Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Weird.

After the college entrance exam, it seems like everyone in the group dislikes her.

Looking at the scenery outside the car window, Yang Chaoyue felt a little melancholy.

I understand.

It's not other people's problem, it's her own mindset.

Zhou Ye is dedicated to delivering food, experiencing the living environments of people from different social classes, and trying to broaden his horizons using his own methods. He's busy right now.

Hao Chun and Ruo Nan: Chun Chun has been brainwashed by Yang Ge. She curses Yang Ge in the group, even if it's just a joke, these two lackeys can't stand it.

but.

just now.

She just really wanted to talk to someone.

I want to celebrate.

Normally, after finishing the college entrance examination, students might hang out with their classmates. But she dropped out of junior high school and is now taking the adult college entrance examination, so she doesn't have any classmates anymore.

The taxi drove away from Yancheng city.

Take another look at the chat history on your phone.

The chat history on the screen, where she said Yang Ge was trash, was still there, but the excitement she had when she was typing was gone.

Outside the window is the unique scenery of the North Jiangsu Plain.

The rice paddies stretched to the horizon, the newly grain-filled rice ears heavy with morning dew, a vibrant green.

The cement road along the edge of the field is narrow, and there are villagers riding electric bikes with freshly cut chives in the baskets and children on the back seat after school.

The outline of the village in the distance gradually became clear, with farmhouses with red tiles and white walls scattered about, and wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys, mingling with the exhaust fumes from the taxis, giving off a warm and lively atmosphere.

It couldn't warm the emptiness in her heart.

I don't know why I feel so empty, but that's just how it is.

While waiting at the traffic light.

I found a group of students who had just finished their college entrance exams by the roadside.

They were chatting and laughing, their voices were loud.

The boys, arms around each other, held iced Coke bottles, water droplets trickling down their fingers, their laughter drifting in through the car windows.

The girls, carrying their backpacks, chattered excitedly about how the holidays were coming up soon, and how they were going to have dinner together and go to karaoke. Some of them were taking group photos with their phones, and the smiling faces in the photos were dazzling.

His eyes were filled with the relief of being relieved of a heavy burden and anticipation for the future.

That was a youth she never experienced.

It wasn't the period of working after dropping out of junior high school.

It wasn't the solitary late-night study session during adult college entrance exam preparation.

It's not just about a group of people going through the college entrance exam together, fighting side by side, and being able to openly share their joy and excitement.

During the college entrance examination these past two days, the examination hall was full of strangers who were at least several years older than her.

There were no cheers or hugs when we left the exam hall after finishing the last exam.

After excitedly finishing the interview alone, I returned to the hotel to get my luggage, but felt empty inside.

Maybe I'm just being too dramatic.

I feel like a lost child right now, clutching a tiny bit of sense of accomplishment, but with no one to share it with.

Those familiar classmates have long since drifted apart.

The people I'm familiar with now are all my colleagues at the company.

Even so, Hao Chun, Xi Wei, Jiang Yang, Ruo Nan, Bai Lu, and familiar faces like Nazha, Zhou Ye, and even Sister Meng, were not by his side.

There are no friends to celebrate with.

However, the banter in the group chat is something that can make her laugh.

[“Yezi, I just want to ask you, are you still delivering the orders to Wanggang Village in Yancheng?”] Yang Chaoyue replied to Zhou Ye in the group chat.

Zhou Ye chimed in: ["I'll send it. Travel expenses are one thousand."]
Yang Chaoyue sent a message: [“Never mind then.”]
Until the taxi drove into Wanggang Village.

The setting sun sinks behind the rice paddies.

The wind carried the dampness of rice stalks and the fragrance of old willow trees, its warmth gently caressing my face.

When Yang Chaoyue saw the old willow tree covered with red cloth in front of his old home in the distance, his heart suddenly settled down.

The red stripes were tinged orange by the setting sun and fluttered like little flags in the wind, as if waiting for her return.

The rice paddies in the distance have just begun to sprout ears, and the green waves are gilded by the setting sun, stretching along the ridges to the horizon.

The cicadas' chirping was a little weaker than in the afternoon, just a soft, intermittent sound.

This is her root.

No matter how far she goes or how much she suffers, this is a place where she can feel at ease.

Under the shade of the tree, Father stood with his back hunched, his clothes washed until they were slightly faded, but still neat and clean.

Fine wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes, which were filled with anticipation. She squinted hard as she looked toward the intersection, afraid of missing her daughter.

"The exam is over, Yueyue."

"Yes, I've finished the exams. In another two months, I might be going to university."

Yang Chaoyue got out of the car and spoke in Mandarin.

It still carries a bit of the accent of my hometown dialect.

Since becoming an actor, under Yang Ge's supervision, I've deliberately learned to speak Mandarin well. Whenever I return to my hometown, I feel like my speech sounds strange.

I used to speak the dialect very fluently.

He can just open his mouth and say it.

Now I'm a bit rusty. There are some unfamiliar words that I need to think for a few seconds before I can pronounce them properly in the dialect.

When she was away from home, the crew would praise her for speaking exceptionally standard Mandarin.

My professional skills have indeed improved.

It does give me a feeling of being far from my hometown.

He actually seemed more like an outsider.

After asking the taxi driver about the fare, Yang Chaoyue was about to scan the QR code to pay when his father came over and took out his wallet, saying, "I'll pay, Yueyue."

"Why are you paying? You keep the money; I have money now."

"You earn money with great difficulty, running around film sets in all kinds of weather, and having to deal with so many people..."

"People pay by scanning a QR code now."

As soon as Yang Chaoyue finished speaking, he saw his father slip a hundred-yuan bill to the driver.

It has been discovered that taxi drivers in Yancheng are now indeed accepting payment via QR code scanning.

Cash is accepted.

I prepared some change.

I chatted with my father for a few minutes and walked towards the open front door of the house. I heard my father say, "It's good that the exam is over. It's good that the exam is over. Now that the exam is over, I feel at ease."

There was a pause.

Then I heard my father say, "Yueyue, you've really had a tough time all these years. It's my fault for not being capable enough. You're so promising, but I couldn't even afford to send you to school back then."

"Haha, what's so great about me? It's Yang-ge who's great. I'm just someone who eats; I rely entirely on Yang-ge to feed me..."

Yang Chaoyue was smiling when he turned his head to look at his father.

She saw her father and she exchange a glance.

Laugh along with her.

She said the same things as before, telling her to follow Yang Ge closely, but her eyes were a little wet.

In particular, they talked about her dropping out of school back then.

As we walked into the courtyard, the shadows of the willow leaves fell on my father's back, swaying back and forth, and the setting sun overlapped their shadows.

Yang Chaoyue noticed that her father had his head slightly lowered, and he was somewhat afraid to meet her gaze.

She didn't know when it started, but her father began to always bow his head in front of her.

I actually understand my father's thoughts.

Of course she didn't blame her father.

But Father kept blaming himself, his heart filled with an unyielding guilt.

“It’s alright, Dad. Those hard times are over. Let me tell you, I was the first one to rush out of the exam hall, and I was even interviewed by reporters,” Yang Chaoyue said with a smile.

"There are also reporters."

"Yes, it was the local TV station in Yancheng. They were originally targeting regular college entrance exam students, but they just happened to catch me. They even asked me where my name came from, and I said that 'Chao' means 'to surpass the hardships of the past,' and 'Yue' means 'to overcome obstacles.' I said that our family's life will get better and better..."

Yang Chaoyue paused slightly when he said the word "our family".

Because I've been saying this word since I was a child.

Back then, I only told these things to my friends in the village.

They would tell us what we grew, what delicious food we had, what TV shows we watched last night… Back then, both my parents were home.

Now, in our family, it's just her and my father.

Her mother always thought about her, even after she married into the next village.

Now my mother doesn't go to work anymore. She takes care of my younger sister's education because she's able to give my mother a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan, which is more cost-effective than my mother going out to work.

More importantly, my younger sister won't have to be a left-behind child; she can grow up with her biological parents.

only.

Her own home will never be whole again.

I've long since let it go.

Life is never perfect; nothing can be perfect in every way.

"Dad, are you frying fish? It's making a sizzling sound, is it burnt?" As Yang Chaoyue got closer to the yard, he smelled a burnt smell.

"Ha, dinner's ready. Um, I didn't cook, it was..." Father laughed.

The words are not finished yet.

Footsteps were heard in the courtyard.

A small figure walked out, and upon seeing Yang Chaoyue, excitedly shouted, "My sister's home! She's home! She's going to beat me up again!"

After saying that, he ran into the house.

He said he was afraid of Yang Chaoyue.

His face was full of smiles.

She ran a couple of steps into the yard, then came out again and called out to Yang Chaoyue, "Sister's here! Sister's here!"

After saying that, he ran back into the house.

Yang Chaoyue laughed heartily at the sight.

My younger sister had two small braids tied at the ends with red hair ties, and stray hairs stuck to her forehead, damp with sweat.

She wore a clean pink floral short-sleeved shirt with frayed cuffs, and light blue jeans with the cuffs rolled up twice.

I noticed that my sister's shoes were no longer rubber shoes, but sneakers she had bought.

The pink and white color scheme was part of a batch that Yang Chaoyue contacted the shoe factory to make first, which he specially reserved for his younger sister.

The toes of the shoes hadn't worn down yet, and the edges were spotless; it was clear that my sister took good care of them.

She called out to her sister, "What brings you here?"

"I'll be here this afternoon!" the younger sister shouted, grinning and revealing her two newly grown front teeth.

"Don't go back tonight, sleep in my room, wanna play Fruit Ninja?"

"Play! Play!"

When there were mobile games to play, my sister immediately stopped in her tracks, her eyes shining like stars.

I played the fruit-cutting game on my mom's phone.

It was downloaded by my older sister.

The sound of fingers swiping across the screen is very pleasant.

My sister said it's an outdated old game, but she thinks it's really fun.

"Hurry up and add some water to the pot, the fish is about to burn." Yang Chaoyue was about to run to add water, but seeing his sister there, he directly instructed her.

My younger sister didn't return to the courtyard.

He just turned around and looked at the stove in the yard.

As soon as Yang Chaoyue finished speaking, the clanging sound of spatulas hitting pots and pans came from the yard, and the smell of burning stopped.

Is someone else at home?
Are you cooking?
My younger sister is home too...

Yang Chaoyue paused for a moment, glanced at his father, and then remembered that when he first asked his father if the family was frying fish, his father said that he was not the one cooking.

"Yueyue is back."

A figure walked out from the courtyard gate, standing beside his younger sister, wearing a simple apron, and smiled at Yang Chaoyue.

Holding an iron pot in his hand, he was stirring it.

He was wearing a dark gray shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows, revealing a shallow scar on his wrist, which he had gotten from a machine while working in an electronics factory in another city.

He was wearing a faded denim apron with some flour on it.

I was just kneading dough to make pancakes.

Her hair was tied back with a black hair tie, the ends of which were a little frizzy. Stray hairs on her forehead were tucked behind her ears, revealing fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

He was holding a black iron pot in his hand, with some fish scraps still stuck to the bottom.

"Mom, you're back." Yang Chaoyue snapped out of his daze and smiled.

I've imagined my mother coming home and the whole family sitting in the yard, eating together, more than once.

Six years.

Mom really came back.

I thought I would be so surprised I would cry, but I found that she could still smile: "You didn't even send me a message when you came back for dinner."

"Yes, it's your college entrance exam, and we're worried it might affect you, so you didn't even let your dad pick you up."

Mom poured the water from the pot towards the door: "How did the test go? Did you know how to do all the questions?"

"I can do it, I did exceptionally well on the test!"

Yang Chaoyue stepped forward and took his mother's hand.

Only at this moment did I truly believe it was real.

Because she was terrified that everything before her eyes was a beautiful dream she had after returning home from the college entrance exam, having dinner, chatting idly in a group chat, sending Haochun a video of her practicing dance, and then falling asleep.

I've had this dream more than once.

Every time she dreams of her mother coming home for dinner, she cries with joy, and then she wakes up.

Indeed, one cannot dream of things one has not experienced.

My father's arms were so thin you could feel the bones, yet they were strong.

My mother's hands were rough, but warm enough to soothe the anxiety in my heart.

What kind of university can you get into?

"Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University!"

Mom didn't understand what Fudan and Zhejiang University were, but she knew that Tsinghua and Peking University were very prestigious universities. In Beiping, she laughed and said, "Stop bragging and let's eat. It's perfect timing. All the dishes are served. Your dad said you would come back at this time. Haha, he was right."

"Mother."

"Ok?"

Aren't you going home for dinner tonight?

"What am I supposed to say? I've already brought your sister here. Your uncle can cook for himself. You're taking the college entrance exam, and he gives me three thousand yuan every month. I've come to see how my eldest daughter is doing."

As she spoke, Mom tossed the pot in her hand: "It's still this pot, it's been seven or eight years, I'm still comfortable using it."

Mom continued, "The whole village has heard about you donating shoes to your sister for elementary school. Your uncle keeps saying it was his daughter who donated them. Tsk tsk, it makes him feel so proud."

Mom still talks a lot.

He babbled on and on.

I walked quickly into the yard.

Yang Chaoyue knew one thing: his mother would be having dinner at home tonight.

I sat at the same table with my father for a family reunion dinner.

"Yueyue, come here."

Hearing his mother call him, Yang Chaoyue took his father's arm and replied, "Coming, dinner's ready!"

The family sat at the dinner table.

The fish was fried perfectly, not burnt, and still steaming hot.

Next to her was a plate of stir-fried chives and eggs made by her mother, which was her favorite dish when she was a child.

The peaches that Dad bought this morning are on a plate. The fuzz has been washed off, and they are pink and still have dew on them.

Looking at the person in front of him, Yang Chaoyue felt that the evening breeze was warmer than ever before.

I know that I didn't do well on my adult college entrance exam.

The idea that Tsinghua and Peking University are top universities is just bragging and a joke.

Knowing that Mom has a new family, this reunion is temporary. After eating, Mom will go back to the next village. My sister can sleep with her tonight.

I also know that home can never go back to the way it was before my parents got divorced.

But right now, I'm listening to my younger sister chattering away about school.

The aroma of my mother's stir-fried chives filled the air.

I saw that my father always had a smile on his face.

Yang Chaoyue still felt at ease.

I stopped pursuing perfect happiness a long time ago.

Having people who remember her, hot meals, and family to talk to is enough.

Yang Chaoyue picked up a piece of fish and put it in his father's bowl, then ladled a bowl of soup for his mother, and said to his younger sister with a smile, "Why are you eating so fast! I'll let you play Fruit Ninja, what's the rush!"

The younger sister immediately cheered.

Dad and Mom smiled too.

The shadows of the old willow tree by the door fall on the dining table, swaying back and forth, much like a scene from my childhood when my family ate together, only the perspective is different now.

She's grown taller, and her parents have grown older. (End of Chapter)