Essays: A Hint of Hometown Nostalgia
Text: Dongfeng Qingyi
Image: Source Network
When good times come, we miss our families even more. No matter how long we've been away, the longing for loved ones never fades; no matter how far we travel, we can't escape the yearning for our relatives. Hometown and family are the solace for wanderers when they revisit their youth in their dreams; they are the comfort for a restless soul.
I thought of the dim yellow incandescent lamp at the end of my alley and the figure waiting for me to return, illuminating countless nights of youthful indulgence, and also illuminating my entire childhood.
I remembered the luffa trees and jasmine trees in elementary school. Whenever the summer and autumn transition, many mature luffas would be blown down by the wind, and the students would pick them up to wash clothes. I felt like I was back on the playground, with classmates gathering under the two-story jasmine tree, with jasmine flowers falling like fine rain and silk in October, sprinkling on everyone's heads.
I remembered the power outage during high school evening self-study. Everyone lit a small candle, writing their homework in the dim light, full of enthusiasm and looking forward to the future. It was a simple and beautiful yearning.
I remembered that summer on the mountain top, running with friends in the cool evening breeze under the setting sun. The small town below snaked out a huge 'S' shape. A rugged road stretched to the end.
I also remembered the 'black' senior year of high school, waking up on time every morning with dreams, while eating steamed buns and stumbling to class. I remembered my mother's warm milk to drink every night, until the golden June finally brought me a deep blue admission notice, which gave me wings and took me out of town and towards the future.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, from being alone in Shanghai for studying to working in Wuhu, and then to working in Wuhu, it's been exactly eight years. It coincides with the wedding of classmates who came to Wuhu to work. Moved by the fleeting nature of time, the memories flood back, and we, lost in the world, even if we can't reach our destination now, at least we should cherish our initial intentions and keep them safe in our hearts, not letting them fade with the erosion of time. Let's quietly wait for the opportunity to come, with a warm and wise demeanor, expecting ourselves, and soothing our seemingly hard hearts.
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