chicken soup

"Life's Tonic"

It has been more than three years since my father passed away, and I really miss him.

muddy mountain road

That winter, I had just graduated from college and had completed my military reserve service. Because I was studying in an unpopular department and there were too many people available, I temporarily taught in a middle school in Keelung, Taiwan.

The school had just been established, everything was scratch-made, and it was built high on a hillside. Of course, the road leading to the school has not been paved yet. It is uneven and rocky on weekdays. If it rains, it will be muddy and impossible to walk!

Keelung is the rainy port of Taiwan, and rains are common. Many female teachers who live down the mountain are unable to come up when it rains, so they have no choice but to take a taxi. At that time, the teacher's salary was only more than 700 yuan, and a taxi cost 60 to 70 yuan. Why don't you feel heartbroken!

The school building is poor

I was really lucky. I was assigned to live in the school dormitory with a group of single male teachers from out of town, so I didn't have to suffer the hardship of trekking on mountain roads. In fact, the so-called dormitory is just an unused classroom with a few bunk beds. The upper bunk is for luggage and the lower bunk is for sleeping. It also has no door, so a sugar cane board is used to keep out the wind and rain.

The most unforgettable thing is that there were no toilet facilities. Every day, I would go to the well on the mountainside in the dark and get a basin of water to wash my body. Of course, it was ice-cold water. On an October day, goosebumps will always appear on your first basin of water and your teeth will chatter. To go to the toilet, you have to go to the wilderness to avoid the stench. You also have to worry about whether venomous snakes or insects and ants will bite you.

father's love

Almost half a year after school started, my father stopped by from the east to see me on a business trip. I remember it was a cold winter night when he came from the east. It took him more than ten hours to change cars and trains. At that time, there were no mobile phones to notify him at any time. He just wrote a text message a few days ago, telling me that he would come one day and asking me to wait for him in the dormitory.

When my father arrived at the foot of the mountain, night had fallen and thousands of houses were lit with lights. In order to save money, he didn't call a taxi and climbed up slowly along the mountain road.

That day, it was drizzling again, and the mountain road was slippery and wet. My father was originally fat and wore what he thought was the most decent suit. He was carrying a bowl of Korean ginseng and chicken soup that his mother had cooked before leaving. It was packed in a lunch box and wrapped in a piece of cloth. When he arrived at the school on the mountainside, it was already ten o'clock in the night. Because he was not familiar with the road and didn't know the main road, he took a narrow path. The road was slippery and he didn't bring a flashlight. I really don't know how he came up in the dark.

precious chicken soup

At this time, my father was soaked all over, and he couldn't tell whether it was rain or sweat; his suit was muddy and watery; there was some mud on his hands and face, and I don't know how many times he fell. When my father saw me, without saying a few words, he slowly untied the cloth bag, opened the lid, and brought a spoon. He gasped and said:

"Son, your mother is afraid that you are malnourished and there is no delicious food on the mountain, so she brought Korean ginseng chicken soup. Just eat it!"

Actually, there are still some sips of chicken soup! All that's left is a few pieces of chicken. How can I eat this kindness? I burst into tears on the spot. To this day, whenever I think of my father, that bowl of chicken soup appears in front of me again.

＊To discover the true love, please read the first cup of Life's Tonic "Life's Tonic"