What was the relationship between 'Leave the Last Bullet for Me' and 'Lock and Load'? Which one was purer? Or should I say…which one do you recommend?
"The Last Bullet for Me" and "Lock and Bullet" were different chapters of the same book. The connection between them was that Leave The Last Bullet for Me was a prequel to Lock and Bullet, which told the story of the protagonist Zhang Mazi in the early 1930s, while Lock and Bullet was based on Leave The Last Bullet for Me, which told the story of Zhang Mazi in the early 1940s. The two novels had different styles and topics. "The Last Bullet for Me" was more about the lives of the people at the bottom of society, reflecting the poverty and injustice of China at that time, while "Bullet and Lock" was more about war and violence, showing the distortion and madness of human nature. If you are interested in Yu Hua's work, I suggest you read The Last Bullet for Me because it is closer to the historical background and social environment of the time, and it is more about human nature. If you like war and violence, then I suggest you read 'Lock and Load', because it shows the cruelty of war and the distortion of human nature more deeply.