Three Preserved Twelves

(P.S. This is a short story, probably. Don’t complain that it’s too short once you finish!

This story is based on more than 90% of the author’s real experiences.

It’s probably a little “bittersweet.” The author is writing a novel for the first time, drawing on memories. I hope you enjoy it.)

What kinds of experiences and lessons can the most precious years of high school bring us? I think each of us has some understanding and experience of that. Perhaps we all grow after going through certain things.

[Major Foreshadowing] [Heartbreaking] [Based on Real Events] Those lively, cheerful teenagers from back then have probably embarked on their own journeys by now, haven’t they? I once watched a short video about Shi Tiesheng. He said something that has stayed with me: “I haven’t forgotten anything, but some things are only meant to be kept inside. They can’t be spoken of or thought about, yet they can’t be forgotten…” It left a deep impression on me. Perhaps only after experiencing life’s bitterness and sweetness for yourself can you truly understand those words.

Speaking of which, I can’t help thinking again of a little boy.

On the eve of a promised meeting, he sat in his room, clutching a moldy piece of dried tangerine peel and a bag of stale, dry biscuits, gazing at a tulip to the northwest. Though he had long since grown utterly cold, a tender look filled with longing suddenly appeared in his eyes, as if to say: I didn’t break my promise…

It was also because of what he had gone through over the past few years that he came to understand the meaning and value of hard work in life. I hope that in the years ahead, after reading this story, you will also

understand the true meaning of our efforts.