In the twilight of late autumn, Gu Nanfeng exhaled deeply, parked the half-used bicycle downstairs, looked up at the lights on the fifth floor, and tightened the thin piece of paper in his hand.

It was an admission letter, the Chinese Department of University A, one of the top universities in the country.

When my mother took it, her expression inevitably became excited, "Good boy...... Mom knows you're going to get in."

"South wind, here, drink water" Uncle poured a glass of white water and handed it over.

"Thank you, uncle," she quickly stood up to pick it up, the heat of her palm making her a little nervous.

"Mom, what is this?" The five or six-year-old girl lay on her mother's knee and stretched out her arm to pick up the thin piece of paper.

"Good, don't move, this is something that your sister has been studying for so many years to get back, and her future depends on it."

The tone is soft, and there is love and pity for her that has never appeared in her eyes.

In the dim light, in this home of less than 50 square meters, my uncle was busy in the kitchen, and my mother was talking to my sister with her arms around her, and I looked happy with her from time to time.

It's just that Gu Nanfeng knew that there was no place for her in this family of three, and every minute she sat was like sitting on pins and needles, and she finally spoke.

"Mom, I want to discuss something with you"

Mom seemed to be in a good mood, "What's the matter?" ”

Gu Nanfeng snorted and still opened his mouth, "Tuition...... There is still a difference of 5,000 yuan in tuition...... Grandpa has already given me ......"

"It's money again, money money, why didn't you come back to ask for money, which piece of clothing you wore didn't I bought for you?! Why don't you go with your dad, isn't his business doing quite well now! ”

Gu's mother interrupted her angrily and started a series of chatter, the topic always revolved around how Dad left their mother and daughter in the first place, how it was not easy for her over the years, she finally lived a better life, and she had to go to school for this little one, where did she get the money.

"You didn't want to move your account over at the beginning, but now you come to ask for someone, and we don't have to eat as a family, I owe you all in my last life!"

Uncle was still busy in the kitchen, and he didn't mean to come out to say a word.

Gu Nanfeng's eyes gradually turned red, she picked up the admission letter from the coffee table and held it tightly in the palm of her hand, and the way she held back her tears without saying a word inspired her to have a bit of maternal love, in the end, it was a piece of meat that fell from her body.

Gu's mother's tone softened, "That's it, Mom doesn't have much money, she just finished renovating the house, your uncle's pension hasn't been paid yet, and your sister is going to elementary school in September."

"Mom will give you a thousand yuan first, and you will beg your father for the rest, after all, she is her own daughter, is it difficult for him to really care"

The sound of chopping vegetables in the kitchen suddenly became louder, and the smile on Gu's mother's face was a little reluctant, "That's it, it's not early, you go back first, and your mother will call you the money in a few days."

I didn't even have a meal left.

Gu Nanfeng lowered his head and answered, stuffed the notice into his schoolbag, and stood up to say goodbye.

"Goodbye Mom, sister should be well-behaved"

The little girl playing with Barbie on the couch didn't even look at her.

Gu Nanfeng turned around a little crampedly to open the door, and glanced back at Gu's mother, "Mom, pay attention to your body, goodbye, uncle"

The uncle came out of the kitchen with a plate of cut fruits, "This kid will eat before leaving."

Gu Nanfeng shook his head, "No, grandparents are still waiting for me to eat."

She hadn't touched the glass of water on the table at all, let alone eaten.

"Oh, well, then be careful on the road"

Gu Nanfeng nodded, changed his shoes at the entrance and gently closed the door, and his mother never said a word from beginning to end.

"Nanfeng goes to college, naturally someone cares about his family, what is your turn?!"

"That's also a piece of meat that fell from my body, isn't it just a thousand dollars, what about you!"

"Huh? Isn't it just a thousand dollars? You said it easily, you don't go to work, it's me who works hard outside all day! ”

As she squatted down to tie her shoes, she heard a faint quarrel coming from inside the door, and tears fell on the concrete floor one by one, and flowers swam out.

Rushing downstairs quickly, he got on his bicycle and left the community without looking back, and it was torturous to stay for a minute longer.

The night breeze dried his tears, his face was sticky, Gu Nanfeng rode the car fast, and his washed white shirt was like a butterfly about to fly.

She had also thought about giving up her studies, but at no time had she been so determined to go to school no matter what, even if there was a glimmer of hope, she would fight for it, no matter what the cost, as long as she could get out of here.

Leave this rainy town all year round, leave this disappointing family, leave everyone.

When I returned home, my grandparents had finished their meal and were watching TV in the back room, and the food on the table was still warm with dishes.

Gu Nanfeng gulped the rice into his mouth, but he didn't know the taste of food, but tears smashed into the bowl and swallowed it into his stomach with the food.

This is the old house that my grandfather gave to after his retirement, and the walls around it are yellowed, and the wall skin peels off from the ceiling from time to time.

Even though my grandmother often cleaned it up, it still looked crowded, and the corners were full of miscellaneous items, some of which were bottles and cans that my grandmother picked up from the waste market, and they could be sold for money if they had saved too much.

Others were useless homework books written by Nanfeng, neatly stacked in thick stacks, and she said a few days ago that she was going to sell them for scrap, and she is still here.

This four-walled home does not have a trace of modernity, and the only color TV has been turned off.

The atmosphere in the room was dull, and Grandpa sighed again, "Nanfeng, since you have decided so, then we will support you"

Gu Nanfeng's eyes were hot, "Thank you, grandpa"

He opened the drawer, took out a passbook, and handed it to her tremblingly, the skin on the back of his hand was rough, the veins were bulging, and there were age spots.

"This is 3,000 yuan, I originally thought that I would give it to you when you left, since you decided to go to City B to work first, then take it with you on the road, and you can take care of it when you go there."

Gu Nanfeng, who has not liked to cry since he was a child, is kneeling in front of his grandfather and crying like a child at the moment.

Grandpa has chronic heart disease, grandma suffers from high blood pressure, taking medicine and injections every month is a big expense, and eighteen years of hard work to pull her up, it is to replace the missing part of her life.

How could she bear it, but there was nothing she could do.

Eight thousand dollars may be a flick of a finger to others, but it is a huge amount of money to her.

Poverty can really break a person's backbone, and family affection is undoubtedly the last straw that crushes a camel's back.

"Good boy, get up" Grandpa took her hand and helped the person up, and tears flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"You are a college student who has only been born in our Gu family for three lifetimes, go and call your dad to report the good news, if he can give you a little calculation, you can suffer a little less"

Nanfeng choked and nodded, and after the phone was connected, she tried to calm down and make her voice sound normal.

"Hey"

"Nanfeng, your dad is not here, go out to pick up Hanhan from school"

Nanfeng smiled, making his voice sound a little happier, "Well, Auntie...... It's okay...... It's just to call you to report the good news."

"Hmm...... Department of Chinese at A University"

"The start of school in September ......," she muttered, "tuition...... Tuition fee 8,000"

"No...... No, no...... Auntie, I don't want so much" Nanfeng forced down the astringency in his throat and eyes, "I can make an IOU, even if I borrow it from you"

"Dudu ......" There was a sound of disconnecting wires from the earpiece, and Nanfeng blinked and forced the tears back, but he no longer had the urge to pull them out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the plane has safely arrived at the international airport in City B, the ground temperature is 23 degrees Celsius, and the plane will continue to taxi for a while, please ......"

Gu Nanfeng opened her eyes, the cabin was noisy, there seemed to be something in the corner of her eyes, she raised her hand to wipe it as if unintentionally, got up and followed everyone off the plane.

"Southwind, here!" From a distance, I saw her dragging her luggage and looking around, Song Zhixia let go of her husband's hand and ran towards her.

"Zhixia" Gu Nanfeng pursed the corners of her lips and smiled slightly, she still hasn't changed much, she is still enthusiastic, the black long straight in the past is now permed with big wavy curls, and there is a bit of charm between Gu Pan.

"But I'm looking forward to you, if I don't get married, I'm afraid you won't come back to City B in your life, this time you can play for two more days, and we can go back to our alma mater to have a look......" Song Zhixia helped her put her luggage in the trunk and introduced the man next to her.

"This is my college roommate, a good girlfriend for life, Gu Nanfeng"

"Nanfeng, this is my fiancé, Shao Hui, but the day after tomorrow will become my husband haha"

Gu Nanfeng politely stretched out his hand, "Mr. Shao, hello"

"I've heard Zhixia mention you a long time ago, and it's really a very eye-catching woman" Just the right compliment, there was a sincere smile on the man's face, and he looked at Zhixia's eyes soft and gentle.

"Nanfeng, let's stay at our house tonight, try Shao Hui's craftsmanship, I have studied abroad for so many years, and the Western food I cook is not authentic to him, ...... tomorrow"

She paused for a moment and seemed to be thinking about tomorrow's itinerary, "Accompany me to try on the wedding dress tomorrow, and then let's go back to the school to have a look, I haven't been back for a long time, I don't know if the taste of the snail powder at the school gate has changed?" ”

The car was moving very slowly, shuttling through the traffic with difficulty, Gu Nanfeng looked at the familiar city, the familiar overpass, the familiar streets and alleys, but there was no person she was familiar with.

"Hey, where are you?" The other party's voice was a little anxious, the crowd around him was crowded, and many people came and went on the overpass, but he still didn't see that person.

"I'm under the overpass, where are you, I'll go find you" The girl's gentle voice was a little flustered, Xiao Xubai smiled, "Don't move, I'll come to you"

Gu Nanfeng calmed down inexplicably, she nodded, and after a while, she realized that the other party couldn't see it, and responded again, "Okay"

Then she just turned around and saw the man walking slowly towards her, wearing a simple white shirt, but with an aura that no one could ignore.

"It's really not wrong to say that you are a road idiot"

She came back to her senses and smiled, "Forget it, you little two people mix oil in honey, I'm afraid of being abused"

"South Wind, You and ......"

Gu Nanfeng's gaze condensed slightly, and Song Zhixia did not say the rest of his words.

"Take me to the hotel"

Song Zhixia had no choice but to nod, "Okay, Shao Hui will go to Hairui Garden Hotel."

Compared with when she first met her seven years ago, Gu Nanfeng became more and more silent, and there were gradually things in her eyes that she couldn't understand, not sophistication, not vicissitudes of life, not loveless, but empty, nothing, the whole person seemed to be hollowed out from the inside out.

It's clean and cold.

"Shao Hui, you go back first, I want to talk to Nanfeng for a while"

Shao Hui lowered the window and nodded, "Okay, call me when you come back, I'll pick you up."

Gu Nanfeng opened the door with the door card, turned sideways and let her in first, "He's good to you"

"Nanfeng, have you ever heard a sentence that what you love, what you think, and what you care about will lose to what is good for you"

In front of her best friend, Song Zhixia could finally take off the mask that had been held for a long time, her expression was a little tired, and she nestled in the sofa.

Gu Nanfeng was speechless, it seemed that what she said made some sense, but why did she never think about marrying Lin Xuan, she didn't dare to delve into the answer.

"Are you going to be single for the rest of your life?"

Gu Nanfeng put down his luggage and nodded.

"Maybe"

"Auntie didn't rush you again?"

I haven't contacted her for a few years, and I still have a little curiosity about her life.

"Why not" Gu Nanfeng smiled bitterly, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have introduced me to a blind date."

"So you have a boyfriend now?" As soon as he heard the gossip, Song Zhixia immediately came to his senses.

Seeing her nodding, Song Zhixia's expression was a little relieved, "That's fine, that road is too difficult to walk, I don't want you to be hurt again"