"We work so hard, not to change the world, but to prevent the world from changing us." This was a particularly memorable line from a movie Tian Sangsang had seen before.
Once, in her youth, she scoffed at South Korea, dismissing it as a brainless country that churns out pretty boys. Yet as she matured and watched some more South Korean dramas, she came to admire their innovation, where the actors rely entirely on their performances. Later, she encountered South Korean cinema and was thoroughly shocked.
As many people remarked, it’s not the country that influences film, but film that influences the country. Things that seem impossible here became reality over there. Movies like "Hope," "Molten Furnace," and "Defendant" left lasting impressions. Even erotic films aren’t just about sex; they have substance and plot, such as "The Treacherous" and "Frost Flower Store." The first movie Tian Sangsang watched was "Murder Memories," a film critiquing societal conditions during a particular time in South Korea, with an ending that sent chills down one’s spine. While watching, you truly felt the unease and oppression of the era and the tragedies brought about by the lack of legal enforcement. At the end of the film, the protagonist never finds the killer and cannot even definitively identify who the killer might be. Perhaps the murderer was one person all along, or maybe each case had a different perpetrator. But the greatest culprit, wasn’t it the era itself? Years later, the protagonist returns to the scene of the crime and comes to a startling realization: the killer wasn’t someone with obvious characteristics but just a regular person, someone among us. He had initially gone in the wrong direction. When the movie premiered, the murderer might very well have sat in the cinema, watching the protagonist on the screen.
However, just because someone else is good doesn’t mean you should blindly deny your own value; the key lies in learning from them. She didn’t think her own country was particularly bad; entertainment doesn’t necessarily reflect any real problems. What she could see was that her country was making progress. Especially over the past few decades, the changes had been dramatic, like the transformation of oceans into mulberry fields. Everything had turned upside down. We are all products of this era, all being pushed forward by its momentum. No matter how we proceed, we’re moving forward, always forward.
Tian Sangsang couldn’t help but admire her wandering mind. She was chatting with her "dream man," yet she managed to let her thoughts drift all the way to South Korean cinema. Hastily, she pulled herself back to the conversation.
Xu Yiyuan seemed surprised that Tian Sangsang brought this up and looked at her with some astonishment before breaking into a sudden smile. "You make a good point. I heard that five days from now, the city secretary will be coming to inspect the rural areas in town. Maybe you can find justice there."
Did that mean she could bring this issue up to the city secretary?
"Lately, there’s been strict enforcement in the city, with particular emphasis on cleaning up practices ." Xu Yiyuan added. He didn’t state it outright, but his implication was clear enough.
Indeed, if she didn’t pay up, she wouldn’t be allowed to continue running her stall. Even if she made a scene, it wouldn’t change anything because of the unspoken rules here. But this time, the city secretary’s visit would be an excellent opportunity. Tian Sangsang smiled at Xu Yiyuan and was about to say something when a soft female voice interrupted, "Yiyuan."
Tian Sangsang looked at the woman. She had to admit this one was truly stunning. She wore a white blouse tucked into long flared pants, accentuating a slender waist that looked as though it couldn’t bear the lightest grip. Her jet-black, shiny hair was tied into an elegant ponytail, giving her a soft and refined beauty, tinged with an aura of intellectual charm.
You could say all women love beauty, clothes, and dressing up. Tian Sangsang felt a pang of helplessness. She too wanted to dress stylishly, don pretty clothes, and become a fashionable young woman from the eighties.
But reality had turned her down and thrown a pig at her instead. It would take her a long, long time to return the pig back.
"Qianqian’s been practicing her calligraphy at home, and she can now write an entire Tang poem. She’s been making quite a fuss, demanding you come back to praise her," Shui Lian said to Xu Yiyuan with a smile, then turned to Tian Sangsang with a gentle look. "I’m Shui Lian. Hello. I know you."
"Tian Sangsang," she replied politely.
"Then let’s go," Shui Lian said.
Xu Yiyuan gave a light "mm" and nodded to Tian Sangsang. His gaze carried a soft glow, different from his usual cheerful demeanor—it seemed as though his daughter had made him gentler. Tian Sangsang could understand, for she was a mother, too. However, she’d merely inherited the original owner’s memories and never experienced the actual process of childbirth herself.
Xu Yiyuan walked alongside Shui Lian, their backs resembling a picturesque tableau of a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Whatever Shui Lian said made Xu Yiyuan laugh. For a moment, Tian Sangsang felt stung.
So he laughs with others too.
So, he doesn’t only smile at me.
It seems he’s just someone who likes to smile.
Turn back... Turn around...
Countless cries for him to turn around echoed in her heart. Perhaps he heard her silent plea, as Xu Yiyuan suddenly looked back at Tian Sangsang.
Tian Sangsang froze in surprise, then quickly turned away, embarrassed. She touched her cheek and sighed helplessly. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting , as though she were lovestruck? It was as if she were falling in love—one day without seeing him felt like three years, and everything he said or did affected her moods. Terrifying! How old was she? She already had a child, yet she could still harbor such youthful thoughts!
Could the saying be true? That love comes unstoppable?
My love feels like a fire, scorching the entire desert. Roar roar roar!
"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Tian Sangsang spat three times quickly. No, she absolutely could not turn into some fool who loses all sense at the sight of her dream man! Those reckless, love-crazed individuals are no longer the mainstream. As a modern woman, she had to remember.
Yes, this is the way to go. Tian Sangsang hypnotized herself silently: "Red beans grow in the southern land; such longing is far away. What is love but an outdated notion? No longer does anyone care... What’s hardest to forget are ancient poems; what’s easiest to dismiss is yearning. What’s easiest to dismiss is yearning."
As she recited these words, Tian Sangsang finally returned to normal.
Looking at her son, who was lowering his head deep in thought, Tian Sangsang gently touched his head and asked softly, "Son, were you scared just now?"
Although Meng Shuyan didn’t want to admit it, he still nodded. Those officers clad in police uniforms did instill a bit of fear in him.
"Son, don’t be afraid if you meet people like them in the future. We may not be able to provoke them, but we can avoid them. We can temporarily retreat, but we must never be afraid or bow to them." Tian Sangsang smiled earnestly. "We can submit, we can show respect, but we must never feel fear—especially not toward those who bully others with fake authority."
Meng Shuyan looked at her with some effort but silently took her words to heart, letting them sink in slowly.
"We’ve sold most of the goods today. We can go home. Hm? Isn’t Zhao Chun almost..." She turned around, only to see Zhao Chun trudging over from not far away.
"Here, this is the leftover money." Zhao Chun’s expression seemed a little strange.
Tian Sangsang accepted the money and began tidying up her things.
"That man just now was pretty handsome," Zhao Chun suddenly