Liang Xiaosheng is the pioneer of educated youth literature and also one of the core writers of contemporary Chinese literature.
——Meng Fanhua, Literary Critic

Despite vast changes since the 1990s, Liang Xiaosheng's impassioned voice remains uniquely powerful — his works continue to offer readers genuine intellectual fulfillment.
—Zhang Yiwu, Literary Critic

Writers fall into two categories: one serves society, and the other serves the soul. The knowledge developed from the soul nourishes society, or the knowledge derived from society permeates the soul. Liang Xiaosheng has the distinct characteristics of his generation of writers, being both diligent and compassionate. Under the combined influence of society and the soul, he speaks for us, which deserves our special thanks. I am moved by his common sense and knowledge.
——Hu Jiujiu, Chief Writer of New Weekly

★Discover Liang Xiaosheng beyond the educated youth literature and experience the tenderness of a tough-guy: This selection of Liang Xiaosheng's mid-length novels themed on "love" tells of love's perseverance, loyalty, bravery, and choices in a gentle and engaging manner, immersing readers in the atmosphere of true love.
★The film "Snow in Late December", adapted from "We Are So in Love", won the 11th "Five-One Project" Award for Spiritual Civilization Construction by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.
★A work which compels us to re-examine intimate relationships: While marriage cannot be equated with happiness, the protagonists' unconditional devotion for love and their selfless choices in moral dilemmas offer profound lessons - prompting us to reflect: What should true love look like in our contemporary era?
★Draw warm strength from the book and always trust in sincere love: A life is long, only love can stand against it. Each pair of lovers in the stories has distinct characteristics, with upright personalities and kind qualities, shining with the pure beauty of human nature, which commands respect from readers.

The story of "We Are So in Love" takes place in the 1970s and 1980s. The male protagonist, Li Xiao'an, is a Beijing educated youth who goes to Beidahuang (the Great Northern Wilderness) to settle down with his friends. The female protagonist, Xiu'e, is a local girl who is beautiful, sincere, and full of love. As Li Xiao'an and Xiu'e interact, they gradually develop feelings for each other. However, her parents, fearing that the educated youth will abandon their daughter when they return to the city, force Xiu'e to marry someone else. In a mix of sorrow and helplessness, Xiu'e goes insane. Li Xiao'an resolutely decides to marry Xiu'e and stays in the Great Northern Wilderness for a long time, until his mother, claiming to be seriously ill, asks him to come home...

Liang Xiaosheng

He was born in 1949 in Harbin with ancestral roots in Rongcheng, Shandong. He is a renowned contemporary Chinese writer and scholar. Currently, he serves as a senior professor at the School of Humanities of Beijing Language and Culture University, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and a researcher at the Central Research Institute of Culture and History. To date, he has authored over ten million words of literary works, including essays, novels, commentaries, and documentary literature. His representative works include "Tonight There’s a Snowstorm", "The Rings of Time", and "Educated Youth". In 2019, he won the 10th Mao Dun Literature Prize for his novel "A Lifelong Journey".

We Are So in Love 001
Leaving the Great Forest 059
Chronicles of Yanjiang Village 083
Xiao Jing 163

The setting sun hung low over charcoal-black treetops in the twilight. A pale blue yet somber sky arched above the silver-white earth. Under the evening glow, thick snowdrifts shimmered with soft golden light. Three or five crows perched motionless on birch branches, their eyes narrowed against the snow's glare as they stared listlessly at the vast white world.
The silence shattered with the growing clarity of horse bells, startling the crows into flight. A sled crept across the snow, carrying Li Xiao'an and his wife Wang Xiu'e — who had once suffered mental illness — with their son Li Xin leaning against a large travel bag. At the reins sat Li Xiao'an's father-in-law, Wang Quanfu.
Xiao'an glanced at Xiu'e and saw tears. He grasped her hand, "What's wrong?"
"I won't go to the hospital." Her voice trembled with childlike fear.
Xiao'an patiently explained again, "We're not taking you to the hospital. Remember last night? I'm visiting my mother in Beijing — she has cancer."
"You're lying. You promised before we married — no mental hospitals." Tears welled in her eyes.
"Mom, we really are going to Beijing", Li Xin interjected excitedly.
"My illness has been gone for years... I've taken my medicine like you said..." Xiu'e collapsed sobbing into Xiao'an's arms.
"Dad never lies to you!" The son comforted. Xiao'an shook his head at the boy, pulling a hand from his mitten to wipe her tears.
Wang Quanfu reined in the horse, planted his whip in the snow, and motioned Xiao'an aside, "Son, if you regret this..."
"Don't say that, please." Xiao'an's voice ached. The older man knew his son-in-law would never abandon Xiu'e, yet guilt compelled him to ask.
A sudden cry from Li Xin, "Mom!" They turned to see Xiu'e fleeing back toward their home, their son chasing. Xiao'an sprinted after them. Wang Quanfu sank to his knees, head in hands, unwilling even to take a glance.
At the threshold, panting, they found the door wide open. Inside, Xiu'e frantically rearranged quilts and lifted the kang bed, beneath which lay colorful handmade papers she began sorting. Their son rushed to help.
The sled moved again across the snowfield — someone's oversight sent the papers flying like scattered blossoms in their wake. Night fully descended as a train roared past the wilderness. Inside the train compartment, the family occupied a three-seat row: the son slept against the window tray; Xiu'e, nestled between them with her head on Xiao'an's shoulder, clung to his hand; Xiao'an held her close, his head tilted back in half-sleep.
Xiu'e's soft snores warmed his chest — she looked peaceful as a contented kitten. He caressed her cheek; she smiled faintly in some happy dream. Tightening his embrace, Xiao'an feared she might vanish like mist. This dread had haunted him since that night in Beidahuang when he awoke to find her gone.
That night, in their home in the Great Northern Wilderness, he woke up in the middle of the night and discovered that Xiu'e was no longer beside him. His heart leaped into his throat. He quickly woke up his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and son, and they searched the entire village. The night was very quiet, and their shouts seemed long and desolate. The windows of the villagers' houses were lit up one by one. Many people got out of their warm quilts, put on thick clothes, and went out to help them search. The shouting became more and more noisy, but there was still no response from Xiu'e.
A figure sitting appeared beside the derrick-type wellhead, and people ran towards the well. It was Xiu'e sitting beside the wellhead. She had apparently slipped and sat there, with one hand still holding the beam of a bucket, while the other bucket had rolled to a distant place. The pole was frozen to the ground by the water splashed out of the two buckets, and Xiu'e was also frozen to the ground. Her temples and eyelashes were frosted, and it seemed that she had been frozen beside the wellhead for a long time.
Li Xin had knelt, breathing warm gusts onto her ice-sealed hand while Xiao'an hacked frantically at the ice with an axe. When she finally crumpled into his arms, he wiped the frost from her face, murmuring desperately, "Xiu'e... Xiu'e..."