I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 159: If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world

“My family is in the Yimeng Mountain area, which is an old revolutionary base area but also very poor. I remember that from the time I was old enough to understand things, I had a thought in my mind: I must get out of this mountain and never come back.”

"So I studied and studied hard, and finally got my wish and was admitted to Shencai University, coming to the most prosperous city in China. How could I stay in a place that is poorer than my hometown? What about my parents? They still rely on me to earn money for their retirement."

“I can understand that, because I’m in a similar situation to you.” Liu Shuai continued, “My parents also live in the countryside, and I’m their only son. They will rely on me when they get old.”

After saying that, he picked up the drink in front of him and drank it all in one gulp, as if it were a glass of wine.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat heavy.

"Alright, let's not talk about these unhappy things." Zhang Dongwen smiled and looked at Fang Qingye: "Fang Qingye, Li Ye is very grateful to you for helping us a lot."

"That's nothing," Fang Qingye said with a smile. "Whether you come back or Li Ye wants to stay there, I wish you both the best!"

"Thanks, cheers!"

Everyone raised their drinks together.

After the meal, everyone said their goodbyes, and Fang Qingye escorted Bai Ou back to Yuanfang Lane.

It's past 9 p.m. now, and the Bund is still teeming with tourists.

Looking at the bustling city, Bai Ou sighed softly: "I don't know your female classmate very well, but I can sense that she has a lot of feelings for her boyfriend."

“After all, we’ve known each other for several years and even went to teach in western Sichuan. We’ve shared joys and sorrows, so how could we not have feelings for each other?” Fang Qingye said. “But feelings can’t replace everything.”

"Can you say Zhang Dongwen is realistic and selfish? I don't think so. She took a year off from school to teach in western Sichuan. I think that alone is very noble and worthy of respect. It's just that Zhang Dongwen, a realist, met Li Ye, an idealist, and the two had different values."

"Sigh," Bai Ou sighed again after hearing Fang Qingye's words.

After escorting Bai Ou back to her rented room, Fang Qingye walked back to her own hotel. After taking a shower, Fang Qingye lay on the bed, picked up her phone, and thought for a moment before sending a message to Li Ye on QQ.

"Li Ye, are you coming back for summer vacation or staying in western Sichuan?"

A moment later, Li Ye sent a message: "I'm back, I'm at my hometown, hehe."

"I'm in Shanghai. Today I met Zhang Dongwen and Liu Shuai, and we had a meal together."

Fang Qingye typed a message, and after a while, she saw the reply: "Is she alright?"

"That's great, I'm currently doing an internship at China Merchants Bank."

"That's good, as she wishes."

“Li Ye, do you really still want to teach in western Sichuan for another year? According to school regulations, you might be treated as a dropout,” Fang Qingye expressed her concerns.

The other party did not reply.

A moment later, Fang Qingye's phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was Li Ye calling, she pressed the answer button.

Li Ye's voice came from the other end of the phone: "It's too hot tonight, I can't sleep, let's chat for a while."

"Okay."

"What you just mentioned, my advisor also reminded me of that when I asked for leave."

"Then why did you do it?" Fang Qingye didn't quite understand.

"Let me tell you a story about my time teaching in a rural area," Li Ye said slowly over the phone. "You donated computers to our school, so I set up a computer room. The children were so happy and all wanted Dongwen and me to teach them how to use computers." "But two children didn't want to learn. One of them was named Yang Zeng, a Tibetan boy. I remember it very clearly. That afternoon, Dongwen was teaching a group of children how to use the internet, and Yang Zeng stood at the classroom door, looking inside but not going in."

Seeing this, I became curious and went over to ask him, "Why don't you go inside to study? There are empty computers inside; you can go online and see the outside world."

Do you know who Yang Zeng is?

"What did he say?" Fang Qingye asked.

He said, “Teacher Li, you and Teacher Zhang will be leaving after you finish teaching this semester. I heard from Principal Hu that no more volunteer teachers will come. These computers will just become lumps of iron. It will be so uncomfortable if we can’t use them in the future. It’s better not to learn now.”

"When I heard the student say that, I was stunned for a long time and couldn't answer. Later, I asked Principal Hu of the school, and he said that there was indeed no one coming to teach in the next semester."

"So you want to stay for another year?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Yeah! I think so too. Maybe after the summer vacation, some college students will come to teach in rural areas, and then I can leave with peace of mind." Li Ye laughed as he said this.

Why.
Fang Qingye sighed softly to herself.

This is clearly just self-deception.

"Alright, let's not talk about me anymore. Qingye, Dongwen is going back to Shanghai to continue her studies. She'll definitely find a job and settle down here in the future. You and Liu Shuai, if you can help her in any way, please do so. It must be tough for a girl to make her way in Shanghai."

Hearing Li Ye say this, Fang Qingye laughed and said, "Zhang Dongwen is our classmate. Of course we'll help her if we can. But what about you? What if you drop out of school? Are you going to stay in western Sichuan for the rest of your life?!"

"Staying in western Sichuan is quite nice," Li Ye laughed on the other end of the phone.
“I quite like it here. The scenery is beautiful, and the villagers are very kind to me. As for my parents, well, I have an older brother who will inherit the family business. They just treat me like a good-for-nothing son who is wandering around outside.”

After listening to Li Ye's words, Fang Qingye remained silent for a moment before saying, "I won't say anything else, but as I always say, if you need any help, just let me know."

"Thank you, old classmate. If I really do stay in western Sichuan in the future, I'll need your help a lot."

"It's okay, I'll do my best."

The two exchanged a few words and then hung up the phone.

As night deepened, Fang Qingye couldn't sleep. He stood at the window looking out at the scenery. The whole city gradually quieted down, and the neon lights on the high-rise buildings across the Huangpu River in the distance were still flashing.

Before his rebirth, he thought Li Ye's choice was naive. In fact, he had never seriously thought about why Li Ye did what he did. He was busy with get off work, calculating houses, cars, and money all day long.

Now, without worrying about these things, I can think about them.

The next morning, Fang Qingye went to pick up Bai Ou from work as usual. On the way, Fang Qingye told the girl about his conversation with Li Ye the night before.

After listening to Fang Qingye's words, Bai Ou thought for a moment and said, "Mencius said: 'When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven.' Isn't that the principle?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Ye Zi, you're successful now, and you'll be even more successful in the future. What will you do?" Bai Ou turned to look at him.

Fang Qingye looked ahead and gripped the steering wheel with both hands: "Of course I will do what I can to do something meaningful. I am not an idealist like Li Ye, but that does not mean I will not do things with ideals."

"So what exactly do you want to do?" Bai Ou asked again.

"I haven't decided yet. I think it's all possible to donate to Project Hope, do charity work, participate in volunteer work or environmental protection, or even set up a welfare factory in my hometown in the future," Fang Qingye said.

"Yes, you're absolutely right! Let's go together then."

(End of this chapter)