Forty-eight, our batch of post-80s and post-85s (3)

  We simply ordered a few dishes, Lan Qi ate half a bowl of rice and said she was full. I smiled and asked her if she was worried that eating too much would make her fat. Lan Qi smiled and shook her head, saying that she had always had a small appetite.

  After dinner, I went back to my rented house with Lan Qi.

  "How is it? Is there a feeling of entering a steamer?" I opened the door and let Lan Qi enter the house.

  Lan Qian nodded, "No wonder Linlin told me it was hot before. Your rooftop gets direct sunlight, of course it's hot."

  I turned on the ceiling fan and its blades whirred into motion, blowing out waves of hot air.

  Lan Xi furrowed her brow and headed towards the laundry room.

  All I could hear was the sound of gurgling water, and Blue came over with a basin of cool water.

  Then, start sprinkling water on the ground.

  "Let me do it," I said with a bit of embarrassment and quickly went up to help.

  The half basin of water has been splashed out and the room is much cooler now.

  I turned on the computer and logged into the private server game.

  I was just thinking of calling Ma Dai to ask if he had finished his blind date yet, and then Ma Dai called me.

  "Where are you now, Mu Xian?" asked Ma Dai over the phone.

  "I'm at home, yeah, Lan Qi is next to me," I said.

  "We'll come find you," said the sack.

  "Are you coming to my place too?" I asked.

  "Alright, I've arrived at Xishi West District, I'll give you a call, come and pick me up," said Ma Dai.

  "Alright, you've reached me," I said and hung up the phone.

  "I don't know if this guy has failed in blind dating again," Lan Qixia said with a gloating smile.

  "What does a sack look like in your imagination, Lan Qi?" I asked.

  "Sturdy and robust," said Lan Jue with a chuckle.

  "Haha, so before you saw me, what did you think I'd be like?" I asked with a smile.

  "Lingling has sent me your photos before, but in reality you look thinner than in the photos," said Lan Qi.

  "Oh, she must have sent you that photo taken on the school football field, right? It was just spring back then and we were all wearing thick clothes, so I looked a bit chubby. But she always said that one turned out well, personally I didn't think so," I said with a smile.

  "Uh, let me find some photos in my album and show you," said Lan Qi, logging into her QQ account and opening her personal space.

  "You've set a password for your space and I couldn't log in," I said.

  "Ling Ling knows the password, and it's actually my birthday," said Lan Qi.

  "Ah," I nodded.

  "This is a photo taken in my university days, look at how sweetly I smiled back then, unlike now, having gone through so much and looking worldly. This one was taken the first month after I started working, look at that expression, isn't it silly? This photo was taken half a year after I started working, with a bitter face and an unhappy look, that's because that month my work wasn't good and my salary was deducted. And this one..." Lan Qi continued talking to herself, seemingly having forgotten about me by her side.

  I just realized that our generation, the 80s and 85s, have unknowingly started to feel nostalgic. It has nothing to do with rebellion or decadence. The former arrogance and recklessness are all gone, leaving only the confusion and helplessness after growing up.

  Some people seem to grow up overnight, while more people are still growing up slowly and tempering themselves in the process.

  The number of phone calls increased, the number of text messages decreased, the times of being online in stealth mode increased, the times of chatting openly decreased, the times of being alone increased, the times of gathering together decreased, the times of browsing online stores increased, the times of going to shopping malls decreased, the times of buying soy milk increased, the times of drinking carbonated beverages decreased, the times of talking about reality increased, the times of discussing ideals decreased, the things that got used to gradually increased, the things that couldn't be tolerated decreased...

  It turns out we've all secretly grown old.

  We begin with a brand new perspective, a brand new attitude, re-examining and reassessing this world.

  What was once steadfast is now wavering, what was once certain is now doubted. What is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false? Clever for a moment, but confused for a lifetime.

  Who accompanied whom through the years of indulgence, who accompanied whom to roam the world, and who again accompanied whom, scattered in ordinary families?

  The makeup is washed away, who is still waiting for whom?

  Years have passed, who still remembers who?

  We are just a speck of dust in the vast universe, but we want to bloom an eternal flower in this dust, isn't that very far-fetched?

  But what great dream has not been humble and far-off at first?

  To draw out the dazzling meteor, one must ignite the passion of life. To sing out the resplendent beauty of dawn, one must pierce through the icy coldness of night. To forge a divine sword that lasts for ages, one must endure the scorching heat of the furnace. To write an epic legend that spans eternity, one must grasp the throat of fate.

  Struggle, born without stop, die without rest.