My Old Father

01: Now, with the seven-day national holiday ending today, the tradition of returning home during the holiday is still followed. It's particularly precious to return home now, as the parents are still healthy and able to work in the fields. Enjoying Mom's daily meals is a treasured experience, a time without the constraints of time. I’m acutely aware that this time is limited, and there will come a day when I’ll need to care for my parents, spending time with them around their beds, offering warmth and comfort. My son, however, seems oblivious to this, viewing everything as a natural given, without considering the future. My current state of mind reflects the symbolism of aging.

02: Dad’s figure seems thinner, his back slightly stooped. He rarely speaks, and when we return home, he always says, “We’re home!” In my perception, Dad is rarely prioritized. He is a very honest man and is often ostracized in the village. When he was unhappy, he would sometimes use things from home to express his anger. At home, he was also frequently criticized. In my memory, Grandpa always criticized him, and my mother would often nag at Dad about this or that. So, from a young age, Dad wasn’t seen as a prominent figure in my eyes. He worked from dawn till dusk, and often carried soil on his body.

However, I remember the summer of 1984, at the full-village labor commendation meeting, Dad was even commended! Because our cotton was grown so well, the prize was an old-style electric kettle with the word “Award” prominently displayed on it. In that era of scarce resources, an electric kettle was a very valuable item! It’s a pity that this electric kettle was later accidentally broken by my younger sister, and on that day, the adults were not at home. I knelt on the ground, picking up piece by piece the broken remains of the electric kettle as my younger sister wept. Seeing her tears, I picked up the fragments of the broken electric kettle and threw them away. It was a contradictory feeling: Dad was often looked down upon, yet he still won the commendation among so many households in the village. Could it be that the ordinary and eloquent people in the village couldn’t compare to Dad?

As I grew older, I had less time at home. When I attended vocational school, Dad occasionally wrote me letters, and I found that his handwriting was quite distinctive. As a high school student in that era, he was considered one of the more cultured people in the village. Although Dad was usually taciturn, he wrote to me in his letters, encouraging me to study diligently and develop genuine skills.

When I had children, I would visit Dad again, and I began to understand him more. Dad was one of the oldest generation in our family, and he was often scolded by adults since childhood, which formed his habit of enduring hardship and being unwilling to speak. However, he loved to read, and the four major classical novels were purchased by him piece by piece. Moreover, he particularly loved Peking Opera, and he most enjoyed watching the Central 11th Channel’s Peking Opera broadcast. During the idle times, he would read books by holding them in his hands for a whole day, sometimes he would hum a few tunes spontaneously. However, his fondness for reading was sometimes ridiculed by many people in the village, calling him a ‘bookworm.’ Perhaps it was because Dad loved to read that he was often angered, and he became even more stubborn and unwilling to speak.

Now, Dad occupies an increasingly important place in my heart. As I grew older, I had more understanding of Dad. Dad is a very hardworking man, and he has never stopped working throughout his life. With his broad shoulders, he carried the responsibility of the family. He firmly believed that as long as you work diligently, you will have food to eat! Although my childhood was not wealthy, I was never hungry because of Dad and Mom’s support. There was love for me, and my childhood was not lacking. During my studies, Dad never stopped writing me letters, telling me to study diligently. I wondered, how did I manage to complete my studies from a vocational school student to a doctoral candidate—this is something I’ve been trying to figure out. That must be Dad’s constant encouragement that helped me through.

When I had children, I noticed Dad talking to my son and explaining things to him. When my son was very young, he was often annoyed when Dad spoke to him. But now that my son is in junior high school, I’ve noticed that he’s increasingly willing to spend time with Dad, listening to Dad’s life lessons. Every time Dad talked to my son, he was filled with joy and even danced excitedly at some points. I asked my son, “How do you feel about chatting with Grandpa?” My son said, “It’s very good. I realized that Grandpa understands many things.” I was very pleased that my son was gradually patient with the elderly, and had a compassionate understanding of them. Once during the National Day holiday, Dad and my son went to the field to dig peanuts. On that slope, if you don't pay attention to your feet, you will fall into the ditch. My son and I focused our attention, and we were digging peanuts in the hot sun. The peanut pods were very hard, and one careless move could puncture our fingers. It was a clear pain. But in that moment, I seemed to understand Dad! A farmer who relied on the land to earn a living, the land was the most precious thing to him. Letting him leave the land and not work the seasons would make him feel incomplete. Once, when he was eating, he said, “Anything grown on the land is a gift to us. We need to cherish it!” At that moment, I understood why Dad was often seen as a fool, yet he was the model for cotton planting in the village. I realized that he deeply rooted his beliefs in the land. It was because of this that he never took shortcuts in whatever season, whether it was drought or flood, when other people’s harvests were poor, our family always had a good harvest.

Now, Dad occupies an increasingly important place in my heart. As I grew older, I had more understanding of Dad. Dad is a very hardworking man, and he has never stopped working throughout his life. With his broad shoulders, he carried the responsibility of the family. He firmly believed that as long as you work diligently, you will have food to eat! Although my childhood was not wealthy, I was never hungry because of Dad and Mom’s support. There was love for me, and my childhood was not lacking. During my studies, Dad never stopped writing me letters, telling me to study diligently. I wondered, how did I manage to complete my studies from a vocational school student to a doctoral candidate—this is something I’ve been trying to figure out. That must be Dad’s constant encouragement that helped me through.

When I had children, I noticed Dad talking to my son and explaining things to him. When my son was very young, he was often annoyed when Dad spoke to him. But now that my son is in junior high school, I’ve noticed that he’s increasingly willing to spend time with Dad, listening to Dad’s life lessons. Every time Dad talked to my son, he was filled with joy and even danced excitedly at some points. I asked my son, “How do you feel about chatting with Grandpa?” My son said, “It’s very good. I realized that Grandpa understands many things.” I was very pleased that my son was gradually patient with the elderly, and had a compassionate understanding of them. Once during the National Day holiday, Dad and my son went to the field to dig peanuts. On that slope, if you don’t pay attention to your feet, you will fall into the ditch. My son and I focused our attention, and we were digging peanuts in the hot sun. The peanut pods were very hard, and one careless move could puncture our fingers. It was a clear pain. But in that moment, I seemed to understand Dad! A farmer who relied on the land to earn a living, the land was the most precious thing to him. Letting him leave the land and not work the seasons would make him feel incomplete. Once, when he was eating, he said, “Anything grown on the land is a gift to us. We need to cherish it!” At that moment, I understood why Dad was often seen as a fool, yet he was the model for cotton planting in the village. I realized that he deeply rooted his beliefs in the land. It was because of this that he never took shortcuts in whatever season, whether it was drought or flood, when other people’s harvests were poor, our family always had a good harvest.

Now, Dad occupies an increasingly important place in my heart. As I grew older, I had more understanding of Dad. Dad is a very hardworking man, and he has never stopped working throughout his life. With his broad shoulders, he carried the responsibility of the family. He firmly believed that as long as you work diligently, you will have food to eat! Although my childhood was not wealthy, I was never hungry because of Dad and Mom’s support. There was love for me, and my childhood was not lacking. During my studies, Dad never stopped writing me letters, telling me to study diligently. I wondered, how did I manage to complete my studies from a vocational school student to a doctoral candidate—this is something I’ve been trying to figure out. That must be Dad’s constant encouragement that helped me through.

When I had children, I noticed Dad talking to my son and explaining things to him. When my son was very young, he was often annoyed when Dad spoke to him. But now that my son is in junior high school, I’ve noticed that he’s increasingly willing to spend time with Dad, listening to Dad’s life lessons. Every time Dad talked to my son, he was filled with joy and even danced excitedly at some points. I asked my son, “How do you feel about chatting with Grandpa?” My son said, “It’s very good. I realized that Grandpa understands many things.” I was very pleased that my son was gradually patient with the elderly, and had a compassionate understanding of them. Once during the National Day holiday, Dad and my son went to the field to dig peanuts. On that slope, if you don’t pay attention to your feet, you will fall into the ditch. My son and I focused our attention, and we were digging peanuts in the hot sun. The peanut pods were very hard, and one careless move could puncture our fingers. It was a clear pain. But in that moment, I seemed to understand Dad! A farmer who relied on the land to earn a living, the land was the most precious thing to him. Letting him leave the land and not work the seasons would make him feel incomplete. Once, when he was eating, he said, “Anything grown on the land is a gift to us. We need to cherish it!” At that moment, I understood why Dad was often seen as a fool, yet he was the model for cotton planting in the village. I realized that he deeply rooted his beliefs in the land. It was because of this that he never took shortcuts in whatever season, whether it was drought or flood, when other people’s harvests were poor, our family always had a good harvest.

Now, Dad occupies an increasingly important place in my heart. As I grew older, I had more understanding of Dad. Dad is a very hardworking man, and he has never stopped working throughout his life. With his broad shoulders, he carried the responsibility of the family. He firmly believed that as long as you work diligently, you will have food to eat! Although my childhood was not wealthy, I was never hungry because of Dad and Mom’s support. There was love for me, and my childhood was not lacking. During my studies, Dad never stopped writing me letters, telling me to study diligently. I wondered, how did I manage to complete my studies from a vocational school student to a doctoral candidate—this is something I’ve been trying to figure out. That must be Dad’s constant encouragement that helped me through.

When I had children, I noticed Dad talking to my son and explaining things to him. When my son was very young, he was often annoyed when Dad spoke to him. But now that my son is in junior high school, I’ve noticed that he’s increasingly willing to spend time with Dad, listening to Dad’s life lessons. Every time Dad talked to my son, he was filled with joy and even danced excitedly at some points. I asked my son, “How do you feel about chatting with Grandpa?” My son said, “It’s very good. I realized that Grandpa understands many things.” I was very pleased that my son was gradually patient with the elderly, and had a compassionate understanding of them. Once during the National Day holiday, Dad and my son went to the field to dig peanuts. On that slope, if you don’t pay attention to your feet, you will fall into the ditch. My son and I focused our attention, and we were digging peanuts in the hot sun. The peanut pods were very hard, and one careless move could puncture our fingers. It was a clear pain. But in that moment, I seemed to understand Dad! A farmer who relied on the land to earn a living, the land was the most precious thing to him. Letting him leave the land and not work the seasons would make him feel incomplete. Once, when he was eating, he said, “Anything grown on the land is a gift to us. We need to cherish it!” At that moment, I understood why Dad was often seen as a fool, yet he was the model for cotton planting in the village. I realized that he deeply rooted his beliefs in the land. It was because of this that he never took shortcuts in whatever season, whether it was drought or flood, when other people’s harvests were poor, our family always had a good harvest.

Now, Dad occupies an increasingly important place in my heart. As I grew older, I had more understanding of Dad. Dad is a very hardworking man, and he has never stopped working throughout his life. With his broad shoulders, he carried the responsibility of the family. He firmly believed that as long as you work diligently, you will have food to eat! Although my childhood was not wealthy, I was never hungry because of Dad and Mom’s support. There was love for me, and my childhood was not lacking. During my studies, Dad never stopped writing me letters, telling me to study diligently. I wondered, how did I manage to complete my studies from a vocational school student to a doctoral candidate—this is something I’ve been trying to figure out. That must be Dad’s constant encouragement that helped me through.

Now, Dad occupies an increasingly important place in my heart. As I grew older, I had more understanding of Dad. Dad is a very hardworking man, and he has never stopped working throughout his life. With his broad shoulders, he carried the responsibility of the family. He firmly believed that as long as you work diligently, you will have food to eat! Although my childhood was not wealthy, I was never hungry because of Dad and Mom’s support. There was love for me, and my childhood was not lacking. During my studies, Dad never stopped writing me letters, telling me to study diligently. I wondered, how did I manage to complete my studies from a vocational school student to a doctoral candidate—this is something I’ve been trying to figure out. That must be Dad’s constant encouragement that helped me through.