"Bro, it's me." The voice on the other end of the phone was slightly hoarse, yet with a hint of barely concealed excitement. Xia Yizhou's hand, holding the phone, trembled slightly. This voice, he was too familiar with. It was his brother, Xia Yiye, who had been missing for five years.
Old Li looked at the dark, sooty thing in front of him and felt that life was indeed full of black humor. This thing, said to be a seed that had "studied abroad" on a space station, was treated like a treasure by the research institute and even escorted to their village by a special envoy. The task given from above was also very clear: he was to take good care of this "cosmic visitor" and strive to make it bloom and bear fruit on its native soil.
"Welcome to the 'Starlight Shines' annual celebration. Please, stars, get out of your cars in an orderly fashion and collect your exclusive nameplates." A sweet female voice echoed in the parking lot, as uniform as the commands of a calisthenics exercise.
The wind on the plateau howled, like a broken lament.
The atmosphere in the exam room was like air had been sucked out, dull and oppressive. Each examinee was as if muted, with only the scratching of pen nibs on paper, occasionally mixed with suppressed coughs. I am Li Ming, a veteran "exam-taker" who views the National Civil Service Exam as a routine annual event, as familiar as attending a wedding.
"OK, let's go online."