I am not Ximen Qing.

Life's circumstances are like the eternal struggle between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, a cycle that repeats every five years, a rebirth every ten. In this forestry bureau, Director Ma is once again in the limelight, thanks to ten years of perseverance. Chinese culture is forever intertwined with the traditions of Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Song. A man's life depends on the woman behind him. Even the most capable man needs a good woman to support him—look at the Chu-Han Contention. Xiang Yu favored the beautiful Yu Ji, while the Han emperor had the unwavering Empress Lü. Even Xiang Yu, with his woman's support, stumbled, losing his vast empire to the Liu family. The most virtuous women are the two consorts of Emperor Shun, Ehuang and Nüying. The Lady of the Xiang River truly embodies the spirit of "the phoenix arrives," not just Jia Yuanchun's. Sometimes I think of Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai—aren't they the embodiment of Ehuang and Nüying? That Baoyu is none other than Liu Shan, the incompetent Duke of Anle in Shu. It's truly unclear whether Baoyu belongs to Emperor Shunzhi or someone else; perhaps it was merely one of Emperor Qianlong's four treasures of the study. Qianlong, a devout imperial artist, painter, poet, and master of literature, martial arts, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, was one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove during the Wei and Jin dynasties. The Ming dynasty scholar Dong Qichang always speculated that Baoyu, restless and yearning for the mortal world within the Forbidden City, became the conduit for entering and exiting the palace, occasionally revealing a glimpse of the worldly pleasures within!

In the palace, there's Zhen Baoyu; in the palace and beyond, there's Jia Baoyu. Is it Zhen or Jia Baoyu? This entire Dahe Forestry Bureau is full of Baoyu from Changbai Mountain. Every household reads *The Story of the Stone* and *Dream of the Red Chamber*. My second aunt most envies the gentle and refined Dr. Wu and his wife at the big hospital. They have three children, all phoenixes among phoenixes, all admitted to top universities in big cities. Therefore, the best education is the example set by parents. Zhao Mengji is a cunning but foolish man. You don't usually see the effort he puts into his children's education, but he's poured his heart and soul into his youngest son, Baoyu. His storage room is now full of hundreds of comic books and thousands of high school science textbooks. This couple never talks about parenting or education; to outsiders, they seem illiterate and idiotic when it comes to academics and education. Dr. Wu and his wife just smile. Do they really think their children can get into top universities in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing? Outsiders might think that the children are born to be like Wang Anshi's tragic Zhong Yong, but in reality, the sisters and brothers in the family are influenced by their mother and father's culture from a young age. From life to the womb, and finally to birth, they are in the best educational environment both innately and innately.

If Zhang Sheng were truly Zhang Sheng from Xixiang, or Zhang Junrui well-versed in Confucian classics, and if Baoyu possessed over a thousand comic books, then writing essays wouldn't be so difficult. There's a difference between the mountains and the outside world. This mountain is Changbai Mountain. Dorgon only suddenly became enlightened and cultured after entering the Forbidden City, forcing Li Zicheng and the Southern Ming literati in Jiangnan to become cultured. This led to the love story of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu (also known as Dong Xiaowan) and the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who ultimately chose to return to Wutai Mountain and Pusa Peak. Emperor Qianlong was even more obsessed with Baoyu, considering the twelve beauties of Emperor Yongzheng. Sometimes, thinking about the Western Regions, the Jinchuan and Dzungar Khanates, one realizes the vast historical connections between this jade-loving emperor. Dong Xiaowan, the lover of Mao Pijiang, had to die. How romantic were Liu Rushi's Changbai Mountain spirit stone and Lin Daiyu of Jinling and Yangzhou! This is the power of culture. It wasn't just Qianlong who went mad; the parents in the Dahe Forest Farm also went mad. Why? Life is short, so seize the day! Only those who achieve academic success can find the beauty of Zhang Sheng's West Chamber, with Hongniang delivering pillows and sending them into the moonlit dream of a jade maiden. Even the hermit of the mountains has to live in the Zhongnan Mountains of Lushan. Where can one find the bitter cold of Huiqin's second brother in the desolate mountains? The Five Kingdoms City has become a sky lantern, what a magnificent landscape painting! Emperor Huizong of Zhao, the Renzong Emperor at the beginning of Water Margin, with his grand court in the Penglai fairyland, even Hong Taiwei's trip to the Three Green Mountains was like a dream. The artist emperor was exiled to the Great Northern Wilderness, quite similar to Lenin being exiled to Siberia by the Tsar. At least Lenin brought with him his favorite book, Faust.

The couple is currently staying at the home of the second sister and brother-in-law. Perhaps the second sister wants to enlighten and educate this couple who have been bewitched by evil spirits in the mountains. This thing is a tradition; it's easy to make them dizzy and confused, chanting from morning till night, but it's extremely difficult to keep them clear-headed during education. Dr. Wu is such a cultured person. To give an example, the opening lines of the Analects say: "To learn and at due times to practice what one has learned, is that not a pleasure? To have friends coming from afar, is that not a joy? To remain unperturbed even when others do not understand, is that not the mark of a gentleman?" In the Forbidden City, the Wanli Emperor studied the Analects every day under the guidance of Zhang Juzheng. Let alone "pleasure" and "joy," just persisting for a lifetime would have led to enlightenment.

If Zhang Sheng's parents were home, they'd definitely be arguing heatedly again. Meeting classmates can be a happy occasion or a disheartening one; everyone likes to show off their successes, while those who are less successful suffer for the sake of saving face. It's all like meeting an imperial envoy, not receiving the courtesy of Li Bai, Sang Lun, or Gore. And the saying "Don't talk to strangers, it's dangerous" applies to this; there are far too many disdainful looks in the Forestry Bureau. Wang Kunlun's skill in giving disdain has reached a pinnacle; people learn this skill little by little.

My father is currently experiencing the most unfortunate moment of his life. There's no hope for development at the Dahe Forest Farm; the planned logging area has already met its targets, exceeding the Forestry Bureau's logging quota. Then that other incident happened, and his career has reached a turning point; he's finding it difficult to stay at the forest farm. At this time, my second sister keeps reciting the Iliad and Ulysses to my second uncle. It's an abstract metaphor; Western history was also determined by Helen, and so it is in China! Whether it's Nuwa, Su Daji, or Eve in the Garden of Eden, it all causes the couple to quarrel and argue, naturally leading to tears. My second aunt has it tough; she always cries in front of my mother, and now she often cries for her siblings, in-laws, and parents. I often see her with red, swollen eyes, the puffiness even more pronounced. After my grandmother passed away, my second sister has become both mother and sister to my father, going to great lengths for him and his work.

Zhang Sheng could sense that his second uncle was no longer as amiable as before. He had risen in power; following Director Ma's good fortune, he had also been promoted. His second uncle now wielded more real power than Hanlin, becoming the factory director, and now the top official in the bureau, operating under a factory director responsibility system. As the saying goes, "A cat that catches mice is a good cat, regardless of its color." After the reform and opening up, with economic development as the focus, some went to Shenzhen, others to Beijing and Shanghai, but having struggled their entire lives, the older generation of educated youth had become accustomed to the social dynamics and interpersonal relationships of this place. His second uncle was now a powerful figure, a man of influence, and his style of speaking and acting was decisive and efficient.

Humans are always learning and progressing; human nature is eternal, the only constant being human nature itself. It's impossible to be forever good or forever bad; it oscillates between good and evil. Mom and Dad, on their way back to Aunt's house, were constantly bickering, never encouraging each other, almost always undermining and mocking one another. He said he regretted marrying her terribly. She said that if it weren't for that Pearl Grandma's decision, she would have married so-and-so long ago, and even the worst-off would be the union chairman in the bureau, living a life of comfort. She was now almost hysterically berating Dad, calling him a good-for-nothing, a drunkard whose mind was never clear, and that her brother-in-law, who talked nonsense, was also completely incompetent, making it so difficult for their son to transfer schools from their remote mountain village. "All your friends have been wasted," she said.

"You have friends, so you can get your son transferred to a different school. I can't, but you can. You look down on me, but I look down on you too?"

"Let me tell you, I can really handle this matter with Lao Zhang. There's no need to favor the fourth brother." My mother was angry with my fourth aunt and brother-in-law, Secretary Wang Ruyi.

"Don't... Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, you..."

"You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. All you're good for is drinking heavily."

"If you get it done, I'll listen to you from now on."

"Stop talking. You've said a million promises that you can't keep. When have you ever listened to me? My girlfriend, Su Qin, is now the Dean of Students at Linhai School."

"Old Guo, you haven't been in touch with them for decades, who would even recognize you?"

"Let me tell you, even if we never contact each other again, the bond between women will never change."

"Old Guo, stop talking big."

"You think everyone is like the Hanlin you know, who you grew up with naked and who you ate together for nothing? You men are all drunkards who can't get anything done."

"If you're so capable, then you do it."

"Let's go to Su Qin's house tonight, buy some things, and visit our old friend."

"The 'use people on the spot' approach doesn't work."

"Don't say anything more, let's go to Su Qin's house together tonight. I've thought it all through, Su Qin will definitely help with this." Zhang Sheng saw hope and felt much better. Everyone else had already started school, while he was still struggling with transferring schools.

"You can't escape the exam no matter where you go."

When his father said this, it was like a thunderbolt from the blue; he felt the world darken and his future become bleak. That night, Zhang Sheng lay in bed, listening to Ah Hu, a dog that barked incessantly. This dog was truly despicable; it had never mated or touched a female dog in its life, yet its libido was extremely strong. The reason he hated Ah Hu was because Ah Hu had an unforgivable vice: it liked to pounce on him and tightly hug his thighs, impatiently indulging in its lewd behavior. Poor Ah Hu, the tragedy of dogs, so indiscriminate in its desires, treating his thighs like a female dog's rear end. Ah Hu wanted its own litter of puppies; its instinctive reproductive urges were too strong. But the long iron chain had locked Ah Hu away from its eternal freedom. Even when it heard the sounds and smelled the scent of a female dog, it could only grunt and moan in frustration.

My second aunt made sacrifices for her brother's family. Her husband and his family moved into a new house, while my parents and Zhang Sheng temporarily stayed there. Jun-ge had long forgotten his dream of going to university, and now he listened to my second aunt's arrangements in everything. He even abandoned his standards for a campus beauty when looking for a partner, choosing instead the daughter of my mother's colleague from Daokou Middle School. My sister-in-law was pregnant, and everything was arranged. After the baby was born, my mother would act as a nanny for Jun-ge's family. My second aunt, who had always been in poor health and suffered from underlying diabetes, had already taken early retirement due to illness. She hated the endless labor in the factory; it was too torturous. This arrangement was a compromise between the two families, solving Zhang Sheng's school accommodation problem and fulfilling the responsibility of caring for the upcoming new life—a win-win situation. My second aunt's husband was unhappy with this arrangement of his large house, and his brother-in-law was certainly unwilling to live there for free. My second aunt tried her best to balance things out, as both Jun-ge and his sister-in-law had to work, and she herself was in poor health and unable to shoulder the responsibilities of a mother-in-law for the two young people. Besides, Sister Hua's wedding isn't until two or three years from now. The young lady living in the small house won't affect her future. Once she gets married, her whole family can move out, which is a perfect arrangement for all three parties. Ah Hu's howling annoyed Zhang Sheng. Why couldn't Ah Hu just shut up? That damned dog was constantly barking and making a racket, it was so annoying! Ah Hu was Bao Yu's darling. Bao Yu was currently studying medicine at a university in a big city, a five-year program. Zhang Sheng wished he could get into a top university like Bao Yu, then he could be free from his worries. How he missed Bao Yu! How happy he was when they played together! He was like a shadow, always clinging to him. Everything he did was right; Bao Yu was a shining, magnificent figure in his heart.

If the head of the teaching department can help this time, "I must study hard and not let the head of the teaching department take the blame and lose face." It's as if he can get into Linhai Middle School. Now he has made up his mind, holding his breath, to bring glory to his family. He lamented that he wasted his good youth in the past. Otherwise, he would have made such a simple thing so complicated. His mother and father wanted to buy things, and he had to shamelessly ask others for help.

Late at night, Mom and Dad came home. They were quite excited. "Su Qin is so down-to-earth. She's a big director, after all."

"Let me tell you, the bond between women is stronger than that between men."

"I give up, this time."

I have an exam tomorrow.

"It's just a formality, nothing to worry about."

"They said that because they were afraid we would worry."

"Tell me, we haven't been in touch for so many years..."

"Go to sleep, you have to leave early for your exam tomorrow."

"Mom, do we still have to take the exam?"

"How can you not take the test? But don't worry too much. Your math is okay, so try your best on the Chinese test. Director Su Qin knows what's going on. He spoke with a teacher named Yin, and the Chinese teacher didn't say anything. Hearing that your math is good, she agreed to accept you. But you still need to take a placement test. The math teacher cares about math."

Zhang Sheng slept soundly that night. Everything was new, and he even dreamt that he was sitting in a spacious classroom, meeting many new classmates. Zhang Sheng would no longer be lonely. He had lost some old friends, but he would welcome some new ones. What would they be like? This was vague in the dream. He couldn't feel Ah Hu's barking anymore; now he could only hear the roar of the machines in the plywood factory and the pungent, acrid smell wafting over. However, he quickly adapted to the new environment. It was different from the feeling in the great forest. Now he had entered a small city from the forest, and everything was new. This was where his grandparents, father, aunts, and uncles had grown up. Before, this area was covered by forest, and the river here was murky, devoid of fish and shrimp. Everything was murky. This was the lower reaches of the great river in the forest, where all the filth and impurities had settled, making it inevitably murky and unclear. But what does it matter if the air quality is bad? There are many people, many buildings, many factories, stadiums, cinemas, cars, as well as universities and large hospitals. In addition to trees, weeds, and wildflowers, Zhang Sheng still prefers the noisy environment because there are new things here that he didn't know or understand before.

Children have one good quality: they don't dwell on troubles; everything symbolizes a beautiful world, and they're good at forgetting painful memories of the past. They bury the old world with a new, wonderful new world, and Zhang Sheng is now bathed in sunshine again. How wonderful! Tomorrow he'll welcome a new school, new classmates, new teachers—everything is brand new. The next day, he arrived at Linhai School. His parents had a golden childhood; his mother finished elementary school there. When they talked about it, Zhang Sheng often heard his mother's dismissive sarcasm. He never imagined he would marry his father. He, Meng Hanlin, had always had the air of a young master, while his father was utterly unsophisticated. To save face, his father didn't continue to comment on their golden past; after all, Zhang Sheng was a man.