Thanks to My FamilyMr Zhong Nanshan’s message

Father, you had ever said if a man couldn’t leave
something worthy behind he would be said to have lived in vain. Now over
eighty, I gradually get to see the meaning of your words. I have preliminarily
realized your wishes by now but I’m not satisfied yet. I have two more tasks to accomplish according
to schedule. I daren’t say I have reached the goal you set for me before completing
them. My grandchildren, you must well remember our
fine family traditions. First, devote all efforts to an honorable pursuit;
second, be meticulous and precise in your work.

My fingers are
numb with cold in the frosty weather and fail to make the broken belt tied
together. At daybreak as I pass by Mount Li the emperor is at the top of it
taking shelter from the cold and enjoying himself in the hot spring.

霜嚴衣帶斷，指直不得結。

凌晨過驪山，御榻在嵽嵲。

The thick mist in
the cold air makes the mountain path feel slippery. A large number of imperial
guards are stationed at the Jasper Lake with steaming hot spring.

蚩尤塞寒空，蹴蹋崖谷滑。

瑶池氣鬱律，羽林相摩戛。

A true healthy person has a sound mind and
body. Most people only pay attention to their physical health but overlook the mental
health. They try to strengthen their bodies by taking different exercises and eating
various nutritious foods. But few of them can keep fit because they often
suffer from suspense, depression and anxiety. I think we can find a good answer
from the nature and the animal world. The Buddhists have benefitted a lot from
natural laws. We see the wild animals live simply and well, quite different
from the complicated human world. We can also draw some inspiration from the
way of life taken by the long‐lived people in the remote areas.

It’s high time to install the gauze door again for
keeping the flies out.

Hearing tomorrow is rainy, I bought some
eggplant sprouts this morning when going to purchase tofu.

Now I can make steamed bread successfully. I
don’t bake pancakes any more.

The Historical Records written by Sima Qian
on the Shang Dynasty had ever been thought as legends before they were verified
by the inscriptions on the unearthed relics of that dynasty at Yin Ruins by the
end of the nineteenth century. This historical classic is mostly based on facts.
We cannot deny that a small proportion of legends may be inserted in it.

Some of the garbage cans along the road I pass have been changed for new ones. They are quite different from the old ones. The new is longer but lower, a storage tank in miniature. It is enclosed with lids that can be closed and opened freely. Most of its exterior is white and blue close to the bottom. The old is blue and cuboid with its top left open. Several days ago two concrete bases were built just outside the southwest corner of the slaughterhouse near our bungalow. Today two new dustbins were placed on them, and each with four wheels at the bottom. I wonder if they can be emptied by the forklift as before.

I’m reading George Eliot’s works The Mill on the Floss & Adam Bede with great interest. The former at school and the latter at home. I have long finished her Middlemarch to which I first listened in complete puzzlement on the radio many years ago. And last year I read it on the Net. It is The Mill on the Floss that moves me most among the three works above-mentioned. I couldn’t keep back my tears twice during my reading. When Mr Tulliver gets irritated by quarreling with Mrs G, one of his wife’s sisters, he’s also displeased with his sister’s husband and rushes to claim the money lent to them for repaying Mrs G. But he regrets deeply soon after pressing the poor couple and cancels the claim for he hates to see Tom hard on Maggie in the future as he does towards his sister. The second time I shed tears was today when I read the family council after Mr Tulliver goes bankrupt. The tragic atmosphere is extremely moving.

The forecast thunder showers came late in the morning. I had to suspend my transportation of the corn stalks today. There is still a trike load of stems left at school for me to carry back. Yesterday I had covered the heap of the bundles with a piece of plastic.
Our principal takes the drunkard Mr B and me good for nothing. He made Mr W ask us if we’d like to leave our posts with our salaries cut ¥1,500 a month each. B first agreed then disagreed. If mother were to be confined to bed, I would take the step.

Falsifications are usually encouraged and awarded.
Honesty, however, is left out in the cold.

弄巧每顯靈，守拙獨伶俜。

Both the sun and the moon go into hiding. Across
the sky, the stars are shining instead.

日月皆隱耀，燦爛唯群星。

At the Mid–autumn Festival, the moon cakes are mostly bought as
gifts presented to others close to the purchasers. Usually coarse food can be seen
on the dining table in an ordinary family.

中秋糕點貢城闕，平素粗食餐敝廬。

Almost all the presents are a little
unsatisfactory, but they show a good will of the donors and are better than nothing.

禮品向来差人意，但表寸心勝却無。

Yesterday we were informed on the WeChat to start working tomorrow as expected. This morning Mr N, our vice-principal, phoned me for the same matter in case of my ignorance. Reviewing the summer vacation that has come to an end today, I often occupied myself with house chores. It was hard to carry out my study plans while waiting on son and satisfying mother by fulfilling the tasks she assigned me. In the almost unprecedented heatwave, I couldn’t raise my spirits for study. In her unoccupied moments, mother would be in a bad mood. She would release her anger like erupting volcanoes time after time.