Guixu (Return to the Ruins)

Dim light, like a drop of thick ink, slowly dripped onto the museum's cold marble floor. The silence around was terrifying, only the bronze li with animal mask design in the glass display case stood silently, telling the secrets of thousands of years without a sound.

It was covered with verdigris, a trace of time and a mark of fate. It was once a ritual vessel for sacrifice, witnessing the glory of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and also witnessing the decline of the dynasty. Its robust shape and ferocious patterns are full of ancient mystery and solemnity. However, at this moment, in this foreign museum, it looks so lonely, like an abandoned child, waiting for the return date in the endless darkness.

At the end of the nineteenth century, wars raged, and the iron hooves of the great powers shattered the dignity of the ancient empire. It, along with countless treasures, was looted, trafficked, and drifted across the ocean, beginning a long exile.

It was once placed in the study of a collector and became a tool for him to show off his wealth. The collector stroked its cold body, marveling at its exquisite craftsmanship, but could not understand the heavy history it carried. He measured its value with money, but did not know that its true value lies in the culture and memory behind it.

Later, it was resold and ended up in an antique shop. In the dim light, it was crowded with various antiques, like a group of homeless souls, waiting for an unknown fate. It heard countless bargains and saw countless greedy eyes, but it could never find someone who truly understood it.

Later, it was bought by a historian and housed in this museum. The historian conducted in-depth research on it, trying to interpret every symbol and every pattern on it. From it, he saw the rise and fall of an ancient civilization, and saw the suffering and glory of a nation. However, he could never fully understand it, because between him and it, there were thousands of years of time and a cultural gap.

Time flies, and years change. It quietly watches the changes of the world and the people coming and going. It has witnessed wars and peace, prosperity and decline. It has seen the greed and kindness of human nature, and the impermanence and cruelty of fate. It is like a silent observer, watching the absurdity and hustle and bustle of the world.

It also longed for return, longed to return to the familiar land, to the civilization that nurtured it. In its dreams, it returned to its hometown countless times, heard the familiar local accent, and saw the familiar faces. However, when it woke up from the dream, it was still in a foreign country, isolated in another world by the cold glass.

Finally, after a century of wandering, it waited for the day to return home.

When it set foot on its homeland again, it felt the familiar atmosphere and heard the long-lost call. It is no longer a cold cultural relic, but a returning traveler, a soul carrying history and memory.

It was placed in the most prominent position of the National Museum, receiving people's admiration and respect. Every scratch and every piece of verdigris on it has become a testimony to history and a pride of the nation.

However, it remained silent. It knows that those lost years and lost memories can never be fully compensated. It also knows that in the long river of history, the fate of individuals is so small and impermanent.

It is like an old man who has experienced vicissitudes, sitting quietly there, watching the joys and sorrows of the world, watching the wheel of history rolling forward. It no longer desires anything, nor does it fear anything. It just exists quietly, becoming a part of eternity. It is Guixu, and also a new life.