At 35, because your health is getting worse You work less overtime And your promotions are slowing down
That day after work, your wife tells you It's time for the child to go to kindergarten Bilingual costs 3,000 a month You frown, and she's already impatient
"Old Wang's kid in Unit 4 costs 6,000 a month" "You're already like this, do you want our child to lose too?" You don't say anything, go back to the room and transfer 6,000 yuan to your wife This money, you originally planned to celebrate your birthday and buy a new computer
At 38, the child enters first grade The teacher says first grade is the most critical, laying a solid foundation is important You smile and say, yes yes yes, teacher, please take good care of them
The new student reception teacher looks at your clueless face And points you to a clear path "Extracurricular tutoring class, 2,200 a month"
At 40, the child enters third grade The teacher says, third grade is the most critical, connecting the past and future is important You smile and say: yes yes yes, I was just planning to sign up for another tutoring class
At 44, the child enters middle school One day she comes home and tells you Dad, I want to learn piano You don't hesitate much You think over the years, you've gotten used to it
But the words "Dad can't afford it now" you can never say out loud Fortunately, the child is quite sensible She says: It's okay Dad, maybe I can learn the ocarina first You look at such a sensible child, but can't feel happy
At 46, the child enters a mediocre high school One day during a meeting, you receive a call from the teacher The call says your child got into a fight at school And asks you to come You meekly Ask for leave from the leader who's 5 years younger than you
At school, you get scolded by the teacher again The lines are nothing more than that one phrase You parents only know work, can't you spend time with your child?
You look at this teacher, feeling somewhat ridiculous As if the one who said back then: Parents should work harder outside Earn more money so the child can take more tutoring classes wasn't the same person
At 50, the child enters university Very promising, it's a first-tier university Their major is something you don't quite understand You only know jobs might not be easy to find And the tuition is ridiculously expensive You want to have a late-night chat with them Prepare half a jin of baijiu, a plate of peanuts You say those words you once hated most
Still need to think about future employment Choose a popular major Survival is more important than passion
Your conversation turns into an argument You realize, you're old So old you might not even be able to beat this 18-year-old You can't win the argument, can only say: I am your father! The child looks at you, knowing further argument is useless This drinking session meant to establish your final authority ends unhappily You don't hear clearly On the way back to their room, the child seems to mutter "I don't want to live like you"
Why are you crying? A 50-year-old man Must be the liquor is too strong, right Must be the liquor is too strong
At 55, the child starts working, seems to understand you a little But you do the opposite, you say don't compromise
At 56, the child gets married too You ask if they like that girl They pause and say: I guess so
At 60, after a lifetime of hard work, you want to travel The person beside you for 30 years You still can't tell if you really like them or not You start planning travel routes After all these years You still have disagreements, still argue In a certain moment, you think Maybe this is fine too
Everything is ready Your son says: Mom and Dad, I'm too busy with work Can you help take care of my child? You cancel the flight tickets, returning to 30 years ago
At 70, your child's child grows up, no need to worry daily You firmly decide: must take a trip But the cane in your hand Only supports you to walk to the garden downstairs
At 75, you're on a hospital bed Surrounded by people, you hazily see the doctor shake their head The people around look solemn You understand, you're going to die You don't feel a trace of fear You suddenly ask yourself, when exactly did I die?
You remember that wedding at 30 So, back then, you died Following convention In the 3 seconds before death, your brain will flash your life Reverse recounting your 75 years Images pass one by one 1 second 2 seconds Two seconds pass You expressionlessly watch the memories from these two seconds At the 3rd second Suddenly you smile So it has returned to that year when you were 15 You see a boy, he's holding a bag of milk in his mouth, carrying a backpack Running past under the balcony of another girl's house The boy glances toward the window That's the girl you had a crush on at 15 You can't remember what she looked like In the last second you try hard to recall Then finally laugh out loud
3 seconds pass The people around suddenly start wailing loudly You probably can't hear clearly The last noisy sound you hear Is a group of fifteen or sixteen-year-old boys Teasing and shouting Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!