must have me!"

...

Qin Yao: "..." You're all so annoying.

*

By the time Qin Yao came out of her double month of confinement, it was already autumn. The weather hadn't cooled down yet, but there was the sweet scent of osmanthus in the air. Their magazine had undergone a revamp and added a new emotional story section, C Journal, telling stories of lovelorn men and women.

After the reforms, educated youth returned to the city, and farmers went to the city to work. Couples and spouses parted ways... Over the years, countless stories of love and loss emerged.

People really enjoyed reading these kinds of stories.

Qin Yao wasn't worried about the sales of this C magazine. She had written two short sweet romances for it, both with happy endings. In this era, such stories were not popular, but she didn't care. Too many people were writing tragedies; one more from her wouldn't make a difference.

However, she didn't expect the C magazine to become a huge hit, and it wasn't because of the sweet stories she wrote. Instead, it was the two heartbreaking stories written under the pen name "A Snowy Plum Blossom" that caused the explosion in popularity.

"A Snowy Plum Blossom" never missed an issue, and within three months, had accumulated a group of loyal readers, almost becoming the cornerstone of the C magazine.

"A Snowy Plum Blossom" was Jiang Meiye's pen name.

Faced with this outcome, she was stunned.

"Meiye, many people love your stories. Look, these letters from readers are all for you."

"Look, look, so many letters."

"Meiye, you're amazing!"

Jiang Meiye was dazed and incredulous. "How is this possible? I haven't even read many books..."

"My writing is so poor, why would anyone like it?"

Jiang Meiye's writing skills were average, but her storytelling was incredibly compelling. The characters in her stories were vivid and lifelike, and the plots were dramatic and twisting, making readers laugh and cry with the main characters.

Those with good writing skills didn't tell stories as brilliantly as hers, and those who told great stories didn't create characters as infectious as hers. Jiang Meiye's articles became wildly popular, and hardly any young twenty-year-old girl hadn't read her works.

She became the first bestselling romance author of the 1980s, an overnight sensation.

Qin Yao was delighted to see this happen. She never imagined that a casual move on her part would unearth a "little queen of romance."

By the way—

One thing in her stories was too amusing. Anyone who knew Jiang Meiye could catch a key detail in her stories.

Even Gu Cheng couldn't help but laugh out loud after reading them.

"This is really well-written, clever, very ingenious."

Jiang Meiye never expected her stories to become popular. She had only tentatively submitted a manuscript, thinking she had just gotten lucky because the new magazine didn't have many authors, allowing her to publish and earn some royalties as her private stash...

However, once she became popular, everything spiraled out of control. Her royalties exceeded a thousand each month, making her an overnight success that couldn't be hidden. Her short stories sold well, and readers were urging her to write longer novels.

Jiang Meiye had already written several longer novels, and upon releasing one, it became wildly popular.

"Qiao Jie, Editor Qin... please help me keep this secret. Don't let my family know."

...

But how could this be kept secret? Jiang Meiye couldn't keep the secret herself. With so much royalties each month, several times more than her husband's salary, even she didn't realize that her perception had changed.

Several dozen or a few hundred yuan became small change to her, and she was no longer constrained by money, becoming extremely self-assured.

Then, her manuscripts were accidentally taken out by a child, and the news that she was "A Snowy Plum Blossom" spread throughout the neighborhood.

"Have you heard? Jiang Meiye is A Snowy Plum Blossom."

"What?"

"You haven't read her works? Young girls all know about her."

"...I've read her works. No wonder I always felt there was something familiar."

"How could it not be familiar? It's too familiar!"

...

Almost every one of Jiang Meiye's stories featured a "scoundrel," who was despicable in various ways, and they all bore the shadow of Jiang Meiye's husband.