A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

On the first day of the National Day holiday, Lin Shubai was woken up by the sunlight.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and sunlight fell directly on his eyelids. He rolled over, reached for his watch on the bedside table, and glanced at it—7:43. An hour later than usual for class, but still much earlier than his usual weekend wake-up time.

There was no sound of pile driving outside the window. The foundation at the construction site was finished, and work was supposedly suspended for a few days as the workers went home for the holiday. The traffic on the elevated highway in the distance was sparse, completely different from usual. The whole city seemed to have slowed down.

Lin Shubai lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while.

A seven-day holiday. Not long, but enough to do a lot of things.

He mentally reviewed the things he planned to do over the next seven days: continue writing *Charlotte's Web*, having already written about 13,000 words, with a goal of reaching 25,000 words before the end of the holiday; and prepare for the preliminary round of the National Innovative Writing Competition, although the topics hadn't been released yet, he could look at past topics to get a feel for the competition.

Two things, and they're all scheduled.

He sat up, got dressed, and went out the door.

The living room was quiet. Wang Xiulan's bedroom door was open; the bed was made, but she wasn't there. On the kitchen stove sat a pot, its lid on, next to which was a note and fifty yuan, weighed down by a cup.

Lin Shubai walked over and picked up the note. It was written in Wang Xiulan's handwriting: "The porridge is in the pot, and the salted duck eggs are in the refrigerator. Your dad and I are going to your grandma's house and will be back in the evening. Take care of your own lunch."

He put the note down and lifted the pot lid. The porridge was still warm, with a layer of rice skin on the surface. He ladled out a bowl, took a salted duck egg from the refrigerator, and sat down at the table.

The porridge was very thick, and the rice grains had all split open. He cracked open the salted duck egg with chopsticks; the yolk was orange-red and oily. He picked up a little with the tip of his chopsticks and put it in his mouth—it was salty and savory.

My phone rang halfway through the meal.

He glanced at the screen; it was a text message from Su Wan: "Are you up yet?"

Lin Shubai typed with one hand: "I'm up, having breakfast."

A few seconds later, another text message arrived: "My parents went to my grandma's, so I'm all alone. I'm so bored. What are you doing today?"

"Write something."

"That long novel again?"

"Um."

"Don't you get bored? Writing during your vacation."

I don't think so.

There was a moment of silence, then another text message arrived: "So what happens after you finish writing today's quota?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Call me when you're done writing, and let's go for a walk. The weather's so nice today, it's a waste to stay home."

Lin Shubai glanced out the window. The sky was a clear, bright blue, and the sunlight reflected off the glass curtain wall of the building across the street. It was indeed a beautiful day.

"Okay," he replied.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Shubai washed the dishes, returned to his room, and sat down at his desk.

He opened the notebook on the table, flipped through the completed draft, found the place where he had stopped yesterday, and continued writing.

I wrote for about two hours when my phone rang again. This time it wasn't a text message, it was a call. The screen displayed the words "Liu Yang".

Lin Shubai answered the call.

"Shubai! Are you home?" Liu Yang's voice boomed from the receiver, with the sound of a television playing in the background.

"Yes. What's up?"

"Come out and have some fun! The weather's so nice today, why stay home?"

"I'm writing something."

"That long novel again? Writing during vacation? Are you crazy? Come out here, stop writing. I'm telling you, a new arcade opened on the street behind the school. I went to see it yesterday, it's huge, with dance machines and racing simulators. Want to go together?" Liu Yang's tone had a "Are you crazy?" vibe to it.

"Not now, I haven't finished writing down today's goals yet."

"When will you finish writing it?"

"This afternoon."

"Shall we go this afternoon? I'll ask Su Wan to come along."

"I'll ask her."

"Okay, okay, call me when you're done writing. I'm going to go find someone else to hang out with." Liu Yang said and then hung up.

Lin Shubai put down his phone and continued writing. After writing about two thousand words, he put away the manuscript and picked up his phone to send a text message to Su Wan: "I'm finished. Liu Yang said he's going to the newly opened arcade, are you going?"

The reply came quickly: "Go! What time?"

"I'll ask him."

He called Liu Yang and arranged to meet at the school gate at 2 PM. Then he texted Su Wan back, adding, "What's for lunch?"

"I don't know. What about you?"

"Let's eat out. How about that Lanzhou noodle shop near the school gate?"

"Okay. Let's meet at the entrance of the residential area at 1:30, eat, and then head straight there."

"it is good."

Lin Shubai changed his clothes and stood in front of the mirror before leaving. He wore a white T-shirt, a light jacket, jeans, and canvas shoes. His hair was a bit long, but still presentable.

When I came downstairs, Su Wan was already standing at the entrance of the building. Today she was wearing a light yellow sweatshirt with a white hood and two small pom-poms hanging from the drawstring. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing small silver earrings on her ears.

"You're dressed quite brightly today," Lin Shubai said.

Su Wan looked down at her clothes: "I just bought them, they were on sale for National Day. What's wrong? Don't you like them?"

"nice."

Su Wan paused for a moment, then turned her head away, muttering something under her breath that Lin Shubai couldn't hear.

The two walked out of the residential area. The sun was shining brightly, warming them. The osmanthus flowers in the residential area were in bloom, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.

The two walked to the entrance of the Lanzhou noodle restaurant and pushed the door open to go inside. There weren't many people in the restaurant. Two men who looked like workers were sitting against the wall, eating large plates of chicken in front of them. Behind the counter stood a man wearing a white hat, kneading dough with practiced ease. The dough was flipped and turned in his hands, making a "slap slap" sound.

"Two bowls of beef ramen," Lin Shubai said to the waiter.

"Large bowl or small bowl?"

"A big bowl," the two said at the same time.

They exchanged a glance, and Su Wan laughed first: "You're a big shot too?"

"I'm hungry," Lin Shubai said.

The noodles were served, the broth clear with a few slices of beef, cilantro, and garlic sprouts floating on top. The noodles were thin and curled up in the bowl. Lin Shubai added some chili oil, stirred it, and the broth turned a pale red. He picked up a mouthful of noodles, slurped it up, and found the noodles chewy and the broth flavorful.

Su Wan ate noodles much more gracefully than he did. She picked up a few strands with her chopsticks, slowly rolled them up, and put them in her mouth. After a few bites, she suddenly asked, "What are you planning to do with your long novel now that you've finished writing?"

"I showed it to Editor Lü first. She said if the quality was good, she would help me find a solution."

"Can you publish a book?"

"It's hard to say. It's quite difficult for new authors to publish books, and long fairy tales have a narrow audience, so publishers may not be willing to take them on."

Su Wan thought for a moment: "But if you write well, someone will definitely want it. Didn't your first three pieces get accepted?"

"That's different. Short stories and novels are two different concepts. It's easier to publish short stories, but the threshold for publishing novels is much higher."

Su Wan nodded and then lowered her head to eat her noodles.

After finishing their noodles, the two walked towards the school.

The street in front of the school was much quieter than usual; most shops were closed, with only a few snack shops and stationery stores still open.

The newly opened arcade is at the end of the street. It used to be a clothing store; the storefront wasn't big, but the signboard was bright and colorful, displaying the words "Starlight Paradise." A few junior high school students were standing at the entrance, holding game tokens and chattering away.

Liu Yang had arrived and was standing at the door, looking around. When he saw them, he waved and ran over, his body jiggling.

"Why are you taking so long? I've been waiting for ten minutes!" Liu Yang shouted.

"Isn't it two o'clock? It's only one fifty now." Su Wan glanced at her phone.

"I was just worried you guys would arrive too early." Liu Yang chuckled, then pulled Lin Shubai inside. "Come on, come on, I came to see it yesterday, it's huge inside. There's a dance machine, racing games, basketball machines, and a claw machine. Let me tell you, that claw machine is a total rip-off, the claw is so loose, I spent ten coins yesterday and didn't get anything."

"That's because your skills aren't good enough," Su Wan mocked from the side.

"If you're so good, then you do it."

"Let's go then."

Three people pushed open the door and went inside. The arcade was bustling with activity, the sounds of various machines mingling together, and the colorful lights dazzling the eyes. Several young men with dyed blond hair were gathered around a fighting game machine, shouting "Hit him! Hit him!" loudly.

Liu Yang ran off and exchanged fifty yuan worth of game tokens. When he came back, he was holding a handful of them, and he poured half of them into Lin Shubai's hand.

"Come on, which one should we play first?"

"Let's shoot a basket." Lin Shubai rarely went to arcades in his previous life, so he wasn't particularly familiar with them.

The basketball shooting machines were positioned against the wall, two side by side. Liu Yang inserted a coin, the machine started, and the hoop began to move left and right. He picked up the ball and started shooting, but his movements were too hasty; the ball bounced off the rim and missed completely.

"What level is this?" Su Wan frowned as she watched from the side.

"This isn't the first time I've played this!" Liu Yang retorted, unconvinced.

Su Wan pushed him away, stood in front of the machine, picked up a ball, flicked her wrist, and the ball arced through the air, swishing into the net. Then came the second, the third, the fourth—six in a row.

Liu Yang stood to the side, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

"When did you learn this?" Lin Shubai was also dumbfounded.

"There was one right outside my school when I was in junior high, and I used to play there all the time." Su Wan continued shooting hoops without turning her head.

Liu Yang was unconvinced and inserted another coin. This time he was more serious and made three. He turned around to show off, but saw that Su Wan had already reached the second level. The hoop was moving faster, but she was still able to make the shots.

"Forget it, I'm not going to race anymore." Liu Yang gave up and walked towards the racing simulator.

The three of them played for over an hour, and their game tokens were almost used up. Liu Yang spent his last few tokens on the claw machine, but didn't win a single one, and was so angry that he kept hitting the machine. Su Wan couldn't stand it anymore, so she took the last token from his hand, inserted it, flicked the joystick a couple of times, pressed the button, and the claw wobbled down and steadily grabbed a brown bear, tossing it into the dispenser.

Liu Yang squatted down and pulled the bear out, looking at Su Wan as if she were a deity.

"How come you can do everything?"

"Observational skills." Su Wan clapped her hands. "Before the claw goes down, check the position and see which angle can get stuck. All you guys do is press randomly."

Liu Yang stuffed the teddy bear into his schoolbag, muttering, "I can do it next time too."

When we came out of the arcade, the sun was shining brightly. There were more pedestrians on the street than at noon, probably out shopping. Several women carrying shopping bags walked past them, chatting about everyday things.

"Are you hungry? Want to have dinner before going back?" Liu Yang asked.

"What time is dinner already?" Su Wan glanced at her phone. "Four-thirty."

"Want to grab something to eat? There's a fried skewer shop up ahead, it smells amazing."

"OK."

The fried skewers shop is on a street corner, with a small storefront, but the aroma wafts far and wide. A middle-aged woman stands behind the fryer, holding long chopsticks and flipping the skewers in the oil. On the shelf next to her are various skewers—chicken strips, pork tenderloin, squid, lotus root slices, and potato slices—arranged neatly.

"I want chicken strips and pork tenderloin." Liu Yang was the first to rush forward.

"I want lotus root slices," Su Wan said.

Lin Shubai ordered squid and potato chips.

The three of them stood at the shop entrance eating, their food sizzling and sprinkled with chili powder and cumin, making them gasp from the heat. Liu Yang ate the fastest, swallowing the chicken strips in just a few bites, then stared longingly at the lotus root slices in Su Wan's hand.

"What are you looking at?" Su Wan glared at him, but still broke off half and handed it to him.

Liu Yang took it, chuckled, and popped it into his mouth.

After finishing their fried skewers, the three walked towards the bus stop. Liu Yang lived nearby and could walk back, so they parted ways at the school gate. Lin Shubai and Su Wan boarded the same bus; it wasn't crowded, and there were two empty seats in the back.

After sitting down, Su Wan leaned against the window, put on her hat, and the little pom-pom on the hat drawstring swayed back and forth.

"I had a great day," Su Wan asked.

"Yes."

"Are you still writing that long novel tomorrow?"

"Write."

"So, will you still come out after you finish writing tomorrow?"

"We'll see, I'm not sure right now."

Su Wan thought for a moment and said, "My parents should be back tomorrow, and there will be people at home, so we might not be able to come out. How about the day after tomorrow? We'll come out the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, whatever you say."

As she reached Su Wan's doorstep, she turned back and said, "Write well tomorrow, don't be lazy."

"Won't."

"Remember to show it to me when you're done writing."

"Okay, don't worry, I'll show it to you first."

She smiled, turned around, opened the door, and went inside.

Lin Shubai continued upstairs. The living room lights were on; Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo had already returned. Wang Xiulan was busy in the kitchen, the range hood humming loudly. Lin Jianguo sat on the sofa watching TV, remote control in hand, flipping through channels.

Lin Shubai changed into slippers and walked to the kitchen doorway to take a look. There was a pressure cooker on the stove, hissing and steaming, and the aroma of meat that had been stewing for a long time was wafting out from the gaps in the lid.

"How is Grandma's health?" Lin Shubai asked. In his memory, this grandma was very good to the original owner of the body.

"She's fine, but she's been talking about you, wondering why you didn't visit her during the National Day holiday." Wang Xiulan turned the stove down a little. "Why don't you go see her tomorrow and keep her company?"

"it is good."

In the evening, after finishing his dinner, Lin Shubai took the bowl to the kitchen and returned to his room.

Lin Shubai glanced at an old cardboard box on the corner of the table. It was something Wang Xiulan had found in the storage room a few days ago, saying she was going to throw it away and asked him to check if there was anything inside that she wanted to keep.

Lin Shubai hadn't had a chance to look through it. Now that he had some free time, he pulled the cardboard box over and opened it.

Inside were some old books and magazines, as well as the original owner's textbooks and notebooks from his childhood. On top was a well-worn copy of "100,000 Whys," its pages yellowed and the cover worn away. He casually flipped through it and found several colorful stickers tucked inside, probably put up by the original owner when he was a child.

At the bottom of the cardboard box was an even older magazine, a bound volume of "Story Club," with the words "1998 Collector's Edition" printed on the cover. Lin Shubai took it out and flipped through it; the pages were brittle, and the corners were curled up.

When I turned to the middle, a folded piece of paper slipped out of the magazine and floated to the ground.

Lin Shubai bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it.

It's a hand-drawn picture, painted with watercolors. The picture shows a large pit, with several small figures standing beside it. The pit is filled with various colored things—red, green, yellow—piled together haphazardly. In the upper right corner, a few words are written in crooked handwriting: "Don't litter."

On the back of the painting was a line of small print, written in the original owner's handwriting, very carefully: "Today the teacher talked about environmental protection, saying that the Earth is a big garbage can. I don't think that's right. The garbage can will fill up, and then it won't be able to hold anything else. So what will happen when the Earth is full?"

Lin Shubai stared at the line of text for a moment, stunned.

A child around ten years old wrote a question in crooked handwriting that many adults couldn't understand.

He turned the painting over and glanced at the large pit again. The pit was filled with colorful trash, and the little figures on the edge of it were still throwing things in, laughing obliviously.

Just as he came across the painting—

A large amount of text suddenly flooded into my mind.

It's not just one article, it's a whole series.

【Trigger Keywords】

[Children's drawing + deep pit]

[Feed - Come Out (Shinichi Hoshi)]

[The collection of the same name, "Feed - Come Out," has been unlocked.]