A letter to my daughter

Author: Zhang Lin

my daughter:

It's 21:30pm Beijing time. At this time, if you are studying in a foreign country, you should be in school. Today, my mother wrote this letter to you because she was sitting on the sofa and suddenly remembered the incident we met when we went for a walk on the street together after you came back from this holiday. She couldn't be quiet, so she wanted to share my feelings with you. Although that event has passed for several months, the scene of that night is still vivid in my mind, which links up similar events in the past years. They are like soft, warm and bright beads, making a scene of their own.

That evening we went for a walk on Yongchang Road. This road is very popular. It has always been full of fireworks and the taste of the world.

"Mom, look, that old woman -" You shook my arm and pointed to the place where there were various stalls on the sidewalk in front.

I followed the direction you pointed to, and saw an old grandma. She was very thin and silver haired. She was sitting beside a small shop. An old cloth sheet was spread on the ground in front of her. There were lots of very small dishes on it. There is also an old bag standing beside it, which looks like half a bag.

You took me, walked quickly to the old woman, squatted down and asked her, "Grandma, what kind of food is this?"

"This is lettuce!" replied the old woman with a smile. Her smile was warm, kind and simple like a child.

"How can you sell the lettuce, granny?" you asked.

"Two for one yuan."

"Mom, let's buy some," you said. I know you don't like to eat lettuce at all.

Those small oatmeal dishes are so small that people are distressed. I've never seen such small oatmeal before, and I can't bear to eat it. While picking up handfuls of lettuce, we chatted with grandma and learned that her home was in the West Orchard and she came to Lanzhou by bus to sell vegetables.

We loaded a lot of lettuce. You suddenly got silly and told me that you had no cash. Yes, I can see at a glance that this granny must only use cash and can't pay via WeChat.

Fortunately, there was a little cash in my bag. I took out a 50 yuan note and gave it to my grandma. The old granny found all her money in her pocket and asked for my change. We said no change, these dishes are worth this price! Then he brought up the dishes, said goodbye to the old lady, and continued to walk. The old granny came up from behind and wanted to give us some change anyway. When we insisted, she went back to open the bag beside her and took out some root vegetables that could be used for pickling. Let's take all these vegetables with us. We had to take some small ones from them and leave quickly.

Not far away from home, you start to talk about how poor the old woman is. What should she do at night? She came from the West Orchard. Just now she said that she would sit on the street for one night.

"Mom, I want to take her to our house to sleep one night." You said.

Hearing this, my mother was surprised and happy, and immediately hugged you. So we went back and told the grandmother what we meant. The grandmother smiled and said thank you again and again, but she was determined not to go home to sleep with us. She said that it was good for her to sit here. The street was bright. She would go back to the West Orchard after selling these vegetables tomorrow.

We had to leave. You say, Mom, we won't force the old lady to live in our house. Sitting on the street is not good for rest, but the old lady will feel more comfortable when she stays alone. She will be nervous and at a loss when she sleeps in a stranger's home.

Mom thinks you're right.

"Mom, let's go and buy something for Grandma to eat now!" you said.

I said let's buy some fruit for grandma. But you said that in such a cold day, the old woman was old again, and it was very cold to eat fruit. Let's go and buy something hot.

According to your opinion, we bought two cups of fermented glutinous rice with milk and eggs, several steamed stuffed buns and a side dish at a nearby store, and gave them to the old granny. "You just think I'm your granddaughter," you said to the grandma. The granny refused and had to accept the food. She looked so upset and grateful. Instead of eating by herself, she shared half of the food with a sanitation worker nearby

My daughter, you are so kind-hearted. As a mother, I am far less kind-hearted and considerate than you. You can think of buying more food from the grandma, taking the grandma who has nowhere to go to her home for a night, and buying hot food for the grandma instead of fruit. And this old woman is not kind. Maybe her life is hard, but she is unwilling to accept more money than the price of vegetables; When we gave her food, she was uneasy about eating alone, and asked a hard working sanitation worker to eat with her

My daughter, in fact, this situation is far more than once for you, and each time will deeply shake my heart, and make me feel comforted and proud. You were such a soft hearted and kind girl when you were young. When you were still in primary school, we saw an old man selling insoles on the street. She was alone guarding the small stall on the ground. You are very sad and can't bear it. You run home to get New Year's money and buy several pairs of old people's insoles at one time. A few days later, I saw a pile of insoles on the cabinet in your small room. You told me that every afternoon after school, you would go around to the old man's small stall and buy several pairs of insoles.

"In this way, she can buy vegetables and cook, and she can also buy stalls and go home early." You said.

Whenever this happens, my mother will feel ashamed in front of you. But you always comfort me, Mom, why do you feel embarrassed and guilty? My mother is also very kind. Because my mother is kind, I am influenced by her.

But, my daughter, although my mother has some kind of kindness, I am really far from you!

I'm ashamed not only in front of you, daughter.

I have a writer friend who is a poverty alleviation cadre. Her articles are not well written, and the contributions to me are basically not up to the level that can be published. But she walked on the rugged and dangerous mountain road, went to the village to enter the house, held the hand of those poor families, asked questions, and helped them to do farm work together. I can't drink a mouthful of water when I'm busy. Eating a cold steamed bun is a meal. A few years ago, she told her acquaintances and friends that if she had the ability, she could donate some clothes and bookcases to people in her village. Mom also sent a lot of clothes by express. Those clothes are half new and never worn. The author's friend expressed her deep gratitude to me after receiving it, and she distributed these clothes to the suitable people.

But later I learned that some of her friends bought new clothes and daily necessities and donated them to her. The author friend also often buys new clothes and school supplies for children from families with difficulties. I just took out my old clothes

How ashamed I am when I know these things. I think, this author friend, what does it matter whether her article is good or not? She has a heart like gold, which is much more precious than being able to write a good article.

Speaking of this, my mother thought of a poverty alleviation cadre who was awarded the title of "National Poverty Alleviation Model" by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. Since you are far away from home, have you noticed such a name - Zhang Xiaojuan, a Tibetan girl who was admitted to the Central University for Nationalities from Quwa Township, Zhouqu County, Gansu Province, and found a very good job in Beijing after graduation. After the Zhouqu earthquake, she was especially worried about her hometown and called back again and again to ask about the situation. Before long, she quit her job in Beijing and returned to work in her hometown with the good wish of serving Sangzi. Over the years, from township cadres to poverty alleviation cadres, she has been running for the mountain people to get rid of poverty and become rich, sending policies to farmers, planning industrial development, helping rebuild dilapidated houses, coordinating medical treatment and school attendance, and treating the people as relatives. Every time she goes to the countryside, she will buy nutriments and school supplies, send them to the registered poor households, and help some elderly people living in poverty to pay medical insurance premiums... So every time she comes back from the countryside, her wallet is almost empty. At least two thirds of the time in a year, Zhang Xiaojuan was either at the home of poor households or on the way to the home of poor households. She led the backbone of poverty alleviation to enter the village and households, held a mass meeting with township cadres to discuss the development plan of deep poverty villages, and put forward many development opinions and suggestions. She is known as the "mobile database" and "living dictionary" of Zhouqu Poverty Alleviation. Local people called her "the good daughter of Zhouqu people".

Zhang Xiaojuan's kindness has been a kind of great kindness in a higher sense of dedication to the people and admiration. She is the backbone of our times and society.

When mother thought of this, she was not only filled with emotion, but also kind-hearted. It is your daughter's kindness, her author friend, Zhang Xiaojuan and a large number of outstanding poverty alleviation cadres, as well as the kindness and dedication of thousands of people working in all walks of life, that have become the light of our life.

My daughter, my mother is moved and proud of your kindness. She is also sincerely willing to approach you and learn from those who pay their own kindness and love, so as to make her realm of kindness become higher and higher, and the pattern become larger and larger.

Mom thought that when you study in a foreign country, you must have spread your goodwill in your student career, so that students from different countries can see and feel the goodness and beauty of a Chinese student studying abroad from you.

Well, that's all for today's letter. I hope my mother can read your new story in your reply.

Love your mother

April 28, 2021

(Recommended by: Gansu Daily)