"No, why are you dragging me into this again? It seems that all the good ones are like you, and all the bad ones are like me."
"That's nothing?" Du Chen's mother retorted disdainfully.
"I'm worried when you mention that about my eldest son. The high school entrance exam is coming up next year, and he's still so lazy every day. I've beaten him and scolded him, but he's still the same. If it really doesn't work out, let him join the army after he graduates from junior high school. At least he can get a job on the railway when he comes back." Du Chen's father sighed.
"Oh, I don't know either. I don't really want the boss to join the army. You are also a soldier, and you know how hard it is to be a soldier."
"When you were in the army, I was at home taking care of my eldest son and suffered a lot. We were still in the village at that time, and I was responsible for farming, carrying water, and everything else. Your father was in poor health at the time, so I was responsible for everything at home."
"When our second child was born, you were discharged from the army and returned to the railway. Only then did we move out of the village and into an apartment building. It was only in these few years that I was able to enjoy a good life."
As she was talking, Du Chen's mother's topic went off track.
"I know being a soldier is tough, but it's the only way. As long as the eldest brother can pass the exam, I'll support him as long as he studies. If he really can't study, he'll have no choice but to join the army. At least he can support his wife and children in the future."
"Well, but it's better to continue studying. You can get an office job in the future. You deal with cars every day, greasy and dirty, and you don't get new clothes all year round. It's tiring. The railway benefits are good, but working at any station is tiring."
"Well, there is still more than a year left. Let's keep a tight rein on the eldest son and try to let him continue his studies. Okay, it's getting late. We have to go to work tomorrow. Let's talk about it tomorrow." Du Chen's father yawned and said.
"Yeah, go to sleep. I'm sleepy too."
In the darkness, Du Chen's parents ended their conversation. The room was silent, with only the mottled moonlight filtering through the slits in the curtains onto the floor. The sky of the 1990s was just as clear, and filled with countless stars.
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