Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Chapter 123 Pawning Youth for Basic Needs, Mortgaging Dignity to Buy Tomorrow

Yang Chaoyue recalled his mindset when he wrote that red strip.

The year I dropped out of school to work in another city, I was full of ambition.

He vowed to make something of himself and return to bring glory to his ancestors.

Keep reading.

The next red strip reads:

Making money is so hard; I'm starting to admit my incompetence.

A youth without education can only be earned through physical labor.

My success seems a long way off, and my family is aging too quickly.

I want to stay in my hometown a few more days and spend more time with my father. I want him to be healthy. — Yang Chaoyue, 16 years old, 2014
After reading it all, Yang Chaoyue's eyes suddenly lit up with realization.

Compare the red stripe for a 16-year-old with the red stripe for a 5-year-old.

The former has neat handwriting like a tombstone, while the latter is crooked yet vivid.

From naivety to worldliness.

From dependence to independence.

From resentment to understanding.

From struggle to acceptance.

None of my wishes after the age of 12 have come true.

My mother didn't come back, I haven't lived a decent life, and my father's health is getting worse and worse.

The ambition he had when he first went out to work at the age of 15 was crushed by the physical labor he did at the age of 16.

They exchanged their innocence for basic necessities, and mortgaged their dignity to buy tomorrow.

The content on the last red strip is closest to who I am now.

The difference is that I met Jiang Yang.

There is a chance to live a normal life and a chance to make a lot of money.

I've grown up and no longer need my mother's company.

I will become a mother in the future and stay by my child's side.

Make up for the deficiencies of your childhood by becoming a better parent.

Things that once seemed like the end of the world are now just laughable, even becoming topics of conversation over drinks.

If it weren't for these red strips that I remember them, I probably would have completely forgotten the wishes I desperately wanted to fulfill when I was a child.

It's a blessing to be able to forget some wishes; wishes that can't be forgotten are torture.

Yang Ge treats me very well.

I'm not as naive as I was when I was a child anymore; I know that no one will be unconditionally good to me forever.

Be grateful for the opportunity to be recognized and supported, and recognize the relationship of interests.

What I fear most is that one day I will lose my value in front of Jiang Yang, be replaced, and lose everything.

and so.

You must strive to prove your worth.

"Li Nuo said that if I played the role of Rose, Yang Ge would take more than 200,000 yuan from me, leaving me only 35,000 yuan?"

“Li Nuo is definitely exaggerating. She’s trying to drive a wedge between me and Yang Ge and steal my role. I’m just a newcomer, how could I possibly get such a high salary?”

"Only when I play more roles and become more famous will it be possible. If I really become famous in the future, and for a role with a salary of 25 yuan, Yang Ge really takes 21.5 yuan from me, leaving me only 3.5 yuan?"

This is not impossible.

Yang Chaoyue smiled, his eyes sparkling: "That's even better. It means I'm valuable in Brother Yang's eyes. I won't be replaced or abandoned, and I can keep making money with Brother Yang."

Even though Yang Ge gave himself less money, it was still more than when he worked in the factory.

What's more, they provide food and lodging, and teach me how to learn.

Bring yourself into this circle.

Be sincere to your father.

What more could you ask for? Where else could you find such a great job?

Yang Chaoyue picked up the pen and wrote on the brand-new red strip, each stroke careful and focused.

The handwriting wasn't particularly beautiful, but it was neater than all the previous notes:

Happiness doesn't belong to the poor, nor to the rich, but to those who are content. I hope I can always be content in the future, and I hope my family, my boss, and I will always be happy. — Yang Chaoyue, 17 years old, 2015
It was tied to a willow branch.

He took out a new one, this time with a note about Jiang Yang written on it. Yang Shimin had already returned on his motorcycle, carrying large and small bags of groceries he had bought at the market into the yard.

Orange-red flames leaped from the red brick stove in the courtyard, licking the bottom of the iron pot.

Black smoke and hot air twisted and rose.

The unburnt firewood crackled and popped, and the sparks that landed on the concrete floor were quickly extinguished.

My dad cooks very quickly.

Lunch will be ready in a little while.

Jiang Yang returned after making the call: "I spoke with Director Wang. Your father doesn't need to go to Shanghai. We can sign the agreement here using the backup agreement. The cast selection is complete. In a while, the actors will get together for a script reading and discussion, followed by location scouting... Chao Yue, you haven't even finished reading those red slips yet, and you're already writing them down?"

"I've read all my red slips."

"Have you finished watching? You only got to the part where you were 12 years old, what about the rest?"

"That's all."

Gone?

Jiang Yang glanced at the spot on the willow branch where Yang Chaoyue had made his wish.

He looked around.

I ran my hand over the red stripe in that spot a few times, and I didn't find Yang Chaoyue's.

The handwriting was unfamiliar, mostly written by people with the surname Wang, suggesting it was written by other villagers from Wanggang Village.

strangeness.

I clearly remember that Yang Chaoyue had more than just a few red stripes.

I held it in my hand and weighed it; there were seven or eight pieces.

Understood.

Yang Chaoyue didn't want to see what shameful content was coming up.

I can understand; when I was a working-class person in my past life, I would also delete my complaints on social media overnight.

Yang Chaoyue stuffed the red strips he had taken off into his pocket, feeling guilty and unable to look Jiang Yang in the eye.

My gaze wanders.

He bent down to straighten his clothes.

Suddenly changing the subject: "Yang-ge, write your wish on the wishing tree, and I'll help you tie it up in a bit. I've already finished writing mine and tied it up."

"Then whose is this you're writing?"

"Here, I wrote one for you while I was at it."

She leaned forward slightly and showed Jiang Yang the red slip of paper that hadn't been signed yet: "Look."

It clearly states: [We hope Jiang Yang can live in a commercial apartment in a big city with a monthly rent of 3000 yuan, and earn 20 yuan annually.]
Yang Chaoyue raised his voice, lightly tapped the ground with his toes, and spoke cheerfully: "Brother Yang, how's the wish I wrote?"

"It's well written, don't write it again next time."

Will I be able to rent a commercial apartment in a big city for 3000 yuan a month in the future?
Is it because I can't afford it?

An annual income of 20? Oh, I really can't afford that.

On second thought, it's not surprising that Yang Chaoyue would have such thoughts.

In the past, even renting a house in an urban village was a luxury. In the future, being able to rent a house in a big city for 3000 yuan a month is the ceiling she can imagine.

Yang Chaoyue probably never even imagined that he could buy a house in Shanghai or other first-tier cities.

I used to work in a factory, earning 3500 yuan a month, which added up to more than 40,000 yuan a year.

Even an annual income of 20 is a pipe dream.

Yang Chaoyue wrote down her beautiful hopes for the future for herself.

It's just that their understanding hasn't improved, so the future they see isn't as far-reaching as they envision, and naturally, the wishes they make are different.

"My wishes are more down-to-earth."

Jiang Yang took a new red slip of paper and wrote carefully:

[I hope that in the new year I can reap without sowing, enjoy the fruits of others' labor, and achieve instant success—Jiang Yang, 18 years old, 2015]
Yang Chaoyue helped Jiang Yang tie the red ribbon to the willow tree, and after looking at it several times, he was still deeply moved.

I have never seen such a shameless person.

"Brother Yang, the first three parts of your wish will depend on the God of Wealth to fulfill them."

"And the last part?"

"A meteoric rise to power is not something the God of Wealth can manage; you have to pray to the King of Hell."

(End of this chapter)