Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

After closing his eyes, Guan Shanyu fell into a deep sleep.

The world gradually fell silent, and even the dream world became still, as if time had stopped and time had traveled through time. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, I realized that a long time had passed.

The dream is not like the darkness you see when you close your eyes. Sometimes it is like the hazy crimson in the white mist, and sometimes it is like the mist entangled with dead trees, but what cannot be avoided is that the feeling is nothingness.

I don’t know how long I slept, but I heard a faint sound coming from the distant void.

Guan Shanyu carefully identified the sound for a while. The voice came from far away and gradually became louder, until he could hear someone clearly saying, "Did you know? A plastic bottle can be sold for 20 cents."

Hearing this, Guan Shanyu suddenly opened his eyes.

The scene before my eyes has changed, and what comes into view is a dark blue lifted curtain.

Guan Shanyu looked down in surprise. He found himself sitting on a stool, a book spread out on the desk in front of him, a half-finished homework assignment, and a backpack peeked out from the drawer. The smooth, cold wooden desk reflected the glaring sunlight outside.

Looking up again, I saw today's detention homework written neatly on the blackboards several rows in front of me. Outside the window, several boys in school uniforms ran by, swiping their backpacks at each other and hitting each other.

Guan Shanyu's gaze fell on the red plastic track that stretched out in circles outside the window, and then he realized, is this a school?

Isn’t he in Wangshuiling?

Guan Shanyu glanced down at the textbook and saw seven crooked words on the cover: [Xu Jianqing, Class 1, Grade 3]

Before he could come to his senses, he heard a few more boys talking nearby: "Why would I lie to you? Last time I was a volunteer, I picked up ten bottles and sold them for two yuan. Glass bottles are more valuable, only thirty cents each."

"really?"

Suddenly, a soft, slightly timid voice was heard.

Guan Shanyu thought the voice sounded familiar, but he looked around and couldn't find anyone. He looked down and found someone sitting on his lap.

No, to be precise, he sat on that person.

Guan Shanyu was so scared that he jumped away immediately. When he looked carefully, he saw that there was a thin and small person sitting in the place where he had been sitting. Guan Shanyu only needed to glance at his profile twice before he recognized him immediately.

This is himself.

It’s myself when I was a primary school student.

Xu Jianqing, looking like an elementary school student, looked timidly at the group of students, clutching a worn cloth bag tightly in his hand. He carefully opened his mouth. Several boys on the other side of the desk heard his question and immediately gathered around, excitedly sharing their own experiences: "Of course it's true. Xu Jianqing, haven't you always wanted a new pencil case? Go to the garbage station next to our school and pick up thirty bottles, and you'll have enough to buy one."

"Yeah." One of the taller boys sat next to him, put his arm around his shoulder, and pulled out his pencil case from his schoolbag. "We're such close friends, how could I lie to you? Look at this. I bought it with the money I earned from collecting bottles."

Guan Shanyu looked at the boy's face, but he couldn't see his features clearly. Except for Xu Jianqing's face which was clear, the outlines of the others were only vaguely visible.

Before he could make a closer look, the boys had already finished talking to Xu Jianqing and ran out of the classroom laughing. Xu Jianqing sat alone in his seat for a long time before he slowly packed up his bag and walked out.

It was almost evening, the setting sun dyed the sky red, the clouds seemed to be on fire, and the red color of the sky was particularly beautiful.

On the playground, several boys were still playing basketball, their cheers echoing along the tree-lined avenue. The school was almost empty now, with only Xu Jianqing walking slowly and alone towards the school gate.

Guan Shanyu followed silently, observing his childhood self from a bystander's perspective for the first time.

He looked at Xu Jianqing's thin, pale face that looked as if it was malnourished. He could not remember how old he was at the moment, nor which school he was attending.

He couldn't even remember why he had this dream.

The faces of the people I met on the road seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, making it impossible to recognize their appearance. Even the voices of men, women, young and old all had the same tone. They were wearing colorful clothes, but the styles were exactly the same.

Guan Shanyu followed Xu Jianqing through the streets and alleys, watching him as he walked through the narrow alleys, pausing to swallow his saliva at the zongzi stalls selling rice dumplings on the roadside. He then watched him pass by the game hall and hear the cheers coming from inside, but he could only hesitate and look at the door, longingly watching the fierce fights on the game machines and the coins rolling in the slot machines. As he watched, he was discovered by the store owner, who came out and waved him away: "Go away, don't block my door if you don't want to play."

Xu Jianqing apologized in a low voice and turned to walk in another direction.

The further you go, the wider the view becomes, and the urban scenery gradually transitions to rural scenery.

A broad cement road stretched from the highway to the village entrance, flanked by lush fields. Occasionally, a few adults on electric scooters would pass by, kicking up a cloud of dust, followed closely by two small yellow dogs, howling and darting past Xu Jianqing.

Xu Jianqing didn't know when a strand of foxtail grass appeared in his hand. He tied the roots into a knot, then went to the roadside to pick a few flowers and tied them together to make a wreath. He carefully examined his work, but felt that something was missing, so he went to the field to pull up some rice stalks and tied a few bows on the wreath.

When I was concentrating on my handicraft, I suddenly heard cheers from afar.

Xu Jianqing and Guan Shanyu looked up at the same time in the direction where the sound came from.

In the distance is a village with white walls and black tiles, built against the mountain. There is also a long road in the village, but unlike this cement road in the field, that road is painted with yellow and red markings, and there are signs on both sides, which clearly read [National Greenway]

At this time, on this long road that was usually deserted, a large crowd of people gathered, no one knew what had happened today. Many adults gathered on the road, holding banners and signs, and cheers broke out from time to time.

Xu Jianqing looked for a while and was soon attracted. He put down the wreath in his hand, put on his schoolbag, and trotted over there.

Guan Shanyu followed closely behind, and when they arrived at the scene, they saw the road divided by a red line, the crowd blocked on both sides, and the roadside filled with snacks, desserts, and mineral water. Xu Jianqing looked bewildered, his little head squeezed in the crowd, staring straight at the exquisite desserts on the table.

Just as I was distracted, the crowd around me suddenly burst into loud cheers.

Xu Jianqing was caught off guard, startled, and covered his ears. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw several runners in tank tops and shorts, with white number plates dangling from their chests, dashing out from the corner of the road. Xu Jianqing, being rather small, stood on tiptoe to discern their origins, but before he could get a good look, the group of runners passed him at breakneck speed, leaving behind only a sweltering sweat and the whirring of the hot wind.

As the marathon runners ran off into the distance, the crowd that had been watching followed them, cheering them on as they ran. The crowd quickly surged forward. However, Xu Jianqing, who had been standing there, stunned and motionless, was knocked to the ground by passing adults.

"Sorry, kid!" A sister quickly helped him up and said to the boy next to him, "Be careful! You almost stepped on him just now."

Seeing this, the boy next to him hurriedly apologized to Xu Jianqing, but when he saw that the contestants had already run far away, he immediately grabbed the sister's hand, shouted "Come on, No. 7!" and then ran away.

Xu Jianqing whispered "It's okay," dusted himself off, and lowered his head to check if his clothes were torn. But at that moment, a plastic bottle suddenly passed before his eyes.

By this time, the crowd had already followed the athletes and the road was almost deserted. Xu Jianqing looked at the plastic bottle that had rolled to his feet without him noticing and blinked.

In the classroom, they seemed to say that a plastic bottle could be sold for 20 cents.

Thirty bottles can buy a new pencil case.

Xu Jianqing didn't have a pencil case, so he only used a torn cloth bag to carry his stationery. He didn't dare ask for pocket money when he got home, but if he could earn money by picking up bottles and selling them, he could buy a pencil case...

Aren’t there bottles in front of you?

Xu Jianqing raised his head blankly, looking at the red and green plastic bottles discarded casually on the roadside, then looked around and saw that there was no one on the road. He thought: Since no one wants them, he will pick up thirty of them and exchange them for a new pencil case. That should be okay, right?

Guan Shanyu's eyes flickered slightly as he saw Xu Jianqing slowly squatting on the ground. He carefully opened his worn schoolbag, which was empty except for one or two homework books. He carefully took out the homework, afraid of getting it dirty, folded it, and put it in his arms. Then he picked up a bottle at his feet, carefully dusted it off, and gently put it in his schoolbag.

One, two, three...

The child didn't understand that squashing bottles to fit more into his schoolbag would help him fit more. He naively believed that intact bottles would fetch a higher price. Thus, before he had even 10 bottles, his schoolbag was already bulging. He looked around hesitantly, wondering if he could find a plastic bag or something to hold more bottles. He ran to the side of the road and, amidst the white plastic, he saw a single, luminous green bottle.

A glass bottle.

A glass bottle costs three cents.

Xu Jianqing hurried over and carefully picked it up from the ground. Seeing that the bottle was intact, he wiped it clean as if it were a treasure. He was about to put it into his schoolbag, but as soon as he reached out his hand, the schoolbag at his feet was kicked suddenly and rolled into the middle of the road.

Xu Jianqing looked up in confusion, only to see a few boys standing in front of him.

Guan Shanyu was stunned and recognized them. They were the group of people who discussed picking up bottles for money in the classroom in the afternoon.

At this moment, they were pointing at Xu Jianqing and laughing heartily, mocking him, "Hey! Are you really out of your mind? You believe everything I say! Hahahaha, you actually came here to pick up the bottles!"

Another boy laughed: "I told you long ago, he's stupid, he believes everything you say!"

Another boy chimed in, "Xu Jianqing! If you need money, go ask your mom. Why are you here picking up rags?"

The boy who originally claimed to be Xu Jianqing's best friend now laughed and covered the mouth of the boy who told Xu Jianqing to find his mother. He pretended to be mysterious and said, "Shh, don't you know? His parents don't want him anymore, who can he go to? How can you say that? It's not friendly to your classmates at all."

Another boy quickly agreed, "Right, right, the study committee member is right. Hey, Xu Jianqing, you want to buy a new pencil case? Your parents won't give you one, so you can borrow one from me. My dad gives me ten yuan a day. How about this? You learn to bark like a dog and I'll lend you some money. How about that?"

When the other boys heard this, they were immediately delighted and started to cheer: "Bark like a dog! Bark like a dog!"

Xu Jianqing lowered his head, the glass bottle in his hand so tightly that his fingertips flushed red, and his face flushed red. Several boys gathered around him and laughed at him, but he didn't refute. He simply put the glass bottle down and turned to walk to the middle of the street, trying to pick up his schoolbag. Seeing this, the boys stepped forward and kicked the schoolbag away again, and the bottle instantly rolled out of the bag and scattered all over the ground.

They picked up their schoolbags and challenged him, "You haven't even learned to bark like a dog yet, and you want to leave?"

Seeing this, Xu Jianqing rushed forward to grab the schoolbag and shouted, "Why should I study? Give it back to me!"

When the boys saw him rushing towards them, they passed the bag around like a ball and laughed, "If you don't study, I won't give it back to you!"

Xu Jianqing was so angry that he pushed one of the boys and yelled, "If you want to learn, then learn! Give me back my schoolbag!"

The boy who was pushed stumbled back and fell to the ground. He was so angry that he picked up his schoolbag and threw it fiercely into the field, cursing, "You motherless bastard, you dare to push me? You're looking for death!"

Xu Jianqing turned around and saw that his schoolbag had sunk into the muddy field, half of it soaked in mud. His face flushed red, and he wiped his eyes, standing on the side of the road at a loss.

At this time, an adult was riding by and saw them standing in the middle of the road. He quickly rang the bell to remind them: "Hey! Kids in front, please move aside. Don't play in the middle of the road."

When the boys heard this, the boy who had just been pushed by Xu Jianqing immediately stepped forward and kicked Xu Jianqing hard, kicking him across the street and cursing, "Hey, didn't you hear me? Don't stand in the middle of the road!"

The kick was extremely powerful and Xu Jianqing was caught off guard. He staggered a few steps and fell into the field.