Chapter 549: Laughing on stage, crying off (Part 3)
Chapter 549: Laughing on stage, crying off (Part 3)
"There really were no opinions. The atmosphere at the time was also different. All the families in the village taught their children that it didn't matter if their clothes were a bit worn or torn as long as they were clean and well-tailored.
This trend went to extremes for a time. I remember that in the second semester of fifth grade, during the Chinese New Year after the Asian Games, my family finally bought me a jacket. I was embarrassed to wear it outside when school started in the first month of the year, so I put on an old jacket over it. In fact, many of my classmates in my class did the same thing.
Although I usually envied the children of other families when I saw them wearing new clothes during the Chinese New Year, I never asked my family for new clothes.
There were even times when my mother said that she would give me a few dollars to buy me a new outfit before the Chinese New Year, but I always said no, and told her to use the money to pay off debts instead.
Seeing that the mood in the audience was a little tense again, Feng Yiping quickly remedied the situation, 'Have you forgotten? I was a good boy!'
His words made many people smile again.
'Yes, you were a good boy. So what do you think made your parents happiest?'
'There were many things that made me a good boy,' Feng Yiping continued to brag about himself, 'Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm actually very humble most of the time,'
'Well, no need to explain, we all believe that. Do you think of anything that made your parents the happiest?'
'I think it was when I brought home my awards,' Feng Yiping said after thinking for a moment. 'Since the second grade of elementary school, I've been bringing home awards, first for being an outstanding student, and then for being a model student. The first few times, my family even put them on the wall, but then they stopped, and even the ones on the wall are gone. I thought my parents didn't care about these things.
It wasn't until one day when I found the stack of neatly folded certificates carefully wrapped in plastic at the bottom of a box that I realised they didn't want these certificates to be on the wall, exposed to the smoke and flames, fading or breaking,'
'Oh, these awards are also proof that you are a good child,'
'In fact, I now think that these awards not only mean that the school recognises me, but also seem to be another kind of life for my parents, a repeated affirmation of their son, which is also a hope for a better life!'
'I can understand, to put it simply, it is to get out of the farming family, get into university, and find a good job in the city, right?' the hostess said.
'Yes, you put it better,' Feng Yiping praised.
Offstage, Huang Jingping's mood improved a little, but when Jin Ling heard what he said, he shrugged again. He always can't help but flirt with pretty girls.
'So what is the most unforgettable thing your parents have done that you remember?'
'The most unforgettable thing? There are so many that I can think of now, I really don't know where to start. Let me think,' Feng Yiping really bowed his head and thought about it.
'The most unforgettable thing is, I think, that my parents taught me something about dignity through their actions,' Feng Yiping said.
'Dignity? How do you mean?' the host didn't quite understand.
'In general, people think that your dignity is untouchable, and if someone violates it, you'll fight to the death with them.
But my parents made me feel that personal dignity is not always important. When you actively give up your dignity for something, it seems that you are more dignified.
For example, when my parents lowered their heads and stooped to ask for help for our family, for my tuition fees, and for my medical treatment, and when they let go of their dignity, I felt that they were the most powerful at that moment.
When he said this, Feng Yiping thought back to when he was in primary school and also had tuberculosis. His parents first borrowed money from all over, and then took turns carrying him on their backs as they travelled between the township hospital and the town hospital.
So, he didn't expect that his words would take another big step on the road to the entire audience in tears.
Now, even many of the male audience members have red eyes. Because there are of course countless parents who have taken the initiative to let go of their dignity for the sake of their children and family. Think about it for your children, look back on your memories, and you will always find such things.
Feng Yiping noticed it. What's going on? These are my own words, they shouldn't be tear-jerkers, so why do they always have this effect? 'Sorry to make you laugh, but actually, looking back on those days, whether they were bitter or sweet, they were actually very warm and happy.
I believe that if you were given a choice, you could relive your youth if you were willing to give up today's materially rich life. Everyone here, including me, would definitely agree without hesitation, don't you agree?'
His response was a round of applause.
Wow, so many people agree! Feng Yiping also clapped along, wondering if his words would make some of the guys in the audience start writing a rebirth novel right now.
The pretty female host glanced at the audience, a little helpless. It seemed like she wasn't in control of today's interview.
However, for a big platform like theirs, and a celebrity programme like theirs, of course they had done a lot of preparation before the interview. From what they had gathered, the things Feng Yiping had said were all true.
It is definitely not a story that he made up to win sympathy, playing to his strengths as a writer.
It's just that these trivial but true things he said really moved people.
'After hearing these things about you, I am as moved as everyone else and I admire you. However, I think, to put it another way, those difficult days when you were young were actually a kind of wealth for you, forging some of the excellent qualities in you that have allowed you to achieve so much today.
At the same time, this also shows that as long as we work hard, no matter how difficult the situation is, there is hope for change,'
The hostess did not dare to continue discussing this topic, hastily summarised and moved on to the next topic, which everyone should be very interested in. 'You are now an authentic success. What do you think about success? In addition, there are many college students here today, just like you. What experience do you have to share with them?'
'How can I call my humble achievements success, and how can I have the nerve to talk about my experiences to everyone?' Feng Yiping said.
He was really not being modest, and only the richest people in the future would be qualified to preach about these things everywhere.
Of course, his humble words made the audience's impression of him rise a little more.
'Then tell us about some of your experiences,'
'Okay, personally, for example, after I graduated from university and entered society, I was able to get a stable job, buy a house in the city, buy a family car, and in a year, I still had spare money and time to take my wife and children on a trip around the country, and every few years, I can also go abroad for a while. I think this is considered successful.'
'Why do I feel like you're talking about the American middle class?' the female host said with a smile.
'Yes, it was actually planned with reference to the middle class in developed countries. I would like to say that if everyone can reach this level, then our country will definitely have become a developed country by then.'
'So what would you like to share with us about starting a business? I guess many people here would like to hear your views on this.'
'Personally, I think that when starting a business, first of all, you need to take into account your own actual situation. You should not set your goals too high at the beginning. It is best to start a business that suits your conditions. Of course, you should not be afraid of hard work.
In this regard, the Wenzhou people, known as the Oriental Jews, have set a good example for us.
When they first started out, they had no capital and no technology, so they set up a small stall by the roadside, even if it was just for shoe repair and shining. Once they had earned some money, they rented a shop to sell shoes, and when the business grew further, they built a factory to produce shoes. Step by step, they developed steadily.
That's what happened in our family. After the chestnuts were harvested that year, my parents first bought the family's annual pig, realising a few hundred yuan, and then took their family and several hundred catties of good-quality chestnuts borrowed from other families in the village to the provincial capital to sell fried chestnuts with sugar and sell breakfast on the side.
At the time, they thought very clearly that if this small business failed or was not profitable, the family could still afford it.
They had to work until after midnight every night to get everything ready: sorting and washing the chestnuts, mixing the dough, and grinding the soy milk. They had to get up at 5am to steam some buns, bag the cooked soy milk, and then rush out the door after eating a few mouthfuls of rice.
Throughout the day, rain or shine, I pushed the modified tricycle around the university town in our provincial capital. My lunch was the two buns I had left over, and it wasn't until after 9 o'clock in the evening that I finally arrived at my rented place...
After working hard like this for more than a year, I finally saved some money, so I rented a storefront and opened a noodle restaurant. After saving some more money, I opened a branch... and so it went until today.'
The hostess saw that the mood in the audience seemed to be a bit low again, and hastily changed the subject. 'Now you should have a very rich material life. Can you tell us how you feel about money?'
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