时光邮局

谷雨镇是个不起眼的小镇，除了那座有些年头的邮局，似乎没什么特别之处。

Guyu Town is an unremarkable little town. Apart from the somewhat old post office, it seems to lack anything special.

然而，当地人却流传着一个奇怪的传说:如果你在午夜十二点写信，投入邮局旁那个锈迹斑斑的蓝色邮筒，这封信就会穿越时空，送到过去或未来的某个时刻。

However, the locals tell a strange legend: if you write a letter at midnight and drop it into the rusty blue mailbox next to the post office, this letter will transcend time and space, arriving at some moment in the past or future.

周木木对这个传说嗤之以鼻。作为一名科技公司的程序员，他相信的是代码和算法，而不是这种不着边际的民间故事。

Zhou Mumu scoffed at this legend. As a programmer at a tech company, he believed in code and algorithms, not in such far-fetched folk tales.

然而，当他因公司裁员而被迫回到家乡谷雨镇后，心情低落的他决定姑且一试。

However, when he was forced to return to his hometown of Guyu Town due to company layoffs, he decided to give it a try out of sheer curiosity.

那是一个星光璀璨的夜晚，周木木独自来到邮局，给五年前的自己写了一封信。信中，他详细列出了这五年来自己犯下的所有错误决定:选择了错误的专业、进入了注定要倒闭的公司、错过了与真爱表白的机会。

It was a starry night when Zhou Mumu went to the post office alone and wrote a letter to his five-years-younger self. In the letter, he detailed all the mistakes he had made over the past five years: choosing the wrong major, joining a company destined to go bankrupt, and missing the chance to confess his love.

写完后，他有些自嘲地将信塞进那个蓝色邮筒，然后转身离去。

After finishing, he mockingly stuffed the letter into the blue mailbox and turned to leave.

第二天早晨，周木木被一阵急促的敲门声惊醒。门外站着一位陌生的邮递员，手中拿着一封泛黄的信件。

The next morning, Zhou Mumu was awakened by a rapid knocking on the door. Standing outside was a stranger in a postal uniform, holding a yellowed letter.

"周木木先生，您的信。这封信在我们邮局存放了整整五年，按照寄信人的要求,今天必须送达。"

"Mr. Zhou Mumu, your letter. This letter has been in our post office for a whole five years and, according to the sender's request, must be delivered today."

颤抖着手拆开信封，周木木惊讶地发现,这竟是一封来自五年后的自己写给现在的信!信中详细描述了未来五年可能发生的事情,以及如何避免那些错误的选择。

With trembling hands, he opened the envelope and was astonished to find that it was a letter from himself five years in the future! The letter described in detail what might happen over the next five years and how to avoid those wrong choices.

最令他震惊的是,信的末尾附上了几组彩票号码和股票代码,注明了购买的最佳时机。

What shocked him the most was that at the end of the letter, there were several lottery numbers and stock codes, along with the best times to buy.

周木木半信半疑,决定试一试。他按照信中的建议,改变了求职方向,并小心翼翼地购买了一注彩票。当彩票真的中奖后,他彻底相信了这个不可思议的邮筒。

Skeptical yet intrigued, Zhou Mumu decided to give it a try. He followed the advice in the letter, changed his job search direction, and carefully bought a lottery ticket. When the ticket actually won, he completely believed in the incredible mailbox.

接下来的日子,周木木严格按照"未来的自己"的指引行事:他加入了一家前景广阔的初创公司,认识了生命中的挚爱,甚至提前预防了父亲差点罹患的重病。

In the days that followed, Zhou Mumu strictly followed the guidance from his "future self": he joined a promising startup, met the love of his life, and even preemptively addressed a serious illness his father almost contracted.

一切似乎都在向好的方向发展。

Everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction.

然而,随着时间推移,周木木开始感到一丝不安。他的人生变得太过顺利,几乎没有任何挫折和挑战。

However, as time passed, Zhou Mumu began to feel a sense of unease. His life had become too smooth, with hardly any setbacks or challenges.

他所有的决定都是按照信中的指示做出的,仿佛自己只是一个按部就班执行命令的机器人。更可怕的是,他发现自己越来越依赖那些来自"未来"的指示,失去了独立思考和面对未知的勇气。

All his decisions were made according to the instructions in the letter, as if he were just a robot following orders. What was more frightening was that he found himself becoming increasingly dependent on the "future" instructions, losing the courage to think independently and face the unknown.

一天晚上,周木木做了一个奇怪的梦。梦中,一个憔悴不堪的中年男子对他说:"停下来吧,你正在毁掉我们的人生。"

One night, Zhou Mumu had a strange dream. In the dream, a haggard middle-aged man said to him, "Stop, you are ruining our lives."

醒来后,他意识到那个人可能就是真正的"未来的自己"。

Upon waking, he realized that the man might just be the true "future self."

带着疑惑,周木木再次来到那个蓝色邮筒前。这一次,他给"未来的自己"写了一封信,询问这一切到底是怎么回事。

Filled with doubt, Zhou Mumu returned to the blue mailbox. This time, he wrote a letter to his "future self," asking what was really going on.

几天后,他收到了回信,信封上的邮戳日期显示是十年后。信中写道:"亲爱的过去的我,我必须向你坦白。最初寄给你的那封信,目的并非帮助你过上更好的生活,而是试图修改一段我无法接受的历史。

A few days later, he received a reply. The postmark date on the envelope showed ten years later. The letter read, "Dear past me, I must confess. The original letter I sent to you was not meant to help you live a better life, but rather to attempt to rewrite a history I cannot accept.

我曾以为,如果能够改变那些'错误的决定',就能获得完美的人生。但现在我明白了,正是那些错误和挫折塑造了真正的我。当你按照指示避开所有困难时,你也同时失去了成长和领悟的机会。"

I once thought that if I could change those 'wrong decisions,' I would obtain a perfect life. But now I understand that it is precisely those mistakes and setbacks that shaped the true me. When you follow the instructions and avoid all difficulties, you also lose the opportunity to grow and gain insights."

信的最后写道:"我恳求你,放弃那些预知的'捷径',重新开始自己的人生。未来不应该是被动接受的剧本,而应该是你自己书写的故事。无论结局如何,至少那是真实属于你的选择。"

The letter concluded, "I urge you to give up those foreseen 'shortcuts' and restart your own life. The future should not be a passive script to accept, but a story that you write yourself. Regardless of the outcome, at least that choice belongs truly to you."

读完信,周木木陷入了沉思。第二天,他做了一个大胆的决定:辞去了高薪的工作,报名参加了一直向往但因"不切实际"而放弃的环球旅行计划。

After reading the letter, Zhou Mumu fell into deep contemplation. The next day, he made a bold decision: he resigned from his high-paying job and signed up for a round-the-world trip that he had always dreamt of but given up due to its "unrealistic" nature.

临行前,他最后一次来到那个蓝色邮筒前,投入了一封信。

Before leaving, he visited the blue mailbox one last time and dropped in a letter.

这封信没有收件人,也没有具体内容,只写着简短的一句话:"谢谢你的提醒,但我选择拥抱不确定性。"

This letter had no recipient and no specific content, only a brief sentence: "Thank you for the reminder, but I choose to embrace uncertainty."

多年以后,当周木木重游故乡时,发现那座老邮局已经改建成了博物馆。

Years later, when Zhou Mumu returned to his hometown, he found that the old post office had been transformed into a museum.

在参观时,他偶然看到了一个展示柜,里面陈列着一封发黄的信件,正是他当年写下的那句话。

While touring, he stumbled upon a display case containing a yellowed letter, which was the very sentence he had written years ago.

旁边的说明牌上写着:"本信件发现于2023年邮局拆迁时,因没有收件地址而无法投递。我们保留它,是为了纪念人类永恒的智慧——生活中最宝贵的不是预知未来,而是有勇气面对每一个未知的明天。"

Next to it, the description read: "This letter was found during the demolition of the post office in 2023 and could not be delivered due to the absence of a recipient address. We have preserved it as a tribute to humanity's eternal wisdom – the most precious thing in life is not to foresee the future, but to have the courage to face each unknown tomorrow."

周木木微笑着走出博物馆。天空中下起了蒙蒙细雨,这是谷雨镇特有的温柔雨势。

Zhou Mumu walked out of the museum with a smile. A gentle rain began to fall from the sky, the kind of soft rain unique to Guyu Town.

他撑开伞,迎着雨滴前行,心中前所未有地踏实。

He opened his umbrella and walked forward against the falling droplets, feeling an unprecedented sense of groundedness in his heart.

未来如何,他不得而知,但他知道,那将是属于自己的、独一无二的人生旅程。

As for what the future held, he did not know, but he was sure it would be his own, one-of-a-kind life journey.