61: Chapter 61 Joyful Resonance
Early the next morning, Margaret pushed open the restaurant door and found Lin Feng already squatting under the old locust tree.
He wasn't in his usual spot—he had moved slightly, squatting on the thickest protrusion of the tree roots. That part of the root was like a natural chair, just right for him to lean his back against.
"Changed spots?"
Lin Feng nodded.
Margaret walked over with her coffee, squatted beside him, and followed his gaze.
The church spire was tinged with pale gold in the morning light, people were already starting to move about on the main street, Chris was leading several new students into the farm entrance, the bar's sign was still glowing in the fading darkness, and a line had formed in front of the newly opened Coffee Shop.
"What are you looking at?"
Lin Feng said, "Watching how they move."
Margaret was silent for a moment and took a sip of her coffee.
"Do you remember what those people said yesterday?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Which part?"
Margaret said, "The part where they said, 'Whether you sign or not, we're following you.'"
Lin Feng didn't answer.
Margaret continued, "I didn't use to believe words like that. I've seen too many people in my life who talk a good game but run faster than anyone when trouble actually hits. But in that moment yesterday, I believed it."
Lin Feng turned his head to look at her.
Margaret smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes bunching together. "Because I said it too."
---
Alex was catching up on sleep when he received the first instruction.
Last night's party had been too wild; he had slept from two in the morning until noon on a church bench, covered by Rachel's jacket. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting a patch of red and green light across his face.
By the time Yuki shook him awake, the sun was already high in the sky.
"What's wrong?"
Yuki handed him a note. Her fingers were long, her nails trimmed short, and her action of handing over the note was as crisp and efficient as ever.
[Notify all towns. 3 PM today, go live simultaneously.]
Alex was stunned. "What synchronization?"
He rubbed his eyes and stared at the note for three seconds, his mind not yet fully awake. How many drinks had he had last night? Five? Eight? He couldn't remember.
Yuki handed him another one; this time, the writing on the note was larger than usual:
[Happiness Resonance. The first time.]
Alex stared at those four words, stunned for three seconds.
Then he suddenly bolted up from the bench, startling Rachel beside him.
"What time is it?!"
Rachel glanced at her phone. "Two-fifteen."
Alex grabbed his jacket and rushed out, shouting as he ran:
"Yuki! Give me the contact list! Fast!"
The corners of Yuki's mouth curled up slightly as she followed him out. She had been prepared for a long time.
---
From 2:15 PM to 2:55 PM, Alex made forty-seven phone calls.
His voice went from clear to hoarse, and from hoarse to a raspy croak, until finally, he could barely make a sound.
But all one hundred towns had been notified.
In Millfield, Ohio, Dave was watering mushrooms when he received the call.
"Three in the afternoon? For what?"
Alex shouted on the other end, "Look up at the sky!"
Dave was stunned. "Look at what?"
Alex said, "I don't know! Just look!"
Dave wanted to ask more, but the call had already disconnected.
In Carbon, West Virginia, Tom was editing a video when he received the call.
"Look up at the sky?" He looked at the time on his screen—2:47 PM. "In thirteen minutes?"
The other end of the line was already a busy signal.
In Coal Creek, Kentucky, a group of old miners was basking in the sun in front of the church. The call went to the town's only landline, answered by the old man who had once asked, "What's the point of living, after all?"
After listening, he put down the phone and said to the other old men:
"At three o'clock, look up."
Someone asked, "Why?"
The old man said, "Don't know. But that Chinese man told us to."
In Mill Town, Pennsylvania, Edna was making lunch in the kitchen when she received the call.
She turned off the gas, walked into the yard, and looked up at the sky.
The sky was very blue. A few clouds drifted slowly.
She said softly, "Old man, at three o'clock, you look up too."
---
At 2:55 PM, the contacts for the hundred towns simultaneously received one last message from Yuki.
The content was just one sentence:
[In three minutes, please everyone put down what you're doing and look up at the sky.]
After sending the message, Yuki put down her phone, walked out of the church to the old locust tree, and squatted down beside Lin Feng.
Lin Feng turned his head to glance at her.
Yuki didn't speak; she just pointed at the sent time on her phone screen—14:55.
Five minutes left.
---
Millfield, Ohio.
Dave stood at the town entrance, shouting to the over four hundred people there:
"Three minutes! Look up at the sky!"
Someone asked, "Look at what?"
Dave said, "I don't know. Just look."
Over four hundred people—some putting down farm tools, some walking out of their houses, some holding children, some supporting the elderly. They stood on the main street, in yards, and at the edge of farms, craning their necks to look at the sky above.
A little girl pulled at her mother's hem. "Mommy, what are we looking at?"
The mother squatted down and hugged her. "Look at the sky. Just look."
---
Carbon, West Virginia.
George wasn't there; he was still at Xinfeng Town and hadn't returned. But his son, Tom, held up his camera and shouted to the over eighty people:
"Three minutes! Look up!"
Over eighty people—old miners, their wives, and a few recently returned young people. They stood on the dilapidated main street at the town entrance, craning their necks and squinting.
Tom aimed his lens at them, finger on the shutter, ready to capture that moment.
He didn't know what he would capture.
But he knew that if Lin Feng asked them to do something, there must be a reason.
---
Coal Creek, Kentucky.
The group of old miners supported each other, standing by the edge of the mine pit. The oldest was eighty-seven, and his legs were no longer steady, but he insisted on coming.
"Why come here of all places?" someone asked him.
The old man pointed beneath his feet. "My brothers who died have been buried here for forty years. When I look up, I want them to see too."
The others also stood in a line, craning their necks to look at the blue sky above.
The eighty-seven-year-old man squinted, his lips moving, though he didn't speak.
But in his heart, he was saying: Brothers, look. The sky is still the same sky.
---
Mill Town, Pennsylvania.
Edna leaned on her cane, standing at the church door. The church's bell tower had long been unusable, but every time she stood here, it was as if she could hear the bells.
She craned her neck, squinting at the blue sky above.
Clouds drifted slowly, and the sun was a bit dazzling.
She said softly, "Old man, can you see it?"
No one answered.
But she felt someone pat her shoulder.
---
That new town in Tennessee.
People walked out of farms, out of houses, stopped by the roadside, and gathered from every corner into the open space in the town center.
A young woman held an infant; the baby was still sleeping, its small face buried in its mother's embrace.
Beside her stood an old man with completely white hair, clutching a cane.
Next to him was a teenage boy who had just returned from school, his backpack not yet put down.
They stood together, heads tilted back.
No one spoke.
But everyone knew that at this moment, they were doing the same thing.
---
Starry Sky Town.
The people living deep in the mountains stood by the edge of that massive mine pit. The pit was very, very deep—so deep that even in daylight, the bottom couldn't be seen.
But they tilted their heads back, looking at the small patch of sky at the mouth of the pit.
That patch of sky was tiny, only as large as the opening of a well.
But it was very blue.
An old lady stood at the very front—the same old lady for whom Lin Feng had carved the name "Jack."
She tilted her head back, her lips moving silently.
But the people beside her knew she was calling out that person's name.
---
Xinfeng Town.
George stood at the farm entrance, fists clenched, his whole body tense.
Edna wasn't there, but George could almost see her leaning on her cane by the church door.
Mike stood at the bar entrance, forgetting to put down the rag in his hand.
Sam held his guitar, fingers resting on the strings, but he didn't pluck them.
Jenny squatted at the church door, those letters spread out before her, one by one, arranged neatly.
Chris stood in the farm, still holding the watering hose; the water was still flowing, but he had forgotten about it.
Alex and Rachel stood by the church; Alex gripped Rachel's hand, holding it very tightly.
Tony stood on the other side of the old locust tree, no book in his hand. He tilted his head back, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Yuki squatted beside Lin Feng, her eyes closed.
Margaret squatted on Lin Feng's other side, her eyes also closed.
Lin Feng squatted in the middle, head tilted back, eyes squinting.
And then there were those who had come from other towns—those who came to learn, to help, to give thanks, or to stay—they stood on the main street, in front of the church, at the bar entrance, and by the farm, heads tilted back.
Over six hundred people, standing quietly, waiting for that moment.
---
Three o'clock sharp.
Nothing happened.
The sun was still the same sun, the clouds were still those few clouds, and the wind still blew gently, rustling the leaves of the old locust tree.
Someone muttered softly, "What are we looking at?"
Before the words could fully land, the person suddenly froze.
A surge of warmth filled his chest; it was light and faint, like someone gently patting his heart, or like a stream of warm water flowing through.
It wasn't pain. It was warmth. It was the kind of warmth felt when taking the first sip of hot soup in the dead of winter.
He was stunned.
That warmth didn't stop. It slowly spread from his chest to his shoulders, his arms, and his fingers. His fingertips began to tingle—not the sting of a needle, but a soft, tender tingling that made one want to cry.
He turned to look at the person next to him; that person was also looking at him, eyes rimmed with red.
"You felt it?"
"I felt it."
Both of them smiled at the same time, and as they smiled, tears fell.
---
Millfield, Ohio.
Dave clutched his chest, tears suddenly falling.
He didn't know why he was crying. There was nothing distressing, nothing sad, but he just cried.
The little girl beside him pulled at her mother's hem. "Mommy, why are you crying?"
The mother squatted down and hugged her, her voice trembling:
"Mommy doesn't know either. But Mommy is so happy."
The little girl stared at her mother's face for three seconds, then reached out her small hand to wipe away her mother's tears.
"If Mommy is happy, then I'm happy too."
---
Carbon, West Virginia.
Tom held up his camera; in the lens, half of those eighty-plus people were crying, half were laughing, and a few were doing both at once.
His hands were shaking. The lens was wobbling badly, but he didn't stop.
He captured an old man, in his nineties, who had come in a wheelchair. The old man usually didn't talk much anymore and his eyesight was poor, but at this moment, he held his head high, and there was actually light in his cloudy eyes.
That light flickered like stars.
Tom's tears fell as well. But he didn't put down the camera.
He had to capture this. He had to let everyone see.
---
Coal Creek, Kentucky.
The group of old miners looked at each other; no one spoke.
But everyone's eyes were sparkling. Those eyes, which had been soaked in the darkness of the mines for forty years, were now strikingly bright, as if they had been washed clean.
The eighty-seven-year-old man's lips trembled as he finally spoke those words:
"They... are here."
The people beside him didn't ask "who they were."
They all knew. Those brothers who had died in the pits, those who had been gone for decades, those whose names were almost forgotten—they were here.
Within that surge of warmth.
---
Mill Town, Pennsylvania.
Edna leaned against the church doorframe, her whole body trembling.
When that warmth spread from her chest, she heard a voice.
It wasn't heard with her ears, but with her heart.
That voice said, "I see it."
Edna's tears came pouring down.
She said to the sky, "Old man, what do you see?"
The voice rang out again: "I see you. I see them. I see this town."
Edna covered her mouth, crying like a child.
But she was smiling.
---
That new town in Tennessee.
People embraced; it was unclear who started crying first, but eventually, everyone was in tears.
The young mother holding the infant looked down at her child. The baby woke up, opened its eyes, looked at her, and suddenly smiled.
The baby couldn't speak. But that smile was louder than any words.
The old man beside her reached out and gently touched the baby's face. His hand was shaking, but his movement was very light.
"This child," he said, "will they know about today in the future?"
The young mother looked up, her tears still flowing, but she smiled:
[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]
"Yes. I will tell him."
Starry Sky Town.
The group of people stood on the edge of the deep pit, looking up at the small patch of sky above.
When that warmth spread from their chests, the old woman named Jack suddenly squatted down, covered her face with both hands, and sobbed until she was trembling all over.
The people around her were at a loss.
But after a while, the old woman stood up, pointed to the bottom of the pit, and said:
"He went down."
The people nearby were stunned: "Who?"
The old woman said: "Jack. He went down. He said it's not as dark down there anymore."
Everyone looked toward the bottom of the pit. They couldn't see anything, only darkness.
But at that moment, everyone felt that the darkness seemed to have faded a little.
Xinfeng Town.
George stood at the entrance of the farm, trembling all over.
When that warmth spread from his chest, he felt someone pat his shoulder.
He turned around abruptly, but there was no one behind him.
But he knew who it was. That old partner with whom he had dug coal for forty years, the one who had passed away five years ago.
George's tears flowed down. But he smiled.
Mike stood at the entrance of the bar, the rag in his hand falling to the ground. He didn't pick it up.
He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and felt someone say in his ear:
"The wine is not bad."
Mike was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
That wine was something he brewed himself, and no one had ever praised it. But the voice just now felt truer than any compliment.
Sam held his guitar, his fingers resting on the strings without strumming.
But he felt it. Those who had heard him sing, those who had been moved to tears by his songs, those who had listened to a song with a smile—they were there.
In that warmth in his chest.
Jenny squatted at the entrance of the church, the letters spread out in front of her.
She touched them one by one, and with every letter, she could feel the person who wrote it. Some were laughing, some were crying, some were just sitting quietly.
But they were all in this warmth.
Chris stood on the farm, the hose in his hand still running, but he had forgotten to turn it off.
He looked at the mushrooms and felt they were whiter than before. Each mushroom seemed alive, all of them breathing.
Alex and Rachel hugged each other, neither speaking.
But they both felt the other's heartbeat. Beat by beat, synchronized with that warmth.
Tony looked up, the corners of his mouth curling up.
He whispered: "So that's how it is."
So this is why people live—not for themselves. It is for this moment. To be able to feel others, and to be felt by others.
Yuki squatted beside Lin Feng, her head buried in her knees, her shoulders heaving.
She hadn't liked to speak since she was three, because no one listened even if she did. But at this moment, she felt it—someone was listening. Not with their ears, but with their heart.
Margaret squatted on the other side of Lin Feng, eyes closed.
She felt someone touching her hair. The hand was rough, with the feel of calluses, the hand of someone who had dug coal all their life.
She didn't open her eyes. She knew who it was.
Lin Feng squatted in the middle, eyes closed.
He wasn't thinking about anything.
He was just feeling.
That warmth, spreading from his chest, flowing to his limbs, his fingertips, and the soles of his feet.
It didn't belong to just one person.
It belonged to a hundred towns.
It was felt by thousands of people at the same time.
He felt George squatting on the farm, felt Edna leaning against the church entrance, felt Mike standing at the bar door, felt Sam playing the guitar, felt Jenny touching the letters, felt Chris watering the plants, felt Alex and Rachel trembling, felt Tony smiling, and felt Yuki crying.
He also felt those he had never met—those in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Starry Sky Town.
Thousands of people, at the same moment, feeling the same warmth.
The corners of Lin Feng's mouth curled up.
Three minutes later, the warmth slowly receded.
Like the tide, coming and going. Like the wind, blowing and stopping.
But everyone knew it was still there. It was just hidden. Hidden in the deepest part of the heart, hidden in every heartbeat.
In Millfield, Ohio, Dave wiped away his tears and shouted to the four hundred-plus people:
"What... was that just now?"
No one could answer. But everyone smiled.
That kind of smile was different from usual. It was the kind of smile that rippled from the bottom of the heart, the kind of smile that couldn't be held back.
In Carbon, West Virginia, Tom put down his camera and found his hands were still shaking.
He looked at the faces of the people in the lens—crying, laughing, crying and laughing at the same time—and suddenly understood why Lin Feng always said, "It's not me, it's them."
Because the faces of these people were more beautiful than any movie.
In Coal Creek, Kentucky, an old miner grabbed Tony's hand:
"That Chinese guy of yours... how did he do it?"
Tony thought for a moment and said:
"He didn't do it. We did it ourselves."
The old miner was stunned.
Tony continued: "He was just squatting to the side. It was we ourselves who made all this happen."
In Mill Town, Pennsylvania, Edna said a sentence to the sky:
"Old man, did you see that? We are not alone."
The wind blew, and the old tree at the church entrance shook its leaves.
Edna felt that was the answer.
In that new town in Tennessee, people started to sing.
It wasn't a song Sam taught them, but one they made up themselves, a messy tune with improvised lyrics, but everyone sang along.
The young mother holding her baby had the loudest voice.
The child in her arms was also humming along, babbling.
The people in Starry Sky Town sat on the edge of the deep pit, looking at the sky above.
Someone whispered:
"This pit doesn't seem so dark anymore."
The person next to them nodded.
Another said: "We can come here often from now on."
Yet another said: "We can bring others here."
The old woman named Jack sat in the front, looking at the bottom of the pit.
She whispered: "Jack, you wait. I will come again."
Xinfeng Town.
George squatted on the farm, cupping a mushroom in his hands, looking at it for a long time.
He brought the mushroom to his nose and sniffed. It smelled of soil, of water, and a little bit of something indescribable.
He smiled. That was the scent of happiness.
Mike picked up the rag and continued to wipe the bar. But his hands were shaking, and he was wiping much slower than usual. He wasn't in a hurry. After all, the wine was there, the glasses were there, and the bar was there.
Sam finally played a note. It was that song, "Dandelion Song," the melody light and slow, different from usual.
As he played, he noticed someone humming along. He turned to look and saw those old men who had come from Kentucky.
Jenny packed up the letters, putting them away one by one. She did it very slowly, and with every letter she put away, she gently brushed her fingers over the paper.
After placing the last one, she looked up at the stained glass of the church. Sunlight shone through the glass, casting a patch of colorful light on her face.
Chris finally remembered to turn off the hose. He squatted down, looked at the mushrooms, and touched them one by one.
"You're here too, right?" he whispered.
The mushrooms didn't answer. But Chris felt them move.
Alex and Rachel let go of each other. Alex wiped his face, and Rachel smiled.
Alex said: "I think... I understand a little bit."
Rachel asked: "Understand what?"
Alex said: "Understand why we are here."
Tony picked up the book and flipped to the title page. He took out a pen and wrote a line on the blank space:
[On a certain day in 2026, I learned what Happiness Resonance is.]
After writing it, he looked at the line and added another sentence:
[Truer than anything written in books.]
Yuki looked up. There were still tear stains on her face, but the corners of her mouth were curled up.
She opened her laptop and started to write—writing about what she felt at that moment.
Writing about those people in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Starry Sky Town.
Writing about the warmth that spread from her chest.
Writing about how, for the first time since she was three, she felt that someone was truly listening.
Writing about how she wanted to keep writing in the future.
Lin Feng opened his eyes. Margaret was watching him from the side.
Neither of them spoke. After a long time, Margaret spoke:
"Lin Feng, just now..."
Lin Feng nodded.
Margaret said: "I felt George. He was on the farm, squatting, cupping a mushroom."
Lin Feng nodded again.
Margaret said: "I also felt Edna. She was at the church entrance, talking to the sky."
Lin Feng nodded again.
Margaret's eyes reddened:
"I also felt my old man."
Lin Feng turned to look at her.
Margaret said: "He was smiling. He touched my hair. His hand was still so rough."
Lin Feng was silent for three seconds.
Then he reached out and patted Margaret's shoulder.
"That's good."
Margaret lowered her head and wiped away her tears.
When she looked up again, she was smiling.
That night, Yuki organized the feedback from the hundred towns into a report.
A thick stack, printed out and piled on the church altar.
George walked over and picked up the top page.
Millfield, Ohio:
[We felt it. We don't know what it is, but we felt it. Dave cried, and half of the four hundred-plus people cried. But after crying, everyone was smiling.]
Carbon, West Virginia:
[Some said their chests felt warm, some said they wanted to cry, some said they wanted to laugh. I felt all three. Tom's hands are still shaking, he can barely hold his camera. But he said he captured the best footage.]
Coal Creek, Kentucky:
[That group of old miners cried for half an hour. They said they had never experienced anything like this in their lives. The oldest one, eighty-seven years old, said he felt that his brothers who had passed away had come back.]
Mill Town, Pennsylvania:
[Edna said her old man came to see her. We didn't believe it, but she was smiling so happily. That was enough.]
That new town in Tennessee:
[We sang for the whole afternoon. We had never sung like this before. The young mother holding her child sang until her voice was hoarse. But she said she would sing again tomorrow.]
Starry Sky Town:
[The pit isn't so dark anymore. Old woman Jack said her man went down and said it's not as dark down there. We don't know if it's true, but we believe it.]
Xinfeng Town page, written by Yuki herself:
[George cupped the mushroom for the whole afternoon. Mike's rag fell to the ground and hasn't been picked up yet. Sam finally played that song. Jenny put the letters away, having touched every single one. Chris watered the mushrooms and then talked to them. Alex and Rachel hugged and cried. Tony wrote in the book.]
The last line, written by Yuki in red pen:
[Lin Feng squatted under the old locust tree, not saying anything. But we all felt it. He was there too.]
Lin Feng finished reading the report, folded the last page, and tucked it into his pocket.
Margaret asked: "Why are you keeping it?"
Lin Feng said: "To keep."
Margaret smiled.
She looked at the people in the distance—George was still on the farm, Mike was still wiping the bar, Sam was still playing the guitar, Jenny was still organizing letters, Chris was still watering, Alex and Rachel were still typing on the computer, Tony was still reading, and Yuki was still typing on the keyboard.
She whispered:
"Lin Feng, you know, these people before..."
Lin Feng interrupted her:
"I know."
Margaret looked at him:
"Then what do you plan to do in the future?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said:
"Keep squatting."
Margaret was stunned for a moment.
Lin Feng pointed to the people:
"When they move, I'll squat and watch. When they don't move, I'll squat and wait."
He stood up and brushed off his backside:
"Anyway, there's someone to keep me company."
Margaret watched his back as he walked toward the church and smiled.
The leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the wind, as if answering something.
[Chapter 61 End]