Coming back to our room was like ending a dream. The dull smell of the dream may still be a little familiar, and it still retains the dim hue of waking up. I sensed that I had some connection to the vanished atmosphere, but it took a lot of thought to remember what I had experienced and what I remembered. I tried to get back to my dream, but it was already shattered, like glass shards on the ground, and when I picked it up, I always scratched my fingers, and the pain made people trance, like closing the curtains in the room and starting a dusk lunch break.

Keko, your room is not what I imagined. Miller said. I thought it would be a blue wall, a big bed, and a small desk full of books.

That's what I want to do. But our family is not big enough. Although it is a three-bedroom living room, one of the rooms is a very long and narrow study room that can only be placed with a sofa. Our room was also very small, as soon as we entered the door you could see the bunk beds, which were attached to the wall on the right. A desk is placed in the north-facing window, and the other is posted on the left wall. In addition, there is only a row of cabinets on the right hand side of the door.

He sat on my lower bunk, and I pulled back the chair in front of the window, my hand hanging limply as if it were broken. The windows were closed, and you could still hear the wind stirring the branches outside, and a green leaf hitting the glass from time to time.

The seat under the window is mine, I snatched it from Xianxian to be exact. After the bunk beds arrived, the layout of the entire room had to be replanned. I didn't take care of the whole thing, I just asked my parents to spend money to replace the old big bed. The assembly of the bed and the design of the room are all discussed between Xianxian and the workers. Once I was done, I walked straight in and sat down at the table where I was sitting. Both desks were emptied, and they looked completely indistinguishable, and even if they were, I wouldn't have noticed. I didn't ask if the desk under the string window was the one he used before, and he didn't say a word, and from then on, this was my place. I can watch a leaf grow in the spring while I do my homework, until it falls with my peers in the fall.

And now there's a leaf growing out of the window, and there are two people in the room. After two years, there were two more boys in this room. Time flies, and I look at a small mirror on the table. The Adam's apple is stuck the neck, and the face is rounder than before, and in a few years it may be back to the beard. My appearance has changed, what about the strings? He will always belong to the age that I am moving away, and he will always be the same look I once had but will never have again. I hate taking pictures, but I don't have a single picture of him now. I once had a picture of the two of us on my desk, where was it? Mom and Dad must have taken it away. While they were away, I rummaged through the whole house and still couldn't find it.

Ke Ke, there are a lot of medals. Is it yours or his? Or are you all together? Millet clearly saw something hanging from the railing on the strings. Although I don't know what material it's made of, there are gold, silver, and bronze medals. As soon as the lights are turned on, they shine like stars. They remind me that it's all in the past.

How can I still sit in this room while reminiscing? During the summer vacation, I was looking forward to starting school soon, a little faster. I had homework during the previous holidays, but I didn't have that summer vacation just past, and if I could work hard at my desk, I probably wouldn't have thought about it so much, and I wouldn't have been able to stay here.

It's all his, maybe a few of them are mine, but I wouldn't have been able to get them without him. That's how I replied to Millet. The truth is, if it weren't for Xianxian taking me to play, I wouldn't have had much interest in football. Maybe you're going to play basketball? Not necessarily, maybe I was born with no motor cells, so being in a daze is more suitable for me.

Don't think so, which team doesn't have a goalkeeper? Didn't the coach say that a good goalkeeper can top half a team. He said.

I wonder if he said this to comfort me. But what team wins with the goalkeeper alone? Somebody has to score and organize. They are more critical.

By the way, are we going to sleep together under it today, or what should we do? He asked.

Sleep underneath, it should be big enough, okay? I seem to be asking for his opinion. He didn't object.

If Millet climbed to the top bunk, he would see the sheets and folded quilts that had not changed, as well as bits and pieces of small things that had been placed on the bed without taking them with him. A few stickers and cards, a set of pajamas that had been re-washed and put on purpose, as if waiting for someone to put it back on, a Christmas red sock, and a tiny Pikachu poking its head out of it. I haven't seen it again. If there really is a Pokémon, then it will definitely ask me with its eyes where its owner has gone, and why he hasn't come to pick him up after two years. Luckily, we don't have any pets, and I've heard that Akita dogs stay somewhere for a long time waiting for their owners to come home.

He should still have a hat, and he can't find it. How many things did I lose, did my parents take them, or did I lose them? I usually don't lose things easily, and when I lose them, it's the most important thing.

Way, Miller, can I come in? It was her knocking on the door. This time it was slow, gentle. In the past time, the knock on the door was like yesterday's raindrops, and she almost pleaded at the door, saying that the adults had gone out, and she was the only one, promising that she would be the only one who would come in. I wondered if she was kneeling in the doorway begging me, crying too scary. What am I doing, huddled in bed, hiding in a corner where there is no light. Let her exhaust the last of her strength and dignity.

I've hurt everybody in my family. The thought of this makes me even more sad when I am sad. I couldn't control myself when I left the room. I'll have to lock myself up so it will hurt you a little less. However, in my room, I also felt the darkness spreading, and my heart was still blocked and I couldn't speak.

She opened the door without asking, still waiting outside. Millet nudged me, and I came back to my senses and said please come in. She told us to go to dinner and said there was a surprise in the evening.

My uncle's family came, and with Miller, we had seven pairs of chopsticks on the dining table, as if this was the right number. Mom and Dad sandwiched a lot of dishes for Miller and told him to eat more, as if he were at home. He was obviously a little restrained, and he ate the food with chopsticks one bite at a time, and the bowl was never served from beginning to end. He didn't say much, and he didn't answer until everyone asked. He's trying to show his well-behaved and sensible side, or what others would think is the best. It's important to him, and he definitely wants to make a good impression on my family.

Actually, it's quite impressive. Although I seem to prefer the one who poured water on my head. Which one is the real him? may be like what he said about Brother Chuan, several images must be added together to be the real him.

What does a string look like? Is he really what I remember? Or is it what it looks like in the photos that can no longer be seen? I couldn't imagine him by my own face in the mirror, his face had long since turned into a puff of light smoke and dust that I couldn't grasp, lying in the ground where the autumn wind was blowing and the leaves were falling. He's so far away from me, and I miss him so much, especially when everyone is sitting together.

I really want to stand up and ask, ask you who are eating, hey, have you thought of the strings, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, we are going to reunite, aren't we? But one is missing, one is missing, although we have seven pairs of chopsticks here, and there are seven shadows on the ground, but one less is one less. Where is he? Can he hear us laughing at the dinner table? Can you tell me? It rained all night yesterday, and he could hear it, through the damp soil, maybe he was going to wake up and want to talk to someone, who of us was talking to? Who can talk to him? What's the matter, I can't hear him anymore. Yesterday's moon was so bright, today it will be even brighter, he can feel it. But you're all eating, you're all happy, you're happy for me, yes, I've got a good friend, a good friend that I like very, very much, I'm back on the football team, and your Wewe are more energetic, and you're happy, and you're calling Miller to come here and play and make this your home. Yes, yes, all right, I really appreciate you guys, but where's the string?

I can't ask. I know none of you will ever forget the strings. I won't forget either. I know you love him. I love him too. Still, I was so sad, more than ever, that the family reunion made me want to see him more than being alone. I can't talk, I can't cry. Not a word was spoken, not a single tear was shed. I know I said it, I cried, you all have to ask why, you have to worry about me, and then I want to hide in my room and lock the door, and then continue to be uncomfortable, and feel bad together. It can't be like this anymore. I can't hurt you anymore, at a festival like this, in front of Millet.

"Yue Yin, what breed is your dog? It feels familiar. Millet asked, touching the big fluffy dog.

"St. Bernard, but the bloodline is not so pure, so it won't grow too big. Have you ever seen it in cartoons, they often save people in the snow or something. ”

"Yes, yes, yes! There's a little keg hanging from under its neck, and I just thought something was missing! It's even more like having a wine barrel! ”

"Is the barrel its soul?" My sister smiled.

"Actually, the barrel is just a decoration, and it will not be used during rescue. It was painted by a British artist, but it was very cute. Yue Yin scratched the dog's chin, and it meekly raised its head to let its owner touch it.

"What's its name?" Miller asked.

"Evan, Evan."

Suddenly I want to take Evan on an adventure with everyone, and it will definitely become our patron saint.

My sister and Yue Yin are young, although she said that now the two of them are rivals: there are only two student publications in the junior high school of No. 1 Middle School, one is "Hunters and Light Cavalry" by our literary club, and the other is "New Scene" by Yue Yin's news club. There doesn't seem to be any competition between the two publications, but my sister said yes. Mi Le and I really didn't expect her to take us to the big courtyard of Yue Yin's house to play, and said that we would eat together in the evening.

Rather than taking pictures with a camera, I prefer the appearance of Yue Yin being dragged by Evan with a dog leash. I asked her how old Evan was, and she said she was only a year and a half. It seems that it will stay with her for a long time, at least ten years, hopefully. Ten years is a long time, and for us now, after all, we have only lived a little bit of a decade.

Evan seemed to hear me asking about it, and walked up to my shoes and sniffed, causing me to jump back two steps in fright. It's not that I don't like animals, but I can't quite accept that they get too close to me. Evan is well-behaved, and I'm still wary. Large dogs seem to be very gentle, while small dogs can bark and even bite. Maybe it's like Miller said, he was too scared to control himself.

In the evening, Yue Yin skillfully settled Evan well. We got in our own cars and went to the hotel. In the reserved private room, there is already a family waiting.

He Mingming. It seems that my sister knew him before? Maybe the parents of both sides have known each other for a long time, after all, they are colleagues.

The greater the number of companions, the less likely it is for us to be restrained. The adults were very kind to let us sit together, naturally boys and boys sit, girls and girls sit, and my sister and I filled in the 38th line.

Still unable to escape taking pictures, we were asked to stand in two rows for a group photo before taking our seats. The girls are in front and the boys are in the back, although it may be more appropriate for Miller to stand in front. It must have been a very abrupt photo, obviously much taller than all of us. But it's more about me - my mom said it was too serious, but I really don't know why I'm smiling at a cold, staring camera. Sending this picture recorded by the mechanical eye to the circle of friends and family members, does it mean that a beautiful moment is kept? If time could be left like this, it would be too easy and too cheap. But who am I to think so? I can't even leave you a little bit of a good time.

At this age, it is not easy for boys and girls to find some common topics, but fortunately, my sister and Yue Yin are very easy-going. When asked about the dog, he seemed to want to keep a golden retriever at home. Yue Yin said that she also likes the golden retriever, as a recovery dog, it is very human. The most interesting thing is that you can take it with you for a swim. She also said that the IQ of the golden retriever is equivalent to that of a child about five years old, and if you raise it, you will have an extra brother in the family.

Obviously, it's a good match for such a big dog. Whether he usually plays football, he is very gentle and gentle, but he is relatively tall and thin, and he is not just furry.

"Which team do you like?" My sister suddenly spoke. The boys were surprised that they hadn't talked about football just now, so they didn't need to accommodate us to talk about it. She snorted and said no, I'm an old fan, and I didn't say this for you at all, just curious. Miller whispered in my ear that he really always thought my sister was following football because of me.

She has a wide range of interests, and it's no surprise that she likes football. After all, the body has always been healthy and energetic. She likes to listen to songs the most, rock, folk, pop, classical, and sings well. I heard my aunt say that she can cook, maybe she cooked any dishes at noon, and the adults didn't praise it, maybe everyone is used to her being so good.

I've been praised a lot, especially in the past two years, and I can say that I'm used to not wasting it after eating, but it's actually just a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"But is that good? Many teams are sworn enemies with each other, and it would be embarrassing if they were really sworn enemies when they were reported. Yue Yin said.

"Everyone respects each other, I think it's okay." My sister said, reaching out and pinching my face, "Anyway, I know that Wei Wei doesn't support the team, if you have one, you can recommend it." But don't take it crookedly, let him like my sworn enemy. If you support me, I will tolerate him, and if he dares to support me, I will beat him. ”

I was threatened for some reason, but I'm quite happy. She always said she was going to beat me, and she never did, which made people look forward to it.

"The team I support is Serie A and half of the shirt is black." Ming Ming smiled and said, "But you don't think much of Serie A, do you?" I'm too old-school. ”

"Cunning!" My sister's hand that grabbed me suddenly made a lot of effort, "Milan, Juventus, Inter, which one is not half black?" There are seven or eight such Serie A teams, how do you make us guess? ”

"At least you know I'm not a fan of the Roma duo and Napoli, do you?" Obviously stuck out his tongue. I've heard the teams my sister said in the first few years, but I'm really not clear about the back.

Miller said he doesn't watch many games, most of the teams are told by his classmates, and there are no professional teams in his hometown. Yue Yin said that she did have a team that she only liked, but she didn't want to say it. My sister's favorite team is still not mentioned, and she herself said that there are not many mortal enemies. The conversation quickly turned into them recommending teams to me and Miller.

"A team that a person likes is still very representative of his character...... "My sister laughed without warning. She immediately showed a knowing expression, saying that she probably knew which team she was a fan of. Miller and I were confused.

"I think Miller is very handsome and young for a young age, so it is very suitable to wear a very sunny white jersey, with that kind of silver gun and white horse feeling, so do you want to consider ......"

"Come on, don't peddle smuggling to others, let him choose slowly."

"How do you know he's going to dislike it?"

"How do you know he likes it? Less mistaken children. ”

I really doubt that my sister said that they were rivals, and the root cause was that the team they supported was a sworn enemy.

"I do think the pure white jersey suits me perfectly." Miller smiled, and the dispute between the two debaters stopped, naturally a happy family and a sad family. However, he soon said that he was talking about the white team uniform of Jiang Yuan No. 1 Middle School. We all laughed. If I say that, I guess my sister will say that she wants to beat me again. But my goalkeeper jersey is green after all, and the white jersey is theirs.

"Where's Keco? What style do you prefer? "Maybe there are teams I know that you might like." ”

Me?

Xianxian really didn't tell me which team he liked. I've watched a few games with him, but he's very excited no matter which team scores, and I'm always yawning on the couch.

With his character, what kind of team would he like?

"I think...... Is it the kind of team that plays very hard and is keen to attack? Won't be overly conservative. But the defense is not bad, even the strikers will actively return to the defense, and the whole team is very combative. Unity, heart to make one. The desire to win is strong and I give it my all in every game. None of the whole team kicked the ball dirty, and there was no selfishness to dominate the ball. Never maliciously foul, delay time, fake penalties, or exploit loopholes in the rules, let alone hurt others. In the face of the other party's rude foul, he is also very calm, and he doesn't even care. It's about playing cleanly, winning with dignity, and not doing anything to win. Respect the opponent, shake hands no matter whether you win or lose, and win without arrogance or discouragement. Also, I respect the fans very much, even if only a few people come, they will go to the court. In the end, the more you can win, the better. ”

I talked for a while, and after everyone was silent for a moment, Yue Yin spoke first:

"You're right, everyone will like a team like this. But to be honest, the team I support is actually very elegant, but it still doesn't meet your standards. Every team has one or two people who are not so clean or gentlemanly. If you're looking for players who have never had a red card or jumped over the water, I can think of a few, but there is no such thing. ”

"Pull you down."

It turns out that everyone is pretty much the same, and it's not just the boys who will tear each other down. But it's only between very good friends that they dare to talk like that.

"Keco, I understand your thoughts. But just like I said to Boss Ye that day, we all respect such an honest player, but now it is difficult to find such a team. Ming Ming said, "If there is, I will definitely be a fan of them." ”

"After all, Wei Wei doesn't watch many games, and if he watches more, he will have his own ideas. It's all up to you. You have to know that no two leaves in the world are exactly the same, and there is a big difference between each player because everyone is very different. You've just been talking more like a great player than a team. It would be scary if everyone on a team was completely on the same page in terms of thinking and style. The beauty of football is that different people can come together and work together to win, rather than eleven clones or robots mechanically executing tactics. ”

"But even if there is no such team now, it doesn't mean that there will be no in the future. Aren't we all on the varsity team, we can make No. 1 High School such a team? Of course...... We can only be ourselves, we can't expect everyone to do that...... And it's not easy to be yourself. ”

Miller was right. I actually hope that you all become such players, and I will be enthusiastic when I hear it, and I will take pictures of you when the time comes. ”

"Ah, I'm saying. Do you know how coaches 'compliment' us when they train? Say we're a bunch of good babies, and we won't ...... foul."

"Really, I'm a little bit lost about what the coaches and seniors are saying. You guys met my dad today, he's a surgeon and he's a fan. I've heard him talk about injuries and he was very professional, and the more I listened, the more I felt that injuries on the pitch were terrible, and some players were even injured for a long time and couldn't take care of themselves. That's a professional player, rich, and someone to take care of. But we are students, and there are many things to do besides playing football. Who isn't loved and pampered by their parents? That's why I'm worried that I'll hurt someone else during the game one day. In elementary school, I was okay in height and didn't have a hard time defending. But after playing the last two games, I feel like I don't have any advantage at all. Senior Yuan Yikong told me to be fierce in defense, but what is fierce and dirty? How to handle it? So I'm a little bit timid defensively, I'm afraid of making mistakes and I'm afraid of hurting people......"

We chatted for a while. What my sister means is that we are now on paper after all, and we still have to get used to it on the court to understand. I suddenly remembered the question I had that day, and I said why Jiangyuan No. 1 Middle School did not have a women's football team, and the football club should be for all students in the school, so why no girls joined the club.

I'm glad you think so. My sister said. But you should think that the boys' varsity team is barely able to make up an 18-man squad, and it may not be easy to find 8 girls who can play football in the whole school. Not so many people like football, and not so many people like to play. Yue Yin and I both watched the game, but we didn't know how to play, we didn't have training. Among the girls I know, Xu Mu is the only one who has played football. Yue Yin said that the actual situation is that there is never anyone in the school to gather girls to play football, and no one knows if they can organize a school team. Maybe not, maybe can, the point is that no one does it. Even Coach Wang, who is a female teacher, has never considered organizing women's football. Maybe you don't have enough people, but you can't do nothing because of a prediction.

I could feel that she wasn't arguing with her sister this time. My sister really agreed with her. Maybe you can try it next year when the club recruits new people, she said. Millet and Ming Ming are willing to help, and so am I.

When we parted, the adults were still shaking hands and blessings to each other, and we walked out into the empty street. The moon hangs high in the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is indeed brighter than yesterday, and perhaps tomorrow will be even brighter. During the conversation, my mood was much more stable than in the morning. Did the communication between friends protect me, or did these words make me forget myself and lose those intense emotions? I can't tell, but at least it's nice to walk together on the windswept streets. Putting on a thick hat and putting her hands in her pockets, my sister is singing, euphemistic and beautiful, as if the gentle moonlight flows.

See the pyramids along the Nile

Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle

Just remember darling all the while

You belong to me

See the market place in old Algiers

Send me photographs and souvenirs

Just remember till your dream appears

You belong to me

I'll be so alone without you

Maybe you'll be lonesome too and blue

Fly the ocean in a silver plane

See the jungle when it's wet with rain

Just remember till you're home again

You belong to me [1]

I understood the phrase "you belong to me", but fortunately, I can use my mobile phone to find the lyrics. My sister said that it would be good if Xu Mu was here, she was the drummer of the band, and occasionally made a guest lead singer. Mi Le asked her sister why she didn't go to the band to try, and felt that she sang better than Mu Zheng. You can talk to Mu Zheng and Huang Minxue more, their band seems to be short of people, Yue Yin secretly pulled me, so let's talk about it.

And now I just want to listen to my sister sing quietly, not even a word can be understood, walking high at the end like Mingming, imagining that there is a big dog following me without saying a word.

"We thank you so much, thank you for being by Way's side. I really don't know what to say, he was always alone in the past days, it was too scary. We don't have any way to be parents. ”

"Auntie, he's already my best friend, I really don't need to thank me. It's all as it should be. And he took good care of me and treated me very well. ”

Even though the bath water was whirring, I could still hear them talking in the living room.

"But, Auntie, there's something I want to ask. Have you taken Keco to the hospital for a check-up? I mean heart disease, he never seemed to have any emergency medicine with him. Of course, I'll learn first aid......"

A figure approached the bathroom, and I turned the water on to the maximum. She was soon back.

"Don't worry, our family has no history of congenital heart disease."

"But Brother Xianxian......"

Millet's voice in the living room was interrupted.

[1] You Belong To Me is a single originally released in 1952 by Sue Thompson and a collaboration between songwriters Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart and Chilton Price. It was later covered by multiple people, with Jason Wade's version becoming a classic episode in Shrek, and Bob Dylan's version becoming an episode in Born to Kill Maniac.

Chinese-English version of the lyrics:

See the pyramids along the Nile

Look at the pyramids along the Nile

Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle

Look at the sunrise over a tropical island

Just remember darling all the while

Remembering you, dear

You belong to me

You belong to me

See the market place

Look at the market

In old Algiers

The old market of Algiers

Send me photographs

Send me a photo

And souvenirs

and souvenirs

Just remember

Remember clearly

Till your dream appears

Until your dreams come along

You belong to me

You belong to me

I'll be so alone

I'll be on my own

Without you

Without your company

Maybe

Maybe

You'll be lonesome， too

You will also be lonely

And blue

Have the blues

Fly the ocean

Fly on the sea

In a silver plane

Fly in a silver plane

See the jungle

See the jungle

When it's wet with rains

It becomes humid when the rain falls

Just remember

Still remember

Till you're home again

Until you return home

You belong to me

You belong to me