Expectations, longings, and sustenance are all frightening emotions. The more I fled and struggled, the more I felt that emotion was like a silk thread, almost suffocating myself.

- "Letter to Father and Brother"

In 1925, the whole world was like a cookie floating on hot water. As it expanded, it began to crumble, collide, turbulent, and then partially sink. While most people are still living quietly, it seems that everyone's heart is ready to escape from life.

In a country of turmoil, there were strikes and marches, assassinations and scuffles – a time of high interest for young people and intellectuals, but also for warlords and revolutionaries.

However, the stage of the story is not in this place, not in this country where internal cells devour each other and purify themselves due to long-term necrosis. If you want to ask why, it is nothing more than because the fate of the people in the story is also drifting with the turmoil of the times, even if you grit your teeth and grasp something, you still can't be absolutely immobile.

Bai Gu often feels this way. He is like a rootless duckweed, dragging his broken body to float in the water. The scenery outside the window seemed to come from a foreign country, which made his eyes feel extremely uncomfortable. But when I think back that I have been here for three years, I can't help but feel a lot of sadness in my heart. On the table was a telegram sent from home two weeks ago, and now the situation at home was another unknown situation.

Three years ago, Bai Gu, the second son, disobeyed his father's orders and fled to London to escape his career. The Bai family is a business giant, and the eldest brother Bai Qingwen deserves to inherit his father's mantle. Under his father's plan, he should become a politician who opens the way and builds bridges for the family, and only by supporting each other can things be done.

Bai Gu didn't like any of this. He does not have the wisdom to engage in business and politics. He is just an ordinary young man born in a merchant family, and he loves reading and research.

After running away, the eldest brother not only did not blame him, but also sent a monthly fee, asking him to take care of his body and study hard. Although they are not born to the same mother, the relationship between Bai Qingwen and Bai Gu is very good. It can be seen that the father is not just blindly old-fashioned and has no godson mind.

"My father's anger has gradually faded recently, and he has been stumped by many miscellaneous things, so I don't think I will be angry with you again. I went to Britain to study as a good student, pay attention to my body, and don't wronged myself because of stinginess with money. This was said in the first telegram sent by Bai Qingwen.

The white fox likes such days, except for a feeling of being drifted and helpless, everything else is fine. Soon he would be admitted to the school and become a teacher, which was very rare at the time. It's a terrible time, and it's a good time – reading is always useful.

"Wow, it's abominable, it's raining!"

Just as Bai Gu was looking out the window and wandering, the door behind him was opened suddenly, and a young man rushed in with a strange scream, which made Bai Gu couldn't help but tremble.

"Why are you so annoying? Why don't you go to class, what are you doing when you come back?" Turning around without hurry, Bai Gu looked at the young man lying on the sofa.

Shaking off his dark hair stained with raindrops, Xuan Junyang crossed his legs and looked at the chandelier on the ceiling gracefully: "I didn't take an umbrella, it's raining." Run back to avoid the rain, class, and you won't die if you miss two sessions. ”

Three years ago, he also came to study with his close friend Xuan Junyang. The Xuan family and the Bai family are world friends, and Bai Gu originally wanted to marry Xuan Junyang's sister as his wife, but whether it was Bai Gu, Xuan Junyang or Xuan Junyang's sister herself, they all felt that this was nonsense at all. The marriage naturally fell apart because Bai Gu ran away from home, and the parents of the two parties pretended to compensate each other.

Bai Gu majored in philosophy, while Xuan Junyang was a history student. Although they are young, they are both gifted and intelligent, and they have made great achievements in their respective disciplines. It's just that the white fox has a low-key personality, and Xuan Junyang is extremely flamboyant, often causing teachers and classmates to quarrel with him but have nothing to do with him.

"Go out," Bai Gu walked to the sofa opposite Xuan Junyang and sat down, "This is my room, go back to your own room." ”

Chong Baigu shook his index finger, and Xuan Junyang replied: "This small building is jointly funded by you and me, and it belongs to you and me - every space and every breath of air here is shared by you and me." So I can lie down in your room, and you can go to my room as well. ”

"That's really you have me, I have you," Bai Gu is not familiar with the law, he knows that Xuan Junyang's shameless rhetoric must have been learned from a female student who studied law recently, just like when he was dating a girl who studied art before, he yelled to modify the fireplace, "Then your girlfriends have been in our house since the time they stepped into our house, even if we have shared it?"

As soon as the words fell, the corner of the stairs really heard the "thump" sound of leather shoes stepping on the wooden stairs.

"Yo," Xuan Junyang laughed, reaching for the grapes on the coffee table, "I'm afraid this isn't our shared girlfriend, it's just a friend we share." ”

Bai Gu turned his head to look over, and just in time to see Jane Gray who walked into the room.

"What are you talking about?" Seeing Xuan Junyang occupying the entire sofa alone, he simply sat next to Bai Gu, "I don't understand Chinese." ”

"It's nothing, it's just a small talk," Xuan Junyang finally picked a grape and put it in his mouth, "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to find Bai Gu, I still need your consent!" said this, Jian Chong Xuan Junyang grimaced.

"Tut-tut," Xuan Junyang looked at Bai Gu and pouted, "It's good, it's really good." ”

Jane Grey, who lived next door, died and lived alone. Like Xuan Junyang, she is also a student of history. On the first day of school, she saw Xuan Junyang's power in the professor's shouts of "Get out, Misterxuan!". Later, when she found out that the Chinese student had appeared on her way home, she happily went up to talk to her.

Very few students are willing to take the initiative to talk to Bai Gu and Xuan Junyang, I don't know if it's because foreign students are always excluded or because Xuan Junyang's perverse personality is easy to cause conflicts. But whether it is a teacher or a student, the attitude towards the two is still respectful - after all, in terms of academic attainments, the two still have a strong right to speak.

Bai Gu likes this girl very much, generous, decent, and unrestrained, which makes him feel relaxed. However, Xuan Junyang thought that she always came to eat, and had a fierce conflict with him on academic views, disturbing his good mood every day.

"If you oppose him like this, he will hate you later. Bai Guchong said with a smile.

"I'm not the stingy kind of person. As he spoke, Xuan Junyang reached out to pick the grapes on the coffee table again, not guarding against Jian Yi reaching out and bringing the entire plate of grapes to the side closer to Bai Gu.

Bai Gu sat on the side, smiling and watching the two of them fight for me, but he didn't speak anymore.

"You seem to be in a bad mood," Xuan Junyang saw that Bai Gu didn't seem to be in the mood for idle talk today, so he asked him, "Is there any bad news at home?"

Shaking his head, Bai Gu lowered his eyes: "There is no bad news, but I think that we have been in London for three years, and I don't know if we have changed when we return home." ”

"I guess you don't have the idea of going back, right?" Looking at Bai Gu's appearance, Xuan Junyang asked him.

This Bai Gu couldn't answer. Humayi north wind, over the south branch of the bird's nest. If ordinary people still want to return to their hometown, and the motherland has been turbulent recently, they should go back and do their best at this time. But he and Xuan Junyang are not people who covet their homeland. Although the feeling of being adrift makes you feel lonely, who in this world is not lonely - when a person first has self-awareness, his spirit is destined to start a lifelong wandering, and he begins to be forever lonely - but he and Xuan Junyang are indeed two cold people, and they are especially not good at and are not keen on maintaining family and friendship. The two of them regard each other as close friends because they have known each other since childhood and have equal experience, which is the only friendship given by God.

Thinking of this, Bai Gu smiled at Xuan Junyang: "After all, I already have the qualifications to continue to stay and do research, but I just hope to continue my studies in the future, and it is enough to be a teacher here." ”

"In this case, I don't mind continuing to be with you, anyway, now that the situation is turbulent, staying here can always stop for a few more years, right?" Saying this, Xuan Junyang stretched his waist, "Wait until the turmoil passes, the person in charge of the house is settled, and then go back to see the great rivers and mountains of the motherland." ”

"What about you?" Turning his head to look at Jane Gray, Bai Gu asked, "Judging by the way you look, it doesn't seem that you want to continue your research." Maybe you've found a good place to go?"

Smiling awkwardly, Jian spread his hands: "I haven't thought about it yet, maybe I can be a teaching assistant for Xuan Junyang in the future?"

"Stop, stop," Hearing this, Xuan Junyang quickly stretched out his hand to stop Jane's thoughts, "Your idea is bigger than mine, if you come to be my teaching assistant, I will vomit blood and die on the podium first." ”

After a pause, Xuan Junyang continued: "In our China, most women have to marry and raise children when they reach your age. I see that you are not young anymore, and according to my observation, your people begin to accelerate aging and youth after planting a certain age-you look at Mrs. Smith's ghostly face, which is posted at the door during the New Year, not to mention the little Nian Beast, even Yu Chi Jingde and Qin Qiong can be exempted from the hard work of standing guard for a whole year - if you don't marry now, when will you stay?"

Glaring at Bai Gu fiercely, Jane said angrily: "Then who do you say I should marry?????" Although Jane is beautiful, she is too energetic, and she is close to Bai Gu and Xuan Junyang, which inevitably makes her classmates think that she is also a weird person.

Xuan Junyang turned around, turned his face to the back of the sofa, waved his hand and said, "I'll forget it, although you are good-looking, my family will definitely refuse me to take a foreign woman." Bai Gu is a good candidate, his old man is about to retire, and his eldest brother is a new figure, he will definitely be able to accept a younger brother and sister like you. If you marry into the Bai family, you won't have to worry about food and clothing, and you won't be able to enjoy it~!"

Xuan Junyang's description of adding oil and vinegar is as if Jane Gray is really going to marry Bai Gu.

"You better stop talking nonsense here. As he spoke, Bai Gu saw what Jane Gray was holding in his hand.

"You brought me a gift?" Looking at the book in Jane's hand, Bai Gu joked.

Hearing Bai Gu's words, Jane seemed to remember the purpose of her visit: "Oh, by the way, I'm here for this." ”

As she spoke, she put the book in her hand on the coffee table.

It's not a book, it's more like a bound book of materials. A thick, somewhat skewed stack of pages already showed signs of erosion and moth-eater.

"What kind of book is this?" Xuan Junyang asked with a frown, sitting up.

"This is an indispensable guide to our graduation celebrations!" Confidently reaching out and patting the heavy binding book on the table, Jane's face showed a mysterious smile.