Nowadays some people raise money by degrading themselves. They seem to value cash above their dignity. It is unimpeachable to receive some gift of money at wedding or funeral. It is annoying to invite people to a charged dinner in the name of celebrating a birthday or moving into a new residence or entering a higher school. The host may justify himself declaring that he should reclaim the money he has given. I have presented cash gift for many times since I transferred to this school. I have no intention to have it returned. I won’t beg money from colleagues by the shameful way used currently.

The poplar leaves have long turned yellow and begun to fall along the road to and from school. The rain last night brought down more leaves to the roadsides. Now only a small proportion of leaves cling to the twigs overhead. But soon the chilly wind and frost will detach them from the tree heads. Subsequently the trees are to be bare of leaves. On such a wet day in my sight were withered grass and fallen leaves. Once aged and weakened after the autumn of life, a man is not far from his grave as the grass and leaves will be buried by snow and rot quickly.

The parents share the luck the family destined
to have with their children. If the seniors are less fortunate , their juniors might
deserve a better fate.

福祉降兮親子享，長無臭兮幼芬芳。

I prefer to be stuck in the mire all my life
in exchange for son’s free soaring.

吾寜永生陷泥沼，易得苗裔恣翱翔。

Today is the 16th solar term, the Autumn Equinox. Just like the Spring Equinox, the daytime equals the nighttime in length on this occasion when the sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 180°. And the sunlight shines vertically on the equator. Then the sunlight comes straight down to the south of the equator. Gradually on the northern hemisphere the daytime gets shorter and nighttime becomes longer. And the daily temperature will decline with time. As the old saying goes, it gets colder after each autumn rain. The Autumn Equinox divides the autumn into two halves. According to the farmer’s proverb in North China, it is time to sow the winter wheat in the region.

On wet days I usually make my way through the
vehicle flow in the main street to and from work. But in the dry weather as recently,
I take the dirt path across the fields west of our house.

雨幕通衢車流中，天高氣燥陌上行。

I would rather seclude myself than get along
with the rank and file.

未肯與世共俯仰，索居獨處逺塵聲。

Today learnt another frame-up in the TV program called Observation of Morality. The rescuer of a collapsed driver should have been falsely accused of causing the trouble and sentenced to pay the plaintiff ¥200,000 odd. This case reminded me of one of Aesop’s Fables, A Farmer and A Snake. I have been aware that from time to time some kind people have got into trouble for offering help. The public have taken warning from such happenings. That was why no one gave a hand to the old fallen person who hysterically asked for help in a busy street in Shijiazhuang and announced loudly she would not blackmail anyone for a long time before a few teenage students came to her help.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing,
April 23: One never feels cold who has a dream! A cerebral palsy patient turns
a PhD candidate

新华社北京4月23日电 题：人生有梦不觉寒！从脑瘫患者到“博士研究生”A thesis of research findings is typed by a single finger and
published.

用一根手指，将研究成果敲成学术论文并发表……Born in Lanzhou,
Gansu and stricken with cerebral
palsy, Xie Yanting has finished all his collegiate courses as a full-time auditing
student thanks to his perseverance and diligence, joined the research group of
postgraduates and even begun his studies for a doctoral degree.

出生于甘肃兰州的谢炎廷患有脑瘫，但他凭借毅力刻苦学习，作为旁听生坚持在大学上完课程，又加入研究生课题组，甚至读到了“博士”。A female white-collar worker was cold-shouldered by
her date for her inability to cook and do housework. She vented her grievance,“Isn’t it satisfactory enough to be able to make
money?”

女白领不会做饭做家务被相亲男嫌弃，她委屈：会赚钱都不行？

The weather was not as wild and extreme as predicted. It had been drizzling almost all day long.
Mother said it was time for top application of chemical fertilizer to the cabbage plot. Yesterday evening I had told her the place where I had left the fertilizer. But earlier this morning when she was to do the topdressing before the rain, she failed to find it for she had forgot my words. Then she began complaining about it ceaselessly in the presence of me. Being annoyed, I went to apply the fertilizer regardless of the drizzling. Mother’s dissatisfaction was gone as I returned indoors after finishing the hard muddy work.

A shower was suddenly heard when it was
sunny outside. A black cloud was just hanging overhead.

驕陽西照起雨聲，一片烏雲正當空。Some bundles of corn stems and washed
clothes were being left to dry in the yard. I rushed out to remove them quickly
from the raindrops.

薪柴衣物曝於庭，東奔西突现救兵。It’s really against the teachers’ professional ethics
to seek temporary gain at the expense of principle.

謀利弄機巧，固背吾師道。Now my colleagues should have adopted
unfair means openly for the attainment of selfish aims and purposes. No wonder public
morals are declining day by day. 今則乃公然，世風亦可料。

Sunrise to Sunset in Gulf of Aden, a documentary reflecting the ten-year duty of the Chinese escort forces fighting the pirates infesting the seas close to Somalia.
If I hadn’t set the alarm clock at five thirty this morning, I would have overslept. The phone did render me a big help.
On my arrival at X school, I directly went to its underground dining hall for a free breakfast. The first time I’ve taken breakfast there.
We headed for the school and returned home all in the dark.
The invigilation all day long exhausted us. We were banned from sitting simultaneously on duty. One of us must be standing. Moreover, one at the front, the other at back.