Sure enough, Zhou Ping picked up a mouthful of food but did not eat it. He stared blankly for a long time before putting down his chopsticks and saying, "After that, after that, it was nothing. My dad's health wasn't good. When he went to town to buy things, he was hit by a motorcycle. At that time, there were no surveillance cameras, and we couldn't find the culprit in the dark. What could we do? We just had to admit that we were unlucky. He laid in the hospital for a full three months, and we borrowed from all our relatives and friends. At least he managed to keep his life, but it was impossible for him to stand up again.
At least we didn't have to worry about food and drink. But that didn't work. My dad couldn't move, and my mom couldn't take care of such a big barge all by herself. So she sold the barge and returned to her hometown to open a grocery store. From then on, our family never touched a ship again. "
"Oh …"
This was the first time Li Yao and the other two had heard Zhou Ping mention his father's health. The three of them did not know how to comfort their boss.
"It's okay. It's all in the past. Aren't our lives getting better and better now?"
Zhou Ping smiled and said, "The first few years were really hard. Really, the feeling of not having money was too f * cking hard. At that time, I was about thirteen or fourteen years old. I thought that I might as well not go to school and go out to work to help support the family. In the end, my mom hit me like crazy and insisted that I go to school. She said that this was the only way out for our family.
"I'm actually not that smart. You should be able to tell that I'm really not a 'top student.' Besides, I didn't study hard when I was young. Other than things on the ship, I was not interested in anything else. I wasn't cut out for studying at all.
"However, every time I read a book and my head started to hurt, the image of my mom crying and hitting me at the same time would appear in my mind. Sigh, when I think of that, no matter how much my head hurts, it can't be helped.
Although I wasted a few years more than others, at least I had a solid foundation. Now, I've found a job. Just now, I called back to tell my parents and sister-in-law the good news. They haven't been so happy for many years. Seeing them so happy, I'm also very happy. Really, really happy! "
"Then you —"
Zhao Kai drank a little too much and asked, "You don't want to be the captain of an aircraft carrier?"
"That's just a child's imagination. How is that possible?"
Zhou Ping grinned. "I don't know how to put it. Anyway, ever since I put all my focus on my studies and haven't touched a boat for many years, the … 'feeling' or 'spirituality' in me slowly disappeared.
"Gradually, I seldom had messy dreams about spaceships. I barely thought about the boring stuff like star wars and space jumps. Sometimes, when I passed by the riverbank and heard the 'tut tut' sounds from the spaceships, I felt that they were very strange. The few years felt as long as decades or even centuries. I truly felt that it was a lifetime ago."
"It's normal."
Yu Xin said, "Everyone once had this feeling — we've grown up! By the way, have you ever thought of going to a shipping school? "
"No."
Zhou Ping shook his head. "If you go to such a school, it's impossible for you to be a captain as soon as you graduate. You still have to start from the bottom. Even if the salary is higher, it's normal for you to not be home for a year and a half. My dad is like that, and my mom is getting older. Her whole body is aching and she has all kinds of illnesses. She refuses to let me push her to the hospital. If I'm not home all year round, it'll be even worse.
"So, the dream of my youth is just like that. Hehe, an aircraft carrier? How is that possible? Even if my dad wasn't hit by a motorcycle, it's impossible for me to be the captain of an aircraft carrier. That's just a child's imagination, right? It's also impossible for me to be the captain, right?
"Anyway, this job now is located in our provincial capital. The pay is not bad, and there are often opportunities to go home. If I work harder, I might be able to buy a house in the provincial capital and bring my parents over — this is my biggest dream now."
"Not bad!"
Li Yao, Yu Xin, and Zhao Kai gave Zhou Ping a thumbs up. "You're ambitious, Boss. Buying a house in the provincial capital is a hundred times more difficult than being the captain of an aircraft carrier or even a spaceship. As expected of an investment tycoon, a financial magnate!"
For a moment, the four of them laughed.
"Boss, since you've said so much, I'll talk about my childhood dream too!"
Zhao Kai burped and said, "Boss, the vivid dream you're talking about, I've actually had it before. It's true, I'm not talking nonsense at the dinner table, but I can't remember what cartoon it was exactly. It might not have been a cartoon, but something else.
"Anyway, when I was young, I had a lot of strange and colorful dreams. In my dreams, I was like … an explorer, or a special forces soldier. I didn't even look like a human, but I had four arms and a tail. Then, I ran in all sorts of extremely harsh and dangerous environments, such as jungles, cliffs, volcanoes, and lava. I ran as if my life depended on it, and there were also many ferocious alien monsters chasing after me.
"I thought about it. If people really had a past life, then in my past life, I was probably a super special forces soldier who had been strengthened. I went out to adventure, scout, and fight all day long. Haha, it was very exciting, right?
"Then, due to the influence of these strange dreams, I was very active since I was young. I couldn't sit still for even a second. My parents and teachers said that I had needles growing out of my butt, and whenever I sat down, they would prick me.
"I liked to go to P.E. class or run around the streets after school. I would climb trees or buildings, and there was one time when even my parents didn't know about it. One time, I fell from a tree that was more than ten meters tall. It was more than ten meters tall, and it was at least three or four stories high. Guess what? I seemed to have awakened to some sort of power in midair, and I suddenly saw all my bones and muscles. Then, like a cat, I adjusted my posture in midair and gently landed on the ground. Other than spraining my ankle, I was completely fine, really!"
Li Yao and the others cried out in surprise.
But speaking of which, Zhao Kai's physical fitness was really good. He was someone who spent most of his time in the dorm reading novels, so his physical performance was very good. His arms and legs were long, but his torso was not clumsy at all. He was like a big spider.
"Sigh, if I was born ten or twenty years later, I would have known that I should be a parkour athlete, a rock climber, or an explorer."
Zhao Kai sighed and said, "At that time, we didn't know about these occupations. We only knew gymnastics."
"Being a gymnast is not bad."
Yu Xin said, "You're so talented in sports, but you didn't give it a try?"
"But there was a gymnastics coach who came to our elementary school to pick good seedlings, and he took a fancy to me."
Zhao Kai spread his hands and said, "Do you think my parents would agree? Gymnastics is not that easy to make a living. Of course, winning the championship would be glorious, but if I couldn't win the championship and got injured, what would I do in the future if I couldn't train? So, it was better to just focus on studying. Later on, there were more and more books to study, and our school's P.E. class became a foreign language. After school, we didn't have time to climb trees or run around the streets. Just like what Boss said, those strange dreams of adventuring on alien planets became fewer and fewer. Naturally, my 'spirituality' was gone! "
"That's true. It's not easy to be in sports."
Yu Xin thought for a moment. "Then, do you like gymnastics, rock climbing, parkour, or something like that?"
Zhao Kai raised his head and downed half a bottle of beer. He rubbed his eyes with a wet towel for a long time and said, "Is it important?"
"That's true. Hahahaha, although childhood dreams are interesting, we have to grow up and face reality!" Yu Xin laughed.
"When I was young, I had dreams too. I often dreamt of many colorful paintings. Some of them were even as big as a planet. I thought that I had artistic cells and was an artist who was world-famous in my previous life. No, I mean, I was an artist who was famous in many worlds. My paintings even had all kinds of … 'abilities'. Oh, why does it feel so embarrassing to say it out loud?!
"Anyway, when I grew up, I realized that every child thinks that they are unique when they are young. They think that they have a special mission when they are born into this world. They all have countless messy and colorful dreams, but when they gradually grow up, they realize that they are not special at all. What they have are all impossible daydreams. Only then can they be considered to have truly matured!"
"Yeah, we're all the same," Zhao Kai mumbled.
Zhao Kai mumbled, "Hey, weren't we talking about Li Yao's novels at the beginning? Why are we talking about 'dreams' and 'growth' now? Anyway, you know what we mean, right? Li Yao, we've all experienced your condition before, but we have to get rid of it. Don't be addicted to these nonsense online novels! "
"That's right, Li Yao, we're all very concerned about you," Zhou Ping said sincerely.
Zhou Ping said sincerely, "If there's anything, just tell us. If you feel uncomfortable, we'll go with you. Don't always be stuck in the world of novels. Novels are all fake. They're made up and meaningless things. The real life in front of you is the real thing, right?"
"Yes."
Li Yao nodded hard. He thought so too. "I understand what you mean, brothers. I did feel that something was wrong with me in the past, but after drinking and chatting with you today, I feel that I'm fine. Really, I know what's good for me. Thank you for your enlightenment. I really can't have such daydreams anymore."
"We're all brothers. Don't say such mushy things, okay? It's not as serious as you make it out to be!"
Yu Xin laughed and said, "Speaking of which, it's really weird these days. Why is it that everyone's childhood dreams are so colorful and colorful? When they grow up, they want to be a captain, an artist, an athlete, or a scientist. When they really grow up, everyone only has one f * * king dream left — to make money!"
"Yeah, how boring," Zhao Kai said.
"Why don't you help me realize my dream? I'll go make money, and you can be a gymnast, okay?"
"Bullsh * t," Yu Xin said.
"Why don't I go make money, and you help me realize my dream of being an artist. You can also become the captain of an aircraft carrier while you're at it."
"That's why making money is still number one. Making money is the biggest. Long live making money!"
Zhao Kai was completely drunk. He leaned against the back of the chair and started dancing. "What bullsh * t dream? F * ck it!"
That night, the four people in Dorm 610 were drunk.
They hugged each other and talked a lot, cried a lot, and laughed a lot. They talked about money, dreams, women, career, ambition, and love. They made countless unrealistic promises and made countless brave words that they would forget the next morning.
In the end, the four of them supported each other and stumbled out.
Li Yao was slightly sobered by the breeze at the entrance of the tiny restaurant. A few colorful bubbles appeared in the depths of his mind.
"Boss, you guys go first."
Li Yao said to Zhou Ping, who was still a little sober. "I want to get some fresh air to sober up."
Zhou Ping actually did not have the intention to talk. He waved at him and left with Yu Xin and Zhao Kai.
"Boss!"
Li Yao suddenly called out. "Where's your homework?"
Zhou Ping stopped.
"What homework?"
He turned his head with some suspicion.
"The one you said was full of drawings of spaceships. The one from when you were young."
Li Yao did not know why he suddenly asked this question.
"I don't know."
Zhou Ping's face was indifferent. He stared blankly for a long time before he remembered what Li Yao asked. "It probably fell into the water when I sold the barge, or I burned it myself. It's been so long, who knows!"
"Then do you remember how to draw spaceships?"
Li Yao said, "It's the spaceship that appeared in your dream."
"I haven't had that kind of dream in a long time."
Zhou Ping thought for a long time but could not remember the last time he had that kind of dream. He could only say, "It's been a long time."
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