Zheng Jin found the old music box in the deep recesses of the bookshelf.
It hadn’t been touched in over a decade, gathering dust, and the gears creaked unpleasantly when he wound it. Familiar with mechanical objects, he deftly unscrewed it and oiled the spindle.
When he wound it again, the sound was smooth, producing a beautiful melody that carried him back to a spring over ten years ago.
Back then, Jin Ning was just in her early twenties—dressed in black with long dark hair, her face strikingly beautiful. The first time he saw her, she had a cherry hair clip tucked behind her ear, standing under the glazed tiles, as radiant as the spring sunshine.
Their generation wasn’t like today's—they kept their love hidden in their hearts. Even after spending the rest of their lives together, their love was calm and restrained. He never even gave her a ring.
The music box was something Jin Ning had asked him to fix. On the pedestal was a little girl holding up her skirt, and underneath was an inscription in a foreign language. The strange characters caught his attention, and he asked, “What does this mean?”
Jin Ning casually explained, “Eternità. It’s Italian for ‘eternal, everlasting.’”
After spending so many years restoring ancient artifacts, Zheng Jin naturally had an affinity for such words. Life was filled with impermanence, but ancient relics remained eternal.
Now, many years later, he was old, Su Nian had grown up, and the restoration team had changed, with many of the old masters long gone. He wound the music box for a long time, lying back on the sofa, listening to its melody, before quietly turning his head and speaking aloud:
“Jin Ning, Su Nian got into the Academy of Fine Arts.
“He’s studying traditional Chinese painting, just like you.
“Zhang Qi’s doing well too. He won the competition and got into the mathematics department at Peking University. Mrs. Han is thrilled.
“You see, everyone’s doing better and better. Why aren’t you here?
“Why aren’t you here?”
* * *
Zheng Su Nian left for school on the day classes started.
His school was only an hour away by bus, so he didn’t feel the weight of homesickness. Shao Xue and Zhang Qi had lunch with him at noon—a quick meal with some orange juice to see him off.
“People travel miles away for school, and I’m just turning the corner. No need to make a big deal out of it.”
“It’s not the same,” Zhang Qi said. “You’re starting a new chapter in life. It’s not just a physical journey, it’s a spiritual one. You have to make a proper send-off.”
“Well, aren’t you fancy,” Shao Xue teased. “Getting into Peking University really does something to you.”
“Can you stop mocking me?”
“I wouldn’t dare. You’re the pride of Peking University; I wouldn’t dare to criticize you.”
“...”
That day, Zheng Jin had to work. By the time he got home, Su Nian had already packed. There was no rush to leave—Su Nian leisurely organized the house, packing books and knick-knacks from the study into boxes.
Packing for a son was traditionally a mother’s job, so Zheng Jin felt a bit awkward looking at the suitcase. After some thought, he asked, “Did you pack any warm clothes?”
“Dad,” Su Nian laughed, “there’s still time before autumn.”
The two fell into a brief silence.
Su Nian packed his art supplies into a separate box and took one last look at his bedroom.
“I’m heading out, Dad.”
Though he was starting a new life, his tone was casual. Zheng Jin, not one for emotional displays, leaned against the door, feeling somewhat melancholic.
“Take a cab.”
“No need, I’ll take the bus.”
As if suddenly remembering something, Su Nian added, “Dad, it’ll be a hassle to come back from university too often. Take care of yourself. If you don’t feel like cooking, eat out—we’re not short on money.”
Then, without looking back, he walked out of the alley.
Zheng Jin rubbed his head, suddenly feeling old—a deep sense of weariness spreading from within.
When Su Nian arrived at the university, there were plenty of freshmen and their families taking pictures in front of the entrance. He carefully avoided the cameras. Entering the dorm, he saw that the bed closest to the door was already taken. A boy was unpacking his things, and when he heard footsteps, he looked up. He seemed like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what. Eventually, he threw down what he was holding and helped Su Nian with his luggage.
“Bai Yun Sheng,” he said, lifting Su Nian’s bag to the top bunk.
It’s true what they say, different regions raise different people. Bai Yun Sheng’s voice was soft, with the gentle tones typical of the southern provinces. Su Nian, giving him a hand, smiled and asked, “You’re from the south?”
He nodded. “Suzhou.”
“Ah, Suzhou and Hangzhou, such beautiful places.” Su Nian threw his bedding onto the bed. “I’m Zheng Su Nian.”
Their dorm was the last room on the second floor, with four beds, though one was still unoccupied. The three who had arrived were from different departments. Bai Yun Sheng was studying jewelry design, Su Nian traditional Chinese painting, and a latecomer, Pei Shu from Shi Jia Zhuang, was majoring in digital media in the design school. He didn’t arrive until just before dinner.
“This bed is free,” he tossed his luggage onto it. “Could you give me a hand? My name’s Pei Shu. Nice to meet you all. Let’s take care of each other.”
Zheng Su Nian and Bai Yun Sheng were clearly the quiet types, not big on conversation, so it was Pei Shu who kept the atmosphere lively. That evening, the dorm phone rang, and Bai Yun Sheng leapt up to answer it.
Shao Xue once described Dou Si Yuan’s way of speaking to Qiao Mu as “so tender, you could wring water out of it.” Su Nian had never really understood what that meant until now, hearing Bai Yun Sheng’s soft, Southern accent.
“I said I would call you, didn’t I?
Yeah, I’ve eaten already, three of us in the dorm. Classes haven’t started yet, the orientation is tomorrow.”
After that, the conversation shifted into rapid-fire Suzhou dialect, which to Su Nian’s ears might as well have been a foreign language. Once Bai Yun Sheng hung up, Pei Shu leaned back in his chair with a knowing grin.
“Girlfriend?”
Bai Yun Sheng blushed a little, clearly at a loss for words.
The other two guys laughed, easily catching on.
Young guys bonded quickly, sharing jokes, playing basketball, or just hanging out. After lights-out, they talked about girls and their futures. A few days later, after military training, Bai Yun Sheng caught the eye of a senior girl, who insisted on pulling him from the publicity department into external relations.
Pei Shu, pretending to be put upon, said, “If you’re worried about your little girlfriend, I’m willing to sacrifice myself for the senior.”
Zheng Su Nian added, “Come on, I’ve noticed the vice president of the Youth League has her eye on you too. Don’t overextend yourself.”
Bai Yun Sheng asked, “Su Nian, why didn’t you sign up for any clubs?”
Su Nian replied, “They’re all just exploiting freshmen for free labor. I’m just ahead of you simple guys in seeing the true nature of things.”
As soon as he said that, a shout came from below, “Zheng Su Nian! Someone’s here to see you!”
Su Nian opened the window to see Shao Xue standing by the dorm entrance, dressed in her high school uniform, lightly bouncing on the tip of her right foot.
Grabbing a long-sleeved shirt from the closet, he slipped it on and ran down the stairs, taking three at a time. Pei Shu stretched his neck to watch Su Nian and Shao Xue walk off toward the school gate, then turned back to Bai Yun Sheng with a deep, thoughtful look.
“What do you think all those girls who’ve been sending Su Nian secret glances would think if they saw you gossiping like this?”
Bai Yun Sheng rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed. “Being handsome doesn’t mean I can’t gossip.”
Outside the art academy, Su Nian and Shao Xue wandered around a grilled cold noodles stand.
“Changing classes now?” Su Nian was surprised. “What’s wrong with your school?”
“No kidding! They’re having us fill out forms after just a month back. The class ahead of us didn’t have to do this.”
He handed over a five yuan note to the noodle vendor and gave Shao Xue her grilled noodles. “All you do is eat junk like this. I offer to take you out for something better, and you refuse.”
She took a big bite of noodles sprinkled with pepper and mumbled, “Our school’s humanities track is terrible. How many even got into key universities last year? But if I pick science—my God, do you think I could even score 30 on math?”
“What did your parents say?”
“My mom wants me to do science. She thinks humanities won’t help me get a job. My dad says I should just study whatever I want.”
Su Nian squatted on the sidewalk, pondering with her for a bit before suddenly having an idea.
“How about learning a lesser-known language?”
Shao Xue blinked, hearing the term for the first time.
“There was a girl in my year who studied a lesser-known language. I don’t know much about it, but I know it’s an option.”
She asked thoughtfully, “What do you mean, lesser-known languages? What would I study?”
“That’s up to you. French, German, Spanish... worst-case scenario, you could always become a translator.”
“What’s wrong with being a translator? It’s a good job.”
“Exactly. At the very least, it’s pretty decent.”
The wind was strong that day. After talking with Su Nian, Shao Xue returned home to find that neither of her parents had come back from work yet. She dug through her things until she found the box Aunt Jin had given her and began pulling out all the books.
On top was A Tale of Two Cities, and below that were some movie magazines. She’d already read most of the English novels during the past few weeks. The few books left had words that looked like a foreign code, and she hadn’t bothered to open them before.
Sitting at her computer, she slowly typed out the title of one of the books.
Va’ dove ti porta il cuore.
Italian. Where Your Heart Leads You.
Growing up, we’re often told that we are the masters of our own futures, that we live for ourselves.
But that’s not really true.
Most people’s futures are shaped by the countless people who come in and out of their lives. These influences are subtle, but they run through every thread of your existence. You start as a simple being created by your parents and grow into something that no one could have predicted.
For the lucky few who influence others, their abandoned dreams are fulfilled by those who remember them, their unfinished work continued by those who loved them deeply. Their once ordinary lives are extended far beyond what they could have ever imagined.
It is only after death that they truly begin to live.
The phone rang just before lights-out. Bai Yun Sheng, quick as ever, picked up the receiver, and the person on the other end hesitantly said, “Hello?”
He immediately tossed the phone to Zheng Su Nian.
“I’ve made up my mind,” Su Nian, toothbrush still in his mouth, crouched on the floor as Shao Xue’s clear, determined voice came through the line. “I’m going to study a lesser-known language. I’m going to learn Italian.”
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