Editor Wang Yanan

This article first appeared in the 399th issue of The Times Post.

For tourists, Beijing is the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square ... For people who really live here, Beijing is another look. Lin Tete chose the image of "lishuiqiao North" to describe the real Beijing in her heart, because lishuiqiao North is the birthplace of many dreams of drifting north, and because she lives in lishuiqiao North. "Many young people who come to Beijing will choose to rent a house in Tiantongyuan or Huilongguan, north of lishuiqiao outside the Fifth Ring Road, as the first stop of the city."

Lishuiqiao North is a collection of novellas with five stories, but lishuiqiao North is obviously the most important one for the author, because the prototype of this story is herself.

In the story, Zeng He bought a second-hand house with a loan from Tiantongyuan, only to be involved in a lawsuit, not only losing the house, but also paying millions of loans from the bank. This is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for two young people from other places with ordinary families who have just entered the society.

Lin Tete vividly described their perseverance and pragmatic attitude in the face of difficulties with vivid and humorous words, which often made people worry about them and could not help but smile. For example, when Lu Xiaoli said, if the worst happens, "We will divorce, and I won't hold you back". I once answered him, "I won't divorce you. As a history student, I despise women who draw a line with their husbands in turbulent times. " When I wanted to have children, I didn't agree: "If I can spend 50,000 extra special funds, I will be born." Next, he found that Zeng's computer desktop was changed to black, with two big red characters in the middle: 50 thousand.

The second-hand housing lawsuit has been fought for three years and finally solved. In this process, the two young people completed their self-growth and changed the environment-the rules of second-hand housing transactions in Beijing were improved because of them. At that moment, they finally took root in Beijing. Perhaps this is why Lin Tete wrote in the preface: "It is not my hometown. Without it, I feel like I have left home. "

Beijing is a super big city, and countless young people come to look for opportunities with the dream of making contributions. Xiang Liang, the protagonist of Towards the Light, is one of them. Shortly after her graduation, it coincided with the fastest development of new media. Stand firm at a young age, accelerate your take-off, and gain both fame and fortune. However, she gradually discovered the ruthless side of this huge city. But when she wanted to abandon everything and find herself again, her former idol Shirley tried to save her.

The author did not explain how Xiang Liang chose it. She left this story on the eve of their last correspondence and generously gave the reader the right to interpret it. This is also a cautious statement in itself: it is not enough to simply judge right and wrong for the complicated people and things in this city. We need to know them better and respect them. This sentence undoubtedly expresses the author's complex feelings about Beijing, which is love, resistance and struggle.

After Dad represents a broader side of Beijing. This story tells the love story of a man and a woman spanning 60 years, which is magnificent enough to be called legend. But the most shocking thing is that you suddenly find that people who look ordinary at ordinary times may live a thrilling life that you don't know. You realize that Beijing is not only a place where young people create wealth and aspire to success, but also a place where they accept diverse people and swallow life stories.

In Lint's pen, no matter how colorful the story is, the background color is always bright. The characters in her novels always have a sense of self-confidence, and they know that they will overcome difficulties.

In Lint's story, there is always a "storyteller". Zeng in lishuiqiao North, Dad after Dad, Yang Orange in For Children, On the Bright Side and The Best Doctor are the discoverers and recorders of the story, and also the beneficiaries of the story. Writing is a habit and interest of them, and it is also a sharp weapon for them to face life. This is not only that writing has brought them fame and fortune or improved their lives, but more importantly, because of writing, they can keep a safe distance from real life.

For writers, everything can be observed, explained and reshaped, which gives them a chance, a chance to start over in the story. Lintert, who lives in the north of lishuiqiao and writes stories, looks at Beijing, his own life, and even draws nutrients from his own pain, thus creating a new vast world, which is beyond life and a great cure.

First trial ginger

Review Li Ling.

Huang Fei