The Growth Story of ‘Old Pork Belly’ 80post Smooth Journey Masters
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New Faces of Hometown
I, commonly known as 'The Master of Smooth Journeys' among friends. As an early 80s baby, I was born in a small village in Jiangsu Province, which boasted a '' (Teng Lou - leaning tower) but was primarily dominated by the Wang surname. As a descendant, I firmly believe 'red blood' flows through my veins: My great-grandfather was betrayed and murdered by traitors during the Anti-Japanese War, tragically killed by Japanese soldiers. Every Qingming Festival, students from all over the village gathered at his tomb to pay their respects, a source of immense pride. Growing up, the idea of serving the country took root.
A Corner of the Village
From a young age, I displayed a remarkable 'artistic' talent – I could memorize songs played on the village's loudspeakers, and my elementary school teachers even assigned me to teach my classmates popular songs like 'Fifteen's Moon' and 'Blood-Stained Wind'. I easily topped the exam with an easy set of questions and even got into the 'top class' before primary school. Unsurprisingly, I came in second in the whole town at junior high because I was uninterested in algebra and geometry, and after a year of tutoring, I was still short of a few points, costing my father a considerable sum (apparently several thousand yuan during a period when affluent rural families were enjoying the fruits of prosperity!). This was to ensure that my son would one day 'break out of the countryside' and not be bound to the 'paddies' like previous generations.
Farmers Working in the Fields
At high school, I truly became a 'townsman' living in the city, determined to make the most of my father's money and, with the specific context at the time, and my aptitude for the humanities, I envisioned studying 'Journalism' and becoming a reporter 'doing good deeds' across the world, appearing on television screens to make my parents proud, and to bring glory to my family! 'Wuda' (Wuda University) Journalism Department was the top choice – of course, who knew Wuda also had cherry blossoms. In my final year of high school, the principal urged me to apply to 'Nanjing Normal University', saying that my basic spoken language and general abilities were good, and my scores were stable. However, I dismissed his advice, proclaiming that I had no interest in teaching. Who knew that I would end up taking history at a normal university after the college entrance exam, scoring a low overall score of a key university and studying history at a second-rate university. What a 'life's ironic melon'! When I received the notification, I was nearly in tears – I felt like my life had collapsed at that moment! My mother said, 'Life is like a delicate piece of paper', so I accepted it. Regardless, I had a bachelor's degree, which was the highest level in the village.
The Road of Growth
Soon, I bid farewell to my hometown, which I hadn't left before and hadn't seen a train. My father took me to the Xu Zhou Station, squeezing into a green carriage through the window along the route my grandfather fought in, heading south. When the train passed the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, I thought this was fulfilling my grandfather's lifelong dream of finally visiting 'Jiangnan' (the prosperous southern region). With one foot in the city, I completely stepped out of the Suibei region.
