I am not Ximen Qing.

The tragic American character Clyde failed to achieve upward social mobility; instead, he succumbed to the ironclad constraints of American capitalism. Both characters struggled to move from small towns to large cities. It seems only in China can one achieve upward social mobility, or rather, realize the true dream of becoming a middle class.

Zhao Mengzhi is definitely a snob. Among her sister-in-law's relatives, only Zhang Hongmei, who married the son of a millionaire after the Reform and Opening Up, caught Zhao Mengzhi's eye. She wouldn't even consider the others. To put it bluntly, she got rich overnight because of Zhao Mengzhi's husband's stroke of luck. In the early days of Reform and Opening Up in Northeast China, there were many nouveau riche because there were too many loopholes in companies to exploit. In that special era, many speculators made a fortune. It's a pure example of nouveau riche. Zhao Mengzhi's husband must have had several million yuan at the time. The wealthy in Northeast China are incredibly arrogant. Only those who have experienced it firsthand can understand the pain of being looked down upon. This humiliation isn't just something you can feel through Dostoevsky's novels. In real life in Northeast China, the nouveau riche's disdain for their poorer relatives was extremely harsh and full of insult. Even though her nephew, Baoyu, was doing quite well in Beijing, Zhao Mengzhi was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. Why should someone who works honestly earn so much money? The three houses made her feel resentful. Her friends, brothers, and relatives were all the same; that's human nature. They can't stand seeing others do well, and they only feel better if they're poor and receive charity. Zhao Mengzhi saw the simpleton Yang Dalei being thoroughly exploited by the school beauty, and her resentment grew. Then she looked at her nephew, living a prosperous life, with a new baby. He didn't cause trouble or show off; he just quietly went to work. The couple seemed to have magically seized various government benefits and become incredibly wealthy! People don't realize the difference until they compare themselves to others; the gap is like heaven and earth. Mengzhi has always been extremely vain. Seeing her sister-in-law's family developing and becoming more like a large clan, she felt increasingly resentful and unbalanced. That's just how she feels; everyone else is only happy when you're unhappy. In any case, the Yang family of this generation can't compare to the wealth of her brother, the Zhao family, because modern wealth creation is completely different from the past. The doctor couple quickly became middle class through real estate, owning three houses without mortgages. They are quite successful in the middle class, their wealth is genuine and substantial. Her second aunt and uncle are also a frugal couple, recycling all kinds of water, including tap water, and they like to quote Li Bai's theory of "dripping water wears away a stone," meaning that wealth increases little by little. This is the wealth-building theory they taught the doctor couple. The doctor couple are very humble, but their financial ability is quite strong. Baoyu's house became the social center of the entire youth circle. Because of the Chinese tradition that "the rich have distant relatives even in remote mountains, while the poor have no one to care for them even in bustling cities," Baoyu's house was constantly bustling with friends and relatives visiting from afar, from various cities, all eager to see Baoyu's happy home. Everyone was curious about how the bookish Baoyu had managed to earn so much money. Every year during the Lunar New Year, they loved to visit Baoyu's house to pay their respects, have a get-together, and eat and drink, creating a special festive atmosphere. Every winter, his second aunt, Zhang Hongying, and Zheng Mengji would spend the New Year in Beijing. The older generation placed great importance on the New Year, preparing many traditional items, food, and drinks beforehand. Zhang Hongying and Zhao Menglin, the couple with the short legs, would go to the nearby market to buy chicken, duck, goose, pig's head, pig liver, lungs, pork hock, and pig ears. Zhao Mengji loved to cook all sorts of braised meats himself, making them in his own unique way. Zhao Mengji's braised pig's head has a touch of Su Dongpo's style. He loves eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), as well as clear jelly made from pig skin and mixed jelly. However, his brother-in-law, Zhao Mengqi, most admires Zhang Honglin's jelly from the mainland; it's incredibly clear and translucent, almost like crystal, and tastes wonderful. Zhao Mengji and Zhang Hongying love dumplings with all kinds of fillings. Because they're not very good at making dumplings, they like to have a group of relatives come over for a meal and drinks, and then make dumplings together. The dumplings are delicious, and it satisfies their craving. Actually, sometimes when you think about it, there's a secret: Aunt Zhang Hongying and Zhao Mengji are particularly fond of dumplings, but they're just naturally bad at making them. It's like fate is against them! So, they're very hospitable; when they were in the bureau, Zhao Mengji and his wife frequently hosted guests at their home. Guests love to eat and drink at Zhao Mengjie's house. Although her brother-in-law and younger brother-in-law often quarrel, during the Spring Festival, especially in Northeast China, they often get quite drunk together. This is a tradition in Northeast China, where friends and relatives often drink from morning till night during holidays. It's an unchangeable custom and culture, but I still miss the passionate youth of the past. She even had a beer-drinking contest with Zhao Chunlei, her sister-in-law's younger brother and Baoyu's brother-in-law. Baoyu has a high status in her family, but her parents are retired cadres with decent salaries. Zhao Chunlei also works in the railway department with a good salary. Her family's income is quite high, so she has no worries at all. Therefore, she can easily dedicate herself to a multinational medical company, adapting well to life in a foreign enterprise. She travels to Europe, the United States, and all five continents, earning 80,000 to 100,000 yuan a month without any problems and with almost no expenses. Eating and drinking at the company cafeteria, my sister-in-law managed to pay off a mortgage on a house in just one year. Her salary alone was enough, with some left over. My brother Baoyu always listened to his second aunt's advice; her theories, at least, worked well for him. My third uncle, Zhang Hongli, also listened to my second sister, and she was quite good to him too. Now, seeing my sister-in-law's son's great success, my sister-in-law could only lower her head in admiration. Zhao Mengzhi was completely convinced of her sister-in-law's abilities. Compared to her, she still lost.

The doctor couple caught the best opportunity for profit, and those who study art are always rational and have very strong logical abilities. Lu Xun was very good at making money, earning a high income from his articles, especially his avant-garde articles, and living a very luxurious life. Writing should be about enjoying a good life, and Lu Xun not only wrote well but also had a unique style, representing the backbone of the Chinese people. From this point of view, whether it is Lin Yutang, Liang Shiqiu, or even others, they all have to admire Lu Xun, because Lu Xun's articles have great value, great commercial value, and of course, their social value is full of unlimited potential. Japanese cultural figures at the time greatly admired Lu Xun, and of course, they were quite afraid of Liang Qichao. However, it seems that the surgeries of these two great literary figures were performed by the Japanese, and there were problems. Actually, when Da Lei was dating the school beauty, his sister-in-law and Bao Yu's family visited. According to the personality of the dream-making girl, her son is also a child who likes to show off. Of course, Bao Yu must have put in some effort, uh, inviting the school beauty and Da Lei to dinner. After all, he is the older brother. If he doesn't give face to the stranger, shouldn't he give face to the Buddha? We had to give my aunt face, didn't we? At the time, Zhao Mengzhi was probably still thinking, "Will my son's wife be as beautiful as a peony, or like Zhen Huan—a pure beauty, both cultured and beautiful?" Who could have imagined? Zhao Mengzhi was slapped in the face again; the school beauty stood Yang Dalei up. Of course, the aunt had some pride and felt bad, so she held a truly astonishing wedding that even surprised the doctor couple. Sometimes people are really ridiculous when it comes to saving face and vanity. Compared to the doctor couple's simple wedding in their hometown, Yang Dalei's wedding was incredibly extravagant. It seemed even his parents-in-law in Beijing felt incredibly proud. So later, when his parents-in-law showed off at their daughter's house, they didn't mind because of the extravagance; they were quite magnanimous. Anyway, what's the big deal? As long as the money's there, everything will be peaceful. My sister-in-law and Zhang Hongjun also found it quite strange; what was that girl thinking? Yang Dalei is so handsome and has given so much; even he moved her. Uh, couldn't even he move her heart? But then I think of my uncle's unhappy marriage. My uncle and aunt were truly in love, but even that couldn't last. Zhang Sheng visits his second aunt's house almost every year with lots of gifts. Of course, she's Bao Yu's stepmother. His second aunt suddenly realized that she could live a peaceful life, staying at home in the summer and then back at the bureau, and in the winter at a temple in Beijing. This way, she could retire and recuperate in peace. His second aunt is practically a chemist and pharmacist. Because of her diabetes, she has an extremely precise understanding of all kinds of grains, vegetables, and fruits. She injects her own insulin, and the doctor couple uses all their resources to find the best and newest miracle drugs for her diabetes. However, long-term diabetes can severely damage the brain. His second aunt always needs Zhao Mengqi to accompany her when she goes out in Beijing because she can't remember or recognize the roads. But Zhao Mengqi often likes to put on airs at these times, which she dislikes the most. I accompanied my second aunt for a walk. Because my second aunt is always forgetful, which annoys Zhao Mengqi a lot. Often, when the two of them go for walks, Zhang Hongying gets so angry she cries. This has been the case ever since they came to Beijing. However, my second aunt has to appease Zhao Mengji so she can go for a walk. She allows him to drink baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor). Perhaps Zhao Mengji deliberately embarrasses Zhang Hongying so that she won't dare to forcefully stop him when he drinks. You can see how important he is to her. Actually, Zhao Mengji is a fan of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, very cultured, and writes good calligraphy, but no one can take his liquor away from his table. The couple probably never imagined that coming to Beijing would lead to such a successful career, business, and economic boom. It's all been a bountiful harvest. This world is so amazing! My second aunt and second aunt, Zhang Hongying and Zhao Mengqi could never have imagined that in Beijing, their son would be raised in such a way. If he hadn't become a doctor, he might have just been a bookworm. While doctors don't earn the highest incomes, this doctor couple certainly made the most of their lives. They almost always entered and exited the real estate market with pinpoint accuracy. The couple remained low-key and calm, never making any grand pronouncements, simply achieving financial freedom in Beijing quietly. Zhao Mengji admired Bao Yu and his wife's composure. Their second son lived a frugal and simple life, almost finding it somewhat monotonous. But in this monotony, they achieved an upgrade in wealth and freedom, with almost no pressure; everything was done by going with the flow. Perhaps it was simply good fortune that the doctor couple caught the real estate boom. Years of strategic planning and accumulation in Beijing finally paid off during Beijing's best period of prosperity, when everything seemed to make money. People from all over the country flocked to this ancient capital seeking opportunities for advancement, at the beginning of China's reform and opening up. People can change their fate by striving for higher goals, because opportunities are indeed found in leading cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and resources are concentrated there. I remember a class reunion where Lu, who had returned from studying in Japan, brought a case of sake, which he finished off in one go. At the table, he boasted about buying a house in Beijing. That Japanese food gathering was very enjoyable. Of course, Lu was indeed an outstanding talent in school. He almost never had to work too hard to be number one in his studies, always doing so, and after school, there was always a pretty girl on the back of his bicycle. My aunt and uncle, Zhang Hongli, also worked and started businesses in Beijing, living in a courtyard with entrepreneurs and workers from all over the country. My uncle was also moved by my sister's fighting spirit and would occasionally go to the courtyard to eat, have fun, and enjoy themselves, because there was such a strong fighting spirit there. The Sichuan girl got a little teased by some old Beijing hooligans. Thinking of that girl's beauty, she had a touch of Xiangling from *Dream of the Red Chamber*. I fell deeply in love with her big, gap-toothed, and chubby lips. She was a seasoned Beijinger, a Sichuan girl whose mother rushed from Chengdu to Beijing, complaining about how she was working with older men in Beijing, and how she'd even had several miscarriages. At their most lively, they'd cook and eat together in the courtyard. It was like a communal feast, so lively! This was a true reflection of the struggles of those struggling in Beijing during the entrepreneurial era. Back then, although... well, although there was a future, an era of entrepreneurial passion, people were full of energy. A doctor couple, both university graduates, were assigned to a large hospital, living ordinary, monotonous lives day after day, working hard. Eventually, one went on to start his own business, while the other honestly coasted along in his unit, only catching a whim of the real estate boom. There was no grand Zhongguancun or Silicon Valley-style entrepreneurship, no opening of physical stores. It was just buying houses, selling houses, and buying houses again, a cycle that continued endlessly.