A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

The next morning, Lin Shubai was awakened by the sound of pile driving at the construction site outside his window.

Thump, thump, thump—a rhythmic thud came from afar, like the beating of a giant heart. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind still replaying the events of last night.

The Gift of the Magi.

The entire text is identical, word for word, and even the subtle descriptions are so clear they seem etched in my mind.

He sat up abruptly and glanced at the black watch box on his desk. A Casio W-800H lay quietly inside, the watch displaying 6:18. Morning reading started at 7:30; there was still plenty of time.

Lin Shubai rubbed his face, got dressed, and went out the door. The sound of cooking oil was already coming from the kitchen; Wang Xiulan was frying eggs.

"Are you up? Go wash your face, your dad's almost finished eating." Wang Xiulan didn't even turn her head, flipping the pan with the spatula, the egg yolk lying intact at the bottom of the pan.

In the bathroom, Lin Jianguo was shaving in front of the mirror, his face still covered in shaving foam. He saw his son enter in the mirror and stepped aside: "Are you wearing your watch? Does it fit?"

"I'm wearing it, it fits perfectly." Lin Shubai raised his wrist to show him. Black dial, digital display, simple and practical.

Breakfast consisted of porridge, pickled vegetables, and fried eggs.

Lin Shubai sat at the dining table, drinking his porridge, but his mind was filled with thoughts of last night. After unlocking "The Gift of the Magi," he had tried countless methods to reawaken the system. But it was as if yesterday was a dream; no matter how he called out to it, the system didn't respond at all.

Last night, Lin Shubai tried touching other objects, but there was still no reaction.

"Keywords? How do I trigger them again?" Lin Shubai's bowl was already empty, but he still mechanically drank the non-existent porridge in the bowl.

"What are you thinking about? You've finished drinking, do you want more?" Wang Xiulan's voice pulled Lin Shubai back to reality.

"It's nothing, I'm full, I'm going to school now."

Downstairs, Su Wan was already waiting at the entrance of the building, squatting on the ground and teasing a stray cat. The cat was a long-time resident of the community, yellow and white, so thin that you could count its ribs.

"You're here?" Su Wan stood up, brushing the dust off her hands. "Why are you so slow today? I thought you overslept."

"No." Lin Shubai walked out beside her. "I was thinking about something."

"What are you thinking about? Haven't you finished your math homework? Wait, didn't you say you finished it yesterday?" Su Wan tilted her head to look at him. "Is it still Old Chen's recitation? That 'Autumn Elegy' piece, I'm so tired of memorizing it, all that sad autumn wind and yellow leaves, I felt sad myself after memorizing it."

Lin Shubai couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Su Wan glared at him. "I'm serious. Old Chen will definitely check your morning reading. Have you finished reciting? If you have, tell me about it. I watched a rerun of 'Chinese Paladin' last night and forgot to recite it."

"More or less."

"What do you mean by 'almost'? 'Almost' means you haven't memorized it! Quick, quick, tell me as you walk, what was the first sentence again?"

The two chatted as they walked towards the bus stop. The September morning was already cool; the plane tree leaves along the roadside were still green, but the edges were beginning to turn yellow. A queue formed in front of the breakfast stalls, and the aroma of jianbing (Chinese crepes) wafted over.

The bus swayed and wobbled as it pulled up. The two of them squeezed on, but as usual there were no seats, so they stood by the back door holding onto the handrail.

Su Wan was still muttering as she recited her lessons, while Lin Shubai looked at the street scene flashing past the car window, but his mind was still on the system.

"Could it be that it can only be triggered once a day? I'll try again when I get back tonight."

The last class in the morning is Chinese.

Old Chen entered the classroom right on time as the bell rang, with his lesson plan tucked under his arm and an enamel mug with "Advanced Worker" printed on it, the same kind as the old men playing chess in the neighborhood.

He stood in front of the podium, his gaze sweeping over the whole class before finally settling on Lin Shubai.

"Did you memorize 'Autumn Elegy' from yesterday?"

A few scattered replies came from below: "Memorized it—"

"Alright, I'll pick someone then." Old Chen opened the roll call list. "Lin Shubai, you recite the third paragraph."

Su Wan secretly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "It's all over, I've dragged you into this."

Lin Shubai stood up, paused for a moment, and then spoke.

The autumn wind sweeps through the treetops, carrying away yellow leaves and leaving behind sorrow. That sorrow is transparent, like the mist at dusk, enveloping the departing summer and the approaching winter...

He recited it fluently, without a single mistake.

Old Chen nodded, gesturing for him to sit down: "Hmm, not bad. Listen to this, everyone, now that's what you call putting your heart into memorizing. Some people, they say they've memorized it, but as soon as they stand up, they freeze up."

......

At noon, Lin Shubai and Su Wan don't go home because they live far away; they usually have lunch at the school cafeteria.

After getting their food and sitting down in the cafeteria, Su Wan pulled out two peaches from somewhere and handed one to Lin Shubai: "Here you go, my mom bought these yesterday and specifically asked me to bring one for you."

"Please thank Auntie for me." Just as Lin Shubai's fingers touched the peach, the voice from last night appeared again!

【Trigger Keywords】

[Lunch + Peaches]

[Lunch (William Somerset Maugham)]

"It triggered again. Could it really only trigger once a day?"

Lin Shubai took the peach and took a bite.

"It's quite sweet."

The first class in the afternoon was math. The teacher was writing complex formulas on the blackboard, but Lin Shubai was distracted. His mind was full of things related to the system.

If the system can continuously unlock literary works from the real world, could he use these works to make a name for himself in this parallel world?

Su Wan pulled out a copy of "Story Collection" from somewhere and was engrossed in reading it. Lin Shubai glanced at the cover, which had titles like "Urban Tales" and "Folk Tales."

"Is it pretty?" he asked.

"It's alright, nothing special." Su Wan turned a page. "This month's story isn't as exciting as last month's. That serialized martial arts story has also ended, and this new one isn't very good."

Lin Shubai didn't say anything, but he was thinking to himself: What if "The Gift of the Magi" and "Lunch" appeared in the story collection?

He knew that "Story Collection" was positioned as a popular book for the general public, with a large circulation and readers of all ages.

"The Gift of the Magi" is certainly eligible for submission; Lin Shubai had heard of O. Henry's great name in his previous life.

"The Father of the Modern Short Story," "One of the Three Great Masters of the Short Story," and "An Encyclopedia of Alica's Life." "The Gift of the Magi" is a classic work by O. Henry, and it would undoubtedly remain a classic even in this world.

But as for works like "Lunch" and William Somerset Maugham, he had absolutely no recollection of them. There was no doubt that they were well-written, but as for just how good they were, please forgive Lin Shubai, as he was a terrible online novelist in his previous life and simply couldn't make a specific judgment.