[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-restarted-life-1992":3,"chapter-my-restarted-life-1992-my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-85":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Restarted Life: 1992",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2279635,4460,"Chapter 85: Literary Competition","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-85",85,"\u003Cp>Jian Qiu said: “I have a question for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Minglan crossed her arms: “Fine, ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu asked: “Can you and my father spend your whole lives with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Minglan smiled: “Your father and I are old—we’ll die someday. How could we possibly spend our whole lives with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu asked: “Then who can spend their whole life with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Minglan froze; Jian Qiu continued: “Only my husband can spend his whole life with me, growing old beside me. But you’re forcing me to share a room, share a bed, with a man I don’t love—for my whole life. Have you ever thought about how I feel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The prosperity of our clan is their men’s business—what does it have to do with me, a woman? Why should I sacrifice my entire happiness to sustain their wealth and glory?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Minglan hadn’t expected Jian Qiu to resist the alliance with the Tong family so strongly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qiuqiu, the alliance with the Tong family is just a formality—it’s really all for your sake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For me?” Jian Qiu laughed. “Do you think I’ll starve if I don’t marry Tong Huaiyu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you say that?” Su Minglan was displeased with her daughter’s tone. “Didn’t you used to idolize Huaiyu when you were little? Didn’t you say you’d marry him when you grew up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just said it was when I was little,” Jian Qiu closed her suitcase, zipped it, then sat on the bed and looked at Su Minglan. “When Huaiyu went abroad, I was sixteen. After this year, I’ll be twenty-seven. Looking back now, I was incredibly naive then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Minglan stared hard at her daughter’s face: “Have you met someone you like out there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu spoke calmly: “Not yet. Who knows about the future?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Minglan couldn’t tell anything: “If you don’t have anyone you like, why not give Huaiyu another chance? It’s also giving yourself a chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu stood up, picked up her suitcase: “Mom, I’m telling you this so you know: my love life is mine alone to decide. Neither my grandfather, nor you and Dad, nor my uncle, uncles, aunts, or great-aunts have any say. If you insist on meddling in my feelings, don’t blame me for turning on you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu pulled her suitcase out the door: “By the way, I’m going straight back to Jiangzhou—I won’t be returning to Beijing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the closed door, Su Minglan frowned, motionless for a long while. She knew her daughter too well—this stubborn girl must have someone she likes, or she wouldn’t react this strongly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>February 8th, the first lunar month, was payday. At just after seven in the morning, all employees gathered at the brewery’s main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Secretary’s here! Secretary’s here!” Shouts rose in waves; the crowd parted, clearing a path as Gu Bing’s 212 Jeep drove in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd followed the car to the factory office building. Gu Bing stepped out and smiled: “Comrades, how was your New Year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!” Though they couldn’t hear what Gu Bing said next, they shouted anyway—the cheers echoed through the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although payday hadn’t come before the New Year, two years’ back wages were paid in full—some got over two or three thousand, others at least a hundred. So everyone had a very comfortable New Year, faces flushed with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Bing said: “If you had a good New Year, it proves your Secretary and Zhou Andong didn’t work in vain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Secretary!” someone shouted: “Can we start production sooner?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah!” others joined in: “Secretary, let’s start production soon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Bing understood their minds—they’d been idle for over two years; starting production soon would ease their worries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,” Gu Bing thought for a moment. “Once Zhou Andong arrives, I’ll discuss it with him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Bing’s words didn’t surprise the workers—everyone knew the brewery’s revival and their ability to eat depended entirely on Zhou Andong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And times had changed: though Zhou Andong was still just an ordinary worker, he’d been praised by two top city officials—his future was limitless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhou Andong’s here!” a loud voice shouted from behind. “Zhou Andong, hurry up—the Secretary wants you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could he possibly want with me right after shift start? Zhou Andong walked over quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him, Gu Bing said: “The workers want to start production sooner—what do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not? If they want to start sooner, then tomorrow.” Zhou Andong made the decision instantly. Cheers erupted, then swelled into a roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now are you satisfied?” Gu Bing waved his hand, growing more and more like a true leader. “It’s already past eight—line up properly. When Finance Department arrives, we’ll pay out. This month’s salary plus bonus should be substantial.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong followed Gu Bing into the office: “You look radiant—your New Year must’ve been good too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a kid, I looked forward to New Year. Now I’m over thirty—it doesn’t matter much anymore.” Gu Bing pulled out cigarettes and tossed one to Zhou Andong. “What’s next?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong lit his cigarette with a lighter, then sat heavily on the sofa, legs crossed: “Next, we launch a nationwide short story contest—the Jiangzhou Yugong Wine Cup. No age limit, no occupation limit. Stories under twenty thousand characters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First prize: thirty thousand. Second prize: thirty thousand. Third prize: ten thousand. Fourth to tenth prize, and merit awards: one thousand each. Eleventh to twentieth, we can give consolation prizes—each...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Bing’s eyes lit up: “Jiangzhou Yugong Wine doesn’t lack fame, but it lacks cultural depth. If we can break into the literary circle, get writers to drink our wine and promote it for us, that’s far better than spending money on ads.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong flicked ash: “That’s one part. More importantly, we maintain Jiangzhou Yugong Wine’s visibility—otherwise its brand value will drop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But!” Gu Bing hesitated. “A short story contest we run ourselves won’t work. No reputation means no buzz—it won’t promote us. Especially lacking authority, it won’t attract even moderately famous writers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong smiled: “Whether famous writers join or not doesn’t matter. But you’re right—no reputation means no buzz, no promotion. So we can partner with some journals: Reader, Zhinian, Mengya, Shouhuo, Youth Literature, and so on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Bing frowned: “These are well-known magazines. Whether they’ll cooperate with us is uncertain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong grinned: “I can’t handle this. You can’t do it without using your family connections. But one person definitely can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Bing thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up and smiled: “Guan Shengjie!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Snap!” Zhou Andong snapped his fingers. “No one else but him!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1084,"2026-06-20T01:18:49.036Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","615038cda56d5320292904a8ea5c2d04de23221067ad81eb73d058c8fa49b266","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-86","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-84",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-restarted-life-1992-cover.jpg"]