Inspirational story love and ambition
“The little town has many stories, full of joy and laughter. If you come to this small town…” Every evening, she would return home exhausted, habitually turning on her stereo to listen to Teresa Teng’s “The Story of a Small Town.” In her cold, empty home, there were no secretaries giving reports, no department managers seeking approval, and no flattery from company presidents—only herself. She thought that in moments like these, she was truly herself, free from the heavy burden of her public persona, and able to relax.
She grew up in a small county town. As a child, she watched the older brothers and sisters from neighboring families leave home one by one to work in other cities, earning hard-earned money just enough to cover a year’s expenses for their families. She was an ambitious girl, determined to escape her impoverished hometown and make something of herself.
However, the small town she lived in was desperately poor. When county leaders sent people for an on-site assessment, they found that the land was ideal for cultivating hawthorns. The county officials invited experts to come and provide lessons on hawthorn cultivation.
A young technician came from the county and gathered the villagers in a large classroom at the local school to teach them about planting hawthorns. She crouched by the window, secretly watching him. The knowledge the technician shared was entirely new to her, and she found it fascinating.
The village chief arranged for the technician to stay at his house, clearing out a room specifically for him. She hurried home and asked her mother to make some meat pies, which she brought over to the technician.
Sneaking into the village chief’s yard, she made her way directly to the technician’s room. Gently knocking on the door, she felt her heart race when the door opened, revealing the technician.
“Hmm, little sister, can I help you?”
“Umm…” Her heart was pounding, and she couldn’t continue speaking.
“Oh, come in,” the technician invited her inside.
She pulled the still-warm meat pies from her pocket, “My mom made these for you.”
The technician sniffed the air, “Smells delicious! Thank your mother for me.”
She glanced around the small room, spotting several books on the table. She asked the technician, “Can I borrow this university math book?”
“Sure, take it,” he said generously.
Hugging the book, she ran home and began poring over it, carefully marking the parts she didn’t understand. The next day, she returned to the technician.
“I have some questions. Can you teach me?” she asked softly, lowering her head.
“Hehe, of course! Come ask me whenever you have questions,” the technician replied with a smile.
“Can I listen in when you’re teaching the villagers during the day?” she asked again.
“Sure, as long as you’re interested.”
From the next day onward, she became the technician’s little shadow, following him wherever he went. One evening, she struggled with a difficult math problem, and the technician leaned in close to explain it. She had never been so close to him before and could smell the faint scent of cigarettes on him, making her heart race and her face flush.
Thanks to the efforts of the technician and the villagers, the hawthorn trees bore bright red fruits. Around the same time, she received her acceptance letter to a prestigious university. Her entire family was overjoyed, and the villagers came to congratulate her when they heard the news.
But she felt empty inside. Holding her acceptance letter, she rushed to the technician’s room.
“I got into a top university,” she said.
“Hehe, I heard! The village chief told me, and I’m so happy for you,” the technician said, patting her shoulder.
“You knew, so why didn’t you come to see me?” she asked, suddenly feeling wronged and bursting into tears.
The technician panicked, “Don’t cry! I was planning to visit you tomorrow. This is a happy occasion—you shouldn’t be crying.”
“I… I like you,” she blurted out before quickly hugging him and giving him a kiss. Then she ran off, leaving the technician stunned, standing there for a long time in disbelief.
Shortly after starting university, she wrote home asking about the technician. Her family replied, saying that not long after she left, the technician had returned home as well, reportedly to get married. Before leaving, he told her to work hard in her studies and left two books as a keepsake.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
