Injured Chengdu
After I left, on countless nights, when I dreamt of wandering the streets of Guanghua Village, I knew that a part of my heart had been left in Chengdu, never to be reclaimed again
Since May 12, 2008, I have wanted to write a piece to commemorate this city, to honor my second hometown. However, I have always struggled with how to begin, how to express my love for Chengdu. Today, as I once again witness this disaster-prone city suffering, I can no longer remain silent
During class, we are always subjected to bilingual instruction—some teachers start the lesson in Mandarin, but by the end of the class, they are speaking pure Sichuan dialect. This can be quite a torment for someone from the north who has just arrived in Chengdu
Chengdu, how have you been?
It has been two years. Is the Chengdu of today still the gentle and humid Jiangnan woman I remember? Has the relentless suffering made you appear weathered? On Chunxi Road, is the prosperity still the same?
It was not until my graduation from university, as I was about to board the bus from m.hetushu.com to leave school and was embracing my classmates in tears, that I realized this city, where I had lived for four years, had already become an untouchable part of my heart
I do not know how to express my emotions, nor do I know how to comfort those who have suffered and perished. The city that haunts my dreams has become increasingly afflicted since May of last year
He informed me that, generally speaking, engines are prone to catching fire in the summer, particularly in large trucks. Due to the high external temperatures and the prolonged operation of these trucks, the temperature can become excessively high. Drivers often choose to turn on the air conditioning inside, completely unaware of how hot the engine is. In such circumstances, if the wiring is aged, it is very easy for a fire to occur.
I do not know when it started, but I have become accustomed to the hot pot in Chengdu filled with chili peppers, to the boldness of Chengdu girls, to the soft, effeminate manner of Chengdu men, and to the girls rolling their eyes at me saying: You are so annoying!
Later, Mian and a classmate of Tu Shuyang told me that the scene she witnessed was unbearable to look at. I asked her if she was scared when the earthquake struck. She replied: I was numb; I woke up at night because of the earthquake, stared blankly at the light fixture on the ceiling swaying back and forth, and after it stopped, I went back to sleep. I was at a loss for words at that moment
At that moment, my heart was in turmoil
Two years ago, the boy who thought he hated Chengdu has now transformed into a portly middle-aged man under the heavy pressures of life. Time is relentless; merely two years have passed, and as I look at my own photos, I feel as if the world has changed dramatically.
After moving the items at noon, there was no time left for a lunch break. The driver went to repair the vehicle—the right window lift of the car was broken. I returned to the office, opened the reader group, and saw a post on Tianya about a bus fire in Chengdu
I suddenly recalled standing in front of the Huaron dormitory, gazing up at those pale yellow leaves. They were so delicate, much like the girls of Chengdu. However, now, under prolonged drought, they may have long since withered away
However, upon opening the link, I found it was news from the Tencent website www.hetushu.com. I was momentarily at a loss for words. Subsequently, I had to leave for work.
I will surely miss this damned place, miss this campus with its banyan trees; miss the spicy skewers here, as well as these fiery Sichuan girls; I might even miss the cafeteria where I found green worms in my meals, and the exploitative Guanghua Beef Restaurant at the school gate
At that time, I called my classmates who were still in Chengdu. Two of them answered, but they both said that they had already left Chengdu. However, I was unable to contact anyone who was actually in Chengdu.
Injured Chengdu
The biggest problem is that there are no noodles to eat in Chengdu. For a big man who grew up in Henan, this is simply a torment. Without noodles, rice does not fill me up. My life in the first two years of college was a true reflection of an African refugee, struggling in constant hunger. In fact, there are noodles to eat in Chengdu, but the noodles there are very unappetizing; I would rather choose to eat insufficient rice.
But I was wrong
When I wept while embracing my brother, with whom I had lived and studied for four years at university, I knew I was wrong
Who will comfort this suffering city
This is a kind of helplessness, a helplessness that has already accepted its fate
That is something that girls from other places cannot learn, that long, nasal tone, tinged with a coquetry, is something that girls from other places cannot master. Even if they can imitate it, they cannot make you feel it to the bone with just one sentence like the girls from Chengdu can
I thought this was the end, but who knew this was just the beginning
While on the road, I specifically asked the driver about the issue of the engine catching fire, as I am not very familiar with vehicles. I happened to choose to write about this topic, so I wanted to inquire about the insights of professionals.
Thus, with all these factors combined, along with my longing for my hometown, I mistakenly believed throughout my four years in university that I truly disliked Chengdu. I often declared to my classmates: after leaving, I would absolutely not have the slightest bit of nostalgia for Chengdu
Today at work, I opened QQ and saw a reader in the group posting a link about a new book, saying that Uncle Pao Jing has passed away. My first reaction was: Don't spread fake news!
The weather in Chengdu is a torment for someone like me from the north. It has no spring or autumn, only winter and summer. Often, after taking off my cotton coat, I have to put on short sleeves. Because it is a humid basin, when I first arrived in Chengdu, I always felt that I hadn't washed properly after showering—my body always felt sticky.
On May 12, I happened to be at work. A colleague in the office, who is from Sichuan, started frantically calling home when the news of the earthquake popped up on QQ. At that moment, I had only one thought: is the world coming to an end
In fact, when I first arrived in Chengdu, I did not like it. I am from the north, and my college entrance examination choices led me to Southwest University of Finance and Economics. However, from the day I entered the university, I have always disliked Chengdu. Looking back now, it was a kind of emotional outpouring of homesickness after leaving home. My subconscious made me feel aversion towards this place that would carry my four years of university life, because my love for my hometown did not allow me to fall in love with another city