[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-1987-my-era":3,"chapter-1987-my-era-1987-my-era-chapter-133":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","1987: My Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259293,4409,"Chapter 133: White Emperor City (Requesting Subscriptions!)","1987-my-era-chapter-133",133,"\u003Cp>At dawn I bid farewell to White Emperor City amid colorful clouds; a thousand li to Jiangling, I return in a single day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cries of apes along both banks never cease; already my light boat has passed ten thousand mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a classical poem Li Heng could recite before he turned ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet standing before White Emperor City, he was still awed by the town’s deep historical weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and his English teacher each held an umbrella with a wooden handle and black canopy, imitating Li Bai’s demeanor as they strode boldly through wind and rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking two stone-paved streets, his English teacher, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke: “The forecast says tomorrow will be cloudy turning clear—shall we set off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng stopped at a cotton candy stall, spent ten fen to buy two cotton candies, and handed one to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it stops raining, we leave. We can’t linger here too long—I still have many places to go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher took the cotton candy, bit into it, and smiled: “Don’t give me candy anymore—I need to keep my figure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng glanced at her instinctively and blurted out, almost against his will: “You could afford to be a little plumper—might be more appealing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher’s gaze sharpened; she turned her head, half-lidded eyes narrowing at him, and scoffed: “I think you’re looking for death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng stared at the sky, pretending not to hear, and kept eating his candy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way back, they ate a bowl of spicy sour rice noodles—numbing and fiery. They stared at each other, like two lapdogs, saliva flooding their mouths, utterly delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher swept her hair back: “Why is it so spicy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vendor asked: “Where are you from? This is exactly the extra spice you asked for!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng smiled: “We’re from Shanghai.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not say he was from southern Hunan—this level of spice would be embarrassing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shanghai would do fine—after all, they didn’t eat spice, and their standard Mandarin could pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vendor raised his thumb: “You two look like people from a big city—no wonder you’re from Shanghai! Daring to challenge our extra spice—admirable courage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word “couple” left them both silent; they hurriedly finished eating and slipped away quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they entered the hotel, Li Heng suddenly asked: “Teacher, do I look old?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re teacher and student.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh ho!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher’s chest rose sharply; she instantly exploded, her glasses glinting with a dangerously cold glare as she retorted: “What? Am I old?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah ha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng cheerfully entered his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One downside of summer: you have to wash clothes every day—so annoying. Damn it! When will a woman take care of all this for me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A great writer squatting to scrub laundry—so damn undignified!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After indulging in self-pity, Li Heng washed and hung his clothes, then pulled out a book he carried everywhere and read with quiet contentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, the English teacher knocked on his door: “Li Ran and Zhang Zhiyong haven’t come back yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng sat down and kept reading: “These two have done this before—just wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tilted his head and glanced at her: “If you want to come to my room, just come—no need for such a clumsy excuse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher crossed her arms and clearly spat out one word: “Go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng sprang up reflexively, then sat back down dazedly: “Wait, this is my room—why are you so arrogant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher smiled faintly, adjusted her glasses, walked to the window, leaned on the railing, and gazed outside—ignoring him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At just after ten at night, Li Ran and Zhang Zhiyong returned, carrying a bag of wild game and several bottles of beer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four sat together, chatting and sharing their day’s observations, not sleeping until very late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the English teacher had predicted, the rain had stopped, the sky cleared, and it was a fine day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early in the morning, the four bid farewell to White Emperor City and entered the Three Gorges, stretching two hundred kilometers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the water, two hundred kilometers is no short distance. Yet you will never feel the Creator has written too long a passage. The power and beauty gathered here, if stretched over two thousand kilometers, would still never bore you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Xiling Gorge—each gorge is densely packed; even the slowest pace cannot unravel them. Even the sun and moon, shining over ten thousand li, are squeezed out here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thousand five hundred years ago, Li Daoyuan said it best:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On both banks, mountains connect without break; layered cliffs and piled ridges obscure the sky and block the sun—unless it is noon or midnight, you cannot see the sun or moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Li Heng, the English teacher, Li Ran, and Zhang Zhiyong were all riding a boat for the first time; their exclamations of wonder and unrestrained laughter never ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Midway, Li Ran said to Li Heng and the English teacher: “Li Heng, Teacher Wang, stand closer—I’ll take a photo of you two.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng readily agreed, tilting his head slightly toward the English teacher; they faced the camera and took their first photo together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they had taken photos before, back then Li Heng had been focused on writing and hadn’t actively participated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the four asked the boatman to help them line up facing away from the river for a group photo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Three Gorges were long, but ultimately could not outlast the light boat. At just after nine at night, there was no farewell, no excitement, no chanting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving only stillness behind for the Three Gorges, Li Heng and the others moved on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t wanted to rush so hard, but the agreed-upon date had passed—he feared Zou Ping would wait too long at Dongting Lake—so he boarded a train that night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the hard-sleeper carriage, Li Heng couldn’t sleep. After a brief rest upon boarding, he pulled out paper and pen and eagerly began writing his “Three Gorges” chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher sat beside him as usual and asked gently: “Why so urgent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My mind is full of ideas and inspiration—if I don’t write them down, I won’t sleep tonight.” Li Heng didn’t look up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher understood his feeling—her question had been born of concern, not curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his dedication, she stayed silent, opened her newly bought paper fan, fanned him gently, and quietly enjoyed watching the words flow from his pen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ran, bored, had wanted to invite them to play cards—but seeing them like this, he lost the urge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled Zhang Zhiyong into the narrow corridor outside and whispered: “What do you think they look like now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong cautiously peered over, then shook his head: “What do they look like? Haven’t they always been like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Idiot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ran sneered: “If you ever find a wife, I’ll drink the entire Yangtze dry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong jumped up, dumbfounded: “Find a wife? All these days you’ve dragged me running around—I thought you were chasing me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ran choked on his words, then retorted after a long pause: “Forget whether I’m chasing you. With your build, you’ll be joining my dad in six months.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong didn’t believe it, sticking out his neck: “You’re that good in bed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ran rolled his eyes, proudly: “Whether I’m good or not—you won’t get a taste.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong spat unhygienically: “You think I’m interested in you? I only like Sister Chunhua.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s Sister Chunhua?” Li Ran asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this question, Zhang Zhiyong fell silent. On this return to the village, he’d learned from Liu Chunhua’s brother that she had secured a new job and started working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Chunhua’s brother had bragged that her boss had taken a liking to her and was actively trying to arrange a marriage between her and his son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhang Zhiyong heard this, he’d been so furious he hadn’t slept all morning—he’d wanted to storm into Shaodong and make a scene. But after learning the boss was someone even his aunt’s husband dared not offend, he had to suppress his rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he’d come out again with Li Heng—to get some distance, and to avoid staying home too long and losing control, maybe even picking up a knife to go kill someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Heng had forcibly dragged him out under the excuse of “out of sight, out of mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Requesting monthly tickets! Requesting subscriptions!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1422,"2026-06-19T15:27:33.982Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6ef9cf36b44a14135364dbcd1647354760f2c12b080cb87c699b94d193bbd99f","1987-my-era-chapter-134","1987-my-era-chapter-132",713,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002F1987-my-era-cover.jpg"]