Fontaine, this water city, is like a quietly flowing river, winding around the hillside, passing through the village, and finally flowing into the sea. City life is so ordinary and delicate, like the river in my hometown, with the smell of soil and the temperature of nostalgia.
I, a foreigner, came here with the task of “daily commission”. Four tasks, like four wooden stakes, are driven into the land of this city to support its survival and order.
The first task is to help the researcher find the device that was washed away by the water. The water flow is the lifeblood of Fontaine, and it slowly washes the foundation of the city. If the device cannot be repaired, the water supply of the entire city will be threatened. The researcher is like an old farmer guarding his own field, with anxiety and reluctance in his eyes. I squatted by the water, touching the water with my hands, it was icy cold, but it also made me feel the pulse of this city. Water is life, land, and the simplest hope of this city.
The second task is to deliver the documents to the court. The building of the court is made of gray bricks and stones, heavy and solemn, just like the ancestral temple at the entrance of the village. The law here is not only a set of rules and regulations, but also a silent watch. The document is like a family letter, carrying the hope of justice and order. I looked at the judge, his face was wrinkled, but his eyes were clear, like an old tree, which has experienced wind and rain but still stands tall.
Complete the task and improve your reputation. Reputation is like word of mouth between neighbors, slowly accumulating, like the old well at the head of the village, the more you use it, the clearer it becomes. It is not only an honor, but also a trust, and it is the city’s recognition of travelers.
The next task is to drive away those phantoms, as if driving away the pests in the fields and protecting the tranquility of this land. Every action is like a farmer busy in the field, hard but full of hope.
The daily life of Fontaine is composed of these trivial but real labors. It is not as noisy as a big city, but it has a heavy atmosphere of life. People here use their ordinary hands to hold up the future of this city.
The traveler is also a part of this land. Although he comes from afar, he has integrated this calmness and tenacity. Every time he completes a daily commission, he is like cultivating a field, and the harvest is not only material, but also spiritual abundance.
Fontaine is not the end of the story, but the beginning, the starting point of life. There is no gorgeous rhetoric here, only the smell of soil and sweat. It is this simplicity that makes people feel the true meaning of life.
I saw the soul of a city here, and I also saw the persistence of every ordinary person. Those daily commissions seem ordinary, but they carry the eternal hope and warmth of this city.