A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

October 30th, Sunday.

Lin Shubai turned over, reached for his watch on the bedside table, and glanced at it—5:10 a.m. The sky outside the window was not yet fully light.

The train ticket is for 7:30 AM. It takes an hour to get from the suburbs to the train station. With security checks, ticket checks, and finding the platform, getting up at 5:10 AM is just right—at least that's how Wang Xiulan calculated it. Last night, she spent an hour calculating on paper, from "getting up" to "brushing her teeth and washing her face" to "eating breakfast" to "leaving the house" to "waiting for the bus" to "taking the bus" to "getting off the bus" to "entering the station," every step was precise to the minute. Her final conclusion was: getting up at 5:10 AM is "just right, not too fast or too slow."

He sat up and started getting dressed. Last night, Wang Xiulan had already folded and placed the clothes he needed on the chair—a thick sweatshirt, a down vest, a scarf, a hat, and a pair of gloves. The entire set of gear was neatly stacked together, like a small exhibition of winter supplies.

Sounds came from the living room. Wang Xiulan was already busy in the kitchen; the roar of the range hood and the clanging of the spatula mingled together. Lin Jianguo sat at the dining table with a bowl of porridge and two fried eggs in front of him.

"Dad, why are you up so early too?"

Lin Jianguo looked up: "Here you go."

"No need to see me off, Old Chen will pick me up."

"Deliver it to the entrance of the residential area."

Lin Shubai didn't say anything more and went into the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror showed a mess of hair and pillow marks on his face.

After washing up, Wang Xiulan had already set the table for breakfast: porridge, fried eggs, pickled vegetables, steamed buns, braised beef, and a cup of hot milk. Six items laid out on the table.

"Mom, this is too much."

"I'm hungry from the journey." Wang Xiulan pushed the milk towards me. "Drink the milk first, while it's hot."

Lin Shubai picked up the milk and took a sip; it was so hot that he shivered.

"Have you packed everything?"

"All packed up."

My phone vibrated halfway through the meal.

Su Wan's text message: "Are you up? What time are you leaving?"

Lin Shubai replied, "I'm having breakfast now. Old Chen will pick me up at 6:30."

"Have you brought everything? Your ID card, exam admission ticket, and pen?"

"I brought it, I brought it. Why are you more nervous than me today?"

"I'm not nervous. I'm just reminding you. If you forget your admission ticket and can't get into the exam hall in Beijing, that would be a huge joke."

"Don't worry, my mom has already checked it three times."

"Auntie is reliable. Send me a message when you get to Beijing."

"it is good."

At 6:20, Lin Shubai stood in the living room carrying a backpack. Wang Xiulan looked him up and down three times to make sure he was wearing a scarf, had his hat on, and had his gloves in his pocket before nodding.

"Call me when you arrive."

"it is good."

"Don't eat random things. Who knows how clean those snacks in Beijing are?"

"it is good."

"Don't be nervous during the exam, just perform normally."

"it is good."

Lin Jianguo stood up from the sofa and walked to the door to change his shoes. Wang Xiulan glanced at him: "Are you going to wear slippers?"

Lin Jianguo looked down at his feet, remained silent for two seconds, then turned around and went back to change his shoes.

The three of them went downstairs. When they reached the fifth floor, Su Wan's door was open. Su Wan stood in the doorway, wearing a thick pink coat, her hair down, and carrying a plastic bag.

"Why are you up so early?" Lin Shubai was taken aback.

"Here, take this." Su Wan handed over the plastic bag. "It's for your journey. Bread, milk, and oranges. Don't go hungry."

Lin Shubai took the bag. It was bulging inside, with two loaves of bread, a carton of milk, and four or five oranges, stretching the plastic bag out of shape.

"That's too much."

"If we can't finish eating on the way, we'll share it with the teacher."

Thanks.

"Don't thank me, let's go, don't be late."

After Su Wan finished speaking, she turned and went back into the house. Before closing the door, she poked her head out again and added, "Message me when you arrive!"

When I got to the entrance of the residential area, a silver-gray car was already parked on the side of the road, its hazard lights flashing on and off. Old Chen was sitting in the driver's seat, the window rolled down, revealing half of his face.

"Get in the car," Old Chen said, then added, "Have you had breakfast?"

"have eaten."

"That's good. We'll arrive in Beijing late at night, so don't eat too much on the train, or you might get motion sickness."

Lin Shubai opened the back door and got in. Lin Jianguo stood outside the window, bent down to look inside, and said to Old Chen, "Teacher Chen, thank you for your trouble."

"No trouble at all," Old Chen waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."

Lin Jianguo glanced at Lin Shubai again, as if he wanted to say something, but his lips moved and he only said one sentence: "Call me when you get there."

"Okay, Dad."

There were only Lin Shubai and Lao Chen in the car. Lao Chen drove very steadily, neither too fast nor too slow, easing off the accelerator in advance when approaching red lights, and starting the car without any rush or impatience.

"Are you nervous?" Old Chen suddenly asked.

"good."

"Are you nervous or not nervous?"

"It's alright. Not too nervous, but not completely relaxed either."

Old Chen was a bit speechless, after all, he hadn't been exposed to the baptism of nonsense literature, but perhaps afraid that Lin Shubai would get nervous, he continued, "The first time I went on a long trip, my mother cooked twenty tea eggs for me, saying I should eat them on the way. I ate them all the way from Shanghai to Beijing, for a whole day, and for three days after that, I didn't want to see eggs."

Lin Shubai couldn't help but laugh: "Twenty? How did you finish them all?"

"I shared them with the other passengers in the same carriage. Everyone in the carriage was eating my mom's tea eggs, and after they finished, they asked me, 'Does your mom need another son?'"

Lin Shubai laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

The car arrived at the train station.

The Shanghai Railway Station was much larger than Lin Shubai had imagined. Under the huge dome, people came and went, and travelers with suitcases poured in from all directions.

Old Chen parked the car and led Lin Shubai inside. Security check, ticket check, finding the platform—Old Chen walked quickly, with long strides and a fast pace. Lin Shubai had to jog to keep up.

Which platform number?

Lin Shubai glanced at the ticket: "Number three."

"Over here."

The two people walked through the waiting hall, went down from Exit A2, and walked along the corridor for about five minutes before finally arriving at Platform 3.

"Go up and find a seat."

The two got into the car. The car was warm, with the heating on full blast, and Lin Shubai started sweating as soon as he entered.

The train started moving, and Lin Shubai leaned back in his seat, watching the scenery outside the window slowly move by. The outline of Shanghai gradually faded away, high-rise buildings became low-rise buildings, low-rise buildings became farmland, and farmland became patches of green.

He took out his phone and sent Wang Xiulan a text message: "Get on the bus."

Reply instantly: "Okay. Be careful on the road. I'll send it again when I arrive."

He sent Su Wan another message: "Get on the bus."

The reply was quick: "Okay. Remember to send it when it arrives. Don't talk to strangers."

"I'm not a child."

"You are a child. Sixteen years old, a high school freshman, a minor. Legally, you are a child."

Lin Shubai stared at the text message, speechless. She was right.

Lin Shubai put his phone in his pocket and closed his eyes. The train swayed and rocked, making his eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

He took a nap. He woke up once in the middle of the night, and Old Chen handed him a loaf of bread and a bottle of water. He ate and drank, and then went back to sleep.

When I woke up for the second time, the train's announcement system came on: "Dear passengers, the next stop is Beijing South Station. Passengers who are getting off the train, please prepare to disembark."

Lin Shubai glanced at his watch—6:40 PM. Ten minutes later than expected.

The two got off the train. Beijing South Railway Station was even bigger than Shanghai Railway Station, with a dome so high that the top was invisible.

Old Chen led Lin Shubai out of the station. A row of taxis and several buses were parked in the square in front of the station, with banners on their sides that read "National Middle School Students' Innovative Writing Competition".

"There's a shuttle bus waiting for you," Old Chen pointed to the bus. "Get on."

Lin Shubai boarded the bus. The bus was already quite full, filled with contestants dressed in various outfits. Some were chatting, some were looking at their phones, and some were sleeping against their seats. Lin Shubai found an empty seat by the window, and Old Chen sat next to him.

The bus drove for about forty minutes before stopping in front of a gray-white building. A sign hung at the entrance—"Beijing Hotel." The building wasn't tall, about six stories, with a beige exterior and aluminum alloy windows that looked quite old.

"We've arrived." Old Chen stood up. "Get off the bus."

Lin Shubai got off the bus carrying his backpack. A gust of cold wind hit him in the face, making him shiver. He pulled his scarf up, burying half his face in it.

Old Chen went over to check in. Lin Shubai stood beside him waiting.

Just then, two more people entered through the door. The one in front was a girl in a white down jacket, her hair in a ponytail, dragging a small suitcase. Behind her followed a boy wearing round-framed glasses, a dark blue windbreaker, messy hair, and a bulging backpack, looking like a turtle carrying its shell.

The girl walked steadily, her steps small but even. The boy followed behind, looking around, glancing at the ceiling lights and the paintings on the wall, nearly bumping into the girl several times.

"Can't you watch where you're going?" the girl said without turning her head.

"I'm looking," the man said confidently. "I'm looking at the hotel's environment. Look at that light, isn't it crooked?"

"The light isn't crooked. Your head is crooked."

The boy paused for a moment, tilted his head, and said, "My head isn't tilted. I looked in the mirror, and it's straight."

The girl ignored him, walked straight to the front desk, took out her ID card and examination admission ticket from her pocket, and placed them on the table.

"Hello, check-in is here. This is for the National Middle School Students' Innovative Writing Competition."

The receptionist looked up, took the ID, typed a few things on the computer, and then handed her a room key: "Fourth floor, 408."

The girl took the room key and turned to leave. The boy quickly stepped forward, handing over his own identification: "Me too! Me too! We're in the same competition!"

The receptionist glanced at him, took his ID, typed a few things on the computer, then frowned: "Who did you come with? Where's your teacher?"

"He's on the phone at the door. Let me go first." The boy scratched his head.

The woman at the front desk knocked a few more times and handed him a room key: "Fifth floor, 509."

The boy took the room key, glanced at the number, then turned around and saw Lin Shubai standing next to him waiting for Lao Chen to complete the formalities. His eyes lit up and he came over.

"Hey bro, are you in the competition too?"

Lin Shubai nodded.

"Which region are you from?" the boy asked quickly, like a machine gun.

"Shanghai"

"Really?!" The boy's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, and he moved half a meter closer to Lin Shubai. "I'm from Shanghai too! Which school did you go to?"

Jing'an No.1 Middle School.

"Jiao Tong University Affiliated High School! My name is Chen Xiaobei!"

"What's your name?"

"Lin Shubai".

Chen Xiaobei's expression froze instantly. His mouth opened into an "O" shape, his eyes widened like saucers, and he stood there as if he had been frozen in place.

"Lin Shubai?" His voice was a little unsteady. "The Lin Shubai who wrote 'The Most Precious Gift'?"

"...I think so."

"Holy crap!" Chen Xiaobei exclaimed, then realized he was in the lobby and quickly covered his mouth, but the sound had already leaked out through his fingers. The woman at the front desk looked up at him.

Chen Xiaobei leaned closer, lowering her voice but unable to suppress her excitement: "My sister is talking about you! She wants me to study your writing! She says you write better than many adult authors she's ever seen! She says if you keep at it, you'll definitely be a great writer someday!"

Who is your sister?

"Chen Xiaonan, editor of the magazine 'Harvest'."

Lin Shubai was taken aback. *Harvest*, a top-tier literary magazine. He nodded: "Thank you to your sister for me."

The girl in the white down jacket walked over from the front desk. She glanced at Chen Xiaobei, then at Lin Shubai, her gaze lingering on Lin Shubai for a second.

"Are you also from the Shanghai region?" the girl asked. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

"right."

The girl extended her hand: "Lin Wanqing. Fudan High School."

Lin Shubai shook hands with her: "Lin Shubai. Jing'an No.1 High School."

Lin Wanqing raised her eyebrows slightly, but her expression didn't change much; she simply nodded: "I've read your article. It's very well written."

"Thanks."

Chen Xiaobei, having already added Lin Shubai on WeChat, put his phone away, glanced at Lin Shubai, then at Lin Wanqing, and suddenly clapped his hands: "Great! The three of us are all from Shanghai! Staying at the same hotel! Isn't this a great group trip?"

Lin Wanqing glanced at him: "Who's teaming up with you?"

"We're all from the same hometown! When you're away from home, it's heartwarming to see someone from your hometown again." Chen Xiaobei said, wiping his eyes exaggeratedly, but not a single tear came out.

Lin Wanqing said expressionlessly, "I'm not teary-eyed."

"That's what it means to be heartbroken. Calm on the surface, but turbulent inside," Chen Xiaobei said earnestly.

Old Chen finished the formalities and came over to hand the room key to Lin Shubai: "Fifth floor, 508. You'll have a room to yourself; the school booked it for you separately."

Lin Shubai took the room key. Chen Xiaobei, overhearing this, exclaimed, "I'm in 509! Next door! We're neighbors!"

Lin Wanqing looked at the room card in her hand—408—and then at Chen Xiaobei and Lin Shubai. Her expression didn't change much, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, probably because she was glad that she wasn't on the same floor as them.