....
...
.....
In Yangzhi City, dreams were a luxury that the poor couldn't afford, and survival was the only currency that mattered.
The Nian household lived by a strict ledger of favors and sacrifices, and Chen Chuan knew his page was running out of ink. He could feel his uncle's gaze—a mix of weary duty and unspoken frustration—drilling into him before the first plate was served.
Just as Chen Chuan sat down for dinner, his uncle, Nian Fuli, suddenly said, "Chen Chuan, you've graduated from middle school.
There are no higher education institutions in Yangzhi City. Your uncle here only has a small salary at the police station and can't afford to send you to study in the city center. Have you thought about where you want to go?"
The dinner table fell silent. His aunt, Yu Wan, looked at Chen Chuan with concern, while his two younger cousins held their bowls, looking left and right.
Nian Fuli said, "If you haven't made up your mind about what you want to do, I'll arrange something for you. Don't complain about the hardship or the fatigue. If you don't want to do it, just say so and find your own way out."
Chen Chuan looked at Nian Fuli and smiled, saying, "Little Uncle-in-law, are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?"
Nian Fuli glared at him and said, "Uncle-in-law it is, don't add 'little'."
He habitually touched his shirt pocket, his fingers just touching the cigarette pack. He glanced at his two children, then took his hand out again, frowning, and said, "Stop joking around and give me a straight answer.
Your cousin is already a successful Lawyer and doesn't need me to worry about him. Your two younger siblings are still young and will be going to school in a few years. The family's expenses will be even greater in the future. You're already sixteen.
Your uncle doesn't expect anything in return. As long as you can support yourself in the future, that's enough. Don't you think that makes sense?"
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Uncle-in-law, you're right." He thought for a moment and said, "Uncle-in-law, I'm thinking of finding my own way out."
"You alone?"
Nian Fuli looked at him for a moment and said, "Okay, doesn't school usually have a two-month break? Then I'll give you two months. After two months, you can start your own household, and your uncle won't have to worry about you anymore."
Aunt Yu Wan hesitated.
Chen Chuan said, "Okay, I'll do as my uncle says."
Nian Fuli looked him up and down a few times: "You mean what you say." He picked up his chopsticks and said, "Eat." Seeing him start eating, the family began to eat.
Chen Chuan also reached for his chopsticks. At this moment, he seemed to sense something, looked up, and saw a boy who looked exactly like him standing by the wall, staring at him intently. His uncle's family was engrossed in eating and didn't notice anything. It seemed that only he could see it.
He naturally withdrew his gaze, eating while contemplating the future. Before he knew it, he had finished the last bite of his meal. His aunt, who had been watching him closely, quickly said, "Leave it here, I'll wash it. You focus on your own affairs."
Chen Chuan glanced at his aunt, then at the expressionless Nian Fuli, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Okay, Uncle, Aunt, I'll go back to my room now."
Nian Fuli picked up a bite of food, chewed slowly, and remained silent.
After Chen Chuan left, Yu Wan said, "The child is still young."
Nian Fuli retorted irritably, "Young? What do you mean? He's sixteen! When I was his age, I was already on the battlefield!"
"Fine, fine, fine, I know you're something else."
Seeing that he had finished eating, Yu Wan got up from the table, took a bottle of rice wine, poured it for him, and said, "I'm going to check on the child."
"Go away." Nian Fuli waved his hand impatiently. He picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and felt instantly relieved, while secretly muttering to himself, "This kid is a little different than before..."
"Dad, will you kick me out when I'm sixteen too?"
Nian Fuli turned his head and saw his youngest son, Nian Mo, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
His youngest daughter, Nian Lu, a three-year-old girl, said in a childish voice, "Of course we'll kick you out! You eat the most meat!" "
I... I didn't eat that much! Dad..." Nian Mo hugged his bowl, looking pitifully at Nian Fuli.
Nian Fuli laughed and patted the back of Nian Mo's head. "You brat, you're my son, how could I not care about you? I've saved a seat for you under my butt. Go, turn on the radio."
"Oh."
Nian Mo happily jumped off the stool, ran over and turned on the old-fashioned radio, which emitted a static sound.
"...The railway maintenance department reports that due to the impact of the catastrophic mudslide, the road repair work originally scheduled for early June will be postponed again..." "
A group of prisoners have escaped from Qiguang Prison. Arrest warrants have been issued. The main wanted criminals are as follows: Fang Dawei, male, 35 years old, strong physique, has committed multiple burglaries and street shootings; Tong Baitao, male, 27 years old..."
"The Bloodstain Gang and the Iron Chain Gang have clashed at the intersection of Xinqu Park and Micang Street. Several houses were damaged in the clash, and dozens of people were killed or injured..."
Chen Chuan had already returned to his room. His study, which also served as his bedroom, was about eight or nine square meters in size. The windowsill and the old red lacquered wooden floor were spotless, and the surroundings were neatly arranged, showing that he cleaned and tidied up every day.
Movie posters were pasted on the wall, and as he looked at them, movie titles naturally came to mind: *The Lone Swordsman*, *The Fierce Beast of the High Mountains*, *The Last Conquest*…
He walked to the window, his footsteps echoing through the creaking floorboards. A framed picture sat on the corner of the worn-out desk, depicting a young couple—the woman young and beautiful, the man tall and handsome, their clothes of exquisite material—smiling at him.
To the right of the desk was a two-meter-tall bookcase, filled with books. A quick glance revealed mostly extracurricular reading materials, aside from some old textbooks, such as *The Great Expansion*, *Fifteen Years of Jianzhi*, and *The Mysterious Machu*.
He muttered to himself, "It's a pity there's no *Dual-Use Talents for Military and Civilian Use*, *Militia Military Training Manual*, or at the very least, a *100,000 Whys*…"
"What whys? Chan'er, can Auntie come in?" Yu Wan's voice came from outside the door.
"Chan'er" was the nickname given to Chen Chuan's current body by his parents; now, besides Yu Wan, only his annoying cousin called him that all the time.
Chen Chuan said, "Auntie, come in. It's nothing, I'm just thinking about some problems."
"You've already graduated from middle school, Chan'er, and you're still working so hard." Yu Wan walked in. She was not yet forty, with fair skin, delicate features, red lips and white teeth, and was tall. When the two stood together, they could only vaguely tell from the angles of their eyes and eyebrows that they were related by blood.
Yu Wan said, "Chan'er, don't blame your uncle for what happened today. He has his difficulties. Don't be stubborn. I'll talk to him about it later."
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry. I'm not being stubborn. I really have a plan."
Yu Wan hesitated for a moment and tried to ask, "Chan'er... are you going to find the Meng family girl?"
When Chen Chuan heard this address, the image of a young girl involuntarily appeared in his mind. He shook his head and said, "I'm not going to find her."
Yu Wan said, "It's better not to go. Her family is of high status, and the people around her are all arrogant. You've always been stubborn. You were childhood sweethearts, but you won't get along as adults."
Chen Chuan said, "Auntie, you're right. Childhood things don't count. Nowadays, everyone has their parents with them when they go out. Why would I want to make a fool of myself?" Yu Wan felt much more at ease after hearing him say that.
She picked up a handkerchief she was holding and peeled it open layer by layer in front of Chen Chuan, revealing a stack of ten-yuan Jianyuan coins.
The coin features a blue landscape design, with a dome-shaped roof and a square land on the obverse, and a nine-tasseled crown covered by rice and wheat on the reverse.
She grabbed Chen Chuan's hand and stuffed the money into it. "Take it. Use it when you need it. Don't be stingy. If you need more, your aunt has some."
Chen Chuan didn't reach for it and asked, "Does uncle know?"
Yu Wan said, "This is money your aunt saved for you." She then lightly tapped his arm. "Don't tell your uncle. He doesn't like it."
Chen Chuan smiled, took the money, and said earnestly, "Auntie, consider this a loan. I'll pay it back."
"Sigh, we're family. Don't worry about paying it back. Keep it safe." Yu Wan waited until Chen Chuan had put the money away before feeling relieved.
She said, "Then Auntie's leaving. You've graduated now, so don't study too hard. Remember to turn on the light when you read, don't hurt your eyes."
"Okay."
Yu Wan gave him a few more instructions and left the room.
Chen Chuan closed the door, pulled the light cord by the door, and a small chandelier on the ceiling lit up, emitting a pale yellow light.
He walked to the bookshelf, randomly picked up a book, sat down on the edge of the bed, and began to read with interest.
After a long time, he heard the grandfather clock outside chime ten times. Because he had important things to do tomorrow, he put the book back, washed up quickly, and turned off the light to go to sleep.
In the darkness, the boy who looked exactly like him stood by the bed, still watching him with that same eerie gaze.
In his dream, he seemed to return to his previous life. After working for several years, he went on a hiking trip and came across an ancient mirror exhibition at a museum in a certain city. When he entered the hall with curiosity, he immediately saw a domed mirror hanging from the ceiling.
At that moment, his reflection in the mirror also looked over. The instant their eyes met, his vision blurred, and his body seemed to transform into an infant from this world, from birth to childhood, from childhood to adolescence, until one day, when this body predecessor was going to his old family house a small object was thrown from a blue car and after that it was darkness and then he woke up with this dark Chen Chuan.
Bright light shone through the gaps in the curtains, tearing through the gloom of the night.
Chen Chuan opened his eyes and turned to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table: 5:50. He shook his head, got up, dressed, and went to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Nian Fuli was on duty at the police station and had left early in the morning. His two younger siblings were still asleep, and Yu Wan had gone out to buy groceries, having prepared breakfast for him before leaving.
After finishing breakfast, he returned to his room and put on his only formal student uniform. The uniform was made of wool, gray-black, and very crisp, making him look quite smart.
He buttoned his collar, put on his cap, checked himself in the full-length mirror on the wardrobe, took a gray canvas satchel from behind the door, filled it with a water bottle, put it on, went to the front yard, found his bicycle, and pushed it out the gate.
Looking at the rising sun outside, he thought, "Anyway, I'll stick to my original plan for now."
He mounted his bike, flicked the bell with his thumb, producing a series of crisp rings, and pedaled off from the alleyway of his residence, turning only two corners before reaching the main road.
Nian Fuli was the patrol captain of the police station. This area was mostly inhabited by police officers and their families, so the area was relatively safe. The roads were wide, and plane trees lined both sides of the street. The late May sunlight mingled with the deep green leaves, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
After cycling along the main road for half an hour, he entered the city center square. The tallest buildings in Yangzhi City were concentrated here, most of them constructed during the Great Development period, nearly sixty years old. Due to the tense situation at the time, the materials used were extremely solid, giving them a heavy feel in their cool color scheme.
After a tram passed by, he saw seven or eight oddly dressed people walking towards him from the other side of the road.
One of them seemed particularly sensitive to eye contact, suddenly turning his head with a fierce look. However, when he saw the bag on Chen Chuan's shoulder, he muttered something, spat at Chen Chuan's departing figure, and then turned away again.
After crossing the square, Chen Chuan turned left onto the north-facing avenue. About five minutes later, a corner of a magnificent flying eaves appeared on the east side of the road. As he slowly approached, he could see that it was the gate of an academy.
The gate had three openings and was about a hundred paces wide. On the stone plaque of the central gate, the five characters "Wuyi University Hall" were written in regular script with silver hooks and iron strokes. He could see a series of impressive cars coming in and out of the gate from time to time.
He gripped the brake lever, tiptoed, and stopped in front of a stone tablet by the gate, on which was inscribed a brief introduction to the academy: "Wuyi University was founded in the fifteenth year of the Jianzhi reign (1560), and officially renamed in the thirty-fifth year of the Jianzhi reign (1666). Its first principal was Cheng Yunbai…"
The main gate faced a flat, open area. The morning sun, around seven or eight o'clock, shone brightly, illuminating the gate and the buildings on either side, making them appear exceptionally elegant and solemn. His gaze wandered, as if searching for something. After a while, he spotted an inconspicuous sign near the side gate that read: "Admissions and Examinations Office, from here."
He exhaled, dismounted, and then glanced at the figure almost identical to himself standing by the gate, looking directly at him. He looked away, naturally pushing the handlebars, and entered the academy through the side gate.
…
…