After retiring, I had time to clean the storeroom. The old doors were hard to open, like I was unsure about my new life. Inside, it was a mess, with old belongings from years ago and even a family of foxes had lived there.

I pulled on work gloves, then moved a box of motor oil out of the way, intending to clear some space. I reached all the way back, and my hand hit something hard. What could that be? I pulled out a round metal tin (罐). With one finger, I cleared a thick coating of dirt from the top to uncover a green background with white flowers. Could the tin hold a hidden treasure?

Little by little, I removed the cover until it suddenly came off and fell to the ground. I held my breath. Inside were several yellowed envelopes. I opened one, and a sense of despair swept through me.

Just then, my wife Peg walked in. “What’s that?”

“Seeds (种子),” I said. Nothing but seeds.

Peg came over to examine the tin’s contents. “Look, here’s a letter.” She held up a faded envelope with a three-cent stamp and a postmark of May 13, 1940. Before I was born! The letter was addressed to the original owner of our house.

“‘I am sending you the seeds of the hibiscus (木槿) you admired when you stopped at our tourist home last year,’” Peg read. “‘Plant when the ground becomes warm, and do not be alarmed if they do not come up for several weeks — they are slow to grow.’”

“Huh,” I said. “Eighty years old. I wonder if they’ll still grow?” I had several hanging pots and a few flower beds, but I was no expert. I took a plastic box where I’d planted potatoes, shook the hibiscus seeds out of the envelope, pushed them into the soil and set the box in the sun.

“What are my chances?” I asked my neighbor, an experienced gardener. “Not very good,” he said, “but maybe… if they were packed right and kept dry and dark.”

With the seeds planted, I checked the box every day, eager for any sign of life.

Just when I was about to give up, something astonishing happened.

Karl was Fred’s son. When his son was little, Fred’s wife passed away, so a mountainous responsibility landed on Fred’s shoulders. Fred was fond of and cared about his son so much that he raised his son with all his heart and soul. He taught him to walk, talk, read and write. He also taught him how to be a true and moral man. When Karl came home with an injury due to falling off his bike or something else, it would hurt Fred’s heart more than it would hurt the boy. Whenever Karl went down with a fever, Fred would sit beside him day and night, barely sleeping a wink (合眼). He always supported Karl in every aspect. Gradually, Karl grew up to become an adult.

How deeply Fred loved his son! However, Fred was unprepared for the day when his beloved son Karl told him he would leave and start his own business in a new city.

“But, Karl, you are too young to start a business,” Fred warned his son. “You still have a long way to go. I think you can help me manage the cafe my grandma left to me first. This way, I’d be able to teach you more about business.” But Karl was stubborn and wouldn’t follow Fred’s advice. “Dad, I am not a kid anymore, so allow me to determine my life. OK?” said Karl. One week later, Karl packed his things and left for the new city, leaving the sad and worried father behind.

Three months passed. One night, Fred got a call from his son. It was strange because Karl seldom called him up after he left for the new city. “Dad, I should have followed your suggestions and stayed at home. I went bankrupt (破产的) and I am in debt now,” Karl said. “I knew this would happen someday,” Fred painfully thought. He planned to help his son and made one of his most difficult choices. “Don’t worry, my son. Luckily, you will succeed to (继承) a huge amount of money from your uncle, soon,” Fred told Karl.

“Oh, I am so fortunate,” said Kurl.   

On his way back home, Kar l was wondering how his father was.          

It was a summer evening. Alex, who lived in a suburban neighborhood, was getting ready for bed when he heard the sound of fire alarms and screams coming from the outside. He quickly realized that there was a fire in his neighborhood and that his neighbors might be in danger.

He looked outside and saw that one of his neighbors’ houses was on fire. He knew that he had to act quickly to help his neighbors. After calling 911, he ran outside and heard his neighbors’ little son crying inside their burning house. “He must be quite scared,” Alex thought.

Alex quickly assessed the situation and found that the house was almost surrounded by flames (火焰). The best way out was through the front door, but it was blocked by fire as well. He knew that he had to find another way to help the boy escape.

He ran back to his house, grabbed a ladder and then rushed toward his neighbors’ house. He placed the ladder against the second-story window and managed to help the little boy climb down to safety. Once the boy was safe on the ground, Alex climbed up into the burning house again to see if anyone else was trapped.

As he made his way through the smoke, he heard cries for help from a bedroom on the third floor. He quickly ran up the stairs and found an elderly woman who was too weak to move. Alex quickly picked her up and carried her down the stairs to safety. By this time, many firemen had arrived, and they managed to put out the flames.

Looking around, Alex saw that other houses in the neighborhood were also on fire. He realized that the fire was spreading quickly and that more people needed help. Without hesitation, Alex joined those firemen, who were working tirelessly to put out the flames. He helped elderly neighbors, families with young children, and even pets.

After hours of effort, fortunately, the fire was finally put out.

When he woke up the next morning, he found his action didn’t go unnoticed by his school.