Writing Melodramatic Stories in Ancient Times Made Me Famous

Fu Wenyu, a modern novelist, transmigrates into the body of a fifteen-year-old boy in ancient China. His father, a scholar, recently died, leaving behind a widow, Zhou, and his younger sister, Fu Rong. The family has been split from the main clan due to financial disputes, leaving them with minimal land and resources. The original host fell ill from grief and died, allowing Fu Wenyu to take over. He finds himself in a dire situation: his family is on the verge of starvation, and his second aunt, Liu, is pressuring his mother to marry ten-year-old Fu Rong to a wealthy landlord’s foolish son in exchange for land and silver.

Fu Wenyu firmly rejects the marriage proposal, driving his second aunt away with a broom. Realizing that farming is not an option due to his lack of experience and his family’s scholarly background, he devises a plan to generate income. He approaches the clan leader, Fu Wencheng, to rent out his family’s four acres of land. The clan leader agrees and helps him secure a tenant, the Qingtian family, who pay half the rent upfront. To supplement their income, Fu Wenyu decides to use his modern writing skills to create storybooks. He writes a melodramatic tale about switched-at-birth twins, titled "The Real and Fake Young Masters," leveraging tropes he mastered in his previous life.

Fu Wenyu takes his manuscript to Kaiyuan Bookstore in the city. Initially, he faces skepticism from the shop assistant, Zhang Er, but the shopkeeper, Shopkeeper Zhang, is captivated by the story. Recognizing the commercial potential, Shopkeeper Zhang agrees to buy the manuscript for thirty taels of silver, a significant sum that immediately alleviates the family’s financial crisis. Fu Wenyu also proposes innovative marketing strategies, such as serializing the story in the local tabloid and selling advertisements, which further delights the shopkeeper and establishes a profitable partnership.

With the initial capital secured, Fu Wenyu focuses on improving his family’s quality of life. He teaches his mother and sister how to make velvet flowers, a craft he recalls from modern media, providing them with a sustainable source of income that is less damaging to their eyesight than embroidery. The family begins to eat well, and their social standing in the village improves. However, tensions with the extended family remain. His second aunt and cousin continue to scheme, and villagers gossip about the family’s sudden prosperity. Fu Wenyu also navigates the complex dynamics of filial piety when his grandfather, Fu Dashi, questions his decision to rent out the land without consultation. Fu Wenyu handles the situation by lying about having a steady job copying books, which satisfies his grandfather and defuses the conflict.

As he continues writing, Fu Wenyu develops the plot of "The Real and Fake Young Masters," introducing the biological father of the fake young master visiting the Wang family estate. The narrative explores the stark contrast between the spoiled fake young master and the hardworking real young master, building towards a climax involving identity revelation and retribution. Fu Wenyu’s primary goal remains clear: to accumulate wealth and knowledge to eventually take the imperial examinations, thereby elevating his family’s status and ensuring their long-term security. He balances his writing career with his studies, determined to succeed in both the literary and scholarly worlds while protecting his mother and sister from further exploitation by their relatives.