Alley

In 1999, Shu Yi met Xiang Yu.

Shu Yi's parents died in an accident when he was seven years old, and little Shu Yi was taken home by his father's distant relatives at the funeral.

The place called home is just a small house of more than ten square meters, located in a crowded alley, without a kitchen, and even the bathroom is shared by the residents of the same unit.When the adoptive father had an accident in the factory when he was young, he was paralyzed in bed and could not take care of himself. The adoptive mother started some small businesses in the vegetable farm near the alley to subsidize the family.

The cruelty of life taught Shu Yi early on that no one is born to be nice to anyone.The adoptive mother brought him home only because she needed someone to help take care of the adoptive father in bed. In exchange, they would cover the expenses of Shuyi Public School and basic life.

Every night, Shu Yi spread a bedding on the ground, looking at the sundries piled up in the corner and the occasional cockroaches.He knows he has nothing to complain about, it's just a deal, he pays for his labor, and the reward is a chance to live.

So in the alley in 1999, Shu Yi fell in love easily.

In the 15 years of his life, except before the seven-year-old with vague memory, he has never received kindness without asking for anything in return.

He was like a drowning man desperately trying to grab a straw in the turbulence of life.

Xiang Yu accompanied him to watch the millennium fireworks, accompanied him to do daily tiring housework, and occasionally brought him beautiful and delicious candies and cakes that he had never seen before.

Xiang Yu taught him to kiss, planting the seeds of desire in his immature body and mind.

Xiang Yu promises him a good life, but breaks his promise.

In 2000, Shu Yi waited for Xiang Yu for a whole year. In the alley where he could see as far as the eye could see, he sat on the threshold of the back door of his house after doing housework and studying, quietly waiting for Xiang Yu to appear.

The man who claimed to be from 20 years later said that he couldn't take him away. He said sorry and said he would come to see him tomorrow, but Shu Yi never waited for him again.

That year he was admitted to an ordinary high school, knelt on the ground and begged his adoptive mother for a long time. He still remembered the life Xiang Yu described to him. He will have a bright future.

The adoptive father was coughing badly at the side, and he continued to say intermittently, "Let this baby... go."

The adoptive mother sighed and agreed, took out an envelope from under the mattress, carefully counted a few blue bills and handed them to Shu Yi.

In 2003, the third year Xiang Yu left, Shu Yi took the college entrance examination.

He didn't have any goals or plans, but his adoptive mother told him that after graduating from high school, he would help in the vegetable market. She won this job opportunity with great difficulty from Aunt Wang in the alley next door, and he could earn 2500 yuan a month.

He had long since given up yearning for the good life that Xiang Yu had promised him.He will no longer wait foolishly by the back door alone, nor will he cry silently under the covers at night afraid of making noise.

Shu Yi imagined the reason why Xiang Yu would not appear again countless times, but after he was gradually overwhelmed by reality, he no longer thought about it.

He thought, he hates Xiang Yu.

If Xiang Yu hadn't shown him so many possibilities in life, maybe he would have been working as a helper in the vegetable market in peace and stability, and wouldn't be as jealous as he is now, who can wear soft and clean school uniforms at the same table every day. Brand-new hardcover book, he has never heard of or watched the animated movies that his classmates talked about. They always complain about piano lessons or cram schools on weekends after class. Boys can meet together to play basketball after class, and girls will chat together. Discuss gossip and feelings.

The life of those ordinary high school students is exactly the same as what Xiang Yu said.

He thought he could live such a life after entering high school, but his reality is that he is overwhelmed by endless housework every day.

Cleaning, cooking, washing dishes, taking care of foster father, washing sheets.

Every weekend, he has to go to the vegetable market to help his adoptive mother.Sometimes the aunt in the milk house next door asked him to help, and he would get [-] cents for each family he delivered milk to.

Although the college entrance examination and education are fair, every student is equal in front of the examination papers; however, class and wealth determine the educational resources and horizons of the students. Poor students have no time or resources to study, and rich families Most of the students have a good learning environment.

Shu Yi's grades have always been below average.

He gradually understood that he could not escape his fate, that his life would be spent in mediocrity, and that poor people would only become poorer throughout their lives.

So he didn't want to, and didn't think about Xiang Yu anymore.

I no longer think about the life I once longed for.

He chose to bow to fate.He is only 17 years old, he should be a vigorous age, but he is confused and doesn't know why he was born and why he lives.

Until the end of the second year of high school on that day, the school invited several outstanding graduates who were admitted to prestigious schools to give speeches to the class.

The one who came to Shu Yi's class was a bookish boy wearing glasses. The boy first thanked his high school teacher, and then gave a general introduction to the campus life of the university.

"University is different from high school. It is not only a place to learn knowledge, but also a place to establish a outlook on life and the world, and to establish goals in life."

"In college, you can meet all kinds of people, make friends from all corners of the country, and even compete with leading domestic professors in related fields."

Shu Yi unconsciously played with the draft paper in his hand, folded it in half, and finally turned it into a small ugly square.

"Everyone will fill in the college entrance examination application before the third year of senior high school entrance examination. At that time, you will not only have to fill in the school you want to take the exam, but also the major you want to study in the future."

Shu Yi put down the draft paper in his hand, and cast his eyes out of the window. After today is summer vacation, which means hot and humid and endless part-time jobs.

"The future major determines the future work and life direction to some extent. When I was in the college entrance examination, my parents advised me to major in accounting. After all, accounting is always easy to find a job. But in the end, guess what major I chose?"

The students below began to whisper. This senior was a well-known school girl with excellent character and learning when he was in school. Shu Yi overheard girls in the class discussing that this senior was admitted to a nationally famous university, but No one knows what major he chose.

"Have you seen a recent popular movie called Butterfly Effect? ​​In the movie, the protagonist can go back to the past through a notebook. When he goes back to the past and changes a small thing, many people's lives may be because of what he did. Things have changed drastically.”

"It's like a butterfly in South America, occasionally flapping its wings a few times, may cause a tornado in a certain state of the United States two weeks later."

"Beyond the time and space we live in, there may be thousands of parallel universes. There is even a four-dimensional space in a certain universe, where time is also a dimension, and people can travel back in time at will."

"My major is physics, a branch of astrophysics. How about it, isn't it cool?"

"In short, what I want to say is that I hope everyone can think carefully about what to study in university in the future, find a balance between future employment and hobbies, and work hard for it in the coming year."

"Finally, I hope that everyone can get into the ideal school and major!"

The applause continued for a long time, Shu Yi's eyes widened, and he clapped along dully.

He thought, he found it.

He found the meaning of continuing to work hard to survive. He wanted to study a major he liked, and he also wanted to know if there was a parallel universe where he could be with Xiang Yu besides the universe he was in.

The author has something to say: *Actually, The Butterfly Effect was released in 2004, and it is a very classic time travel/parallel universe movie (strongly recommended).