This is a factual account of the life of an ordinary son of a farming family.
The protagonist, Chen Mo, was born into a poor household. His parents had him late in life, and he was often ill. The family was in financial difficulty year after year. From the fifth grade onward, he lived away from home, renting a room in town and taking care of his own meals and daily needs. He learned far too early how harsh and heavy life could be.
His life was nothing extraordinary, and he stumbled through it at every turn. He had to repeat a year in primary school, then worked hard to make up for lost ground. In middle school, he applied himself and became his family's hope for a time. In high school, he suffered setbacks, and both his studies and romantic life took a turn for the worse. After retaking the college entrance exam, he finally enrolled at an ordinary university. At twenty-four, he graduated with no clear direction and no idea what to do next.
For two years after graduation, he was stuck trying to pass the civil service exam. He was dissatisfied with his situation but repeatedly struggled to persevere, wasting time caught in a cycle of self-doubt. At twenty-six, he was forced to enter the workforce, moving between factory work, food delivery, security, and service jobs, struggling at the bottom of society. Seeing people around him driven by self-interest and quick profit, he held on to his principles and conscience. He refused to go along with them, yet lacked the strength to break free.
From twenty-six to thirty-four, he lived through struggle and compromise. He wanted to change his fate but often gave up halfway. He did not want to sink into ruin, but in the end, he never managed to rise above an ordinary life.
At thirty-four, through an introduction, he started a family in his hometown. His days were quiet and peaceful, with neither great joy nor great sorrow.
This is the life of someone utterly ordinary.
No wealth or fame, no earth-shattering achievements,
only the burdens of growing up, the helplessness of reality, the turmoil within, and an ordinary person's simple determination to keep going.
His life was modest and uneventful, but he lived honestly and uprightly, with nothing to regret.
