Heaven to the left, Beijing to the right

Author: Chen Yi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: A Series of Survival Wisdom. Techniques in public speaking, norms of public relations etiquette, wonderful ways to comfort the soul, the cultivation of romantic relationships, methods of dealing with others, and the development of success potential. The city is like a charming jungle on the surface but actually full of dangers, and Beijing stands among them, more magnificent, more magnificent! Countless young people from distant places yearn for this place, and finally one day, they get close to it and rush into it without hesitation. What will their fate be? The four young people described in the book are Hu Sicheng, Sun Chuchu, Gu Ming, and Zhang Lan. Among these four, three are outsiders, while Sun Chuchu is an exception—she is a native of Beijing. The story begins with her. The novel depicts the difficult journey of young people who have come to Beijing for opportunities, struggling with job searches and the hardships of starting a business. It portrays the emotional entanglements of modern urban men and women under the pressures of life. They experience inner turmoil and confusion about their future. They support each other, and rather than saying they are struggling hard, it is more like they are desperately struggling, hoping for a glimpse of a rainbow in the distance!
Chapter 1: A Sad Graduation Escape (1)
June is scorching hot, and the sun, like a bulb in an oven, makes it impossible to stand still. People hurriedly seek shade. In this dense shade lies the library of the famous Beijing University A. The library is embraced by surrounding trees—tall white poplars with drooping, soft leaves that drape over the red-brick, black-tile structure, which is nearly a century old. On the side wall, the leaves of ivy hang densely on the foundation, with green stems extending upward to cling to the brick gaps. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blows, and the stems and leaves sway lazily, as if tired. At this moment, Sun Chuchu is sitting in the library, with an old-fashioned ceiling fan hanging above her head. The axis of the fan is covered in a thick layer of dust, making its original green color indistinguishable, but it is still rotating, emitting a creaking sound as it trembles. Next to her is an open book titled Automatic Control Theory, along with a stack of white paper, blank and starkly reflecting Sun Chuchu’s thin, pale face. Sun Chuchu has come to the library to gather materials for her graduation thesis. Although her eyes are fixed on the book, she cannot focus on a single word. A shadow constantly grips her nerves, leaving her mind in chaos and unable to do anything. Her parents had just divorced. Yesterday, her father took his own books and some clothes and left the already broken home, moving into his office. When her father left, he wanted to say something to Chuchu, but only saw his throat rolling as he couldn’t find the words! Chuchu grabbed her father’s clothes, tears streaming down her face, crying out in anguish as if she wanted to pour her heart out. But he still left. Chuchu knelt on the ground, sobbing as if the sky had fallen and the earth had cracked. It took a long time before her mother came out of the bedroom, her eyes swollen, clearly having cried too. She helped Chuchu up while speaking harshly, “He’s heartless! When he was sent to the Northeast for the Cultural Revolution, how did I take care of him! Every day, even if there was only a small piece of bread, I saved it for him. If it weren’t for me, he would have been dead in the waterlogged fields of Beidahuang!” She wiped her nose and continued, “Now he’s a professor, and he looks down on this yellow-faced old woman. He just leaves us mother and daughter behind and doesn’t care about us! Waaaah” Chuchu’s mother kept crying as she spoke. These words had been said countless times, wearing on her ears like old leather. Chuchu grew tired of hearing them and shut herself in the room.