She used the winter and summer breaks during her three years of junior high to read works of Chinese and foreign literature like Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, The Brothers Karamazov, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Moby Dick. She also started submitting her own writing to newspaper supplements.
初中 3 年，她利用寒暑假讀完《紅樓夢》、《西遊記》、《卡拉馬助夫兄弟》、《西線無戰事》、《白鯨記》等中西名著，也開始向報紙副刊投稿。