The Children of the Compound: Educated Youth, Soldiers is a sweeping novel about educated youth, written by an educated youth, and soldiers, written by a soldier.
No magic storage space, no fantasy. No made-up nonsense, no fabrication. That's why it's realistic and believable. It may be hard to call it thrilling, but it still has plenty to admire.
The male lead, Fang Buer, has a name steeped in the spirit of his era, representing the aspirations of an entire generation.
Fifty years ago, in 1975, he and three classmates left their military compound to grow and mature in the vast countryside.
Full of hope, they looked forward to the college entrance examination. But a devastating fire at a reservoir construction site reduced their study materials to ashes in an instant, and burned away their hopes for the future as well.
When all seemed lost, a new path appeared.
He traded his boots for farm shoes, then returned to military service. He learned to drive, but when his hopes of attending military academy fell through, he had no choice but to leave the service. Encouraged by Wang Jing, he took the college entrance examination, and at last his dream of studying on campus came true.
The past is worth remembering
The plot is interlocking and clear.