Personal Essay All-in-One Guide - (Essential Edition)

Author: Chen Jiangong, Tan Tan, Bi Shumin, Gao Hongbo, Chen Shixu, etc. / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Time, time. I stand by the little river of time, fishing, hoping to reel in my carefree childhood. I search in the faint water shadows, but only see the ripples of water, with only my pale shadow jumping. How I wish time could flow backward, back to my colorful childhood. I gaze at the water's surface, remembering the past, as if time were flowing backward. I see myself—wearing a floral dress, with pigtails, two timid eyes, and a backdrop of faded yellow. Oh, that's a photo of me beside Grandma. But I wasn't as shy as in the photo back then; in fact, I was quite mischievous. Under the scorching sun, I glued cicadas with the village children, scooped small fish from the river, and made several reed flutes, competing to see who could blow the loudest. I blew for ages without getting a sound, my face flushed red. Back then, Dad was in Beijing, and Mom worked at the small-town hospital, leaving me with Grandma in the countryside. Grandma spoiled me, and I loved her very much. On winter nights, Grandma would hold me in her arms to sleep; her arms were so wide and warm. On summer evenings, the heat made it hard for me to sleep, so Grandma would fan me with a large gauze fan, gently patting me, and I would drift off into a dream of coolness and love. All these things feel like yesterday's events—maybe time is still flowing backward. Is that Grandma's one-wheeled cart? It was my childhood ride and also recorded my childhood. Back then, Mom worked at the small-town hospital. Whenever I missed her, Grandma would push the one-wheeled cart, tying a belt around her waist and also around mine. Like that, with the "creak-creak" sound of the wooden wheels, we would head toward the small town, which was quite a long way. At first, I would pull Grandma's clothes, asking this and that, asking her to pick some dog-tail grass to make a little dog. Gradually, I would fall asleep under Grandma's kind gaze and the "creak-creak" of the wooden wheels. When I woke up, the cart had often already reached the beautiful cobblestone street of the small town. I would then excitedly call out, showing Grandma the tiles on the roofs. Grandma would often buy me a few candies or two sweet red bean buns, but she never ate any herself. I gazed at the water, and suddenly, the river had taken on a thin layer of golden light—it must be the afterglow of the sunset. It seems time can never flow backward after all; I still have to live in the present. Even if my childhood is gone, no matter when or how time flows, Grandma's love will always accompany me as I grow up. P2-3