Qingdao in early autumn looks particularly charming. The air is cool and moist, with a faint smell of the sea. The sun shines warmly through the broad leaves of the French palm trees, reflecting the mottled road surface. The sky is also blue. People living in the interior of North China rarely see such a blue sky. There are also beautiful mountains, deep green in the distance, emerald green near, and some high mountains with a thin mist.
Guo Duer, who was sitting on the bus bound for Qingdao University, didn't have much time to appreciate the picturesque scenery. This was Guo Du'er's first time leaving home and going to a strange place. His mother, who had never been out much, was also sitting in the car with Guo Du'er.
Du'er's family background is average and he was born in an ordinary small village in Huocheng. This is a place with convenient transportation, but it also feels like a paradise. There are only more than 500 people in the village, and the villagers are all familiar with it. It is almost half an hour away from the city by bus. If he had not been admitted to college, Du'er might have worked in the city like most of his childhood friends today and returned to his ancestral village at night.