Chapter 066: Emerging Talent

Zhang Tan, who had promised to study mathematics diligently, managed to keep up a decent appearance. Taking advantage of the rainy weather, when he couldn’t go outside during the midday and afternoon breaks, he sought guidance from Gao Jie in the row ahead, hoping she could help him with a few perplexing math problems.

Gao Jie was fairly attractive, warm-hearted, and, most importantly, excelled at mathematics—ranking among the top students in the class. Zhang Tan remembered that she had transferred to Class One of the second-year science track, the school’s fast-track class, during their sophomore year. She eventually got into Anhui University of Technology and later settled in Ma’anshan City.

While asking for Gao Jie’s help, Zhang Tan also frequented the bookstore run by the school’s teachers, buying a hefty stack of math materials. Whether or not he could actually absorb them didn’t matter; at least he looked like he was working hard. After all, he had money to spare; a few books’ worth of study materials was no big deal.

“…That’s the approach to solving this problem. Do you understand? Detective? Zhang Tan? Zhang Tan!”

“Huh?” Zhang Tan snapped out of his daydream to see Gao Jie rolling her eyes at him, glaring, her fingers pinching a ballpoint pen and pointing to a problem in the math book.

Her hands were quite pretty—slender, white fingers like fresh scallions.

Gao Jie, annoyed, asked, “Did you understand what I just explained?”

Zhang Tan laughed sheepishly. “I almost got it. Could you please go over it one more time?”

Gao Jie was exasperated. “What are you doing? What’s so interesting outside the window?”

“A flock of wild geese just flew by.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“Of course it matters. The geese flying south means the weather’s getting cold—we need to think about how to get through the winter. I hate winter most of all. Bundled in thick clothes, there’s no sense of freedom.”

“Can you stop thinking about these things when we’re solving math problems?”

“All right, I’ll try.”

…

The radiator in Zhang Tan’s room was already humming with warmth. The wild geese flying south were indeed a signal of the approaching cold. December crept in quietly, and a mass of cold air from Siberia brought a sharp drop in temperature, with lows down to three degrees Celsius.

At that moment, rain was falling outside, mingled with small hailstones that rattled against the window, their sound carrying a chill. The local dialect called these “salt-grains”—tiny round pellets of ice.

On the table, the electric kettle was bubbling away, just right for brewing a cup of milk. Amid the creamy aroma, Zhang Tan opened a fresh notebook and began to write, summarizing the past and looking to the future.

Over the past three months—September, October, and November—Zhang Tan did a tally. He had sent one hundred sixty thousand words of manuscript to the magazine “Legend of Past and Present,” which amounted to a complete novel, “The Four Great Constables: Shaking the Northeast.” Altogether, he’d earned twenty-eight thousand four hundred sixteen yuan in manuscript fees, of which three thousand five hundred eighty-four yuan went to taxes. This not only improved his own life but also contributed to the nation’s coffers.

He was now working on “The Four Great Constables in the Capital,” though there were still some unresolved issues. He wanted to raise his manuscript fee—two hundred yuan per thousand characters felt like a giveaway. Then again, he wasn’t fixated on higher rates; as long as “Legend of Past and Present” could help him get published, that was enough.

“As long as I get a book published, I can take it to other publishers and pitch my work,” Zhang Tan thought. His aim was clear: to use “Legend of Past and Present” as his stepping stone into the publishing world. Only through publishing could a writer realize true value, rather than toiling endlessly for magazines and earning a pittance from serialized works. Only a published book could attract the attention of film and television companies to his work’s adaptation potential.

Zhang Tan had always written with clear purpose.

Besides earning money from writing, November had brought other successes. Thanks to his encouragement, the family’s internet café expanded to fifty computers—a gold mine in an era when people were many and computers were few. With steady income, Zhang Quanshun and Tan Mingxia no longer wore worried faces.

His sister, Zhang Yan, with his financial support, no longer handed out flyers, focusing instead on her studies.

At school, Zhang Tan’s reputation was growing. In Class Five, he was known as “Half the Sky Zhang.” The soccer team had clinched the championship at the Shuangdun High School tournament. At the sports meet, he triumphed in the one-thousand and five-thousand-meter races, breaking records. He took first place in geography on the midterm—rumor had it, first in the entire school. In short, his achievements were dazzling. High school students’ values were simple: those good at sports or studies could easily become role models.

Zhang Tan was, without a doubt, an idol among idols.

“Sigh, without realizing it, I’ve become the class idol. It really goes against my principle of keeping a low profile,” he mused.

…

The inaugural issue of “Legend of Past and Present: Wuxia Edition,” the second issue overall, officially went on sale. The second part of “The Four Great Constables: Shaking the Northeast,” titled “On the Run,” was serialized within. Naturally, Zhang Tan received a contributor’s copy from the magazine. He also bought an extra copy himself, intending to collect every issue in which his novels appeared, to save for his old age.

One day, he imagined himself sitting in a rocking chair, basking in the sun, flipping through those magazines, reminiscing about his glory days—a true pleasure in life.

With the serialization of “On the Run,” “The Four Great Constables: Shaking the Northeast” was drawing more and more readers and praise. The magazine office frequently received calls urging the next installment, and many readers wrote letters expressing their interest in Zhang Tan.

At the end of the novel, there was even a feature interview with Zhang Tan.

“Tales of Talent Through the Ages: An Interview with Constable Novelist Tan Zhang,” conducted by Bi Wanzhen.

The interview was divided into three sections. The first introduced “The Four Great Constables: Shaking the Northeast” and shared many readers’ impressions.

“I especially loved the story of the cold-blooded pursuit of the thirteen villains, particularly the vivid depiction of Broken Sword,” wrote a reader from Hunan Xiangtan.

A reader from Sichengdu commented, “The story is short and simple—a constable hunts thirteen evildoers—but the action sequences are tightly linked, and the descriptions of people and things are incisive. At first glance, the writing seems plain, but upon closer reading, it exudes a grand and majestic aura.”

A reader from Beijing wrote, “The quality is excellent, with a unique style among Wuxia novels. Seeing the author is a high school student, I know that the mainland is about to witness the rise of another martial arts master.”

From Gansu, a reader remarked, “It lingers a bit too much on fight scenes, making the plot a bit monotonous, but overall it’s good.”

“In silence, thunder is heard—brilliantly written!” A reader from Jiangyou summed it up concisely.

After the praise for “The Four Great Constables: Shaking the Northeast,” the article moved on to a brief overview of Zhang Tan himself.

“Born April 24, 1986, in Gangji Town, Changfeng County, Hefei City, Anhui Province, Zhang Tan grew up in an ordinary family. His mother worked the land, and his father, after leaving the army, worked at the local grain station. With little savings after splitting from the extended family, they scrimped and saved to build a house—this frugality marked Zhang Tan’s childhood memories.”

“Poverty did not stifle Zhang Tan’s gifts. Bright and clever from an early age, he discovered his passion for writing after a misunderstanding when an essay of his was read to the class as a model piece. From then on, he was unstoppable. In middle school, he helped classmates write love letters and frequently composed poems in his diary.”

“Later, after reading Mr. Wolong Sheng’s ‘The Crane’s Divine Needle,’ he became fascinated by martial arts fiction, yearning for the chivalrous world of sword and blade, courage and tenderness. In high school, he finally could not resist picking up the pen to try his own hand at Wuxia. ‘The Four Great Constables: Shaking the Northeast’ was the first novel he conceived and wrote.”

“‘This novel had lingered in my mind for a long time. After the school term began, I was a bit bored, so I drew up an outline and started writing. After twelve thousand words, I sent it to the editorial department at “Legend of Past and Present,” and it was accepted right away.’ When Zhang Tan spoke of submitting his work, he showed little excitement; to him, it seemed only natural.”

“He was confident in his writing and equally dedicated. ‘The Four Great Constables’ is a series, and as he wrote, Zhang Tan gradually perfected the world-building: ‘I don’t know how many volumes I’ll write, but each of the Four Constables will have their own unique and thrilling story.’”

“‘The Four Great Constables: Shaking the Northeast’ is currently being serialized in ‘Legend of Past and Present: Wuxia Edition,’ and Zhang Tan has already started work on the next installment, ‘The Four Great Constables in the Capital’…”