1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

"Local Sentiments and Praise for Reform" is a theme that reflects the changes in rural life over the years and praises the spirit of farmers in the new era.

To put it simply, it's about writing about the changes in rural areas and the lives of farmers.

He was familiar with this kind of subject matter.

Xie Lu grew up in the countryside, working in the fields from a young age. He knows the hardships of rural life, but he also knows its advantages.

He still remembers the smile on his father Xie Youshan's face when the land was distributed to individual households.

Later, some villagers started to engage in side businesses, raising chickens, raising pigs, and running transportation businesses. Their lives improved day by day, and he witnessed all of this firsthand.

But he thought about how to write it and what to write for several days, but still couldn't figure it out.

Halfway through the class, the professor talked about the Seven Scholars of Jian'an, saying that their works reflected the social upheaval and the various aspects of life in that era.

As Xie Lu listened, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Ordinary World.

Isn't Lu Xun's "Ordinary World" the best example of rural life?

It tells the story of the brothers Sun Shaoan and Sun Shaoping, who lived on the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, and how they struggled, fought, and changed their fate in the tide of reform and opening up.

Those characters, those stories, those details—they were practically tailor-made for this essay contest.

The more Xie Lu thought about it, the more suitable it seemed.

Sun Shaoan, the young man who guarded the land in the countryside and led his fellow villagers in implementing the production responsibility system.

Sun Shao-ping, a scholar who was unwilling to spend his whole life confined to the countryside and wanted to venture out into the world.

There are also vivid female characters such as Tian Xiaoxia, Tian Runye, and He Xiulian.

Their love, their suffering, their resilience.

More importantly, this work is not a grandiose and empty "hymn," but a life truly rooted in the soil.

There is joy, and there is sorrow; there is hope, and there is despair; there is gain, and there is loss.

This is the real countryside, the real people.

Attorney Xie understood the situation.

I'll just write this.

He picked up his pen and wrote a few words in the blank space of his notebook: Ordinary World, Sun Shaoan, Sun Shaoping.

After finishing writing, Xie Lu looked at the words and felt at ease.

In the next few days, he will be able to start writing.

The old professor was still lecturing on the podium.

The sunlight slanted in through the window, falling on the desk, on Xie Lu's notebook, and on the three characters "Sun Shaoan".

Xie closed his notebook and looked out the window.

The leaves on Luojia Mountain in the distance have already begun to turn yellow.

Kyoto.

Contemporary Editorial Department.

After finishing the last manuscript, He Chongshan looked up at the clock on the wall; it was almost six o'clock.

Most of the people in the office have already left.

After watching Infernal Affairs prequel in the afternoon, Lao Li and his colleagues went back to work satisfied, leaving promptly at the end of the workday.

As Xiao Chen packed his things, he poked his head in before leaving and asked, "Editor-in-Chief He, aren't you leaving yet?"

"Let's go." He Chongshan didn't even look up, still flipping through something in his hands.

After Xiao Chen left, the office became completely quiet.

He Chongshan put the last manuscript into the "processed" folder, stood up and stretched his neck.

Today was pretty productive. I finished reading all the backlog of manuscripts, and three authors' manuscripts were approved, so we can schedule them for publication in the next issue.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip; the tea had long since gone cold and tasted bitter.

He picked up his briefcase, turned off the light, and walked out of the office.

He stopped abruptly when he reached the front door and had his hand on the doorknob.

Last night's events played through my mind like a movie.

A night spent on the sofa, a bowl of hot porridge on the coffee table in the morning, and my wife saying, "I can only come into this house when you bring back the Infernal Affairs prequel so I can watch it."

He stood at the doorway, hesitating for two seconds.

If I go home empty-handed again tonight...

He sighed and turned to walk back.

Back in his office, he opened a drawer and took out a manila envelope containing the prequel to Infernal Affairs.

He stuffed the envelope into his briefcase, checked it again to make sure he had it, and then went out again.

As I stepped out of the editorial office, it was already dark outside.

The streetlights were on, there weren't many pedestrians on the street, and occasionally a bicycle would ride by with its bell jingling.

He couldn't help but smile as he recalled what his wife had said last night.

This woman, she clearly wanted to see the manuscript herself, but she insisted on calling it a punishment.

But then again, if she saw it, she definitely wouldn't be able to let it go either.

At that point, she won't be able to sleep on the sofa; she'll probably have to stay up until midnight.

We arrived at our doorstep.

He Chongshan took out his key and opened the door. As soon as the door was pushed open a crack, he heard a sound coming from inside.

"Dad's home!"

It was He Jinqiu's voice.

Immediately afterwards, footsteps approached from afar, and He Jinqiu had already run to the door.

"Dad!" She flung open the door, her eyes shining as she looked into his hands. "Where's the manuscript? Did you bring back Infernal Affairs prequel?"

He Chongshan was taken aback by her barrage of questions. Before he could answer, he saw his daughter reach out to grab his briefcase.

"Hey, hey, don't grab it!" He protected his bag and walked inside. "Let me change my shoes first."

He Jinqiu followed behind, her eyes still fixed on his bag: "Mom said you'd definitely bring it back today! Right? Right?"

He Chongshan changed his shoes, put his briefcase on the coffee table, and then he could see the situation in the room.

Shen Jingshu peeked out from the kitchen, holding a spatula, glanced at him, said nothing, and then retreated back inside.

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of food, the smell of braised pork, and the steam of freshly cooked rice.

He Jinqiu couldn't wait to open her briefcase and pull out the brown paper envelope.

"Is this it?" she asked, holding up the envelope.

He Chongshan nodded: "That's it. Be careful not to break it."

He Jinqiu hugged the envelope to her chest as if it were a precious treasure, her eyes shining.

"Let me see first!" she said, turning and running towards her room.

"Hey, wait a minute." He Chongshan tried to call her back, but before he could finish speaking, she had already disappeared. He heard a "bang" as the door closed.

He Chongshan stood in the living room, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Shen Jingshu came out of the kitchen carrying two plates of food: one plate of braised pork and the other plate of stir-fried vegetables.

She placed the dishes on the table, glanced at her daughter's closed bedroom door, then at He Chongshan, a smile on her face.

"Did you bring it back?"

"I brought it back." He Chongshan nodded, "but Qiu'er snatched it away as soon as I entered the door."

Shen Jingshu hummed in agreement, said nothing, and turned back to the kitchen to fetch the soup.

He Chongshan followed her into the kitchen, wanting to help, but she chased him out: "Get out, get out, don't make trouble."

He had no choice but to return to the living room and sit down on the sofa.

Looking at my daughter's tightly closed bedroom door, and then at the empty briefcase on the coffee table, I suddenly felt a little pathetic.

The manuscript I brought back was snatched away before I could even enjoy it.