Mid-afternoon. Water droplets trickle down from the eaves, each weighing one zhu, falling from a height of about nine feet.
By my calculations, it'll take twenty-four years for the dripping water to carve a hole three inches and seven fen deep.
And thereafter...
"The size of the shadow depends on the angle and distance."
Judging by this logic, the reflected scene should be visible to three people at once on the day I return to the mountain.
Before I left the mountain to travel the realm, I already felt how profoundly insignificant I was. The path to soaring into the sky is vast and uncertain, and I know not what to do. Leaving this "thousand-day water drop" experiment for you is also a token of my inner hopes. Perhaps after witnessing the mountains beyond our own, I will find a different perspective.
Now, as I rush toward the Hutuo River, a sudden realization strikes me: to go wherever I am needed, that is the true value of this fleeting life.
Letter