In this life, I've known poverty and wealth; I've strived and given up; I've been proud and despaired. It's quite magical to say that while in Hangzhou, I often dreamed of bustling Bianjing, but ever since I stepped into Peach Blossom Isle, my dreams have been filled only with small courtyard of my hometown... noisy playmates, teacher reciting with hands behind his back, and seemingly never-fading peach blossoms covering hills. I recall a lesson from my teacher, where he spoke of vastness of northern frontier and Eastern Sea, wonders of Lingnan, and prosperity of Bianjing, which sparked my desire for fame and fortune. All I wanted then was to leave Peachspring Village and see great landscapes, but I ended up spending half my life in ups and downs of officialdom. How much scenery have I truly savored over these years?
So I resolutely resigned from my position, and rode through every place my teacher mentioned, and even visited many places he never spoke of. By the time I arrived here, it was the eighth year since my resignation. My savings were long gone, my fine horse had become old. Old Shi from the village told me that winters at Yanmen Pass are bitterly cold, and it's best to leave before winter, but I insisted on staying to experience the harsh cold. Who would have thought that I wouldn't freeze to death in the snow but nearly died under blades of Liao People? On a snowy night, Liao scouts infiltrated the village and suddenly attacked. The villagers rose in resistance, and battle lasted until dawn. The Liao People eventually retreated, but after that night, the village was missing twenty-three faces. After a brief funeral, the villagers resumed their farming, sweeping, and patrolling as usual. Old Shi said that hearts are made of flesh, and no one can remain unmoved, but we are still alive, and we must keep living.
Winter has ended, and I am about to leave here, to pick a branch of pine and cypress outside Baopu Monastery, to visit my family. In the twilight of life, I finally have the resolve to do what I've always wanted but never did. Do you think my courage has come too late? This time, I've left an arrow in the box. If it were you, what choice would you make?
Choose your answer, and do it. Life is like an arrow, never returns.