Today, they can finish their work—I guess.

I have been astonished by thoese two shadows since I caught them in the morning of the day before yesterday. The builidng with nine floors has been reconstructured since the day I moved into my new room. It’s just close to the building I live in. For the past one month, sound for operating machine could be heard every moment. In fact, at first I thought the building was to be abandomed, but later, I learnt that it’s reconstructure. And it’s just the morning of the day before yesterday, when I was climing down the stairs, I caught that two workers, with only a long hemp rode, was “hanging” themselves in the air and doing the lacquer painting!

I stoppted by the windor side. I stared at the long rope; I dared not to look at the workers. The rope, one side on the of metal on the toop floor edge, one side on the waist of the workers, looked so delicate, so delicate that there was moments I thought it was not able to bear the height of these middle-aged man and, and…I saw them the day before yesterday; I saw them yesterday; I saw them today. The workers don’t scare? Only me, a bysider, feel scared? No, their family members must be scared to death if they know about this—do they know? Will the workers tell their families about their work?

In Cuore, it has such a story. One day, the city residents get crowded on the foot of a tall building. Some one is dead. He falls from the building. His job, just like the above two workers, is to have himself hang in the air and do some clearning. But so careless is he that he falls down and, he is dead. A boy, who is among the crowd, widens his eyes and opens his mouth, silently. But without anynotice, he takes a sharp turn and rushes back to his home. Reason? It happens that the boy’s father is also doing this kind of work, and he wants to go back and see whether his father is safe as usual.

If—I say if—if my Papa did this work, if I witnessed this by my eyes, I would stop Papa’s work. It must be stopped. Money can be earned in other ways. Besides this, there are still manny more methods to earn money. But just don’t do this. I would try my best to save every penny; I would not have anything for a 100 mark exam paper, for a good comment from teachers, for the birthday, for any festivals. Please, don’t do that work. I want nothing more than a complete family.

But you know, sometimes I will laugh at myself: you don’t want Papa to do this? But do you know, the fact is, Papa actually went through this, or more dangerous than this.

“You know, when we went to drill holes in Sea Nanhai, our team got lost also.” We were watching a TV seires at that moment. The characters got lost at sea because of unexpected and terrible storm. Thus Papa used “Also” here.

“We got lost because of a terrible storm in the sea. Our boat was drifted by the big and heavy wave and we got lost. Finally, we landed on a small island on which no signal, no water and no food. You can imagine the situation we are in at that time! It’s the first time our 分队 came across this problem and you know all news were hidden. No news to the team members’ family member. No! We were scared also on the island. But fortunately--”

I like “fortunately ”. One of the good thing to listen Papa’s story is that you can always expect fortune, and in fact, you can predict there must be fortune, otherwise, the one is talking with me is who?

“But fortunately, a fish boat came to the island one day. We sent a man to go back with them. And finally, the man went back to us with help.” Papa smiled with proud.

Besides this episode, I know my Papa, who goes to the market and prepare every meal for Emma and I and sometimes will pick the flowers either in his yard or on the street to Emma and I, must have other exciting stories behide. “Look at the bridge!” when we took a coach and passed HUMEN Bridge, Papa said to Emma and me, “this bridge also has my efforts! Looking back the days we…” “Oh, the SANJIANG village has changed so much.” When we listend to the news reporting on the recontructing work after the earthquake in Sichuan, Papa said to himself. He was sent there to help the reconstruction work also during that time…So, I has thousands of reasons to belive that Papa has experienced more…I proud of Papa, proud of what he has done in the past, but now, I don’t want him to take any risk now. He is aging. Instead of protecting his families, he should be protected by his families, by us.

…

I hope tomorrow I won’t see the workers have been hanged in the air. What’s more, tomorrow it will be cold. It’s not so good to work in the air in that weather.