Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, we have entered 2023.
If you still remember the "most handsome tramp" craze that caused a sensation on the Internet in 2010, then you will not forget his name - "Brother Sharp".
At that time, a photography enthusiast met a middle-aged man in ragged clothes on the streets of Ningbo, and as soon as the iconic photo was released, the man immediately became popular on the Internet, and countless netizens were fascinated by his appearance and temperament.
But just after becoming famous overnight, Brother Sharp soon withdrew from the public eye silently and no longer appeared in front of the camera.
Time has passed, and the former Internet celebrity Brother Sharp has long since disappeared and is no longer eye-catching. What kind of ups and downs has he gone through in life? What kind of story has he put in his heart? All speculation has passed away with the wind.
However, his story is much more than that.
Behind Brother Sharp's disappearance, what is hidden is a true portrayal of the ill-fated fate of an ordinary person. This article will tell you the truth of the little-known story in the past 12 years.
In 1976, an ordinary rural son was born
On the first day of the first lunar month in 1976, a remote mountain village in Poyang County, Jiangxi Province, ushered in the advent of a new life.
He is - Cheng Guorong.
Born in an ordinary peasant family, his parents were busy with farm work, and Xiao Cheng Guorong lived with his grandmother since he was a child.
Although his family is poor, under the care of his grandmother and parents, Xiao Cheng Guorong's childhood is still happy and free.
Whenever the Spring Festival comes, his parents will try to prepare him some simple new clothes and snacks, and then the whole family will sit around for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.
Even though there is a lack of material, the time full of happiness has become Xiao Cheng Guorong's most precious childhood memory.
However, the good times were short-lived. When he was 17 years old, his grandmother, who loved Cheng Guorong the most, passed away, which became a big pain in his youth.
In the years that followed, he became more introverted and less talkative, often sitting alone on the hillside in a daze.
Looking at grandma's favorite morning glory, tears of longing will always burst out of my eyes inadvertently.
It wasn't until he was 22 years old that Cheng Guorong's mood finally became a little more cheerful. The family hurriedly settled a family affair for him.
Soon, Cheng Guorong tied the knot with a young girl in the village, and soon after marriage, he gave birth to a healthy boy.
The arrival of a new life also gave Cheng Guorong hope for life.
Stroking the baby's little hand, he silently swore in his heart that he would definitely work hard for a better life for this family.
At the age of 25, he came to Ningbo to work
In order to improve his family situation and give his wife and children a better life, 25-year-old Cheng Guorong left his hometown and came to the unfamiliar Ningbo to work and make a living.
When he first arrived in Ningbo, everything was a new experience for Cheng Guorong - the hustle and bustle of cars, the forest of high-rise buildings, and the street scene of people coming and going...... This bustling and noisy city has given him so much novelty.
At first, Cheng Guorong relied on the introduction of his fellow villagers to do odd jobs in a small and inconspicuous factory, although the salary was meager, but it was a good start for him.
In order to earn more money, he later moved to a construction site and began to do heavy physical work.
During the day, he toiled with other workers on the construction site, which was noisy; In the evening, everyone rested in a simple shed.
Although life is hard and hard, the salary here is finally higher than before, and Cheng Guorong is also happy about it.
He would remit most of his earnings to the family, hoping to make a good life for his wife and children.
His wife would also tell him softly on the phone to take care of his body and live a good life.
Every time he hung up the phone, Cheng Guorong would unconsciously smile - this is the motivation for him to work hard outside.
For the sake of his love and children, he is willing to eat.
In 2003, a turning point
In the blink of an eye to 2003, Cheng Guorong, who was still doing well, ushered in the first major turning point in his life.
This year, there was a serious wage arrears at the construction site where he worked in Ningbo.
Due to the problem of the capital chain, the owner of the construction site disappeared, all projects were forcibly suspended, and hundreds of construction workers without exception faced the dilemma of losing their jobs.
For Cheng Guorong, this is undoubtedly worse. The job he relied on to fill his stomach was gone, and his livelihood was in question.
In desperation, he had to leave the problematic site and find a smaller renovation company to apply again.
However, the new company stipulates that the previous year's salary will not be paid until after the Chinese New Year. Seeing that the Spring Festival is approaching, Cheng Guorong can't afford to wait, so he can only leave his job again without salary.
In desperation, he chose to cut off contact with his family without saying goodbye.
Because, he knows, he can no longer provide financial support for his family.
At the same time, his wife in his hometown struggled to survive alone with two young children.
At first, the wife was able to hear from her husband. Until one day, all contact was suddenly cut off and there was no news.
With the children, the wife went to other places several times, regardless of the danger, to the strange city of Ningbo, and asked around about her husband's whereabouts.
However, she ran into walls everywhere, and her way to find her husband seemed to be ruthlessly blocked.
The wife went out to find a husband many times to no avail
After 2003, his wife and two young sons struggled to survive in their hometown.
At first, she could occasionally get some news about her husband's absence.
But one day, all contact was suddenly cut off, and the husband was never heard from again.
The wife was worried that her husband had an accident, so she came to the strange Ningbo alone, hoping to find her husband's whereabouts.
However, after arriving in Ningbo, this strange big city was like a labyrinth, and she didn't know where to start.
She took an old photograph from her husband's backpack and went back and forth to the places where he might have been—construction sites, rental houses, small shops...... But everyone said they had never seen this person.
Disappointed again and again, his wife will silently wipe away her tears and pluck up the courage to set off again.
She knew that her children needed a father, and she needed his support as well.
Later, my father-in-law also joined the search and wanted to help his daughter share some of the heavy responsibilities of going out.
However, God does not seem to be very kind to the mother and daughter. In 2009, their mother and daughter and father-in-law were on their way out to look for a tragic car accident.
In the midst of serious injuries, his wife and father-in-law both died, and the two sons became helpless orphans in an instant.
To this day, the sudden turn of events haunts his nephew's nightmares, and he often dreams that his mother calls his name in the mud.
After an overnight hit
The years passed, and the story came to 2016.
This year, a photography enthusiast met a middle-aged man in ragged clothes on the streets of Ningbo.
The man's face is dusty, but there is a sense of rivers and lakes, which makes people can't help but look at it twice.
The photographer pressed the shutter and left several close-ups of the man.
Out of intuition, he posted this set of photos on the Internet, with the text: The most handsome Chinese "Jianghu" man!
Unexpectedly, overnight after uploading, this set of photos quickly became popular on the Internet.
Countless netizens were fascinated by the man in the photo and left messages to discuss his origin.
Soon, netizens gave him a resounding nickname "Brother Sharp".
Regarding Brother Sharp's life experience, various speculations and floating thoughts are circulating on the Internet.
There are also enthusiastic netizens who found the true identity of this "Internet celebrity" through clues - his name is Cheng Guorong.
With the help of netizens and aid stations, Cheng Guorong, who has been separated for many years, finally contacted his family and returned to his hometown to reunite with his younger brother and mother.
As soon as he returned home, he learned that his wife and father-in-law had died in a car accident while looking for him a few years ago.
This news hit Cheng Guorong hard.
He hugged his elderly mother tightly and wept bitterly, full of remorse - he should not have said goodbye in the first place, making his wife worry about life and death......
Choose a quiet life
After returning to his hometown, Cheng Guorong received wide attention from the media and the public.
Many business activities took the initiative to contact him and wanted to invite this "Internet celebrity" as a spokesperson.
However, Cheng turned down these business opportunities.
What he wants is a simple and peaceful life.
His brother built him two new tiled houses, one for him and his mother to live in.
But Cheng Guorong is more Xi to living in a dilapidated tiled house, where too many memories are stored.
He likes to work quietly in the fields alone during the day, and at night he accompanies his mother to eat and chat.
Chatting and chatting, the mother often has tears in her eyes, she knows that her son hides remorse and self-blame in his heart.
Cheng Guorong will also visit his nephew from time to time.
My nephew is still young, and I often ask about my childhood.
"Grandma, when do you think Daddy will come home?"
Every time, this immature question made it difficult for the adults present to hide their sadness.
After 7 years of wandering, Cheng Guorong has long been Xi to the wind and sun of life.
He began to learn to cherish everything he had in the moment and to be grateful for the second chance that life had given him.
Life is full of unknowns, and he silently accepts the hard-won tranquility.
Looking at the morning glory dancing in the field, Cheng Guorong will think of his childhood grandmother.
He knows that the beauty of life has always been there.
The revelation of the story
Cheng Guorong's life is a legend of ups and downs.
He was born ordinary, but he experienced extraordinary joys and sorrows.
His story is both embarrassing and contemplative.
There will inevitably be ups and downs in life, and we need to learn to be tolerant of ourselves and others.
Pain will temper people's will, and sweetness will teach people to cherish.
The torrent of fate is gushing, and each of us is drifting.
No matter where you are, if you have a firm heart, you will definitely be able to live.
Simplicity may be the greatest respect for life.
Be grateful for what we have.
After the storm, you will see a rainbow.
Cheng Kwok Wing's story reminds us that living is the best gift of life.