‘Since I was young, my family was poor. I had a quiet and sincere but slow personality. I did not have any friends or family. I ate congee and vegetables, but I never ate meat. I only liked to read, and other than reading, there was still more reading. I lived without any serious ambitions, and after going to the capital, I really only wanted to enter the Heavenly Dao Academy to study. Afterwards, I met Chen’er, and I only wanted to read with her although she didn’t have any interest in reading at all.’
This was the first part of the opening paragraph in Wang Zhice’s diary. While reading this section, all of a sudden a familiar feeling took hold of Chen Changsheng, just like when he had learnt about Gou Hanshi’s experiences before the Ivy Festival. Although he knew they were opponents, Chen Changsheng still carried a sense of familiarity towards him, as he also only liked reading books.
