The gentle breeze by the San Su Temple, the distant gateway, and the bright moon send back our original aspirations
Daughter:
Tonight, raindrops knock on the window, rustling like whispers. On the table is a photo of you leaning on a bamboo and smiling at the San Su Temple in Meishan five years ago, with your upcoming flight ticket to Zhanjiang next to it. Time flies, it has been five years. I have witnessed your growth from filling out the law major during the college entrance examination, to joining the Communist Party with honor in university, and then to being admitted as a civil servant in Zhanjiang Customs. I still remember you excitedly sending me a photo of yourself wearing a customs uniform, with the emblem shining on your shoulder. A thousand words surged in my heart, but I was afraid of making you sad by rambling before leaving. It's better to use a pen instead of a mouth and write down the words from my heart on paper.
During the winter vacation of college, after watching the CCTV documentary "The Eight Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties", we went to the San Su Temple in Meishan to admire its reputation. At Qixian Hall, the tour guide told an anecdote about Mrs. Cheng, the mother of Su Dongpo: The Su family dug up the land and found gold and silver hidden by their predecessors. Others regarded it as a windfall, but Mrs. Cheng said, "It's not mine, even if you're stingy, don't take it." So she had someone cover it with soil and bury it. Later, Su Shi always remembered his mother's teachings throughout his life, taking 'not a single thing that I have' as the foundation of his life. On that day at the Nanxuan Bookstore, you paid attention to the inkstone engraved by Su Shi on his son and recited the inscription on it: "With this, one can enter the Tao with thirst; with this, one can seek progress with shock; with this, one can govern wealth with contemplation; and with this, one can write about imprisonment with contemplation." I knew at that time that the seed of "corruption causing trouble, integrity achieving success" had quietly planted in your initial heart of studying law.
On the night you joined the Communist Party in your junior year, your voice was excited when you called. Looking at the photo of you wearing the Party member badge and solemnly reciting the oath of joining the Party, my eyes welled up and I suddenly remembered Han Yu. Han Gong's career was full of ups and downs, and when he first entered the officialdom, he angered the powerful and influential due to his straightforwardness. During the severe drought in Guanzhong, he risked his life to impeach the Governor of Jingzhao and directly report the disaster, but was demoted to the barbaric Yangshan. Even in adversity, he still dug canals to divert water, built schools to promote education, and with the sincere desire to "eliminate evil for the holy and wise, willing to cherish decay and aging", he turned his care for the people into practical actions. When I saw you join the Communist Party, I remembered the figure of Han Gong who remained upright and ran for the people throughout his life - he held his true heart in adversity, using his pen as a blade and his heart as a torch, illuminating not only a corner of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but also the spirit of future scholars.
Upon learning that you have passed the Zhanjiang Customs exam and will be working at the southernmost tip of mainland China, I feel a myriad of emotions in my heart: not only reluctant to leave for the pearl in my palm, but also proud of your responsibility to safeguard the country's borders. Now that you have gradually adapted to life in Zhanjiang, I still have a few words to remind you:
Firstly, self-cultivation is the foundation, and integrity is the top priority. The ancient saying goes: "Every grain, every inch, my name is noble; every centimeter, every ounce, the people's cream. One cent of generosity, the people receive more than one cent; taking a penny, I am not worth a penny." You should learn from Su Dongpo's "not asking for anything, looking up with a clear conscience," able to withstand poverty and temptation. The customs uniform is on the body, and the emblem is not only glory, but also conscience. May you always think, 'The heart is not swayed by the temptation of small profits, and the eyes are not dazzled by the confusion of five colors.' With innocence as the foundation, you will not disappoint the hidden blue.
Secondly, prioritize wealth and righteousness, and stay true to one's heart and achieve long-term goals. When Su Dongpo was exiled to Huangzhou, his livelihood was difficult, but he was still able to write in his poem "Red Cliff Ode" about his broad mindedness: "Only the clear breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains can be heard as sound, seen as color, taken without restraint, and used endlessly. Money is an external object, and if one pursues profit wholeheartedly, they will lose their foundation. Do not be blinded by petty gains at work, and forget to follow the original intention of the law and serve the people. The money earned by one's skills should be spent steadily; Spiritual wealth is the true wealth.
Thirdly, have a heart for the people and act with caution. In the past, Han Yu served as the magistrate of Yangshan County. Despite being in a remote and impoverished area with a shortage of officials, he still "dug wells and irrigated fields for the people, and transformed folk customs into poetry and calligraphy". Your current job, whether it's reviewing documents, supervising goods, or about to go to Xuwen to crack down on smuggling and purchasing agents, is all related to people's livelihoods and worldly affairs. Every law enforcement and every decision should be taken with utmost caution, like walking on thin ice. It should be noted that 'some small officials in Caozhou County, one branch and one leaf, are always concerned about the well-being of the people.' The safety and well-being of the people is exactly where your responsibility lies.
Daughter, it's a thousand miles away from here, and parents can't be with you often. May you always remember the clear ancient well in the San Su Temple and the ink and book fragrance in the Han Yu Academy. Before his death, Dongpo left a poem with the words' My heart is like this, who is pure and clear? 'This honest and upright character is exactly the greatest expectation that my father had for you. Wearing customs uniforms, we should take the trust of the people as our responsibility, uphold integrity and honesty as our foundation, and fulfill our duties in accordance with the law as our bottom line. May you be like a bamboo, straight on the outside and straight on the inside, willing to bend without bending; May you be like a lotus, fragrant and clear, and planted in a pavilion.
Paper is short, emotions are long, words are difficult to express. Parents only wish you peace and health, with your original intention as pure as a rock. When you have leisure time, you can send home some clouds from Zhanjiang and the wind from the South China Sea, so that we know you are safe and feel at ease.
father
March 18, 2025
(This is a letter written by the father of Yu Xuelan, a customs officer from Zhanjiang Customs, to her home.)