Writing his own reality

In 2012, Peng published his first collection of short stories I Went to the Dances at Chandlerville, which were written when he was a salesman. The homonymous story was inspired by the poem Lucinda Matlock by American poet and novelist Edgar Lee Masters. In 2020, when the publishing company Form was founded, they reached out to Peng, hoping to publish his short stories.

In November that year, a new edition of I Went to the Dances at Chandlerville was published. Some other short stories and essays that Peng had written as a salesman in Guizhou province between 2004 and 2006, but had originally felt embarrassed by, were collected in another book Bujiandian Yu Beichanmian Shu (literally meaning a piece of writing in an unpolished language exuded with unrestrained emotion). The title was inspired by a poem written by Yan Jin from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) on the wall of a hotel in Guizhou.

More than a dozen years later, rereading those "embarrassing" stories, Peng was touched by the courage and solitude of that young salesman.

After writing real estate adverts for two years, Peng spent another two years switching from one job to another, including six months delivering parcels.

However, once his first book was published in 2012, things changed. He was offered editing work by media organizations and publishers.