An aging writer living in seclusion realizes that true greatness lies in the simple things he once overlooked.
Winter in the old palace
那年冬天，寒风。
That winter, the cold wind cut to the bone.
李老师在老宫殿里缓慢地备课。
Teacher Li slowly prepared his lessons in the old palace.
Teacher Li
这些学生，寥寥无几。
These students, so very few.
Teacher Li
他们的见识，让我感触很深。
Your insight moves me deeply.
他想起了当日在贵宾席上的演讲。
He recalled the speech he gave from the seat of honor that day.
Product of desire
Teacher Li
那些文章，不过是欲望的。
Those articles were nothing but the product of desire.
他觉得自己无情无义，总在取笑别人。
He felt himself heartless and unfeeling, always mocking others.
Teacher Li
这太不像话了！
This is outrageous!
他渴望一种的品格。
He longed for a noble character.
但那似乎限于极少数人。
But that seemed limited to a very few people.
An unexpected turning point
发生在一个晚间。
The turning point came one evening.
一个学生来信，念念不忘老师的。
A student wrote, never forgetting the teacher's parting words.
Student
老师，您当年的话，我从未介意。
Teacher, your words back then, I never minded them.
Student
但您说要瞄准的目标。
But you said we must aim for a sacred goal.
李老师愣住了，粉笔从手中滑落。
Teacher Li was stunned, the chalk slipping from his hand.
The simple core
Teacher Li
原来，就在里。
So it turns out, the sacred lies right in the core.
那不是宫殿，不是贵宾，不是张灯结彩。
Not the palace, not the honored guests, not the dazzling lanterns and decorations.
而是他对学生的点滴关怀。
But his small acts of care for his students.
他明白了，依存于平凡。
He understood that the lofty resides within the ordinary.
寒冬里，他感到了的温暖。
In the cold winter, he felt a warmth he had never known before.