In 1977, when the news of the college entrance examination was like a spring breeze blowing across the country, 17-year-old Chen Sheng sat at a small wooden table in his home in Zhanjiang, holding a textbook and his eyes flashing.
He knew that this was a great opportunity to change his destiny.
Chen Sheng was born in an ordinary peasant family, his family was poor since he was a child, his father died early, and his mother supported the family alone. But Chen Sheng was never discouraged and complained, he was diligent and studious, and his grades were among the best all year round.
Teachers and people in the village said that Chen Sheng was a student and would definitely be successful in the future.
Now that the college entrance examination is coming, Chen Sheng is studying Xi day and night, and he, a child of a poor peasant family, also wants to change his fate through his own efforts and glorify his ancestors.
He was always alert to himself and could not slack off. Finally, in 1980, Chen Sheng was admitted to the Chinese Department of Peking University as he wished, becoming the first Peking University student in the history of the village, realizing his and his mother's dream of Peking University.
The moment he received the admission letter from Peking University, Chen Sheng was so excited that he couldn't speak, tears rolling in his eyes. He saw his mother's face smile of joy for the first time, and he couldn't hide his pride.
The elders and villagers of this village were also very excited when they heard the good news and came to congratulate them. Everyone said that Chen Sheng was the pride of the village and would definitely become a great tool in the future.
On the eve of graduation, Chen Sheng was worried about tuition fees. However, the enthusiastic villagers spontaneously made donations, which made Chen Sheng feel warm, and also strengthened his original intention of returning to his hometown and serving the people.
He silently swore that when he became a talent, he would let the people live a good life.
In 1984, Chen Sheng successfully graduated from Peking University, and could have chosen a stable job and lived a quiet life. But he decided to quit his iron job and make a desperate bet to break into the business world.
At the beginning, Chen Sheng even had difficulty with the funds to start his business. But he was not discouraged, but made a complete plan and cautiously tried to start a small business. During the day, he sells homemade snacks along the streets; In the evenings, he helps people do laundry to earn extra money.
After hard work, Chen Sheng finally accumulated his first pot of gold in the 1990s.
Subsequently, he successively set foot in retail, wholesale, import and export trade and other industries, relying on flexible business acumen, the performance is thriving. In 1997, Chen Sheng keenly judged that the beverage market has broad prospects, and resolutely invested heavily to establish "Tiandi No. 1" acetic acid drink.
This decision hit the consumer taste directly and was a huge success.
However, Chen Sheng was not complacent because of this, and was content with the status quo. Whenever his career is steadily developing, he is looking for the next blue ocean and has the courage to take on new challenges.
In Chen Sheng's mind, entrepreneurship is as vast as the ocean, and he is looking forward to sailing farther and farther.
In 2003, Chen Sheng happened to see a news in the newspaper that Lu Buxuan, a younger brother of Peking University, had entered the breeding industry and started to operate pig breeding. This inspired Chen Sheng.
Chen Sheng and Lu Buxuan are both alumni of Peking University, but Lu Buxuan once failed in the college entrance examination, and later fought again in the college entrance examination to enter Peking University. The outside world has a lot of complaints about the younger brother's choice to raise pigs, thinking that "talented people have become pig farmers".
But Chen Sheng did not despise Lu Buxuan, he admired the entrepreneurial spirit and courage of his younger brothers.
Inspired by this, Chen Sheng also came up with the idea of entering the aquaculture industry. He believes that the development prospects of the breeding industry are broad, and he has the strength to professionalize and brand "pig breeding".
As a result, Chen Sheng invested a lot of money to establish a chicken farm and hired experts to guide him. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and the bird flu wiped out the chicken farm, and Chen Sheng could only watch his career come to naught, which made him frustrated.
At this moment, Lu Buxuan appeared again and gave a suggestion: it is better to join forces to build a pig brand. Chen Sheng gladly accepted. In 2007, the two founded "No. 1 Soil Pig" to extend the industrial chain to processing.
With the joint efforts, the brand quickly opened up the market, sales soared, and the company was successfully listed. The two Peking University talents joined forces to start a business, which was unexpected, and also refuted the stereotype that "reading is useless".
In 2011, Chen Sheng, who had reached the peak of his career, decided to give back to his hometown. He invested 300 million yuan in his hometown Guanhu Village to build 258 spacious and bright villas, ready to give them to the villagers free of charge.
I thought that this return would win the gratitude of the villagers, but I didn't expect that when the house was divided, some people began to make unreasonable demands and wanted to ask for more houses. There are also people who know that the house is a public resource, but they threaten to claim compensation on the grounds of occupying their own land.
Seeing that the words were not speculative, these villagers even demonstrated en masse, smashing the glass of the newly built villa, and acting radically. Chen Sheng never imagined that the industrious and simple neighbors of the past were not what they used to be, and they would disregard justice for their personal interests.
This incident made the generous Chen Sheng feel unbearable, and he realized that moral education could not be neglected in economic development. Perhaps the people in the village were out of sympathy at the beginning, but now the good deeds of helping others have become a transfer of benefits.
This was not the result he wanted.
In 2018, the villa issue was finally resolved, but the relationship between Chen Sheng and the villagers had broken down. He never wanted to go back to this place that had left him disheartened. People's hearts have changed, the country is still the same, but the appearance of his hometown has made Chen Sheng feel unfamiliar.
Chen Sheng is known as the "butcher of Peking University" by the outside world, which has ridiculed his entrepreneurial process, but also contains the affirmation of talent.
Starting his business in the 80s, becoming the head of a beverage business in the 90s, and successfully founding a well-known pork brand with his younger brother in the 2000s, Chen Sheng's success story is a commendable personal struggle.
However, he diligently gave back to his hometown but suffered a lot of white eyes, which shows that behind his success, there is still a shadow of complex people's hearts.
What we see is just the tip of the iceberg. Chen Sheng walked into the mall from Peking University, who knew the ups and downs in his heart? He is full of good expectations for his hometown, believing that economic prosperity will bring about an improvement in spiritual outlook, which is wishful thinking.
The incident of villagers smashing windows made him learn from the pain, it turns out that the reward is not necessarily appreciated, and good intentions can also do bad things.
The core of this incident is not personal gains and losses, but the plight of people's hearts in the changing times. Economic development is faster than moral construction, and some people only value material things rather than substances.
We should not only advocate the virtue of helping others, but also guard against a utilitarian mentality, adhere to the core socialist values, and explore the dialectical relationship between economic construction and moral education.
The motto of Peking University is "unremitting self-improvement, moral commitment", which represents the pioneering spirit and patriotic dedication of Peking University people. Chen Sheng carried forward this spirit.
He was not satisfied with the ordinary life of ordinary people, and chose to start a business in the sea, expand his territory in the business world, and achieve remarkable achievements. After achieving success, Chen Sheng did not enjoy himself comfortably, but with the original intention of returning to his hometown, he devoted himself to investing in construction, wanting to let the masses live a good life.
Although his kindness did not reap the expected reward, this could not shake Chen Sheng's dedication. In the face of the misunderstanding of the villagers, he did not choose to leave heartlessly, but continued to influence the masses with the mind of his sister and guide them on the road to prosperity.
Chen Sheng's spirit of continuing to give back to his hometown regardless of his past suspicions fully reflects the integrity of Peking University people who are willing to contribute. Let us learn from Chen Sheng Xi not forgetting to repay the society, infect others with love, and lead the people with the responsibility of Peking University people.
I believe that as long as we persevere, we will be able to light up people's hearts and change the countryside.