Lamp

Many years later, people in Qingxi County will still talk about that old man. It is said that he lives alone in a narrow alley in the west of the city and teaches several children to read without charging a penny. He said that he had been alone all his life and had never been an official. When he grew old, he would not even have any relatives around him. Most of the people who said it shook their heads: "It's pitiful." Some people didn't shake their heads and just sighed: "You don't understand." That winter, the snow fell very heavily. The old man has been ill for a long time, and the children in the alley have not heard his voice reading for a long time. One night, the snow stopped. There was still a light on in the old man's room. He sat at his desk, writing with a dying oil lamp. I write very slowly and lightly, stroke by stroke, as if I want to write my whole life into those few lines. After writing the last word, he put down his pen and let out a long breath. The breath was very light, like a wisp of smoke scattered in the cold air. The old man looked at the lamp for a long time. The lanterns exploded with a "pop" and dimmed again. He suddenly smiled. That smile was like many years ago, when he was a boy, standing on the edge of the field and watching the grasshopper's smile - bright and with something indescribable. Then, he slowly leaned on the table. The snow outside the window fell again, silently, covering everything in the world.