Stubborn old man

After Hugo finished shopping, he also packed half a paper bag and held it in his arms as he walked towards home. However, when he stood at the crossroads, Hugo had to stop and look around. Although he had moved to this place a few months ago, the winding alleys around him still made his eyes spin. As someone lacking a sense of direction, Hugo felt immense pressure.

Fortunately, Hugo had visited Charles' vegetable shop enough times to leave some impressions in his directionally challenged mind. Following Joseph's instructions, he looked at the bright yellow roof not far away and headed in that direction.

Hugo walked with light steps along a small slope, humming a cheerful tune.

[

It just takes some time

Little friend, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be alright, alright

]

The lively melody collided between Hugo's lips, causing sunlight to dance around him. The past few months of stress due to the Golden Raspberry Awards finally cleared away, and everything was just a journey. There was no need to rush or feel discouraged; all it took was some time.

Hugo repeated this part of the lyrics, finding it catchy. He couldn't help but try to perform the chorus. Inspiration blossomed like fireworks in his mind.

[

Hey, don't write yourself off yet

It's only in your head, you feel left out

Or looked down on

Just try your best, try everything you can

And don't you worry what they tell themselves

When you're away

]

This chorus perfectly reflected Hugo's state of mind over the past few months, particularly his experience on the "A Few Good Men" set. Then he connected it to the chorus:

[

It just takes some time

Little friend, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be alright, alright

]

A flowing song was born, concise and clear. Hugo could even hear the lively drumbeats and the joyful guitar clashes in his mind. The pleasant and brisk rhythm infused the positive sunshine from the lyrics into every note, making Hugo's smile soar freely in the sunlight.

[

Hey, you know they're all the same

You know you're doing better on your own (On your own)

So don't buy in

Live right now, yeah, just be yourself

It doesn't matter if it's good enough (Good enough)

For someone else

It just takes some time

Little friend, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be alright, alright

]

This motivating sentiment was expressed through simple lyrics woven into an uncomplicated melody, bursting forth in the most passionate manner, filling Hugo's heart to the brim.

But what should this song be named? Hugo originally thought of "The Beginning", but upon careful consideration, he realized that he was already twenty-five years old. Whether it was his previous self or his current self, they were already on the journey. So Hugo ultimately decided to name it "The Middle". Although some words might not convey the intended meaning, the overall artistic conception was sufficient.

Indeed, life is the source of creative inspiration. After his journey, although Hugo couldn't claim to have a burst of inspiration, his understanding of music deepened step by step as he accumulated more experiences. Now, when he engaged in music composition, Hugo felt that every note was dancing in his mind, arranging itself into a melody according to his thoughts, and he could effortlessly hum along. The feeling of merging emotions into music was unbelievably beautiful.

However, Hugo's thoughts were interrupted by rolling potatoes on the ground. He had planned to further perfect the melody, but the sight of the stumbling potatoes forced him to divert his attention. He didn't want to step on a potato and fall during the uphill climb—it would be disastrous.

After picking up the potato that fell at his feet, Hugo looked around and noticed several more potatoes scattered on both sides of the road. Some had already come to a stop, while others continued rolling down. Within his line of sight, he could see at least seven or eight potatoes.

Curious about what was happening, Hugo looked up the hillside to investigate but didn't spot anyone. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to pick up as many potatoes as possible and placed them in his paper bag. He continued walking uphill, collecting more than a dozen potatoes along the way.

Halfway up, as he turned a corner, Hugo finally saw the situation ahead. The bend in the road had intercepted most of the rolling potatoes. One potato seemed as if it was about to slip away, and not far from there, an elderly man with white hair sat on a stone stool by the roadside. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief while holding a torn paper bag.

The situation was simple: the old man's paper bag had torn, causing the potatoes to scatter. However, climbing uphill was already challenging for the old man, so chasing after the potatoes was not an easy task.

Hugo's arrival immediately caught the attention of the old man. He paused his wiping motion, let out a deep sigh, averted his gaze, and pretended to look elsewhere. Simultaneously, he crumpled the torn paper bag into a ball and tossed it aside, as if the scattered potatoes were none of his concern.

Watching the old man's stubborn behavior, Hugo couldn't help but force a bitter smile. However, he didn't say much. He simply bent down, picked up all the potatoes, and put them in his own paper bag. But Hugo's bag was already filled with many other things, so the potatoes quickly filled it up, leaving half of the potatoes still uncollected on the ground.

The old man in front of him lived downstairs from Hugo and was named Ernest Lehman. Hugo didn't know his exact age, but he was at least seventy or older. With white hair and a relatively strong physique, although not as vigorous as when he was young. Ernest was a grumpy old man. On the second day after Hugo moved in, he received a scolding from Ernest. It happened when Joseph and Alex stood at the entrance, blocking the hallway with the furniture they had bought from the second-hand furniture market. It was evident that the old man had a firm and stern way of doing things.

Although Hugo had no direct interaction with Ernest during the filming of "A Few Good Men", after the movie wrapped up, he was also scolded by Ernest directly. It was because he casually threw some trash into the bin without aiming correctly, causing it to miss and fall outside. Before Hugo could walk over and pick up the trash to put it back in the bin, Ernest, who had just finished disposing of his trash, scolded him for not throwing the trash accurately, saying, "When you throw garbage, you can't just toss it; you should stand beside and put it in accurately..." At that time, Hugo was "playing tricks" about five steps away from the bin.

Hugo had quite a few encounters with Ernest. Living in the same building, it was easy to create noise, and Hugo and his friends had been scolded several times by Ernest. However, each time, they were in the wrong, and Ernest wasn't simply being unreasonable. They could only humbly accept his teachings. But for Alex and the others, the old man's nagging and scolding were unbearable.

Hugo didn't mind too much because, during his most rebellious period, he never listened to his parents' nagging. Now that there was an elderly person willing to nag about some things, Hugo didn't exactly enjoy it, but he was willing to listen and calm his mind.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Hugo placed his bag on the roadside and leaned it against something. He then walked up to Ernest, picked up the nearby bag, and instantly caught the old man's attention. Ernest angrily asked, "What do you want to do?"

Hugo held the paper bag in his palm innocently and said, "You can't just 'carelessly' throw garbage." With just one sentence, Ernest was left speechless, his sharp eyes piercing directly into Hugo's heart through his glasses. If someone with a slightly weaker presence were in Hugo's place, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand it. However, Hugo had long been accustomed to this.

"This isn't yours, is it?" Hugo calmly spread out the paper bag again, meticulously arranging it. Ernest didn't know how to respond. If he said "yes," it would mean he had 'carelessly' thrown the garbage. But if he said "no," it wouldn't be convincing either. So he could only grunt and remain silent.

Hugo smiled, pursed his lips, and folded one-third of the bottom of the torn paper bag. Then he folded it two more times to seal the bottom. Afterward, he walked over to the remaining potatoes and tried to put them all into the bag. However, due to the reduced space from the folded bag, three potatoes didn't fit. Hugo thought for a moment and simply stuffed those potatoes into his own pants pocket, making his jeans pocket bulge and look quite comical.

Hugo picked up the two paper bags again, but holding two bags at the same time wasn't easy, especially when one had to worry about the bottom tearing again. So Hugo looked at Ernst, who was resting nearby, and asked, "Sorry, can you help me?"

The way he spoke made it seem like all the potatoes belonged to Hugo. Hugo accidentally made a mess and now sought help.

Ernest glared at Hugo, but he didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a while, he took a deep breath, stood up while supporting his knees, and stuffed the handkerchief into his own pocket. Hugo knew that it was a signal that he was willing to help, so he quickly handed the torn bag to Ernst. Though the bag was somewhat dangerous, it contained fewer items and was relatively light.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much you've helped." Hugo truly acted like a host, expressing his gratitude, which caused Ernest's eye corner to twitch violently.

Hugo regained his focus, holding his own bag again, and continued walking forward. However, Hugo's pace wasn't fast; he deliberately slowed down, as if he was taking a leisurely stroll and enjoying the scenery, allowing Ernest to keep up. But after only a few steps, Ernest's harsh voice came from behind, "Fool, you're going the wrong way."

Um...