Returning to '97, creating a new life

The skyscrapers trembled in the setting sun, making people subconsciously rub their eyes, thinking that the swaying was a problem with their own vision rather than the buildings themselves. Then, as if programmed by an AI, a sense of time reversal appeared before their eyes, with skyscrapers going from existence to non-existence and neighborhoods going from new to old.

The streets, which were planned to be comfortable, clean, and tidy, are slowly becoming worn and faded.

As far as the eye can see, there is an "old" texture brought about by the reversal of time; the whole sky has turned yellowish, as if looking at an old photograph from twenty or thirty years ago.

That dim, yellowish hue is a sensory imprint of an era, inevitably evoking memories of bygone days.

A sharp pain shot through his body, and he couldn't help but groan. Xu Kai subconsciously rubbed the joint of his left arm with his right hand, and then used both hands to massage his two knees as he bent over.

"Um?"

Whiter, softer hands, worn-out jeans, and, long ago, items that have become recollections of the past in short videos amidst the tides of time—bumpy-soled sneakers.

Xu Kai's shock overwhelmed the stinging pain in his joints. He stood up and looked around, as memories from over twenty years ago began to flood his mind...

A few minutes later, he sorted things out, accepted it, and understood it. His thoughts were no longer dominant, and the priority of pain took over again. Xu Kai frowned, casually sat down on the steps by the roadside, rubbed his knees, and while resisting the pain, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

It's a bit complicated. The concept of rebirth makes me feel neither too happy nor unwilling. It's a rather moderate feeling. This stems from Xu Kai's perception of his life. It's not bad. He hasn't achieved great success, but at least in terms of both spiritual and material aspects, he can be described as "having no worries about food and clothing and no regrets."

In the end, only four words remained—"Since we're already here."

………………

"Mom, I'm home."

Xu Kai reached through the flap on the iron gate and pulled open the bolt inside. As he did this, he called out to his mother inside, signaling that it was her son, not a stranger, who had opened the door.

Hearing the door latch being pulled, Sun Xiuyun, who was about to go out to see what was happening, stopped and responded, "Hey!"

After entering the small courtyard, which was only a few square meters in size, Xu Kai closed the door, bolted it, took the lock from the side, locked the gate from the inside, and then walked into the home that had disappeared from his memory for more than ten years.

Next to the main gate of the courtyard was a small storage room. The main house was square and divided in the middle. One side was his mother's large room, and the other side, with its door leading into the kitchen, was mostly occupied by a small room with a single bed and a set of study desks similar to those in a school. There was basically no other space. This was the room Xu Kai had lived in for more than ten years. It was cold in winter and hot in summer, but it gave him a small sense of satisfaction from having his own independent space and room during his adolescence.

The kang (heated brick bed) in his mother's room was big enough, and the room was spacious enough, but when Xu Kai went to junior high school, his mother arranged this small room for him, and he was happy for a long time.

There was no excitement as he had imagined. But seeing his mother, who had no gray hair and showed no signs of aging, Xu Kai was genuinely happy. Since he was already here, the first good thing was that he no longer had to regret not spending more time with his mother. He finally had the opportunity to truly make it happen.

"Wash your hands before eating."

A plate of stir-fried tofu that wasn't actually very tasty—not spicy, not braised, not stewed, just a very common stir-fried tofu dish. It wasn't particularly delicious, but it wasn't bad either; my mother's cooking has always been like that.

Xu Kai didn't miss it, nor would he miss the taste. At this time, the house was simply a place for the mother and son to fill their stomachs. Two yuan, two pieces of tofu, were enough for dinner and breakfast tonight and tomorrow morning, including the little bit left over. It was enough for Xu Kai to heat up for lunch when he came back tomorrow.

The monthly income of workers in the railway vehicle depot was less than 500 yuan. A single mother raising a child lived on such a basic standard of living: dried tofu, potatoes, and cabbage. Xu Kai, who was young at the time, must have felt dissatisfied and resentful. But at this moment, he calmly finished his meal.

"What did your teacher say on the first day of school?"

Xu Kai couldn't recall the specific details of the calendar hanging on the wall or his mother's words, but he did remember that today was the first day of junior high school.

"Nothing much, it's the same as always. The parent-teacher conference is on Friday afternoon after school. Um... the students in our class who are ranked in the top 100 in the school paid a small class selection fee and went to Class 1 and Class 2."

"oh."

A simple "oh" perfectly encapsulates the helplessness of not being able to have high expectations for a child's learning, and also the regret and heartache of a single-parent family of ordinary workers in a large collective who cannot provide their child with an extra "optimized growth" path.

Xu Kai, who had seen everything, silently went into the small house, put down his schoolbag, took off his coat, and then sat on the heated kang in the main house to warm up for a while.

After washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen, Sun Xiuyun went into the house, glanced at her son, and was somewhat surprised, wondering why he hadn't turned on the TV today.

"Xiao Kai, we won't be hiring anyone graduating from railway technical schools this year, and we definitely won't be hiring from technical schools next year either..."

Xu Kai knew that this was the best choice his mother had planned and hoped for for him. His academic performance was not good, and his family had no support. After graduating from junior high school, he went to a railway technical school and was recruited into various railway departments.

He also knew that not only would he not be able to recruit anyone, but the vocational school would also go out of business the year after next.

"It's okay, Mom. At worst, I'll become an apprentice, repairing cars or home appliances."

Upon hearing her son's words, Sun Xiuyun's expression changed slightly, and her voice rose a little: "That won't do. If we can't get into high school, we'll have to go to a vocational school..."

Similar discussions have taken place before. In the past, Xu Kai would argue that vocational schools these days are just money-collecting schools. Not only are the diplomas worthless, but the two or three years are basically just for playing around, and you don't learn anything. It's a pure waste of time and money, and their family faces a significant financial burden.

This time, Xu Kai didn't argue. Whether it was the path he had walked before or the path he wanted to take after his rebirth, there was no need to talk about it. The body of a teenager housed the soul of a man in his forties.

After muttering a few words to herself, and not hearing her son talk back, Sun Xiuyun felt a little uneasy. Thinking she shouldn't say anything more, she still followed her instincts and muttered, "You child, can't you study properly for another year? We'll get into high school, then university, and we won't have to worry about the future!"

Xu Kai remained silent, frowned slightly, got up and went back to his room, and the sharp pain that seemed to emanate from his bones returned.

He didn't need to explain to his mother that ordinary college graduates from third-tier universities, or even those vocational college graduates whom they also considered college students, wouldn't receive the same treatment as their generation, who believed that getting into university meant you were a talent and that the government would arrange a job for you.

She didn't argue back or give him a hard time. Sun Xiuyun sighed inwardly and said nothing more. This was better than him yelling at her with a red face and a thick neck. With a weak personality, she had long since lost the ability to educate her son, who was now taller than her. She didn't know how to follow up on the advice from relatives, friends, colleagues, or neighbors, even if she offered it verbally.

Having gotten used to taking a shower before bed, and now that he no longer had that option, after the pain subsided slightly and he had gotten used to it a bit, Xu Kai checked the time on the alarm clock on his desk, got up, scooped out some hot water from the large iron pot on the kitchen stove, and at least had to wash his feet.

When Xu Kai was a teenager, he didn't have that habit, but now that he's forty, he can't stand going to bed without washing his feet.

Just as he was about to pull up a chair to soak his feet in the kitchen, Xu Kai paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. He picked up the basin, stood up, and went to the main room first: "Mom, the water's warm, want to soak your feet too?"

Even after sitting on the edge of the kang and dipping her feet into the warm water in the basin, Sun Xiuyun was still somewhat dazed. Her son had prepared water for her to wash her feet.

This proposition was somewhat unfamiliar to her; at least, it had never been part of her even imaginative mindset. Yet, it appeared so abruptly, and her tear ducts instantly began to work, forcing her to try her best to control herself, to keep the tears from falling from her eyes, and to distract herself by thinking about other things to calm her emotions.