The National Day holiday has come to an end. Mother and I had planned to help harvest the corn growing in the plot next to our backyard as before. In the past few years we bought the corn stalks as fuels after helping the grower get in the crop. Giving him a hand could ensure us the possession of the stalks at the cost of ￥100 before other possible buyers. So every morning I got up early rushing to mother's in the hope of helping the maize planter with harvesting. But the man did not show up during the past seven days. The crops still stand with their dead leaves rustling in the autumn wind.