Chapter 20. 020. Your future will definitely be extraordinary. ...
Chen Zhoudu didn't understand what she meant by "meaning," but he got up and stood up behind her, watching her.
The early autumn night was quiet, with countless stars dotting the sky like pearls fallen into the sea. She held a paper airplane, closed her eyes, searched around for a moment, but didn't release it. Instead, she pointed it in a certain direction and said to him, "Do you remember Grandma Wu from No. 6, Lane West?"
Chenzhoudu nodded.
Grandma Wu, who lives in No. 6 Lane West, is also an old resident of Shanfeng Lane, just like Grandma Xia and Uncle Chao and Aunt Chao. She was also Grandma Xia's colleague at the railway.
Grandma Wu is a kind person; this is an undeniable fact among everyone in Shanfeng Lane.
Grandma Wu's husband passed away early, leaving her with only one daughter. Her daughter divorced years ago and works away from home year-round, so Grandma Wu lives alone in Shanfeng Lane, where she usually grows flowers and vegetables, and also makes handmade tofu or flower bracelets to sell at a stall.
Several times in the past, people would often send vegetables they grew themselves to "Du", and Grandma Wu was always among them.
She not only delivered flowers and vegetables to the elderly in the "Crossing" area, but also to every elderly household in Shanfeng Lane.
But the only regret of such a wonderful person is that she has a grandson who is often said to be "crazy".
“Her grandson graduated from Capital Normal University,” Xia Chan said with a smile.
The sunken boat was taken aback.
"Her grandson was actually an outstanding graduate of our experiment, about five or four years ago. Anyway, he achieved top results in the city, which was very honorable. The city even gave him a bonus."
"After graduating from Capital Normal University, he stayed in the capital to work. He had a high monthly salary and a bright future. Everyone in the alley said that he was a role model for our generation of children, and every family's children wanted to learn from him."
She took the paper airplane back and folded it again in her hand, a smile playing on her lips as if she were telling an old story.
"Then, about two years ago, I don't know how, one day he suddenly came back from the capital and said he wanted to resign."
"At the time, Grandma Wu and other grandmothers and aunties from various households were extremely anxious, wondering why he would quit such a good job with such a high monthly salary. They forced him to go back to work. So he went back. But when he came back about a year and a half ago, he was like a completely different person. He had gained almost fifty pounds, balded halfway, and his face was covered in pimples and wrinkles. He also brought back more than fifty medical records, listing almost twenty different ailments. The most conspicuous thing was the three words on them: 'Psychiatry'! After that, many people in the alley started spreading rumors that he had gone mad."
She looked up and smiled at him, her brows twitching slightly as she listened quietly.
"After that, Grandma Wu took him to see doctors everywhere, to many big hospitals, in the capital and in Shanghai..."
"But it just won't get better no matter what we do."
"However, after taking the medicine, the situation stabilized, and I was able to eat and communicate normally. But when it comes to going back to work, I still 'go crazy'."
"Grandma Wu didn't insist anymore and let him stay home to take the civil service exam. He prepared for the exam for more than a year, but he didn't pass. In fact, his old illness may have relapsed due to the pressure. Seeing this, Grandma Wu didn't even insist on him taking the civil service exam anymore. She let him stay home and help him grow vegetables, make tofu, and sell things. Now her biggest wish is for him to be healthy."
The story was over, and Xia Chan had finished folding the paper airplane in her hand and was once again pointing it at the sky.
A breeze ruffled her hair slightly, and Chenzhoudu remained silent for a long time.
Xia Chan turned her back to him. "Chen Zhoudu, now, I'll ask you another question. What is the purpose of our college entrance examination?"
"..." Shen Zhoudu probably understood what she meant, and after a moment of contemplation, he answered in a low voice, "Go to university."
"Then what's the point of going to university?" Xia Chan asked with a smile, and before he could answer, she continued, "Teachers and parents have always said since I was little that it's for a better life in the future."
"—So what exactly constitutes a good life?"
She let out a long sigh, then suddenly turned her back to him and opened her arms. The night breeze blew her hair and the hem of her shirt, making her look like a butterfly about to take flight in the night.
Chenzhoudu stared intently, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Xia Chan: "Do you own a house? A car? A good job? Are you married into a good family? Have you found a good wife?"
"To appear glamorous on the outside, and not be looked down upon by family and friends on the inside, to be someone who makes people think of you as a very capable person, not a useless person who just eats rice and does nothing, and then to follow the expected path of getting married, having children, raising them, and then having your children repeat the same life and become the same kind of person, is that right?"
"..." Shen Zhoudu's lips slowly pursed, unsure how to delve into such a profound and weighty topic with her. Xia Chan had already lowered her arms and turned to look at him, letting out a soft sigh and a smile.
"I'm not giving up on learning, but I don't know how to learn. Everyone says the college entrance exam changes destiny, but I don't know what I want to change. I don't know what I like, where I should go, or where I can go... I'm short of money. Siyi's illness requires money, maintaining her life requires money, and my grandmother is getting older and will need more and more money... But I don't know if academic performance is truly equivalent to money, or how far away it will be before it realizes its value."
“I feel that these things are very vague, and I am very insignificant. There is too little I can change. So rather than trying to change those so-called vague futures, I would rather hold on to something more tangible that is already in front of me. Perhaps you would call this idea self-degradation and lack of ambition, but... at least that's what I really think right now.”
The night breeze was gentle, as if it were blowing her words from afar. When she looked back at him in the night breeze, it seemed as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Chenzhoudu gazed silently for a long time, then lowered his eyes.
“You’re right, living in the moment is perhaps a good choice,” he said softly. “But I always feel that learning may not bring many material things, but it can give people more choices in certain special moments.”
Xia Chan's smile weakened slightly as she pursed her lips, not wanting to discuss such a heavy topic with him anymore. After a long while, she smiled at him again, released a paper airplane, and said, "Chenzhou Ferry, sing a song!"
"..." Chen Zhoudu's breath hitched slightly, and he looked at her with a hint of resentment.
Over the past few days, they've become quite familiar with him, and they've even started treating him like a karaoke machine, constantly saying things like, "Shenzhoudu, sing a song!" or "Shenzhoudu, give us a song!"
She turned around and saw his resentful look, which made her laugh even more. She then imitated Si Yi's spicy manner and started swaying her body and clapping her hands to cheer him on.
Chen Zhoudu could only sigh helplessly and said listlessly, "What do you want to hear?"
"casual."
He immediately took a deep breath and opened his mouth to sing.
Xia Chan pointed at him with both hands and warned, "Stop singing those flower, grass, and bird songs! I've been driven crazy by those foxtail grass and hibiscus these past few days! If you dare sing that, I'll blow your head off right now! Change to another one!"
He obediently closed his mouth, but a satisfied smile quietly disappeared in his eyes. Then he lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "Then... this one."
He paused for a moment, then began to hum a melody in a clear voice.
It was a song without lyrics, which he hummed softly, using only the pronouns "drip" and "da".
The melody, however, was quiet and clear. It inexplicably reminded Xia Chan of a peaceful summer, like the gentle flow of a stream over pebbles;
It sounds like cicadas chirping through the trees in the afternoon; like water droplets falling on a calm sea, creating ripples that spread layer by layer, reflecting the starry night sky.
She listened quietly as he finished humming, her thoughts drifting back to the long summer night.
Meeting his gaze, which confirmed he had finished singing, I sincerely commented, "It was beautiful."
Chenzhoudu laughed.
What song is this?
He paused slightly but didn't answer for a moment, his eyes lowering as if with a hint of mystery.
Xia Chan waited a while but didn't get a reply, so she lightly kicked his foot to urge him, "Say it!"
"I don't know," Chen Zhoudu replied.
Xia Chan raised an eyebrow, her eyes wide with surprise. He met her gaze and smiled gently, “It’s an original piece, untitled, without lyrics, just a melody… it’s not quite finished yet.”
Xia Chan was genuinely surprised. She stared at him for a long time with an expression as if she had never met him before, then smiled in astonishment and exclaimed, "Chenzhou Ferry... you can do this too!"
He lowered his eyes and smiled very lightly without answering. Xia Chan asked again, "Have you written many songs?"
"Not much. I used to write for fun with my friends when we were bored. But I couldn't learn guitar anymore... so I don't write much anymore. I just do it occasionally when I'm in a good or bad mood, like writing a diary."
Xia Chan nodded knowingly, then asked curiously, "So when and in what mood did you write this?"
This time, however, he didn't answer, but instead stared intently at her without flinching.
Xia Chan gazed at him quietly for a moment, and then a strange premonition suddenly arose in her heart, like a night wind suddenly blowing through the paper window, which, though not breaking, suddenly ripped open.
Her heart skipped a beat. She pursed her lips and lowered her head. When she looked up again, she didn't look at him, but gazed into the distance. She said, "Chen Zhoudu, your future will definitely be extraordinary."
-
After the diagnostic test, it will be the National Day holiday. This time, the senior high school students will only have a three-day holiday.
This once again drew complaints from the entire grade.
But no matter what, it's a holiday, and it helps people relax from the tension of just finishing exams.
As soon as the school bell rang on the evening of September 30th, all the students in Class 1 slipped out, afraid that something might happen if they were late. Chen Zhoudu was on duty, and only after everyone in the class had left and he got up did he find the floor littered with crumpled papers, draft papers, and old test papers...
He sighed helplessly and went to the storage room outside the corridor to get a broom. When he returned, he found another figure picking up the scraps of paper on the ground.
"What are you looking at?" Xia Chan crumpled up the scrap paper she had picked up, played with it like a basketball, and threw it into the trash can. "If you want to go back tomorrow morning, just say so."
Chen Zhoudu couldn't help but laugh. By the time the two of them finished packing and returned, the sky was already filled with stars.
During the three-day National Day holiday, Xia Chan was not idle. During the day, she helped "Du" and Huang Mao solicit customers and deliver goods, and at night she went out to set up a stall at the night market.
Although Qingshui is not a tourist town, its scenery is the most beautiful among the surrounding towns of Tongcheng, and it gets a few extra visitors during holidays.
Taking advantage of the momentum, the group sold off most of the old stock they had accumulated in the previous period, making a small profit.
Huang Mao has taken on a few freelance jobs these days, mostly custom-made tables, chairs, cabinets, and the like.
Nowadays, ready-made wooden furniture is readily available online, and few people still hire craftsmen to make tables and chairs. However, his craftsmanship is excellent, his prices are lower than the market average, and he uses high-quality materials, so he often has regular customers.
He was rushing to deliver the goods and couldn't make it in time, so Xia Chan took the initiative to take on the delivery work.
I borrowed an electric open-top tricycle and drove all over the surrounding counties and towns.
That day, she went to a bar in Linxian County, Qingshui Town, to deliver a batch of chairs, following an address given to her by Huang Mao.
“Ah Jiang.”
There weren't many customers at the quiet bar in the evening. The bar owner, Ajiang, was talking to someone at the bar when Xia Chan nimbly jumped off her electric scooter outside, unloading goods as she called out to him.
Hearing the voice, Ajiang saw her, greeted the person who spoke, and walked over to her. At the door, he instructed two employees to help Xia Chan stay still, and greeted her with a smile: "You're here, Chan-meimei."
Xia Chan smiled and bumped fists with him.
Ah Jiang used to live in Shanfeng Lane, but he moved out a few years ago.
After working away from home for several years and saving some money, Ajiang returned and opened a bar in Qixian County, and now the business is thriving.
He commissioned Huang Mao to order tables and chairs not for any other reason than to help him out as much as he could. Xia Chan and Huang Mao both understood this implicitly and silently accepted his favor.
The two chatted for a while at the door when suddenly a guitar string was plucked on the bar stage, and the resident singer began to sing.
"Those laughs remind me of..."
That turned out to be a song called "Those Flowers".
Xia Chan paused and subconsciously looked in that direction, where she saw a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
Tall and thin, with curly hair, wearing a plaid shirt, he exudes an artistic vibe.
His voice was husky, and it sounded quite pleasant when he sang this song in a low voice, but for some reason Xia Chan always felt that he was far inferior to Shen Zhoudu.
But Xia Chan's attention wasn't on him; she saw the guitar in his hand.
He stared intently for a long time.
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Author's Note: I'm here! [Sprinkling flowers] Goodnight everyone! [Blue heart]
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