The teacher borrowed 5,000 yuan and did not pay it back for several years, but I paid him another 3,000 yuan on Teacher's Day
As the saying goes, "A teacher for one day, a father for life". While this may sound like an exaggeration, the reasoning is not entirely unfounded. In school life, the role of a teacher is far more than just imparting knowledge, but more importantly, teaching students how to behave. It is precisely because of the selfless dedication of many teachers that we have been able to see the emergence of many outstanding talents.
Mr. Zhang, 38 years old this year, specially packed up and returned to his hometown on the occasion of Teacher's Day. The purpose of this trip was twofold, one was to visit his primary school teacher, and the other was to get back the 5,000 yuan he had lent to his teacher that year. However, when Mr. Zhang hurried to the teacher's house, he overheard a conversation between the teacher and his wife, which made him not only give up the idea of asking for 5,000 yuan back, but also generously gave the teacher 3,000 yuan.
Recently, my business has been experiencing some difficulties, and it has become extremely difficult to cash through. At this critical juncture, worse things followed: my wife's laptop got into the water, my car broke down, and my son's swimming lessons continued to pay. The financial pressures of life almost took my breath away.
I had no choice but to bite the bullet and go back to others to recover the money I had lent. Although the money belonged to me, and there should be nothing wrong with asking for it back, the people who lent me the money were either close friends or relatives in their hometown. Faced with their demand for the money back, I was really a little reluctant to go.
Despite the difficult situation, I was already in a desperate situation and had to try to recover what I owed, even a penny. At first, I decided to recover the money I had lent back from my friends. They were very brotherly and understood my current family predicament, and even if they were shy in their pockets, they did their best to repay me. After that, I planned to go to my hometown and ask my relatives to get back the money owed to me.
I flipped through the bookkeeper and took out a list of the IOUs. It reads: "My cousin owes me 3,000 yuan, my second uncle owes me 20,000 yuan, my uncle owes me 400 yuan, and my old aunt still has 6,000 yuan to pay." The amount of arrears varies from tens of thousands of yuan to hundreds of yuan. Looking at these numbers, my heart is mixed. If I had known, I should have had the money back. If they refuse to repay, there's nothing I can do, which will be a annoyance to my company operation.
Feeling apprehensive, I boarded a flight to my hometown. After arriving, I didn't have time to talk to my parents cordially, but I directly summoned all my relatives who owed me money, confessed to them about my current difficulties, and begged them to pay their debts as soon as possible. Although my relatives in my hometown are not wealthy, they are very reasonable, and most of them have paid off their arrears in full. For those relatives whose families are really difficult, I did not force too much and agreed to repay them in installments, which is also acceptable to me.
After a lot of hard work, I was able to recover most of the money I had lent out and achieved my goal. But one afternoon, while sorting through my ledger, I accidentally noticed that a page was missing. On that page, it was prominently recorded: "Mr. Zhao borrowed 5,000 yuan." This discovery immediately reminded me of my primary school teacher, Mr. Zhao, who had borrowed this money from me. Of course, I can't forget the five thousand dollars. I suddenly felt nervous in my heart, not only because of the money, but also because of Mr. Zhao's name, which brought back many memories for me.
In retrospect, I was very naughty as a child. When I was in elementary school, I often didn't concentrate on my studies, but played around with my friends in the village. To be honest, everyone was pretty much the same at that time, and neither my parents nor I thought there was anything wrong with it. But Mr. Zhao was very strict with me, he always asked me to study hard and did not allow me to wander around.
However, no one could control my naughty energy at that time, and I wanted to escape from school to play whenever I had the chance. I remember one time, I sneaked out with my friends again and went straight to Li Laosan's house across the street from the school. We climbed the tree to pick fruits to eat, and when we were happy to eat, Mr. Zhao came angrily with a stick in his hand. My friends immediately scattered and ran away, and I wanted to run too, but Mr. Zhao chased after me closely, but I was caught before I ran far.
I thought that Mr. Zhao would just reprimand me a few words as usual. Unexpectedly, this time he actually took me to the office and severely punished me with a ring ruler. That day, I cried out in pain, and a group of curious classmates gathered outside the office to watch. Teacher Zhao said solemnly while fighting: "Do you still dare to skip class?" You unassuming fellow. ”
As soon as I was beaten up, Mr. Zhao then took me to my home, where he gave me another stern reprimand. My parents are both farmers, and although they don't understand Mr. Zhao's words, they know that the teacher is for my good, so they listen carefully.
Since then, I've stopped being naughty. I listened carefully in class and concentrated on completing my homework after class. When I got home, my parents always asked me with concern, "How was your study today?" You have to study hard and get ahead. Teacher Zhao has said that you have this ability. ”
In this way, I gradually embarked on the right learning path. When I was about to graduate from primary school, Mr. Zhao specially tutored me in my studies, not only teaching me difficult knowledge points, but also teaching me many principles of life. It was because of Mr. Zhao's careful guidance that I not only went to the junior high school in the town, but was also directly admitted to the junior high school in the county.
As time went on, I worked harder in my studies, and eventually entered a high school in the city, and then passed the college entrance examination to enter a university in Beijing. Frankly speaking, for a long time, I was not particularly grateful to Mr. Zhao, and sometimes even thought that he was too strict and lacked human touch. But when I was exchanging knowledge with the elegant and easy-going classmates in the spacious and bright classrooms of the university, and recalling my classmates in primary school, some of them worked in the fields, some went out to work, and opened a small shop in the town with slightly better conditions, I really understood Mr. Zhao's hard work at that time, without him, I would not have achieved what I am today.
Whenever I return to my hometown, I always visit Mr. Zhao. He still maintains that stubborn character, he resolutely refuses to accept money from him, and he will give him expensive gifts in return. I have long been accustomed to this kind of character of my teacher, and sometimes I even secretly put some money in the milk given to him as a way to express my respect and gratitude.
As the years passed, my career gradually took off, I started two companies, and I often went abroad, which greatly expanded my horizons and knowledge. Still, my heart is always on my hometown and my family and friends there. Because of this, they often borrow money from me.
In contrast, Mr. Zhao's situation is becoming more and more difficult. His wife's health was so bad that she couldn't even get out of bed. In desperation, Mr. Zhao retired early to take care of his wife. As his wife's condition worsened, he had to sell his house and borrow money from those around him. Despite this difficult situation, he never reached out to me for help.
When I learned the news that Mr. Zhao's family was experiencing financial difficulties, I did not hesitate, immediately returned to my hometown, took 30,000 yuan to visit Mr. Zhao, and told him that I was willing to bear the expenses of Mr. Zhao's wife**. Mr. Zhao was very grateful for my actions, but he was resolutely unwilling to accept so much money. After some perseverance, he finally accepted the 5,000 yuan I handed him in the form of a loan, and solemnly promised me that he would repay it. He even wrote me an IOU, but I knew in my heart that the money didn't matter to me. I only gave him 5,000 yuan and left Mr. Zhao's house in a hurry.
Time flies, and Mr. Zhao does not fulfill his promise to return the money, and sometimes he even does not accept my **. Actually, I don't care about the money, but I hope that Mr. Zhao can face me head-on instead of avoiding it. As someone who has been in business for a long time, I'm used to thinking about the worst-case scenario. Mr. Zhao's behavior made my opinion of him gradually change.
Recently, I was told that Mr. Zhao's son had just bought a new car, which made me even more convinced that Mr. Zhao's financial situation had improved. He may have forgotten about my money. I know that Mr. Zhao is a good person by nature, and even good people sometimes make mistakes, and I don't hold a grudge against that.
Teacher's Day is coming, and I happen to be in my hometown. So, I called Mr. Zhao **, and after a brief greeting, I proposed to visit him on Teacher's Day. Mr. Zhao happily agreed, and told me that he had moved out of the village and now lived in a nearby county seat, and told me the new address.
Unexpectedly, although my opinion of Mr. Zhao was not very good, but since that **, I feel mixed feelings in my heart. I haven't seen Mr. Zhao for a long time, and I'm thinking about how he is now, maybe he is about 70 years old, and I myself am nearly 40 years old, and the time is really helpless.
That day, there was nothing special going on at home, and I wandered around the village. Before I knew it, I was at my old school. The once bustling elementary school is now deserted, littered with grass and empty rooms. Looking at those collapsed walls, I felt very sad in my heart.
At that moment, I felt as if I had gone back to the old days, reliving that carefree childhood and playing in the village with my friends. Whenever we were found out by Mr. Zhao, we would reluctantly go back to the classroom. It's a pity that time can't be turned back, and those beautiful scenes won't happen again.
However, it is precisely because it is impossible to return that these memories are particularly precious. People often do not cherish what is easy to obtain, but feel extremely cherished and regretful for what is difficult to obtain or has been lost. But where there is light, there is shadow, and this is why the meaning of loss and possession is so important.
After thinking about this, my opinion of Mr. Zhao has changed a lot, and I feel that I am too strict with him. Although he had borrowed $5,000 from me without mentioning it, I should not have bothered with it in view of his difficulties. After all, I don't lack the five thousand dollars. Thinking about it this way, my mood is much more relaxed.
Although it is a good thing to be relieved, it does not mean that the problem of food and clothing can be solved. Overnight, I was thinking about getting my money back. Early the next morning, I drove to the county seat. It was really difficult to find Mr. Zhao's home, so I had to call him ** and ask for the address. Mr. Zhao patiently told me how to go, and told me to give him ** when I arrived at the intersection, and he would come downstairs to meet me.
Following Mr. Zhao's directions, I quickly found that place. But I didn't call the teacher down, but asked the residents in the neighborhood. Everyone is very familiar with Mr. Zhao, and as soon as I asked, I found the building where he lived smoothly.
The building was dilapidated, small and crumbling. To add insult to injury, there is no elevator in the building. Teacher Zhao lived on the sixth floor, and I had to go upstairs step by step. When I got to the fifth floor, I overheard Mr. Zhao talking to someone else.
Old man, where did our family get the money, are you embarrassed to ask your son for money? That's five thousand, not a small number. "Hey, I'll take care of that. Then came the crying of the teacher's wife, and Teacher Zhao comforted her and said, "Don't be like this, the other party is a status person, we still owe money to others, how can we not pay it back." ”
When I heard this, I was very moved and felt that I might have misunderstood the teacher. I was afraid that Mr. Zhao would be embarrassed when he went downstairs and saw me, so I walked upstairs quickly. Before I could knock on the door, Mr. Zhao shouted in surprise, "Oh, Zhuzi (my nickname), you're finally here." "Originally, I came to ask for money, but I was a little overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the teacher.
The teacher welcomed me into the room and said a little embarrassed, "The sofa is a little dirty, I'll get you a cushion." "I looked around and the room was shabby and the furnishings were unbearable. But considering the teacher's self-esteem, I didn't say much. Teacher Zhao kindly asked me to sit down, and we started chatting.
Mr. Zhao understood my situation and praised me again and again. He even said, "You're the most promising student I've ever taught." "Listening to his compliment, I couldn't be happier. But when I asked Mr. Zhao about his current situation, he just sighed and didn't say anything. When I walked into the inner room and saw my wife lying on the sickbed, the clothes hanging on the hangers, I was shocked.
Teacher Zhao finally confessed the difficulties of the family, his mother was sick, spent a lot of money, and offended his son, and he was really desperate. Speaking of the touching part, Mr. Zhao even cried, he promised to pay me back, but he couldn't pay it back for the time being.
I was deeply moved, ordered a lot of food through my mobile phone and sent it to the teacher's home, happily reminisced with the teacher, and chatted until the evening before saying goodbye. Before leaving, I secretly put 3,000 yuan in the cabinet first, and then quietly left. When I got home, my wife asked, and I told the truth without hiding. She scolded me with a smile, saying that the 5,000 yuan didn't come back, but she put another 3,000 in, and it was really useless to collect the debt. I smiled helplessly, some things are more important than money.