From the moment she fell in love with writing, she seemed to be bewitched. Outside of her eight-hour workday, she wished she could make one minute last for two. She truly had a talent for writing, and having loved reading since she was young, words flowed from her fingertips as soon as she touched the keyboard. Her efforts paid off, and after a few months, her writing began appearing in various newspapers and magazines.
She was a bit smug, proud of her achievements despite being over thirty. Every time she received a payment for her writing, the sense of pride made her urge him to do things for her. In those moments, she felt like a queen.
One of her short stories about the bureaucracy was accidentally read by Director Li of Yiyun Publishing House in a magazine. Director Li found her contact information through the magazine and called her. After learning that she worked in a government agency, he suggested she write a novel reflecting the work and life in such an environment. The publisher offered a generous payment depending on the novel’s quality.
She was already tired of the routine eight-to-six life in the office. Although the fees she earned from her writing were not as much as her salary, she felt fulfilled. Deep down, she longed for a life where she could control her own time. To be honest, she was someone who didn’t like being constrained.
Using the invitation from the publisher to write a book as a reason, she discussed with him the possibility of resigning to pursue writing full-time. He pondered for a moment and asked, “You’re a civil servant, a job many dream of. Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”
She nodded firmly and replied, “I’m thirty-two this year. I can’t waste any more time. I’ve thought it through—I want to do what I love. As long as you agree, I’m set.”
Seeing her determination, he smiled and said, “Even if you don’t write, my salary can support you and our daughter. I want you to be happy!” He worked in the Bureau of Industry and Commerce as the head of the enterprise section and was a key figure in the office.
With his agreement, she happily hugged and kissed him several times, then exclaimed like a child, “I finally don’t have to go to work. I can finally sleep in every day.”
After handling the resignation procedures, she signed a contract with the publishing house, with a six-month deadline to complete the novel. Without the distractions of work, and with household chores taken care of by him, she could focus entirely on her writing. Since she had never written a long novel before, she didn’t know where to start. Seeing her struggling, he comforted her, “Haven’t you seen pigs run, even if you haven’t eaten pork?”
She frowned and said irritably, “Can’t you speak nicely? Saying something so disgusting, you really have no culture!”
His education level wasn’t high. He had joined the military after graduating from junior high and had transferred to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce five years ago. She, on the other hand, was a top student from the Chinese Department of the Provincial Normal University and was recruited by the Education Committee as a secretary right after graduation. Since she had admired people in military uniforms since childhood and felt a sense of security from his tall stature, she married him less than a year after meeting him.
Seeing her displeased, he tactfully went to prepare dinner.
After researching online for several days, she finally drafted an outline and excitedly declared that she was ready to start writing. She called him over to see it, but he said, “I don’t understand it. I’ll go cook for you!” and happily ran to the kitchen.
Six months later, she finally completed the first draft, nearly 200,000 words. With no ties to her former job, she wrote freely, basing the novel on her nearly ten years of experiences in the government office, filtering them into small stories as the mainline, interspersed with various larger and smaller environmental contexts as the backdrop. This unique structure even felt refreshing to her. She titled the novel “Into the Government Courtyard.”
During this period, she had tried several times to get him to read it first, but he always refused, saying he didn’t understand it or that it would interrupt her thinking. She felt him drifting further away from her and sometimes wondered if marrying him had been a mistake.
Director Li read the entire draft and, grasping her hand, praised, “My judgment was right! You are truly a talented and beautiful woman!” He then stared at her with passionate eyes.
She felt a bit embarrassed and quickly withdrew her hand.
Sensing his overstep, Director Li changed the subject, “Your husband must have guided you a lot with this novel, right? I heard he also works in a government office. It must have been hard for both of you!”
Thinking of how he never read her writing, she sighed lightly.
Director Li noticed her reaction and said, “This novel is innovative and uniquely structured. I’ll help you with some technical issues, but the copyright is all yours. I’m just a mentor.”
Two months later, the novel, co-edited with Director Li, became a hit, making her a celebrity.
Returning home from various lectures at universities, she felt even more acutely his ordinariness. She told him, “Let’s separate. Don’t you see we have different goals and views?”
He asked her, just as he had when she discussed resigning, “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”
Facing his sincere gaze, she stammered, “Will we have common ground in the future? You don’t even read what I write. Instead of growing further apart, let’s part amicably now.”
He looked deeply at her and said in a clear voice, “Do you know? You are the novel I’ve been reading all along. During your writing, I have already read most of you. When you frown, I know you’re stuck and quickly bring you a cup of milk to refresh you; when you smile, I know you’re writing smoothly and tell our daughter not to disturb you. I didn’t read your novel because I was afraid my opinions would influence your thoughts. After all, men and women think differently. Now, I have a gift for you.”
He went to the bedroom and brought back a red notebook, handing it to her. She opened it curiously and found it was a diploma for a national self-study exam in Chinese language and literature. He smiled and said, “I’ve also enrolled in the bachelor’s program and plan to complete all the courses in two years. Am I qualified to be your secretary?”
Her eyes welled up with tears. Having worked at the Education Committee, she knew how difficult self-study exams were, requiring not only perseverance but also a solid educational foundation. And he had only graduated from junior high. Especially in the past two years, she had hardly taken care of household affairs, and he had managed both his job and the household so well.
She picked up her phone and, in front of him, dialed a number, saying word by word, “Director Li, my husband is the best man in the world. I can’t live without him. I’m sorry, but goodbye!”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
