Wasted

The provincial exam results are out, and I ranked 16th—utterly ridiculous. It feels like the era of Kong Yiji has returned. Due to the poor employment environment, a large number of young people are flocking to civil service exams, creating a vicious cycle. Today is my mother’s birthday. At noon, I bought her two small cakes. In the evening, I took my mother for a walk around the neighborhood. She still seems a bit confused about directions and roads—perhaps she needs to walk the route a few more times. My parents and I don’t have deep conversations; we rarely talk about anything beyond daily life. ...