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On Sunday, Chai Hongmin, Shaoying, and Hu Ruoyun rode in the only 212 Jeep in the village to scout locations and take photos in the fields. The three of them, along with the driver, spent most of the day before finally capturing a photo: in the frame, Hu Ruoyun held a copy of "Story Collection," turned sideways to face the camera, with the vast cornfields of Laogu Township stretching behind her.
Next came Hu Ruoyun's accompanying text. She wrote passionately: "Although my family is poor, it has enriched my spirit. I am willing to use the pen in my hand to create better spiritual nourishment for a wide audience... There are many exciting side stories behind 'Humanity's Forbidden Island' and a wealth of content omitted due to the limitations of 'Story Collection.' The upcoming standalone edition of 'Humanity's Forbidden Island' will fully restore and present this content! I thank all readers for their support and hope everyone continues to look forward to the release of the standalone edition!"
Hu Ruoyun expressed her deep affection for her hometown, Jiangbei Anan and Laogu, known for its abundant wheat and corn. "This is where I was born and raised; I cherish and love this land. I hope for better development for my hometown! I long for the people here to quickly overcome poverty and backwardness! I am willing to be a spokesperson for my hometown, promoting its customs and culture nationwide..."
The final paragraph turned into an introduction to Annan County and Laogu Township: "This area is a major production zone for winter wheat and autumn corn, famously known as the 'Granary of the Nation.' With vast plains, distinct seasons, and convenient transportation... it is suitable not only for cultivation but also for nurturing..."
The photo and manuscript were sent out via registered mail. To be honest, even Hu Ruoyun felt that the last paragraph's "advertisement" was too blatant; he was unsure whether it would lead to a "cut" from the Editorial Department of "Story Collection."
Over a month later, Zhou Dong from the Editorial Department finally replied: the photo passed inspection, but some colleagues felt that parts of the text were inappropriate and suggested cuts. After intense discussions that led nowhere, it was escalated to the chief editor. The new chief editor convened a committee meeting to discuss it further, ultimately deciding: what’s wrong with an author having personal feelings? Such sentiments resonate more easily with readers!
It was approved in the end. Hu Ruoyun breathed a sigh of relief: that was close!
Next came the tense task of supplementing and revising "Humanity's Forbidden Island." Without a computer, it was all done by hand—a significant undertaking. But at this moment, Hu Ruoyun was full of motivation.
His homeroom teacher, Wang Hongjian, was even more excited than Hu Ruoyun himself. Although his student seemed "distracted," he had achieved results! At just sixteen or seventeen years old, publishing a book—there were probably very few in Annan County, let alone in Jinan City or Jiangbei Province.
Another person who was thrilled was Mao Na, a girl three years younger than Hu Ruoyun. She admired her brother's classmate greatly; in rural areas, it was already impressive for a teenager to write something published—and now he was going to publish a book!
After her excitement faded, she felt conflicted. Her father had been in great spirits lately; she had overheard him telling her mother that he might be assigned to work in the county soon and was already coordinating transfers for herself and her brother.
Given Gaoqiao Town's current development situation, her father's move to the county would surely be an "advancement." What position would he hold if a town mayor moved up to county-level work? She recalled Hu Ruoyun's late-night conversation with her father when he had said: "What does Deputy Secretary of the County Committee matter? What does County Women's Federation Director matter? Your father's future path is long..."
All this made her increasingly convinced of that dark-skinned boy. She wished for her father to rise higher and go further, but if they left Gaoqiao Town—if Mao Jie transferred schools and she moved away—they wouldn't see each other often anymore!
She remembered that afternoon when they played at Black Dragon Pool for half a day. After some playful scuffling, they walked around the pond chatting. He told her about his family's poverty when he was young—how there wasn't enough space on their bed so they slept on straw; how there wasn't enough fine grain to eat so his grandmother mixed corn grits with cornmeal and some flour to make savory pancakes; how during middle school he lived at school and couldn't bear to spend even a dime on vegetables each week—either eating pickled vegetables brought from home or just garlic cloves with rice; how he took his younger siblings to collect cicada shells and dig up Atractylodes roots—even when his brother cut his hand he comforted him while crying saying it didn't hurt...
He spoke about how his initial purpose for writing was simply to earn some money, and that his greatest wish at that time was to be wealthy. He said, "Back then, I was just as struggling as Sun Shaoping, who had just arrived at Huangyuan High School in 'Ordinary World.'"
She listened intently, feeling that everything she had seen about this boy before was merely a facade; she had never truly entered his inner world. The two of them came from different backgrounds and lived in different circumstances. In the past, she could not grasp what life in his family was like. Now, it seemed she understood a bit more.
That afternoon, sunlight filtered through the dense forest and cast a slanting glow on his face. She felt an urge to pull his head into her embrace or cup his face in her hands, just like she used to comfort her younger brother, Mao Jie. What kind of feeling was this? Even now, she couldn't quite figure it out.
She wondered if, after transferring schools and moving jobs to Annan County City with her brother, they would still keep in touch. Would they forget each other over time?
Not long after, Hu Ruoyun's untitled poem was published in the supplement of Jinan Daily:
(1)
There will never be a day
That won't become yesterday.
There will never be an event
That won't become history.
Many times, many people
Just pass by each other
At certain points,
Regardless of love or hate,
Over time,
It fades away.
Over time,
It disperses.
(2)
Purple beans, white reeds, yellow rice...
Must be memories from a past life
Carved into some crevice beneath the cerebral cortex,
Not washed away by that bowl of soup.
And in dreams,
The future seen or encountered.
If I don’t speak,
You won’t understand,
And there’s no need to ask.
(3)
It seems that in this life, what we care about most is the journey. You and I both want to be the scenery in others' eyes. Happiness, as it should be, is about the strength of the spirit. You wish to pursue a carefree soul, yet you always find it elusive.
Mao Na carefully cut out this piece from the newspaper and pasted it into a hardcover notebook. I heard that Hu Ruoyun is publishing a book, and Brother Biao hurried over from the county town, immediately shouting for Hu Ruoyun to "treat us to a big meal." But once outside the school gates, he said, "Let’s just make do with something here at the stall; as long as we have good feelings, anything tastes great..."
Brother Biao is genuinely happy for his buddy! At the dinner table, he told Hu Ruoyun, "When the book comes out, make sure to send me a copy first and sign it for me! By the way, just write ‘Hu Ruoyun respectfully requests Comrade Xiong Debiao’s guidance’..."
This nearly made Hu Ruoyun burst out laughing.
Later, I received a letter from Jiang Qiuying. Besides endless praise, it brought another piece of news: Beautiful Zhang mentioned that the fish-flavored shredded pork at that restaurant in Gaoqiao Town is quite good and wants to take me back for a visit. She asked if Hu could spare some time for a meeting.
What kind of rhythm is this?
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