Do You Really Have Any Genuine Friends?

Aug. 1, 2025, 10:18 p.m. Essays

Old saying: 'Rely on family at home, rely on friends when out.'More friends, more roads, at least more people to think with you. When young, you like to join the crowd, thinking it would gather connections. You can make more friends.When you reach a certain age, you suddenly realize you don't have any friends, or very few. Especially when you're down and out, you have no friends, not even relatives are distant. People become more realistic, and those who take advantage of trouble appear more. Fewer people are willing to stand by you in times of hardship.

Young Master Bei Bei graduated from university and went to Fujian. He started working in a forge factory and later opened his own forge factory. Because he didn't have money, the forge factory was small, with only two storefronts and six employees. The money to start the forge factory came from his parents' accumulated savings. Master Bei wanted to expand the factory's scale, so he looked everywhere for loans. Relatives shook their heads, disagreeing with Master Bei's ideas. They were worried he lacked entrepreneurial experience and would fail. Former classmates, hearing that Master Bei was borrowing money, didn't contact him. What was most annoying was that Master Bei's brother, Wen, didn't want to lend him money, saying he was a wastrel trying to make a name for himself.

Later, Master Bei persistently and earnestly persuaded 'iron brothers' from his school days, Ah Qiu, to come to Fujian. He invested twenty more than twenty thousand in the forge factory, naturally receiving 'dividends'.

Last winter, Ah Qiu withdrew all his funds. His cousin ran a electronics research company in Shenzhen, which had a slightly higher return rate. The saying goes: 'People go up to high places, water flows to low places.' Master Bei wanted to get higher returns, which is understandable. But his actions made Master Bei feel heartbroken. He finally realized – even the best friendships can be undone in the face of money.

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Ah Qiu said when leaving, 'If I make money in Shenzhen, I'll come back to help you later. It's not that I don't believe in you, it's that I believe in my cousin's company's development. If you don't mind, I can also introduce you to invest in her company.'

Master Bei smiled bitterly: 'Ah Qiu, I don't blame you, I only blame myself for being useless.' In fact, Master Bei didn't say this last thing – he didn't blame him for seeing the wrong people.'

It's said that 'it's better to have few good friends than many bad ones.' Genuine friends are hard to find. Ordinary friends come and go with eating and drinking, gatherings during festivals, or chatting on WeChat. They cannot 'stand by you in times of hardship.'

I once read a story. Two friends, A and B, got lost in the mountains for two days without finding their way out. Friend A said, 'Let's walk along the stream, it must lead us to the river's edge, where there will be people.' So the two of them walked along the stream, overcoming many obstacles. Suddenly, the stream turned into a waterfall with a deep pool. They debated for a while, but couldn't make a decision. As the sun was setting, if they hesitated, they might starve and freeze overnight. So, they decided to jump into the pool. After a few attempts, Friend A pushed Friend B into the deep pool. Friend B fell into the pool without resistance. After a while, Friend B didn't surface, so Friend A realized, 'The deep pool is dangerous, don't jump in.' So, Friend A stayed alone in the mountains overnight, cold and hungry. Halfway through the night, he froze. And Friend B, after a few attempts, grabbed a branch in the pool and climbed ashore. He went another five kilometers and found a village.

This story tells us that people will 'act prudently' at crucial moments and won't consider friends' feelings. Even those who stand by you will 'take advantage' when there's profit. Even the best friendships can be undone in the face of money.

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It's said: 'It's better to have few good friends than many bad ones.' Without quality friends, they are just for eating and drinking, and when times get tough, you'll be disappointed. Those with quality friends are truly friends, sincerely helping you.

When you're down and out, rely on yourself, don't depend on friends. Truly sincere friends don't need you to beg, they'll help you; those pretending to be sincere, you kneeling down to ask, won't work.