I5land7

Author: Guo Jingming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: For example, my original home was on the first floor, with a small courtyard. Under the renovation by Father King, the courtyard was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, and even a rather deep fish pond where mosquitoes thrived. Father King had raised many koi in the pond. When he bought them, they were just tiny fish, and he had raised them for seven or eight years. These red and white carp had become quite refined, each over a foot long, hiding at the bottom of the pond and rarely appearing. Even without feeding, they wouldn’t easily die. Before Father King accompanied me in studying and moving homes, he had released many of the fish into the moat. However, a few remained, likely killed by something thrown by the neighbors above, which made Father King very heartbroken. But these were all side stories. Let’s get back to the main point.
Back then, the fish were still small. The neighbors had a tabby cat, which often visited my home, pawing at the fish pond to steal fish. One day, Father King caught the cat in the act, but the cat was so agile that it was hard to catch. However, Father King wouldn’t let this culprit go so easily. He first carefully observed the cat’s route for a few days and noticed it always followed a specific path. So, Father King set up a homemade nail board (a board covered with nails) on the cat’s. But unexpectedly, the cat discovered this strange board and took a detour, trying to steal fish again. Unfortunately, Father King was too skilled, and as the cat attempted to steal fish, he roared at it. The cat, terrified, fled in a panic and, in its haste, retraced its old path and stepped on the nail board, falling into the fish pond. Father King then cruelly tormented the cat a few more times. In sheer fear, the cat actually struggled ashore and fled at lightning speed, never appearing again. (Poor little cat, probably got psychological trauma.)
There’s also something I must mention: when I was a child, I was very careless and often forgot to lock the door when going out (luckily, back then the neighborhood was safe). One time, I forgot to lock the door again and went out. When I returned home, Father King told me that someone had left with a large sack. Upon returning home, he found that the house had been robbed. My favorite teddy bear and the dog-shaped bank where I kept my savings for years were stolen. I believed him and was devastated (I was in elementary school at the time, an innocent child—how could a thief steal a teddy bear?). Many years later (around high school, I had long forgotten about this), I found my teddy bear and dog-shaped bank TT in a cabinet. I had been deceived for so many years!
Father King was a very strict person. When I made mistakes as a child, I often received corporal punishment (a brutal beating > <;). Now, Father King isn’t as me as he used to, and I don’t spend much time with him either. Most of the time, he just chatters endlessly with me because I still often disappoint him. But I’m still afraid—I’m afraid of seeing his disappointed expression. (Father King roars: If you’re afraid, why didn’t you run for your life?) So, I’ll keep trying to be a "good child" for the world’s scary yet adorable Father King. (Keep running for your life, Mu Liang!)