Chapter 145 Not a penny

I poured a cup of tea for Teacher Zhang and looked at him with a smile.

He took out a pack of cigarettes, gave me one, and smoked it himself. After taking a puff, he exhaled a string of bubbles and slowly told me about his father.

He said his father liked to come from the countryside to visit him at school frequently. Every time he came, they would talk about family matters. These family matters included not only his own family matters, but also his cousins ​​and their children.

I nodded and summarized it for him: "He just likes to talk about the family from your grandfather on down."

He nodded and continued, "It's fine to talk about the situation, but the main thing is that he always brings bad news, never good news."

I had a clue, so I asked, "Does it mean that among the younger generation, this one is disobedient, that one is divorced, those in business can't make money, this one likes to gamble, that one is idle, and the smarter ones are particularly honest?"

He clapped his hands and said, "You are worthy of being a psychologist."

I picked up the cigarette and he lit it for me. I took a puff, exhaled slowly, and said, "You have such a big family, but only yours is doing better."

He nodded vigorously: "It's easy to talk to you. You understand everything I want to say, and you also know what I didn't say."

I stared at him with fiery eyes: "Let me explain it to you, you not only hate your father, but also your entire family."

He picked up the cup and was about to drink tea, but his hand stopped in mid-air, stunned.

I smiled faintly. "Don't mind me. Let me help you count your 'family diseases': First, there's discord among your brothers. Your father's generation looked down on everyone else and often clashed over trivial matters. Second, when it comes to treating people from other races, you're particularly generous, kind, humble, and willing to suffer losses."

Teacher Zhang sighed and said, "Mr. Wan, you've summed it up perfectly. So, I studied hard, wanting nothing more than to leave that land and those so-called relatives behind."

I nodded and said, "I understand how you feel. This isn't just your family's situation; it happens to many families. I'm not afraid of making a fool of myself, so let me tell you about my family."

Teacher Zhang was deeply moved when he heard the words “Tell me about my family”.

I said, "It's the same in my family. My mother tells me about my relatives every day: this one is doing badly, that one's family is in dire straits. Besides talking about relatives, she also talks about the families in the village, whose families have been stuck in poverty for generations, and whose daughters are doing shameful things outside. None of the stories are good news."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Same, same, same."

After hearing this, Teacher Zhang and I became closer, and he spilled all the beans on his heart. For example, his father and his uncle had a lifelong feud, all over a vegetable patch. And his father was quite generous to others. If someone said a few kind words about a large tree, he would give it to them without hesitation, charging only half the price.

They said his uncle was even worse. When someone cheated his father, his uncle refused to help and even had an intimate relationship with the person. The reason was that his family was the only one doing better off. He was a teacher and had a job, and his sister was a senior executive at a well-known company. The whole family was jealous of them.

His father, on the other hand, looked down on his own family. With a compassionate attitude, he often pointed out the shortcomings of his family members to gain psychological satisfaction.

He concluded: "I hate that place, including my family. I just want to stay away from it. I hope my father will have less contact with me."

I said, "You can't blame your father, nor can you blame your family. If we want to discuss this issue, we have to start from over a thousand years ago."

He was stunned and looked at me with a confused look on his face.

I asked, "What subject do you teach?"

"history."

"Great, let me tell you a little history."

“Is this related to history?”

"Yes." I stood up and counted on my fingers, "Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's start from the Song Dynasty. The Jin people marched south and captured the two emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty, Song Huizong and Song Qinzong.

The Mongols continued to kill people along the way. They were extremely cruel and ruthless, forcing the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty to commit suicide by jumping into the sea.

Let's talk about the Qing Dynasty. They conquered the Central Plains and paved the way with bloodshed. In Yangzhou, 800,000 people were killed in ten days. In Jiading, there were three massacres, and the river was covered with corpses.

Of course, he knew all this history by heart.

I concluded, "After several bloody massacres, although we Han people have Yue Fei and Wen Tianxiang, many ordinary people have changed, becoming submissive and timid."

"Why can't we always beat them?"

"In the era of cold weapons, nomadic peoples were not only tall and strong, and good at riding horses, but they were also stronger than the Han people in terms of physical strength, willpower, and combat effectiveness. Later, foreign invasions arrived, and in the era of hot weapons, our technology was inferior to others, and our weapons were backward.

So, Mr. Zhang, this isn't just your family's problem; it's the inferiority complex lurking in the hearts of everyone. It's just that the Zhang family appears stronger, while the Li family appears weaker.

Today, as a history teacher, you should step out of your ego and stop hating your father or your family. Instead, you should inspire your students to study for China's rise and learn for China's rejuvenation.

As I spoke, I couldn't help but burst into tears.

Teacher Zhang sighed repeatedly. "A conversation with you is worth ten years of reading. I finally understand the profound historical reasons behind this."

I smiled and said, "In fact, you have also inherited your father's thinking genes."

He was stunned and looked at me.

"Take last time, for example. I came to your school to give a lecture, and you were the first one to stand up and go out to pee. Your father looked down on family members, and you looked down on everyone else even more. You only admire those famous professors and famous teachers. By extension, you also have low self-esteem and only admire the so-called strong.

It would be great if you could support me with an encouraging look and encourage me with an equal attitude. Fortunately, I have some skills, otherwise, I would really be embarrassed by you.

Therefore, in educating children to study for the rise of China, I also hope that our teachers will first stand tall and put equality, self-confidence, and respect for others first. Only then can we teach for the rise of China and raise a generation of confident and self-reliant people.

His face was flushed all the way to his neck.

"Okay, that's all I have to say. Maybe you find it harsh, but you are a teacher. The growth of the next generation depends on the teacher's education. My words are too harsh and you may be unhappy, but you can think about it carefully." After saying that, I stood up.

He knew it too, so he stood up and sent the guest away. He also stood up and asked, "How much?"

I shook my head. "You want money? It doesn't solve any problems. It's enough that you don't hate me."

"You must count your money, and you will benefit greatly from it."

I clasped my hands together and said, "I'm sorry. I don't want a cent."

After several attempts, Teacher Zhang left.

This was the only one of my night talks where I didn't charge any money.

It was late at night. I sat there, chain-smoking.

Master Chen said it well—if you want to stand out, it's incredibly difficult. Others won't allow you to. This is exactly what happened to Teacher Zhang's family. His family was a little better off, but his father looked down on others, and his clan members only wanted to bring him down. Isn't Teacher Zhang himself like this? Having graduated from university, he looked down on others and only wanted to disrupt their lives.

Why do you hate your father? As a teacher, you should first correct the annoying aspects of yourself.