Old Mr. Zhang didn't make a sound at first. After clearing his throat, he said:
"Go to the drawer in my bedroom and take out a red notebook."
Daliang went in, rummaged around for a bit, and pulled out an old-style red notebook. On its cover were ink-printed black words: Diary Book, 1965.
Old Mr. Zhang said: "Turn to the first bookmark and read it aloud."
Daliang, half-believing and half-doubting, read it out loud:
"Today, my son and I were sitting in front of the door basking in the sun, with me holding him. He saw a sparrow fly down and look for food in front of us; he stared at the sparrow and kept asking me: what is that? I answered: a sparrow.
He stayed in my arms like this, looking at the sparrow seriously and asked me more than ten times, and I replied carefully every time: a sparrow."
Daliang suddenly became choked up. At this moment, the radio played a strummed guitar tune with lyrics:
Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?
Would you hold my hand if I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand if I saw you in heaven?