44: Chapter 44 Four Hundred and Thirty-Two People

At 6:00 AM the next day, Lin Feng was already squatting at the entrance of the small restaurant.

When Margaret came out to open the door, she nearly tripped over him.

"Mr. Lin?! What are you doing here so early?"

Lin Feng, holding a straw in his mouth, looked up at her: "Waiting for someone."

Margaret was stunned for a moment: "Waiting for whom?"

Lin Feng said: "Waiting for those four hundred and thirty-two people."

At 9:00 AM, the small church in town was packed with people.

Four hundred and thirty-two people, not one more, not one less.

There were old men leaning on canes, grandmothers holding their granddaughters, veterans in wheelchairs, old miners who had worked in the mines their whole lives, and a few young people—the only ones left in town who hadn't moved away.

They looked at the young man squatting on the stage with complicated expressions.

Someone whispered: "Is this the guy from the fried chicken shop?"

Another said: "He doesn't look like a rich person; his shoes are even coming apart at the seams."

Yet another said: "What can he do? Even God can't save this place of ours."

Lin Feng heard them, but he wasn't angry.

He stood up, walked to the front of the stage, and looked at the four hundred and thirty-two people below.

He was silent for three seconds.

Then he spoke: "My name is Lin Feng. I'm Chinese. I run a fried chicken shop."

Someone below laughed.

Lin Feng continued: "Before I came, Margaret wrote me a letter saying that there were four hundred and thirty-two people here who wanted to smile."

He paused: "I'm here today to see if you can still smile."

Silence fell below.

Lin Feng pointed to the dilapidated main street outside: "I just took a walk around. The shops are closed, the school is closed, the church is falling apart, and the coal mine has been gone for a long time. Almost all the young people have left; the only ones remaining are those who can't leave."

He looked at the people below, speaking clearly and deliberately: "If you don't smile, I understand."

Then he squatted down at the front of the stage, making eye level with the old man in the front row: "But I also see that you want to smile."

The old man was stunned.

Lin Feng said: "If you didn't want to smile, Margaret wouldn't have written to me. If you didn't want to smile, so many people wouldn't have come today."

He stood up and said to everyone: "So, let's give it a try."

Someone asked: "Try what?"

Lin Feng said: "Try to make this town come back to life."

Someone else asked: "How do we bring it to life?"

Lin Feng pointed to the seven people behind him: "They have a way."

The seven people stepped forward.

Alex spoke first: "I study technology. I can help the town build a website so people outside know about this place."

Rachel was second: "I study architecture. I can design new houses, fix the broken ones, and make use of the empty ones."

Tony was third: "I study philosophy. I can... uh... help you think through problems."

Someone laughed below: "What's the use of thinking through problems?"

Tony said seriously: "It's useful. Once you think things through, you won't feel so bad."

Sam was fourth: "I'm a singer. I can teach you how to sing."

Jenny was fifth: "I'm a psychologist. I can listen to you talk."

Chris was sixth: "I work with machinery. I can turn those abandoned machines into useful things."

Yuki was the last one. She didn't speak but held up a note: [I can help you connect with people outside. The kind that doesn't require talking.]

It was quiet below for three seconds. Then someone laughed. Then a second, a third, a fourth. The laughter spread slowly like ripples in water.

Margaret stood in the corner, her eyes reddening.

Lin Feng waited for them to finish laughing, then spoke again: "But there is one condition."

Everyone looked at him.

Lin Feng said: "I'm not here to help you. I'm here to work with you."

He pointed to the sign that read "Still Open": "You opened this restaurant and didn't close it. You stayed in this town and didn't leave. You wrote letters to over a hundred wealthy people, and only I replied."

He paused: "You are much stronger than I thought."

Silence fell below. Then an old man leaning on a cane stood up and asked: "Mr. Lin, what do you want us to do?"

Lin Feng smiled. He pointed to the abandoned coal mine outside the window: "Turn that into a place that makes people smile."

That night, not one of the four hundred and thirty-two people left. They stayed in the church, surrounding the seven people, and talked all night long.

Some asked Alex how to build a website. Some asked Rachel how to renovate houses. Some asked Sam how to sing. Some asked Jenny if they could share their inner thoughts. Some asked Chris how to fix machines. Some surrounded Yuki, watching her type.

Tony sat in a corner, chatting with an old miner. The old miner asked him: "What do you study?" Tony said: "Philosophy." The old miner didn't understand: "What's that for?" Tony thought for a moment and said seriously: "It's about studying why people need to live."

The old miner was stunned. Then he laughed. "I've been digging coal for fifty years and never knew there was such a field of study." Tony also laughed. "Shall I tell you about it?"

At 4:00 AM, Lin Feng was squatting alone at the entrance of the restaurant. Margaret walked out carrying two cups of coffee, handed him one, and then squatted down beside him.

"Mr. Lin." Lin Feng took the coffee: "Just call me Lin Feng."

Margaret nodded: "Lin Feng, do you really think this town can come back to life?"

Lin Feng looked at the dilapidated houses across the street and was silent for a long time. Then he said: "Margaret, do you know why I replied to your letter?"

Margaret shook her head. Lin Feng said: "Because you wrote two words in your letter—'Help'."

He turned his head to look at her: "I've seen many people who don't make a sound when they're miserable, who bottle it up when they're sad, and won't call for help even when they're dying. But you called."

Margaret was stunned. Lin Feng continued: "If you call, someone will hear. If they hear, they will come."

He looked at the skyline slowly brightening in the distance: "You called one hundred and twenty-seven times, and only I heard. But that doesn't matter. I heard, so I came."

Margaret's eyes reddened. Lin Feng stood up and brushed off his pants: "Let's go, it's time to work."

When the sun rose, the four hundred and thirty-two people stood at the entrance of the church. The sunlight shone on their faces and on that old, worn-out sign.

Lin Feng stood at the very front and said to everyone: "Starting today, this town is changing its name."

Margaret was stunned: "Change it to what?" Lin Feng smiled. "Call it Xinfeng Town."

[Chapter 44 End]