Time flies, and the midterm exam is coming up in a blink of an eye. Come to think of it, campus life is repeated, and the only change may be the content of the teacher's daily teaching. They spoke, we memorized, chewed and digested as fast as possible, only the memory of the teeth colliding, and could not hear the peristalsis of the stomach. Every day is just three o'clock in the line, dormitories, classrooms, canteens. We are like donkeys grinding with our eyes closed, sometimes we feel like we have walked for a long time, and the time has only passed a little, and our bodies are still standing still.

Middle school life is the most time-pleasing, although in the eyes of teachers and parents, not a single minute should be wasted. But at this age, students who don't have to worry about food and clothing are destined to have a lot to waste, especially in the first and second years of junior high school. A cloud drifting outside the window, a gust of wind blowing leaves at the end of school, or a fight along the way, these seem to attract our attention more. Every day after school at noon, when you walk from the school building to the cafeteria, you will pass by a row of walls with alumni photos. Under the shadow of the tall school building, faint points of light flicker on the pictures that are taken for granted. We've memorized the names of these predecessors, and the year of birth that followed them – some of them were born and died. But we will also pay attention to look at it once in a while, because we always feel strange, so strange that we think they are people who have been engraved in time and have little contact with us. We are far, far away from them, and we are far, far away from living to the age they are now.

But maybe it's not that far, and in a blink of an eye, I will grow up and come back to these pictures, patiently looking at the curious eyes of our younger generations. Perhaps, as long as you live, you will never lack time. There are so many things that people can waste as long as they can. Life is like a big pocket, taking away our time little by little, but we don't know where to hide it.

After the evening self-study, I thought about these things alone and waited for Mile at the door of the second class. He was smiling when he slipped out of his school bag, not at all like he was going to have a midterm exam tomorrow. Very good.

"Ke Ke, 'Now let's fight'!" He grabbed my arm and threw it up.

"What, can't you wait for the exam?" I cooperated with the flick of my arm over my head, and it landed lightly on his little head.

"Not really! This is the sentence at the end of "Old Man Gao". Haven't you seen it? ”

"Nope." Not beat around the bush.

"I'm going to take the Chinese test tomorrow, so I deliberately took out the books I had read before and sorted them out, trying to provide material for the composition." He shook a notebook in his hand, ""Old Man Gao" is a book recommended by your sister in the literary club!" ”

"If you haven't seen it, you haven't seen it, do you want me to pretend to have seen it to lie to you?" I shrugged.

"Okay, then I'll tell you about it on the way back, maybe you can use it tomorrow."

With that, he pulled me by, avoided the crowd, and walked down the side path of the school building. There is a bit of a detour and relatively few street lights, and it is said that there are always students who "have too close to each other" who make an appointment to take that road to the dormitory or out of the school gate at night. The school is also not ambiguous, and continues to increase the patrol manpower on that road to catch such dishonest students. In fact, it is only four or five minutes longer than the normal route. I don't know if there will really be people who "throw themselves into the net" in order to walk those four or five minutes together.

Jiang Yuan's spring is short, and before he has time to forget the cold, the summer heat slowly covers the earth from the sky. Fortunately, the evening breeze at the end of April is still comfortable on the face, as if you can follow it to any corner you want to go with two steps. Miller told a story from the other side of Eurasia, and I was as enchanted as the wind, and I only wished that the road in front of me would be a little longer, a little longer, so that I could blow the wind and listen to the story for a long time.

"By the way, do you know who the protagonist of "Old Man Gao" is?"

"Old man Gao."

"No, at least not exactly." He winked mischievously. I knew it wasn't that simple, but I bit his bait anyway.

"Who's that? I haven't seen it in the first place, so I can only guess. ”

"Balzac's greatest writer was the university student Rastigne, who observed the old masters. Rastigne was a little older brother than us, who had come to Paris from the provinces to study law, and his family had been noble, but he had fallen and was tight-handed. So he can only live in the Fugai apartment, which is a bit like our dormitory, although it is one person and one room, but everyone is not very comfortable. There are also all kinds of people in the apartment, which is not very comfortable. Old man Gao also lives in this apartment, and every time he eats, everyone sits together and makes fun of him. Of course, Rastigne is still good for the elderly. ”

"Is it because Old Man Gao is very poor, like Kong Yiji?"

"Not poor at first. He was originally a guest in the apartment, living in the best room. Old man Gao was not a nobleman, he was a flour merchant, his wife died, and he had two daughters. He loved them so much that he wanted his daughters to enter high society, spent a lot of money to educate them, and bought them dowries. However, his daughter and son-in-law are white-eyed wolves, and the son-in-law will look down on him after embezzling his wife's property, and his daughter will only keep asking him for money. Old man Gao kept selling his property, the room became worse and worse, he ate less and less, he was squeezed out of his last penny at the end of the novel, he was seriously ill, and he wanted to see his daughter before he died. Rastigne helped him find it, but he couldn't get there. This old father, who has loved his daughter all his life, was abandoned by his own children in the end. The final funeral was organized by Rastigne, who spent all his money, and the two sons-in-law refused to pay a cent, only sending an empty car for the funeral. In the end, he buried the old man, looked down on the brightly lit Paris from the high cemetery, and said the words, 'Now let's fight together', and went to challenge the society. ”

"Old man Gao is too miserable. So is Rastigne going to rebel against society and avenge him? ”

"No, it's not. Although I thought so at first. Millet pouted and shook his finger, "I checked it later, and he appeared in other novels." After that, he became a person with neither a bottom line nor a conscience, who did not believe in morality and law, only knew that money was supreme, and would do whatever it took to achieve his goals. He made a lot of money and became a great official, but he degenerated into a different person. ”

"What's that kind of challenge to society?"

"That's it. He has integrated into that despicable society, and has become the darkest side, the worst bad guy, so bad that he is invincible, and no one can help him. As his cousin told him at the beginning, 'The more heartless you are, the faster you rise, and you have to hit people mercilessly to make them afraid of you'. ”

"I hate this guy so much."

"But he is the only person in the whole book who really cares about Old Man Gao, without him, Old Man Gao would be dead on the streets." Miller said, sighing, the wind still slapping softly on our cheeks, "He was very innocent at first. He's gone bad. I guess I'm kind of like him. ”

"What did you say?" I'm not very happy, "You're not going to be a bad person." ”

This sentence was blurted out without even thinking about it.

"I think the reason why Rastigne can understand Old Man Gao may be because he sees the shadow of his relatives in Old Man Gao, do you understand?" Seeing that I shook his head, he continued, "Isn't the daughter of the old man Gao only caring about the old father's money? In fact, Rastigne is also like this as a college student. He has his parents and two younger sisters at home in a distant province. He needed money to break into high society, so he wrote to his mother and sister asking for help. He was anxious and ashamed, because he asked his sisters for their private money. He knew that as long as he asked for it, they would give it, and they would give it without hesitation. He even knew that he could confidently and boldly squeeze the last drop of blood out of his loved ones. Sure enough, he soon received a reply, and he thought that the money could change his life and decide his fate. In the letter, his mother said that he did not have to pretend that he did not have an identity, and hoped that he would not take a detour. Despite this, his mother loved him and blessed him, and he sold his property to raise the money, and his sick aunt sold the only souvenirs she had. My mother said, 'Because Bawang can have property for my children, I will understand what poverty is like.' His sisters, too, were very happy when they received the letter from their brother, and gave him all the money without thinking, thinking that it was a pleasure for a woman to suffer for the sake of her loved one. Rastigne cried after reading his mother's letter, and after reading his sister's letter, he felt that he must succeed, that the happiness and destiny of the family were on his back, and that he must bring all the happiness in the world to them......"

Millet burst into tears.

I slowly put my arms around him from behind. A drop fell into my hand, and I could feel it.

"I'm asking you one thing, don't lie, don't get angry, okay?"

"Just ask."

"Are you afraid that you won't be able to take the exam tomorrow?"

I felt him stomp the toe of my shoe with his heel and twist it, but not hard.

"I want to cry when I read this."

"I understand."

There were very few people on the road, and there seemed to be nothing still in action except for the wind. It was so quiet that you could even hear Miller wheezing. I don't know what I can do, maybe, I can only accompany him and accompany him to finish this road.

"Actually, I think Rastigne's cousin is pretty good."

"Huh?" Seeing that he took the initiative to talk about other things, I hurriedly gave the most positive response.

"It's a distant cousin, Madame Baussion. She was the star of Parisian social circles, and everyone revolved around her to get a slap in her face. It was she who told Rastigne that innocence and honesty are worthless in a cruel society. When I say that, do you think she's pretty bad? At first, I didn't like her, but then I found out that she had seen through the mercenary society and knew that it was a big mud pit, but she still wanted to resist. She constantly pursues love and sincerely loves others, but she is deceived and abandoned one after another. She had been in love with a Spanish marquis for a long time, but the other party suddenly dumped her in order to marry a young lady who had many dowries. She chose to leave Paris, leaving behind the glittering halls. Her helpless and calm, self-respecting exit is still a bit tragic. At the moment of saying goodbye to Rastigne, she said that she often thought of her cousin, because he was kind, noble, young and honest, and she felt that this was a good quality and hoped that his cousin would think of her when she left. She still longs for beautiful love and integrity in her heart, and she has been let down countless times without compromise, which is much better than those who only have money in their eyes......"

"What are you doing here?"

A blinding light slapped us in the face with a stern question. We both covered our eyes with our hands, like spies spotted by patrolmen.

"I've been thinking about this for almost fourteen years." When the light was removed, I suddenly wanted to answer. But the security guard glaring at us and the Head of Year who appeared behind him immediately dispelled the idea.

"I'm sorry, teacher, we came out a little late tonight after self-study." Miller hurriedly bowed his head to them and apologized.

"Did you know that there is a midterm exam tomorrow?" Rather than asking questions, he was accusing.

"Yes."

"Can you get me back to sleep right away?"

"Yes, yes, yes, let's go."

We quickly and reluctantly walked out, not very calmly. The head of year didn't say much about us, after all, his task was not to arrest the people who discussed Balzac.

"Koko."

"Huh?"

"Thank you. In fact, I'm just looking for excuses, "Old Man Gao" is not a required reading, and I will definitely not take the exam tomorrow. I'm delaying you. ”

"Why, you can also use it for writing. Besides, what if you don't take the test? I love to hear your stories. ”

"Okay, I'll watch "Red and Black" next time, and I'll tell you about it then."

"I'll listen carefully."

"Okay."

As Mi Le expected, the Chinese test paper will not be tested in "Old Man Gao". And the composition is also to ask us to write about "things around us", obviously 19th century France is not around us.

The three days of the exam flew by. Before the end of the Shi Zheng exam, I rubbed my sour hands, and my middle finger was about to grind out calluses. As soon as the bell rang, everyone couldn't suppress the mood of finishing the exam, so they almost dropped the test paper and rushed out of the classroom. The invigilator sensed the agitation and suppressed the excitement. When the test papers were collected one by one, most of the anger was discharged, and everyone walked out of the examination room obediently one by one.

"Ke Ke, can we talk about self-study tonight?" Tao Tao, who was in the same examination room again, suddenly walked up to me. It was an unexpected invitation, as no one had ever told me that they wanted to "talk", except for Mi Le and Ye Ruiyang. But most of the time they don't ask me in advance, but say anything whenever and wherever they want.

"If you want to watch a movie, that's fine......" he scratched his head in embarrassment.

"It's okay. I'd love to. ”

The level of the old class selection of movies has improved a lot compared to last year, at least Ye Ruiyang will not want to rush up and turn off the computer like last time. However, since he promised Taotao, he can't go back. As soon as the movie played, under the cover of darkness, the two of us slipped out of the classroom, ran to the laboratory building, and stopped under the old maple poplar tree.

"What's wrong with you? Just say anything. "I leaned against the maple poplar tree and rubbed its undulating bark with my back, which was quite comfortable, like a massage, and I couldn't help but stretch my waist.

"Hmm...... Tell you just one person. He hesitated. Tao Tao was taller than me, but when I stood on the root of the tree, he didn't come up, but I was "looking down" at him, and even the shadow was stretched long.

"Ke Ke, this may be the last time I'll take a mid-term exam."

"Huh?"

I saw my shadow tremble, and my limbs, which had just stretched out, instantly stiffened.

"What do you mean by that?" Seeing that he bowed his head and was silent, I hurriedly asked.

"I'm going to change schools." He spoke calmly, tilting his head slightly and looking at me. Those dark eyes told me that it wasn't a joke, and it wasn't a lie.

It was undoubtedly a thunderbolt.

"Why? Your grades are much better! If you still feel a little overwhelmed, we'll help you! Me, Boss Ye, Mi Le, and Xuexue, aren't everyone very happy? Why do you want to leave! The more I talked, the more anxious I became, perhaps faintly feeling the unshakable fate and decision behind Tao Tao's words, "Don't go, no one wants you to go." Who asked you to go? Don't listen to him! ”

For a moment, I doubted a few teachers, who liked to talk about "killing a thousand people in one point". Could it be that the 1,000 people who are destined to be killed will not only be killed in the examination room, but also in reality? And it started from our side?

"What if I told you that the person who wanted me to go was myself?" The look on his face was much more relaxed than mine.

"Don't go!" I jumped down from the root of the tree, grabbed both of his arms, and seemed to shake him twice, "You are our friend, everyone cares about you so much, how can you leave us and run away?" ”

I must have panicked and said nothing, as if Tao Tao owed us. Maybe that's what I thought at the time.

"I know that you are all my most important friends. I also know that my thoughts are selfish, but I can't help it. He bit his lower lip.

"Why can't it be helped? How can there be anything in the world that can't be helped? It's you who don't want to think about it! You tell me, tell me! I can help you! "My voice was much louder, I was so anxious and angry that my head was burning and my back was sweating.

"Keco, I understand your kindness. But I'm also a man of conscience, right? I am grateful to everyone for the help they have given me, especially to you. It's just that people have to rely on themselves, and they can't rely on others for the rest of their lives, right? Everyone has self-esteem. If you want to help, you can only help once, and if you help too much, you won't help. ”

"I don't care! I do! What once, twice, how many times, nonsense! ”

For a moment, I returned to my previous state of unscrupulous temper, and Tao Tao, who came to me to talk to me, became the person who comforted me. He patted me on the shoulder slowly, "Ke Ke", "Ke Ke", and shouted in a low voice, as if he was coaxing a child to sleep. It's a shame, but luckily only he can see it. I'm just making a fuss about it, completely ignoring his feelings. But I don't want to lose another friend, so suddenly.

"I'm touched, Koko, I know you all want me to stay, and I don't want to be separated from you. I have been thinking about this for a long time, and I have discussed it with my parents and Mr. Liu. I'm looking for a school that suits me better. ”

"No. 1 Middle School is obviously very suitable for you, No. 1 Middle School is the best school in the city!"

"But I may not be very suitable for reading, not everyone is suitable for exams, I ......"

"Lie! You have improved a lot, and you must be a good student in another school! Don't lie to me! You're just making excuses! Exams are the most suitable way for us, isn't it better to study hard than others? ”

I interrupted him. At this moment, no matter what he says, I will refute it without exception, even in the words of adults I usually don't like so much. I had the illusion that I could keep him by refuting him. I do not know. I don't know what I have to do to keep him. I don't want him to leave. The summer night sky hadn't gathered yet, but I felt like my close-fitting garment was getting wet.

He smiled, probably because he saw my aggrieved and anxious look. I must have looked like a Shar Pei dog lying on the ground, and my face was wrinkled.

"I'm making excuses." He admitted, "It doesn't really have much to do with grades." I wanted to choose a school close to home. My sister is going to elementary school in September, my father is outside, my mother is not in good health, and there is no one in the family. I'm going to go to the new middle school, right on my doorstep. This way I can pick up and drop off my sister every day and cook for the family. As you can see, since last semester I have been running at home and at school, and the two sides are really a bit far away, and I am tired and want to be lazy. ”

"You're so cruel."

"What do you mean?"

"You're trying to sacrifice yourself to take care of your family, aren't you? But can your family afford such a sacrifice? Everyone knows that No. 1 Middle School is a good school, and we are very lucky to be able to study here. I seemed to be right, but I didn't dare to look him in the eye, "What would your sister think if she grew up and found out that her brother had left his friends and given up his studies in order to pick her up from school?" Have you considered your sister's feelings? She's going to be sad. ”

"I'm not going to give up on learning. It's also good to go to a new building, which can save a lot of time to study. I usually feel that I don't have enough time, so I am in a hurry to go to the toilet. ”

"Then you can't sacrifice yourself like that."

"But Mom and Dad have sacrificed a lot for us, and I should do something about it. If I don't do anything, it's my sister who will be sacrificed. I want her to be happy, safe and sound, and always have someone to accompany her. ”

"Can no one help?" I racked my brains to help him come up with a solution. Of course, the methods of part-time workers and small dining tables are impractical, but I seem to have heard of some community service, probably so called, it is too unfamiliar.

I never thought about the ordinary and practical problem of food, clothing, housing and transportation, and before I could think about it, my parents had already thought about it for me. My elementary school is only a 10-minute walk from home, and since I was a child, two people went back together, took care of each other, and crossed the street with the crowd holding hands. When I was alone, I was too old to go alone.

But it's not that something I don't have to think about doesn't exist and doesn't happen to anyone else.

"I don't want to bother people. Moreover, my sister is still young, and I don't feel at ease when I give birth to others. ”

"Is there no other way?"

"That's the best way to go."

I hunched over in the shade of the maple poplars, arms hanging dumbfounded, not knowing where to put them. The wind blew on my face, with a summer visibility, ethereal and unreal. In the sound of the regrowing leaves swaying, I knew very clearly that Taotao's departure was a falling hammer, which could not be changed. He told me about it secretly, perhaps because he was worried that the unforeseen separation would break his friend's heart. But wouldn't I be sad if he told me in advance? I'm sad because I can read without worry, and I've always been reading without worry, and that's a luxury for Taotao. Tao Tao is right in front of me, I know that he is leaving me, he is destined to become a passerby in my life, a leaf that cannot be grasped in the distance, and an object that the whole class will be reluctant to say goodbye to someday in the future. I can imagine the moment when he said goodbye to everyone. After saying that, he left, and our days went on, continuing to read in the morning and in the evening every day, whining and whining, and the noise seemed to never stop.

"Actually, the new middle school is really good......" he said, not knowing whether to comfort me or himself. Probably me, it seems like I'm leaving school instead of him. This determination to never look back and never regret it makes me both sad and guilty. I know that he fully accepts and loves his responsibilities, wants to do everything he can to do well, and never complains no matter how hard he pays, because the happiness of his loved ones is his happiness.

Man cannot choose his own life, but he is able to choose how to live. At an ignorant age, he is trying to protect and care for his relatives, and what am I doing? I just hurt them over and over again.

"Both sides communicated well and I was able to go to their best class. The new side also told me that the school will be changed to a branch of No. 1 Middle School next semester, and the headquarters will transfer teachers to the past. I'm still a middle school member, we're still classmates, it's not that I changed schools, and we didn't get along with each other for a long time. ”

He put his hand on my shoulder. I hadn't been touched much by him, and I felt so rusty that I didn't feel worthy of his comfort for me.

"When are you leaving?" I surrendered.

"Let's end this semester. You know why? ”

"Your sister is only in elementary school in the second half of the year, and you want to stay with everyone for a while?"

"Yes, but there's another reason." He held out a finger excitedly, "We've made it to the Final Four." The team will still need me. ”

"Let's win the championship!" blurted out, "If you want to go, you have to go with the championship medal too." ”

"Okay." His eyes were more attentive.

"It's a deal!" Finally, I smiled and bumped my fist with him.

"You know what? I played football in elementary school, but I didn't think about whether I wanted to play in junior high school, because I didn't even have a pair of reliable sneakers. The day you gave me my shoes, I made up my mind that I would kick the ball down. So, even if I'm not in the first hit, I'm still going to play. There is also a varsity team in the new building. Just like the senior sister and Xu Mu said, I can't let it go. He licked his lips, a little shy, but there was a hint of excitement that he couldn't hide.

"We're going to keep playing, keep playing." I hugged him tightly, with the strength that I didn't want to part.

"We could be rivals. But you get used to it, after all, we seem to have played with your friends before. ”

"I don't care, you are my teammate now, and you will always be my teammate."

"The same goes for you. That's right......"

He looked up, and we looked together at the quiet night sky. At first glance, there is only a crooked moon and a few lonely stars. However, under the maple poplar trees, which are not well lit, the stars that have adorned the sky since eternity gradually reveal their distant shadows. They flicker more and more clearly as we gaze, gradually flickering on the other side of the galaxy countless light years away from us, like childhood friends who have been separated for a long time and reunited. On winter days in my hometown, I have repeatedly poked my head out of the window, away from the lights and hustle and bustle of the city, slowly chewing and swimming in the sea of constellations, and my mind is floating with endless reverie on the horizon.

"You say, if I were Brazilian, would I play football for a living?"

"You can make a lot of money. You're going to be a star in Brazil. "I've heard Xianxian say that many of the stars of the Brazilian team don't come from good backgrounds, but just to make life better for their families, and out of love for the sport, they have grown from obscure street kids to sought-after stars. In Brazil, football can change people's lives.

"I just think about it, I don't think so, being a professional player is difficult, it's not easier than exams." He smirked, "Maybe in Brazil, I'll be a street thug, fight every day, and join the gang." ”

"No, absolutely not." I said categorically, and this conviction was also present when I spoke to Miller, "Someone like you is not going to be a bad person, not for the rest of your life, no matter where you are." ”

"I never knew what I was going to do or what I was going to become. I'll do it as long as I can. However, since I have a family and Ke Ke, I think that no matter where I am or what I do in the future, I will be down-to-earth and upright. ”

Looking at his simple and simple face under the starry sky, I believe that this sentence will be a promise to keep for a lifetime. Let me fight with Taotao, this is a fair and honest challenge. On this night, I felt like we couldn't lose the next game, we had to win.