See the lilac in May again, but not my former classmates

Walking on the roadside in spring, the fragrance of flowers wafting from the roadside reminds people that it is the season of lilacs blooming again. I do not miss the lilac-like girl with a resentment. I recall sleeping in college. My brother Min Pan is on the bunk above me.

We met in college. After graduation, he went to my city to meet, and I went to his city to meet. We didn't see each other at the class reunion, and then we never saw each other again.

1. Met in college

He is from Shanghai and I am from the Northeast. At that time, the Hong Kong typhoon had blown through Shanghai. Compared with me, who came from the countryside in the Northeast, he was fashionable and had nice hair. She looked like a celebrity. She applied some unknown substance to her hair, made it shiny, and combed her hair back. Wearing a white jacket, loose pants, and shiny leather shoes. Walking with your chest held high and your head raised, it looks very cool. Carrying a lunch box in one hand and a kettle in the other, walking from the cafeteria to the dormitory attracted the attention of many female classmates on the way.

I walked next to him, wearing a sports suit and a pair of white sneakers. He was also carrying a lunch box and a kettle, looking at the ground for fear of tripping over stones. I asked myself a thousand times in my heart whether it would be uncomfortable to walk with him. Later, I slowly slowed down my pace and deliberately did another question after class to distance myself from him. Walk and study alone or with classmates who are similar to you. But the chess game back in the dormitory can restore some of my self-confidence. Although I occasionally lose, I win most of the time, which makes me very happy. My classmate in Shanghai is good at English and I am good at math. I can also teach him advanced math.

The happy years of college have flown by. I have always maintained leading academic performance in college and was called an evil head by my classmates. Before every exam, classmates who usually play crazy would borrow my notes. I also have to tutor Min Pan in advanced mathematics.

In the year of graduation, in May, the flowers on campus were in full bloom, and the feeling of separation was getting stronger. The classmates began to make appointments to leave messages in the graduation album, and took photos in the dormitory, friends from the same hometown, and classmates from previous and next batches. Several buddies from our dormitory, led by Min Pan, left photos of the same frame in every corner of the campus.

When we break up, classmates reluctantly say goodbye, but we should always get together when we meet.

2. Top Gun

After graduation, I returned to Shanghai smoothly and worked in a company with the national prefix. This was what I had predicted when I applied for this university. Wherever they come from, they will be divided back and forth. I applied to this school with a plan and knew where this industry school would go. Zong Shi, my brother from the Northeast, who was sleeping on the bunk below me, was lying all crooked. He casually applied to this school at the bottom, but his favorite school did not admit him and he was accepted by this school. After getting to know him after he started school, he felt lucky to be able to work in a provincial capital after graduation. This was something he had never thought of beforehand.

I have learned about the salary, benefits and working methods after graduation through the alumni of the previous class. His income is middle income in this first-tier city, but high income in Zongshi city, so his sense of happiness is particularly strong. When I was in school, Zongshi was the academic type and I was the social type. He goes to the classroom every day to study, while I participate in various associations and various cultural and sports activities to increase my knowledge.

The different experiences of each student were not very obvious when I was in school. After working, I discovered that sometimes when chatting with classmates, I would find that there was a language barrier. When I mentioned that I needed to struggle and pursue financial freedom, they looked very confused, which made me not want to talk to them about this topic again. I said that if you don’t engage in scientific research, if you can use 20% of the knowledge in books in society, it would be very good. As a result, Zongshi believes that knowledge is still the most important and can be used 70% of the time. If you don't understand the language, just talk about something similar. When you get together with classmates, just reminisce about the campus life back then.

After working, the income can make a living. The biggest advantage is the welfare housing allocation. But young people should be adventurous. There is a story that tells well: two young monks from two temples on the mountain would always meet each other when they went to the foot of the mountain to carry water for food. After a while, one of the young monks disappeared. One day, the remaining young monk who continued to carry water met the original young monk and asked him why he stopped carrying water. Another young monk said that I insisted on digging a well every day when carrying water. Now that the well has been dug, there is no need to carry water anymore. This story illustrates that if you want to gain financial freedom, you must dig a well for yourself after work. The day you dig it is when you don’t have to go down the mountain to carry water.

So I chose to work three shifts. In this way, I have two days to realize my dream of opening my own clothing store.

First, I like fashion, I like clothing, and I like to lead trends. Second, people's lives are getting better and better now, and they are pursuing fashion more and more. The clothing industry is a huge treasure, and gold mines will definitely be dug out of it.

In the beginning, I rented a stall in the clothing market, went to other places to purchase goods, and hired people to sell. My classmates come from all over the country, so I fly to where there are good products. After placing the first order, I can ask my classmates for help in the future. I am very grateful to my friends from university who gave me a lot of support when I first started my business. I was always invited to dinner when I went to inspect the market. I was embarrassed to tell them when I went there again.

Some students from other places came to Shanghai. Several of our local classmates invited us to dinner. After the meal, the students present shared the meal expenses equally, which shocked the students from other places. This is the difference between Shanghainese and outsiders.

If you choose to do business, you must stick to it. Although it is very difficult at the beginning, the main reason is that there is too much working capital. If you order too little, you won’t be able to get a low price, but if you order too much, the sales cycle will be longer, and new products will be released every season, so the financial pressure is particularly high. My family gave me great support in resolving the financial pressure, but I still obtained authorization for a credit loan from the bank. Pay attention to accumulating your own credit in normal times, and cash is king at critical moments.

I pay attention to the latest fashion trends in my spare time at work, and go to the stalls after get off work to learn about the market. After several years of accumulation, the turnover is getting bigger and bigger, and the income is getting higher and higher. My business is also getting better and better.

3. Reunion five years after graduation

Within a few years of graduation, all the classmates got married and had children. I went back to the provincial capital to work. The income was relatively high and it was easy to find a partner. I found a local person to get married in Shenyang. After getting married, under the guidance of my wife, my clothes gradually became more fashionable. As new social circles are established, contacts with college classmates gradually decrease.

That year, Min Pan came to Northeast China to inspect the market and planned to establish a brand chain store in Shenyang. I was surprised and asked him if he resigned from the company? No, the work of state-owned enterprises is still being done. After work, he founded his own sales company. He developed brands, management methods, and products. Franchisees are required to invest, recruit, and operate and manage. Some of the business terms he described about operations, management, franchising, etc. were too unfamiliar to me. I have been working in the industry and never thought I could develop my career outside the industry.

After a few days of contact with him, I found that there was a big gap between myself and him. I have always been immersed in the wonderful state of work and never imagined that I could build a business outside of work. Not only did he make money, but he also moved faster and faster in the fashion industry. He is a leader at the forefront of fashion. In the end, he did not invest here, saying that it was beyond his reach and had no time to take care of it.

It was a day in May. I invited several classmates from the previous and next semester to finish lunch with him and walk slowly in the sun. The fragrance of flowers made us stop and gather in a cluster of flowers. A few of us took a photo together in front of the lilac flowers.

Min Pan seldom chats with classmates on QQ. His classmates say that Mr. Min is very busy now.

4. Go big

My girlfriend doesn’t like me doing business and doesn’t understand why I want to do business. She also works within the system and is the only daughter in the family. Her parents have stable jobs and she can live a well-off life by marrying her. I can understand that she has no ideals, but she can't stop me from realizing my ideals.

The female boss next to my counter, who has four counters, also sells clothing. She has not studied for a few years and has been doing business with her parents since she was a child. Now I hold up this big counter by myself. When I first started doing business, I often learned from her. She is very envious that I graduated from college, have a good job, and come here to do business. So she used her information resources to help me.

I have observed her customer flow and general sales situation, and I have a preliminary estimate that her income is many times the salary of me and my girlfriend. This reinforces my belief in the theory of using other people’s time and money to make money for yourself. I must build a business platform that can automatically operate and make money when I am not working. I must dig this well.

During my two days off, I spent all my time staring at the counter and chatting with my neighbors. The information she provided me was very useful. Without her introduction, I don't know how long I would have to fumble around. She led me straight into the right path. After making money, I invited her to dinner and she was very happy. She said she just likes to listen and talk. She didn't notice that I particularly liked the way she made money. She was very talented and popular in business, and she didn't seem to worry much every day, just counting money.

My girlfriend doesn’t understand me and has never seen me at the stall. It is also difficult for me to understand her. Why does my business and making money affect her? Why is she unhappy? Does it conflict with the academic style of her family? Could it be: Businessmen value profits over parting. Later, it became increasingly difficult to meet and communicate, and as I was really busy, the relationship gradually ended.

As I have more and more contact with the female boss next door, my relationship is gradually deepening. I think it is good to marry her. With our combined capital, we can join a brand and become the brand's general agent. This will make business better.

She just likes me as a person. She said that if I don’t do business, I can just have a job in a state-owned enterprise. If I don’t like work, I can quit that job and she can make money to support me.

I am an aspiring young man, I must make great achievements, and I also want to realize my life ideals. So we got married and two years later we had a daughter. After giving birth to my daughter, my wife had to go back to work. At this time, I was running the company. I had already joined an international brand and the sales were very good. She came to the company and kept pointing fingers. I was very angry. When she was at home having the baby and resting, her business was doing very well. I could do better without her coming.

I advised her: The money I earn from my business is enough for my family, so you can easily be a full-time housewife at home. Raising your children well is your greatest contribution.

As a result, she insisted on her own point of view and asked to go out to do business independently. I want to split my current business into two. I didn't agree to a major split, I just took out part of the funds and let her set up another business on her own. We sent our children to daycare and worked on our respective businesses separately every day.

When doing business, you must pay attention to cash flow. When you start doing business, the happiest thing every night is counting money, figuring out how much money you can make every day after deducting your expenses. Then I fell asleep looking at the money.

Later, as my business expanded, I was too lazy to check it, so I ran it through a banknote detector and counted it. Later, I was too lazy to pass the banknote detector, so I took it directly to the bank, asked the counter attendant to help count the money, and deposited it directly into the bank.

A classmate asked me to quit my job at my original employer. That job is now very easy to do. If I don’t want to go, I can pay some money and someone will do the night shift for me, so there is no need to quit.

My wife and I are both busy with business. The advantage is that we make more and more money, but the disadvantage is that we have less opportunities and time to meet each other. I rarely chatted with her after I returned home. Whenever I talked about how to expand the business, how to invest, and where to expand the market, she objected. What she pursues is a small fortune and she is very satisfied with the status quo. She is really short-sighted. ***The number of similar topics has decreased, and the feelings seem to have faded.

The conflict came from the fact that when I planned to join another brand and expand my business scope, she no longer helped me provide funds. She is blocking my neck, making it impossible for me to move forward or retreat. I told her that she owns half of the company, and when it is completed as planned, we can reap the dividends. She was not optimistic about my plan and insisted not to contribute any more money. So I wanted to sell the welfare house to raise funds, but she firmly disagreed. In this way, due to different business concepts, they started to quarrel, and in the end, they broke up. I want custody of the child, and I'm afraid that she will change the child's surname after it belongs to her.

I found a bank through a friend, got a loan from the bank, and mortgaged part of my parents' house. In addition, I invested half of the house payment from the divorce and sale of the house into the business. The number of stores has increased, and cash flow has gradually returned. Business is on a steady track again.

During the loan process, I met my current wife. She is a bank employee and it is very convenient for me to help me with bank loan business.

5. Reunion in ten years

Ten years after graduation, classmates began to organize gatherings. I enthusiastically informed a good buddy in the dormitory. After all, we have lived under the same roof for so long, and we seem to be a little closer than our classmates. Min Pan did not participate. He was on his honeymoon abroad at the time. He divorced his ex-wife and the child was brought up by him. I traveled to Europe for my honeymoon with my newlywed wife.

When I called him, he said wait a moment, I will record our conversation, especially your phone number, and you have to say it again. His mobile phone can also record calls. Now that cell phones are starting to become popular, my wife and I have been talking about whether we can buy one. My wife said: You have a phone at work and a phone at home. When we go out, we are usually together. When we are not together, you still have a pager. What is the use of your mobile phone?

Don't forget that your parents in the countryside haven't installed a telephone yet, so they still have to call the neighbor's house to answer the phone.

What this Northeastern woman said woke me up. So I gave up the idea of ??buying a mobile phone. A Chinese display pager was enough. What more bikes do you want?

I didn’t see Min Pan at the ten-year graduation party.

My wife and I wanted to travel, and we first thought of Shanghai. Firstly, it is an international metropolis, and secondly, there are many classmates in Shanghai, especially my good friend Min Pan.

When we arrived in Shanghai, Min Pan drove to pick us up. He was very busy and kept answering the phone on the way. Go to her house to pick up her wife first. The car stopped at an underground parking space. I have seen underground parking spaces on TV. There really are such places in real life. After getting off the car, he followed the dim light to the elevator, got on the elevator, and came out in front of his house. He swiped his card and the door opened. After entering, I took several breaths before saying one sentence: Such a big house.

After sitting at home for a while, while waiting for her wife to change in the dressing room, I looked out the window and saw the owner’s clubhouse in the middle of the community, with the light blue light emitted by the swimming pool inside. Very charming. In the evening, Min Pan treated us to a meal at a restaurant outside.

Fortunately, my wife knew the general situation well and didn’t say anything that would make me unable to step down. When we returned to the hotel after dinner, she became silent. I knew she was stimulated. Not only her, but I was also deeply touched.

I said to my wife: What are you thinking about? Quickly pack up and rest.

What do you think I want?

What else can you think about? Think about that big house.

I know you are still asking, how did he tidy up the house?

I bought it, how can I fix it?

Then why can’t you buy it?

My salary card is all in your hands. If you want to buy it, just buy it.

You are dreaming, if you put the card in your hand you can buy it. Don’t you know how much money you make every month?

You also know that I can’t buy it. My income cannot afford to buy a big house, but the house allocated by my work unit is enough to live in and is close to my work unit. Isn't it nice?

The first stop of this trip was to visit his home, which completely ruined the mood of the trip. The next day Min Pan sent us to the Bund, and then he went to work. We walked around casually and took photos casually. Then we walked around the commercial street and returned to the hotel very early, without letting Min Pan continue to make arrangements.

The house incident once again became the best teaching material for my wife to inspire me. The last time my father was sick and hospitalized, and when he was being treated in the ICU ward, he didn't have enough money, so he borrowed money from Min Pan for medical treatment. She had already ridiculed him for a long time.

It seems that society is really a big stage, and Min Pan shines

6. Failure to start successfully

Zongshi left Shanghai with his wife, I I don’t have time to go shopping with them. When I went to Shenyang, Zongshi accompanied me all the way. His time was the company's time, and there was plenty of time. My time is my own time and it is so precious.

After they left and came here for a while, I felt uncomfortable. At the beginning, I kept having runny nose and thought it was a cold symptom. I didn't take it too seriously and kept putting it off without seeing a doctor. It's not good for a long time. After receiving a big customer and signing a big order at one time, I told myself to take a rest.

When I go to the hospital to see a doctor, I hate all the examinations in the hospital, but if you don’t bring all the examination results, the doctor will not make a diagnosis for you. I found a classmate who was in the hospital and had various examinations done without queuing up. When I took the test results to the doctor, the doctor asked me if I came alone.

Yes. I said: No problem, just say no problem.

Based on the preliminary judgment from the current examination results, the situation is not optimistic and further biopsy examination is needed.

So I took the order and made an appointment for slicing.

After I got home, my wife asked me about my medical treatment, and I simply said, "Nothing happened."

When the biopsy results came out, it was judged to be cancer, but in an early stage. The treatment plan is to surgically remove the disease, followed by chemotherapy.

I checked some information and treatment options online and decided to have the surgery in Hong Kong, which is the most advanced place to treat the disease. The surgery was successful and the chemotherapy was very effective. After several rounds of chemotherapy, all lesions were eliminated.

This illness forced me to take a break for several months.

In the past few months, the company has been managed by professional managers and everything has been operating normally.

Several local classmates came to visit me at home. They were very happy to see that the treatment was effective.

This disease has a five-year survival rate. If there is no recurrence after five years, then the disease will be completely cured.

In the past five years, inspections must be carried out on time every year. Every year before the inspection, I feel as if I'm facing a formidable enemy. After the test results came out, when I saw that everything was normal, I felt like I had received an amnesty. I was so happy that I wanted to invite everyone in Shanghai to dinner, but I only celebrated with my wife.

My wife and I talked about my career: My ex-wife and I have different business philosophies. She pursues the old business model without innovation, and sticks to her small business and cash income every day. Can the sales revenue brought by a few people be comparable to that of a team of hundreds? With professional managers in charge, you only need to establish a good corporate structure, and everything will fall into place, and you can enjoy profits. This time I was sick and the company was running normally, and that's where I was successful.

I am intoxicated with my business and planning to expand again.

However, my health is not good again. Relapse, in the seventh year. This is twenty years after I graduated from college. I originally planned to organize a class reunion, but now not only can I not organize one, I can’t even participate.

As the treatment progressed, I lost weight day by day, and I also knew that my days were numbered.

My wife and I explained the funeral arrangements: Although my ex-wife was a nouveau riche, she had no ideals. She had two salespeople and no development, and she only pursued a small fortune to settle down. But she still has cash flow, so let her raise the child. She is the child's biological mother and she has the ability to raise it. When we got divorced because of our different business ideas, she wanted to raise the child, and she announced that she would change the child's surname, but I didn't agree. I won custody of my children. This time she agreed to continue raising the child, and it was up to her whether to change her surname or not.

This house was bought with a loan. The mortgage has not been paid off and your income cannot afford it, so just sell it. I need to pay back the money from the bank first. I still have some credit loans, which I also need to pay back first. If you can have money left over, keep it. My parents don’t want my money, so I’ve already told them.

The professional manager in the company has resigned, and you have no energy or experience in management. You can do an audit and gradually cancel it. I wonder if someone can take over a brand that has been in business for so many years. If someone takes over, it will be a fortune. If no one takes over, it will be forgotten in a few years. There are many brands that have faded out of history, and I don’t regret it.

I found that God gave me a smart head and diligent limbs, but did not give me enough time. The first time I got sick was a reminder that I needed to rest. After I was cured, I thought God had given me another chance to realize my ideals in life and continue to work hard. If I had braked slowly, I might have enjoyed my results. I misunderstood.

I really want to know how God arranged it.

7. Farewell twenty years after graduation

At the twenty-year class reunion, Min Pan could no longer attend the party. He was hospitalized again, and the cancer reappeared, this time with only chemotherapy. He went to Hong Kong for chemotherapy and returned to Shanghai hospital to recuperate.

I invited several classmates from my dormitory to visit him in Shanghai. The disease had made him so thin that he lost his human shape, making me almost unrecognizable that he was a good classmate of mine. When we showed the photos we took with him to our classmates, they shouted, "Who is this?" The full head of black hair was gone, the handsome face was gone, and the tall and straight figure was gone.

Min Pan said: I am very satisfied. My ideals are right and my goals are right. But I never thought about my life again. I don’t have an old age anymore, and you will still have a long time to spend. But I don’t regret it, you all don’t know how strong I am now. When encountering this kind of thing, you may not be as strong as me. I am not afraid of death, I am just sorry.

The party went on normally. This time, more than 30 people from more than 70 classmates came. Everyone talked and laughed and told embarrassing stories from school. The joke this time is what I said in my speech: I particularly regret sitting in the classroom every day studying when I was in college and not taking time out to fall in love. If I were to go back to college again, I would definitely try more and not be a bad person. The few of us who have studied well have been ridiculed as evil heads by you. Come and have a drink with the four evil heads.

You guys who are crazy and playful should have a drink. Back then, Min Pan held a birthday party and went to half of his classmates. He didn't attend the ten-year party, why didn't he attend this time?

Zongshi, you are his deskmate, and you share a bunk bed with him, do you know? Another classmate asked me.

He was ill, the cancer had recurred a second time, and his condition was very bad.

I took out the photo for everyone to take a look at. After reading it, everyone was silent.

Less than a month after the class reunion, Mrs. Min Pan used her WeChat to inform everyone in the group: Min Pan passed away.

Min Pan does not smoke and drinks occasionally. Her clothes and hairstyle are always fashionable and she always looks good. He talks humorously, is polite, pursues career success, and is a good husband to others.