Section 25: A Moment is Eternity

As the semester drew to a close, the track and field team's training came to a halt. The athletes, once vigorous and sweating profusely on the running track, now resembled withered eggplants, yawning incessantly as they crammed at the last minute. Sima was different from them. In his previous life, he had been a diligent and hardworking student. The specialized courses in his freshman year were merely a matter of reviewing what he already knew; whether he studied more or less made little difference. He smoothly completed his final exam and, according to plan, met up with Lu Yuan to travel back to Changzhou together for the New Year.

The journey by train lasted fourteen hours and thirty-seven minutes—long and noisy, surrounded by strangers. The two spoke little, each quietly absorbed in their own books. Lu Yuan read *A Farewell to Arms*, while Sima delved into *The Complete Poems of William Blake*. The books lifted them out of the present world, drawing their hearts closer together, their pulses in harmony. As the train headed south, Lu Yuan’s waist and legs began to tingle. She rose to use the restroom, then returned to her seat and leaned against Sima’s arm, resting her head on his shoulder. After a brief glance, she softly recited:

“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”

Pausing, she sighed, “How beautiful! Who wrote this?”

Sima murmured, “William Blake, an English poet. To glimpse the world in a single grain of sand, to find heaven in a wildflower. To hold infinity in your palm, and eternity within an hour.”

A subtle shiver ran through Lu Yuan’s heart, a vague sense of foreboding stirring within her. She hugged Sima’s arm tighter, listening to his steady breath and counting the calm rhythm of his heartbeat, until she fell asleep without realizing it. That deep slumber felt as if she were sinking beneath the ocean, losing all consciousness, never to awaken.

The train pulled into Changzhou Station. Sima gently woke Lu Yuan, carrying their luggage with both hands as they followed the bustling crowd off the train step by step. The night was deep on the platform. Lu Yuan grasped the hem of his coat, dazed as they exited the station. Suddenly feeling anxious, she stretched lazily and tried to sound casual: “I’m hungry. Shall we get something to eat before going home?”

At that hour, few shops remained open. Sima looked around and led Lu Yuan to a nearby KFC. They ordered an original recipe chicken meal and a spicy chicken leg burger combo, asking the server for their colas with no ice. Lu Yuan nibbled half of the chicken burger and tore at some original chicken, but she didn’t seem very hungry. Sima devoured the rest of the food with gusto, not rushing to leave, and stayed with her in the restaurant for a long while, chatting casually.

Lu Yuan asked about his plans for the Spring Festival. Sima told her he wouldn’t stay in Changzhou long—he planned to leave by the third or fourth day of the lunar new year to avoid the travel rush and to resume training early, preparing for the national track and field championships in May. He hoped to achieve a good result and earn a first-class athlete certificate. Since Beizhi Foreign Languages University started late, the winter break extended to about forty days. Lu Yuan bit her lip thoughtfully, deciding to try to return to Beizhi with him, so they could enjoy some “time for just the two of them,” staying together until school resumed. She leaned closer to Sima and quietly shared her plan. Sima affectionately pinched her cheek, teasing that she was always such a good girl—never staying home long before wanting to leave—and doubted she would manage it.

Lu Yuan lacked confidence, too. Clenching her fists, she silently encouraged herself and resolved to be frank with her family. She asked Sima if he could find time to come over for dinner, to formally introduce himself to her parents as her boyfriend. Sima was indifferent and agreed casually, without the least nervousness. It was Lu Yuan who felt anxious, contemplating how to broach the subject with her parents. Absentmindedly rubbing Sima’s hand, she wavered between hope and fear, lost in thought.

KFC closed at midnight. Ten minutes before closing, the server gave them a friendly heads-up. Sima took Lu Yuan’s hand and stepped outside, hailed a taxi, and first took her home. After seeing her safely upstairs, he told the driver to head to Chaoyang Garden. The street was deserted, the traffic lights flicked yellow, and the car sped along, the meter ticking rapidly.

Arriving at his destination, Sima paid the fare and quietly crept into the house. Si Daoyan and Xia Ting were still awake, eyes wide as they waited anxiously for their son’s return. Seeing him appear unharmed eased their nerves. Xia Ting looked him over, noting he seemed thinner and asking if the train had been delayed or if he was hungry. She then planned to prepare a late-night snack to ease his hunger.

Sima requested instant noodles with two eggs. Xia Ting readily agreed, firing up the stove to make a “luxury edition” of instant noodles. She first stir-fried shredded pork, added water and seasoning, heated it to about seventy degrees, cracked two eggs to set, then added the noodles, and finally some baby greens, cooking just until tender. The steaming, fragrant meal was mouthwatering. Sima ate heartily, explaining that he had joined the school’s track team and competed in the capital’s autumn university athletics meet, achieving good results and earning a second-class athlete certificate. Si Daoyan and Xia Ting were pleasantly surprised. They had expected him to be academically excellent but never imagined he had a talent for sprinting!

After finishing, Sima showed them his certificate. Si Daoyan was deeply moved. In his youth, he had harbored dreams of sports, only to have them shattered by harsh reality. Seeing his son inherit his athletic genes brought him pride and joy. Xia Ting, a traditional parent, had no concept of track and field competitions. To her, academic achievement was paramount—good grades meant staying in Beizhi City, securing a good job, marrying, having children, and living a stable life. She neither understood nor cared for the wider world of excitement beyond that.

Si Daoyan and Xia Ting were so moved they couldn’t sleep all night. Sima, however, slept soundly and woke only the next afternoon. He lay quietly for a moment before reaching beneath his pillow to check his phone. The most recent message was from Lu Yuan, asking if he would attend the pre-New Year class reunion. Sima was puzzled and scrolled back through several messages, mostly spam. One was from Lin Zixuan, inviting him to a reunion at Hongyan Tower’s Sanyuan Hall, two tables set aside for their entire class, mostly freshmen studying in Beizhi City—an opportunity to get to know people and have mutual support. Sima immediately saw through Lin Zixuan’s intention to build a social network. He wasn’t opposed but felt too lazy to join the gathering and declined with a casual excuse.

He called Lu Yuan to tell her he wouldn’t attend the reunion. She didn’t ask why, only said that if he wasn’t going, she wouldn’t either.

Less than twenty-four hours apart, Lu Yuan already missed her boyfriend deeply. She had many things she wanted to say but found them hard to voice. Finally, she reminded Sima to come to her house for dinner on New Year’s Eve to meet her parents. Sima agreed and asked if he should bring anything. After some thought, Lu Yuan suggested they go shopping together at noon on New Year’s Eve, and that he could follow her lead on what to buy.