I am not Ximen Qing.

For some reason, whenever Honglin closes her eyes, the word "romantic" always comes to mind. What is romantic? The romantic figures of all time, as her Chinese teacher aptly put it, Lu Shitou, that's right, also a silly boy from Shanghai, who taught literature and never looked at the textbook. You know what, Shitou's literature class really gave Honglin a lot of romantic enlightenment.

For example, the story of Xiang Yu bidding farewell to his concubine in the Records of the Grand Historian is a case of divination. Why couldn't Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu, let go of a beautiful woman? Shi Daizi also said that Liu Bang was able to let go of Lü Zhi. Liu Bang's "Song of the Great Wind" is much more profound than Xiang Yu's "Song of the Haunted City".

Shi Daizi was advising his classmates to focus on their careers, not to emulate Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, who couldn't even let go of a beautiful woman; his mind was too narrow. Shi Daizi said that since the world belonged to Liu Bang, all the beautiful women in the world belonged to him, but Xiang Yu just couldn't understand the relationship between beautiful women and the world.

Lu Shitou's heartfelt words instantly snapped Zhang Honglin out of his frivolous fantasies. It turned out that his recent frequent daydreaming, for some unknown reason, was all due to these frivolous thoughts. Now, he no longer needed to secretly sketch; his frivolous thoughts allowed him to vividly conjure up Guo Jinyu's image and voice in his mind. Lu Shitou, citing classical texts, mentioned Jia Rui's frivolousness in *The Mirror of Love and Lust*. He argued that this frivolity was different from other frivolousness, and that the frivolity of a beautiful woman was a refined and virtuous type, worthy of promotion. He lamented that Jia Rui saw "lust and emptiness" in the mirror, but unfortunately, he had no one to guide him. Lu Shitou said this was called "going astray," therefore, one should read classic works and not frivolous books.

The romanticism finally manifested in an oil painting, which cost Zhang Sirui a portion of his salary. Huang Yupei felt a pang of heartache, because a whole bunch of chicks, like fledglings in a bird's nest, were starving. The three nests of swallows under the eaves were also starving, their beaks agape. There were too many children, no different from fledglings, eating everything like autumn leaves swept away by the wind. And Hongqi and Hongli were particularly voracious eaters. And the eldest son? With his father's support, he had actually entered into a romantic realm, creating a portrait of a beautiful woman with two small braids and glossy black hair. Guo Jinyu's skin was as white as spring snow. Honglin put so much effort into this romantic work; he even included every freckle on Jinyu's face. It was all thanks to the great Shanghai painter, and with Old Lu's literary lessons, Honglin had also gained some insights. Literature is the soul of painting! Recently, Honglin has been tormented by Guo Jinyu's indifference. The more she is treated this way, the more her heart stirs with desire. Jinyu's eyes, her snow-white skin, completely ignore Zhang Honglin's existence. That's alright; desire is selfish, a gift of art. Of course, Soviet literature is all too serious. *Resurrection* is a punishment for desire, *Crime and Punishment* is a warning to uneducated urban youth, and *The Idiot* is a tragic consequence of the chaos of love. Shi Daizi's literature classes are always exciting, a journey through time.

Both her father and the painter praised Honglin's elegant artwork and even gave it a beautiful name: "Resurrection." Honglin secretly hoped that Guo Jinyu could have a cheerful and innocent laugh like Jiang Meili, Meng Shunu, and He Dadan.

Guo Jinyu was Zhang Honglin's romantic companion. For some reason, Zhang Honglin always felt a sense of loss when he saw Jinyu's uninhibited smile. This wasn't some kind of love or affection, but simply because she was the resurrected girl in Honglin's oil paintings. Guo Jinyu, on the other hand, avoided Zhang Honglin like the plague. For example, even from ten meters away, Jinyu could smell the strong aroma of soybean paste on Honglin—a skill made in every household. Soybeans grown in the black soil were the best for making soybean paste. According to Hongqi and Hongli, their mother Huang Yupei's soybean paste was the most delicious thing in the world. These two black bastards hated pickled vegetables, but at least their mother's soybean paste had a soul. They admired their older brother's ability to paint, but they loved Huang Yupei's soybean paste even more. Fermented soybean paste had a strange smell—and indeed, how could the taste of soybean paste compare to the flavor of Guo Baoshan's Manchu Han Imperial Feast? The soybean paste has the flavor of soybeans grown in the black soil of Northeast China. It is the flavor that the Empress Dowager in the Forbidden City loved most, which is the original flavor of fermentation in the black soil and the luxurious atmosphere of the Eight Banners aristocracy.

The bureau chief was the leader most concerned about education. He was a veteran of the Long March, a true red soldier with impeccable revolutionary credentials. Of course, there were many rumors circulating within the bureau about his glorious past. Because he joined the revolution early, he suffered from a lack of education; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the bureau chief of the forestry bureau. Therefore, the first thing he focused on upon arriving at the bureau was education; without education, one could not build the four modernizations of the motherland. The bureau chief truly embodied the style of a veteran Red Army soldier, demanding absolute self-discipline, not seeking special treatment for himself, and strictly requiring his family members to do the same, forbidding any connections, dining out in his name, or giving gifts or accepting favors. He had fought the Japanese, fought the Kuomintang, and supported the Korean War. After the liberation of the country, based on seniority, the bureau chief should at least have been a provincial-level official, but his awareness was too high. He desperately tried to compensate for his lack of education, and the organization had high hopes for him. However, he also understood his own level and abilities, maintaining a pragmatic style and possessing the highest political awareness. According to the bureau chief's own words, his appointment as bureau chief was a result of the organization's trust and cultivation. He was an orphan. If he hadn't joined the Red Army, he would have starved and wouldn't have survived. It was the Party and the people who gave him everything he has now. The old Red Army soldier couldn't be corrupted by any sugar-coated bullets. He had nothing but the country and the people in his mind. His life was about building the modernization of the motherland and serving the people.

Guo Baoshan was a worldly man, and he was moved by the bureau chief. The old Red Army's style was nothing more than serving the people. Originally, Guo Baoshan had wanted to show off his skills to the bureau chief, perhaps by preparing his best Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, hoping to climb the ranks from canteen manager to logistics officer, and even try to emulate the young man's roundabout way of doing things. But after the bureau chief arrived, he wouldn't allow any special treatment or favoritism. Think about it—this was a veteran of the Long March!

Guo Jinyu graduated from primary school, and Guo Baoshan felt conflicted. Na Zhenzhu saw through her husband's thoughts and said, "Baoshan, don't think too much. I know your difficulties. The whole family of more than ten people depends on your meager salary. Even the bureau chief is willing to humble himself and work alongside the workers. We can go to the mountains too."

"We can't let Jinyu's studies be delayed. This child loves to read. Although you can get enough to eat in the forest, once you go into the forest, you can forget about ever coming out again."

"What's there to be afraid of in Baoshan? It's in the mountains and forests. What's wrong with the mountains?"

"Jin Yu has a bad temper, I wouldn't dare to do that."

“I talked to Jinyu about it. My little girl graduated from fifth grade and is quite well-educated. What’s there to be afraid of? She can help me take care of her siblings at home. She’s sensible enough.”

Deep down, Guo Baoshan didn't want to go back to the mountains. The mountains of Pearl were beautiful, but Guo Baoshan didn't like going there. Returning to Shanxi was impossible now; the children were eating more and more each day, and the responsibilities of the canteen manager at the bureau were becoming increasingly heavy. The bureau chief was using part of his own salary each month to buy vegetables and meat to subsidize the canteen. Baoshan felt bad, but he couldn't think of a solution. Okay, Jinyu graduated from elementary school; she could follow the bureau chief's example and continue working as the canteen manager at the forest farm. The workers endured arduous logging in the freezing cold, felling centuries-old red pines with chainsaws, binding them securely with ropes, and then driving diesel-powered tractors down the hillsides. Locomotives then pulled wagons, roaring from the mountains to the forestry bureau's timber depot outside. From there, lumber mills processed the timber into boards, and now plywood factories allow for further processing of scrap timber. All of this is progress made by the people of the whole country in building a strong socialist nation. We should learn from Wang Jinxi of Daqing—work so hard, why should we care about personal pleasures and future prospects? This is a great, emerging country, a socialist country where the people are the masters.

Guo Baoshan's secret: "Baoshan, remember, never go deep into the mountains."

"why?"

"Don't ask why, going back to Shanxi or developing your career in Beijing is also fine."

But food was scarce in the city, wasn't it? Even the bureau chief, a veteran of the Red Army, could only afford simple meals. Thinking of this, he suddenly had a bright idea. He went into the mountains to cook the most delicious food for the forestry workers, to prepare a veritable feast for them. Individual will must submit to the will of the nation, the will of the collective. Guo Baoshan roared angrily, "Pearl, what if there's still not enough to eat in the mountains?"

"Baoshan, do you believe it? Two big rivers are teeming with fish and shrimp."

"Tana, I believe you, but there are hardly any fish in this river."

“The rivers here in Baoshan are different from the rivers in the mountains.”

Baoshan was now utterly desperate, experiencing despair for the first time in his life. He believed hope lay only in the mountains. Why? Because the mountains held workers, forestry workers, chainsaw operators, tractor drivers, and timber processing plants and plywood factories outside the mountains. Timber yards needed all sorts of trees from the mountains: birch, linden, elm, and especially rosewood and red pine—the red pine of Changbai Mountain being the most precious. Actually, he was being too extreme. In Pearl's dream, there were roe deer, toads, calamari, small shrimp, white-scaled fish, and loaches in the river. If she wanted to eat, she could simply scoop them up with a basin, ladle, or basket—no nets needed. This was the most bountiful river, with enough freshwater delicacies to last several lifetimes. Pheasants, deer, and wild boars roaming the mountains—the wild boars of Changbai Mountain were different from those of other regions. Pearl didn't think about anything else; she only wanted to go to Manchuria. She was tired. Wealth, fame, and fortune were ultimately just dreams, not as real as the snow-covered forests of Northeast China. She knew Guo Baoshan didn't believe in such things, but even she, like Pearl, was filled with despair. A man's experiences are beyond his control; entangled in the conflict between flesh and love, he finally woke up, but it was too late. Guo Baoshan didn't understand why so many factories had been built, but the issue of food was still the most serious problem. This was utter disrespect and insult to him. Guo Baoshan initially wanted to memorize the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast like a Confucian scholar reciting the Analects—the Empress Dowager's favorite delicacy. He was afraid he would forget the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast; he could forget anything, but he couldn't forget his advisor's Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. Once in the mountains, he would raise several flocks of chickens and black pigs, and let ducks and geese roam freely in the river. Yes, the forestry bureau was too poor; they didn't have the ingredients for the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. He would go to the mountains to prepare the Empress Dowager's favorite Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.

Guo Jinyu longed to learn to dance at the Youth Palace from the young and beautiful dance teachers in the bureau. The bureau also held various talent selection events, with gymnastics coaches from the province selecting gymnasts. However, Jinyu was rejected because she was too old. She didn't understand why, with the bureau's conditions improving and the addition of a high school, Pearl decided to stop her from attending junior high. She felt very disappointed. Even that dirty-looking artist Zhang Honglin could continue his junior high studies, and Lao He, Lao Jiang, and Lao Meng could all attend middle school. Pearl's explanation was that there were too many children in the family, and they needed to feed them. But Jinyu sympathized with Guo Baoshan. She thought her father, Guo Baoshan, was a capable man, and even a capable man was forced to go to the mountains. It seemed that Pearl's mother's decision was prescient.

However, she was unwilling to accept it. She had been laughed at by Zhang Honglin, and Guo Jinyu's pride had failed—at least, that's what Guo Jinyu thought. She left the school quietly, and her food-loving friends missed her dearly. Guo Baoshan no longer believed in the dream of pearls. So far, Guo Baoshan had arrived at the second forest farm. It turned out that forests could be completely cleared. There were hundreds and thousands of forests in Changbai Mountain, and every forest farm had to cut timber. However, the canteens in the forest farms were much better than those in the bureau. At least there was plenty of cabbage and potatoes. The workers' meals were very important, and the welfare included liquor—a grain liquor brewed from sorghum grown in the black soil of the forest farm.

The mountains and forests of Northeast China are covered in snow, and in winter, it's common for heavy snow to fall for days and nights. The snow in the forests can be several meters deep, accumulating on the branches and treetops. A gust of wind can cause it to flutter down. Ironically, the children of the forestry workers love to play and frolic in the woods. Although they don't experience the dream of obtaining pearls, at least the canteen offers venison, roe deer, and wild boar meat. During the winter logging season, there are also hibernating black bears that are chainsawed in half. The bear bile is used for treatment, and the bear paws are used to make delicious dishes by Guo Baoshan. Gradually, Guo Baoshan also realized that the forestry canteen manager was indeed different from the canteen manager in the bureau. At least he could get along well with the workers. The workers could drink, and Guo Baoshan could cook special dishes that the workers had never tasted before. No other dishes were needed; the large copper hot pot in Old Guo's canteen served unlimited amounts of pickled cabbage and pork. Every worker benefited from Old Guo's kindness, and his status in the forestry farm was no lower than that of the factory director and the party secretary. Because the tasks assigned by the higher authorities were quite demanding, the workers had to work, and the canteen was their source of strength.