"Daddy! Did you come to pick me up? Really, Daddy!" she excimed, circling around his knees.

  How small she was! Ten years old? She looked no older than six, like a fragile bde of grass that could snap with the slightest breeze. Her pale skin was almost translucent; such a fragile little life!

  "I went for a walk and thought I′d check if you were out of school," the father said, not at all affected by his daughter′s joy. His tone was ft, almost indifferent. The calmness of his voice almost angered Fang Siying.

  How could you not see how much your daughter loves you? Fool! Don′t you realize how her little heart longs for your affection? Fool! Have you ever truly taken care of this child? Cruel father! If you can't see, at least you should feel it!

  "Oh, Daddy!" The girl was not disappointed by her father's indifference. In her eyes, there was pure trust and admiration as she gazed up at him. Beyond the trust and admiration, there was also a yer of quiet reverence. She gently rested her cheek against the back of her father′s hand and excitedly said, "Did you come here alone? Didn′t Aunt Yaju or Lao You come with you?"

  "That dy accompanied me here. Go thank her," the blind man said, pointing directly to where she stood.

  The little girl turned her face toward her, and for a moment, Fang Siying felt an overwhelming urge to pull her into her arms. What a beautiful little thing! What a lovable little thing! She would give up everything in the world just to see that child′s smile.

  "Oh, thank you, Auntie!" The little girl gave a slight bow to Fang Siying, but she couldn't bear to leave her father's side. Her small hand still clutched her father's hand tightly.

  After that casual acknowledgment, she turned her glowing little face, still full of joy, back to her father and eagerly said, "I′ll help you back, Daddy! Be careful as you walk; there′s a hole by your feet!"

  "Alright, you lead me, Tingting," the father allowed his daughter to take his hand, but it was clear he did so more to comfort her than out of any real need for assistance.

  "Let′s go back. It’s getting te."

  "Goodbye, Auntie!" The little girl didn′t forget to say goodbye to Fang Siying, then she took her father′s hand, and they walked down the wide dirt road.

  Fang Siying watched the silhouettes of the father and daughter fade into the distance. The twilight had already descended, casting a grayish mist over everything. Their figures seemed to float, like shadows in the thick fog, distant and illusory. In that moment, an inexplicable pang of sorrow surged in her heart. She felt a strong, almost abandoned sensation. Watching the two of them grow smaller and more distant, swallowed by the evening dusk... she stood there dazed, unable to move, as her eyes slowly began to well up with tears.

  After a bit of arranging, Fang Siying′s small, single dormitory was now neat and refreshing. The window was adorned with brand-new, light green striped floral curtains, and the bed was covered with a bedspread in a mix of beige and coffee colors.

  A small rattan tea table had a crochet ce tablecloth, and two rattan chairs each had a bck satin cushion. On the little desk was a small mp with a beige mpshade, and in a green-gzed vase, a few sprigs of bamboo in a fresh green hue, which Fang Siying had just picked from the hillside behind. A small vanity table held a few simple cosmetics.

  Once everything was arranged, Fang Siying sank into the chair at her desk, gazing around the room. A feeling of confusion and disbelief washed over her. Just a few months ago, she had been on the other side of the world, with a high-paying job and a luxurious apartment. Now, she was here in a small suburban school in Taiwan, working as a primary school teacher—this was almost unbelievable! She still remembered what Mr. Zhang from the Education Department, who had introduced her to the school, had said to her:

  "I don't understand you, Miss Fang," Mr. Zhang from the Education Department had said. "With your qualifications, the ministry could easily arrange for you to teach at any university as a lecturer. Why did you choose Zhengxin National Primary School? The pay for primary school teachers isn′t high, and the work is tough. You also need to know the Zhuyin symbols."

  "I can read Zhuyin symbols; don′t worry, Mr. Zhang. I′ll be perfectly capable," was her response at the time.

  "I don′t want to be a lecturer. I like children. University students scare me!"

  "But why specifically Zhengxin? Wouldn′t another school be alright?"

  "Oh, no. I just want to be at Zhengxin. I like the environment there."

  Now, she was staying in the faculty dormitory at Zhengxin Primary School. Leaning by the window, she could see the distant green mountains, the hillside outside the school, the tea pntations that spread across the slope, and the scattered bamboo groves.

  Yes, the environment here was picturesque, but was it really just the environment that had made her so determined to stay and teach here? Or were there other, inexplicable reasons? She also remembered the school′s principal, the chubby, good-natured woman in her forties, who had expressed her surprise and amazement.

  "Oh, Miss Fang, teaching here is really a bit of a sacrifice for you!"

  "No, this is the job I′ve longed for," she said, knowing that her master's degree from abroad had surprised the principal.

  "Then, would you be willing to take on the role of a sixth-grade homeroom teacher?"

  "Sixth grade? I′m afraid I won′t be able to handle the graduating css. If possible, could it be fifth grade? It would be better if it's a subject-based position." Fifth grade—that′s the year the children should be in after summer vacation.

  So, she was assigned to teach mathematics for the fifth grade.