Make you happy
"Children, Master has something to tell you today. Come here." Guan Honglin said solemnly after lunch one day.
The children gathered around his knees.
"Have you ever heard of 'burden reduction'?"
"Yes..." Several children tried hard to recall, but they didn't understand the meaning, but there was a vague syllable in their minds; the older children expressed their understanding intermittently, and then waited for the master's affirmation.
Guan Honglin nodded. "Rui Yi explained it very well. Now the Education Bureau wants to reduce the burden on you students. Less homework, fewer exams, fewer cram schools, less pressure, so you can freely develop your interests and hobbies."
Doubts rose from the audience, each one louder than the last. "How could that be? Our Hou Zicai just assigned a math test with four additional questions, and we have to write four pages of new curriculum. We'll review everything tomorrow!"
"Are you as good as us, Lao Jiangsi? Every day, write an 800-word essay, add six good sentences and eight good words, and translate a classical Chinese article yourself... Wait until you are taught by her and you will know how miserable it is."
"Lao Jiangsi only asked you to read but not copy. Our English teacher, Squidward..."
"Okay, okay! Don't say bad things about your teachers Hou, Jiang, and Zhang!" Guan Honglin was worried. He knew that the fun would end and sadness would come. The next words would be extremely cruel to the children who were immersed in a happy mood.
"So, we have to reduce the burden as well. Otherwise, the higher-ups will come and close down the library."
Everyone sat up straight when they heard the vague yet intimidating title of "Leader." This was their first exposure to the adult world. Whether good or bad, they all awaited their Master's next move.
"So, when you go out, don't tell anyone that you studied with Master, okay?"
Everyone below was silent.
"This is a serious matter. Master needs your cooperation!"
No one answered.
"Ruiyi, Jianxun, you older kids come and help. Take these books that everyone likes and divide them up." Guan Honglin was willing to give up his love. His love has always been more than just books.
Only when things had escalated to the point where they had to divide their luggage and disband did everyone realize the seriousness of the situation. Nine-year-old Wen Jiaming, the youngest, sobbed loudly at the top of his lungs; the others followed suit, crying, shouting, and wailing, afraid to miss the beat, the moment of peak sorrow.
Hot tears, howling, and a flushed face—these are the three elements of crying. Skillful crying can reward children with delicious snacks, expensive toys, and even a change of heart or a change of pace from their parents before leaving for work. It works time and again. Crying is like the thorny rose that only children can cultivate, prickly and fragile, earning the care and love of adults. Now, the choices they face are no longer rice or snacks, homework or toys, but the end of a road, the separation of paths, the precariousness of collapse—these are established, irreversible realities. The miasma of the adult world harms these delicate roses.
Guan Honglin also wiped his tears and sobbed, his bass voice supporting the children's shrill cries hanging in the air, asking him to take care of them one last time.
"Children, you have to step outside the book to see the golden house and beautiful wife."
…
Later, Guan Honglin contacted the children's parents, and the unanimous explanation was that the property had been sealed off. All the parents were united in their hatred and wanted to petition for justice, but Guan Honglin said that he and his father were old and could no longer support themselves, so they needed to take a break.
If justice isn't forthcoming, offering gifts of consolation and a token of gratitude is enough. Numerous parents came and went, bringing a dazzling array of gifts: rice, oil, milk, local specialties, clothes, shoes, and socks. Thank you to this father and son for their selfless love.
Guan Shiqian was deeply saddened by the love and admiration of his neighbors. However, he would not question the Party or the country's burden-reduction policies; he only directed his doubts deeply at himself.
Guan Honglin saw it all. One day, as soon as he entered the corridor, he couldn't help but shout, "Dad!"
He came back with a banner.
"Old man, this is a banner awarded to you by the Education Bureau. It recognizes your selfless and kind deeds! You see, the Xiangze City Education Bureau is honest and trustworthy!"
Guan Shiqian couldn't let go of the banner. Suddenly he pointed at the two names on it and asked, "Who are they?"
"This is your name, this is my name. I will do good things with my son. Remember that?"
"That's not right!" Guan Shiqian said anxiously, "You have to take a photo with the person when you present them a banner! Come on, am I late? Let's take a photo and don't make things difficult for them!"
Guan Honglin showed his phone, which contained a photo of him and a young man in a white shirt. "Young and promising leader, they said it's okay if you can't go today. The higher-ups will at least award you with two banners, and there will be plenty of opportunities for photos together."
In fact, the young and promising man was Guan Xueqing's boyfriend at the time, Zhao Jinnuo. He was not a leader at all, and the origin of the banner was not formal. It was completely a play performed by three people to comfort the old man.
The old man is no longer contradictory.
Not long after the house was sealed off, the children who lived in the same complex couldn't help but come to visit. They never imagined that when the house was sealed off, all traces of the people were also investigated, sealed, and destroyed. They went there several times but never saw the master and the master again.
Later, the children put their longings into writing, slipping letters under the door. The following year, Guan Honglin returned to the old house to pay respects to his ancestors. When he opened the door, he found nearly ten heavy letters tucked under the crack and carpet. He picked them up and read them one by one, tears tearing through the dry, brittle paper.
He shouldn't have cut off the children's last hope.
Also, after the banner expired, Guan Shiqian became increasingly withdrawn and taciturn in his new home, and the stubborn burden of his illness sank deeper and deeper into his heart.
The old man was a statue of a bodhisattva, moved from one shrine to another. Guan Shiqian finally returned to the old house.
A familiar environment helps stabilize the condition. Guan Honglin made three silk banners and hung them in the most conspicuous place in the living room.
Gradually, people knew that the family on the third floor had returned, and many children went to see them after school.
Sometimes Guan Honglin went out to buy groceries and had not returned home yet. Guan Shiqian heard the bell and went to answer the door. The child looked at him through the door and excitedly shouted "Hello, Master".
Who was that? Guan Shiqian struggled to recall. He remembered. "Chen, Zhang... hmm?" The children's faces flashed by, their identities hidden. His fingers were too slow to catch each one in his mind and ask. How was this any different from the whack-a-mole and hide-and-seek games the children loved to play with him? It was different, but now it was just a joke.
"Master!" The child waved in front of him and called out again.
The long-lost, tender call healed his frail body like a patch, feeling the warmth while also amplifying the discomfort. He cried uncontrollably, still locking the helpless child outside the door without opening it.
Later, the news that "the master is sick" spread to the ears of all the children, and it was as terrifying as the "seizure" at that time.
Children like Wen Ruiyi and Jian Xun, who were already sensible at their age, knew to keep the secret and try not to disturb others. However, the younger ones were less able to distinguish right from wrong, and rumors spread that the master was unconscious because of the shock he suffered from the closure of the bookstore.
The rumors among the children hadn't yet reached their parents' ears, so they continued to give gifts as usual. Sometimes, if they couldn't meet the Guans, they would simply leave them on the carpet outside. At first, Guan Honglin went door to door, thanking them several times and saying he really couldn't accept them, but they insisted on giving them, just like the two elders who had overcome all difficulties and doubts to open the bookstore. They were determined.
Guan Honglin was really helpless. He could only buy enough food for three to five days a day and then stayed at home for several days. If he really needed something, he would ask his daughter and son-in-law to deliver it.
Fortunately, Guan Xueqing and Zhao Jinnuo got married that same year, which helped the old man's condition improve. Guan Xueqing bought professional Ba Duan Jin equipment online and ordered courses from famous teachers, allowing the two elders to practice at home when they were free, so they could exercise without leaving home.
As time passes, the library will eventually become a paperweight of past memories. After all, three years have passed, the youngest child is about to graduate from elementary school, and the oldest child is already in college. The little people who once lived in the library have all left the library to challenge the wider world. Guan Honglin once said, "The golden house and beautiful woman in the book can only be seen by stepping outside the book."
Now, Guan Honglin wants to say, "Forget about us two stubborn old guys." Anyway, their biggest opponent is time. They have gained a lot of experience in fighting with time over the past few decades, so they don't want those kids to come and feel sorry for them.
Everyone thought this method was perfect. Three people who twisted the truth, a group of children who were deceived and indirectly led astray by the truth, and an old man who was deceived from beginning to end.
Unexpectedly, the mantis stalks the cicada. For thousands of years, the second half of the sentence may not be "the cicada escapes from its shell", "the cicada's cry confuses the enemy", or "find a good opportunity".
Guan Shiqian was playing along with them. He might have seen through more at first, but as time went on, he completely forgot everything. The only things that remained etched in his mind were the children's smiling faces. Oh, and remember, he still had to "pretend" in front of his son and granddaughter.
That year, five or six children came to visit, claiming they were there to share the good news about the college entrance exam results and to celebrate their teacher's birthday. Guan Honglin sullenly dismissed them and apologized to the children as soon as he left the house.
But Guan Shiqian only saw his son turning them away.
Since then, Guan Shiqian has learned to pretend in front of his son, pretending not to know the students. He is not too good at it, because he found that his son's ability to recognize people is not as good as his Alzheimer's disease.
However, since that incident, very few students have come to see him.
Time flows forward, day and night. This year's June 20th is the old man's 70th birthday.
…
After hearing this, the four of them burst into tears like hot wax breaking off a string and dripping into the jar of sunken wine, causing the whole place to boil.
Of course, Guan Xueqing saw through her grandfather's disguise.
The battle line now temporarily became a group of Guan Shiqian, Guan Xueqing, and Zhao Jinnuo, who carried Guan Honglin on their backs just to make their grandfather happy.
"My father and my grandfather were both right at the beginning. But now I just want to make my grandfather happy." Guan Xueqing clenched her fists and clenched them deeply and weakly in her palms.
"The doctor said his condition is worsening." She looked up and saw an old man decaying helplessly across the bright sunshine outside the window.
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