A not-so-bright crescent moon hung in the night sky, the pitch-black night filled with countless twinkling stars. Jiang Fan sat alone on the rooftop. At this moment, all was quiet, even the occasional buzzing of mosquitoes was barely audible. He silently looked at the starry sky, his thoughts wandering.
The starry sky is vast.
Boundless.
Whenever he sits atop a high building late at night, gazing at the mysterious and boundless starry sky, Jiang Fan always feels a profound sense of insignificance, both in the past and now. He always wonders if there is life and civilization on those stars, light-years away.
If so,
What will it be like this time?
The child is dead, utterly dead. Jiang Fan witnessed the child vanish into nothingness yesterday afternoon. Jiang Fan returned home with unknown emotions, only to find that his spiritual power had surged dramatically. What was once a thin stream was now several times stronger.
After noticing the change, Jiang Fan sat on the sofa in the living room and remained silent for a long time. He used to think that he was prepared to face all the unknown things, but after seeing the child's soul today and seeing the child's soul dissipate into the world, Jiang Fan realized that he had overestimated himself.
Where did the child go after disappearing? Did he truly vanish, or was he reincarnated as legend has it?
In this world,
What else is there?
Looking at the countless stars, Jiang Fan did not wish for people to become stars after death, as the old man had said. He felt that it would be so boring to be a star, stuck in one place for thousands of years or even eternity.
Jiang Fan hopes that,
The child did not become a star, but had already drunk the legendary Meng Po soup, crossed the Naihe Bridge, and was preparing to welcome the arrival of the next life.
As the night deepened, Jiang Fan gazed at the starry sky, and the image of the child bowing to him seemed to reappear before his eyes. Jiang Fan rubbed his face, stood up, and rode the wind downstairs. He already knew that besides killing ghosts, there was another way to increase spiritual power, and that was through accumulating merit.
"Destiny is created by oneself, appearance is born from the heart. All things in the world are manifestations. If the heart is unmoved, all things are unmoved; if the heart is unchanged, all things are unchanged."
"As long as my heart remains unchanged, I will have no fear of any difficulties or obstacles, no matter what they may be."
My mind was shaken.
Jiang Fan whispered, "I have already passed the fasting period."
...
...
On September 9th, the night before university registration, Jiang Fan's mother cooked a whole table of dishes. The family sat in the living room and talked for a long time, mainly his parents talking while Jiang Fan listened.
The father told Jiang Fan that after so many years, the Jiang family had finally produced a college student, and a top-tier one at that. He and Jiang Fan's mother were very proud.
Father also said,
His education level was low. Now that Jiang Fan has grown up and become a college student, he might not listen carefully to any advice about studying hard. But Jiang Fan must remember one thing: make the most of these four years and don't waste the more than ten years of schooling he spent before.
Jiang Fan nodded.
The mother, wiping away tears, smiled at Jiang Fan and said, "If you meet a girl you like at school, you can tell your family without worry. We've saved up so much money over the years, and if you want to buy a house in Zhengzhou, we can afford the down payment."
Mother also said,
Don't cause trouble at school. I know Jiang Fan isn't the kind of kid who likes to cause trouble. If something happens, try to be patient. After all, we're not city people, and if something happens, we won't have anyone to help us. Mom said if you need money, just let us know. We have money, so don't deprive yourself.
My father, who couldn't bear to see a woman cry,
Seeing his mother's tears and unusual silence, he knew that his wife was happy. Their child had been admitted to a top-tier university, which meant they had finally made it through. Even if their future was uncertain, at least they wouldn't have to return home to tend to their small plot of land because they couldn't find a way out.
In the end,
A flicker also appeared in the father's eyes.
He wiped his eyes, and a broad smile spread across his face, darkened by years of sun exposure. He raised his glass and said to Jiang Fan,
"Come on, son, have a drink."
...
...
On September 10th, Jiang Fan, alone, carrying a suitcase and a backpack full of things, boarded a bus from Huaxian to Zhengzhou.
There is no train from Huaxian to Zhengzhou; you can only take a bus, which takes about three hours. However, if the bus takes the highway, it only takes two hours to reach Zhengzhou. But each passenger needs to contribute three yuan as highway toll after the bus starts moving.
This time, Jiang Fan
I paid three yuan.
Whether a bus passes through the highway or not is not a decision the driver can forcefully make. The ticket seller on the bus will obtain the consent of the passengers in advance before collecting money. As for the specific amount of the highway toll, Jiang Fan did not know, but seeing that the people sitting in front had paid, he figured there would be no reason for him to ask for money. Besides, it was only three yuan, which was insignificant.
After getting into the car, Jiang Fan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Fan was awakened by a not-so-loud voice in the car, "Your child is really capable, really promising."
Jiang Fan was positioned on one side of the aisle, so he easily located the source of the sound. He saw two middle-aged women talking to each other, separated by a lane. Because of the seats between them, Jiang Fan could not see their faces.
Look away
Jiang Fan heard another woman say, "Hey, you could say that. I'm going to Zhengzhou to help take care of their kids. If it weren't for taking care of the kids, I really wouldn't want to go to the city. It's too small, and there are few acquaintances. I don't even have anyone to talk to all day. Even if he bought three houses, let alone two, his dad and I wouldn't want to go."
The woman's voice, which had been the first to respond, chimed in, "Yes, it's really stifling not having anyone I know around."
The two talked non-stop, getting more and more excited as they talked, about everything from where their child bought a house, how much their monthly salary was, what benefits their workplaces offered, such as overseas travel, and how meat was served for only a few cents a meal.
"laugh."