Insufficient balance

  At 5 o'clock in the morning, it was already broad daylight. However, the sun had not yet risen.

  Xiao Xiao was reminiscing about the past when he suddenly heard his father get up.

  Xiao Liangpeng is 1.83 meters tall, slender, with a straight nose, thick eyebrows and spirited eyes. He got up and walked two steps to Xiao Xiao's room, opened the door and looked inside. Seeing Xiao Xiao was there, he immediately felt at ease, but seeing many cigarette butts on the desk, he frowned and asked Xiao Xiao why she wasn't sleeping yet?

  "Thinking of things, can't sleep." Xiao Xiao replied faintly, obviously still having some lingering worries.

  Xiao Liangpeng scolded him for being idle, telling him to eat well, drink enough and sleep, nourish his spirit and think things over. As he spoke, he walked out of the house and simply washed up.

  Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and asked: "Dad, are you going to ride your bike up the mountain?"

  Xiao Liangpeng said in a bad mood outside that I didn't go up the mountain one day, and then went out to see if the air in the Giant tire was sufficient.

  Xiao Xiao Mali got up from her chair. "Dad, I'll go with you."

  Xiao Liangpeng went to Xiao's house and took a look, wondering what kind of madness he was suffering from. Seeing that he looked normal, he agreed to go with him and warned him not to wake up his mother. He said this as he pushed the Giant bike out the door.

  Xiao Xiao immediately washed his face, feeling refreshed and invigorated. He pushed the stroller with his father out the door, locking it behind him. As they got on the South Ring Road, he looked at his dad: "Dad, how about we speed up a bit?"

  Xiao Liangpeng didn't expect him to make such a move, and suddenly became interested. "Alright, no problem with your dad's nonsense. How are you going to show off?"

  Suo suo pointed eastward and said, "Let's see who reaches the top of Tianwang Mountain first."

  "Go." Xiao Liangpeng straddled the Giant bike, shifted gears and waited for the signal.

  Xiao Xiao immediately pushed the big train, jumped in sync, and sat steadily on the car seat. He shouted: "Start." With a loud command, the two cars began to speed up, heading east along the South Ring Road, gradually increasing their speed.

  Xiao Liangpeng's Giant is a steel-framed mountain bike, 26-inch wheels, 16-speed, with shock absorption. The gear ratio can't compare to Xiao Xiao's large front wheel and small rear wheel. So in the first 200 meters, Xiao Xiao's bicycle took the lead.

  Xiao Liangpeng looked at Xiao Xiao's back, thinking of how he was when he was just born. Small hands, small feet, a tiny penis like a cigarette butt, and a messy head of black hair. "Waaah." Crying and fussing, flailing his four limbs as if to prevent someone from taking him away. Keeping himself awake every night. At the time, he thought, when will this little rascal grow up? Then I can finally get a good night's sleep. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed. Wanting to go back to his childhood and stroke his small face is now forever impossible.

  "Xiao Ge, going up the mountain again?" A street vendor selling breakfast on the side of the road greeted Xiao Liang Peng.

  Xiao Liangpeng suddenly woke up from his memories and smiled: "Yeah, good morning."

  Xiao Xiao felt that his father was lagging behind, so he intentionally slowed down. In an instant, his father overtook him and rode alongside. Xiao Xiao looked at his father's back as he cycled, recalling fragments of memories with him. He remembered how his father would put him on the crossbar of his bicycle and take him up mountains. When they stopped, his father would accidentally pinch his hand in the handlebars, causing him to cry out in pain. At that time, his father reeked of cigarette smoke, which was unbearable. Xiao Xiao had made a silent vow to never smoke and not become like his father, who smelled of smoke all over. However, twenty years later, he found himself becoming more and more like his father, not only in the way he smoked but also in the smell of smoke on his body.

  "Little monster, where are you going?" A student from No. 12 Middle School sports team, who was out for a morning run, waved at Xiao Xiao with sweat dripping down his face.

  "Cycling, going up the mountain." Xiao Xiao woke up from her memories.

  Xiao Liangpeng stepped on the brakes, letting his son overtake him. He looked at his son's robust back and thought about how he had spent so many years putting his heart into the mountains and forests, but not into his son. He hadn't noticed what dreams his son had, or his rebellious phase, or whether he was lonely. Now that his son's college entrance exams were over, he had again forced him to fill out his college application for Tianjing Agricultural University. His son was growing up, and as they talked, it was clear that he would soon be leaving him. Only now did Xiao Liangpeng realize how much he didn't want to let go, how much he wanted to spend more time with his son.

  "Xiao Ge, going up the mountain again?" The salesperson at the roadside store greeted Xiao Liangpeng.

  "Yes." Xiao Liang stopped the car and replied.

  "Who is that little yellow-haired kid in front?" asked the salesperson.

  "My son. In a few days, he'll be going to university, just like me, Tianjin Agricultural University." Xiao Liangpeng tossed a cigarette to the vendor, kicked off with one foot and pedaled furiously forward.

  "Hey, your son is really handsome."

  Xiao Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and his feet loosened for a moment. In that instant, he was overtaken by Xiao Liang Peng. Looking at his father in front of him, Xiao Xiao thought about how he smoked expensive cigarettes, while his father always smoked cheap ones, with thick smoke and the nickname "cannon". He remembered when he was young and drank soda, his father would buy two bottles, drink half a bottle himself, and leave one and a half for Xiao Xiao. Although he had never gone into the forest mountains with him, he could imagine his father dashing through the wind and rain, walking alone on mountain paths, and wading through rivers. Time had left its mark on his body, and there were already white threads in his hair. If he had the chance, he would definitely go to the forest with him, to see those lively lives that his father cared about.

  "What? Little monster, what are you doing?" A student from No. 12 Middle School, who had just left the internet cafe after an all-nighter, scolded while waving at Xiao Xiao.

  "Cycling, going up the mountain." Xiao Xiao woke up with a start from her memories and stopped the car.

  "Who is that strong uncle riding a bicycle in front?" asked the curious students of Class 12.

  "My dad." Xiao Xiao stepped on the gas and continued driving.

  "Hey, I just watched a video on Weibo, your dad is awesome."

  Xiao Liangpeng's heart skipped a beat, and his speed slowed down.

  Xiao Xiao caught up with Xiao Liang Peng, and they rode side by side. The two bicycles maintained a speed of around twenty kilometers per hour, riding with the wind, and before long, they had passed Nan Huan and arrived at the entrance to Tian Wang Mountain, where they began to ride uphill along the mountain road.

  The slope of the mountain road on Tianwang Mountain is not too large. However, there are unevenly distributed rocks of various sizes on the mountain road, and cyclists must be extremely careful when riding uphill. Moreover, the few bends that exist have dense grass and bushes, which pose some safety hazards.

  "Son, be careful." Xiao Liangpeng reminded him, still a bit worried about him.

  "Alright, no problem." Xiao Xiao was completely indifferent to the mountain road.

  On the mountain road, four wheels spun rapidly, crushing stones on the ground and bravely moving upwards. The grasshoppers in the bushes heard the sound of the father and son's tires and were startled, jumping around in terror.

  "Ah yo." Xiao Xiao's bicycle tire pressed down on a large stone for a moment, the bike bounced up and veered to one side, almost falling over.

  Xiao Liangpeng supported him with a big hand on one side, and Xiao Xiao's car immediately stabilized and returned to a safe state.

  "What a close call."

  "Tell you to be careful, be careful." Xiao Liangpeng was angry, "Almost fell down, what's wrong with you."

  "I did it on purpose." Xiao Xiao's face revealed a sly look.

  "Huh?"

  Xiao Xiao rubbed her head and smiled: "I just wanted to feel what it's like for you to hold me in your big hands."

  "Hey, psycho." Xiao Liang Peng cursed him in a sentence, but his heart was warm.

  Xiao Liangpeng and Xiao Xiao soon rode to the main peak of Tianwang Mountain, Tianwangding. The two pushed their cars to the edge of the cliff, stopped the car, sat on the rocks at the edge of the cliff, and enjoyed the cool air rushing up from the mountain.

  The sun rises, shining on the mountains and rivers. The warm sunlight spreads evenly over the father and son, casting a long shadow of the two figures under its rays.

  Looking up from the top of Tianwang, the whole city of Changhai is in sight.

  Changhai City is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with two rivers converging here and, after millions of years, constantly eroding into a flat basin. The ground in the basin is flat, the soil is good, the vegetation is lush, and the wind and water are favorable. It is most suitable for human habitation. Now, after millions of years of human reproduction and growth, it has become a forest of high-rise buildings, with streets winding like intestines, cars coming and going, and people flowing back and forth.

  "Hmm." Xiao Xiao chuckled inexplicably. "Dad, are any of your university classmates still teaching or working as professors at Tianjing Agricultural University? Do they have daughters?"

  Xiao Liangpeng lit a firework and took a deep breath, saying maybe there is. The son didn't understand why he was asking this question.

  "You had a son, and your student had a daughter. Then you arranged for them to be betrothed when they grew up. Nineteen years later, they've both grown up. Your son brought the token of their engagement and appeared at the school where his parents first met. And then, a touching story unfolded. They fell deeply in love." Xiao Xiao giggled as she told the story, sticking out her tongue at the end.

  Xiao Liangpeng listened to his statement and happily teased him that he was dreaming of marrying a daughter-in-law - thinking beautifully.

  "Have you ever thought of this possibility? Have you ever thought of arranging it for me like this?" Xiao Xiao looked at her father, thinking that if her life was like this, then what would her future be like.

  "Kid, life should be well-planned, like a script." Xiao Liangpeng turned his head to look at him, "Do you think it's interesting?"

  Xiao Xiao shook her head firmly and said it didn't matter, then suddenly asked Xiao Liangpeng if he had told her to apply to Tianjing Agricultural University just because he was also a graduate of that school.

  "Let you fill in Nongda, is to let you add glory to our alma mater." Xiao Liangpeng looked at Changhaishi, his eyes were distant.

  "This, it's so close." Xiao Xiao hehe smiled, she had never been this close to her dad before.

  "When I was in school," Xiao Liangpeng recalled the past, saying calmly, "Tianjing Agricultural University was founded over 70 years ago. At that time, I always thought that if I could catch up with the university's centennial celebration on campus, my life would not be in vain. However, as a student participating in the centennial celebration is impossible. In a flash of several years, Tianjing Agricultural University has gone through 97 years until this year. I asked you to apply to the agricultural university, and after your three-year graduation, it just happens to be the centennial of the agricultural university. A hundred years of wind and rain, a hundred years of hope, a hundred years of school celebration, a hundred years of dreams. My dream continues in you, and becomes a reality on you."

  Xiao Xiao never thought that his father would let him attend an agricultural university, and there was such a deep reason behind it.

  "If," Xiao Liangpeng suddenly thought of something and some wishes were born, "if my son could make a speech at the 100th anniversary celebration, hey, that would be awesome." He seemed to be in the future, watching his son Xiao Xiao standing on the stage of the 100th anniversary celebration, passionately giving a speech, with thousands of students from Nongda University applauding and cheering for him. He also had a sense of pride in his heart.

  Xiao Xiao saw how deeply attached his father was to his alma mater. So, he decided to fulfill his father's wish. Looking at Chang Hai City, he made up his mind, "Dad, I will work hard."