Video Editor

Soon, Su Ning arrived at Jenny's grandmother's house. Although it was relatively simple, it provided Jenny and her sister with enough warmth.

After all, their father was an irresponsible scumbag, and it's not easy for this place to accept them after such a big incident.

At that moment, the record player was playing Chuck Berry's rock music, which made the atmosphere in the living room just right.

Jenny wore a figure-hugging floral dress and walked barefoot on the soft carpet, looking exceptionally charming and graceful.

She handed Su Ning a bottle of iced cola, saying, "Here, I remember you don't like beer."

"Thank you." Su Ning took the cup.

The two sat side by side on the old sofa, but the distance between them was slowly shrinking.

"So...you're really going to MIT?" Jenny played with the ends of her hair, trying to make Suning sound casual. "I heard it's freezing cold there, and full of nerds."

"Yes, this is a rare opportunity. What about you? What are your plans after graduating from high school?"

“Me? I don’t really want to go to an all-girls school! Besides, I won’t be stuck in this boring little green town. Maybe I’ll go to Nashville, or Memphis? That’s where there’s real music and freedom.”

Her voice was filled with longing, yet also tinged with uncertainty; perhaps this was what she meant by freedom.

Then Jenny suddenly turned to Suning, her blue eyes looking directly at him, and said, "Suning, what do you think of my singing? Before... before when I was in the church choir, everyone said my voice was good."

"It's really not bad."

But this answer clearly did not satisfy Jenny.

Suddenly she leaned closer, making the perfume even stronger. "Just 'not bad'? You know, a band's lead singer said I have a lot of potential..."

As she was speaking, her knee accidentally brushed against Su Ning's leg.

“Jenny, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Just do what you like.”

“You just don’t understand! You and Forrest Gump… you always get everything so easily. Good grades, scholarships, everyone’s love… and me? I have to rely on myself.”

"..."

"Sometimes I really envy Forrest Gump. He's always so innocent and doesn't have to think about anything. But I... I need more."

The stylus reached the end of the record, making a regular clicking sound.

The living room suddenly fell silent.

Su Ning suddenly reached out and hugged Jenny, pulling her into his arms.

“Jenny.” His voice was very soft.

Jenny turned around, her eyes a little red. "Suning, will you forget me? After you go to Boston?"

Su Ning didn't answer, but simply reached out and gently stroked her blonde hair.

This action sent a shiver down Jenny's spine, as if it were a signal she had been waiting for.

She closed her eyes, leaned closer to Su Ning, and waited for the kiss from her prince charming.

……

As the sun began to set, Jenny wrapped herself in her grandmother's crocheted blanket.

Her expression was somewhat complicated, a mixture of satisfaction at having her wish fulfilled and a vague unease.

The feeling she just experienced was wonderful, captivating her, but also making her somewhat panicked.
“You really are different from others, Su Ning.” She suddenly spoke, her voice a little hoarse. “You’re always so calm. It’s like nothing can affect you. Is that how all Easterners are?”

Su Ning was putting on her shirt when she heard this and paused. "Isn't this a good thing? It makes a woman like you curious."

“I don’t know.” Jenny buried her face in her knees. “Sometimes I feel like you’re so far away from me, even…”

The sound of cars driving by could be heard outside the window; they were townspeople heading home from get off work.

Jenny sprang up like a startled fawn. "Oh my god, it's so late! Grandma's coming back soon!"

She hurriedly tidied her hair and clothes, then frantically gathered up the scattered records and cups.

The girl who was just trying to act like a mature woman has turned back into a little girl worried about being punished by her elders.

"Jenny, just be yourself."

Jenny froze. "Sometimes... I don't even know which one is the real me."

"Freedom is relative! I hope you can understand what true freedom is."

As they parted at the door, Jenny suddenly grabbed Su Ning's hand, "Don't tell Agan about what happened today, okay?"

"Understood." Su Ning nodded.

Watching Su Ning turn and leave, Jenny leaned against the doorframe, feeling dejected. "Why...why are you always so calm..."

……

The days that followed seemed to be fast-forwarded, during the time spent waiting for university to start...

It was both long and unbearable, yet fleeting.

Under a tacit understanding, the relationship between Suning and Jenny quietly went underground.

Like two cunning fish, they searched for hidden corners in the small pond of Green Town.

In the guest room of Jenny's grandmother's house, Jenny would walk barefoot on the creaking wooden floor and sway gently to the soothing jazz music playing on the radio.

“Look,” Jenny pointed to the yellowed cover of Life magazine, featuring Marilyn Monroe’s iconic smiling face, “she said diamonds are a girl’s best friend. What do you think, Sue?”

Su Ning leaned back on the sofa, lifting his gaze from a book on basic physics. "That depends on what the girl wants."

“I want freedom.” Jenny turned around and looked at him intently. “Like a bird, I can go wherever I want.”

“Freedom is expensive,” Su Ning said calmly, closing the book. “It often requires paying a price higher than diamonds.”

Jenny pouted, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer, and walked over to take his book away.

She sat down next to him. "You're always so rational. Can't you say something nice?"

Looking into her blue eyes so close to his own, Su Ning pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

……

Sometimes, they would venture into the dense sugarcane field on the edge of town, which was a different kind of experience.

The tall sugarcane stalks isolate them from the outside world, forming a private green maze.

The air was filled with the sweet, fresh scent of plant sap and the earthy smell of soil.

“Suning, I hate this place,” Jenny complained as she parted the serrated edges of the sugarcane leaves with her hands. “It’s stuffy, hot, and full of bugs.”

“It was you who suggested coming,” Su Ning reminded her as she followed behind.

“Because no one can find us here!” Jenny suddenly turned around and pushed him against a thick sugarcane stalk, causing the sugarcane grove to sway. “Don’t you think this is exciting? Like an adventure?”

Then, her breathing became rapid, and her face flushed, whether from sweat or excitement, was hard to tell.

Su Ning could feel her heart pounding rapidly; she had always known that this girl was quite wild.

“It is indeed very… primitive.” Jenny seemed to be angered by Su Ning’s calmness again, and she retaliated by hugging and kissing Su Ning until they were both panting.

“I don’t believe…” she gasped, “that you can always remain so composed.”

……

But in the distant cornfield, where the corn is shoulder-high, the situation is different.

The wind rustled through the corn stalks, making a sound like ocean waves.

“I really want to go to Los Angeles,” Jenny said afterward, lying contentedly on a shirt spread on the floor, gazing at the blue sky fragmented by corn leaves. “I’ve heard there are opportunities everywhere there. Maybe I could be an actress or a model.”

"Hollywood is not as glamorous as it is portrayed in magazines."

"How do you know? Have you been there?" Jenny turned her head and looked at him defiantly.

"I've read some of the analysis reports. It's a system, a system that devours people without spitting out the bones."

"Hmph, it's your 'report' again. Can't you say something encouraging to me? Even if it's just to lie to me."

Silence spread through the cornfield.

After a while, Su Ning said, "If you really want to go, at least finish your studies at a women's university first."

Jenny didn't answer, but her shoulders twitched slightly.

……

Happy times are like sand slipping through your fingers, always quietly disappearing.

The day of parting finally arrived, and sadness filled the air.

Suning was the first to set off.

The long-distance bus to Boston will depart in the early morning.

Mrs. Forrest Gan got up early and prepared a sumptuous breakfast, but the atmosphere at the table was somewhat somber.

“Su, when you get there, remember to eat on time. Boston winters are cold, remember to wear the sweater I knitted for you…” Mrs. Gan checked Su Ning’s luggage again and again, her eyes reddening and her voice choked with emotion.

She felt a deep sense of reluctance and longing for the child she had personally brought back from the orphanage, who was now going to the far north alone.

Forrest Gump sat obediently to the side, head down, poking at the fried egg on the plate with his fork.

Although he wasn't very good at expressing himself, his face was filled with deep sorrow at parting.

He knew that his brother was going to a very, very far place.

"Mom, don't worry! I can take care of myself." Su Ning put down his knife and fork, his tone calm. He picked up a beautifully packaged box and handed it to Agan. "Agan, this is for you."

Forrest Gump looked up, blankly took the box, opened it, and found a brand-new instant camera and several boxes of photographic paper inside.

“Agan, remember to take lots of pictures,” Su Ning said earnestly, looking into her younger brother’s eyes. “Take pictures of how you play basketball in college, the new friends you make, and the things you find interesting. Send them to me, or bring them back to show me and Mom when you have a break.”

Forrest held the camera as if it were a rare treasure.

He nodded vigorously, "Yes! I'll take pictures! Lots of pictures! For my brother, for Mom!"

The gift seemed to give him a way to stay in touch with his brother, which surprisingly eased some of the sadness of parting.

Seeing this, Mrs. Gan finally couldn't hold back her tears and hugged both her sons tightly, saying, "They are both my good children..."

The bus stop was filled with the roar of engines.

Suning gave Mrs. Gan and Agan a final hug, picked up his luggage, and boarded the bus.

Without turning around, he simply waved through the car window to Forrest Gump, who had caught up with him, and Mrs. Gump, who was wiping away tears.

The bus slowly started moving, carrying the genius boy from Greenfield Town towards a wider world.

Forrest Gump chased the bus until it disappeared at the end of the road. He stopped, clutching the camera his brother had given him, and gazed into the distance, motionless for a long time.

A few days later, Forrest Gump also packed his bags and prepared to go to Alabama State University to enroll.

His luggage was much simpler, consisting mainly of sports equipment and some daily necessities.

Of course, there's also that precious instant camera.

"Mom, I'll miss you," Forrest said, his voice muffled as he hugged Mrs. Forrest.

“Mom will miss you too, my warrior.” Mrs. Gan patted her son’s broad back. “Be careful on the court, don’t get injured. Remember to write to Mom and call her on time.”

“I will, Mom,” Forrest Gump promised.

Mrs. Forrest Gump drove Forrest Gump to college herself.

Compared to the somber atmosphere when bidding farewell to Suning, the atmosphere this time was more relaxed, since the state university wasn't too far from home.

Mrs. Forrest Gan was filled with pride as she watched Forrest, dressed in a tracksuit with the school's name printed on it, awkwardly yet excitedly blend into the campus.

Her Forrest Gump finally left the small town and began a new chapter in her life.

Jenny left around the same time as Forrest Gump.

She chose another women's college in Alabama known for its arts and humanities programs.

This choice was not surprising, as she had expressed her dissatisfaction with the closed environment of Greentown countless times and longed for a freer stage where she could better showcase her artistic talents.

Before leaving, Jenny did not have the same heartfelt farewell from her family as Suning and Agan.

Her grandmother simply stood at the door and silently helped her carry her suitcase into the car.

Jenny stood by the car door, taking one last look back at the small town where she had spent most of her childhood and adolescence.

His gaze swept over the now sizable guesthouse owned by the Gan family, and over the familiar road leading to the school, his expression complex and unreadable.

Here lie the shadows she can't bear to look back on, the memories of growing up with Agan and Suning, and the summer that just passed, filled with secrets and contradictions.

She took a deep breath, opened the car door, and her movements were resolute.

She did not inform anyone of her specific departure time, including Suning and Agan.

It's as if I want to make a clean break with my past self and that tangled relationship in a quiet and unnoticed way.

The car started and drove away from Green Town.

Jenny looked at the town's silhouette getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, her eyes gradually becoming firm, yet also tinged with a hint of confusion.

She didn't know what awaited her, but she longed to escape, to change, to find her true self, or to create a completely new one, in that supposedly more open and inclusive girls' school.

And so, the three young people who grew up together embarked on three completely different paths in the late summer and early autumn.

One headed north to pursue the pinnacle of wisdom; one stayed in their homeland to continue their legend on the football field; and one ventured into the unknown to find themselves and freedom.

Greenfield Town seemed to have suddenly become much emptier, with only Mrs. Forrest Gan guarding her increasingly successful bed and breakfast and the house full of memories of her children growing up.

We await their vacation, their letters, and the new developments they make on their respective paths.

...(End of chapter)