Chapter 1: No Prosperity, No Return to Hometown?

(Starting a new journey, this road is filled with tears, laughter, and moments of touching, with you and me, looking forward to our unexpected encounter...)

In August, on a long-distance transport truck from Qilian County, Qinghai, to Xining, a man named Zhao Chuxi, who had lived for over twenty years in a small mountain village called Phoenix Village deep in the Qilian Mountains, finally decided to leave the mountains and head towards the big city that a woman, who had been teaching in Phoenix Village for a year and a half, often talked about. Zhao Chuxi was an orphan with no grand ambitions, and like most men who left the mountains, he just wanted to earn more money.

In fact, everyone in the village knew why the lazy and cunning Zhao Chuxi finally made up his mind to leave the village where he was born and raised for over twenty years. If it weren't for that incident, Zhao Chuxi would probably never have left the mountains. The villagers didn't say it out loud, but they all knew. They secretly stuffed their saved dry rations into Zhao Chuxi's canvas bag, and even the old village chief, who looked down on Zhao Chuxi the most, put in two packs of cigarettes he had bought from a town dozens of kilometers away and couldn't bear to smoke himself.

The night before he left, Zhao Chuxi didn't sleep at all. He spent the entire night talking with the woman in the dilapidated school on the hillside. The school, in reality, was just a few rooms built with funds from the county and the village, and a flag the woman had bought herself and planted on the empty ground. It was the first time Zhao Chuxi had seen a national flag, and he could sit on a pile of earth and stare at it for half an hour every time.

As for the real reason he decided to leave the mountains, only the woman knew...

Xining, the nearest big city to Qilian County, was the provincial capital of Qinghai. Zhao Chuxi knew it was a big city, but he couldn't imagine how big it was, no matter how much he daydreamed. This was the tragedy of a small person like him. Sitting in the cargo compartment of the truck, which was piled high with mountain goods, Zhao Chuxi spat out a mouthful of saliva and cursed in his dialect, "Damn, it must be bigger than Qilian County, right?"

The undulating Qilian Mountains grew farther and farther away, and the seemingly heartless Zhao Chuxi became increasingly disheartened. When the mountains finally disappeared from sight, Zhao Chuxi closed his eyes and went to sleep. He knew it would be a long time before he could return to Phoenix Village.

Perhaps because he hadn't slept the whole night, Zhao Chuxi soon fell asleep. In his dream, he earned a lot of money in the big city, bought over ten cars, and returned to Phoenix Village. The old village chief and the villagers, who had always looked down on him, bowed to him, and he waved his hand and built a Hope Primary School for the village. Then he went to find the woman to fulfill his promise, but he couldn't find her no matter how hard he tried. He suddenly realized that she didn't belong to Phoenix Village, nor to him.

When Zhao Chuxi woke up, it was already dusk. The sunset made it hard for him to open his eyes. Thinking about the dream, Zhao Chuxi cursed himself, "Damn, driving cars in Phoenix Village? That place is so broken, the cars would probably flip into the ditches before they even got to the village."

Zhao Chuxi shook his head and laughed foolishly. He raised his head to stretch, and only then did he notice that the surroundings had changed. Tall buildings replaced the endless mountains, and luxury cars sped past. Zhao Chuxi was eager to know where he was and hurriedly stood up to look around. When he saw the words "Xining" in the distance, he suddenly fell silent, staring at the unfamiliar surroundings, and muttered, "Is this the big city?"

There was surprise, disappointment, and more anticipation...

Zhao Chuxi suddenly shouted loudly, "Big city, I'm here!"

Such a shocking action, combined with his ragged, homeless-like appearance, naturally drew stares from passersby, some of whom even cursed him as a bumpkin, a hillbilly, and an idiot.

Zhao Chuxi ignored them and continued to laugh foolishly.

At the same time, in Phoenix Village, a woman with a ponytail was sitting at the door of the dilapidated school on the hillside, looking at the setting sun and smiling faintly. Her smile was neither enchanting nor captivating, but it was warm and gentle, like the sun in early spring.

At this time every day, a man would bring her food. The woman remembered clearly that the man only went to Qilian County. But today, the man didn't come, and the woman knew he would never come again. Thinking about the words the man had said to her last night, the woman muttered to herself, her unique demeanor contrasting sharply with the surroundings, like a white lotus that had come with the breeze.

The city was vast, like the Qilian Mountains, and Zhao Chuxi couldn't see the end no matter how hard he tried. After half an hour, Zhao Chuxi gradually became familiar with the unfamiliar surroundings. He took out the ordinary Lanzhou cigarettes the old village chief had given him and smoked without restraint. He was somewhat lost, unsure how to make a living in the city or how to earn a lot of money. He was in a mess, knowing he couldn't break his promise to her, or the village children would have no teacher. Not everyone liked Phoenix Village, a place where even birds wouldn't defecate.

It was already nine o'clock when it was completely dark, and the truck finally arrived at a freight transfer station in Xining. The truck driver was from Sichuan, and his Sichuanese accent made Zhao Chuxi understand only half of what he said. Although Zhao Chuxi's Mandarin, learned from the woman, was even more awkward, he sometimes had to guess when he heard broken dialects. Zhao Chuxi called him Brother Wang, and the driver's son, who was two years younger than Zhao Chuxi, was called Little Wang. Little Wang, like his father, was dark and thin, but Zhao Chuxi felt they didn't look much alike. Little Wang had a unique aura and clear eyes. Both father and son were decent people and didn't look down on Zhao Chuxi, the hillbilly from the mountains, because Brother Wang often went to the counties near Qilian to collect mountain goods and knew the old village chief, so Zhao Chuxi got a ride with them.

The freight transfer station was large, with dozens of long-distance trucks of various sizes parked. People from all over the country were there, as evidenced by the license plates on each truck. Although Zhao Chuxi hadn't been to school, he could read and knew which province each license plate represented. The little knowledge he had was taught by three people: an old monk from another mountain, who had died several years ago; a man who had once come to Phoenix Village, whom he never saw again; and, of course, her.

After getting off the truck, Zhao Chuxi eagerly took out the Lanzhou cigarettes the old village chief had given him and offered them to Brother Wang, not just one but a whole pack. In Phoenix Village, he was known for being stingy and only smoked one cigarette, which he savored. He understood the importance of social graces, and the woman had advised him to be generous and not to expect returns, to be content and happy. Zhao Chuxi thought it would take him decades to reach the level of character the woman described.

Brother Wang initially refused, but after a few polite exchanges, he accepted, being a simple person. It was already completely dark, and Brother Wang went to the freight station to check in, while Zhao Chuxi and Little Wang squatted in front of the truck, smoking and chatting. Apart from two Hui men walking around nearby, few people paid attention to them.

Zhao Chuxi knew Little Wang was a college student, apparently from Sichuan Normal University. Just the word "college student" was enough to make Zhao Chuxi, who had never been to school, envious for life. Little Wang was also interested in Zhao Chuxi, who was leaving the mountains for the first time, and asked thoughtfully, "Chuxi, what are your plans?"

Zhao Chuxi was taken aback by the question and thought for several seconds before giving a vague answer: "Make money."

"You might as well not say anything. A person needs a plan to do things; otherwise, you'll always be mediocre and won't earn much money," Little Wang said, taking a puff of his cigarette, sounding a bit disappointed. These were things his teachers had taught him, and he finally had the chance to impart them to someone else.

Zhao Chuxi smiled wryly, secretly extinguishing the cigarette he had only smoked for two puffs. He didn't argue, knowing that as long as he could earn a lot of money, he would do anything, except for illegal activities, which the woman had warned him against. She said that if she found out, she would personally send him to prison for life. When she said this, Zhao Chuxi thought to himself, "I'm not in Phoenix Village, how would you know?"

"Tell me your plan, and I'll think about it," Zhao Chuxi finally said after a long pause.

Little Wang puffed out his chest, looking solemn, and gazed into the distance with a smile. "Graduate from college, then take the postgraduate entrance exam. After that, try to get a job as a civil servant. If that doesn't work, join a state-owned enterprise. If that fails, consider a foreign company, and finally, a private company. Work hard for a few years, save money to buy a house and a car, and then get married and have children."

Zhao Chuxi listened, stunned, thinking it sounded impressive, but he wondered, "Aren't work, marriage, and having children all necessary? Do they need to be planned?"

Little Wang, who had been proud of his plan, was momentarily speechless by Zhao Chuxi's seemingly innocent question and lowered his head to think.

A few minutes later, Brother Wang returned after completing the check-in procedures. They had to wait for another batch of goods from the boss, so they would stay overnight. Zhao Chuxi was a bit lost, not knowing where to go, with only a few hundred yuan in his pocket and no acquaintances in the unfamiliar city of Xining. Brother Wang noticed Zhao Chuxi's predicament and asked quietly, "No place to go?"

Zhao Chuxi nodded, a bit embarrassed, "I'll wander around nearby and find a place to stay for the night. I'll look for a job in the morning."

Brother Wang and Zhao Chuxi were not related, and he didn't have to help, but out of respect for the old village chief and the pack of Lanzhou cigarettes, he decided, "Since you have to stay somewhere, you might as well stay in the truck for the night. It will help me keep an eye on the goods. I've heard that things often get stolen from this place."

Zhao Chuxi was grateful and thanked him. Brother Wang then took Little Wang and Zhao Chuxi to a nearby noodle shop for a bowl of pulled noodles. After eating, Brother Wang arranged for Zhao Chuxi and went to the freight station's guesthouse with Little Wang to rest. The temperature difference between day and night in Xining was significant, and it was a bit cold in the summer evenings. Zhao Chuxi made a makeshift shelter against the truck to block the wind.

After tidying up, perhaps because he had slept too much during the day, Zhao Chuxi couldn't fall asleep, lying in the truck and smoking. Did he really have no life plan of his own?

He clearly remembered the words the man had said to him when he was six: "How can a man be content with mediocrity?"

After the old monk was buried, he wanted to leave Phoenix Village, which didn't belong to him. Her arrival disrupted his plans, and the death of that child made him decide to leave.

He thought about many things, past and future. Zhao Chuxi told himself it was time to say goodbye to the past. He extinguished the cigarette, looked at the city, which was both familiar and strange, and muttered to himself.

No prosperity, no return to hometown?

PS: Red tickets and collections are very important during the new book period.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends