The Wind Comes from the Ferry

On the day of the 100th anniversary of the college entrance examination, Qingpudu in Linxi City announced that this ferry, which has carried residents on both sides of the Taiwan Strait for decades, will permanently suspend sailing after the college entrance examination. Seventeen-year-old Tang Jianwei decided to make a set of suspension records for the school magazine. She wanted to leave behind those voices that were about to disappear, but she discovered in her first interview that sincerity does not mean the right to speak for others; Jiang Xu, who went to school with her on a boat since childhood, was good at repairing equipment and verifying data, but he was also used to hiding his concerns in forms and turning all problems into calculable steps. An actual passenger flow measurement allowed them to see the food baskets, ramps, transfers and the lives of ordinary people that were left out of the public figures. It also allowed the pair of childhood sweethearts who have known each other for many years to learn to know each other again for the first time. The countdown to the suspension of sailing and the countdown to the college entrance examination reached zero at the same time. They took two old tickets that had not been sent and went to Beijing and Guangzhou respectively. During the long distance, liking did not automatically solve the misunderstanding: making decisions for the other person, hiding disappointment in "it's okay", and pretending to be considerate with silence made them miss time and time again. It wasn't until many years later that the renovation of the old ferry brought Tang Jianwei, a journalist, and Jiang Xu, a transportation planner, back to the same real-life debate, that they truly understood that growing together is not about walking on the same road, but about being willing to speak out about your own choices before changes occur, and being willing to listen to each other and those who are not seen by numbers. Purpose: The work uses the suspension and renovation of the old ferry to describe the individual situation that is easily overlooked in urban development besides the "general convenience": progress is not without cost, and truly responsible recording and planning should see the specific life behind the average numbers. On the line of love, the work discusses the most easily overlooked issue of childhood sweethearts - familiarity does not mean understanding, and tacit understanding cannot replace inquiry. Mature love is not about sacrificing oneself and making arrangements for the other person, nor is it asking two people to always choose the same path. It is about honestly expressing wishes and fears, respecting each other's boundaries and growth, and renegotiating the possibility of living together amidst changes.