Author: Yang Tao, a post-90s teacher, loves sports, basketball, mountaineering, travel. Educational motto: Feelings, Hearts, Brightening minds,
has been here for five years. Nanfan, a small town in southern Shanxi, is known as " Little Beijing ". I heard from local old people that it was as lively as the capital twenty years ago, so it was named. The people here are simple and hospitality, and are rich in cherries, hawthorns and apples. Every summer, boxes of huge fruits are filled with trucks and transported to other places. This is the harvest season and the happiest day of the year for local farmers. We, who have already been familiar with the nearby villagers, can enjoy the food at any time.
I don’t know when, but I fell in love with this place. Whenever I stand on the podium to hold class meetings for my classmates or parent-teacher meetings, I can’t help but feel proud that I am a people’s teacher. Walking on campus, my classmates called me "Teacher Yang" and listened to the "Hello Teacher", and the sense of accomplishment was beyond words. Walking in the village, the old people called me "Teacher Xiao Yang", and that kind of happiness arose.
As the urbanization phenomenon becomes increasingly serious, there are more and more empty-nest elderly people in rural areas, and almost all young people have flowed into the city. Whether due to economic, marriage, or residence, they are all living in the hot land in the countryside, and are all elderly and children. I usually live on campus, and after school in the afternoon I have plenty of time to listen to them talk about some interesting local customs and stories. But on the weekend, I will go home too.
Most of the elderly are illiterate, and some even if they are literate, they cannot recognize them because they are old and have poor eyesight. When they are in school, people will come to me every now and then. They are all elders who are older than my parents. When they see me, they politely call me "Teacher Xiao Yang". When they ask for help, they add the word "please" and ask Teacher Xiao Yang to help me adjust the time of my phone, ask Teacher Xiao Yang to help me read this text message, and ask Teacher Xiao Yang to help me save someone's phone number.
At first I would refuse such a name and let everyone call me a name, but the simple old people think it would be a trouble for me to ask me for help. Over time, everyone calls this, and I happily accept it.
At the beginning, I was impatient and even annoyed by the elderly who came to me every day. Until one day, I completely conquered my laziness and impetuousness and decided to serve the elderly patiently.
This change is because I was once a social seeker. If there is no help from caring people, I will not be like myself today. I should pass on my love and helping empty-nest elderly people is also a manifestation of gratitude to society. On the other hand, it is because the helplessness of the elderly deeply touches my heart. Whenever there is a problem with their mobile phones, if I am not in school, I will look forward to me every day. In the village, there is a little more concern for me except for the school. If I was in school, they would pick the right time to come to me, for fear that I wouldn't get up too early, for fear that I would have to take a lunch break at noon, and for fear that I would go to bed early at night.
An old lady who lost her wife and her children were away, her mobile phone was too full to open the album, which made her unable to look at their photos when she was thinking about her children. She thought the phone was broken, so she came to me for repair. It was noon when I came. I was having lunch break and the door was closed. After waking up, I opened the door and saw the old man sitting on the concrete floor in front of the door. I was shocked and asked her why she was sitting here. She said, "Teacher Xiao Yang, I don't know what's wrong with my phone. I can't see the photo album. Sometimes I want to see my son, but I just can't find the place. I'm in a hurry. Please help me repair it." After listening to the old man's words, I looked at the bumps bitten by mosquitoes and sweat on her forehead, but I was waiting outside the door for fear of disturbing my lunch break, and I didn't even know how long I had been waiting. I quickly helped the old man into the house. On the way into the house, I was already filled with tears, and I felt aroused by self-blame, regretting that I shouldn't have had lunch break.
After I fixed the phone, I told her how to operate it. Before leaving, I told her to call me when I come and don’t wait outside.The old man catered to him, but I was still worried, worried that she would continue to do this next time, and I was afraid that other elderly people would be the same as her. From then on, I would never dare to take a lunch break again. As long as I was in school, the elderly would not be disappointed when they came.
Usually walks on the streets in the village, and the elderly will call me "Teacher Xiao Yang" when they see me, and will pull me into their homes to stuff them with various snacks. During the five years in Nanfan, the students gave me a lot of happiness, and the elderly also gave me infinite touch.
In this era of rapid development, there is still a group of people with inconvenient legs and feet that cannot keep up with the pace of development. They still live a life of working from sunrise to rest from sunset. When you are watching the bustling city traffic, they are all in their eyes. When you are eating delicious food, they are all in long noodles. If possible, please give them a warmth and light a lamp for the empty nest, so that we can work together to create a beautiful world.
Source: Qinshui Literature
