How Far Have I Traveled from the Miao Border to the Prosperous City?

From the fireworks in Wumeng and Miao territory to the neon lights in the bustling city, how far have I come? The cursor on the mobile map is fixed at 1,769 kilometers, and it takes nineteen hours to cross the mountain and sea barriers. But I know deep down in my heart that I have walked this journey for more than thirty years. It is never an icy straight line between coordinates, but a vine that struggles to break through the barren soil. Covered with dust, frost and hot blood and tears, it winds upward and climbs to grow. Every inch of its branches is engraved with tenacity and difficulty. And the prologue of all these journeys began with the step my father took out of the Miao border - he braved the wind and frost, walked all over the rugged mountain roads, and with all his hard work, split the glimmer of light leading to the county school for me, pushing me from the embrace of the mountains to a broader world.