It was probably during junior high school when I had the good habit of spending time at the bookstore, immersed in books. At that time, I bought Tolstoy's "Wine, Women, and Life." I remember it being one of my favorite books for a long time, kept under my pillow. Thinking of it today, I went online to look for it. I couldn't find the book, but it was mentioned in many people's articles, such as this one titled "The Buddhahood of a Cigarette."
The first Tolstoy work I read should have been "Resurrection," which I bought from a bookstore in another town during my third year of junior high. The bookstore in that town was much larger than the one in our town. I remember spending about ten yuan at that time, which was enough to buy ten catties of pork back then. As a result, I got scolded by my father when I got home. My father didn't have much education; he only understood words like court and law. He said, "You don't need this kind of book now. You can buy it later." But since I had already bought it, he didn't say anything more.
In my humble opinion, those who haven't read "Resurrection" won't understand "Wine, Women, and Life." For example, how could Master Tolstoy write "Wine, Women, and Life" before writing "Resurrection"? I used to like it, but I didn't understand philosophy. I just knew that after smoking cigarette after cigarette, there would be ashes all over the floor. So, I boldly suggest that if you want to read "Wine, Women, and Life" but haven't read "Resurrection," start by reading "Resurrection" three times! In a long novel, its ultimate essence is actually contained in these few short essays.