I am not Ximen Qing.

Everyone went to school, including Hongmei, the youngest daughter who inherited her father Zhang Sirui's intelligence and wisdom. Hongli was the least intelligent of the children, and also the one who suffered the most illnesses and hardships. She had been to the bureau's hospital many times, always suffering from fever or colds. Her mother, Huang Yupei, sighed, "Why is God so cruel to Hongli?" She even fainted from a fever of 42 degrees Celsius, frightening Zhang Sirui and Huang Yupei so much that their faces turned ashen. They even prepared clothes for her. Luckily, the doctors did their best to save her, but she could no longer sing. This was a huge blow to Hongli. Compared to her second brother, Hongqi, Hongli could sing the tenor voice of Faust's opera, becoming the last singer of the "Rat" folk song. She would never sing her favorite "The Shining Red Star" again. There was a large river where bamboo rafts floated downstream. Hongli had once thought of building a wooden raft instead of a bamboo boat to row downstream. Hongqi was a genius when it came to practical matters and could even draw blueprints. With my second brother's help, I could stand on the wooden boat and drift downstream, singing "The Shining Red Star," but I couldn't sing anything else. The crows' "caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw" echoed around the house; it was my father who knew Hongli's talent.

"Son, if you can't sing, you can play the harmonica. Practice first, and Dad will buy you an erhu later."

"Dad, Hongli wants to play the guitar; the erhu is too pathetic."

"Red Flag, is that what you want to do, play the guitar?"

“Dad, I don’t want to do that lowlife stuff. I want to be a skilled worker.”

"What kind of skilled worker does Hongqi want to be?"

"Dad, I want to build a boiler. What skills do I need to learn to build a large boiler for a plywood factory?"

"Does the welder understand?"

"Dad, I want to learn welding in the future."

"Hongqi passed the high school entrance exam and went on to university."

Hongli's misfortune turned into a blessing in disguise. Because of his voice, his parents completely let go of his worries about his studies. Every day, Hongli would play the harmonica and watch the little train speeding along the tracks, its whistle booming and rumbling like a black dragon breathing fire and clouds, circling deep in the forest. Hongli didn't want anything else; if he couldn't study well, he wanted to become a train driver at the station, sit in the little train, and blow the whistle for Li Xiangyang of the Railway Guerrilla, becoming a steam train hero.

Honghua won first place in the bureau's Russian language competition. Her eldest and second eldest sisters had both graduated. Hongyu was too ambitious; she didn't want to stay in the bureau as a worker and went to work in the city outside the forestry bureau. Zhang Sirui trusted Hongyu the most; she always had a group of friends wherever she went, naturally skilled in socializing and exceptionally capable. Why didn't her eldest and second daughters pass the high school entrance exam? After graduating from junior high, the bureau had excellent job opportunities, as did the city, and it would solve the household registration problem. Zhang Hongyu's household registration suddenly became urban, and the company's performance improved. Zhang Hongyu was ambitious; she had her own ideas. For her children's future, they also needed to develop in the city. Actually, she most wanted to develop in Shanghai; in those days, Zhang Hongyu was a pioneering woman. And Zhang Hongying? She saw a group of handsome men coming to the bureau, and she looked for work for her own selfish reasons, eyeing a tall, handsome prince charming—a talented man from Jilin City who came to work at the bureau. Huang Yupei thought her eldest and second sons were too opinionated; daughters grow up and leave home. As for Honglin, he remained in that dazed, clueless state, a pure art enthusiast. For some reason, his parents seemed to find their eldest son superior, while the second son, Hongqi, and the third son, Hongli, seemed to have no presence at all. Yes, Honglin inherited all the good qualities of his parents. Crucially, Honglin was well-mannered and never argued with them; as the old saying goes, he was polite. The third aunt disliked Hongqi and Hongli, but favored Honglin the most. This was because Honglin was very gentle with the third aunt's son, Zhang Liang, and also very polite to the third aunt's daughters, Yuanchun and Yingchun. Although the third aunt was cold and distant towards Zhang Sirui for some reason, she was always all smiles towards Honglin.

As the workload at the bureau increased, so did the workload of the union chairman. Young people were eager to work on the factory floor, where they saw more opportunities. Women's liberation brought freedom of choice and love became popular.

Zhang Hongying hadn't been working long when she successfully seduced Zhao Mengji, a tall man from Jilin who had been promoted to the bureau. He fell head over heels for her, much to Huang Yupei's dismay, who complained to her father, Zhang Sirui, at home. It turned out Hongying was the most secretly cheating woman. They hadn't thought Hongying had any advantages in terms of looks or height. Zhao Mengji, on the other hand, was dashing, handsome, a well-educated urban youth—good in every way. Was he some kind of con artist? Otherwise, why would he have chosen Hongying? Of course, Hongying was too shrewd. Zhao Mengji's weakness was malnutrition. Since starting work, Hongying hadn't brought a single penny home; it was all going towards Zhao Mengji's nutrition. Hunger had made Zhao Mengji understand what was truly tempting: roast chicken, braised pork head, and sweet and sour pork—more alluring than beautiful women. Under the allure of hunger, in Zhao Mengji's eyes, Hongying was a fairy who truly brought him warmth and love. Even the gifts she brought during her visits were bought with Hongying's salary. There was no other way; if it weren't for hunger, he could have stayed comfortably in Jilin City, why would he have gone to the forestry bureau in the mountains to suffer? The beauty of the city couldn't solve his hunger problem. Since meeting Hongying, Zhao Mengji had lived a happy life. His sister, far away in Jilin, even warned her brother never to marry a woman from the mountains, because if he did, he wouldn't be able to return to Jilin City. She didn't want a woman from the mountains as his sister-in-law; she wanted one from the city.

The eldest daughter's love is even more romantic, avant-garde, a bit bold, a pure Western-style love. At least Hongyu's love can be considered a model of contemporary youth love. The city is more tolerant because love is magical, it can be transformed, it generates imagination. Love is so wonderful, because love is so selfish. Hongyu began to hate the existence of the corrupt and opportunistic, so the attraction of love is too great. Zhang Hongyu's personality even changed because of love, because the Li Jingshan she met was not just a pretty face, but the real Baoyu. Jingshan is too vulgar, he should be called Li Baoyu. He is cultured and romantic, and most importantly, he can dance the waltz. Accompanied by the music, he is the target and object of pursuit for girls.

The eldest and second daughters' love and marriage were almost seamless, with their parents' presence being minimal. However, the bureau allocated a brick house for the newlyweds in the residential area under the Daokou School. Living in a nice red-brick house within the bureau was considered a high-status arrangement, as Zhao Mengji was a vocational school graduate with a cadre title, Zhang Hongying was a plywood factory worker, and Zhang Sirui was the bureau's union chairman. Therefore, Zhao Mengji and Zhang Hongying moved into the education bureau's intellectuals' residential area immediately after their marriage, surrounded by teachers from Linhai High School. Lu Shitou, who had previously taught Honglin, also moved in, temporarily assigned to teach Chinese at Linhai High School. For Lu Shitou, a graduate of Fudan University in Shanghai, teaching middle and primary school was a waste of his talents; the bureau struggled to find teachers who could truly excel at Chinese. Meanwhile, Zhang Hongying's house in the city was a bungalow allocated by Li Jingshan's work unit. Housing is always a crucial part of life. The older generation lived in self-built houses, while Hongyu and Hongying had their own love nest immediately after marriage, a testament to their happy and fulfilling love and marriage.

Honglin painted a landscape for Li Jingshan. Under the tutelage of a Shanghai painter, Honglin had mastered the art of freehand landscape painting using ink and brush. According to the painter, the simplest ink and brush techniques best reveal a painter's skill; the simpler the style, the more difficult it is. Li Jingshan, a scholar who valued talent, was particularly fond of Honglin, his future brother-in-law. This was also why he fell in love with Hongyu—his sister's younger brother was so learned, so his sister must be equally accomplished. Li Jingshan's family had strict traditions, so he believed his father-in-law's family had a tradition of genuine learning. However, the Forestry Bureau didn't hold Li Jingshan's interest. The forests on the mountains had been almost completely cleared. Although reforestation efforts were underway, the cold northern climate meant that it would take at least a hundred years for the trees to grow back to towering heights. He had said that the Forestry Bureau used to be a picturesque paradise, a consequence of resource exploitation, and Li Jingshan's assessment was correct.

My third aunt, still possessing a certain charm, was unmistakably Huang Jinshan's daughter. However, she never mentioned relocating the graves again; it was a perpetual pain in her heart, a memory she spoke of as if from a myth. The graves of Liu Shi and Huang Jinshan had vanished. This is an era of constant progress in civilization; the past must be destroyed. Even the old city walls of Beijing have disappeared, let alone the graves of Huang Jinshan and Liu Shi. There is little space left for the past. The thoughts and spirit of the Chinese people need revival and rebirth. Therefore, the Shaoxing Guild Hall stands at Fayuan Temple.

Lu Xun's works were created here. Runtu, the character in "My Old Home," lives vividly in the memories of this generation. Runtu is a source of pain for Lu Xun, which is why he no longer returns to his hometown, preferring to stay in his courtyard house in Beijing. His hometown holds too many memories of the past. He fears those memories, and thus, through Lu Xun's recollections, we can understand that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva represents true compassion!

A verse in praise of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

With compassionate voice and accumulated virtue, I vow to save all sentient beings. With the golden staff in my hand, I shake open the gates of hell. The bright pearl in my palm illuminates the entire world. Within the sound of wisdom and auspicious clouds, I bear great witness to the merits of the suffering beings of Jambudvipa. With great compassion and great vows, with great holiness and great mercy, I am the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha Mahasattva.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Jiuhua Mountain, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Wutai Mountain, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Jietai Temple, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Tanzhe Temple, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Badachu Dabei Temple, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Tianning Temple, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Fayuan Temple...

To resonate with Ksitigarbha, one must recite the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra to eliminate karmic obstacles. Those who desire fame and fortune often have to leave their hometown, and their requirement for returning home is to return in glory.

Huang Yupei, with her prominent yellow teeth, smoked a long pipe, but her bound feet, repeatedly featured in the novel *Jin Ping Mei*, still represented the past. Her greatest pleasure, sitting on the kang (heated brick bed), was smoking her pipe. However, Huang Yupei's pipe still has collectible value; the mouthpiece was made of jade.

However, if even the existence of Emperor Wanli could be destroyed, what about the Golden Mountain and the Liu family? The old world was overthrown, including the tombs of the past, and the new world must destroy the old world. The poison of the past was too deep. However, the Forbidden City is indeed a cultural pearl built on the Thirteen Classics.

There's always this illusion that "The Story of the Stone," "The Mirror of Love and Lust," and "Dream of the Red Chamber" are located in the Ming Tombs in Changping, Beijing.

Zhang Sirui's ancestral worship of his second uncle, Zhang Zechen, has been almost uninterrupted. He wasn't putting on a show for his children; his spirit and life contained a part of his uncle's existence, which is also part of the Chinese spirit—a spirit of continuous renewal. Myths exist in ancient legends and are part of cultural history. Some people believe in the six realms of reincarnation rather than Darwin's theory of evolution from fish; others believe in God rather than Darwin's theory of evolution—all are simply part of human understanding. Civilization, science, and technology change, destroy, and shape everything about humanity. Humanity always evolves through contradictions—it's quite ironic. With the arrival of Gabriel García Márquez's *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, readers worldwide knew that in South America and Latin America, mythology seemed to have survived the destruction of modern civilization. Everything he wrote can indeed inspire human thought and prompt reflection on the negative aspects of civilization. Does mythology truly still exist on Earth?

In life both in and out of the mountains, the ancestral worship of distant relatives is of paramount importance. For the Chinese, good and evil, love and hate are redeemed through burning paper money. Children often love this absurd game; in their eyes, people are cold and indifferent when alive, but when they die, there are firecrackers, incense, and paper money—seven plates, eight bowls, and even several bottles of expensive wine poured around the grave. Now, more than ever, they can afford to burn paper money; in the past, burning paper money was unaffordable because China was too poor.

The mountains still retain a magical realist spirit; the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River are a treasure trove. Changbai Mountain is a sacred mountain, a treasure trove at every turn. What was it like before? Even more magical and spiritual than it is now, with fox spirits and wandering ghosts. The Siberian tiger disappeared before liberation, migrating to Sakhalin Island and the edge of Siberia. In Changbai Mountain, bears and leopards reigned supreme—a symbol of civilization.

There was a small railway leading out of the mountains, pulling endless rows of round wagons day and night. The little locomotive roared and howled, its whistle blaring, puffing and panting as it climbed the slopes, the friction of the steam creating a crackling sound. This was Hongli's favorite thing, its musical melody; all its dreams were contained within that dark red locomotive. The boys were particularly fascinated by the steam and mist billowing from the little locomotive, loving the white smoke that made them feel like they were performing on a stage. They were so excited that they jumped, danced, and shouted wildly. The birch forests, the thousand-year-old red pine trees, the coniferous forests, the linden forests, the cedar forests, and the elm forests in the mountains are all masterpieces of the logging team's chainsaws. The land can be burned to plant Chinese cabbage, radishes, and potatoes. The following year, trees will be planted. Primary and secondary school students will participate in afforestation activities in the form of summer camps.

Children love peeling birch bark; the layers of white bark can be used to whistle or as kindling. With matches, the mountain doesn't need Prometheus's salvation. It's like a dream, with large platforms in front and behind the mountains, and a flat, open land at the foot of the distant mountains.

There are wetlands in the mountains, and a large river flowing down from them leads to the production team. Another large river flows from the mountains. The mountains are rich in forests and rivers, but the rivers flowing through the forests are the most majestic. These rivers converge in various places, forming an even more passionate and powerful river. The mountain river water is icy cold year-round; even in the sweltering summer, swimming in it for three minutes will leave you shivering. This river embodies the temperament of the mountains, the forests, and the forest gods. Downstream, not far across the river, lies a piece of land that existed in the pearl's dreams. The pearl always dreamed of living on this land by the river, living her dream life. A dozen or so people lived in a big house. The river was full of fish, clams, and shrimp. This was the hometown in Pearl's dream. She was not afraid of the river's floods because the forest gods protected the mountains. No matter what, the river's flood season could not cause a major flood. The mountains and forests never worried about the existence of natural disasters. With forests, there is everything. With forests, there is no drought, let alone major floods. Only with forests can there be true northern snow and true northern spring.

The snow country isn't in Hokkaido, but deep in the forests of the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River. Because the woodlands here haven't been overexploited by humans, the forests and vegetation thrive. Rain can fall for a month or two without consequence; the woodlands here don't need to worry about floods or mudslides because the surface is entirely covered by forest vegetation, including the roots and stems of wild grasses and weeds. These roots and stems are so powerful that water has no chance to form. This is why Shun punished Yao for failing to control the floods, and why Yu the Great ultimately succeeded in controlling them. The Chinese have always held water in awe; even Emperor Qianlong placed a jade sculpture of Yu the Great controlling the floods in the Hall of Joyful Longevity in the Forbidden City as a reminder.

Pearl's dream was almost perfect. Wasn't the land across the river the former site of Pearl's mountain villa? If it weren't for despair, Pearl wouldn't have gone into the mountains, would she? In the wetlands of the upper reaches of the river, there were not only wetland traps, but also special allure. Danger couldn't stop her obsession with the delicious pufferfish, just as danger couldn't stop her from picking wild blueberries and wild berries, bucket after bucket. This was her year-round longing for ginseng fruit.

In this Spartan utopia nestled in the mountains, a great river flows at the foot of the surrounding forest. The river, as Pearl had described, is teeming with fish and shrimp. On the opposite bank stand rows of neat, beautiful houses with red bricks and red tiles—the red-tiled houses being the most distinctive feature of the forest farm.

The sounds of machine tools, welding, and the clanging of metal from the repair shop, along with the buzzing of chainsaws from the sawmill, echoed from the valley into the distant forest. The workers at the repair shop could repair all sorts of locomotives and tractors. The public bathhouse was the women's favorite place, but the children's most feared. The women preferred to bathe in the hot water heated by the boiler, a practice known as "soaking in the bathhouse." This was a nightmare for the children; the water was too hot, and they would scream and wail as soon as they entered the water. The women, on the other hand, felt that bathing and soaking in the bathhouse was the only way to wash away the grime on their bodies, leaving them feeling refreshed and relaxed. The forest farm had many skilled technicians and craftsmen who could use the machine tools and locomotives in the repair shop to complete many difficult repair tasks, including not only locomotives but also diesel-powered internal combustion engines.