I am not Ximen Qing.

The two railways in Dahe Forest Farm were completely dismantled and replaced with highways. Steam locomotives became history, and logs are now transported directly from the mountains to the outside world by modified Liberation trucks. The old green carriages are gone. I don't know why, but I still prefer the feeling of traveling in a long green carriage pulled by a locomotive. I don't like the bumpy ride on dirt roads at all. The reason is that the forests in the logging area were almost completely cleared, and the narrow-gauge railway was dismantled without even being paved with asphalt. Instead, it was covered with volcanic ash. There is a lot of volcanic ash in Changbai Mountain, which is similar to the ash produced after coal is burned during past volcanic eruptions. Of course, volcanic eruptions spew lava. The trees in the forest are not unlimited, just like the fish in the ocean. Too many trees have been cut down, and now logging can no longer be done. It is obvious that the rivers are drying up. Not only are there fewer trees, but there are also fewer children going to school. My two older sisters have gone to study at the bureau because there are too few middle school students. Most of the teachers have been withdrawn. Some have gone to the forestry bureau to continue teaching, while others have changed careers and are no longer teaching.

Mom also started to dislike Dad, saying things like all the men who used to pursue her had succeeded, and that a woman's sarcastic remarks about men were quite frightening. Wang Kunlun was Dad's good friend, doing quite well, having been contracting forest land. Wang Kunlun had made a lot of money, and Director Qiao was now the deputy director of the bureau. The forestry factory had also started contracting out land, and Secretary Zhang insisted on partnering with Dad, but Dad knew Secretary Zhang's brother-in-law was a bad person, so he refused. Secretary Zhang's brother-in-law then complained to his brother-in-law, and Mom was angry with Dad. Contracting forest land was a good project, why didn't he take it? He wouldn't even take a chance to make money. Thinking back over the past few years, anyone with a sharp mind had become rich; Wang Kunlun had earned more than a million, and he was incredibly low-key. Of course, Mom sometimes scolded Dad too, asking why he studied painting. No matter how beautiful the paintings were, they couldn't put food on the table. Not only did he have a bad relationship with Director Qiao, but his relationship with Secretary Zhang was also quite strained now. Disrespecting Secretary Zhang's uncle was disrespecting Secretary Zhang himself.

No wonder you have no friends.

"I have friends."

"You have no friends."

"Yes, I have."

"Who?"

"Wang Ren studied Wang Zhongyong."

"What good was being a Ximen Xue before? Couldn't you have tried to curry favor with Secretary Zhang or Director Qiao? Say a few nice words, and you'd get things done. Stop being so drunk all the time and get some real work done!"

This period was also the most difficult phase of Zhang Honglin's work, filled with obstacles and difficulties in managing relationships with superiors and subordinates. Zhang's brother-in-law was dealt with by the Forestry Bureau and Public Security Bureau for illegally logging trees. Because Zhang and the deceased Secretary Wang had a strained relationship, and Secretary Wang's son, who was also the head of the police station, seized upon the fact that Zhang's brother-in-law was unfamiliar with forestry matters, resulting in serious management loopholes. Of course, Zhang also pulled many strings within the bureau, and while his brother-in-law spent six months in prison, his job was kept, which relieved Zhang. Through this incident, Zhang also understood that his father's decision was correct; his brother-in-law was indeed capable of causing trouble.

Director Ma's son was a well-known playboy in the various forest farms, respected by all the factory directors and secretaries. Director Ma suffered greatly during the Cultural Revolution, and his son suffered along with him. So, sometimes it wasn't that he didn't want to manage him, but rather that it was difficult to manage him; he was already difficult to handle interpersonal relationships, let alone his son. Secretary Zhang was transferred to the bureau, and for a while, the father was scolded by the mother because he wasn't going to log anymore, resulting in lower wages. He had three children in school, and Zhang Sheng absolutely had to attend the bureau's primary school, because the Dahe Forest Farm only had one fifth-grade class left, and the once-renowned school would be closing down. Actually, if the children didn't go to school, life at the Dahe Forest Farm was quite good; they could earn a decent income by gathering wild vegetables, pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and mushrooms in the spring and autumn. But education is always the core issue facing working-class families, isn't it? When it comes to education, everyone's true colors are revealed. No matter if you're a demon, monster, god, or deity, nothing works in education. Transferring schools from the mountains is often harder than climbing the Southern Heavenly Gate! Just as my grandmother and second aunt once told my father, staying in the bureau would be more advantageous. Isn't it better in the mountains right now? Even the proud Ping-jie, Feng-jie, my eldest aunt, and my eldest uncle are captivated by the mountains and rivers of Dahe Forest Farm, but when it comes to finding a way to get an education, it's incredibly difficult. My third aunt Guo Jinxia's daughter got into Daokou Middle School so easily. Think about it, Baoyu also went to Daokou Middle School, a school in the Forestry Bureau that's on par with Linhai Middle School. Children from the local textile factories all go to Daokou Middle School.

Guo Jinchai, the fifth sister of the Guo family, also married into a forest farm at the foot of Changbai Mountain. Her aunt's husband, a complete good-for-nothing, seemed like a refined man but was utterly useless. He could drive, but his aunt made him. Having grown up at his aunt's house, he had caused three accidents while drunk. Accidents while driving are no small feat; he lost not only his car but also his money, and couldn't do any heavy lifting to carry timber up the mountain. Guo Jinchai was the youngest sister Pearl worried about most before her death, and she had given birth to two sons. Her husband was rarely home, always going from house to house. There were many such scoundrels in the forest farm; he was basically ruined. Da Chun was lucky. What about his fourth aunt? She asked his eldest sister's husband, Wang Ruyi, for help. Wang Ruyi's older sister was the secretary of Daokou Middle School. Da Chun took a token exam and entered Daokou Middle School.

Zhang Sheng was still waiting for his parents to pull some strings. That year, many students at Dahe Forest Farm selectively dropped out of school to earn money in the mountains. Jin Di, Le Chen, and Xin Jun all did so, and even De Zi went to work in a textile factory. Since they weren't going to study anyway, they went to the textile factory to earn money and also found beautiful girlfriends. Secretary Zhang's son also transferred to Daokou Middle School, but the boy was a troublemaker, spoiled by his time at Dahe Forest Farm. His uncle took his girlfriend to visit his older brother at Dahe Forest Farm. Despite his uncle's unremarkable appearance, his girlfriend had the slender waist described by Bai Juyi. His uncle wore fashionable beetle-style bell-bottoms as they strolled down the street, with Zhang Sheng following behind, both on either side. His girlfriend's sweet and charming smile was captivating; it was good to be grown up so he could hold a girl's hand. After his uncle left, Zhang Sheng and Jianguo accompanied their aunt to the forest farm at the foot of Changbai Mountain. Their aunt's husband was nowhere to be seen; their aunt said he had gone out to work and earn money.

The water flowing down from Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain is so clear! You can see the sand at the bottom. The little fish in this water aren't afraid at all; it's as if the whiteness of my skin has a conditioned reflex to them. As soon as my feet touch the water, the fish rub against my skin, creating a ticklish sensation. I understand now—the fish like the keratin on my skin and the salty smell of sweat. This water from Tianchi Lake is even clearer and more transparent than the water in the Dahe Forest Farm; it seems to be completely free of impurities. I can dive in and open my eyes directly without any discomfort. I can watch the fish swim around, and I find a sense of peace again; at least I can't hear my parents arguing anymore. Even the fish and lotus in *The Red and the Black* are confused. This water from Tianchi Lake is so clean, it's as calming as sitting on a water heater. The entire Changbai Mountain is at my feet, and the wind hurts my skin. No more noise! ​​The sound of chainsaws cutting through pine trees, the sound of chainsaws destroying thousand-year-old red pines—it all confuses and annoys the children. I long to become a wild goose, flying far away. The forest is always weeping; it is the guardian angel of the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, yet it is the embodiment of tragedy. Ultimately, the forest cannot defeat the descendants of Zeus and Hera, for neither gods nor humans can escape tragedy itself. This is the cycle of tragedy, the cycle of life and death, a world reborn through tragedy. The water flowing from Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain is the tears of reincarnation. Bathing in the tears of Tianchi Lake allows one to enter another world. It's a hot summer day. Swimming in the crystal-clear stream, swimming downstream—it's so pleasant! Like a flying fish, my arms form an arrowhead. There are no ripples on the surface. This is a water world where I can open my eyes. I hope the river god can be my guide. My usual mountain climbing and traversing have honed my diving skills to the level of the Ruan brothers in *Water Margin*. I mustn't enter the world of *Water Margin*. "The Red and the Black" was a Stendhal work that he could not understand. His heart was drawn to the shimmering sand underwater and the fish clinging to him. The fish were so friendly, nibbling at his body. By befriending the fish, he could fall in love with Wilde's Little Mermaid.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling. Not far beyond my body lay a bottomless, dark expanse of water, awe-inspiring. It reminded me of my first time catching clam shells at the reservoir on the bureau's platform with Baoyu. The courage I had for swimming in the Dahe Forest Farm vanished into this deep, dark pool. The natural volcanic crater formed a deep pool, like a dragon's bay. The Changbai Mountain region has many such crater-formed "dragon's bays," at least a hundred meters deep, their depth remaining constant year-round. This awe-inspiring pool—perhaps it harbors mythical beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, having cultivated for tens of thousands of years. The lake suddenly opened up, and water birds floated leisurely on its surface; some I recognized, others I'd never seen before. A wild duck, leading a flock of ducklings, formed a triangular formation, swimming and submerging their heads underwater, their bodies and rumps disappearing one after another, creating ripples on the calm surface—the result of their underwater breaststrokes. The large waterbirds built a huge castle out of branches atop the fluffy bushes, inside which were fluffy chicks with their enormous yellow beaks open. The adults stuffed the spaces in the chicks' beaks with fish they had just caught from the lake. There were so many chicks that they grabbed the fish and swallowed them whole. You could see the chicks' necks thicken, only to return to their original shape in a moment. The fish entered the chicks' bellies and became part of their bodies.

The green train back to Dahe Forest Farm still lingered in the memory. The water flowing down from Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain was crystal clear, but this clear water suddenly gathered in the crater, turning into a dark abyss. My aunt had suffered greatly, living a very difficult life, and even raising two sons. The water at the foot of Changbai Mountain was clear and sweet, but it couldn't solve Zhang Sheng's dilemma of choosing a school within the bureau. Her father argued vehemently about blood ties, but it was no use. Her mother began to erupt in rage, tearfully recounting the faults of her father, second sister, and second aunt's husband, attacking the innocent sisters. Actually, Zhang Sheng felt quite sorry for her father. Her mother could still maintain rationality towards her second uncle, eldest aunt, and second aunt's husband, but her attitude towards her third uncle, third aunt, second aunt, and maternal uncle was extremely poor. It couldn't be entirely blamed on her fourth aunt's husband and eldest sister's husband for not trying their best; it was just that family ties weren't strong enough. Perhaps her parents underestimated the importance of etiquette. Indeed, Zhang Sheng's exam results at Daokou Middle School were terrible, which made the principal and his brother-in-law a little embarrassed. However, due to Zhang Sheng's playfulness, his Chinese language skills had indeed suffered. Moreover, whenever his father got drunk, he would inevitably bring up the story of Ximen Xue, the negative example of the zero-score teacher, and the blank test papers. Zhang Tiesheng from the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University didn't have such good fortune. For some reason, Daokou Middle School was almost abnormally strict with its entrance exams. You can imagine how bad the Chinese papers were. Zhang Tiesheng's was bad, and Zhang Sheng's was similar. The Chinese teachers were almost desperate. Besides the messy papers, what was worse was that it was a real-life version of the Story of the Stone. A stubborn rock from Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain had appeared at Daokou Middle School. There were no teachers here, only people's teachers. They didn't believe in the myths and legends of the Manchu people of Changbai Mountain. The paper was full of misspelled words, which was more serious than absurdity. There was no chance to even go to the Great Wilderness Mountain. The students were at a basic kindergarten level, with problems with stroke order and character writing. They could write the characters, but not necessarily correctly. Chinese culture is too profound and extensive. Zhang Sheng admired the eloquent essays his composition teacher read aloud, but for Zhang Sheng, writing compositions was even more difficult than the beauties in the West Chamber. He could win over Cui Yingying in the West Chamber, and with Hongniang around, he could seduce anyone, including Chaoyun, Xiaoxiao, and Xiangjun. But composition was the Hangu Pass in his mind; it was impossible for him to ride a green ox and get past this hurdle.

"The grades are terrible. Math is so-so, but Chinese is almost a zero. They are currently competing with Linhai Middle School, and the teachers are under a lot of pressure. Moreover, this Chinese score will drag down the average Chinese score by at least three points."