As night falls, the neon lights of the bustling city shine brightly in the darkness. Several volunteers in red vests patrol the streets, their eyes set under a dilapidated bridge.
I saw a figure curled up there, his hair gray and messy, his cotton clothes were already in tatters, and his feet were rubbing against a pair of torn slippers. He shivered, as if he would be blown away by the icy wind and rain at any moment.
"Are you okay, old fellow?" One of the volunteers asked with concern.
The man looked up in disbelief, his eyes full of suspicion. But soon, the volunteers were attracted by his unworthy temperament. Although the whole person was filthy, there was an elegant atmosphere in his tone.
"You don't look like a normal bum, would you like to talk to us?" The volunteer said again.
After a moment of silence, the man spoke, his voice a little hoarse: "My name is Cao Yang, I studied at Chongqing University, and I also went to Germany to study. "
When the volunteers heard this, they were all dumbfounded! Once upon a time, this homeless man curled up at the bottom of the bridge and unclothed was actually a top student of a prestigious school, and he also had the experience of studying abroad.
Now, they are even more curious about the weathered old man in front of them, and they are determined to solve the mystery of his life.
Cao Yang's glorious past
Cao Yang was born in an ordinary rural family and was poor, but he showed extraordinary talent since he was a child. Under the care of his parents, his grades have always been among the best from primary school to middle school, and he can be described as a scholarly family.
In the year of the college entrance examination, Cao Yang was admitted to Chongqing University, a prestigious school with a national reputation, with excellent scores. For a farmer from a humble background, being able to enter a top university can be described as a major turning point in his life.
The family and villagers were all happy and regarded Cao Yang as the hope of the family.
Sure enough, when Cao Yang first entered the campus, he studied hard and earnestly, and his grades were excellent. However, he couldn't adapt to college life, and soon fell into maladaptation.
His grades slipped all the way and he didn't graduate successfully.
Although Cao Yang's university career was not smooth, his outstanding talent for languages opened a new door for him in life. With his fluency in German, he was given the opportunity to study in Germany, where he was able to succeed in a foreign country, and was once full of ambition and longing for the future.
The turning point of Cao Yang's fall from the top
Cao Yang's life in Germany was once prosperous, until a repatriation order completely crushed his dream. It turned out that he had not gone through the procedures for long-term residence, and his short-term stay of more than 90 days constituted illegal stay.
To make matters worse, all of Cao's student records have disappeared, which means that his study experience in Germany can no longer be proven.
Cao Yang painfully realized that he had lost his legal identity for no reason, and he would never be able to settle down in a foreign country again.
Seeing the small achievements of the hard climb disappear like this, his heart was extremely shocked and frustrated.
In desperation, Cao Yang could only hurriedly pack his bags and embark on the long journey back to China with shame and shame.
He was full of longing for the future, but he never thought about it, but fell into a low point in his life.
After returning to China, there was no file, and he could not verify even the most basic identity, and there was no way to go in the future.
The experience of becoming a homeless man in Guangdong
After returning to China, Cao Yang was confused for a while. In order to make a living, he made up his mind to work in Guangdong first to make a living, but suffered an even greater misfortune.
As soon as he got off the train, Cao Yang found that his wallet and ID card were missing. In an instant, he was completely penniless, and he could not prove who he was in a foreign land.
Without his ID card, he couldn't even rent a rental house, so he could only live alone on the streets.
At the beginning, Cao Yang still had the hope of re-struggling. During the day, he was covered with feathers and shouted and begged for living expenses; At night, he curled up in the cold and dark bridge and fell asleep.
Day after day, the hardships of life soon made him gradually extinguish his inner fighting spirit.
Cao Yang often recalls that he was once an honor student in the eyes of others, and his family and fellow villagers had unlimited expectations for him. But now, he has to beg on the streets in a foreign land.
Thinking of this, he began to avoid contact with his family, for fear that they would see him so depressed.
One year, two years, three years. The old years are gone, the new year is approaching, and time flies by like a white horse. In the blink of an eye, 14 years have passed.
The once handsome and sunny young man is now unrecognizable, his eyes are blank, and his face is withered. The determination to get rid of the wandering life has long been worn out in the long wait.
Even so, Cao Yang has never forgotten what his home looks like. Whenever he thinks of his warm hometown and his father, who has worked all his life, his heart will be filled with sadness.
But when he thought that if he returned with such a depressed appearance, he was afraid of ruining his family, so he once again dismissed his return. So, Cao Yang wandered the streets as if he were dead, hoping that bad luck would leave him as soon as possible.
Volunteers find and reunite with their families
Cao Yang spent 14 years of helplessness in a desperate situation. Until that night, when several enthusiastic volunteers in red vests were patrolling the streets, they found him huddled in a bridge hole.
Although Cao Yang was ragged and skeletal at the time, his elegant words and deeds were still amazing. The volunteers chatted with him curiously and soon learned about his tragic experience.
When they learned that the old man in tattered clothes in front of them had been an outstanding student of 985 University and had studied in Germany, they were all stunned and shocked.
Sympathetic to the hardships of Cao Yang's displacement, the volunteers enthusiastically served him a delicious meal from his hometown, hoping to soothe the nostalgia of his wanderer's hometown. What's even more commendable is that after many efforts, they finally contacted Cao Yang's family and persuaded him to return to his hometown, ending his 14-year wandering life.
Looking back on Cao Yang's life, his experience was indeed ups and downs, and he fell to the bottom. Since childhood, he was pinned on high hopes by his family and regarded as the hope star of the family, but later suffered blows again and again, falling from the peak of glory to the streets, like a nightmare.
Cao Yang's story reflects society's relentless pressure and expectations on individuals. As the pride of the sky, he has been praised and trusted since he was a child. When there is a setback in academic life, the blow is even harder.
After dropping out of school, he never really integrated into society, and the escape from his family and fate is exactly the poor way for young people to cope with difficult situations.
However, as the saying goes, "gold always shines". Thankfully, although Cao Yang was once disoriented, his noble temperament and kind nature have always been retained.
It was this inner character of not admitting defeat that allowed him to finally regain the hope of life and the opportunity for rebirth.
The road of life is full of thorns, and Cao Yang's experience once again confirms this.
Only by knowing how to face difficulties bravely and never give up can we find the light again on the ups and downs of life.
His story is a valuable inspiration for everyone: cherish the moment, seize the opportunity, and never give up on yourself.