Today is Saturday.
Zhu Zi woke up a little past seven in the morning, as usual, wearing her pajamas and lying by the window, looking outside.
There were clouds in the sky, and it might turn out to be a nice day.
Zhu Zi tilted her head back and smiled a little foolishly.
She reached out to push the window open, but as soon as a tiny crack appeared, a cold wind rushed in and hit her face.
"Ah…"
Zhu Zi quickly closed the window again and retreated back into her warm bed.
Under the mattress was a [Warmth Talisman] that Shenhe had given her, making the entire bed cozy and comfortable.
It felt amazing.
Holidays are the best.
I can stay in bed!
Zhu Zi pulled out a novel from under her pillow, carefully wrapped in a protective cover, and began her daily writing practice.
This was a book she had bought from Wanwen Bookhouse, signed by the author himself.
It was a limited edition.
For the past few days, Zhu Zi had been diligently reading a few pages every morning and evening, studying the author's mature writing style, excellent pacing, and creative narrative techniques.
Her writing skills had improved significantly as a result.
After flipping through a few pages, Zhu Zi felt the bed getting even warr.
A soft voice ca from outside the door, carefully lowered.
"Senior Zhu Zi, it's ti to get up. We need to go buy groceries."
"Oh, I'm up, I'm up."
Zhu Zi quickly closed the book and tucked it back under her pillow, then patted her flushed cheeks.
"You go ahead and wash up. I'll change my clothes."
"Okay."
Zhu Zi didn't hear any footsteps going downstairs, but she knew Diona had already left.
Cats are like that—they walk so lightly.
Zhu Zi got out of bed, opened her wardrobe, and hesitated for a mont before choosing a more formal outfit.
After changing, she went downstairs and saw Qiqi mopping the floor in the lobby.
"Qiqi, good morning!"
"Morning."
Qiqi nodded at Zhu Zi, her eyes flickering with thought as she noticed Zhu Zi's new clothes.
With this outfit, is Zhu Zi planning to submit her manuscript to a publisher today…
After washing up, Zhu Zi and Diona grabbed a kara and a basket, then headed out to buy groceries.
Qiqi continued mopping the floor alone.
When Xia Zhi ca downstairs, Qiqi had already finished cleaning the entire shop.
She didn't feel tired, after all, she was a zombie.
"Boss, good morning."
"Good morning, Qiqi."
Qiqi imdiately took out a dicine box and handed it to Xia Zhi.
"I found another Heart-Eating Vine on the mountain last night."
"That's a bit dangerous."
"Yeah."
"Let keep it for you."
"Okay."
Xia Zhi stored the dicine box in his inventory. Ordinary people couldn't touch such a poisonous plant, but Qiqi, being a zombie, was completely immune.
He turned to go wash up in the back.
Qiqi watched his retreating figure, a faint trace of disappointnt in her eyes, and pursed her lips.
The Heart-Eating Vine was a highly toxic herb that grew on steep cliffs.
Originally, Qiqi didn't even know about this plant, but Xia Zhi had been teaching her to identify various herbs these past few days.
Last night, while picking Glaze Lilies, she accidentally discovered this Heart-Eating Vine.
However, its location was extrely dangerous and difficult to reach.
At the ti, Qiqi hesitated for a while, but in the end, she went through great effort to harvest it.
As a result, the clothes she had been wearing for a long ti were torn and tattered.
She thought… she might get so praise from the boss…
Just as Qiqi was thinking this, Xia Zhi suddenly turned back.
"What would you like to eat this morning?"
"Huh?"
"The Heart-Eating Vine grows in a harsh environnt. You worked hard to get it, so as a reward, you can choose what to eat."
"I… I'd like so buns."
"Alright, I'll start kneading the dough in a bit."
Xia Zhi nodded and went to the back.
Qiqi sat down at the table, her eyes brightening a little.
She took out her personal notebook and quietly read through it, her feet swinging gently under the table.
By the ti Zhu Zi and Diona returned with the groceries, everyone in the shop was up.
Except for Yaoyao.
The little girl practiced her spear every morning, just as diligently as her senior sister Shenhe.
"We took more sunrise photos at the dock!"
"Let's see."
"What did you buy?"
"Lotus root."
"I'll fry so lotus root sandwiches for lunch."
"Boss, what's for breakfast?"
"Buns."
"Cousin, I want the ones with minced at filling."
"Alright, I'll also make so with cabbage and pickled vegetables."
Xia Ci glanced at Shenhe, who remained expressionless at the ntion of "pickled vegetables."
I have to ask for what I want, but she doesn't even need to say a word.
Tsk, the privileged are truly fearless.
After breakfast, Zhu Zi hesitated for a mont before speaking up.
"I've finished writing my novel. I'm planning to submit it to the Liyue Publishing House this morning. Does anyone want to co with ?"
"I do!"
" too!"
"Count in."
In the end, everyone decided to go together. Since it was a holiday, staying in the shop would be boring, and it would be nice to go out for a walk.
The sun was out, but the wind still felt chilly on their faces.
The streets of Feiyun Slope were bustling with people, lively and noisy.
Zhu Zi held a stack of manuscripts in her arms, looking a bit nervous.
Chi Yu put an arm around her shoulder and comforted her with a smile.
"Don't worry, I think it's well-written. You'll definitely get signed."
"Yeah."
Zhu Zi nodded, but she was still nervous and feeling the pressure.
Xia Zhi smiled. This was a normal reaction, unlike him—he had submitted his manuscript just for fun last ti.
Walking up the stairs, they arrived at the Liyue Publishing House next to Wanwen Bookhouse.
Xia Zhi stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Co in!"
Xia Zhi pushed the door open.
"Is Editor i here?"
A woman wearing glasses imdiately looked up and toward the door.
"I'm here, who's looking for… Oh, it's Rainy Night!"
Editor i's expression turned pleasantly surprised as she quickly stood up and walked over to him.
"Mr. Rainy Night, what brings you here today? Did you finish the second volu of your novel?"
"Not quite. It's a friend of mine. She's really into writing and recently tried her hand at it. I think her work is pretty good, so I recomnded her to co here and submit it."
"I see."
Editor i felt a bit disappointed.
Xia Zhi's book had been a huge hit, and he was now her best-performing author. Just the royalties from that one book had made her life comfortable for the past two months.
She was even more eager than the readers for Xia Zhi to finish the second volu.
If it were any other author, she would've been pestering them daily for updates.
Every day, countless authors submitted manuscripts to the publishing house, all trying to ride the wave of the "cultivation and broken engagent" trend.
She was getting anxious.
All novels are derivative, but it's about who can do it better.
If you keep delaying the next part, readers will get impatient, and other authors will steal your audience.
But she didn't dare to pressure him.
Unlike those struggling authors who couldn't make ends et, Mr. Rainy Night was a shop owner with money. Writing was just a hobby for him, and he didn't care much about royalties.
Most importantly, he seed to have a close relationship with Lady Ningguang, who was the real boss behind the Liyue Publishing House.
Last ti, Lady Ningguang personally ca to the bookstore to inquire about his book.
And it was said that Lady Ningguang visited his shop every day to show her support…
With the big boss showing such ambiguous favor, Editor i didn't dare to act high and mighty with him.
Xia Zhi pulled Zhu Zi forward and introduced her.
"This is Miss Zhu Zi."
Editor i nodded and looked at Zhu Zi. She recognized her—they had t at the Sumr Shop before.
"Did you bring your manuscript?"
"Yes!"
"Even though you were recomnded by Mr. Rainy Night, I still need to review the quality of your work before deciding whether to accept it."
"Of course!"
Zhu Zi handed over the stack of manuscripts she was holding.
"Please have a seat, everyone. It'll just be a mont."
"Alright."
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