Synopsis
With a father by their side, children will never lose their way.
This story follows several rural migrant workers who make a living in different jobs. For the sake of their children’s education, they join the ranks of parents who accompany their children as they prepare for the college entrance exams. But the realities of life mean these men cannot devote themselves entirely to being stay-at-home fathers. The daily grind of family life, their children’s education, mortgage payments, and their parents’ health are all responsibilities a middle-aged man must shoulder. For their children and their families, these men become “part-time working, part-time stay-at-home fathers.” Whose life isn’t a mess? The protagonist Luo Sheng’s outlook on life comes from the character and nurturing of his mother, a teacher at a private elementary school. Though he faces the storms of adolescence in middle age, his sound character and broad perspective still set a high bar for his daughter, Luo Xin, in her studies. This stands in sharp contrast to the father of Luo Xin’s classmate, Wang Xin. For rural children, the college entrance exam represents a chance to change their fate and enter the city. For children from ordinary rural families to break out of their “walls,” knowledge must change their fate. It is difficult, but it is the reality. Luo Xin’s healthy growth gives her father, Luo Sheng, small moments of happiness, but his broad perspective gives Luo Xin direction for her whole life.
The British writer Hubbard once said, “A good father is worth more than a hundred school principals.” A father’s perspective shapes a child’s character, teaches them respect, and shows them how to be knowledgeable and reasonable. In this era when people compete on the strength of their fathers, what matters isn’t how much material comfort a father can give his child, but the breadth of his perspective.
This novel is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.
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