When Lin lived in Hsintien, his father would sometimes come by to take a novel back to his house to read. When he was reading novels by Shen Congwen, his father would often discuss them with him, and sometimes would write his own observations in the margins.
住新店時，有時父親會到住處拿書回去看，那時他在看沈從文的小說，父親會和他討論，有時還在書上寫些他的想法。