What is parallel spacetime?
From a microscopic perspective, may it be the countless possibilities that can happen to the same person? In a person's life, perhaps every thought difference will create two parallel spaces that run in opposite directions.
Every person in time and space is herself.
When Jiang Xiaoyuan stepped into the original master's room, she deeply felt this.
All the cups are placed on the left side, and the hands are turned to the left, but the pen and tools are on the right side - this is because although Jiang Xiaoyuan is not left-handed, she has been accustomed to holding cups with her left hand since childhood.
The pen holder on the table is filled with pens, and more than half of them are unusable. The tip of the pen sits idle, which is also one of her quirks. She never throws away the pen when it's used up, even if the core cannot be replaced.
The bed is always close to the corner and never placed in the center.
Jiang Xiaoyuan tentatively sat next to the old wooden table. Suddenly, she had a thought and bent down to open the bottom drawer. As expected, she found an iron box in the drawer.
Everything is her habit, Jiang Xiaoyuan doesn't need to ask anyone, she instinctively knows what's in this room.
Jiang Xiaoyuan brought out the iron box, knowing that it contained her precious treasures from this time and space.
In the original time and space, she also had such a box, although it was much more high-end than the rusty Chicken rolls box. There are a dozen grading certificates for learning to draw inside, the tip of her first used eyebrow pencil, and the birthday gift she received from her parents when she was a child - it disappeared after she was ten years old. After ten years old, they no longer bother buying toys to make her happy, just give her a red envelope to buy whatever she likes easily.
After the age of ten, she did have very few opportunities to communicate with her parents.
Jiang Xiaoyuan took a deep breath and opened the box of this world, as if uncovering a past she had not had the chance to experience.
The box was so rusty that it took her a lot of effort to open it. Inside, it was packed with heavy and heavy items, including high school admission notices, specially printed high school entrance exam transcript notes, a pirated English novel "The Glass Castle" with rolled edges, an old cassette tape with a torn shell, and a broken Walkman
There is also an old yellowed photo.
She didn't know which unknown scenic spot it was, but she saw a family taking a photo in front of an obviously man-made giant rock. The scenic spot was very bumpy, and the people's dress was also very bumpy. Looking at the camera, their expressions were painful and serious, as if they were not here for tourism, but to report their ideological work.
Inside, there was a grandmother with mostly black hair and her parents from this world. She looked at them, so unfamiliar, so young and haggard.
She couldn't help but wonder - were these two people? Are her parents like this?
The contours of her eyebrows and eyes are familiar, but her temperament and expression are vastly different. Could it be that the same person, dressed in designer clothes and styled well, is just a noblewoman, wearing a tattered old cotton shirt, looking haggard and full of hostility towards the camera, just an ordinary peasant woman?
Jiang Xiaoyuan pressed the photo at the bottom, took a deep breath, clasped her hands together, and pressed her fingertips against her forehead.
The lighthouse assistant told her that when she was thrown out of the tree hitting car, her original time and space were divided into two possibilities: one was that she died, and the other was that she was saved. These two situations continued to develop, creating more possibilities in the future, forming a complex and countless parallel time and space like a big branch.
Her life is like a straight and straightforward road, suddenly splitting into two and becoming a fork in the road.
The road came to a sudden end at the moment of branching off.
It stopped, it no longer exists.
In every parallel spacetime that is separated in the future, there will be someone who exists, alive or dead, as a predetermined outcome for her parents, relatives, and friends to face.
They either feel sad or grateful, and then continue to run away in a time that cannot be turned back, unaware that there is still a missing her from beginning to end.
At this moment, it was already late at night and the old man had already fallen asleep next door. Jiang Xiaoyuan was standing under a dim yellow desk lamp, and suddenly couldn't help but feel sad.
She went from scorching heat to extreme cold, and the suppressed sadness that had been running around for half a year seemed to have finally come back to life. She found a way to flow out and rushed out in one go - she disappeared without a trace, perhaps only the laws of time and space remembered her, preparing to strangle her to ashes once she returned to the lighthouse.
When she was young, she had a rebellious and capricious personality, few friends, and her parents were busy all day, with almost no time to care for her. She grew up lonely with herself, surrounded only by nannies who changed even faster than the Japanese Prime Minister.
Jiang Xiaoyuan has also had countless complaints, fantasizing about having a warm and lively home... But now, what is not warm cannot go back.
Jiang Xiaoyuan remembered her father, who she couldn't see once every ten days and a half. Every time she saw her, she would furrow her brow and nitpick her nose and eyes. Perhaps many fathers always used themselves as a reference for their offspring's requirements. According to his standards, Jiang Xiaoyuan was too helpless.
Would he be surprised if he saw her surviving through such a big change and stumbling?
Unfortunately, she never had the chance to go back and tell him.
Jiang Xiaoyuan cried for half a night, until she finally got a headache. Finally, she cried out the emotions she had suppressed for more than half a year.
She just entered the halftime break, put away the iron box, and skillfully found a cardboard layer underneath, from which she dug out the original owner's diary.
Jiang Xiaoyuan tearfully wiped away her nose and tears, ready to read the glorious life of the top scholar.
When the top scorer first started writing diaries, he was still young and often gave lengthy and trivial articles. Later, perhaps due to laziness, his writing became more concise and focused only on important matters.
The basic style of the top scholar is as follows:
On X month X day, Qing: Today in the hallway, I heard the red glasses of Class Four sourly say they want to surpass me, bah, dream
On X month X day, Yin: Today the physics teacher copied the wrong number and said I didn't do it right. Old persimmon cakes are really nothing
On X month X day, Xiaoxue: Today, a mentally challenged person wrote me a love letter. His words were not fluent and he was really impatient. Why didn't he first practice human speaking with his dog
... and so on, there are plenty of them.
Jiang Xiaoyuan looked very messy and had a sense of reality about the fact that the top scorer was herself - this familiar simple and rough style.
In the last few pages, the top scorer gradually stopped writing the date and only occasionally left a few words, more like a casual doodle when he was upset.
Jiang Xiaoyuan saw her write, "Grandma fell, my dad is fine now
Later, a different pen was used, and it seemed that the records were not from the same day. A few days later, the top scorer shouted to his previous self from afar, "Your father has become a dead ghost. Don't dream anymore, go ahead and do it yourself
The words' go to school 'or' drop out of school 'were tangled up in confusion.
Then Jiang Xiaoyuan found her last diary, which was written in pencil and the handwriting had been slightly blurred by rubbing.
These are her last words left in this world, two lines in total.
The first line reads: "I don't have any money, I won't read anymore
The second line reads: "I will one day stand out
cease abruptly.
Afterwards, whether it was working in the countryside or tending to barren land, the top scorer was probably very busy. During the long commemoration, she never wrote a word again. Her entire teenage years were buried in this notebook of sports awards, hidden in a silent layer.
Jiang Xiaoyuan finished reading from beginning to end, and it was already close to 4 o'clock in the morning. She let out a heavy breath, opened the curtain a gap, and looked at the strange ice flowers in the dark background of the window. She felt that the words "stand out" were suffocating her.
The next morning, when Jiang Xiaoyuan was mixing meat with heavy dark circles under her eyes, Qilian called.
Jiang Xiaoyuan was doing mechanical labor while saying to him, "Check the post? I'm still alive, and the lighthouse has also calmed down in the past two days. I think the virus may have died. Don't worry
Qilian fell silent for a moment and said, "... I'm not worried
Jiang Xiaoyuan: "Hmm
Qilian: "I just saw you transfer the money back to my account... Actually, there's no need to rush. When I come back after the New Year and have more money, it will be the same gradually
Oh, so that's what happened, "Jiang Xiaoyuan thought.
She thought there would be a text message notification of balance changes in his account, but after making the payment, she forgot to let him know.
Exactly, I'll pay it back, "Jiang Xiaoyuan said." You've helped me a lot, thank you. When I become more developed in the future, I won't forget you
Qilian: "..."
At first, he didn't believe that Jiang Xiaoyuan could survive at all. Later, he realized that she was the last chance and that she had to succeed no matter what. He had to treat her like a tender sprout in the desert, and looked at her with fear at any time. Who knew that it was just a passing glance, and her wings were already so hard.
When she said 'developed enough not to forget him', Qilian didn't find it funny.
Jiang Xiaoyuan over there suddenly remembered his back that evening and came at the first call. She didn't take any credit or say anything afterwards and walked away silently. At first, she always felt that Qilian had a sense of banditry, but over time, she realized that this person was actually very reliable and had a good temper. He looked a bit like a big dog that looked like a wolf, but he looked scary and had fangs. When the fangs were put away, he remained gentle and reserved for a long time.
She couldn't help but invite Jiang Sam to Qilian: "A friend of mine called me a few days ago and asked me to go to his place to work during the Chinese New Year
Qilian paused somewhat unexpectedly and then asked, "What are you doing
Jiang Xiaoyuan: "Makeup artist
Qilian: "Makeup artist? What are the main aspects
Jiang Xiaoyuan: "..."
She actually doesn't understand what a professional makeup artist does, and the hair salon doesn't have the conditions to allow her to gather sufficient information. So far, she only has a vague concept, which is a bit difficult to explain at the moment.
Qilian: "What does your friend do
Jiang Xiaoyuan: "... teacher
She couldn't even explain it clearly, she didn't even know Jiang Sam's real name or surname.
Qilian sighed and said, "It's good that you have direction and aspirations, but it's better to be cautious and not too anxious. I don't know too many makeup artists, so I'll inquire about them for you later. If there's a suitable place to go, okay
Jiang Xiaoyuan: "Wait, I'm not
Qilian: "Hmm
Jiang Xiaoyuan thought to herself, "I just want to hear the opinion of someone I know, I don't mean to ask for help in finding a job
But this sentence had a hint of being ungrateful. Jiang Xiaoyuan, who had gradually learned to speak in countless interactions with customers, hesitated for a moment and swallowed it back.
Qilian: "Besides, if you really change places, where you live is also a problem, right? Take it slow
Jiang Xiaoyuan had no way to refute.
So she lived in her hometown for half a month, secretly pondering every day, but couldn't figure out why.
Whether it's books or seniors, everyone only reminds you to eat more vegetables and fruits, work harder and think more, without saying which vegetables and fruits to eat or which direction to think hard in.
Of course, there was no computer or internet for her to relax in her hometown. Jiang Xiaoyuan didn't like watching TV, so she gradually became patient and searched through the books of the top scholar one by one.
Jiang Xiaoyuan thought to herself, "Since we are alone, how could I not read her books
It's strange to say that when she thought about it, her problem of feeling sleepy while reading miraculously healed itself.
The original owner had a large collection of books, most of which came from the Xinhua Bookstore in the county town. The front page had the bookstore's seal, and the top scorers had wrapped them in old calendars, reading them meticulously. There were no notes between the pages, not even folding them. Probably limited by the size of bookstores in the county town, she bought almost no popular bestsellers nowadays, only some classic literature and some inexplicable inspirational stories.
Jiang Xiaoyuan has read more books than she has ever read in her lifetime, but it doesn't help her with her current dilemma because she is reading books, not manuals.
Fifteen has passed in the blink of an eye, and the flavor of the New Year is drifting away with the spring breeze. She is also leaving.
She then left a thousand yuan and said goodbye to her grandmother.
Grandma remained calm and composed, and when she heard that she was leaving, she only responded with a nod.
Go ahead, "she said," I don't understand what's going on outside, but you still have to go out
When Jiang Xiaoyuan set off, her grandmother escorted her to the station and watched her board the car. The old man's footsteps involuntarily took a small step forward, and then she seemed to realize that her legs could no longer catch up with anyone. She withdrew her feet again.
Grandma: "Will you return it next year
Jiang Xiaoyuan: "Hmm, come back
Grandma: "Remember to come back, you won't be able to come back many times
Jiang Xiaoyuan blinked her eyes twice and felt like crying again.
She returned to the city alone, carrying the note from her former owner that read 'I must succeed'.
On the return trip, Jiang Xiaoyuan learned her lesson and took a detour by car to Linxian, where she took a train - train drivers would never go on strike because of arguments with passengers.
The train ride takes over two hours, and in two hours, Jiang Xiaoyuan will face a choice: whether to stay at Mr. Chen's hair salon or follow Jiang Sam?
Jiang Xiaoyuan used the remaining pages of her diary to categorize the pros and cons of leaving and staying.
Her income is similar. She has now become a technician and earns a monthly commission on her basic salary, which is not much less than the price that Empress Dowager Chiang offered her.
She still feels a bit reluctant to part with Mr. Chen. It's really not easy to meet a kind boss when going out to work, let alone how much he takes care of her.
And the most practical problem is that she has basically left all her money for her grandmother, leaving only a little pocket money for herself. If she really resigns, she will have to find a new house to live in. Can she afford the rent?
As for the situation on Jiang Sam's side, Jiang Xiaoyuan's eyes were completely darkened.
What school is it? What do professional makeup artists do? Is the workload usually heavy? What problems will you encounter?
No matter what you think, it's not reliable.
Jiang Xiaoyuan paused on her notebook with a pen tip and drew a circle around the words "hair salon" heavily, even Qilian advised her in the same way.
The balance in Jiang Xiaoyuan's heart tilted towards the hair salon, but for some reason, she always felt a sense of loss when it fell.
At this moment, the train slowly entered a small station, and the carriage began to announce the station, first in Chinese, then in English, and finally in the transliteration of place names in English, which is the Chinese pinyin of the running tone.
The middle-aged man next to him would excitedly test his seventeen or eighteen year old son every time he heard it: "Do you know what you mean
Then he will specifically study the place names that are off key.
Every time he speaks in English, he has to follow suit, like a noisy parrot.
My son finally became impatient and scolded him, "Don't embarrass yourself, it seems like you can understand. You haven't even graduated from elementary school
Father was exposed, his dignity was shattered, and he had to look out the window awkwardly.
Jiang Xiaoyuan's heart was filled with an indescribable sadness, grieving for both her elder brother and herself.
Her gaze lingered on the undeveloped river ice outside the window, feeling that human dignity was like those river ice, sometimes as solid as a rock, sometimes just floating on the surface of the water, easily broken with a poke.
I can't stay, "Jiang Xiaoyuan suddenly thought." If Empress Dowager Chiang is not reliable, I'll explore and explore this industry myself. If it doesn't work, I'll start as a makeup artist in a studio
For the first time, without anyone provoking or forcing her, Jiang Xiaoyuan decided not to stay in a relaxed and comfortable place anymore.
Otherwise, when spring arrives and flowers bloom, the ice will melt.