Waking up in the morning, I drink a cup of cold tea, slowly practice Tai Chi for a few minutes, then forget how to continue halfway through. I start again, but still can't finish, so I stop, take a few deep breaths, and tell myself, "I'm done!" Then I drink another cup of tea, and my morning practice is over—how delightful!
In the quiet room, I practice calligraphy, so focused on grinding the ink that a whole vat of ink is filled, but I haven't written a single character, and my back and waist are already aching. I stare at the calligraphy model for ten minutes, then tell myself, "I've already written it!" I walk around the room a few times, wipe the brush, and put away the paper—how delightful!
Sitting listlessly in a meeting room, surrounded by scholars and experts, their expressions solemn. I steal glances at my watch, the hands almost frozen, unable to concentrate on the lectures around me, each day feeling like an eternity. Suddenly, I see several sheets of meeting agenda on the table, quietly move them over, fold paper boats, and playfully push them around. Looking at my watch again, the minute hand has moved two notches—how delightful!
After spending several days in the mountains, not reading newspapers, listening to the radio, opening or receiving mail, I came down to find the world unchanged, just as I was—how delightful!
A few days ago, I made an appointment to meet a friend, but completely forgot. Realizing the time had passed, I hurriedly called to apologize, only to find the other person had also forgotten. We were even, and I didn't make another appointment—how delightful!
Driving on a rainy night, I saw a man running frantically in the rain on the highway. I braked and asked, "Want a ride?" The man, seeing this, ran even faster, as if encountering a ghost in the dark. Looking back from a distance, the man still looked bewildered in the rain. When the car stopped, he stopped again, appearing wary—how delightful!
After four days without seeing my parents and siblings, I went home for a short reunion. Time flew by. Returning to the mountains, I was surprised to find myself alone, a solitary lamp in the room, the mountain wind rattling the window, wild dogs howling in the night—yet I refused to come down again—how delightful!
Walking in the mountains at dusk, I saw an old-fashioned red brick house standing alone in the woods, and then heard the sound of a motorcycle coming from behind along a narrow path. The host got off the motorcycle, saw the stranger staring at the smoke from the chimney, and didn't know how to respond, so he said, "Come and have a bite!" The guest smiled and shook his head. The host said again, "Don't be so polite, come and sit down, come and have a bite!" The stranger actually nodded and said, "Okay, thank you!" and stepped as if to enter the house. The host was greatly surprised, and the guest then smiled and left. How delightful!
Every day I borrow my neighbor's white dog for a walk, and after the walk, I return the dog. I don't have to feed it. How delightful! The deadline for submitting my manuscript has passed, and I'm still reading "Dream of the Red Chamber" late at night. Thinking of the motto "Do today's work today," I look at the alarm clock on my desk, which is already pointing to 3:30 in the morning. I realize that today has just begun, and there's plenty of time to submit the manuscript. I feel relieved. How delightful!
Waking up to the sound of the school bell, I see my classmates rushing to the classroom. I realize that I am no longer a student. I leisurely water the flowers, tend to the plants, comb my hair, and clean. How delightful !
I fast for several days each week in the mountains, and my mind is clear. When I come home, my mother can't tell, and I'm delighted!
A suitor calls from overseas late at night at my parents' house, and I happen to answer. I reply, "Thank you, no, I can't marry you, don't wait!" After hanging up, I cover my head and go back to sleep. The phone rings again, and I answer again. I feel happy after answering, and I wait quietly for the third time before answering again. I wait for several more hours, but the phone doesn't ring again. I'm delighted!
I have cassette tapes but no tape recorder. I quietly observe the tape recorder, and the music flows naturally from my mind. No machine is needed. I'm delighted!
Back in Beijing, I rummage through the storage room and find a whole bunch of glass animal toys from my childhood, all safe and sound. Reflecting on myself, I'm already middle-aged, but I still have all my limbs. I'm delighted!
I return to China to settle down, and I get a dormitory room. I don't have a refrigerator, a TV, a stereo, or a telephone. Waking up in the morning, turning on the tap, and finding clear water flowing freely; returning home late at night to find the room brightly lit—I feel joy and gratitude, as if I were the richest person in the world. If this could happen every day, wouldn't that be wonderful!
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