Dai gazed at the long-lost watch in disbelief. Encrusted in mud, the 17-jewel Peacock barely flickered recognition in the dusk farmland.
"I bought this for my wife at Spring Festival years ago," he breathed. That sunny day seemed eons past. Since then, time flowed on - the watch kept peerless pace with their rural routines through countless market errands.
Fate turned that summer afternoon. Planting paddies as skies darkened, Dai cherished his wife's gracious loan while his own watch malfunctioned. But slippery fate...a careless tilt of the wrist sent the Peacock plopping into brackish waters! Dai groveled desperately through thick mire but in vain. As the moon rose, the loss gnawed within. His wife too grieved the abandoned treasure that ticked the tidings of their countryside lives.
Another year round the calendar when Dai returned to the same plot. Tilling the thawed winter mud, his hoe hit an unfamiliar edge. Brushing away grime, there emerged the long-lost companion! Incredulous, Dai wound the crown expecting useless rust. Yet like an old friend unperturbed by the separation, the hands stirred back to life! The faithful Peacock resumed its tireless rhythm, to the pure astonishment of gathered neighbors.
Though the elements eroded its sheen, Dai found in the Peacock a soul fortified by inner strength. A steadfast spirit reflecting the labors and loves sculpting his own weathered face. "We shall honor this gift of craft and time," he whispered with brimming pride. That night, forgiven trails of tears and joy flowed as one.
The above story is adapted from a real letter of appreciation written by a customer to the Peacock Watch Factory. The following is the content of the letter of thanks:
辽宁手表厂全体同志们你们好：
我是昆明西郊的一个彝族农民。1983年春节期间在昆明百货大楼为我妻子买了一块你厂生产的孔雀17钻日历手表。买后戴了一年多走时一直很准，深得我妻子的喜爱。1984年插秧期间，因我的手表出了一点故障，妻子便把她的手表让给我戴。1984年5月8日下午，我在水田插秧时不慎将这块手表掉入泥水中，下午6时左右发觉手表丢失，我在泥水中摸了一会，仍一无所获。事后我和妻子都为丢失这块走时精良的手表感到惋惜。
时隔一年，我在准备泡水耙田时，终于找到了我去年丢失的孔雀表，我以为这块表在泥水中泡了一年多，隔着整个冬天，表怕是早已变成废铁，但我擦掉表蒙上的一些泥垢后，重新给表上弦，竟然依旧走的精准。当时在场的邻居都颇为惊叹。
我们为能拥有一块如此高质量的手表而感到自豪，特此写信表示感谢。
昆明西郊车家壁村农民
戴飞功（彝族）
张正芝（白族）
1985年5月30日于昆明
Here is the English translation of the letter:
Dear Comrades of the Liaoning Watch Factory:
I am a Yi ethnic farmer from a village west of Kunming. During Spring Festival 1983 I bought my wife a Peacock 17 jewel calendar watch made by your factory at the Kunming Department Store. After wearing it for over a year, it kept very accurate time, much to my wife’s delight. In 1984 during rice transplanting, my watch malfunctioned so my wife let me wear hers. On the afternoon of May 8, 1984, while transplanting in an irrigation paddy, I accidentally dropped the watch in the muddy water. Around 6 pm I realized the loss. I groped in the mud briefly but to no avail. My wife and I regretted losing the fine timekeeping watch.
A year later, as I prepared to hoe the soaked paddy, I finally recovered my lost Peacock watch. Having soaked in the mud for over a year and through an entire winter, I figured the watch must be scrap metal. But after wiping away some grime and rewinding it, it actually still kept perfect time! My neighbors there were quite astonished.
We felt proud to own such a high-quality watch, so I write to express our thanks.
Rural Farmer from Chejia Village West of Kunming
Dai Feigong (Yi)
Zhang Zhengzhi (Bai)
May 30, 1985, Kunming