As expected, Zhou Ping picked up a piece of food but didn’t eat it. He stared blankly for a long time before he put down his chopsticks and said, “Later, later it was nothing. Later, my dad’s health wasn’t very good. When he went to town to buy some things, he was hit by a motorcycle. At that time, there were no surveillance cameras. In the dark, there was no way to find the perpetrator. What could he do? He could only blame his bad luck. He was in the hospital for three months. He borrowed all the relatives and friends he could at home. At the very least, he managed to keep his life. But it was impossible for him to stand up. He could forget about doing the work on the ship.

“As it turned out, our family’s conditions were not bad. Not bad. Really. At the very least, we didn’t need to worry about food and drink. This won’t do. My father can’t move, and my mother can’t take care of such a large barge by herself. So, she sold the barge and returned to her hometown to open a grocery store. From then on, our family has never touched a barge again.”

“Oh…”

This was the first time Li Yao and the other two had heard Zhou Ping mention his father’s health. The three did not know how to comfort their eldest son.

“It’s alright. It’s all in the past. Isn’t life better now?”

Zhou Ping smiled and said, “The first few years were really difficult. Really, the feeling of not having money is too f*cking uncomfortable. At that time, I was around 13-14 years old. I thought that I might as well not go to school and go out to work to help make up for my family’s expenses. In the end, my mother went mad and beat me, insisting that I go to school. She said that this was the only way out for our family. Yes, the only way out.

“In fact, I’m not very smart. You should be able to tell that I’m really not a ‘top student’. Besides, I’ve never studied hard since I was a kid. I’m not interested in anything except the affairs on the starship. I’m not good at studying at all.

“However, every time I read a book and my head started to hurt, the image of my mother crying and beating me would appear in my mind. Sigh. When I thought of this, no matter how much my head hurt, there was nothing I could do.

“Later, there was no later. Later, I was admitted to our school. Although I wasted a few years more than others, I still had a solid foundation. Now, I have also found a job. Just now, I called my parents and my sister-in-law to tell them the good news. They have not been so happy for many years. I am also very happy to see them happy. Really, I am very happy!”

“Then you—”

Zhao Kai drank a bit too much and asked, “You don’t want to be the captain of an aircraft carrier?”

“That’s just the imagination of a child. How is it possible?”

Zhou Ping pursed his lips. “I don’t know how to say it, either. In any case, ever since I focused all my attention on my studies and had not touched a ship for many years, the… feeling, or rather, spirituality, slowly disappeared from my body.

“As time went by, I rarely had messy dreams about starships, nor did I think about the boring things such as planetary wars or space jumps. Sometimes, when I passed by the river, I felt that the noises coming from the starship were strange, too. A few years were as long as decades or even hundreds of years. It felt like a lifetime ago.

“Very normal.”

Yu Xin said, “Everybody used to feel that way—you’ve grown up! Right, did you ever think of applying to a shipping school?”

“No.”

Zhou Ping shook his head and said, “Even if you went to such a school, it’s impossible for you to become a captain the moment you graduate. You still have to start from the bottom. Even if your salary at sea is a little high, it’s very normal for you to not go home for a year and a half. With my dad like this, my mom is getting older. Her entire body is aching and she has all kinds of illnesses. I pushed her to go to the hospital, but she refused. It would be even worse if I was away from home all year round.

“Therefore, this is the dream of my childhood. Hehe. An aircraft carrier? How is that possible? Even if my father wasn’t hit by a motorbike, I wouldn’t have been able to become the captain of an aircraft carrier. That’s just the imagination of a child, isn’t it? I wouldn’t have been able to become the captain in the first place, would I?

“All in all, my current job is in the capital city. I can get anything I want, and I can always go home. If I work hard enough, I might be able to buy a suite in the capital city and bring my parents over. That is my biggest dream right now.

“Exactly!”

Li Yao, Yu Xin, and Zhao Kai all gave Zhou Ping a thumbs up. “That’s very ambitious of you, Boss. Buying a suite in the provincial capital is a hundred times more difficult than being the captain of an aircraft carrier or even a spaceship. You are indeed an investment magnate and a financial magnate!”

For a moment, all four of them laughed.

“Since Boss has said so much, I will tell you my childhood dream, too!”

Zhao Kai burped as he said, “The vivid dream that Boss spoke of, in fact, I’ve also had it before. Really, I’m not talking nonsense at the dinner table, but I’ve forgotten exactly what cartoon it was. It might not be a cartoon, but something else.”

“All in all, I had a lot of bizarre, colorful dreams when I was a kid. In the dreams, I seemed to be a… explorer who didn’t know anything about special forces. I didn’t even look like a human being. Instead, I had four arms and a tail. Then, I was running in all kinds of harsh and dangerous environments, including jungles, cliffs, volcanoes, and magma. Many ferocious alien beasts were chasing after me.

“I thought to myself, if people really had a past life, then in my past life, I was probably a strengthened super special forces soldier who went out to adventure, scout, and fight all day long. Haha. Isn’t it exciting?

“Then, because of the weird dreams, I’ve been very active since I was a little kid. I couldn’t sit down for even one second. My parents and teachers all said that I had needles on my ass that would prick me whenever I sat down.

“I like to go to gym class, or go running on the street by myself after school, climbing trees, climbing buildings, and so on. One time, even my parents didn’t know about this. One time, I fell from a tree that was more than ten meters tall. It was really more than ten meters. It was at least three to four stories high. And guess what? I seemed to have awakened some kind of strength in midair. All of a sudden, I saw all the bones and muscles in my body. Like a cat, I adjusted my posture in midair and landed lightly. Other than spraining my ankle, I was completely fine. Really!”

Li Yao and the other two exclaimed.

However, speaking of which, Zhao Kai’s physical fitness was really good. Usually, he would be holed up in his dormitory reading novels. His physical education results were very outstanding. Moreover, his arms and legs were long, but his torso was not clumsy at all. He was like a giant spider.

“If I had been born twenty years later, I would’ve known that I should’ve been a parkourist or a rock climber or an explorer in my life.

Zhao Kai sighed and said, “At that time, we didn’t know about these professions. We only knew about the gymnasts.”

“Being a gymnast is not bad.”

Yu Xin said, “You are so talented in sports. Why don’t you try it?”

“On the other hand, a gym coach has come to our elementary school to pick good seedlings. He has also taken a liking to me.”

Zhao Kai opened his hands and said, “Do you think my parents will agree? How can a bowl of rice like gymnastics be so delicious? Of course, it’s glorious to win the championship. If you don’t win the championship, you’ll be injured. If you practice until you’re neither good nor bad, what are you going to do in the future? So, just study honestly. Later on, the number of books you have to study is increasing. Our school’s PE class has gone out of tune. After school, we don’t have time to climb trees and go running on the streets. It’s just as Boss said, those strange dreams of adventuring on foreign planets are getting fewer and fewer. Naturally, the ‘spiritual’ is gone!”

“That’s true. Even sports aren’t easy.”

Yu Xin thought for a moment and asked, “Do you like gymnastics, rock climbing, or parkour?”

Zhao Kai raised his head and drank half a bottle of beer. He used a wet towel to wipe his eyes for a long time before saying, “Is it important?”

“That’s true. Hahahaha. Although childhood dreams are interesting, one has to grow up and face reality!”

Yu Xin smiled and said, “I had dreams when I was a kid, too. I often dreamed of a lot of colorful paintings. Some of the paintings were even the size of an entire planet. I thought that I had artistic cells. In my previous life, I was a world-renowned, no, a world-renowned artist. My paintings even had all kinds of… ‘ability’. Why do I feel so ashamed to say it out loud?

“All in all, it was not until I grew up that I realized that every kid thought that they were a unique existence when they were little. They thought that they had a special mission when they came to this world and that they had countless messy, colorful dreams. It was not until they grew up that they realized that there was nothing special about themselves at all and that they were merely daydreaming. That was when they truly matured!

“Yes, everyone is the same. Everyone is the same.”

Zhao Kai muttered, “Hey, weren’t we talking about Li Yao reading novels in the beginning? Why are we talking about some bullsh*t ‘dream’ and ‘growth’ now? In short, you should understand what we’re trying to say, right? Li Yao, everyone has experienced your state before, but you have to get rid of it. You must not be addicted to these nonsense web novels!”

“Yes, Li Yao. Everybody cares about you.”

Zhou Ping sincerely said, “If you have anything to say, just say it to us brothers. If you feel uncomfortable, we will accompany you to watch. Don’t always be alone in the world of fiction, unable to extricate yourself. Novels are all false, made up, and meaningless. The real life in front of you is real, right?”

“Correct.”

Li Yao nodded hard. He thought so, too. “I understand what you mean, brothers. There has been something wrong with me recently. But today, after drinking and talking, I feel that I’m fine now. Really. I know what’s good for me. Thank you for your enlightenment. I really can’t daydream anymore.”

“We are all brothers. Don’t talk nonsense. It is not as serious as you make it out to be!”

Yu Xin smiled and said, “Speaking of which, nowadays, everyone’s childhood dream is quite colorful. They are going to be captains, artists, athletes, and scientists when they grow up. When they grow up, everyone will only have one dream—to make money!

“Yeah, how boring.”

Zhao Kai said, “Why don’t you help me realize my dream? I can make money, and you can be a gymnast, alright?”

“Bullsh*t.”

Yu Xin said, “Why can’t I make money? Why don’t you help me realize my dream of being an artist and become the captain of Boss’s carrier?”

“That’s why money comes first. Money comes first. Long live moneymaking!”

Zhao Kai was completely drunk. He leaned back in his chair and started dancing with joy. “What a bullsh*t dream! Go to hell!”

That night, the four people of Dorm 610 were all drunk.

Anyway, just like all the college students who had gone on a farewell dinner, they hugged each other and said a lot of things. They cried and laughed a lot of times. They talked about money, their dreams, their women, their careers, their ambitions, and their love. They made countless unrealistic promises and made countless heroic words that they would forget tomorrow morning.

In the end, the four of them supported each other and staggered out.

Li Yao was somewhat awakened by the breeze at the entrance of the restaurant. A few colorful bubbles appeared in the depths of his mind.

“Boss, you can go now.”

Li Yao said to Zhou Ping, who was still sober, “I want some fresh air to refresh myself.”

In fact, Zhou Ping was not interested in talking. He waved at Li Yao and left with Yu Xin and Zhao Kai.

“Boss!”

Li Yao suddenly shouted, “Where’s your homework?”

Zhou Ping stopped.

“What workbook?”

He turned back suspiciously.

“The workbook that you said was full of cosmic warships, your childhood workbook.”

Li Yao didn’t know why he suddenly asked such a question.

“I don’t know.”

Zhou Ping’s face was indifferent. He stared at Li Yao and thought for a long time before he remembered what Li Yao had asked. “I probably fell into the water when I sold the barge, or I burnt it myself. Who knows how long it took?”

“Then, do you remember how to paint a starship?”

Li Yao replied, “The starship that appeared in your dream.”

“It’s been a long time since I had such a dream.

Zhou Ping thought for a long time but could not remember the last time he had such a dream. He could only say, “It’s been a long, long time.”

He waved his hands hard. There was no telling whether he was driving away Li Yao or something that popped up from the depths of his soul. He walked into the black and white shadows illuminated by the street lamps.