"Light Seam" · Continuation of Light
New Serial: The Spread of Light
Chapter 10: Prejudice in the Mountains
When the "Light Seam" team planned to extend the psychological crisis intervention network to remote mountainous areas, they encountered a new challenge—deep-seated prejudice among local people.
One day, when Aze and Xiaohang were promoting mental health knowledge in a mountain village, they met Uncle Wang, who was sitting at the entrance of his house smoking a dry pipe. Upon hearing they were there to "treat mental illness," he waved his hand dismissively: "What mental illness? Kids these days just want to be lazy! My grandson locks himself in his room all day, not studying or working—his parents say he's 'sick,' but I think he's just being difficult!"
It turned out Uncle Wang's grandson, Xiaotian, had stopped going to school half a year ago, often sitting in a daze and refusing to eat. The family thought he was being disobedient and scolded him repeatedly, which only made Xiaotian more withdrawn.
Aze didn't argue but sat down beside Uncle Wang, took out a bag of sunflower seeds, and said: "Uncle, look—these seeds were planted by kids from the mountain school. Just like how people say 'children have no worries,' no one thought they'd have troubles either. But when the seeds we planted together bloomed into sunflowers, everyone understood—sometimes what looks like 'laziness' is actually a sign that something's wrong inside."
Later, Aze showed Uncle Wang videos of the "Sunflower Fields" in mountain schools and letters from the kids. When he saw photos of the children smiling in the sunflower fields, Uncle Wang fell silent for a long time before sighing: "Maybe we really were wrong..."
Chapter 11: Short Videos Across Borders
To reach more people who lacked awareness of depression, the "Light Seam" team decided to launch a short video campaign on social media, creating content tailored to different groups—simple animations for kids, real-life stories for young adults, and care tips for the elderly.
Xia Xia took charge of filming and editing, and together with Aze, they created a series called "Sunflower Talks". Each episode was just 3-5 minutes long, using vivid metaphors like "sunflowers growing through rain" to explain depression in easy-to-understand terms.
Soon, their videos caught attention overseas. Lin Xiao received a message from a Chinese student studying abroad: "Sister Lin, many foreign classmates say they've never heard of depression being talked about this way. They think the sunflower metaphor is warm and want to share your videos in their communities!"
The team then partnered with international psychological organizations to translate the videos into multiple languages. A Hua even recorded a special segment in dialect, saying: "Even if we speak different languages, the feeling of facing the sun is the same!"
Chapter 12: Light Beyond Borders
This autumn, Lin Xiao was invited to attend an international mental health conference in Southeast Asia. There, she met many overseas Chinese and locals struggling with depression—some were homesick students, others were migrant workers facing discrimination.
At the conference, Lin Xiao shared the story of the "Light Seam" initiative, and when she showed photos of sunflower fields in mountain villages and cities, the audience was deeply moved. A local volunteer named Mei said: "We also have flowers here, but no one ever connected them to mental health. Your story makes us want to plant sunflowers too, so everyone can have something to look forward to."
After returning, the "Light Seam" team launched the "Sunflower Beyond Borders" program, sending sunflower seeds and translated materials to more countries. They also set up online support groups for overseas Chinese, where people shared their stories and supported each other.
That winter, A Hua sent a photo from the mountain school—the golden sunflowers were in full bloom under the blue sky, with kids smiling brightly in the fields. On the back of the photo, it read: "No matter where we are, the sun always shines on us."