Chapter 22 The Sound of Dreams Blooming [VIP]
The desires of childhood are only fulfilled when you grow up, which is more ridiculous than trying to mend the fold after the horse has bolted.
——"Chronological Diary"
Zhen Hao, who didn't like being the center of too much attention, tried hard to act as if nothing had happened and returned to his seat without looking around.
She is always like this. She is obviously extremely nervous inside, but she looks extremely calm on the surface. No one can tell what she is really thinking.
This is what is called "strong on the outside but weak on the inside".
She laughed at herself again.
As soon as she sat down, Yao Mingna, who was sitting next to her, handed her a magazine: "Okay, take a look."
The magazine was opened to a certain page, and Zhen Hao lowered his head and saw the familiar Chinese character "工".
What was published on it was the modern poem she submitted to "Yilin" magazine!
Although she did not win the first, second or third prize, she also won the Excellence Award, and there are only ten Excellence Awards in the country!
Realizing what was happening, Zhen Hao's heart began to pound, and then he pinched his thigh in disbelief - it hurt.
Not dreaming.
Everything seemed like floating clouds on the horizon, incredibly ethereal. She dared not move, fearing that any loud movement would cause the objects before her to dissolve into shadows and soar into the sky.
She never imagined that the words she wrote one by one on the homework paper would one day be printed in lead type and published in the country's most widely circulated publication.
This indescribable surprise and sense of accomplishment almost overwhelmed Zhen Hao, leaving her unable to utter a word.
The Chinese character "工" in front of her eyes even became blurry, but she could recite the poem of only a hundred words without missing a word even with her blurred vision.
——Little me, walking on the rising sun, climbing over the high mountains
——The ground is full of mud, and the thorns will bloom into flowers of dreams
——Suffering is the nourishment that irrigates oneself
——Like fruits newly hanging on branches in spring
——Sour at first, sweet in the end
——I am on this side of the mountain, and my dream is on the other side of the mountain
——Little me wants to cross the mountains and greet the bright sunshine
——Welcome to your bold self
Zhen Hao blinked desperately several times before his vision became clear again.
She reached out and stroked every character on the paper, her movements so gentle as if she was treating a unique treasure.
When she submitted the article, she didn't think too much about it and just signed it with her real name, and even wrote down her school and class.
This is why everyone looks at her with envy and admiration.
During the final review week of the second semester of the first year of junior high school, Zhen Hao heard the sound of his dreams blossoming.
Zhou Chunrui also saw Zhen Hao's name published among other students. He was so excited that he sat back in his chair and shouted to her, "Great, great! You made it! Ahhh! I'm so happy! My good friend's name is in the magazine! How can I be so awesome to have such an awesome friend! Ahhh!"
Zhen Hao was amused by her choice of words: "Rui Rui, calm down."
"You can't calm down at all!" Zhou Chunrui seemed even more excited than Zhen Hao, the person involved. "I can't wait to tell the whole world this good news!"
Yan Yunshu also turned around and sincerely wished Zhen Hao well: "Okay, congratulations on getting what you wished for."
"Hehe, thank you so much." Zhen Hao realized it belatedly and felt embarrassed.
At some point, in addition to Yao Mingna, several other girls also gathered around and looked at Zhen Hao with admiration.
"Student Zhen, you are so awesome!"
"This poem is so well written, it really expresses my feelings."
"Yes, yes, my eyes are red."
Those who expressed their praise were all girls from the mountains, just like Zhen Hao.
"Okay, you're awesome!" Yu Ling praised, suppressing her jealousy. Finally, she asked another question, "But okay, you didn't receive... the sample issue, didn't you?"
She pretended to think for a moment before speaking in complete sentences.
In fact, she had no other thoughts. She just wanted to see Zhen Hao embarrassed at any time, no matter how big or small the embarrassment was.
Sure enough, Zhen Hao had an awkward expression on his face after hearing her words, and replied blankly: "Ah, I haven't... received it yet."
Zhou Chunrui glanced at Yu Ling and snorted disdainfully, "What's the big deal? It's the weekend, isn't it normal that you didn't receive it?"
She always thought Yu Ling was a fake person, so Zhen Hao treated her like a treasure.
After saying that, she turned to Zhen Hao and said, "Okay, I'll go to the post office with you tomorrow."
"Okay." Zhen Hao nodded gratefully to Zhou Chunrui who helped him out.
The ringing of the class bell gave the girls no chance to say anything more, and the students' learning tasks returned to normal.
The final review week put everyone into preparation mode. Even Song Jing and others who didn't care much about studying were quietly biting their pens and doing their homework.
Zhen Hao's joy of winning the prize was soon overshadowed by the massive amount of practice questions, and he was completely immersed in the sea of questions.
The weather in Min County in June is already extremely hot. The fan above the head is not enough to keep the students warm. Students will bring their own small fans and fan themselves vigorously when it is hot. After repeating this cycle, a week will slip away quietly.
After school on Friday afternoon, Zhen Hao and Zhou Chunrui walked towards the parking shed at the school gate as usual.
Just as she reached the school gate, she looked up inadvertently and saw Shi Xu getting into a car that looked very expensive.
Seeing that Zhou Chunrui didn't seem to see it, she withdrew her gaze and pretended nothing had happened.
The rain lingers and lasts for a long time.
Ten minutes before get out of class ended, Shi Xu received a text message from his mother: "Xu, Mom will pick you up from school later."
Shixu first thought about what to do with his bicycle, then the school, so he happily replied: "Okay, I want to have a big dinner tonight."
When Shi Xu, who was in high spirits, saw Shi An sitting in that uncle's car, he suddenly became unhappy and turned around to leave.
Shi An quickly grabbed him and said, "Xu, there are many classmates watching us. Can you please get in the car first?"
Shi Xu knew that she was right, but he still stood there awkwardly for a while before reluctantly getting into the car.
The one holding the steering wheel said, "Xiao Xu, the back is filled with your favorite snacks, feel free to eat as you please."
Shi An, who was sitting in the passenger seat, also said, "And your favorite drink."
The person sitting in the back seat remained silent and didn't say a word.
Shi An concealed his words again: "Your Uncle Pei just happened to come over to do something, and I was thinking..."
"Mom—" Shi Xu finally interrupted her, "What are we having for dinner? I'm hungry."
He has a very conflicted mentality.
On the one hand, I understand that it is too hard for a person to raise a child alone and I want to find someone to rely on, but on the other hand, I stubbornly refuse to accept the addition of a "stepfather" to the family...
Seriously speaking, Pei Yandong treated him very well and was even better to Shi An, so he had no reason to hate him.
The car was already driving smoothly on the road, taking time to an unknown destination.
The moment he looked out the window, he saw Zhen Hao riding a bicycle in the opposite direction of him.
Then the distance grew farther and farther.
A strong sense of loss suddenly enveloped him, as if there was a hole in his heart and the cold wind was blowing in, causing him pain and cold.
Pei Yandong took the mother and son to a private club that looked very high-end, and there was someone waiting at the door.
Shi Xu stood at the door and refused to move.
"A Xu, why don't you leave?" Pei Yandong, who had disappeared for thirteen years, suddenly appeared. Shi An was always cautious when facing his son.
"I'm suddenly not hungry anymore." Shi Xu got angry.
Pei Yandong was very patient: "Don't you like this one? Then let's go to another one."
"Ah Xu, no..."
Pei Yandong interrupted Shi An: "It doesn't matter."
After that, he turned to Shixu and asked, "Is it okay to eat steak?"
Shi Xu said with a stern face: "No."
"What about Cantonese food?" Pei Yandong asked again.
"I don't like it." No matter what he said, I always objected.
Shi An couldn't bear to listen any longer: "Brother Dong, it's just a meal, don't spoil him."
Pei Yandong remained good-tempered and said, "If you don't choose what you like when eating, what's the point of eating?"
He turned his head to look at Shi Xu: "Right? Xiao Xu."
He is so right.
Shi Xu agreed madly in his heart. He resisted the urge to nod and turned his head away from Pei Yandong.
"How about this." Pei Yandong gave the choice to Shi Xu, "Eat whatever you want."
"I want to eat KFC." Shi Xu said without hesitation.
He really wanted to eat hamburgers, fried chicken and drink Coke, but he also knew that adults didn't like children eating these things.
Sure enough, Shi An first refused: "You are not allowed to eat these nutritious junk foods."
Unexpectedly, Pei Yandong readily agreed: "Okay, then let's eat KFC."
"Brother Dong..." Shi An wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Pei Yandong's eyes.
Shixu snorted disdainfully.
No matter how you look at it, it seems that this Pei guy is trying to please him.
Boring.
"I've changed my mind again. I don't want to eat KFC anymore." The boy's willfulness was endless. "I want to eat Minzhou fish balls, fried white rice cakes, rice noodle soup, Minshi meat dumplings, shacha noodles, fried oysters, fried vinegar pork, five-spice rolls, four-fruit soup, and earthworm jelly."
Shi An couldn't help but say, "Shi Xiaoxu, are you doing this on purpose? Can you finish all this?"
What Shixu mentioned are all famous special snacks in Min City, but it is almost impossible to eat them in one store.
He was obviously trying to make things difficult for Pei Yandong.
"I just want to eat it." Shixu was unmoved.
"No problem." Pei Yandong remained calm.
He drove for a few more minutes and brought the two of them to a small shop full of the atmosphere of fireworks.
After sitting down, he ordered some food and then said to them, "Please sit down and wait for me. I will be back soon."
Shixu and his mother didn't have to wait too long. About fifteen minutes later, Pei Yandong came with a few take-out bags, which contained the snacks that Shixu wanted to eat but were not available in this store.
"Everything you want to eat is here. Eat more. This is the age for growth." Pei Yandong smiled and pushed the things in front of Shixu.
Shixu hesitated for a long time, and finally said only two words: "Thank you."
While the three of them were eating in silence, Zhen Hao had just arrived home.
The first person she saw when she got home was Zhen Mei.
"Sister, sister, Dad is home." Zhen Mei said this as soon as she saw her.
Zhen Hao's heart skipped a beat.
How long has it been since she last saw her father?
One year, two years, or three years?
She can no longer remember.
What she couldn't remember was not only the time, but also her father's face.
This overwhelming sense of strangeness prevented her from immediately running to find her father. Instead, she asked, "Why is the house so quiet?"
Logically speaking, the mother's loud voice and Zhen Li's noisy voice are the main themes of this family.
"Oh, Mom took my brother to the neighbor's house to listen to the Legend of Chen San and Wu Niang."
I see.
This is not surprising.
People in the town all like to listen to this folk opera. She originally thought that only adults liked it, until she found out that Yao Mingna also loved to listen to this kind of Taiwanese opera, she realized that preferences are not limited by age.
Zhen Hao went to the beech tree and put down his schoolbag before walking around the room.
The desire to see my father grew stronger and stronger.
As soon as she reached the door of her grandmother's room, she heard her father say something.
A sentence that made her freeze in place.
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