Junan Li, my father, who was born in a poor countryside in China Henan province in 1969 went through a rough and chaotic childhood. Recalling his memory about his life from 40 years ago, the inspirational story of him invigorates me to pursue my dream.
My father’s turning point of life happened when he was 17, he made a huge decision that can change his life completely. Because he was unwilling to succumb to his poor and hard life, he got on a train that took him to a newly built city Shijiazhuang which is very close to Beijing, the capital of China. He was told that a distant relative will pick him up at the train station. Thus, a teenage boy who has never even leave the small town got on the train. On the way to Shijiazhuang, he saw various of human beings’ emotions. Some people were crying because of the sadness of parting, the others were radiant and positive because they were ready to get a fresh start of their bright future. Obviously, my father was one of the latter. “I have to do something that I am afraid of and go out of my comfort zone,” my father said, “because these things are usually the most worthwhile.”
“I’ve never been to a city before, the bustling scene really shocked me.” he said. The moment he got off the train he saw a brand-new world which is totally different from his previous life. The next day, because of his distant uncle’s introduction, my dad got a job from a small drug factory. However, the excited mood of starting a new life did not last long. The factory closed down soon, and the manager of the factory ran away in order to avoid debt. After that, my father lost his job as well as his meager salary. “I felt like the whole world abandoned me.” he said.
With the condition of suffering hunger and cold, my dad had to find a new job by himself. Finally, he found a job of delivering drugs for different factories. In those years, even motorbikes were still really rare in China, let alone cars. Therefore, he could only use an old bike to deliver drugs, no matter what the weather was like. “I still remember vividly about that day,” my dad said, “It was pouring rain that day, and I went to deliver some drugs just in order to get 10rmb.”
After two years of being a deliver, my dad was not resigned to live in such a hard and impoverished life. “You have to strive for the chance yourself but not waiting for others’ giving.” he said. He gave up his current job and started to find chances to start up his own business. “Actually, I have to thanks for my pervious experience of being a deliver,” he said, “it gave me chances to meet plenty of pharmaceutical manufacturers, and because of that, an ambitious idea initiated in my mind.” He began to contact those pharmaceutical manufacturers, and wanted to start to run his own pharmaceutical agency business. Day after day passed, he finally gained some fame and fortune through his unremitting efforts.
The experience has made him become a person who is willing to help people in need. During the pandemic, he donated plenty of medicine and money for hospitals. “I will never forget my original intention of starting pharmaceutical business,” my dad said, “That is, to help more people with their health.”
Sources: 1.comparative images of countryside in Henan and Shijiazhuang
