By the time Huo Yaowen got home by bus with the watermelon, it was already past six in the evening, but the summer days were long, and the sky was still a hazy yellow.
"Ah Ge, you bought a watermelon!"
Sai Mui Xi Mei Huo Tingting, seeing Huo Yaowen return home with a big watermelon in his hand, happily ran over to take it from him.
Looking at the green rind, and imagining the cool, delicious fruit inside, she unconsciously licked her lips, her greedy nature instantly exposed.
Mother Huo heard the commotion outside and walked out of the bedroom.
Seeing her son return with a watermelon, she couldn't help but complain, "Why did you buy a watermelon? That must have cost a lot.
I heard fruit is very expensive now; two days ago when I bought groceries at the market, a catty of watermelon was already five cents."
"About that."
Huo Yaowen understood Mother Huo's frugal nature.
The family didn't often eat fruit on ordinary days, not because they couldn't afford it, but because Mother Huo always wanted to save money little by little to buy her son an apartment for his marriage.
After all, Huo Yaowen was already 21 years old; ten years ago, a man his age would have had children old enough to carry a soy sauce bottle to the general store to buy soy sauce.
"The prices in Hong Kong are really getting more and more expensive," Mother Huo walked over to Sai Mui Xi Mei Huo Tingting, took the watermelon, and said, "I'll put it in the water tank to chill for tomorrow."
"Let's eat it now, Mother," Huo Tingting, craving it, tugged on Mother Huo's arm and whined.
"You silly girl, aren't you afraid of getting diarrhea if you eat watermelon at night?" Mother Huo playfully tapped Huo Tingting's forehead and said, "I wonder who wanted to eat a popsicle at night last time and got up to run to the toilet countless Times."
Sai Mui had a sensitive stomach; if she ate too many cold things at night, she would easily get an upset stomach, which had been the case for years, so Mother Huo strictly controlled her diet on weekdays.
"Alright." Huo Tingting reluctantly let go.
She hadn't eaten watermelon in a long time; the last time was when Ah Ge graduated, and it was hot then, so Father Huo bought a watermelon and brought it home.
"Has Ah Wen eaten? If not, Mother will heat up some food for you."
"Yes, Mother, I've been hungry for a while."
Huo Yaowen replied to Mother Huo, then turned to see Sai Mui staring greedily at the disappearing watermelon, and chuckled, "It's the same to eat it tomorrow; don't get diarrhea tonight and keep me up all night again."
Huo Yaowen was currently sleeping on a makeshift bed in the living room; in summer, a bamboo mat was enough to sleep on, so if anyone got up to use the toilet at night, it would disturb him.
At first, he found it a bit annoying, but he gradually got used to it.
"Hmph." Huo Tingting huffed proudly, not wanting to argue with Huo Yaowen about it.
Seeing Sai Mui's tsundere expression, Huo Yaowen smiled without speaking.
In his previous life, he was an only child and had no older or younger siblings, so having a younger sister who liked to act spoiled and occasionally tsundere was quite interesting.
He had expected Huo Tingting to be like usual, tsundere for a while, putting on an indifferent face, and then, seeing that he wasn't paying attention to her, would eagerly come over, completely shedding her earlier tsundere demeanor.
But Huo Yaowen didn't expect that in just a few seconds, Sai Mui would turn her head, stare at him with curiosity, and ask, "Ah Ge, I heard you're planning to write an article and submit it?"
"Ming Zai told you?" Huo Yaowen looked back at Sai Mui.
"Yes, but he told me not to tell you that he said it."
"Haha."
Huo Yaowen burst out laughing.
Besides Ming Zai, almost no one knew about him writing a novel and submitting it.
For Ming Zai to tell Sai Mui not to tell him that he was the one who said it, wasn't that just a superfluous act!
Sai Mui pressed, "Ah Ge, what kind of novel are you writing? Is it wuxia or sci-fi, or like the essays and romance novels by Qiong Yao and Yi Shu?"
Huo Yaowen pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm… a new genre of novel, I suppose."
"What is it?"
"Tomb raiding."
"Tomb raiding?" At the mention of the word, Huo Tingting's mind immediately thought of tombs, and being afraid of ghosts, she couldn't help but shiver, saying somewhat timidly, "Ah Ge, why are you writing such ghost stories?"
Huo Yaowen didn't intend to explain to Sai Mui that tomb raiding wasn't exactly a ghost story, but thinking of the ghosts and demons within, and considering her fear of such things, he didn't say anything more.
Instead, he said, "Why are you so curious? Exams are coming up soon, so don't spend all day thinking about reading novels."
"No, Ah Ge." Huo Tingting, in a hurry, got up and ran to a small cabinet next to the fan, pulled out a magazine from the books stored inside, and quickly walked back to hand it to Huo Yaowen, saying, "Ah Ge, Literary World recently organized a literary competition.
I think if you're writing a novel or article, you could try it.
The first place not only gets a five thousand dollar prize but also publication by Literary World."
Writing competition?
Huo Yaowen took the Literary World weekly magazine, opened it to the literary competition Sai Mui had mentioned, and saw the large black capital letters at the top of the page, which read: "New Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies Dream!"
"Thirty-six mandarin ducks, birds with shared fate; a pair of butterflies, pitiable creatures."
"The Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School was a new literary movement with a milestone effect in new literature after the Xinhai Revolution.
Its descriptions of the various sorrows and partings between talented scholars and beautiful ladies were widely loved and welcomed upon their emergence."
"Before it, there was Mr. Zhang Henshui's The Spring Ming Outsider and the story of a noble family, which promoted the fusion of new literature and popular literature; later, there were Mr. Bao Tianxiao's new literary works, Shanghai Spring and Mirage on the Sea, as well as the prosperous literary era of the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School created by numerous Seniors first."
"To this day, through the efforts of many new-generation literary writers such as Eileen Chang, Qiong Yao, and Yi Shu.
The Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School, this branch born during the Republic of China period, depicting the sorrows and partings between talented scholars and beautiful ladies, gradually shed the shell of the old era, forming new vernacular romance novels set in modern cities, making them easily understandable to a wider readership."
"Thus, the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School embarked on a new journey, forming a New Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies School led by new-generation female writers such as Eileen Chang, Qiong Yao, and Yi Shu."
"Currently, under the strong invitation of this weekly magazine, we have secured the support of many renowned figures such as Ms. Eileen Chang, Ms. Qiong Yao, and Ms. Yi Shu, and are therefore holding a literary essay competition titled 'New Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies Dream.' "
"The top ten winners of the competition will be jointly selected by a panel of judges including Ms. Eileen Chang, Ms. Qiong Yao, Ms. Yi Shu, and other renowned figures.
Every writer or literary enthusiast is welcome to submit their work by mail."
"Submission address: 412 Kwong Tung Street, Nathan Road, Hong Kong."
"Competition prizes: First place…"
After reading the competition details, Huo Yaowen rubbed his nose and looked at Sai Mui, saying, "And then what?"
"And then?" Huo Tingting blinked her big, watery eyes twice and asked curiously, "Ah Ge, don't you want to submit something? You know, first place gets five thousand dollars, and there's a chance to be published, plus comments from famous judges like Qiong Yao and Yi Shu."
"Not interested!"
Huo Yaowen closed the magazine, tossed it onto the table, and looked at Sai Mui, saying, "Romance novels are mostly decadent music; reading too many not only lowers your IQ but also makes you particularly prone to immersing yourself in your own constructed fantasy world, constantly thinking about domineering CEOs and soft, warm men."
"Uh?"
Huo Tingting understood the first part, but what did 'domineering CEO' and'soft, warm man' mean?
"Alright, anyway, I won't write romance novels." Huo Yaowen then remembered that the term 'domineering CEO' hadn't appeared in this era yet.
Huo Tingting blinked her eyes and deliberately tempted him, "Ah Ge, think carefully! Five thousand dollars! And a chance to be published! It's said that you can even meet Yi Shu and Qiong Yao in person!"
Hearing Sai Mui constantly mention Qiong Yao and Yi Shu, Huo Yaowen could easily guess his younger sister's thoughts, and with a helpless smile, he said, "Even if I submit, I might not win first place, and it doesn't say anything about meeting Yi Shu and Qiong Yao, so let's drop this idea of you wanting autographs.
Don't you like reading these romance novels? Why don't you try writing one?"
"Me?" Huo Tingting deflated, "My academic performance is the worst.
If I could write, why would I rely on you?"
At this moment, Mother Huo, who was reheating food outside, called out, "Ah Wen, what are you and Sai Mui chatting about? Come out and eat."
"Alright." Huo Yaowen stood up, reached out and ruffled Sai Mui's long hair, then grinned and said, "How will you know if you don't try? Maybe our family will produce a great talented woman!
Didn't Yi Shu also start trying to write essays and publish them when she was in middle school?
Look at her achievements now, a famous literary female writer in Hong Kong.
If you also become a famous female writer, how much face would Ah Ge have when he talks about it."
After speaking,
Huo Yaowen went out to get his food.
Huo Tingting was left pouting, looking at the Literary World magazine on the table.
First, she was resentful for a while, then perhaps thinking of Huo Yaowen's words, she gritted her teeth, looking fierce, as if she had made some decision.