Qian Manduo asked doubtfully, "Are tobacco companies really that good? Aren't they just companies that sell cigarettes?"
Her father also smoked, but he smoked dry tobacco grown on their own land. The cigarette paper was made from her and her siblings' exercise books, so they didn't spend a penny. Many people in the village smoked like that, and very few people bought filtered cigarettes. Her father said that those cigarettes didn't feel good, and that the tobacco they grew themselves was much stronger.
Then, after arriving in Pingjiang, not many of Qian Manduo's teachers and male classmates smoked. For a while, she even thought the cigarette shop was going to go out of business. But now, judging from Ye Qingqing's tone, selling cigarettes was quite profitable.
Ye Qingqing smiled, "Tobacco companies are major taxpayers, and their profits are indeed very good. Their salaries and benefits are also high. Xi Murong, your parents are doing this for your own good. Going out to make a living may not be as comfortable as staying at home."
Qian Manduo roughly understood, but she still disagreed. "If you only care about comfort, why bother learning so much knowledge? Stay in my village and farm. The harvest will be enough to make a living. After you're done, you can bask in the sun and chat. The old people in my village are actually quite content. My classmates who got married and had children early also feel content, but I feel unwilling."
"Why are you unwilling to accept this?" Xi Murong asked.
"I finally got to be born as a human. If I don't live a life that reflects my own desires, what's the point of being human? If I'm reborn as an animal in the next life, I won't even be able to control my own destiny. So, since I'm born as a human this time, I want to live the life I dream of. I can't let this life be in vain." Qian Manduo answered very seriously.
Xi Murong was deeply moved, his eyes burning with passion. What he admired most about Qian Manduo was his adventurous spirit, because he lacked that quality. As a result, he was irresistibly drawn to the enthusiastic and indomitable Qian Manduo.
Ye Qingqing explained, "Xi Murong's parents work at a really good company. If he stays, he can achieve great things."
Perhaps because she's been reborn, Ye Qingqing feels she's lost her drive. All she wants is to protect her loved ones and family, live a peaceful and prosperous life, and have everyone she cares about doing well. That's all she wants.
Qian Manduo thought for a moment, then looked at Xi Murong and asked, "That depends on what you want. Some people are willing to stay in the castle as canaries, while others want to fly high and fight against wind, rain and wild beasts, and transform into eagles. Everyone has their own way of life. It just depends on what you want."
Xi Murong honestly replied, "I want to go out and try my luck, but I'm afraid of failing and ending up worse off than if I stayed."
There are several kids of the same age in his workplace. Apart from the ones with good grades who went abroad to study, the rest of the kids with less good grades chose to stay in the workplace. Xi Murong's concern is that if he goes out to make his way in the world, he will end up in a situation where he is neither good enough for high-level jobs nor good enough for low-level ones. In the end, he will be worse off than the few kids who stayed behind. At least his grades are better than those kids!
"Once you've made a decision, just keep running forward. Don't look back or stop to think. Just keep running, and life will eventually reward you." Qian Manduo answered very seriously.
That's exactly what she did. When she promised her parents that she would get into university, she wasn't really sure, but she had to say it at the time, otherwise she would have to get married. So she studied late into the night and didn't dare to relax for a second. She wasn't particularly gifted, but she could endure more hardship than anyone else, so she got into university and fulfilled her promise.
Seeing that Xi Murong was still hesitant, Qian Manduo said, "A real man shouldn't be afraid of anything once he decides to do it. There's a 50/50 chance of success or failure. Nobody knows what the future holds. Your parents don't need you to support them in their old age, and you have no burdens at home. What do you have to worry about? If you're the only one who's fed, you can make a living no matter what."
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