Colorful years

Standing beneath the large trees, carefully carpeted with lush greenery, Congcong's originally calm thoughts began to ripple like the surface of a lake gently stirred by a breeze.

In his mind, his entire life, especially this special day, was playing back like a movie.

He clearly remembers that at that time, a strange impulse welled up in his heart, and he inexplicably decided to climb up that tall osmanthus tree to destroy the sparrow's nest hidden among the branches and leaves.

Using both hands and feet, like a nimble monkey, he quickly climbed up the trunk of the osmanthus tree.

The rough bark rubbed against his palm, giving him a unique tactile experience.

Finally, he arrived near the sparrow's nest, carefully reached out, and gently knocked the nest down.

He managed to collect five adorable sparrow eggs. The small, round eggs seemed to radiate life in his hands.

Overjoyed, he eagerly ran to his mother with the sparrow eggs, his face beaming with pride. He kept talking about how capable he was and kept saying that he was finally going to have a good meal.

Seeing his excited expression, his mother looked at him with doting eyes. She took the sparrow eggs and said with a smile, "Good boy, you're really good!" Then, she put the sparrow eggs into the pot and stir-fried them with simple seasonings.

Soon, the enticing aroma filled the entire room, and Congcong's eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if he could see a delicious dish beckoning to him.

When the fragrant sparrow eggs were served, Congcong devoured them, as if they were the most delicious food in the world.

After all, in that era of extreme scarcity, it was such a rare treat for children to have such a hearty meal, as everyone was generally malnourished.

At that time, the country did not implement environmental protection, and hunting birds became one of the important ways for farmers to improve their lives.

At this moment, Congcong thought of this and couldn't help but chuckle softly at his own naivety and ignorance in his previous life.

He looked down at the land beneath his feet, his heart filled with emotion.

He has been climbing up and down this osmanthus tree since he was five years old. He has climbed it countless times, as if it has become a part of his life. Each climb is a different experience, and the feeling of being in close contact with nature is indescribable.

He looked up at the lush foliage, wondering to himself, "Will climbing this tree again today bring a different feeling? Perhaps it will bring some new surprises, or perhaps it will give me a deeper understanding of the past..."

However, for him, who traveled from a future intelligent society to his past life, although his present self is a repetition of his past life, he has after all developed a strong environmental awareness. It is an environmental awareness that respects life above all else, and a belief that holds reverence for every living thing in nature.

He envisions a future where people and animals live in harmony, and every life is considered an indispensable member of the Earth family.

He recalled that in the future, people would realize how shameful and foolish it was to destroy the ecological balance and deprive other life forms of their right to survival.

At this moment, memories from two lifetimes intertwine and clash, filled with contradictions and pain, requiring him to make a choice.

Fortunately, although the timelines overlap at this moment, he has not repeated his actions from his previous life, such as climbing trees to destroy bird nests. Perhaps he can make some changes.

He imagined what might happen after he destroyed the sparrow eggs—

He looked up at his mother, whose doting eyes were now gazing expectantly at the sparrow egg in his hand.

Mom took the sparrow eggs and said with a smile, "Good child, you're really good!" Then, Mom put the sparrow eggs into the pot and stir-fried them with simple seasonings.

Soon, the enticing aroma filled the entire room, and Congcong's eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if he could see a delicious dish beckoning to him.

However, at this moment when the aroma was irresistible and the food was mouthwatering, Congcong felt as if a thousand needles were piercing his heart. He experienced unprecedented pain and struggle.

He recalled the environmental slogans of the future world, those calls for people to protect wildlife and maintain ecological balance.

He thought of the species that were on the verge of extinction because of human greed and ignorance, and the animals that lost their homes due to the deterioration of the ecological environment.

He looked down at the bowl and chopsticks in his hands; the bowl, which should have been filled with delicious sparrow eggs, was now empty.

He understood that he couldn't just stand by and watch these innocent lives be taken on the dinner table.

He understood that he had to make a choice and uphold his beliefs and principles at this crucial moment.

"Mom, I...I don't want to eat these sparrow eggs anymore." Congcong's voice trembled slightly, but he still mustered up the courage to say these words.

The mother paused, clearly not expecting Congcong to suddenly change his mind. She looked at him questioningly and asked, "What's wrong? Child, weren't you always looking forward to eating these sparrow eggs?"