Dry Lotus Beside the Pond

The wind in the plains of northern Jiangsu passes over the old pond at the head of the village every year. There are no mountains or ridges, the sky and the earth are spread out flatly, and the pond water is as still as an old dusty mirror. When I was young, every midsummer, the pond was full of lotus leaves, and pink and white lotus flowers emerged from the mud, spreading their petals against the stars and moon. At that time, Xiuying was still young. She stepped on the soft soil beside the pond with her bare feet. Her eyes were full of lotus light and her heart was full of hot expectations. She thought that in this life, she would be like a lotus in the pond, blooming just right and staying with her year after year. The human world is originally unseen. Years pass by the fields, the spring breeze comes and the frost comes. The lotus pond flourished and withered several times, and the lotus that flourished for a while eventually withered away. The lotus leaves were lying on the water, the petals fell off piece by piece, and the fresh youth of the past was gone, leaving only the withered and brown lotus stalks, standing alone in the cold wind by the pond. The roots are still deeply rooted in the muddy mud and have not been broken, but they can no longer bloom as brightly as they did in the past. This pond has witnessed the whispers under the moon, the tenderness of the first night, the long wait, the silent betrayal, and the tears shed silently over countless long nights. Some people physically embark on the journey back home, but their old dreams have long been buried in the mud at the bottom of the pond. The lotus has withered but there are still roots left. After a heart is broken, there is no chance for it to bloom again. The pond wind spreads over the deserted bank, and the past has disappeared. This is Xiuying's life. ...