Modern Express News (Reporter Chen Ying Yan Junchen) drifted north for ten years, from CCTV to the Internet "big factory", trying to save a down payment to buy a house, but just lived in it faced unemployment, and the monthly mortgage of more than 8,000 yuan became a heavy burden; His father, who was far away in his hometown in Jiangsu, suffered from stomach cancer, and he stood at a fork in the road in his life at the age of thirty... For Da Mao, a young man in Feng County in Xuzhou, 2022 is full of ups and downs in life. After renting out the newly renovated house, he returned home with his luggage. From a bustling metropolis to a cozy but monotonous small county, he focuses on his hometown, which has been away for many years, and makes short videos and webcasts. The road was not smooth, there was anxiety and pressure, and the four words "contentment and happiness" made him learn to reconcile with himself.
△ Da Mao is ready to broadcast live
He was unemployed just after buying a house, and he returned to his hometown after 11 years of drifting north
In Da Mao's Douyin profile, he labeled himself like this - "former CCTV director, former Internet brick movers, end the north drift, return to the hometown blogger". This short line of text describes the trajectory of his life in the past ten years.
After graduating from Communication University of China, Da Mao got an offer that many people envied and entered CCTV to become the choreographer and director of variety shows. But within a few years, he chose to quit his stable job, joined a newly established media company, and jumped ship into the Internet industry. In August 2020, Da Mao entered an Internet "big factory".
Years of hard work have allowed Da Mao to save the first pot of gold in his life. 87 square meters, a total price of more than 5 million yuan, a housing loan of 1.49 million yuan, and a monthly loan bill of 8,000 yuan, giving him a real place to live in Beijing. Dramatically, he just took the house at the end of November 2021, and in early December he received a layoff notice because his business unit was withdrawn. His experience resonated with many young people in Beipiao and once became a hot topic in the circle.
At that time, Da Mao, born in 1989, was about to step into the watershed of 35 years old. It is not difficult to find a new job, but the future development space is relatively limited. "In our industry, if you have not entered the management at the age of 35 and have not accumulated relevant work experience, you are not competitive in the market." Da Mao said.
What's next? Unfolding in front of Da Mao is a new fork in the road. In July 2022, because his father was diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent surgery, he chose to rent out the house and return to his hometown in Xuzhou Feng County to rest, and his 11-year life in Beipiao also temporarily came to an end.
Filmed a video to share the "slow life" of the small county, and earned money to share dividends for his mother
From Beijing to Fengxian in Jiangsu, Da Mao's originally tense pace of life suddenly relaxed, and he also encountered some new problems. Between him and his parents, there will be differences due to trivial matters such as wake up time, eating habits, and consumption concepts, and what makes it difficult for him to adapt to for a while is the change of interpersonal "circle".
When I was in Beijing, I was surrounded by peers who worked hard for their careers, and everyone tacitly maintained a "sense of boundary" between each other, and rarely asked each other's private lives. After returning to Feng County, most of the people in the living circle are relatives in their hometown, and the marriage problem of the 34-year-old bachelor Da Mao has become the topic of their greatest concern.
△ Da Mao's live broadcast room arranged at home
The impact of ideas and concepts, the different rhythms of life, so that Da Mao began to use the contrast of these concepts as the theme, and made short videos and live broadcasts. "In fact, as early as 2019, I started to make short videos, mainly to record daily life, and I also have some income one after another." Da Mao told the Modern Express reporter that after losing his job, his hobby became full-time, which was used to pay for mortgages and daily expenses. Because he is also a media major, he is also handy in making videos.
In Da Mao's video, the most frequent appearance is his mother. Living in the old house of his hometown, speaking a cordial Xuzhou dialect, Da Mao's camera records the fragments of his daily life with his mother. "In fact, my mother was more resistant at first, for fear of being recognized by acquaintances, it would be more shameful. Later, I was also worried about my income and began to try to cooperate with me to make videos. Originally, I also gave my mother a mosaic, but I was later recognized by others. Da Mao smiled and said that after being recognized, his mother was more open and more natural than before.
△ Da Mao's live broadcast room arranged at home
In Da Mao's short video, the series of "partners" with his mother are all popular, with one article having more than 11,000 likes. In this video, the mother and son talk about marriage.
"Netizens said that if I am in Xuzhou at my age, the person I talk to can only talk about (introduce) the second marriage."
"I can't even say a second marriage." Mother's "sharp" spit made Da Mao instantly "defeated" and speechless.
In the eyes of his peers, Da Mao is young and promising, has a high education and good looks and bought a house, but in the eyes of his mother, he is just a "three-nil youth with no job, no object and no children", and is the object of discussion by relatives. And this series of videos has also aroused heated discussions among netizens. "In the hearts of most old mothers in Feng County, their son is not married, no matter how good he is, no matter what you do, it will affect her mood." In the comment area, many young people left messages to express their resonance, and some people stood on their mother's side and even helped urge marriage.
Today, Da Mao has 174,000 followers on Douyin, with an average five-figure income a month, which can support mortgages and daily expenses. After receiving the advertisement, he also took out 3,000 yuan and gave it to his mother as a "dividend". Mom was pleasantly surprised to get the money. "In fact, she has her own pension, which is not bad money, but she is still very happy to get the salary I paid her, which also makes her more confident in my work."
It's actually a lot of pressure to do this
Now that Da Mao has returned to his hometown for more than half a year, although his family has gradually adapted to his job, his mother still hopes that he can find a stable unit.
"The older generation is still a little prejudiced against live broadcasting, they may feel that the anchors are all shouting five and six, and the atmosphere of the circle is more impetuous. There are indeed some more negative news coming out, such as some people addicted to tips that affect normal life, and even abandon their wives and children. They thought that after so many years of studying, I should find a more decent job to give them peace of mind. Da Mao said.
In fact, engaged in this line of work, he himself is also burdened with heavy pressure. "The biggest difficulty is actually the anxiety in my heart." Da Mao frankly said that the products made may not necessarily be able to monetize much, the number of likes, comments, the number of viewers and interactions in the live broadcast room, each data will affect his heart, once there is a data "slippery slope", it is inevitable that there will be a sense of gap in the heart, and even feel a lasting torment.
After 11 years of living in Beipiao and more than a year of "unemployment" in his hometown, Da Mao now has a new understanding of life. Only by adjusting our mentality can we go a long way on this road. Nowadays, the four words that Da Mao most often says to himself are "contentment and happiness".
Today, Da Mao is still resting in his hometown, ready to start a new journey in life. "The environment is constantly changing, and all you have to do is do what you can do and be well prepared for the next opportunity." Da Mao said.
(Photo courtesy of interviewee: Zhou Dongmei)