告诉老师们我的机票行程，想着走之前请老师们吃个饭。老师们纷纷表示他们来安排就好。

时间差不多就来到了八点，和小欢欢分别，我和欢欢爸爸去买排烟管，一直折腾到早上十点半才弄好，算是勉强能用。

然后欢欢爸爸送我来坐车，我们还加了微信。还是那个美女司机，还是一样的晕车。

中午直接回住的地方了，准备休息一下。

18:12 来到哥哥家

爸爸今天来水城了，一直想叫我来吃饭。我并不想来，不喜欢这种带熟不熟的社交。

来了之后发现也还好，吃完饭，妈妈洗好碗。带他们去人民广场逛了逛。

虽然言语不多，但是能够明显感觉到挺好的。

在小红书上加了一个好友，今天一大早就和他打视频租房子。煮了个玉米，看了好多候选的，租房子还是挺难的。

环境，交通，租金，设施，很难两全其美。

本来准备带我妈出去玩的，结果我妈刚约好我二姨妈，就下雨了。停留片刻，将车开回停车场。回出租屋躺着了。

妈妈给了我一块肉，切了一些炒了土豆回锅肉盖饭，好吃。

看了一早上的手机，联系了好多人。发现好地段的房子确实比较难找，其他的要么远，要么价格和定位不匹配。

云霆师兄说他离职了，后面叫一个斯里兰卡的师弟带我 check in。很慌张，签证进度也比较慢。

中午差点没有睡着，数着呼吸睡着了。想着其实也不必慌，大不了先随便租着一个。

哥哥叫我开车带妈妈出去玩，睡醒午觉下雨了，便作罢了。

20:49 白鹤公园里面石头上坐着

现在在白鹤公园，旁边是跳广场舞的大妈们，大妈们的旁边是两眼直勾勾看着的我妈。

她想跳但是并不好意思跳，我也不管。虽然我也不好意思，但是好在我并不喜欢。她看到队伍后面有个人站着和人家聊天去了

早上八点出门，因为水城到盘州的路仍然处于封闭状态，在车上等了一会儿，漫长的路途到盘州已经十二点过。他们已经产检完了，我路边买 5 块钱的手抓饼带过去分他们吃。

然后带他们去奥园广场吃肯德基，不知怎么的，今天的肯德基格外难吃。甚至都没有鸡翅和鸡腿这些，点了一些鸡块，两个小龙虾塔可，还有其他一些小食。避雷了，还是德克士的手枪腿好吃。

姐姐一直没有去过水城找妈妈他们，昨天和妈妈说过，于是吃完肯德基我就送姐姐他们去水城了。（就因为这件事后来成为了妈妈和大嫂之间的一小点矛盾，害）

然后刚好得知飞哥回来，他叫我去他家玩。坐上了公交，在城门洞买了两件水，他和他哥哥来接我。飞哥带我逛了逛他家门口的玉带河公园，蚊子实在是多。我有些不大喜欢逛公园，我比较喜欢和自然有交互的活动，单单漫步在自然中我觉得并没有啥交互。

飞哥一家非常的干净整洁，飞哥的性格受家庭影响非常大。他们一家都非常和蔼，但有些不善言谈，不过这正是我由 i 变 e 的场合。

——补充于 2025 年 8 月 19 日

中午吃了豆米盖饭，下午去哥哥家，晚上和妈妈一起逛街。小欢欢在南昌玩，她借了个充电宝，一直找不到怎么还。她一直在焦虑，而我却有点厌烦。我总觉得看看充电宝上面的字就能知道该还哪儿了。

因为这个事情我们还说到很晚。

——2025 年 8 月 19 补记录（我总觉得我记录了，今天整理才发现并没有）

I quickly got up, cooked a bowl of noodles, and shared some with Xiaohuanhuan. Then, I prepared the materials for tomorrow’s qualification review while Huanhuan helped me wash the dishes and tidy up neatly.

Before I knew it, it was already noon. We left the house together and took the same bus—she went for an exam, and I headed to the sports center.

Relatives are always so hospitable. I ate a lot of delicious food, and when it was about time, I came back.

The buses in Shuicheng are absolutely ridiculous. The drivers never wait an extra second, not even for someone with mobility issues getting off. Next time someone argues with the driver, I won’t feel any sympathy for them.

After returning, I lay down and rested for half an hour, then went out to print the materials for the qualification review and stopped by the courier station to pick up the razor Huanhuan bought for me.

And just like that, another day passed.

21:48 — Acting Very Impatient Again

Tonight, my mom video-called me and said her phone couldn’t make or receive calls.

I thought of asking her to use QQ’s screen-sharing feature so I could see what was going on. But the process of logging into QQ completely stumped her. No matter how I tried to guide her, she couldn’t get it, and I ended up speaking to her very impatiently the whole time.

Eventually, I gave up. I tried calling her and found that the call went through, and she could call back normally. Then she said my dad’s phone wasn’t working. With extreme impatience, I snapped, “Just try calling back!”

It probably worked, but my mom didn’t call again. I felt pretty guilty. Since it was already late, I’ll call her tomorrow to check in.

Lessons Learned

1. In the future, it might be easier to download Tencent Meeting for my parents.
2. If possible, verifying the issue immediately is a crucial first step.
3. I still need to improve my communication skills and work on my mindset—less hurting others.

22:55 — Optimized the Heatmap

Fixed the issue where intensity=0 wouldn’t display and reset the font to size=7px, weight=500.

Now it looks very aesthetically pleasing. I hope I can keep filling in all the squares.

Heatmap of My Recent Life

Recently, I’ve been trying to visualize my daily routines and habits using a heatmap. This chart clearly shows the distribution of my time and energy over the past few weeks.

The red areas indicate high-intensity activities, such as work and study sessions, while the blue parts represent relaxation or leisure time. I noticed that my productivity peaks in the morning, gradually declining in the afternoon and evening. There are also some blank spots—those are probably days when I was too lazy to record anything.

Looking at this heatmap, I realize I need to better balance work and rest. Maybe I should schedule more breaks or adjust my tasks to match my natural energy fluctuations.

How do you track your daily activities? Do you also use visualization tools? Feel free to share your methods!

Today, my second uncle, second aunt, fourth aunt, fourth uncle, youngest aunt, and even Huanhuan are all planning to come to my house for a visit.

I remember bringing a bag of wheat gluten powder home earlier and have been thinking about improving my homemade gluten skewers. Taking advantage of my parents going out to buy food for the afternoon and evening, I poured out half the bag of wheat gluten powder to give it another try.

Noon

When the relatives arrived at noon, little Huanhuan came too. I drove fourth uncle’s car, taking Manman and Ningning to pick up Huanhuan. The streets were so crowded that I couldn’t find a single parking spot, so I had no choice but to turn back and park in the parking lot.

Right next to the parking lot was a supermarket, so I decided to take Manman and Ningning shopping. And that’s where the nightmare began. After Manman and Ningning took forever to finally pick out what they wanted, it was time to check out. Manman cheerfully said, “My uncle will pay for me!” Like an idiot, I replied, “So how are you going to repay me?” What I actually had in mind was tricking Manman into helping me grill the gluten skewers later.

Unexpectedly, Manman got angry right away. She ran over, put the items back, and started crying. Nothing I said worked. Thankfully, I’ve dealt with situations like this before, though I was still a bit flustered. I said everything I could think of, then decided to just stand by and wait for her emotions to settle on their own. Meanwhile, Huanhuan was patiently comforting and coaxing her the whole time. Ningning, on the other hand, stayed very calm—she didn’t join the tantrum, didn’t say anything, and didn’t run around, just waited quietly beside us.

After about thirty or forty minutes, when Manman realized this wasn’t getting her anywhere, she started asking for Huanhuan to hold her. Seeing this, I figured things were okay now, so I handed her the stuff I’d just bought and went to get the car. Manman took the things from me, and that was that. In a way, Manman gave Huanhuan a little lesson too.

Evening

In the evening, I saw some mulberry leaves and suddenly remembered a video I’d watched about frying them. So I took the kids to pick some leaves, then made a batter with eggs, flour, and salt to fry them. Personally, I found them a bit greasy—probably because the batter wasn’t prepared well and absorbed too much oil—but everyone else thought they were delicious, and we finished every last piece.

After dinner, Huanhuan and I took Manman and Ningning for a walk before sunset. The laughter along the way and the feeling of being close to nature were wonderful.

When we got back, I prepared to grill my gluten skewers. I gathered whatever ingredients we had at home and made a simple version of chili oil. Using a portable gas canister, I lit the remaining charcoal and started grilling slowly. This time, the gluten skewers were a hit with everyone, and even I thought they tasted great—much better than the deep-fried version I’d made before.

Night

My dad, mom, and sister all have birthdays in late March. After finishing the grilled gluten skewers, I asked Manman to bring over the cake Huanhuan had ordered from Shenggu Cake. Manman made three birthday cake hats for them, and I handed the cake-cutting knife to Dad. It was his first time cutting a cake, and he didn’t seem awkward at all—it was perfect.

Everyone chatted away, each person happy in their own way. Today was a truly wonderful day.

The loquat tree next to the livestock pen at home had its bark completely gnawed off by the cow that was tied to it. Though the tree bore many loquats, the leaves had almost entirely withered, making it impossible for the fruit to ripen.

This morning, I asked my parents to help me cut down the loquat tree. With little experience in tree-cutting, we encountered several dangerous moments during the process. One commendable thing was that my dad had the foresight to tie a rope around himself and the tree for safety. After much chaotic discussion, fumbling, and a few risky moments, we successfully felled the loquat tree.

We used a chainsaw to cut the branches and trunk into smaller pieces and stacked them in the yard. The massive trunk was also sectioned into several parts to be used for making stools later.

After cleaning up, we moved the chicken coop and pigeon cage that were originally under the loquat tree. It took us two to three hours to expand the flower bed, which now serves both as a fence and adds aesthetic appeal. By the next time I come home, the newly expanded flower bed should be even more vibrant.

In the evening, after my dad took a shower, he noticed the showerhead was leaking. He tried to fix it with a wrench but ended up breaking it completely, earning him a long scolding from my mom. I often do the same thing—trying to help but making things worse. My dad decided to go into town to buy a replacement. We asked him to pick up some beef while he was out, and in the evening, he stir-fried it into a dry pot beef dish, which turned out pretty tasty.

I did too much physical labor today, got extremely hungry, and ended up overeating.

After arriving at Pingdi, I hurriedly got out of the car and ended up dropping my luggage. We went to the restaurant where Zhang Jing’s wedding was held, and my mom handed me 200 yuan to give as a gift. I really dislike these kinds of things, but I couldn’t be bothered to argue. After the meal, I just walked over and handed the money over.

This was the first time my mom had been away from home for so long, so she was overjoyed to be returning. Her steps were so light it seemed like she couldn’t wait to run home.

The neighboring village had one celebration after another—what might seem like trivial matters are often the most meaningful.

I was really looking forward to this trip home, mainly because I wanted to see my sister, Manman, and Ningning. Manman and Ningning were as adorable and happy as ever.

Seeing the tears in your eyes made me realize how deeply saddened you are by Mom’s decision to move to Shuicheng.

But it seems there’s nothing we can do. We’re constantly pushed forward by life’s unavoidable circumstances while trying our best to make the most of it.

We’ve grown accustomed to being children, unwilling to face the separation of our big family, and wanting to keep it intact. You’ve always been the one who spent the most time with Mom and Dad, so of course, you’re also the one who finds it hardest to let go.

Things are always changing—some changes may bring us comfort, while others may bring pain. We naturally prefer staying in our comfort zones, but the more people and things involved, the harder it becomes to maintain that comfort.

What I want to say is, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. Although it may seem like Mom is the one who will struggle the most with the adjustment, society is evolving, and we must actively adapt to keep up with the times.

Mom and Dad, you and your husband, Manman and Ningning—all of us will eventually leave this place, whether in a few years or a decade or so. This land can no longer provide the stable, happy life we desire. Moreover, we may have hopes, dreams, and aspirations that this place simply can’t fulfill.

So, having the opportunity to leave is, in my opinion, a good thing. At the very least, we’ll gain access to slightly better healthcare, education, and other modern conveniences.

Of course, you already understand all this. What I also want to say is: physical distance won’t weaken the emotional bonds between us. With today’s advanced communication tools, no matter where we are, we can always stay connected. And if the need arises, we can be by each other’s side in no time. In fact, this might give us more places to call home and allow our children and parents to experience more of life—after all, life is about experiences.

So don’t be sad. The difficulties are only temporary. Being apart from our parents will make us stronger and braver, better equipped to face and overcome life’s challenges. In doing so, we’ll embody their spirit, just as they did, and become role models for our own children.

Sige, Panguan, Hongguo, Shuicheng—none of these places are really that far away. We’re all just leaving home for a little while, and we’ll all return to this place eventually. This big family will always be here.

Wishing you all the best.

Da Peng
March 25, 2025