Cheng Ran feels that the telephone is truly a great invention that enables people in different places to deeply experience the subtle feeling of being in the same time and space.
When he heard that voice, he thought of the afternoon when they were making a bulletin board in the old junior high school, the way the wind blew through Jiang Hongshao's hair behind the isolation building baffle, the way she treated him to a six-dollar drink, the way she sat on the back of a bicycle on the seaside road while chasing after the bandits, and the way she wore slippers in her home in the government compound to help him prepare for the high school entrance exam.
She had once appeared so vividly in front of her, and his rebirth had changed the trajectory of their relationship. He had gone from being a boy who had only stolen loquats from her doorstep and glanced at her briefly to someone who had somehow become her. However, the wheel of fate had thrown them far apart again.
Rongcheng has the unique advantage of being a provincial capital, and Rongcheng No. 10 High School, a national key high school, has always stood proudly in the southwest corner. Jiang Hongshao is like a fish in water in it. She is the signature figure on the bulletin board of No. 10 High School and a provincial youth model... Needless to say, she is also well-known in that high school full of strong people. In the previous life, Cheng Ran would not have any thoughts about her. To use Yu Xiao's occasional sentimental words, some people there will be like the bright moon in the night sky, gentle and not dazzling, but enough to make you understand the insignificance of the stars.
Cheng Ran, we are all one of the stars.
Jiang Hongshao's voice came from far away, with the sound of fireworks exploding in the background. It had been a long time since I heard this voice, and it seemed a little strange. However, in their frequent correspondence, they seemed like close friends who could talk about anything.
Cheng Ran would bring her some new perspectives and understandings on things. Although Jiang Hongshao was limited by the times, she would often understand things quickly, and the judgments and understandings that she quickly extended would make Cheng Ran secretly admire her.
There is a wall between them. That wall may be the difference in their family backgrounds, the ecology of their surroundings, or their life trajectories. It is not a barrier, but it is an existence that cannot be bypassed.
However, in the correspondence with each other, there was a special feeling between them, which came from appreciation, mutual identification of the world's concepts, and mutual respect for having taken risks, fought monsters, and traveled the world together. They could ignore the barriers in reality and be as proud as riding the wind, above the void.
At this moment, Jiang Hongshao's voice was leaping in the microphone as he spoke excitedly about the beauty of the fireworks. He felt inexplicably happy.
Cheng Ran wanted to say, "Do you think it's better if I'm here?", but seeing that everyone around him was staring at him, he decided not to say it, so he just said, "Is this your home phone number?"
"Yeah, let's call this number next time... By the way, how did your final exam go this time... If I don't write to ask you, I won't reply to report?"
After the autism school, Jiang Hongshao stopped sending letters. Their main mode of communication was that she wrote a letter and Cheng Ran replied with one, but there was a break in the middle. For Cheng Ran, it was easy to explain, after all, it was winter vacation, and Jiang Hongshao probably had his own things to do, such as playing and traveling. He might make a summary after the entire winter vacation.
As for the final situation, Cheng Ran couldn't write a letter directly. Should he tell her, "Listen carefully, I am the first in the whole school, isn't that amazing?" Whether he was arrogant or not was secondary. The key point was that Cheng Ran himself was planning to try for the entrance examination of Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School. He knew very well that with his score, he might be the first in Shanhai No. 1 Middle School, but it was probably not surprising in Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School, and there might be many people who could surpass him.
However, although Jiang Hongshao's tone did not fluctuate in this sentence, there was also a hint of joking. However, Cheng Ran seemed to be able to imagine her appearance on the other end of the phone in his mind.
Are you angry
“… Did you not do well in the exam? It’s okay, just say it out loud, don’t hold it in. It must be pitiful to have no one to comfort you. I have a good heart and I care about you.”
Cheng Ran thought about it and imitated the famous Errenzhuan master, "On the contrary, there are so many people who comfort him. What a guy... Ren Shan Ren Hai!"
Finally, Lao Jiang couldn't help it and asked about his exam results.
Jiang Hongshao's voice on the phone became clearer, still pleasant and gentle, "Why are there so many people..."
Cheng Ran said, "I just took a casual test at the end of the semester, and they gave me the honor of being the first in the grade. You know, people who have no choice in the world can't help themselves..." It has some of the flavor of the underworld in the peak Hong Kong movies in the 1980s.
Jiang Hongshao on the other end of the phone was obviously stunned for a moment, then she said, "So... how much did you get in the exam?" She seemed to feel threatened and became alert like a cat.
"1005, right?"
Jiang Hongshao sighed.
Cheng Ran was unhappy. What does your sigh mean
"… I didn't do well in the exam either, I only got five points more than you. There's nothing I can do, I can't help myself… So miserable!"
Cheng Ran: "... How can your excited tone sound miserable?"
Jiang Hongshao said righteously, "Don't be deceived by appearances. I am grieving in my heart."
Cheng Ran said in a low voice, "I understand, 'Baby is feeling miserable'!"
But there was no response.
After a moment, Jiang Hongshao on the other end of the phone was obviously no longer able to speak like a gourd baby. "What... Come here, I promise not to hit you on the head!"
Jiang Hongshao, who had probably always been admired by others but no one dared to take advantage of her or treat her frivolously, spoke in a low voice, somewhat annoyed.
"Nonsense... Who is your baby?"
…
Oh shit, I forgot about this. In the future, CCTV Spring Festival Gala will have to feature a few language memes every year, but that will be after the popularization of the Internet era. This era doesn't exist yet.
But how to explain this matter? Fortunately, without waiting for his explanation, Jiang Hongshao probably guessed that Cheng Ran was talking about some "allusion" that she didn't know, or she didn't want to delve into it and changed the subject.
“Congratulations, you can finally have a good new year…”
"Uh..." Cheng Ran scratched his head, "How miserable was I in previous years?"
"Based on your previous performance, I think it may not be satisfactory..."
During the high school entrance exam, Jiang Hongshao had obtained his previous grades in order to tutor him. Cheng Ran still remembered the caring look on her face when she analyzed his knowledge structure in the playground at sunset... As long as you see Cheng Ran's report card, you can completely imagine how he survived in the past...
But at this moment, Cheng Ran felt a little warm in his heart. In fact, she called to ask about the exam situation because she wanted to urge herself. Old Jiang, a good teacher and helpful friend...
Cheng Ran laughed and said, "You are a noble man who dares not forget the people... You are in a super high school, but you still miss your poor friends from the past."
"There's nothing I can do... I have to understand the people's sentiments once a year..." Another playful voice came, "Report to me truthfully."
Cheng Ran was so angry that he still couldn't surpass her in grades. How deep was this girl's hidden talent? He had made such explosive achievements because of his efforts in two lives and the blessing of rebirth, but Jiang Hongshao was different. So sometimes he had to admit that talent was something that really made people lose their temper.
Fortunately, he had the set of entrance examination materials of Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School, which was a secret weapon. With the set of difficult materials as a baseline, if he could finish the reference test papers and get to the point where he could do the questions at will, then getting into Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School would be as easy as taking something from a sack. Moreover, the gap between Jiang Hongshao and him was only five points...
It's not that he has to surpass her, but when Cheng Ran thought of her looking at him with a playful look like a top expert, he inexplicably wanted to pull her down. In front of him, there is always such a person jumping around and looking down on him. The reborn has no face! How can he survive like this
"How do you spend your vacation? You can actually go to concerts and watch plays. You are good at painting, so you can often go to art exhibitions to learn from them and enrich yourself..."
Cheng Ran smiled and said, "They are indeed a wealthy family. Small places don't have the conditions for such elegant things..."
"Hello!" Jiang Hongshao said on the other end of the phone, "You can also watch a movie... Cameron's "Titanic" is released. The background is the incident in 1912 when the Titanic cruise ship set sail from Southampton, England to New York and hit an iceberg and sank. It is said to be very good and very touching."
Cheng Ran was in a trance. Yes, it was the Spring Festival of 1998, and Titanic was released. This tragic and beautiful love story attracted a lot of people and made them cry. It has become an indelible classic memory in many people's lives.
Many people will vividly remember who they watched this movie with, no matter how simple the conditions were or how confused their mood was.
But no one knows that fifteen years later, this movie will be reprinted and released in China. For many people, fifteen years have passed in the blink of an eye. Is the person who watched the movie with you fifteen years ago still the same fifteen years later? Have they not lost each other and are they still living happily together
Or maybe they have already been scattered somewhere, with the world changing so drastically and everything no longer the same