What's the harm in doing so?

Author: He Yuanwai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: My name is He Bu, my dad's name is He Le, and my son's future name will be He Wei. Together, it forms the plaque in my illiterate grandfather's home: "Why Not He Le?" I'm adorable, smart, kind, and value loyalty. Sometimes I play pranks that are both hilarious and ridiculous, and at other times, I'm so clueless that it leaves people stunned. He Bu, this mischievous spirit of only his teens, along with his friends, embarks on one extraordinary adventure after another in the exciting world of "Why Not He Le," having a blast.
Adorable, smart, kind, and valuing loyalty, He Bu, this mischievous spirit of only his teens, along with his friends, embarks on one extraordinary adventure after another in the exciting world of "Why Not He Le," having a blast.
Reading Yuanwai's stories feels like returning to childhood, when parents would tell tales of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, Sun Wukong defeating the White Bone Demon, or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs before bed. You'd laugh and cry with the characters, then reluctantly ask, "What happened next?" It's immersive and heartwarming. Now, I realize that many life lessons about how to conduct oneself in the world were actually learned from those stories.
"Why Not He Le" is a simple story, yet not childish. It contains the cunning and survival of the adult world, yet retains the persistence and sincerity of a child. It tries to see the world with clear eyes, though sometimes it fails, gets deceived, or hurt, yet never gives up, never compromises, nor goes along with the crowd. It always strives for its ideals, supports friends and family in times of crisis, overcomes one challenge after another, and ultimately achieves success—these are truly touching.
When writing this story, Yuanwai said he wanted to try having a person who knows little martial arts wander the martial arts world and become a legend through non-violent means. It was indeed a great challenge. But whether the challenge succeeds isn't important—what matters is the love and courage revealed in the words. Even if a person fails, love and courage never do. These are things worth passing on.
Another challenge was that the main characters in the book are closely related to the protagonists of Yuanwai's other novel, "We All Got on Graduation Day." He Bu is the son of He Le (and also calls himself He Yuanwai—though I always think that's a bit of a narcissistic move!); the little bandit is the son of a bandit; Peaches is undoubtedly He's wife. And the most amusing part is that the mother bandit still doesn't have a name, while the little mother bandit initially appears with her real name—haha, consider it progress. But this makes it hard to follow the logical relationships—previous generations are modern, while the descendants are in ancient times. How can one accept that?
"Don't underestimate readers; they're very smart," Yuanwai told me firmly. Haha, so, dear readers, what do you think?