Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

The Toyota sped along the national highway, yet the passengers inside felt virtually no bumps. If it weren't for the trees swaying backward outside the window, Yue Chuan would never have believed the car was already traveling at over 100 km/h!

Normally, it takes more than an hour to drive from the outskirts of the county to Qinjiazhuang by minibus. But this time, it only took twenty minutes, and the few poplar trees at the village entrance were already standing in front of us.

"Let's stop here, it's too much trouble for you..." Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Yue Chuan hurriedly grabbed the door handle.

"Why don't we just take you home? You have so much luggage, it's not easy to walk!" Li Baihui leaned over and suggested.

"Really, you don't need to!" Yue Chuan got out of the car with his head down and started pulling things out of the trunk. "You have to cross the earthen dam in the village, don't get your car dirty."

Seeing this, Li Baihui wanted to persuade her again, but Kong Tao gave her a look, indicating that she didn't need to.

Kong Tao did the right thing, because when it comes to a man's self-esteem, you must give him understanding and respect.

Take now, for example. Yue Chuan absolutely refused to be escorted to his doorstep, simply because he didn't want anyone to see the dilapidated mud-brick courtyard wall. Besides, he didn't think he had anything decent to offer his two distinguished guests from the city.

"Xiao Chuan'er, shall I help you pack? That way, it'll be easier for you to carry things."

Bai Hui got out of the car and enthusiastically helped her classmate pack her things, but the more she did so, the more impatient Yue Chuan seemed. "Thank you, I can manage by myself! It's getting late, you should hurry back! Don't keep your plans any longer!"

If it were someone unfamiliar with Yue Chuan, they would probably have been annoyed by his aloof attitude. Fortunately, neither Li Baihui nor Kong Tao were like that. They had already guessed why Yue Chuan was in such a hurry to "send people away," so they didn't linger any longer and prepared to return home after exchanging a few pleasantries.

Watching the Toyota car turn out of the village, Yue Chuan slumped his shoulders and let out a long sigh of relief.

Staring at the pile of luggage on the ground, the boy shook his head and smiled bitterly. Then he squatted down and hoisted all the bags and packages onto his shoulder.

It's one thing to suffer for the sake of saving face, but the way home is just too far.

From the village entrance to the earthen dam, it was only a few hundred meters, but Yue Chuan was already panting heavily. At this moment, he simply put his luggage on the ground and turned around to look at the road leading to the village entrance.

The village road, which he had traversed countless times, now appeared so desolate, dilapidated, and unsatisfactory. The boy gritted his teeth and secretly vowed: one day he would rightfully leave this small mountain village. If he ever returned home in glory, he would drive a gleaming car, bring a beautiful girl, and return to the village in triumph. At the very least, he would let this ancient dirt road witness his success.

Logically speaking, Yue Chuan should have been self-aware. Didn't he know his own limitations? Even if he struggled his whole life, he might not be able to reach the starting position of others. Yet now, he actually harbored such delusions!

More than a month of pent-up frustration, the scarred man relentlessly pressuring him, Ding Zhiyuan's tragic past, and his classmate Kong, whose talent and family background far surpassed his own—all these people and events pierced his heart like sharp thorns.

How can there be such a huge difference between people?

"Since all people are born unequal, why am I not a 'superior person'?"

……

Yue Chuan frowned and sighed, then suddenly kicked a pebble off the dirt road.

Ding Zhiyuan hanged himself in a cowardly manner, Kong Tao was born into privilege, Jin Hai did all the hard work, and the scarred man reaped the benefits behind the scenes. There is no fairness or justice in this world.

The boy couldn't understand the reasoning behind it, just like a person pulling on their own hair—no matter how hard they try, they can never leave the ground.

The boy fell into deep thought. For a moment, he slapped his forehead, and then, as if he had taken the wrong medicine, he hurriedly untied his luggage.

After searching for a while, Yue Chuan suddenly shook out all the clothes in the package and looked for something one by one.

"Did the money fall into the car?"

"I'm so stupid! Why didn't I check properly before getting off the bus? I was so focused on getting home that I forgot something so important! What am I good for?!"

"His ambitions are higher than the sky, but his fate is as thin as paper"—this probably describes someone like Yue Chuan perfectly. No matter how grand his vision, as a human being, he has to constantly pay attention to trivial matters like food and clothing, and a slight misstep could easily ruin his life.

Just like Yue Chuan at this moment, he was extremely busy trying to find two hundred yuan in wages.

Yue Chuan had never lost anything since he was a child. He always carefully checked his schoolbag before getting on and off the bus, a good habit he had cultivated over the years. But today, he actually forgot to check his hundred-yuan bill?

I can't figure out what he was so flustered about getting off the bus in such a hurry.

He searched again and again, but still couldn't find the money. Yue Chuan was frantic; this was the result of over a month's hard work! He'd worked so hard for over a month, and then lost his wages on his way home—wasn't that a joke?

At this moment, Yue Chuan wished he could slap himself right then and there!

"With this level of forgetfulness, you think you can return home in glory? You think you can make something of yourself? Dream on!"

Yue Chuan spread out the books and materials on the ground, but the two hundred-yuan bills still hadn't appeared. At this moment, he even wanted to run after that luxury car.

Just then, the boy lowered his hand and, as if possessed, reached into his pants pocket, whereupon the two banknotes bearing the image of Chairman Mao appeared.

Staring at the two banknotes, the boy's eyes filled with tears. He carefully put the banknotes into his bag, then repacked his luggage and finally set off on his journey home...