How many people are like me – a year lost with every departure from home?

• On March 12th, my parents sent me to the train station, without a hug or tears. The simple words, 'Put on your mask and buy some hot food on the way,' replaced all their reluctance,Thus, 40 hours of travel, I journeyed from freezing snow and ice to willow green and blossoming flowers, crossing a distance within China. Saying goodbye to my parents will be next year,I wonder, how many people are like me, where a departure from home always signifies a year of change?

Year after year, I constantly explore and strive, believing I am progressing, only to ultimately achieve nothing. Year after year, it's as if the saying 'Year after year, flowers are similar, and people are different' is true!

As I grow older, my mindset becomes increasingly distinct. Things I once disliked are now commonplace; I used to believe I could establish myself in this city by thirty, bringing my parents here to enjoy family time, but that's no longer possible, and I accept it with a sense of inevitability. Even I feel that being single is the natural order of things…