I practiced regular script calligraphy for a year. Thanks to the help of my fellow townsman Pan Xu, my calligraphy has improved significantly.
Departure
Standing there with my suitcase, waiting for the subway to go home for the New Year — another year has passed. 
All these years, I’ve always felt like I’m no different from a migrant worker — just dressed a bit nicer, but deep down I’m still a migrant worker at heart.
High-speed Rail
Opening my eyes, I saw this black land covered with a layer of snow — I must be almost home. 
I’m a young man who walked out from this black soil. For 23 years I never left this black land, and now I’ve been working in Beijing for years. No qualification to buy a house, no license plate to buy a car — I can only ride my beloved Niu M1 scooter to work every day. (Honestly, I’m crushed inside.) Only the smog keeps me company, and occasionally Beijing and its locals come to visit me.
I joined Baidu at 24, and now it’s been almost 3 years. Thinking about it, I haven’t changed jobs in a long time. The salary is pitifully low. Thinking about that factory chief who focuses on AI research every single day, I really want to refuse to work for him anymore.
Transit Station
Damn, the train has arrived (I plan to buy an apartment here in the future). 
Just off the train, I was instantly pierced by that familiar cold. A cold so familiar — I had already put on my Lindun shoes. Only friends familiar with the Northeast know what Lindun shoes are.
The Lindun shoes made in Lindian County, Daqing City, are commonly known as “old man shoes”. I won’t post a photo — I think these are a cultural heritage that Northeasterners can be proud of, worthy of applying for World Cultural Heritage status. Without these shoes in the Ice City, it would be hard to survive the long, harsh winter. A pair costs only 33 yuan and comes with a pair of woolen insoles. Honestly, this is the conscience of Northeastern industry — these shoes won’t fall apart or lose their soles for a whole year. They’re very warm to wear all winter. If you don’t believe me, ask any Northeasterner you know. Of course, if you’re not familiar with the brands, you might not know which to buy. From my memory, only the Linjia and Shuangli brands were good, but the factories probably went bankrupt long ago — at 33 yuan a pair, there’s no money to be made. For friends who want to buy or are traveling to the Northeast, I suggest just buying any pair — they’re all the same, and they’re cheap anyway.
Snacks
As the old saying goes: “Dumplings when you board, noodles when you land.” This saying is quite philosophical. I even looked it up on Baidu. But I still want to eat Harbin’s Xijiade dumplings. 
Trust me, if you visit Harbin, you must try Xijiade Dumplings and Dongfang Dumpling King. If you don’t try them, you’ll never know what a proper dumpling tastes like. Nobody does dumplings as thoroughly as they do — the wrapper, size, thickness, curvature, all have dedicated measuring tools. If making dumplings were an app, Xijiade would be the Alipay of dumplings. But the frustrating thing is that these traditional national enterprises don’t embrace the internet — they don’t support any online payment, not Alipay, WeChat, or Baidu Wallet. I really think the CEO of Xijiade should hire me as their Internet President to develop their traditional business using the internet. I’m critical of this closed business model. This is a new era in China — to develop, you must keep up with the times. You can’t close your doors and lock yourself in. I suspect the boss of Xijiade doesn’t believe in the changes the internet can bring. I must criticize him on this point — he needs to summon the ability of Li Hongzhang, who single-handedly stood against an entire nation. Keep learning and advance with the times.
Ice and Snow World
It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but after living in Harbin for years, I’d never been to Ice and Snow World. (I was poor when I was a student.) Tickets on Nuomi cost at least 360 yuan per person, which is definitely a bit expensive.
After starting work and earning money, I had to fulfill this dream from my student days. So I asked my eldest sister to treat me — haha.
This world is all about human imagination. I never thought ice and snow could be turned into such amazing things. Only after going did I realize that with imagination and creativity, even ordinary things can be so interesting. One thing to remember: it’s best to have a car when visiting the World. I suggest renting a car or asking a relative who has one. Otherwise, you’ll have to take an unlicensed cab back, which is really annoying. As for ride-hailing apps like Didi — in the driver’s words, “None of that Didi stuff works.” This is indeed frustrating. It’s a pain when everyone finishes playing and can’t get back. The government needs to step up regulation of these taxi drivers.
Beautiful Ice City
Russian architecture can be seen everywhere in Harbin. In front of Harbin Station (the first two photos), dating back to 1907, someone with a name ending in “-sky” opened a tea house. The buildings still stand near Gogol Street. If you haven’t been, go take a look. The last photo shows ruins undergoing rescue restoration.
Red Sausage
Harbin has something famous that seems to be called red sausage, but if you’re not a local, it’s hard to know where to buy the authentic kind. Today I can tell you what authentic Harbin red sausage is. 
You’ve probably heard of Qiulin red sausage, and most people think red sausage should be the Qiulin brand. Actually, it seems to be from the Qiulin Lidosi series of food products. If you want to buy authentic red sausage, I recommend 2 brands and 2 locations:
- Shangwei Red Sausage
This Shangwei is located at No. 514 Hongqi Street, Daowai District (opposite Heilongjiang Institute of Engineering). It’s a front-store, back-factory operation. It’s so famous because Shangwei red sausage is entirely handmade, beloved by the people of Heilongjiang. Many people love its distinctive flavor. Others don’t like it because they think it has too much garlic — haha. Either way, it tastes the same to me, nothing special. If I ever move back to Harbin, I’ll definitely learn how to make red sausage — making it yourself is the only way to be sure! This red sausage is so popular that you have to line up at 5 AM. They sell hundreds of jin every day, and once it’s gone, it’s gone — especially during holidays.
Qiulin Lidosi Red Sausage
This is in the basement of the green building shown in the photo above. Wherever you see a long line, that’s the most authentic spot to buy Qiulin red sausage. Don’t believe anyone who says Qiulin red sausage has moved — it hasn’t changed location in decades, how could it suddenly move? It’s all tricks of business competition. They can’t fool this programmer. (No. 319 East Dazhi Street, near Qiulin International Shopping Center. 15245082279, (0451)58938888) This is the place in the photo below.
From now on, don’t ask anyone where to buy the best red sausage. The above are the most authentic places to buy red sausage.
Going Home
Looking at the sunset in my hometown, I’m really almost home — Hailun City.