My Smile

Yilu Liangren

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Word count: 341.8K words

Summary

A first-person recollection of school and growing up more than forty years ago. The protagonist comes from a poor farming family; his parents had neither time nor means to give him any education, and he grew up stubbornly like a blade of grass. In junior high, he received the school's only slot for the provincial youth geology summer camp, where he met an enthusiastic counselor and an elderly professor from the geology institute. Later, after starting work, he entered the education system, experienced changes in management models such as cultural-education assistant and personnel turnover, and eventually education management returned to schools. He also went from a middle manager led by others to leading others, recording an ordinary person's growth and the changes of the times in plain strokes.

Editor's review

This is a realistic, strongly autobiographical school-memory novel, suitable for readers who like period flavor, rural life, and education topics. Its strength is the author's delicate portrayal of poor origins, his parents' survival conditions, and grassroots education ecology—plain and sincere. The weakness is slow plot progression and mild conflict, lacking satisfying moments and strong drama; readers seeking fast pacing may find it bland.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like period memories and rural realistic themes
Readers interested in basic education and rural life
Readers who prefer first-person, slow-paced narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong conflict and fast-paced power fantasy
Readers who prefer urban romance as the main line

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters to understand the protagonist's family background and formative years
Read it as period-memory essays; don't expect dense plot twists
Pay attention to the depictions of education and grassroots management to appreciate the changes of the times

FAQ

What type of work is this book?

A realistic, autobiographical school and period-memory novel, not typical romance.

When is the story set?

Mainly rural and school life in the early 1980s and afterward.

Is it suitable for binge-reading?

The pace is slow and the plot mild; better for leisurely reading.

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About the author

Yilu Liangren Author

Yilu Liangren is an author about whom limited public information is available. Three of the author's works are currently held in the collection, with representative titles including A Novel Without an Ending, Ye'er, and My Smile. Judging from the common categories, the writing tends to fall between male-oriented fiction, urban fiction, social fiction, and documentary literature, while also showing a literary inclination. The title A Novel Without an Ending alone suggests an interest in narrative openness and a sense of incompleteness; Ye'er and My Smile lean toward delicate writing about everyday life and characters. Since the dates of birth and death, nationality, and personal history are not clearly recorded, this introduction makes no speculation and outlines the author's creative profile only on the basis of the works and categories: an attention to urban life and social reality, a plain and restrained tone, and a literary quality retained within genre frameworks. The available material is not yet sufficient to fully assess the author's overall body of work and influence, and readers may learn more by turning to the specific works.