The Eighth Letter: Homeland

Gradually, I no longer miss my hometown as much. This is because I am no longer weak, no longer lonely; I can also live happily and contentedly in my new place. In this unfamiliar big city, I no longer feel inferior or timid. When my colleagues ask me where I am going after work, I can sincerely respond, "I am going home"

My hometown grew up with me, yet I was unable to grow up with it

At that moment, I truly wanted to hold the phone and cry my heart out, then give up everything and go home immediately, even if it meant just staying at home and waiting for death, I would have no problem with that. I no longer wanted the ambitions and aspirations of my youth to stand out. However, after hanging up the phone and calming down, all I could do was smile bitterly. I am no longer a teenager; where would I find the freedom to leave at a moment's notice? If it were that simple, I would have returned many years ago.

Tell them about the mountains of your hometown, the waters of your hometown, the flowers of your hometown, the winds of your hometown, and the four seasons of your hometown

To my future self in ten years

Reply from my future self ten years later

I have celebrated a total of eighteen birthdays at home, and today marks my seventeenth birthday that I am not spending at home

I was alone in the hospital after undergoing surgery, and that night I received a call from my mother. She mentioned that she had not been feeling well all day and asked if something had happened to me

However, no matter where I go, when others ask me, "Where are you from?" I will still smile and answer with the name of my hometown. Most of them have never heard of it, and I will patiently introduce it to them

The happiest time is during the Spring Festival every year when I return home, and my mother prepares a table full of delicious dishes, allowing me to sleep soundly until the sun is high in the sky. In the evening, I walk along the familiar roads of my hometown, listening to my parents talk about which houses have been demolished and where new shopping plazas have been built.

In the south, I could barely reach the average height, and I was considered petite and cute. However, upon arriving in the north, I immediately became a "Hobbit." In the dormitory, apart from me, the other three girls all stood at 170 centimeters tall. At first, I truly refused to walk alongside them.

I am increasingly questioning what I came here for

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is always a debate among those around me about what filling makes the best mooncake. The school tradition is to give each of us one mooncake. In the first year, I didn't feel much and went out singing with my roommate; in the second year, everyone had their own affairs, and I went to watch a movie; by the third year, as I came out of the library at night and looked at the distant, round moon in the sky, I couldn't help but cry. Alone in a foreign land as a stranger, I miss my family even more during festive times. In the first year, I didn't feel much and went out singing with my roommate; in the second year, everyone had their own affairs, and I went to watch a movie; by the third year, as I came out of the library at night and looked at the distant, round moon in the sky, I couldn't help but cry. Alone in a foreign land as a stranger, I miss my family even more during festive times. I started dating a local boyfriend, and after the initial passion faded, I found that our differences in perspective were too great to reconcile. We were both stubborn people, each insisting that our own views were correct, and constantly trying to persuade each other, resulting in an unhappy parting.

In the past, I attributed all the issues between us to the differences between the north and south, which was actually incorrect. There are many successful and happy cross-border relationships; we were merely separated by a small part of China, which is hardly significant

At that time, I truly despised this place. Watching my classmates who stayed in the province for their studies, living carefree and enjoying their lives every day, being able to return home on weekends to savor a meal prepared by their mothers, I deeply regretted my choice.

There was no particular reason; during the college entrance examination application process, I was solely focused on the vastness of the world and was determined to explore the outside world, so I ran from the south to the north

Three years after you finished writing this letter for me, I developed appendicitis. I went to a restaurant alone for a meal on the weekend, and on my way back, I experienced severe abdominal cramps. Initially, I thought it was just a case of food poisoning, but when the pain became unbearable, I called 120. It was only after being examined at the hospital that I discovered it was appendicitis

I got drunk alone, crying as if I were on the verge of death, and had to pretend to be nonchalant when I called home. Later, I reflected on this relationship; the concept of being well-matched may refer not only to economic conditions but also to the environment in which one has grown up

In this world, there are so many wandering souls; I am not the only one, nor am I the last. And the true homeland, whether one can return or not, remains there.

Sender: Wenwen, 25 years old, has a strong passion for spicy food, and has never had acne.

That is to say, after this year, the proportion of my days living in my hometown will gradually decrease in my life, and eventually, a new place will take its place.

Four years passed in a hurry. I was fortunate to quickly find a job with good pay and prospects. When signing the contract, I did consider going home, but that thought was fleeting. After all, large companies and high salaries were more appealing to me. I thought I would work for a year or two, accumulate resources and experience, and then return. After graduation, the pace of life changed rapidly. I woke up at seven every day, put on makeup, squeezed into the subway, and clocked in at work. At noon, I would take a nap at my desk, and both lunch and dinner were takeout. On weekends, I stayed at home and slept in, occasionally meeting friends to watch movies or go shopping. On many bright nights, I left the office, stood alone at the bus stop, gazing at the towering buildings in the distance, and couldn't help but ask myself: Have I achieved what I wanted? In these years, what resources and experience have I truly accumulated? Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the company, I felt that I could be replaced at any moment, that I could be fired at any time. The new batch of young employees in the company were mostly graduates from prestigious universities who had returned from abroad. In any industry, the largest number of people are still the grassroots workers. Each of us came here with passion and so-called dreams, believing that if we worked hard enough and endured enough hardships, we could become someone important, wearing the most glamorous clothes, walking proudly under the brightest lights. But what is the reality? It is that we have left our hometowns, calculating each month how much of our salary remains after paying rent, utilities, transportation, and food, and how much we need to send home to make them feel that we are really doing well.

After the promotion, there are fewer trivial matters, and as a result, I am not as busy as before

I obtained a membership at the gym to learn yoga, participated in local hiking activities on weekends, and attended book discussion meetings, where I met many new friends, both locals and outsiders. Our friendship was not formed because we come from the same place, but because we share common interests.

He said that I mhetushu .com .com as well, I used to be extremely stubborn, never showing my weaknesses to those around me

I have a husband, and he is not a local either. During the New Year, I followed him back to his hometown and listened to him talk about his childhood. Later, we had a child, and after dinner, we took him for a walk in the square, watching him learn to walk slowly. In that moment, I truly felt the power of life's inheritance. I have a new home now, and I want to provide him with a sky of his own

The wind blows again, the snow falls again, shattering the dreams of my hometown. Such sounds are absent in my homeland

After my discharge from the hospital, I am not sure if it can be considered a turn of fortune, but I have finally been promoted and transferred to the headquarters in Shanghai

We simply did not cherish enough, did not put in enough effort, and never considered changing for each other, thus naturally attributing everything to the notion of "not being on the same path"

In recent years, friends around me have left one after another; some have returned to their hometowns, while others have married and had children, moving to different cities. Perhaps this is a city that cannot hold people. Yet, I have devoted my youth entirely to this place. The good, the bad, the naive, the touching, the painful, the confused. However, I still feel that I know nothing and possess nothing. Every night, I return to the rented apartment, turn on the light, and what I see is a cold and empty room: a bed, a chair, a desk, a plush bear, a teacup, clothes... The good, the bad, the naive, the touching, the painful, the confused. Yet, I still feel that I know nothing and possess nothing. Every night, I return to the rented apartment, turn on the light, and what I see is a cold and empty room: a bed, a chair, a desk, a plush bear, a teacup, clothes... These are clearly all mine, the things that have accompanied me day and night, yet they make me feel so unfamiliar. My heart feels empty, and I am deeply saddened; I have given my youth in exchange for only this! When can I return to my hometown? Must I drift outside for my entire life, with nowhere to call home? My heart feels empty, and I am deeply saddened; I have given my youth in exchange for only this! When can I return to my hometown? Must I drift outside for my entire life, with nowhere to call home?

After graduation, I stayed in the north

In fact, I regretted it as soon as I arrived

In one more year, it will be evened out

I met my boyfriend from university again at a class reunion. We found a water bar and chatted for a while. He has changed a lot over the years; his temperament has become much gentler, and the sharp edges of his personality have been smoothed out by another person.

The train journey will take nearly 40 hours. The climate here is too dry; shortly after arriving, I experienced nosebleeds due to the change in environment. The dietary habits are also different; I cannot eat wheat-based foods, and there is nothing spicy available. I have lost 5 pounds in a month.

Just as you once despised the North, I find myself missing it dearly after I have truly left. I miss the summers there, where the wind is always dry. I miss the winters there, where the heating allows for a good night's sleep every night. I miss the people there, tall and big, who always treat me like a little sister with affection. I miss the dialect there, straightforward and decisive, speaking with clarity. Perhaps, this is how life is; where the heart finds peace is home. The place where the heart belongs has always been with us. I admit, you once missed your hometown so much, but it was merely the comfort brought by your parents, under their wings, you never had to face the storms of the outside world. You didn't have to worry about rent, car loans, food and accommodation, or unemployment. Although saying this may seem both worldly and cruel, the truth is just that. I admit, you once missed your hometown so much, but it was merely the comfort brought by your parents, under their wings, you never had to face the storms of the outside world. You didn't have to worry about rent, car loans, food and accommodation, or unemployment. Although saying this may seem both worldly and cruel, the truth is just that. Now that I return home, I can no longer get used to the food there. Others say that a wanderer's stomach will remind him three times a day that he is far from home.

I have finally bid farewell to the North and returned to the South. Geographically speaking, I am now a little closer to my hometown, yet I feel that it is becoming increasingly distant from me