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墨書 Inktalez
On Sunday, Chai Hongmin, Shaoying, and Hu Ruoyun took the only 212 Jeep in the village to the fields to scout locations and take photos. The three of them, along with the driver, spent most of the day before finally capturing a picture: in the frame, Hu Ruoyun held a copy of "Story Collection," facing the camera with her side turned, while behind her stretched the endless cornfields of Laogu Township.
Next came Hu Ruoyun's accompanying text. She wrote passionately: "Though my family is poor, it has enriched my spirit. I am willing to use my pen to create better spiritual nourishment for readers..." She mentioned that there were many exciting extras behind "Humanity's Forbidden Island," as well as a wealth of content omitted due to the limitations of "Story Collection." The upcoming standalone edition of "Humanity's Forbidden Island" would fully restore and present this content! She expressed gratitude for the readers' support and hoped they would continue to look forward to the release of the standalone edition.
Hu Ruoyun reflected on her hometown, Jiangbei Anan, Lao Gu, known for its abundant wheat and corn. She cherished and loved the land where she was born and raised, wishing for her hometown's development to improve. She longed for the people of her hometown to quickly overcome poverty and backwardness. She was eager to represent her hometown and introduce its customs and culture to the nation.
The final paragraph turned into an introduction to Annan County and Laogu Township: "This is a major production area for winter wheat and autumn corn, famously known as 'the granary of the nation.' With vast plains, distinct seasons, and convenient transportation... it is not only suitable 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 and obvious; he wasn't sure if 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 directly through review, but some colleagues felt that parts of the text were inappropriate and suggested cuts. After intense discussion without resolution, it was escalated to the chief editor. The new chief editor convened a committee meeting, ultimately deciding: "What’s wrong with an author having personal motives? Such sentiments resonate more easily with readers!"
It was approved in the end. Hu Ruoyun let out a silent 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—no small feat. However, at this moment, Hu Ruoyun was filled with motivation.
His homeroom teacher Wang Hongjian was even more excited than Hu Ruoyun; although his student seemed "distracted," he had achieved results! At sixteen or seventeen years old, publishing a book was no small accomplishment—there were probably very few in Annan County or even Jinan City or Jiangbei Province who could claim such an achievement.
Another person who was thrilled was Mao Na, a girl three years older than Hu Ruoyun. She admired her brother's classmate greatly; in rural areas, it was already remarkable 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 good spirits lately; she had overheard him telling her mother that he might be assigned to work in the county soon and was coordinating their transfer along with her brother’s schooling. Given Gaoqiao Town's current development situation, her father's move to the county would surely be an advancement. What position could a town mayor expect when moving up to county-level work?
She recalled Hu Ruoyun's late-night conversation with her father and his words: "What does Deputy Secretary of the County Committee matter? What does County Women's Federation Director matter? Your father has a long road ahead..." All this made her increasingly respect that dark-skinned boy.
She wished for her father to rise higher and go further but feared that if they left Gaoqiao Town—if Mao Jie transferred schools—she wouldn’t get to see him often anymore!
She remembered that afternoon when they played by Black Dragon Pool for half a day; after some playful banter, they walked around the water’s edge chatting. He told her about his childhood poverty—how there wasn’t enough room on their bed so they used straw mats; how there wasn’t enough fine grain to eat so his grandmother made salty pancakes with cornmeal mixed with pickled green onions; how during middle school he lived on campus without spending even a dime on vegetables each week—either eating pickles brought from home or garlic cloves with his meals; how he took his younger siblings out to collect cicada shells and dig up Atractylodes roots while comforting his brother who cried after cutting his hand by saying “It doesn’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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