The post-70s generation of Benwu returned to their hometown, but the road improvement did not feel like they belonged to themselves
Mr. Lin is a post-70s generation who left his hometown 20 years ago and embarked on a journey of hard work. Twenty years later, he finally found a chance to return to his long-lost hometown and see how it had changed over the years.
Full of expectations, Mr. Lin came to his hometown. As soon as he entered the village, he saw that the former dirt road had been converted into a spacious concrete road, connecting even the fields on the far side of the village.
Mr. Lin was secretly relieved that the living conditions in his hometown had finally improved. However, when he walked through the village, he found that except for some gray-haired old people, there was hardly any other villager in sight.
The lively scenes in my memory are gone, replaced by a lonely and lonely place.
Mr. Lin entered the old house and wanted to take a break and walk around, but found that his mobile phone could not receive a signal at all, and he could not open emails and messages at work. He reluctantly walked a few miles, only to reluctantly receive a signal in a market town, and deal with the work in the city far away.
This made him feel that his hometown was really far away from him, and he could no longer adapt to his current life.
What made him feel even more disappointed was that several fellows he met on the street looked him up and down with strange eyes, as if to say, you have to mix so badly to return to this wilderness.
Mr. Lin suddenly realized that he was incompatible with this hometown, and every grass and tree here was still there, but he had lost that sense of intimacy that belonged to him.
That night, Mr. Lin sat quietly at the door of the old house alone. In front of me is the familiar mountains, rivers, stars and moons of my hometown, and in my ears are the long-lost insects and birds. However, my heart is full of loneliness - this hometown, still here, no longer belongs to me.
The Bridgebay School in memory is unrecognizable
The next morning, Mr. Lin walked slowly along the path at the edge of the village, wanting to relive his childhood play. Not far away was his favorite stone arch bridge, and Mr. Lin quickened his pace, eager to see the picture in his memory.
When he reached the bridge, however, he was greeted by a dilapidated sight — the deck was overgrown with creepers, the stone fences were loose, and the dry riverbed beneath the bridge was littered with plastic bags and other garbage.
The stone arch bridge, which has been unrecognizable, reminds him of the prosperity and bustle here when he was a child, and he can't help but feel that time is like water, and things are not people.
Then Mr. Lin went to the village school, and the playground and school building in his memory were long gone, replaced by simple workshops with the deafening roar of machines.
It turned out that the school had long since ceased to operate and turned into a small bamboo processing factory. Mr. Lin stood quietly for a while, looking at the poorly decorated factory building above his head, with mixed feelings in his heart.
He still remembers the curling smoke and the sound of reading books, and his mind suddenly returned to his youth. And everything has changed beyond recognition, and the school has been annihilated in time along with the memory.
After leaving school, Mr. Lin went to his childhood favorite mountain spring again. There is a small stream there, and Mr. Lin and his friends often frolic on the shore and catch fish and shrimp. But now the stream is still there, but the banks are overgrown with weeds, and there is no one left.
Mr. Lin's heart was sour, the joy of his childhood had passed, and now his hometown is only desolate.
Superficial harmony cannot hide the change of people's hearts
On the second day of Mr. Lin's stay in the village, he went to visit some old neighbors. Surprisingly, the neighbors who used to have a good relationship now treat him coldly.
It turned out that since the death of Mr. Lin's parents, there have been subtle changes between the neighborhoods. Some people often quarrel and shout for land boundaries and water sources; Some people have turned their faces because of the issue of interests and have become outright enemies; Some people even do some shady things under the guise of "good for the village".
Mr. Lin listened to this, unbelievable, the simple folks in his memory became like this, which really made him feel cold.
Only then did Mr. Lin realize that the past harmony was just the authority of his father's generation. And once the father passes away, everyone is not a "family". There are constant fights in the village, both openly and secretly, and morality has long been gone.
On the surface, everyone is still polite, but in fact, they are all coveting each other's interests.
On this day, Mr. Lin witnessed a big fight between two villagers over an ancestral vegetable plot. The two of you come and go, and they don't let each other go, and they are so angry that they blush and have thick necks. Mr. Lin wanted to persuade him, but he was looked at by both sides and scolded, "Take care of your own business."
This completely dispelled his thoughts, and he could only leave helplessly.
Mr. Lin's heart was full of disappointment, loneliness and melancholy. The simple and sincere hometown in my memory no longer exists, replaced by an ugly face fighting for power.
Seemingly overnight, the sky in my hometown darkened and the earth lost its life.
Choosing to leave and looking forward is forced by reality
After a few days in his hometown, Mr. Lin is finally on his way back. Before leaving, he sat alone at the entrance of the village, looking at the mountains of his homeland stretching endlessly.
When I left my hometown 20 years ago, I had an infinite longing and wanted to break out of the outside world; And when I left today, my heart was full of loneliness and reluctance.
Mr. Lin knew that this might be the last time he would return to his hometown, because it was no longer what it used to be, but a different foreign land.
However, in the world, it is impossible to stay in the past. Mr. Lim knew that he had to move forward and adapt to these changing times. Although I still feel nostalgic for my hometown, turning back is no longer an option.
What's more, Mr. Lin has already put down roots in the city, has a career and a family. These realities forced him to move forward and not to stand still in his hometown.
Anxiety about the future, consideration of his livelihood, all prompted him to choose to leave.
When the bus whistled and left, Mr. Lin quietly watched the mountains and rivers of his hometown gradually fade away. He knew that he might not come back in this life, but his feelings for his hometown would always remain in his heart.
Abandon the old dream, continue to move forward, and open a new chapter in life - this is the choice given to him by the times and reality.
Mr. Lin wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, turned around, and walked into the rushing flow of people with a resolute face. The hometown of the past is forever fixed in the memory; And in the future, he must move forward bravely.