Heyunling, a name that easily reminds people of a good place where one can pick chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely see the southern mountains, must be a paradise with picturesque mountains and clear waters, charming scenery, and full of birdsong and fragrance of flowers.
But in fact, Heyunling is just an ordinary and backward rural area. There is not even a decent road from the village to the outside of the village. When it rains, the road is bumpy and muddy, and it is extremely difficult to walk. In addition to using a sturdy wooden stick for support, you also have to hold on to your ten toes tightly to avoid falling down.
If there must be a connection with the word "ling", it should be the small hills rising from the ground behind the simple house. The hills are covered with various plants and trees. It is the best place for children in Heyunling to play hide-and-seek. Often after playing, parents hold willow twigs and shout at the top of their lungs to look for the missing kids. Once they are found, the willow twigs begin to play a thorough role.
As the saying goes, to get rich you must first build roads. Because there were no roads, Heyunling was extremely poor. People got used to being poor, and many things became simpler. The villagers learned to stick together for warmth, and there have never been quarrels or discords between neighbors. Occasionally, if someone's home had a big thing called a TV, the whole village would know about it. So when Monkey King hadn't even flown into the sky, a group of people had already crowded in with their own small stools, chatting about family matters, and the children with dirty faces played and fought with each other, until the entrance music of Journey to the West sounded, the whole place instantly quieted down.
Su Xian, who has lived here for 18 years, has also gone through this. At that time, her mother held her hand and went to visit neighbors, and the neighbors would generously say the best words they could say to her.
"She will definitely be a beauty when she grows up. Look at her little face, it's prettier than the stars on TV."
"The little girl knows how to help her mother with work at such a young age. She is really sensible and much more lovable than that brat in our family."
"The girl looks like a noble person. She will definitely be rich and powerful in the future. Look at her soft and tender hands. My daughter can't compare to them."
When she was a child, Su Xian didn’t pay much attention to these nice words, but she felt happy in her heart because she saw that her mother always smiled happily every time at this time.
My mother often said that Su Xian's existence made up for all her regrets.
Su Xian didn't know what his mother's regret was. When he grew up, he slowly began to understand that in Heyunling, although the people were simple, the economy was poor. His mother, who had received higher education, had her ambitions and ideals but they could not be realized. She was ultimately tormented and unwilling in her heart.
But until her mother passed away, she never showed any of her torment and resentment. She didn't even have time to say goodbye to Su Xian before she hurried off to the next life.
Su Xian knew that her mother was most worried about her. Her mother once said that only by studying hard could she embrace the outside world, get out of poverty, and realize her dreams.
Su Xian wrote down these words and tried hard to put them into action.
Her hard work paid off and she was admitted to Nanjing University, a university that many students dream of, with excellent grades.
That famous Nanjing University, located thousands of miles away from Heyunling, is the best university in South City. Su Xian used all his strength and finally squeezed his head into this school.
The moment she received the admission letter, Su Xian shed tears for the second time. When her mother left, she cried loudly, but then she realized that tears could not change anything, so she kept all her emotions to herself.
Leaving Heyunling was Su Xian's goal and her mother's dream. Now that it has come true, Su Xian is of course happy, but she also feels a little empty for some reason. She doesn't know where this strange feeling comes from, but it does not affect her preparations for school.
The news that Su Xian was admitted to Nanjing University instantly spread like lit firecrackers, crackling and exploding in every household. People who came to congratulate him almost stepped on the threshold of their house. Even though they were just drinking boiled water, the joy in their hearts was so sincere.
Su Xian smiled and politely sent away wave after wave of people who came to congratulate her. Looking at the shabby eight-immortals table piled with all kinds of food, she could not hide the touch in her heart even though it was too cold on weekdays. The neighbors might be worried that her frail little body would starve to death outside.
The village committee handed her a red envelope and said, "Girl, although there are a few people in our village who have gone to college, you are the most motivated. This is a reward from the village committee. When you go out, you must take good care of yourself, eat well, study hard, and come back to see your father if you have time."
Su Xian couldn't muster any emotion towards the word "Dad", but he still said obediently: "I will."
Thanks to the support of poverty alleviation policies, although the pace of economic development in Heyunling is still slow, at least people don't have to squeeze into one family's house to watch TV. Except for Su Xian's family, every household has a small income, and her family's income is almost negligible because of their small number of people. Fortunately, people in the village will help them from time to time.
Village chief Zhao would often send their family some food and clothes, all of which were brand new, and even various question books for the college entrance examination.
Uncle Zhao said that this was the village committee's care for their family, so Su Xian could focus on his studies and not worry about other things. The village committee would solve any difficulties.
Therefore, Su Xian dared not to be negligent, for fear of disappointing everyone's expectations.
Since her mother passed away, Su Xian, who had always been pretty, cut her long hair and appeared in public with short hair. As a result, her former classmates once thought that she had excessive secretion of male hormones, but she just thought that long hair was too troublesome.
At the age of 18, the young girl has some concept of beauty. Touching her ear-length hair, a voice suddenly flashed through Su Xian's mind, saying gently: "I think you will look better with long hair."
The facial features of the owner of this voice have long become blurred, but this sentence and the clothes he was wearing when I first met him are still preserved in my mind.
Such an encounter was both awkward and disappointing. Su Xian was distracted for many days. By the time he figured it out, the man was already ready to leave.
The boy who was the same age as her but more mature than his peers was like a passer-by, flashing through her life, and the words he left behind were like the advice of elders.
"You have such good grades. You can apply to Nanjing University in the future. That university is right by the Yangtze River. When you have nothing to do at night, you can sit by the river and look at the stars in the sky. They are especially bright."
When it was over, he said, “Really.”
Su Xian didn’t know whether it was true or not, but before this, Nanjing University had always been her direction.