A House of Love and Legacy

This place is both familiar and somewhat distant to me. My parents began building this house when I was two years old. It took over two years and was finally completed when I was four. However, I left this place when I turned ten. Back then, rural China was marked by poverty, with even basic food supplies often scarce. Yet, my parents persevered, choosing this rocky land at the foot of a mountain, leveling the ground, and trekking to distant hills to find suitable wood. They cut, peeled, shaped, and air-dried the timber—all without any machinery, relying solely on manual labor.

At that time, we already had a large house to live in. But my parents believed that starting a family meant establishing a foundation. So, despite the hardships, they spent nearly three years building this home, embodying both dreams and determination.

This house became the backdrop of my childhood memories. Though I moved away, my parents never lost their attachment to it. A few years ago, they decided to renovate the house, not only for sentimental reasons but also due to its reputation as a prime location, according to local feng shui beliefs.

Today, my parents enjoy their retirement here. Television has faded from their daily lives, replaced by tending to the vegetable garden next to the house. They grow various crops, handling tasks like weeding and pest control without using pesticides. Even though we live 2,000 kilometers away, we often receive fresh vegetables they send us—a labor of love that keeps us connected.

Through the surveillance cameras, we can see them working in the garden, their movements reassuring yet bittersweet. This constant connection embodies the enduring ties of family and love that transcend distance.