The Light Gap · Season 3
Chapter 1: News from Beyond the Mountains
That spring, Lin Xiao received a letter from a remote mountain area. The handwriting on the envelope was crooked, but the paper inside was neatly folded:
"Sister Lin Xiao, my name is Ah Hua, and I live in the mountains. Our teacher says many of us students often stare blankly and don't like to talk, but grown-ups always say, 'What troubles could children possibly have?'… After reading the Light Gap Collection you sent us, I realized this might not just be mischief—we also want someone to listen to what's on our minds…"
The letter was sent by a volunteer teacher at the county middle school, along with a few photos: in a simple classroom, children sat at worn-out desks, their eyes holding an indescribable sense of confusion. Lin Xiao stared at the letter for a long time, then discussed with her friends from the "Light Gap" team and decided to expand their charity work to remote areas, naming the initiative the "Light Gap Goes to the Mountains" project.
Su Yang volunteered to go with her: "I've been to mountain areas before when I was starting my business—I know the roads well. Plus, we can bring sunflower seeds from the farm and let the kids plant them themselves, like sowing seeds of hope."
Chapter 2: Sunflowers in the Classroom
After more than ten hours of bumpy travel, Lin Xiao and her group finally arrived. The shabby school gate bore a sign that read "Hope Middle School," and the volunteer teacher was already waiting at the entrance with the children. Leading the group was Ah Hua, the girl who had written the letter—a small, thin child with unusually bright eyes.
The first lecture was held in the school auditorium. Instead of focusing on technical jargon, Lin Xiao started with her own story and shared The Seam of Light notebook with everyone. When she said, "Being ill is not a mistake, and asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of," a little boy suddenly stood up from the audience: "Teacher, I always feel tight in my chest and can't sleep at night—am I sick too?"
Lin Xiao walked over and gently touched his head: "We can go see a doctor. Just like you take medicine when you have a cold, things will get better slowly."
After the lecture, everyone helped the children plant sunflower seeds in an open area on campus. Ah Hua squatted down and carefully buried a seed in the soil: "Sister Lin Xiao, when the flowers bloom, does that mean the 'little dark clouds' in our hearts have cleared away?"
"Not exactly cleared away—we learn to live with them," Lin Xiao smiled. "Like sunflowers, they face wind and rain too, but they always turn toward the sun."
They also set up a "Light Gap Mailbox" at the school and arranged for psychologists to provide support both online and offline on a regular basis. Xia Xia even volunteered to teach at the school one week each month: "Sister Lin helped me back then—now I want to do something for these kids."
Chapter 3: The "Sunshine Station" on Campus
Word of the "Light Gap Goes to the Mountains" project spread quickly, and many urban schools invited the team to hold activities. After discussion, Lin Xiao and her group decided to establish "Sunshine Stations" in schools—spaces that serve as both counseling rooms and safe havens where children can share their thoughts.
The first "Sunshine Station" was set up at the high school where Xiao Tang studied. Teacher Zhou specially gave up her office, decorating it to feel warm and welcoming: the walls were covered with sunflower paintings by the students, and potted plants they had grown together sat on the desks.
Xiao Tang was now a senior three student. She had become a volunteer at the "Sunshine Station" and even founded a mental health support club: "Sister Lin Xiao helped me before, and now I want to help more classmates." Club members organized regular activities like handicrafts and gardening, and they wrote short essays about their stories, compiling them into a school magazine called Traces of Light.
The day before the college entrance exam, Lin Xiao visited Xiao Tang specially and brought her a new straw hat woven by Grandma: "Don't be nervous. Just like planting sunflowers—you've already buried the seeds in the soil; now all you need to do is wait for them to bloom."
When the exam results came out, Xiao Tang had earned excellent scores. She hugged Lin Xiao and cried: "Sister, you made me realize I'm not fighting alone. I want to study psychology, so I can help more people out of trouble, just like Dr. Chen and you."
Chapter 4: Light That Never Fades
That autumn, the sunflowers at the mountain school bloomed. Ah Hua sent photos specially—in them, golden fields of flowers shone brightly against the blue sky and white clouds, and the children stood in the fields with brilliant smiles. On the back of one photo was written: "Sister Lin Xiao, our sunflowers have bloomed! You said the sun would always find its way in—and we believe you now!"
By this time, the "Light Gap" charity brand had established "Sunshine Stations" in more than ten provinces and cities across the country, helping thousands of people struggling with mental health issues. Lin Xiao and her team also launched the "Light Gap Together" program, inviting recovered patients, psychologists, and volunteers to support those in need.
At that year's "Light Gap Sharing Session," Lin Xiao stood in the sunflower field and looked out at the familiar faces in the crowd—Su Yang, Grandma, her parents, Xiao Tang, Xia Xia, Ah Hua… and many more friends she had never met but who had been connected through "Light Gap." She smiled and said:
"At first, I thought I was just looking for light to shine into my own heart. Later, I realized that when we're willing to share our own light, it gathers into an even brighter sea of light."
At the end of the event, everyone planted new seeds together. As the wind blew, the freshly buried seeds seemed to tremble slightly in the soil—like every heart that yearns to be illuminated, and to illuminate others.
Final Message: Depression is a long journey. Some walk alone in darkness, some struggle in hardship—but please believe, you are never truly alone. Like sunflowers that grow toward the sun despite wind and rain, or like the "light gap" that lets sunshine stream through even the narrowest opening—we can brighten our own paths and warm the hearts of others.
May everyone facing difficulties find their own "light gap"; may every tiny beam of light gather to become a force that lights up the world.