Chapter 2: Can we go back sixty seconds?

Dong Xuebin felt a bit of tightness in his chest and let out a hoarse sound of acknowledgment

The same words, the same tone

A small plate of stir-fried garlic sprouts with shredded meat, a bowl of boiled cabbage, and half a pot of rice porridge—this is considered a decent meal at Dong Xuebin's home. Usually, when he is alone at home, he cannot bear to eat like this; he often steams a pot of rice and casually stir-fries a vegetable to make do for both lunch and dinner. It is not that Dong Xuebin is frugal, but rather that the family does not have that much money; they truly have to stretch every penny.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, quickly grabbed a small plastic orange clock, and stared intently at the time displayed on it, once again silently reciting the "spell".

This is clearly a scene that occurred about fifty or sixty seconds ago

Turning on the television to the channel took approximately 19 seconds, which means that at the moment he pressed "return," it was exactly midnight. He blinked and boldly speculated that this "return" might be centered around midnight, usable only once a day, with each use returning to the time point 60 seconds prior.

North Entrance of Heping Street, Chengdong District

Mother touched his leg and said, "Don't talk nonsense. My son is the most capable among his peers and is destined to become an official in the future"

In the upper right corner of an evening military program, there is a time display—23:59:19

capital, capital city

Go back! Return! Retreat! Reverse! BACK

If this is truly the case, then heaven has been exceedingly kind to him

Gritting his teeth, Dong Xuebin collected his thoughts and once again engaged in the tedious attempts.

The door creaked open, and my mother poked her head through the gap, gently saying: "You can read your book by yourself. I’m going to visit Aunt Xu upstairs for a while. Her son is also said to be taking the civil service exam this year, and he’s at the same testing site as you. I’ll see if I can ask him to tutor you a bit; Xiao Dong is quite good at his studies."

Dong Xuebin was momentarily taken aback, "Huh?"

Though it has been somewhat difficult, I have managed to endure these four years filled with ups and downs

Rent, utility bills, living expenses, daily expenditures—relying solely on his mother's meager salary is evidently insufficient. Therefore, Dong Xuebin often works as a cashier at the supermarket or takes on jobs at the antique market during holidays or weekends. Apart from tuition fees, he can barely cover other expenses himself. By being frugal, he can almost manage each month without asking his mother for money, relying entirely on himself

Dong Xuebin said in a dazed manner: "That is not what I meant"

Just as he had already given up trying, with a creak, the door of the small room opened without warning

God

Ordinary appearance, ordinary height, ordinary personality, ordinary abilities

Mother poked her head out to look at her son and said: "You can study on your own. I will go to Aunt Xu's house for a while. I heard her son is also taking the civil service exam this year, and he is at the same testing center as you. I will see if I can ask him to tutor you a bit; Xiao Dong is quite good at studying."

Dong Xuebin recited in a mysterious manner from the afternoon until the evening, and after a meal, continued from the evening until late at night. Finally, perseverance paid off; at 12:02:28 AM, time once again reversed, returning to 12:01:28 AM, effectively reversing by a full minute

Mother Luan Xiaoping's choked voice hurriedly echoed in the room, "You're up early, tidying up the house. Are you still having breakfast?"

Mother smiled and patted her son's hand, "Don't think too much about it, I'll make you a delicious meal for lunch."

After Mother and the others left, Dong Xuebin slapped his forehead hard, and it worked, it actually worked!

Mom glanced at his expression, "Where did Mom go?"

Yesterday's miraculous revival left Dong Xuebin deeply moved. If time had not miraculously turned back, he would never see his mother or Aunt Xuan again. For the first time, he felt that being alive was truly wonderful. After a night of wandering thoughts, Dong Xuebin finally fell asleep in the early morning, so when he crawled out from under the towel blanket, it was already past ten o'clock. He got off the creaky old spring sofa, rubbed his eyes, and went to the bathroom to wash up. After wiping his face, he yawned and casually called out to the tightly closed bedroom door, "Mom, are you awake?"

"Let's have lunch." Dong Xuebin sensed that his mother's tone was off, so he hurriedly walked over and pushed the door open. He saw his mother sitting on the snow-white bedspread, anxiously wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. Upon noticing his entrance, she quickly turned her head, sniffed, and forced a smile as she stuffed several black-and-white old photographs into her wallet. These were photos from when his mother and father got married, taken over twenty years ago.

Unfortunately, despite trying so many times yesterday, I was unable to succeed again

Dong Xuebin moved his lips but was unable to say anything to the picture or the book

Go back! Return! Retreat! Reverse! BACK

The year my father was hospitalized, all the family's savings were exhausted, and eventually, we even sold our house. This one-bedroom apartment is what we rented later. After my father passed away, my mother lost her job due to taking too long off, and with the high cost of living in the capital, she resolutely decided to return to her hometown. She arranged for a position as a Chinese language teacher at a local middle school, earning money to support her university studies. She would only come to the capital to stay with me for a month during the winter and summer breaks. After my father passed away, my mother lost her job due to taking too long off, and with the high cost of living in the capital, she resolutely decided to return to her hometown. She arranged for a position as a Chinese language teacher at a local middle school, earning money to support her university studies. She would only come to the capital to stay with me for a month during the winter and summer breaks.

Sigh, how wonderful it would be if one truly had a superpower

Suddenly, as Dong Xuebin lay there, he felt his body move. However, when he blinked and looked around, he could only shake his head in resignation, realizing that there was still no response

After dinner, his mother was tidying up the dishes while watching the black-and-white classic film "Tunnel Warfare" on television. He returned to his bedroom and lay on the rickety wooden bed, staring blankly at the peeling ceiling. He thought left and right, realizing that universities in the capital no longer guaranteed job placements. Having obtained his diploma from the United University, he pondered what he would do if he couldn't pass the civil service exam and become an official in the future

No, there isn't. Mother carefully put away her wallet and wiped her eyes, saying, "I just came across mhetushu.com, let me take a look."

Dong Xuebin felt a slight pain in his heart as he sat down next to his mother, "Are you thinking of Dad?"

He has lost count of how many times he has seen this scene over the past few years. His mother has a gentle and weak disposition; whenever she thinks of sad memories, she often cries quietly by herself. Dong Xuebin feels quite distressed. "Mom, it's all because your son is incapable. I can't study well, I lack ability, and I have no confidence in passing the civil service exam. At most, I can work part-time at the Panjiayuan Antique Market during the winter and summer vacations. I, I, sigh, a few years ago when Dad was hospitalized, if I had earned money earlier to take Dad to the best hospital for treatment, he might not have passed away."

He, Dong Xuebin, is 23 years old this year and has graduated with a bachelor's degree

Mom will be back in a while The door closed with a thud

Seeing her son's strong reaction, the mother nervously blinked her eyes and said softly: "Mom knows you care about your image, but her son Xiaodong scored just a few points short of full marks on the logical reasoning section of last year's national exam. Let him explain it to you; your chances of passing will be a bit higher."

The joy that Dong Xuebin feels in his heart need not be mentioned again

Savings at home: never exceeding five digits

He understands that the alarm clock has a time discrepancy, and quickly turns on that old-fashioned 29-inch color television with a spherical screen

Try again