Living Quietly and Enjoyably
There are friends around me who live quiet and enjoyable lives.
University teacher Shao, a friend of my classmate Lao Ge, is a hardcore photography enthusiast who spends two months alone in Tibet each year. Without calling friends, driving that overloaded off-road vehicle that can barely fit another person, he travels and takes photos along the way.
Recently, he was returning home and stopped locally to meet Lao Ge. Lao Ge said, “I’ll find a small restaurant, order two dishes, and have some drinks.” Shao replied, “One dish is enough.” Sharing one dish between two people seemed a bit awkward, so Lao Ge still ordered two dishes. As soon as they sat at the table, Shao said, “You can take this dish home.” In the end, he insisted on eating one dish completely and didn’t touch the other at all.
Shao’s simple life is a unique form of quietness.
Classmate Lao Ge, after eight years of assisting in Tibet, returned to his hometown with his wife and children to teach at a vocational college. Many of his contemporaries who assisted in Tibet achieved certain positions, but they were content living in a small town. Lao Ge smokes, drinks, and enjoys small gambling, but he reads extensively and never boasts or shows off, requiring himself to read 200,000 words every week.
He writes beautifully but always feels his writing isn’t good enough. He placed a wooden table in the living room, reads and practices calligraphy every day, and annually copies the “Analects” twice using small script. Their life is also flavorful: they brew their own grape wine and make homemade pickles. Both husband and wife love tasting tea. His wife also cooks deliciously, hosting friends with home-style banquets that are especially warm. The other day, when I went to eat at his home, his wife served a plate of pickled garlic, and the friends kept asking for more. He proudly said, “This is what she learned in Xi’an.”
The quietness of Lao Ge and his wife includes more worldly details and more human affection.
I also know a female writer who has columns in several newspapers, and her articles are often seen in many major publications. She uses a beautiful pen name, has many fans, but the people around her don’t know that it’s her. She quietly compiles articles, writes, takes walks by the lake at noon, sits alone reading books, and travels alone when she has time.
Recently, on a weekend, she flew to Shanghai just to watch a live-action version of “The Peony Pavilion” in Zhujiajiao. She wears only cotton and linen clothes and flat shoes all year round, has long hair down to her waist, doesn’t dye or perm it; likes reading, listening to records, coffee, red wine… This quiet woman doesn’t flaunt, doesn’t make noise, and lives a low-key, ordinary life.
The dictionary says: “An” means stable, and also to feel satisfied or appropriate about life and work.
“Jing” means stable and immovable, without sound.
Combined, “anquiet” means steady and calm. Being able to be a person with a peaceful heart and calm mind is a happy thing.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
