Autumn, 1923.
He was still wearing that dark blue long gown, tall and slender.
As he talked about poems on autumn, he smiled calmly and said, “Here in China, we have a saying: ‘When autumn winds turn cold, you long for your mother!’ It's a common saying...”
As he smiled, he suddenly froze. His eyes followed the falling maple leaf, and his throat tightened with emotion.
The whole class fell silent. The bitterness filling his smile spread through the air, making everyone stop smiling and simply look at him quietly.
I thought, this Christmas, I'll invite him to our home.
[A story about a British boy and his teacher, Mr. Wu, in the Shanghai International Settlement. An old short story with a literary bent.]
Theme: The light of the will to carry on
I'll go, I'll go. This is fine chaff.