A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

October 16th, Sunday, Shanghai.

Lin Shubai was woken up by his phone vibrating.

He reached for his watch on the bedside table—7:20. There was an unread text message on the screen from his mother, Wang Xiulan: "The porridge is in the pot. Your father and I went to your grandmother's house. We'll be back this afternoon."

Lin Shubai got dressed and went out. The living room was quiet. There was a pot on the kitchen stove with the lid on. He lifted the lid and took a look—the white porridge was still warm, with a layer of rice skin on the surface.

Lin Shubai ladled himself a bowl of porridge, took a salted duck egg from the refrigerator, and sat down at the table. He ate while doing the math. His royalties were 3,240 yuan, plus the New Year's money he'd saved over the years—he remembered it being around 1,200 or 1,300—making a total of about 4,500 yuan. The Sony TV cost 3,499 yuan. That was enough.

He put down his chopsticks, having made up his mind.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Shubai washed the dishes and returned to his room. He rummaged through his drawer and pulled out a metal box. Inside was a stack of banknotes—ten-yuan, twenty-yuan, and fifty-yuan notes, neatly folded. He had been saving his New Year's money since elementary school. Every Spring Festival, he would receive money from relatives and his parents, which he couldn't bear to spend, carefully stacking each bill in the box. He counted them: 1,360 yuan.

Lin Shubai took out three hundred yuan and put it in his wallet, then stuffed his ID card into his pocket. Before leaving, he stood in front of the mirror for a moment. He was wearing a light gray hoodie, jeans, and canvas shoes; his hair was a bit long, but still presentable. He patted his pocket to make sure his wallet and ID card were there, then changed his shoes and went out.

The post office was next to the bus stop, a five-minute walk away. Lin Shubai pushed open the door and went in. Behind the counter sat a middle-aged woman wearing reading glasses, sorting through a stack of receipts.

"Hello, please pick up the remittance slip." Lin Shubai handed over his ID card and withdrawal notice.

The woman took the money and glanced at it, then looked up at him, seemingly surprised that a sixteen or seventeen-year-old was withdrawing over three thousand yuan. She didn't say anything, but instead typed a few words on the computer, then took out a remittance slip from the drawer and checked the information.

"Lin Shubai?"

"right."

"Three thousand two hundred and forty yuan. Cash or deposit into your card?"

"cash."

The woman counted out three stacks of banknotes and handed them over—three stacks of one-thousand-yuan notes, one stack of two-hundred-yuan notes, and two twenty-yuan notes. Lin Shubai took the money, counted it in front of him, and then put it into his wallet. The wallet suddenly bulged, and the zipper was almost impossible to close.

"Thanks."

He stuffed his wallet into his pants pocket, patted it to make sure it wouldn't fall out, and then walked towards the bus stop.

The bus arrived at its stop. He got off and walked towards the No. 1 Department Store. Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street was packed with people on Sunday; tourists, couples, and families filled the entire street. Shop windows displayed new autumn styles, and several fashionable girls were taking photos in front of the glass. A balloon vendor weaved through the crowd, clutching a large handful of colorful balloons that swayed in the wind.

The No. 1 Department Store stood at the street corner, its glass curtain wall reflecting the sunlight. Lin Shubai walked in and went straight to the fourth floor.

The electronics section was a bit quieter than last time I visited, with a few salespeople chatting behind the counters. The Sony counter was against the wall, and the TV was still there—black bezel, ultra-thin body, screen as black as a mirror. Next to it was a label: Sony BRAVIA 32-inch LCD TV, 3499 yuan.

A young sales clerk in uniform approached with a professional smile: "Hello, are you interested in this one? It's Sony's new 32-inch Full HD model with excellent picture quality."

"Can you make it cheaper?" Lin Shubai asked.

The sales clerk glanced at him, probably thinking that a high school student didn't seem like someone who could afford over three thousand yuan, but still politely said, "It's the marked price in the mall, so there's not much of a discount. However, if you buy it today, you can get a free HD cable and a one-year extended warranty."

Lin Shubai thought for a moment: "Three thousand four?"

The sales clerk hesitated for a moment: "Let me ask the manager for you." He turned and went behind the counter, made a phone call, and then came back. "The manager said the lowest price is three thousand four hundred and fifty, plus a free pair of original headphones."

"Okay." Lin Shubai took out his wallet from his pocket, unzipped it, and a thick wad of banknotes was inside.

The sales clerk's expression turned serious. He took the money, counted it, and confirmed it was three thousand four hundred and fifty yuan. He issued a receipt, then brought out a brand new unit from the warehouse and unpacked and inspected it in front of Lin Shubai. The screen was intact, all accessories were included, and the remote control was sealed in a plastic bag.

"Write down the delivery address." The salesperson took a delivery slip from the drawer and handed it to me.

"Can it be delivered today?" Lin Shubai asked.

The sales clerk glanced at the clock on the wall; it was just past ten in the morning. "We can deliver this afternoon. Our delivery truck already left this morning, and there's another one this afternoon, arriving around three or four o'clock. Someone can stay home."

Lin Shubai took the delivery slip, wrote down the address and house number of the residential complex in the address field, and wrote in the remarks field: "Sixth floor, no elevator."

The sales clerk glanced at it and nodded: "Okay, no problem. The delivery driver will call in advance."

Lin Shubai handed the delivery slip back, and the salesperson tore off the bottom copy and gave it to him: "This is your receipt. Your family can sign it after the TV is delivered."

Lin Shubai folded the receipt and stuffed it into his pocket before turning to leave. When he reached the elevator, he paused and glanced back at the electronics section. The display stand for that television was empty; the demo unit had been moved, leaving only a bare table.

He smiled and pressed the elevator button.

The bus swayed and rattled back. He sat by the window, staring blankly at the street scene outside. He was thinking about his father's expression when he saw the television. What would he say? Probably just one word—"Okay." Then he would turn and go to the kitchen to ask Wang Xiulan, "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

It was almost midnight when I got home. No one was home; Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo were still at Grandma's. The living room was quiet, with sunlight streaming in through the windows and falling on the floor. The TV cabinet was empty; the old Konka TV was still sitting in the corner, its screen covered in a layer of dust.

Lin Shubai wiped the TV cabinet clean, unplugged the old TV, and moved it aside. Then he went to the kitchen to heat up the leftovers from last night and ate lunch alone.

After finishing his meal, he sat on the sofa and looked at the clock on the wall.

One point. Two points.

At 2:15, the sound of a key turning came from the doorway.

Lin Shubai stood up and walked to the door.

The door opened. Wang Xiulan came in first, carrying several plastic bags filled with groceries. She didn't even look up as she changed her shoes, saying, "Your grandma was talking about you today, saying why you didn't go see her."

Lin Jianguo changed his shoes, walked to the sofa, sat down, picked up the remote control, and pressed a button on the old TV. No response—the power cord had been unplugged.

"What's wrong with the TV?" Lin Jianguo looked down at the plug.

Just as Lin Shubai was about to speak, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw a text message: "Hello, this is a deliveryman from the First Department Store. Your TV will be delivered in about half an hour. Please keep your phone accessible."

Lin Shubai said, "Dad, the TV isn't broken."

Lin Jianguo looked up at him: "Then why can't it be opened?"

You'll find out soon enough; it'll be a surprise.

Lin Jianguo frowned but didn't ask any more questions. Wang Xiulan peeked out from the kitchen and glanced at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

About twenty minutes later, the sound of a car engine came from downstairs, followed by the sound of a car door closing. Lin Shubai walked to the window and looked down—a white van was parked downstairs, with the words "Department Store Appliance Delivery" printed on its side. Two men in blue work clothes got out of the van, opened the van door, and took out a large cardboard box.

The Sony logo, a white box.

Lin Shubai turned around, walked to the door, opened it, and stood at the top of the stairs waiting.

Footsteps came from downstairs, growing closer. Two deliverymen, one in front of the other, carried cardboard boxes, slowly making their way up the narrow stairwell. The one in front was younger, in his early twenties, while the one behind him was in his forties, his face covered in sweat.

"Sixth floor? There's no elevator?" The young deliveryman looked up and saw Lin Shubai, panting as he spoke.

"Thank you for your hard work," Lin Shubai said.

The two men carried the cardboard box up to the sixth floor and placed it at the door. The older deliveryman took a form out of his pocket and handed it to Lin Shubai: "Sign here."

Lin Shubai signed the document and carefully put away the bottom copy. The two deliverymen turned and went downstairs.

He turned around and pushed the cardboard box into the house.

In the living room, Wang Xiulan stood at the kitchen doorway, a spatula still in her hand, completely stunned. Lin Jianguo stood up from the sofa, walked to the cardboard box, and looked down at the Sony logo and TV model printed on it.

"What...what is this?" Wang Xiulan asked first, her voice a little unsteady.

Lin Jianguo didn't speak. He squatted down, turned the cardboard box over, looked at the model label, then stood up and looked at Lin Shubai.

"You bought it?" His voice was a little hoarse.

"Hmm," Lin Shubai said, "The royalties have arrived, and with the New Year's money, it's just enough."

Lin Jianguo looked down at the cardboard box again. He reached out and touched the corner of the box very gently, as if to confirm that the thing was real.

Wang Xiulan put down the spatula, walked over, and stood next to Lin Jianguo. She also looked down at the cardboard box, her eyes already red. She reached out and wiped her eyes, then looked at Lin Shubai, wanting to say something, but her lips moved but no words came out.

She finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly, "You child, why spend so much money? It's not like you can't watch an old TV. Wouldn't it be better to keep the royalties for yourself?"

"It's okay, there's still some left."

Lin Jianguo didn't say anything, patted Lin Shubai on the shoulder, then squatted down and started unpacking the cardboard box. He used a key to cut the tape, opened the box, and inside was foam board, with the television embedded in the middle. Black bezel, ultra-thin body, screen as black as a mirror.

He lifted the TV out of the box; it was heavier than he had imagined. He held it securely, turned around, and placed it on the TV stand. He took two steps back, looked at it, and then moved it forward a little so that the TV was exactly in the middle of the stand.

Lin Shubai took out the power cord and remote control from the box and handed them over. Lin Jianguo squatted down, plugged the power cord into the wall socket, and then pressed the switch on the side of the TV. The screen lit up, and although it wasn't 4K like in Lin Shubai's previous life, it was clear enough.

Lin Jianguo turned around and looked at Lin Shubai. His expression was complicated—surprise, emotion, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on, probably the kind of dazed feeling one gets when "my son bought me a TV."

"How much?"

"Three thousand four hundred and fifty."

Lin Jianguo was silent for a few seconds, then said, "It's too expensive."

Wang Xiulan glared at him: "You spent so much time looking at it last month, didn't you say it was 3,499? This is 49 cheaper."

Lin Jianguo didn't reply, and turned back to look at the television. He squatted down, unplugged and plugged it back in, then pressed the switch, and the screen lit up again. He stood up and clapped his hands.

He walked to the sofa, sat down, looked at the television, and suddenly smiled. The smile was brief, fleeting, but Lin Shubai saw it.

Wang Xiulan saw it too. She walked over, sat down next to Lin Jianguo, and patted his arm: "Your son bought this for you, aren't you happy?"

After a while, he stood up, went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, looked inside, and then turned to Wang Xiulan and said, "Cook a few more dishes tonight. I'll go buy a bottle of good wine."

Lin Jianguo went out. Wang Xiulan carried the groceries she bought into the kitchen and started cooking. Lin Shubai followed her in to help, but Wang Xiulan pushed him out, saying, "Go watch TV, don't get in the way."

"Mom," Lin Shubai called out.

"Um?"

Do you think my dad is happy?

Wang Xiulan didn't turn around, but her voice was very soft: "Don't you know your father? He's happy inside, but he won't say it."

"He's happier than anything that you bought him a TV today," Wang Xiulan said, wiping her hands. "But don't spend money recklessly in the future. Save it for when you go to college."

"it is good."

At seven o'clock in the evening, the family of three sat around the dining table. The meal included braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, braised beef, tomato and egg drop soup, and a steamed sea bass.

Lin Jianguo picked up a piece of fish and placed it in Lin Shubai's bowl.

"Eat fish."

Lin Shubai looked at the fish in the bowl, smiled, picked it up, and put it in his mouth. The fish was very tender and fresh, steamed just right.

"Is it good?" Lin Jianguo asked.

"tasty."

Lin Jianguo nodded, picked up another piece, and put it in Wang Xiulan's bowl: "You eat too."

Wang Xiulan glanced at him and laughed: "Did the sun rise in the west today? You've learned to serve food to others now?"

Lin Jianguo didn't reply and kept his head down while eating.

After finishing her meal, Wang Xiulan cleaned up the dishes and came out of the kitchen. She wiped her hands, walked over to Lin Shubai, and glanced at the television.

"Your dad is overjoyed today." She lowered her voice. "He was in the kitchen just now, and he secretly told me that this TV is better than the one he used to watch; it's a newer model."

"real?"

"He said it. He's been researching it for months, he knows every model and parameter better than anyone else." Wang Xiulan smiled. "He just couldn't bear to buy it. But you, without saying a word, brought it back."

Lin Shubai smiled but didn't say anything.

"Alright, go to sleep early. You have school tomorrow." Wang Xiulan patted his arm and turned to go back to her room.