The air was filled with the aroma of food and the noise of the crowd, which mixed together and seemed both noisy and somewhat depressing.

He decided to buy some vermicelli and bamboo shoots to reward himself for his hard work. He walked to a familiar stall. The owner was an old man in his fifties, with a weathered face but a kind expression. He lowered his head to select vermicelli, but in his heart he was thinking about the past events related to Jia Dongxu.

"Qiangzi, are you buying so much today?" the stall owner greeted him familiarly.

"Well, I want to make something delicious to cheer myself up." Wang Qiang forced a smile to hide the heaviness in his heart. He knew that the stall owner was a talkative person who always liked to chat with people, but Wang Qiang was really not in the mood to chat more at the moment.

After paying, Wang Qiang put the vermicelli and bamboo shoots into the bag and prepared to go home. Walking on the street, he thought of Jia Dongxu's last words before his death, "Qiangzi, you are still young and have a chance to leave this yard." These words pierced his heart like a thorn, causing a dull pain. Wang Qiang knew that Jia Dongxu's words were not only an exhortation to him, but also an entrustment of his own unfulfilled wishes.

"Can I really walk out of the courtyard?" Wang Qiang asked himself in his heart. He grew up in this courtyard. The bricks, locust trees, moss, and even the smooth path of the courtyard are deeply engraved in his memory. Leaving here means leaving everything he is familiar with and facing an unknown world.

But what if he doesn't leave? Will Jia Dongxu's ending be his future? This question weighs on Wang Qiang's heart like a heavy stone, making him breathless. He doesn't want to become like that, a body crushed by life, losing his dreams and fighting spirit. But is the world outside the courtyard really that beautiful to him?

Back home, Wang Qiang sat on a wooden bench in the kitchen, staring blankly at the ingredients in front of him. A thought flashed through his mind: Perhaps, these bamboo shoots and vermicelli are not just food, but a kind of resistance to life, a stubbornness that does not want to be swallowed by reality. Every time he cooks in the kitchen, it is a moment of confrontation between him and the world. At this moment, he is free, the one who can control his own destiny.

He soaked the vermicelli in warm water and cut the bamboo shoots into thin strips, his movements were mechanical but firm. He didn't know if such a meal could change anything, but at least, in this moment of tranquility, he could find himself and his unwilling heart.

Just as he was frying the bamboo shoots in the pot, there was a light knock on the door. Wang Qiang was stunned for a moment, put down the spatula in his hand, and walked to the door.

"Who is it?" he asked loudly.

"It's me, Xiao Li." A familiar voice came from outside the door. Wang Qiang recognized it as his next-door neighbor Xiao Li. This young man was a new worker in the factory. He was a few years younger than him, but had a lively personality and was always smiling.

Wang Qiang opened the door and saw Xiao Li standing at the door, holding a bag of green vegetables and smiling as usual. "Brother Wang, my mom asked me to bring you some vegetables. She said it's not easy for you to be alone, so you should eat more green things."

"You are so thoughtful, kid." Wang Qiang took the dish and felt warm in his heart. Although the relationship between neighbors in the courtyard is not as close as before, the occasional mutual help still makes people feel a little comforted.

"Brother Wang, are you cooking?" Xiao Li leaned over to look at the smoke rising from the kitchen. "What's delicious?"

"It's just some vermicelli and bamboo shoots, nothing special." Wang Qiang responded with a smile, but in his heart he suddenly felt that his simple dinner was not so ordinary. Perhaps it was because someone cared about him and thought about him that he felt a rare warmth.

Xiao Li smiled and nodded, "Brother Wang, your cooking skills are really good. I can even smell the fragrance. Can you teach me someday? My cooking skills are really not that good."

Wang Qiang smiled and said, "Okay, come over some other day and I'll teach you."

Xiao Li and Wang Qiang exchanged a few more pleasantries before saying goodbye and leaving. Wang Qiang returned to the kitchen. The pot on the fire was steaming, bamboo shoots were sizzling in the oil, and the aroma gradually spread. He scooped up the softened vermicelli, quickly put it into the pot, stir-fried it a few times, and then covered the pot and simmered it for a while.

"Perhaps, life is like this pot of bamboo shoot vermicelli. It seems simple, but it always brings surprises at some point." Wang Qiang thought as he put the cooked food into a bowl. As the steam rose, he smelled the familiar aroma and felt a sense of peace in his heart.

However, under this calm appearance, Wang Qiang's heart is like the bottom of a boiling pot, hiding countless insecurities and anxieties. Jia Dongxu's figure is lingering, his deep-set eyes, and his hoarse voice make Wang Qiang feel deeply afraid. He is afraid that he will follow Jia Dongxu's path and become another person defeated by life.

"I have to get out of this yard." Wang Qiang said to himself silently. He knew it was not easy, but he could not let himself sink here. Every time he thought of Jia Dongxu's bleak eyes when he was dying, he became more determined.

But he also knew that this decision could not be made on impulse. He had to plan his future, figure out what he wanted and how to achieve it. He couldn't be like Jia Dongxu, who just complained but never really made changes.

Wang Qiang suddenly realized that the simple bowl of vermicelli and bamboo shoots in his hand might be like his current life, seemingly plain, but as long as he tasted it carefully, he could always find the taste. Life might not always be kind to him, but he couldn't lose his fighting spirit.

He looked down at the food in the bowl and took a deep breath, as if to put all the confusion and anxiety behind him. Perhaps, from this moment on, he should make a clear plan for his life, instead of passively accepting the arrangement of fate like Jia Dongxu.

After finishing his meal, Wang Qiang sat at the table with a determined look in his eyes. He had drawn a blueprint in his mind. Although it was not clear yet, at least he knew that he was no longer the young man who only wandered around the courtyard. He wanted to go out and explore his own world.

The courtyard was still quiet at night, and the moonlight sprinkled on the blue bricks of the courtyard, revealing a hint of chill. Wang Qiang stood in front of the window, looking at the old locust tree in the courtyard, and a strange feeling arose in his heart. This tree has witnessed the departure and return of countless people. Perhaps it knows every story in the courtyard better than anyone else.

"I will not be the next Jia Dongxu." Wang Qiang vowed silently in his heart. He turned and walked back to his room and began to look through the old items at home. Some of these items were left by his parents, and some were his own collection when he was young. Each one carries his memories, and these memories may become his motivation in the future.

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