I am not Ximen Qing.

My uncle? He's a phoenix that flew out of the mountains. Baoyu? He's Baoyu from Changbai Mountain. They both have stable and successful careers now. The first time I took a green train to Beijing was after the disappointment of receiving my college entrance exam results. How can I describe that feeling? It was like the first time I handed a love letter to Jane Eyre, only to be met with her cold indifference and rejection—that kind of utter despair. Even when you're on a broad-gauge railway, you can't hear the train whistle at all. This is the tragedy of Chinese youth. Recklessly sitting on the green train, passing through Qinhuangdao, I experienced something more exhilarating than anything I'd felt at Shanhaiguan. My trip from outside Shanhaiguan to inside Shanhaiguan involved only a brief two-night stay at Beijing Railway Station before I hurriedly bought a ticket and returned home, almost forgetting this mischievous interlude.

After arriving in Beijing, I finally understood why the Jurchens were so desperate to flee to the interior of China. The world inside Shanhaiguan Pass was different from the world outside. What exactly was the difference? One must immerse oneself in history and culture, experience life, and gradually understand through the process of starting a business, striving, and working. I've finished reading the Analects, Xunzi, Laozi, and Han Feizi.

A man from Song once obtained a piece of jade and presented it to Zihan. Zihan refused to accept it. The man who presented the jade said, "I showed it to a jade craftsman, who considered it a treasure, so I dared to present it to him." Zihan said, "I value integrity, while you value jade. If you give it to me, we will both lose our treasures. It is better for each of us to keep our treasure." The man bowed and said, "I am a humble man, but I cannot take this jade with me when I leave my hometown. I offer this as a sacrifice." Zihan placed it in his village and had a jade craftsman work on it. After he became wealthy, he allowed the jade to be returned to its rightful owner.

I stuck to my old habits. I got off at Huatang Shopping Mall, went inside to buy some fruit and drinks for my second aunt's family, and then walked a kilometer, carrying all my bags, to Ganluyuan Residential Area. There must have been a Ganlu Temple here before; the names of ancient capitals all have origins, and besides the abundance of temples and shrines, Beijing is full of cultural relics. Some say that if Beijing preserved its old city, it should have heeded the advice of Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin, but that's a hypothetical situation. China's feudal ethics are too deeply ingrained; China needs more reform and change. Historically, China has always been conservative. Apart from the successful reforms of Shang Yang, it seems all other reforms failed. Fortunately, Beijing's cultural spirit remains unchanged; it cannot live in the luxurious illusion of the Yuanmingyuan, which emperors were obsessed with.

To be a popular person in both his sister-in-law's and Baoyu's families, one must enjoy carrying large bags of gifts to relatives' homes. This is part of traditional Chinese culture, and it has become an integral part of life, requiring careful handling of interpersonal relationships. Seeing Zhang Sheng covered in sweat, his second aunt quickly told him to wash up as he entered the living room. The table was laden with a sumptuous feast. Baoyu then introduced his brother-in-law, who was about the same age as Zhang Sheng and was his sister-in-law's younger brother, who worked on the railway.

"Come on, let's get to know Zhao Chunlei."

"Oh, you have a shop in Zhongguancun. How about we have a few bottles later?"

"No problem, this is a good opportunity to celebrate you becoming an uncle."

"Yes, let's also celebrate you becoming an uncle."

"Those who aren't family can become friends just by entering the same house; it seems we're all family."

"Sister-in-law, this is a durian I brought for you."

"She's in the bedroom. Zhao Ji is too naughty; she won't sleep."

"Please drink up, don't be shy. You can't get home-cooked meals when you're out, so eat more. This is a warm and welcoming place, don't be shy."

Auntie Er had always been deeply affectionate towards Zhang Sheng, a love that extended to her parents and her brothers. This affection was both simple and profound, far exceeding mere familial bonds. Auntie Er's love permeated Zhang Sheng's entire childhood. As a child, the mountains were like the outside world, and the town like the inside. Although the air in the town was filled with the pungent smell of formaldehyde from lumber mills, timber yards, and plywood factories, it was far more alluring than the wildflowers and grasses of the mountains. The town, though small, was more enticing to a child than the isolated surroundings. The mountains surrounding the town rarely saw towering, majestic red pines, white birches, or linden forests; they possessed a desolate quality reminiscent of the Loess Plateau. The mountains weren't just hills and wastelands; they were still covered with coniferous forests planted at least a decade or more ago. In any corner of the town, one can feel the desolation and sparseness of the high mountains. Crucially, the coniferous forests are full of graveyards, as if the ghosts of the mountains are always looking down on everything in the town below, which reminds me of the ancient evil spirits in the primeval forests of Changbai Mountain.

Auntie was overjoyed that Zhang Sheng had finally settled in the great capital. She seemed to understand better than those without ambition that to develop, especially for young people, one must go to a big city. There are more opportunities here, and as long as young people are willing to work hard, they will definitely be able to establish themselves in the capital. She urged her daughter-in-law's brother and her own nephew to eat more vegetables; these were just home-cooked meals. Zhao Chunlei worked in a large state-owned enterprise, mainly responsible for engineering, so he had a bold and easygoing personality. Zhang Sheng's experience in Zhongguancun, dealing with various clients, and the academic environment he had cultivated made him quite adept at communicating with.

Second Aunt, Second Uncle, and Baoyu—my sister-in-law has been quite exhausted lately from caring for the newborn. Second Aunt often jokingly grumbles, "You don't know the gratitude you owe your parents until you raise a child yourself." Baoyu always blushes when he hears this. Zhang Sheng understands this sentiment. Second Aunt is indeed biased in the family because Baoyu is the youngest, so she gives him all the family's resources. Second Uncle is also biased. Since becoming a leader, he spent countless amounts of money on royal jelly alone during Baoyu's three years of high school. Even during times of economic hardship, they bought him complete sets of picture books, Water Margin, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, Baoyu's excellence is not accidental; his parents have invested heavily in him since childhood.

It seemed that the youthful passion of Zhang Sheng and Zhao Chunlei had brought boundless energy and freshness to the house; a case of chilled Yanjing beer was gone. Baoyu, too, raised his glass with his two young brothers to gaze at the bright moon, but the Beijing sky was almost devoid of moon and stars.

"Drinking, especially with younger brothers, helps me forget the noise."

“Brother Baoyu, you don’t look old at all.”

"Yes, brother-in-law, you're still young, only a few years older than us."

"How about we get a few more bottles?"

"Brother-in-law, you've finally proven yourself!"

"Brother, no problem. You can have one of the seven bottles, and we'll each have three. We can't let you get too drunk."

"I'm not drunk. If you two can do it, then I can too."

Second Aunt was always worried about Baoyu's depression. He had spent five years diligently studying vast amounts of classical texts; studying medicine is an extremely demanding profession. Baoyu had already shown some signs of depression in high school; the biggest problem was light sleep and insomnia. The pressure of a doctor's job is much greater than that of ordinary jobs. After each surgery, he worried about this and that. His sister-in-law and second aunt urged him to be more open-minded.

"Anyway, you're in internal medicine, unlike me. Surgery is all about performing operations, and all operations have risks. And these days, patients are hard to talk to."

Doctors always act logically and rationally. My third aunt heard that Baoyu's wife and her husband bought another apartment, over 100 square meters, and persuaded my uncle to buy a similar-sized one in a community in Huilongguan. My second aunt was adding fuel to the fire, giving us more gossip, but this is a different kind of pressure. Good heavens, how are young people supposed to live? The pressure is immense! Buying a house or a car is as easy as buying a toy; even if it's not paid in full, it's still an expenditure of hundreds of thousands!

"It's good to have some pressure when you're young. If you're frugal with money, you can get through it by just persevering."

My second aunt's husband was a retired leader, so buying an apartment was just as easy for him. Little did he know that ordinary people have to struggle their whole lives to buy a simple tenement building for tens of thousands of yuan.

“Baoyu has now invested almost all his savings in the house, but buying a house is a happy event.”

"That's right, it's good news. Some people can't afford a house even after several lifetimes, but Brother Baoyu owns two houses in Beijing. Congratulations!"

"Brother-in-law, double happiness!"

"Your sister resigned a while ago, did you know?"

"It's such a pity that my sister-in-law didn't become a doctor."

"You know, your sister-in-law went to work for a European pharmaceutical company."

"A foreign company? That's great! Congratulations, sister-in-law, foreign companies pay high salaries."

"Actually, I went to Zhongguancun a few times. It's developing so fast. Although working in the hospital is quite stable, the thought of the mortgage makes me uneasy. Luckily, I'm fortunate to have several companies with pretty good benefits. At least for the next ten years, things will be relatively stable. I don't know about ten years from now, but at least the mortgage is settled."

My sister-in-law always speaks calmly and with a composed demeanor, which gives her husband a sense of security. It perfectly echoes my second aunt's words: marriage shouldn't be about looks. Even the most beautiful women aren't worth much; a good life together is the true path for a couple. My second aunt's husband was handsome in his youth, and so was Baoyu. It turns out that my second aunt truly provided him with immense security during turbulent times. My sister-in-law and Baoyu are always harmonious and peaceful, never arguing or quarreling. Regarding finances, they are particularly adept at saving and increasing income, so their bonuses and salaries have mostly been deposited in the bank over the years of their marriage. And Baoyu and his sister-in-law? They are especially good at soothing others' emotions and feelings. Although one is her younger brother and the other her mother's nephew, it still shows off their wealth.

"Where's your brother Baoyu? You all know he's a light sleeper, and you've all felt the noise from the highway right next to him."

The newly purchased house was far from the street, quiet and peaceful. It seemed that everyone in the family, except for her second aunt's husband, had some sleep problems. Her sister-in-law's foresight seemed the most advanced in the family. Now, Zhang Sheng recalled how she had asked him to introduce the development prospects of Zhongguancun. Actually, he hadn't thought about the issue carefully at the time; what he said was basically just some clients' opinions and suggestions about Zhongguancun's development prospects. Zhang Sheng had simply repeated them a few times, which was not unusual in Zhongguancun. None of the entrepreneurs there had a high level of formal education, but their words were more persuasive than those of PhDs, professors, and scholars. Scholars were dull, and the ignorant were eloquent, confusing concepts, distorting right and wrong, yet like Confucianism, they were undeniably convincing. He never expected that his sister-in-law's few trips to Zhongguancun would lead to such a dramatic change in her.

"You guys chat, I'll go check if Zhao Ji is awake."

"Mom is fine. Zhao Ji did exceptionally well today."

"Anyway, your brother Baoyu's salary is enough for us to spend. This is our safe haven and our support, so you can all relax. There is no risk in me resigning. I'm just seizing the opportunity of China's development in the next few years."

The doctor couple were meticulous and far-sighted in their work, planning every detail carefully. They were adept at short-term maneuvering, having already calculated the risks and rewards thoroughly. There was no need to worry about them, because aside from having enough money to buy a car and a house, the sister-in-law and Baoyu had no other hobbies. They only spent money and never spent it, and even that was all investment in real estate. As for why they liked cars, it was because of the competitive nature of the doctors in the hospital. What they compared in the hospital was what kind of car they owned: Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, Ford, GM. So, in this luxurious environment, the doctor couple driving a deluxe Xiali (a small, luxurious car) made them seem like a thrifty couple to their colleagues. In terms of self-discipline, no one in the family could compare to the second sister. The second aunt had worked in a factory for a long time, but she always had health problems. Although nothing was fatal, she was constantly on medication. Her decision to send her son to study medicine was both selfish and a strategic consideration for his future career.

It was late at night, and my second aunt dared not stay up late. Because of her diabetes, she was practically a doctor herself, injecting insulin on time every day and getting up early to exercise in Tuanjiehu Park or Chaoyang Park. Due to diabetes, she suffered from some memory loss, so her husband was her guiding star. Although her husband often scolded her in public, she acted as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, my second aunt and uncle had already returned from the park, having bought some soy milk and fried dough sticks. Zhao Chunlei left even earlier; he had to go to a construction site in another province. Working for China Railway, he was always busy, but he earned a lot. My sister-in-law's parents placed all their hopes on their son. There was no way around it; my sister-in-law was now part of the Zhao family, and no matter how much she earned, it belonged to his family. My sister-in-law loved her husband even more than her own parents. Some say that men live for women's desires, but some women live for men's love. Beneath my sister-in-law's ordinary, unassuming exterior lay the heart of Lin Huiyin; she often read to her son Oscar Wilde's fairy tales, including "The Rose and the Nightingale," translated by Lin Huiyin.

In the morning, Zhang Sheng's second aunt insisted he drink some douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), a habit she'd maintained for decades. She then added, "Nephew, come over for dumplings sometime." Zhang Sheng knew his aunt loved dumplings, but because the family's pace of life was so fast, Bao Yu and his sister-in-law were particularly afraid of making them. It wasn't that they disliked dumplings, but rather a lingering effect of city dining hall habits. His aunt implied that they couldn't even find help making dumplings. She smiled as she watched Zhang Sheng eat fried dough sticks and drink douzhi; it was genuine human kindness, completely pure. His uncle then offered Zhang Sheng some pickled mustard greens, knowing he enjoyed this combination. Douzhi, fried dough sticks, and pickled mustard greens—it was perfect!

Anyway, his second aunt and uncle didn't mind the trouble, escorting Zhang Sheng from the 24th floor to the community bus stop, and even after Zhang Sheng boarded the bus and settled in, they still stood there waving. Sitting on the bus, half-asleep, he couldn't muster any energy because he'd gone to bed so late, still thinking about the perfect breasts of the Tangshan girl—how elastic they were! She must be a mother with immeasurable milk production; at least in the future, he might be her support. It seemed something had happened last night; drinking too much always leads to some kind of scandal. The girl had called him, and he'd even asked Baoyu for a pen to write down her home phone number. She said the girl was now in the beautiful seaside city of Qinhuangdao. Zhang Sheng didn't even know which province Qinhuangdao belonged to; it was either Liaoning or Hebei. It reminded him of Cao Cao's poem, "Mountains and islands stand tall, waters are vast and boundless," a poem about a warlord conquering Liaodong and seeing the city by the sea.

What was Qinhuangdao called during the Three Kingdoms period? That doesn't matter, because you can see the Qinhuangdao coastline under the quiet sunset from the green train from Northeast China to Beijing. Da Niu and her best friend opened a clothing store there. She and Zhang Sheng are now in the same boat; Da Niu has finally chosen to start her own business. She suddenly reached into her pocket and found a piece of Arabic numerals with her home number on it. What kind of feelings does Da Niu have for him? At least she can release Zhang Sheng's burgeoning ecstasy. The difference between love and angels is that angels must use all their skills to ignite love's passion, while angels actively capture love's prey.

Why is he so dejected? For some people, buying a house is as easy as buying a pet, but for Zhang Sheng, it's quite exciting.