In a quaint town in Xiangxi, Liu Shijie and his wife Wang Li relied on the water and soil to raise their son Liu Hao. When he was young, he went out to work for a period of time and earned some money, but because of his homesickness and attachment to the land, he finally chose to return to his hometown with his meager savings.
Most of the people in the small town make a living from farming, and occasionally some go out to work, and the atmosphere values those who can establish themselves in the big city. Therefore, when Liu Hao chose to work at a new construction site in the town as an adult, instead of going to the big city like other young people, people in the town talked about it a lot, and even disdained it.
"Lao Liu, I heard that your family Haozi didn't go out, so he was messing around at the construction site in our town?" Neighbor Aunt Wang asked Liu Shijie about the news with a slightly gossipy tone.
Liu Shijie held some freshly harvested vegetables in his hand and replied with a smile: "Yes, auntie." Haozi said that he felt that his hometown was kind and wanted to find a job here, so that he could go home often. ”
Aunt Wang shook her head, a little disapproving: "Hey, young people nowadays want to go out, how many people dream of going to a big city, your family is good, do the opposite." ”
"Haozi has his own plans, and we support it." Wang Li came out of the kitchen to relieve her husband.
The days on the construction site are not easy, Liu Hao goes out early and returns late every day, sweating this hot land. His earnestness and diligence earned him a good reputation among the workers, but in the eyes of the townspeople, the job was far from that of white-collar workers in big cities.
Wang Li often hears relatives and friends talking behind her back: "Isn't your family just a brick movers, how can you compare to working in the city?" ”
Wang Li laughed at these words, she knew her son's efforts and responsibility for the family. Whenever Liu Hao returned home with exhaustion, Wang Li always greeted him with the warmest hugs and the most sumptuous meals.
"Mom, the foreman praised me today." Liu Hao said with a smile while wiping his sweat. "He said that I am reliable and hard-working, and if there are ten on the construction site, I will be able to do it."
Wang Li looked at him lovingly while picking up vegetables for her son: "Mom believes in you, Haozi, you can also do a career here." ”
Liu Shijie took a sip of rice wine from his hometown and said affectionately: "Yes, Haozi." No matter what the outside world thinks, your family will always support you. Your road, you walk frankly, your parents will be happy. ”
They sat around a simple wooden table, their smiles warm and sincere under the lamp. Although the townspeople were indifferent to them, they knew that a simple family warmth was more precious than anything else. Accompanied by Liu Shijie, Wang Li wore a simple and generous dress and came to the wedding banquet of her relatives with anxiety. These relatives often talk about Liu Hao's work, which makes her feel depressed. Sure enough, as soon as she walked into the banquet venue, she heard a few malicious whispers.
"You see Wang Li is here, I heard that her son works on a small construction site, hey, it's really unproductive." A middle-aged woman in a bright cheongsam said inadvertently.
Wang Li didn't feel good when she heard it, but she still greeted everyone with a smile. After sitting down, Sister Li on the side seemed to have found a topic.
"Wang Li, why didn't your Haozi go out and break in? Our Li Ming can get more than 20,000 yuan a month in the city! Sister Li said as she shook the gold bracelet in her hand ostentatiously.
Wang Li smiled awkwardly: "Every child has a way for every child, Haozi chooses to stay in the town, and we respect him." ”
Before she could finish speaking, Uncle Zhang next to her interjected: "These days, what will it be if you don't enter the city?" How many opportunities can our town have compared to the city! ”
Wang Li could only smile bitterly: "Yes, what you said also makes sense." ”
In this awkward and dreary atmosphere, after being quiet for a while, she decided to lighten the atmosphere a little: "But Haozi, although he is in a small town, he is diligent, and to be honest, his boss admires him very much." ”
When Sister Li heard this, she was skeptical: "Really? The work on the construction site is still dirty, what can you appreciate? ”
"Really, the boss said that one day if the construction site is built more and more, Haozi may be promoted." Wang Li tried to maintain her son's dignity and self-confidence.
During the feast, accompanied by lingering music and sumptuous dishes, relatives talked more about their children's achievements. Wang Li listened with mixed feelings in her heart, but she didn't give up, and still tried to find a topic to join.
After three rounds of drinking, the smiling faces of relatives made Wang Li feel a little warm, although they were not optimistic about Liu Hao's work, but at least on such days, people were willing to put aside their prejudices and gather together.
During the banquet, someone proposed: "Come, let's talk about it, what are the new changes in whose children this year?" ”
After some words, Wang Li couldn't help but talk about Liu Hao: "What about my Haozi, no, I helped the construction site boss deal with a tricky matter some time ago, and the boss praised him in public." ”
Everyone was stunned for a moment, maybe the alcohol played a role, or they were moved by Wang Li's words, and the temperature seemed to rise.
"Oh, that's good, it seems that we can also produce talents in our town!" Uncle Zhang stretched out his hand and patted Wang Li's shoulder, and said with a smile.
The banquet finally ended, and when Wang Li and Liu Shijie walked out of the banquet hall, their mood was a little relaxed. Although the attitude of her relatives has not changed much, Wang Li is still full of hope for life, and she believes that her son will prove his worth in his own way. In the midst of this solemnity, an unexpected situation happened to everyone. At the door of the banquet walked into a man in a straight suit with full aura, he was Zhao Minggui, a successful businessman who was well-known in the town but rarely appeared. The discussion stopped abruptly, and all eyes were focused on his solemn figure.
"Wow, isn't that Zhao Minggui? Why did he come to our wedding banquet in this little place? Relatives whispered among themselves, surprised.
Wang Li and Liu Shijie also glanced at each other, full of doubts. After a while, Zhao Minggui's voice sounded, overpowering all the whispers.
"Hello everyone, many people may wonder why I am here. Actually, I have something important to announce. Zhao Minggui's voice was loud and full of confidence.
Everyone held their breath, and the wedding banquet became a little strange. The topic of Zhao Minggui undoubtedly made everyone curious.
"I plan to invest in a big project in this town, which will bring a lot of jobs here." The screen behind him lit up, revealing a grand plan for the project.
Suddenly, the discussion became louder, and people's faces swelled with excitement and joy. But then Zhao Minggui's words shocked everyone present.
"And, I needed someone who was honest and reliable to lead the team. Once upon a time, there was a young man who did me a great favor on the construction site, and I always remember it. I think he's the guy I'm looking for. His name is Liu Hao. ”
This sudden news made the atmosphere of the entire wedding banquet change abruptly. Liu Hao? Wang Li's son? The young man working on a local construction site?
Wang Li was flustered for a while, she didn't expect that it would be her son who was closely related. Zhao Minggui's words continued: "Yes, at that time, he was not afraid of difficulties and helped me solve a crisis that could lead to huge losses. I believe that such young people deserve to be given more important responsibilities. ”
Liu Shijie patted Wang Li's hand and gave her a reassuring look. Wang Li stood up in a daze, came back to her senses, and hurriedly took the microphone handed by Zhao Minggui: "Boss Zhao, this... It was such a surprise. We haven't heard Hiroko talk about it. ”
The audience talked a lot, some were surprised, some were envious, and some began to look at Wang Li, a relatively unknown mother-in-law on weekdays, with different eyes.
"To be honest, I just made that decision as well. But I'm sure Liu Hao won't let me down. Zhao Minggui's words were firm and affirmative.
The scene of the banquet changed in an instant, and the faces of those relatives who had been sneering before showed indescribable expressions. Zhao Minggui had a brief conversation with Wang Li and then left the banquet scene quickly, leaving everyone with infinite imagination and speculation.
After Zhao Minggui announced the news, Wang Li became heartbroken, and those relatives who once looked down on Liu Hao began to reflect on their attitudes in their hearts. The atmosphere of the wedding banquet also became extremely lively, and in whispers, respect and appreciation began to replace the previous ignorance and prejudice. When the excitement of the banquet came to an end and Wang Li and Liu Shijie were about to leave, the relatives who had cold eyes and bitter words came over one by one, with a rather imperceptible embarrassment on their faces.
Sister Li took Wang Li's hand, and her tone was full of guilt: "Wang Li, don't take those words to heart just now, no one thought that Haozi could have today." ”
"Yes, we do look down on people, and this time we are short-sighted." Uncle Zhang also walked over, his expression much more sincere than the previous ridicule.
Wang Li smiled slightly, her mood was much more relaxed: "It's all a family, what do you say 'look downon' and don't look down on." Children have their own paths, and there are many ways to succeed. ”
Liu Shijie also interjected: "Yes, as long as it is the path you choose, take it seriously." We feel very honored that Haozi can be recognized by Boss Zhao like this, not all the winning points lie in money and status. ”
After hearing this, the relatives nodded involuntarily, as if they had an epiphany. They have also come to understand that a person's worth cannot be measured solely by material things, regardless of their profession.
On the way out of the banquet site, the moonlight was gentle, and Wang Li and Liu Shijie walked on the way home, but their hearts swelled with unprecedented tranquility and satisfaction.
Liu Shijie looked at the sky, pondered for a long time, and said, "Li, today's incident has taught everyone a lesson, or to ourselves. ”
Wang Li smiled faintly, and it seemed that she could still see the stunned and reflective expressions of those relatives in her mind: "Yes, maybe everyone has high and low in the eyes of others, but at home, Haozi is always the best." ”
They walked into the house hand in hand, Liu Hao had already received a call from Zhao Minggui, and he was about to tell his parents the good news in the living room.
That night, the whole home was filled with warmth and joy, and they once again deeply realized that everyone has their own shining point and deserves to be respected and praised.
At the end of the story, the town is left with a period of contemplation, and every family is left with a reflection: in this era of pursuing diverse values, can we really treat everyone who works hard to live fairly?