A Life Like Wild Chrysanthemums, Blossoming in Splendor
In autumn back home, golden wild chrysanthemums bloom on the riverbanks and beside the ditches, in clusters, clumps, and bunches... In the brisk autumn wind, where the sun shines, the wild chrysanthemums lift their heads and dance in the air. On autumn's colorful canvas, they blossom peacefully, spreading a wash of pale yellow and letting their fragrance drift freely.
Lu Yang, why did we go to college?
Then why did we go to college? Lu Yang asked Li Xiaoyu in reply.
Lu Yang, after all these years of hard work, wasn't the point to avoid going back home to farm?
Xiaoyu, you and I both did pretty well in middle and high school, especially you. You were one of the top students. But did we really work so hard just to live in these little cubicles barely ten square meters in size? If we say it was to contribute to the country, that's a lie. Didn't we spend all those years studying so people would think more highly of us and we'd have a better life? But have we achieved any of that?
The story follows them from meeting in middle school, to growing close in high school, to falling in love at college, and then through graduation and work. Although they ultimately fail to make it in Beijing, they find a lasting love. Isn't that a kind of happiness too?
This book is dedicated to all the university graduates who have served, or are currently serving, as village officials, as well as the millions of college students from rural China.
I can't find accurate statistics, but China is undeniably an agricultural country, which means it has a lot of farmers. There must be plenty of college students from rural backgrounds, too. So I'll write a love story about two children of farmers who go to college.
