The days when sycamore catkins fill the campus in midsummer are the hottest times for Lin Yang and Jiang Yu. The tiny footsteps walking side by side in the corridor, the fingertips touching under the desks, the holding of hands on the avenue after evening self-study, and the crisp sound of soda cans colliding, all mixed the joy of young girls into the youth of the chirping cicadas. They had imagined the future countless times, from school uniforms to wedding dresses, thinking that this love would be passionate and long-lasting and never end.
But the accident of fate caught him off guard, and Jiang Yu was stuck in that midsummer forever, stuck in the time of falling in love with her. A farewell cut off all expectations, and the hot love came to an abrupt end. He left suddenly, leaving her standing alone, guarding the room full of memories.
The phoenix trees were still green every year, and the soda still had the familiar smell, but there was no longer the boy around who would smile and rub her hair and give her all his tenderness. With the unexpressed love between the two of them, Lin Yang walked the road they had been together over and over again, and lived guarding those common memories. Love never ended when he left. It was just a journey called the rest of life. She was the only one left, holding her heart full of longing for him. Year after year, she missed him as before.
Purpose: Based on the strong contrast between love on campus and separation between life and death, the author writes about the pain of separation and the strength of love.