As a young woman, Pei Aimin, now 49, hid her natural gift for writing, hoping nobody in her farming village would notice and accuse her of neglecting(忽视)work and family.
That was the way of things when Pei was young in her village. In the past, girls often dropped out of school at an early age to get married and settle into the regular routines of rural life.
A few, like Pei, how ever, yearned for a wider world and looked for ways to express themselves. Pei began to write in middle school and mailed her stories to publishers. Two of them were published, one in a newspaper, another in a magazine.
After her marriage, she had to create secret opportunities. Sometimes she would water useless land just so she could read or write outdoors without being observed. Sometimes she sat under a tree, expressing her feelings on paper until somebody came, and she would hurriedly hide the papers and pen.
"Few women in my village could read or write, "Pei said. "All my family members thought it was a waste of time. "
After reading and writing like that for years, Pei took everyone by surprise when she published a book, Diary of Aunt Vole. It is a collection of 365 short diary entries that describe the natural scenery of the northwestern countryside, the daily routine of the local people, and interesting things that happened in the village.
Pei said she hoped the book would help readers understand that farm work consists of both hardship and fun.
Now Pei's family no longer objects to her hobby. "Although women in the village still don't read, many have changed their minds about it, "Pei said. "Learning, after all, is useful. "
