In 1985, a young man in Vietnam threw a motorcycle under a banyan tree, but he didn't expect that 35 years later, someone would be willing to spend 150 million VND to buy this dilapidated motorcycle, but he politely refused. What exactly is the magic of this motorcycle?
(Reference: 2020-03-26 Huanjingjin.com "Vietnam's "Tree Entanglement Motorcycle" Arouses Heated Discussions among Netizens)
Born in a small village in northwestern Vietnam, Tam Van Ting (not his real name) seems destined to repeat the poverty that has been passed down for generations to most people, but Tan Van Ting has dreams that are not willing to be ordinary.
In the village, every child learns to ride a motorcycle from an early age.
Motorcycles are not only tools, but also the yearning for freedom.
At the age of 15, Tan Wenting finally saved enough money by doing odd jobs to buy his first old motorcycle.
For him, it was not only a means of transportation, but also a symbol of freedom from bondage, a companion on his path to freedom.
However, the realities of life soon diluted this vision.
In order to support his family, Tan Wenting had to give up his studies and follow his father to engage in farm work.
The hard work is only exchanged for food and clothing.
Sometimes, he would drive that beat-up motorcycle through the country roads, briefly regaining his youthful yearning for freedom.
Opportunity often comes in the most casual moments. At the end of the 80s of the last century, Vietnam gradually implemented economic reform and opening up, and Tan Van Ting keenly seized this opportunity.
With his business acumen and studious attitude, he opened a duck farm and subsequently an authentic duck porridge shop.
Business is getting better, and Tan Wenting's life has also undergone earth-shaking changes.
He bought a new means of transportation, and the old motorcycle that had been with him for many years was parked under the huge banyan tree in front of his house.
Day after day, year after year, the motorcycle gradually becomes a unique sight to become entangled in the vines of the banyan tree, which merges with the tree.
Bad news always happens inadvertently. The epidemic in 2020 brought the whole world to a standstill, but it made people cherish and love life more.
In this year, a Japanese-American Robert Campbell came across this unusual photo on the Internet:
A motorcycle is like being hugged tightly by a huge banyan tree, and the two are like a pair of intimate lovers.
Campbell is a long-time motorcycle collector.
In his eyes, every car is not only a precision machine, but also carries a unique story.
The photo immediately piqued his interest and he was determined to see this unusual motorcycle for himself and keep it in his collection.
Soon, Campbell followed the line to find the owner of the motorcycle, Tan Wenting, and followed the map to this remote village.
When I first met Tan Wenting, he was entertaining villagers who had come to taste duck porridge by the cooking fire. Seeing this stranger, Tan Wenting warmly invited him to taste his own delicacies.
Campbell was impressed by this rustic enthusiasm.
He sincerely expressed his great interest in the motorcycle to Tan Van Dinh and offered a whopping 150 million VND (about $500,000).
That's a lot of money, enough to tempt most people.
But to Campbell's surprise, Tan Wenting showed no signs of wavering.
He turned around, looked at the motorcycle under the towering tree, and said slowly:
"It's like a car that is a part of me and carries my story along the way. It has witnessed me go from a poor guy to where I am today. For me, it's much more than just an object, it's like a loved one. "
Campbell bent down and listened, as if he saw time shuttling on Tan Wenting's vicissitudes of life.
He came to realize that there are some things that are immeasurable with money, and that some bonds are stronger than money.
So, he sincerely expressed his understanding and promised to share this story with the world.
Before leaving, Campbell left a sizable donation at Tan Wenting's porridge shop to pay tribute to him and the village.
Since then, this unique motorcycle story has gone viral on the Internet, attracting countless people to stop and watch.
They were not only to see the charming scenery, but also to be deeply moved by Tan Wenting's dedication to life and adherence to ideals.
Because in this age when the idea of material purchases dominates everything, few people can achieve such a pure adherence to memory.
And all this is contained in the embrace of the big tree and the motorcycle.
For Tan Wenting, this motorcycle that has accompanied him through part of his life is not only a commemoration of the past, but also an expectation for the future.
Like that towering tree, he will become a tenacious force that will never stop in this land.
The integration of motorcycles and trees has witnessed the baptism of time, and Tan Wenting's unswerving determination to his dream is destined to turn into a good story.
When life is dull, memories will be like a clear spring, forever pouring people's hope for the future. Perhaps, this is the true meaning of the trajectory of the cycle of fate.
