A long time ago, I bought Mr. Zhang Zhichun’s The Miraculous Gate and The Gate of Enlightenment. Since they belong to a different system from Liu Yao and Plum Blossom divination, the books had been sitting on my desk gathering dust. Recently, though, I suddenly felt like picking them up—and once I started, I couldn’t stop. I was even reluctant to log into my Three Kingdoms mobile game, which made the monthly pass I had paid for feel rather wasted.
Still, reading is a good habit, much like exercising. After doing it for a while, skipping a day leaves you feeling as if something is missing. To become familiar with Qimen layouts more quickly, I even bought a fidget spinner. The thing is surprisingly clever: three layers that can rotate independently, making it both entertaining and somewhat useful.
Cooler weather and outdoor days
By October, the weather had finally cooled down a little, and our Yangcheng Lake outdoor archery group began to stir again. We organized three outings within two weeks. Spending time outdoors really does lift the mood. Even simply sitting in the woods with a cup of tea can feel wonderfully relaxing—rather like the quiet cigarette a man smokes alone in his car before going home. The situations are different, but the sense of unwinding is much the same.
Seeing several friends upgrade their equipment, I dug out my Tianqi bow as well. I dismantled the extra competition-recurve components and prepared to take a barebow-style setup out to crush their hunting bows. Just kidding—or at least partly kidding. The 25-inch Tianqi and the 17-inch Horn feel like an older brother and a younger brother standing together. The older one is there to teach the younger one how to behave—or rather, how to become a low-key but respectable bow.
Not every shortcut is worth taking
There is never a shortage of people determined to ignore the obvious route. On a perfectly sunny day, instead of enjoying the weather, one friend insisted on taking a path nobody else had used. The security staff had already dug holes to block access to the grass, but somehow he still drove in from somewhere and happily cruised along the edge of the field.
The problem came when he tried to leave. He couldn’t find the way out, so he attempted to drive up a slope and got stuck. Being stuck was unfortunate enough, but he then kept pressing the accelerator while the rear wheels spun. At that point, he was practically asking for trouble. The wheels sank completely into the mud, and part of the rear of the vehicle went in with them.
We considered going over to help, but after seeing the situation, it was clear that there was little we could do. Calling a recovery service was the sensible option. In short, it’s fine to be adventurous, but don’t take it too far. In the end, the person left embarrassed is usually yourself.
The endless QQ mini-program rejection
Another thing has been especially irritating. My application for a Tencent QQ mini-program has been rejected again and again—N+N+N times, at this point. I submitted it in late October, and it still hasn’t been approved. The equivalent WeChat mini-program was approved on the same day, so I can’t help wondering whether QQ mini-programs are lined with gold and silver.
The reasons for rejection have been strange every time: the name supposedly doesn’t match the content, or the name uses a broad generic term. Doesn’t match, my foot. I’ll keep applying next week until it finally goes through. I’m genuinely not willing to let this one go. Wish me luck.
As for this year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival, I barely bought anything. My enthusiasm for it seems to fade a little more every year. I only stocked up on cat food, cat litter, and a few cakes of tea. Maybe the older you get, the weaker the urge to buy things becomes.