One Sunday afternoon I was walking back to school. On my way, I passed by an elderly man with his little chubby grandson in his arms. He was reading a book. I had thought he was probably teaching his grandson ancient Chinese poems from a widely circulated poetry anthology, Tang Poems 300. As I was approaching them, however, it turned out that they were reading a Chinese classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with pictures and pinyin in it.

The sight on the street moved me. The grandad and grandson were seated on the steps leading up to the gate of a tall building. A shaft of afternoon sunshine slanted down between the high-rises and spilled over them. The little boy modelling himself in a tender voice after the grandad, the senior citizen looked peaceful and serene. What a warm picture!

Nowadays in the hustle and bustle of urban life, the multitude chase fame and fortune. It seems as if everyone on the street is hooked on short vids or live streaming on social media. Rare is such a street scene as I was a witness to the other Sunday. The grandad and grandson boasted a land of harmony in their hearts amidst the madding crowd.