I am Lao Zhu, I am 29 years old this year, and I am in my prime. I say "old" probably because many young people go to big cities to work hard. I choose to go back to my hometown to start a business and go against the trend. I seem very different and old-fashioned.

This is the story of the 551st real person we tell

I am Lao Zhu

(I started my own business as a new farmer in Jinggangshan)

I was born in Shiqiao Town, Yongxin County, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province in 1993. I have an older sister at home. When I was a child, My parents work outside all year round, and I grew up in my grandmother's house. Because she had other children to take care of, my grandmother didn't have much energy to take care of my studies.

At that time, I was a bad student. I didn’t want to suffer the hardship of studying. I was very greedy for the sense of freedom without my parents taking care of me. Even though I have no interest in learning, I really like to study electronic products. My family is too poor to afford them, so I pick up MP3s that others have thrown away and come back to ponder them. Several of them were magically repaired by me. Watching them in my hands There is a sense of accomplishment in "resurrecting the dead".

Because my parents are not around for a long time, I make many important decisions in my life by myself. When I was taking the high school entrance examination, I gave up on studying and went to a technical secondary school to study computer repair, hoping to learn practical skills that might help me make a living in the future.

(After graduating from technical secondary school, I went to work in an electronics factory and met my wife)

In 2012, when I was about to graduate from technical secondary school, I began to prepare for an internship. It happened to be the Spring Festival, and many friends who worked abroad came back to visit relatives. One friend worked in an electronics factory in Guangdong. He said that factories in the south were doing well but were short of people, and the wages were very high. I was very moved when I heard this.

For me, who was very poor, working was the only way to make money at that time. So, I later took the 600 yuan my mother gave me for travel expenses and my quilt and other luggage, and headed south in a grand way. Although working 12 hours a day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., is very hard, I feel reassured that I can exchange time for money. Rural children all know that they don’t feel anxious when their families have enough food. I eat frugally just to save more money.

(My wife and I were very young when we first met)

After working for 2 months, the factory arranged for me to bring a new female employee, Xiaoli. As a stupid boy, I felt very shy when meeting people of the opposite sex, and I was worried about whether we could communicate smoothly. But a month later, I discovered that I fell in love with this girl.

She is from Hunan, she has just graduated from college, and is 4 years older than me. She looks soft and weak, and I have the urge to protect her, so I confessed to her. Unexpectedly, she also had a good impression of me. From then on, there were two less single men and women in the factory and there were more young couples.

After I got together with her, I had more visions for the future, and I began to feel tired of the life of a wage earner. I felt that I would go into the factory before dawn every day, wait until it was completely dark before getting off work, and live like a tool man. , there seems to be no hope in such days.

And since I was a child, I have watched my parents work hard and helplessly. I have understood very early that working is not a job that can last a lifetime. I am not well-educated and it is difficult to settle down in a big city. Starting a business is my iron job. , is a path I must take.

(For so many years, my wife has been my strongest support)

So when we saved up 4,000 yuan, I told Xiaoli that we should quit our jobs and start a business together. Although she was worried, she supported my decision.

After we came out of the factory, we rented a house and set up a roadside stall selling clothes. After persisting for 2 months, our business failed because we had no experience, and we had to return to our hometown with our luggage.

failed to start a business, and unexpectedly, her relationship also encountered setbacks. Xiaoli’s family did not agree with us being together. But Xiaoli was very assertive. She said she recognized me as a person. I feel that when I meet such a good girl, I must work hard to make her happy. I am afraid that she will feel wronged if I stay in the countryside, so I usually try my best to be nice to her.

As long as I am around, she will not be allowed to touch the cooking work. Maybe this is the way I love her, not romantic, but very reliable and down-to-earth.

(Wedding photo of my wife and I)

In order to learn a skill, I went to work as an apprentice in a relative’s computer repair shop. I studied for more than a year and my skills were greatly improved. In 2014, I was unwilling to do this. He quit his job and opened his own computer repair shop in the county town.

My wife studied design and helped people print things in the store. As I was thinking about starting a business, I finally opened my first store, which was an important step. Unexpectedly, after the official opening, business was very poor due to lack of connections and experience. I distributed flyers everywhere to attract customers, and the price was cheaper than others. As a result, my business gradually improved.

The best time is before the Spring Festival, when all the migrant workers come back, and I earn more than 6,000 yuan a month by installing broadband network. I feel that life is very promising.

(The first store opened, my wife helped in the store)

Unfortunately, the money I earned was used to purchase goods and buy a van, and then I ran out of money. Xiaoli and I often quarreled over some trivial matters in life. , the store was in a terrible state, so I moved the store out. In order to make Xiaoli feel safe, we officially held our wedding in 2015 and went to Guangdong to work together. I always seem to be like this, only when I'm at the end of my rope do I think of going out to work to earn capital for starting a business.

When my daughter was born in December 2016, I had already started my second business, opening an Internet cafe in the town with three partners. The business of was very good, but later due to disagreements among too many partners, there was a lot of unhappiness, and in the end it was forced to close down.

(My daughter is on the right, she is very cute)

The two times she opened a store and started a business ended up being closed down. Xiaoli could not help but complain and said that she would not live with me, saying that I was spending money frivolously. After the store was closed, I was very lost and confused. I didn’t know what to do, so I had to hide at home and play games to solve the problem. One day when I was playing a game, Xiaoli came up and pulled out the switch. In anger, she forced me to divorce.

Maybe it was God's will, maybe it was fate, but when we walked to the door of the Civil Affairs Bureau, we suddenly found that the Civil Affairs Bureau had moved to another place. It was almost after get off work when I found her, and it was Friday. I had to wait until next Monday to get a divorce. However, when I went there for the third time, the divorce was still not possible due to some circumstances.

I was secretly happy, but my wife insisted on taking my daughter back to her parents’ home. After they left, I felt very depressed and wanted to go out to relax and change the environment to calm down, so I drove to Tibet, both for travel and to see business opportunities.

(I have not divorced three times, and my relationship with my wife is still unfinished)

After more than 20 days of driving, I finally arrived in Tibet in June 2019, only to find that it is not that backward at all, and business is very prosperous. I rented a house and posted my self-driving experience on self-media. It attracted many netizens to comment and like it, and several enthusiastic fans came all the way to see me. At that time, I discovered for the first time how magical self-media is. After staying at

for a few months, I gradually became strapped for money. But I still didn’t want to go home, so I looked for work locally. It just so happened that Tibet was going to hold the annual horse racing meeting. This is an important traditional festival for Tibetans and there were a lot of people.

I accidentally discovered that the children here are very rich. Not only do they wear gold and silver, but many of them have hundreds of dollars in pocket money. However, it is not very convenient to buy toys here in Tibet. Children’s money No place to spend. I just thought about wholesale some toys from the Internet and setting up a stall at the horse racing meeting. As a result, I sold more than 1,600 yuan on the afternoon of the first day. The business was so good that I was shocked.

(Tibetan horse racing is spectacular)

Tibetan Children don’t bargain when buying things like us mainlanders. They have a cheerful personality and buy what they like. When they don’t have enough money, they go to their parents for more. They have no concept of money and their consumption is crazy. Probably because of the good policies here, the houses the Tibetans live in are built and repaired by the government. Even the yaks they raise do not have to worry about selling, and they live without worries.

was sold like this for 2 months. The horse racing festival was over. I missed my wife and daughter and went home quickly. Fortunately, my wife no longer mentions the divorce. Sadly, the epidemic suddenly broke out during the Spring Festival this year. In order to reduce the risk, I drove alone to work in an LCD screen factory in Guangdong after the year. My eyes were damaged due to staring at the screen for a long time, so I quit my job.

From the time I graduated from technical secondary school to now, I have been going south to work several times. I neither made any money nor learned any skills. It was a waste of time and ambition. I don’t want to be a wage earner anymore. Maybe I always have an entrepreneurial spirit in my heart and want to carve out a bright future while I'm young.

(A family of three, eating together is happiness)

I started to study self-media. Among them, the video of a self-driving trip to Sichuan with friends was very popular. The highest video earned more than 4,000 yuan. Later, I carried my camera to take pictures of the local customs and customs in Yunnan Village. But what I didn't expect was that because of the epidemic, I was trapped in the mountainous area of ​​Xishuangbanna for a full week, and could only survive on dry food and water.

Obviously, it is not suitable to run around during the epidemic, and you cannot accompany your family when you go out to shoot. Because of my childhood experience, I don’t want my daughter to become a left-behind child.

In the end, I made a bold decision to give up the lucrative outing shooting and take root in the mountains as a farmer. I could farm and do self-media at the same time, so I could balance life and work. After thinking about it, I quickly took action. After the Spring Festival in 2021, I came to Jinggangshan, 60 kilometers away from my hometown.

(I made my own fence from bamboo)

The reason why I chose Jinggangshan is because it is a sparsely populated area with developed transportation. In particular, the natural environment is well protected. It is also a famous 5A scenic spot in the country and has a developed tourism industry. And although Jinggangshan is far away in the mountains, the living standards of the local people are not low at all.

The villagers live in small western-style houses, which are clean and stylish. Bamboo and Minqian tea are also abundant here. Many people in the village have their own bamboo products processing factories and tea gardens. But some people will choose to go out to work, so some houses will be vacant.

The house I rented is a two-story white brick house located in the valley. It has an indoor area of ​​120 square meters. Behind it is a lush bamboo forest. In front is a fish pond and more than ten acres of fields. The total area is It has a total area of ​​500 square meters, a good location and a good view. It is the best house in the entire valley.

I signed an 8-year contract with the landlord, and the annual rent is only 1,000 yuan. Living in such a house feels like being in a paradise, there is no noise, only the sound of birds and wind.

(The house I rented in Jinggangshan)

It’s just that the house has been unoccupied for a long time, the interior is a bit shabby, and there is no bathroom. So, since I moved in last year, I started to renovate my old house. First, we found someone to dig a road and cut down some bamboo forest to build two toilets. After I finish cleaning up the outside, my next step is to transform the old house into a B&B and a farmhouse.

In order to save money, I do all the work of painting the walls and moving things myself. Bamboo is everywhere in Jinggang Mountain. I used bamboo to make the gate and two fences. I also built a bamboo pavilion in the yard and wanted to plant some more flowers and plants. Working alone is slow and hard, but watching the dilapidated old house change little by little, I feel very happy.

(I am carrying the white ash)

To be honest, being a farmer is not simple at all. It requires a variety of skills. Take breeding as an example. Because of the lack of experience, the first batch of chickens raised at the beginning could not be fed. I explored it bit by bit on my own, read books and followed tutorials, and finally managed to feed more than 300 chickens. In order to prevent native ducks and native chickens from getting sick, I let them eat wild grass and millet and walk tens of thousands of steps every day.

Farming is a basic skill for farmers, but if you want to grow good land, you must understand the four seasons and follow the laws of nature. After coming here, I learned to dig bamboo shoots and wild vegetables, pick wild mushrooms, and cultivate new varieties of sweet potatoes. I can always eat the freshest food by guarding the land.

In order to make delicious rice, you must have good skills. Some time ago, I even took a cooking class, wore a chef hat , and took a graduation photo. I am serious about being a new type of farmer born in the 1990s.

(After I came to Jinggangshan, my daily job was to raise chickens, ducks and geese, and recently I was busy renovating the B&B)

Some time ago, I brought my wife and daughter to live with me. This time, my wife has become more understanding of me. She knows that I don’t I smoke, don’t drink, and have no other bad habits. I just want to start a business and create a better life for my family.

When I told her that I wanted to be a farmer and take root in the mountains, she said that she would be my strongest supporter and teammate on the road to entrepreneurship. I am really lucky to have a wife who knows me and understands me. My family is my biggest source of motivation for starting a business.

I finally have time to spend time with my daughter day and night. I know that there are not many toys and playgrounds in the mountains, and all the fun in the countryside has to be created by myself as a full-time dad. I took my daughter with me to hoe the ground, dig sweet potatoes, and collect eggs. I also bought two domestic peacocks and kept them in the yard as pets. My daughter was so happy when she saw the peacocks opening their tails that I built a peacock for her with my own hands. She sat on the swing and swung back and forth, laughing so selflessly.

(I raise domestic peacocks)

I know that there are very few young people who are willing to return to their hometowns. Farming seems to have become an unglamorous profession. But I think it doesn’t matter whether you are in a city or a country. What is important is to live happily and do your best for what you love in your heart.

For me, instead of being a wage earner in a big city without a sense of belonging, it is better to do something that suits me. I like the fragrance of the earth in the fields, and I have the energy to work hard. I use my own strength to let more people see the beauty of the mountains and taste the specialties in the mountains. Being a new farmer born in the 1990s really gives me a sense of accomplishment.

Moreover, this entrepreneurial venture is both work and life for me. I can not only realize my own value, but also be a full-time dad to accompany my daughter as she grows up. Even if you live in the deep mountains and old forests, as long as the passion in your heart remains undiminished, you can still have a happy life. I don’t know how far I can go this time, but what I am sure of is that I will focus on every moment and use every solid moment to build a dreamy future!

[Oral: Lao Zhu]

[Editor: Nan Fang]

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