The orphan who did not shed tears advanced to Harvard, thanking the world for underestimating me.

He comes from the foot of Helan Mountain in Ningxia. His world has been filled with ridicule and low self-esteem since childhood. When he was 13 years old, a family accident made him an outcast in the eyes of others, and eating became a problem.

With nothing left, he has ten thousand reasons to be sad, angry, sad and abusive towards the world. When he looked around in despair, he had 10,000 opportunities to give up on himself, accuse and vent his anger. In the end, his destination was Harvard University on the other side of the ocean. This "orphan" who once struggled in the corner of fate has blossomed with radiance and beauty. How did he do it? When the whole world turns its back, listen to an abandoned child from Ningxia - Zhang Zhiyong tell you this story of self-salvation...

As unfortunate as you are, you are as lucky: wisps of warm sunshine in the cracks of despair

My name is Zhang Zhiyong, and I was born in 1992 in a remote village on the outskirts of Lanzhou, Gansu. One night when I was 7 months old, my mother put me next to a kerosene lamp and went to work. When she came back, the left side of my face was covered by the smoldering kerosene lamp. From then on, I left a scar on the left side of my face, and "Little Tabby Cat" became my nickname.

As far back as I can remember, my father was demobilized and moved to Helan County, Ningxia, and my family also moved there. The strange looks and ridicule were even worse. Whenever I, the "little cat", cried because of being bullied, my mother always hugged me tightly. At night, I was often awakened by my mother's crying in my sleep.

After I entered elementary school, I was often stopped by people, put into a small corner, and tied up with a rope. They called it "cat-killing operations." I didn't dare tell my mother because she suffered more than me. Since my father became a contractor, his temper has become violent and perverse, and he will beat and scold my mother if he doesn't go his way. I straightened my body and stood in front of my mother. My father transferred his anger to me, and my mother tried her best to protect me. "Mom, please wait a little longer until I grow up..." At the foot of Helan Mountain, my tears of hatred and unyielding were shed.

During the tears-soaked days, I used the breakfast money I had saved for half a year to buy a pair of leather shoes as a gift for my mother. My mother's eyes were red: "Silly child, all I want is for you to study hard and live a decent life!" During those days, her arms were always bruised and purple, and she kept chanting: "My child, you must live up to your expectations. You have to look cool!" A few days later, she disappeared. I searched like crazy, but my mother really disappeared. She didn't take away the pair of leather shoes in the cabinet either. Mom left, she didn't want me anymore, and this was the beginning of the ordeal. After my mother left, my father had a family of his own. After that, my father and I began to separate. Due to the pressure of life, I went to work in a barbecue restaurant. In June 2007, I passed the high school entrance examination in a daze and was admitted to Helan No. 1 Middle School. In order to study, I can only continue to work in the barbecue restaurant to raise money for tuition!

When the military training started, I carried all my belongings - a blanket, a soft mattress, and a quilt, and reported to school. Along the way, everyone else’s luggage was made up of lightweight bags carefully prepared by their parents, but I was the only one carrying a “joke” to attend. Because I was too "bloated", I was squeezed so hard by my classmates that I almost fell off the military vehicle. Amidst the taunting, I looked up at the sky and tried my best not to shed tears. After the military training, there were no empty beds in the school dormitory, and I was homeless. When I was desperate, Aunt Li, the owner of the barbecue restaurant, took me in. The sofa next to the door on the first floor of the barbecue restaurant became my bed at night. The barbecue restaurant has two floors. The upper floor is a mahjong parlor and the lower floor sells barbecue. Every morning at 5 o'clock, I get up to clean, make skewers, and make sauce. I come back from self-study at 9pm and help entertain guests upstairs and downstairs. At two or three in the morning, the customers playing mahjong left one after another. I was mercilessly awakened by the cold wind pouring in through the crack of the door while I was sleeping. Soon, the springs of the sofa were almost broken by the guests. I picked up a few bricks from outside the house to support them underneath. The cold air blew in outside the house, and I clung to the radiator, but my hands and face were still covered with frostbite.

At first, I ate no more than one bowl in the store and did laundry once a month. I know how to be an employee who doesn't make my boss hate me. Aunt Li always gave me an extra bowl of rice and quietly threw my clothes into the washing machine. "Silly boy, Auntie feels sorry for you!" The thank you on my lips was blocked by tears. When the whole world turned away from me, I wrapped myself tightly like a hedgehog and just wanted to grow up quickly. Until Aunt Li appeared, like a mother, she slowly melted the ice in my heart and released the steam and heat of life little by little. That day, I burst into tears in front of Aunt Li, because her tone when she spoke was so much like my mother.

From then on, the time submerged in the smell of cumin and the sound of mahjong became more relaxed than ever. I started to study hard, work hard, get along well with other people in the store, and have a smile on my face.

In the second semester of her second year of high school, Aunt Li closed her shop because she wanted to settle in Shenzhen. Before leaving, she held my hand and said, "The only person who can change your destiny is yourself!" I was stunned, but in the end I tried my best to calm myself down from the loss and fear, and held the handbag she gave me tightly. The warmth that the black leather schoolbag conveyed to me made me let go of the inferiority complex and sadness deep in my soul: At that time, my father had already transferred my household registration; I was the only independent head of household among all the students in Helan No. 1 Middle School. But there is no place for it. In desperation, I finally mustered up the courage to speak to the school.

I almost used all my strength to say the cry for help: Teacher, help me.

A pledge about dreams: A boy with low self-esteem shines brightly

When the school and teachers learned about my experience, they were very shocked. Soon, the school waived my accommodation fee and arranged for me to live in the dormitory.

I started to live a collective life, but the inferiority complex that remained in my bones kept me from living alone. At that time, my English was very poor. Every time I took an exam, I had to throw rubber to cover my answers, and my grades were always failing. I didn't dare and didn't want to share my thoughts and learning experiences with others, so I decided to use the most primitive and rigid method to learn English.

At 5:30 in the morning, I stood on the road, reciting English loudly and almost crazily. After studying in the evening, I have to do this again. I was kicked out to the park by the surrounding residents for being a nuisance. That day, the aunt who was cleaning the park walked towards me cautiously: "Baby, don't make it difficult for yourself. Don't yell blindly every day!" As she said that, she handed me a hot bun. I took one bite and it must be the most delicious bun in the world! I smiled and explained to her the reason for my shouting in a hoarse voice. She patted me on the shoulder and said, "Baby, I will bring you a bun every morning from now on!"

Crazy shouting and Auntie's hot buns helped me survive the bone-chilling winter. My English score soared to 130 points in one fell swoop, and I also received an unexpected surprise: my voice became very rich and broad.

As my grades improved, so did my self-confidence. Under the guidance of my classmates, I learned to dance and host, but I still dared not open myself up in front of others. At this time, math teacher Xing Hu approached me. He treats me like a son, and I affectionately call him Tiger Dad. Tiger Dad repeatedly encouraged me to let go, and I promised him to give it a try. It was January 2010, and the third grade of high school held a grand New Year's Eve event. I came on stage wearing a red and green floral clown suit, with two red and round "monkey butts" painted on my "pale" face. Amidst the sounds of surprise, my heart skipped a beat and I started to dance the swan dance. The audience roared with laughter and thunderous applause, and then all the lights went out. In a minute of darkness, while the applause continued, I quickly took off my clown costume and transformed into a "sexy and graceful" Latin dancer. After a passionate samba dance, everyone stood up and gave a thumbs up.

I became the most dazzling star on the stage, tears rolling down my cheeks. It turns out that I can really break through myself and subvert myself, as long as I am willing. Since then, with my outstanding voice, I have frequently served as a host in various events. My academic performance is also getting better and better. The days, just like this, lit up little by little.

On the eve of the college entrance examination, I signed up to take the pilot selection test in the five northwest provinces. The physical examination was conducted in Yinchuan, which was my first time in a big city. The clean and tidy roads, the skyscrapers rising from the ground, the bright neon lights, and even the smell of the air are so different. Yinchuan is like this, what about bigger cities? I suddenly wanted to see the outside world.

The result of the final physical examination was that all physical indicators were fine. Only the scars on my face made me realize that I had failed.

I was not discouraged and determined to pass the Ningxia exam. However, when I returned to school, fate dealt me ??another blow! The teacher told me that because I had an independent household registration, I did not meet the local household registration period regulations in Ningxia to combat "college entrance examination immigration" and I would not be able to apply for admission to other places' universities within three years. In other words, even if I take the first place in the county, I will only have one choice: Ningxia University. I want to cry but have no tears.

In frustration, I took the college entrance examination a month later. I performed abnormally and only passed the second line. I only received the admission notice from Ningxia University. Just when I had accepted my fate and started working in a Korean restaurant to earn tuition, a teacher who worked in the county education bureau and was familiar with my situation came to me and encouraged me to repeat my studies for another year: "Next year we plan to use your situation as a Report the case and apply for special approval."

I jumped up and threw the rag in my hand high into the air: "The outside world is waiting for me, Zhang Zhiyong!" After that, although Most of the teachers did not approve of me repeating my studies, but with the support of my tiger father and other teachers, I started my senior year in high school.

During this year’s re-study, I worked hard and my grades were at the top of the grade. One day in March 2011, I was suddenly called to the office by the teacher from the Education Bureau: "Zhiyong, I'm sorry, the superiors didn't approve it..." I forgot how I walked out of the office and how I walked back to school. I only know that I cried sadly all the way.

For the next few months, I attended classes in confusion until I took the college entrance examination. This time I was even more defeated. I was still 2 points away from the second line. Maybe this is my fate! Taking the application form, I desperately wrote down a college in the province, and filled in the major column with "Mining Engineering". I want to be like Sun Shaoping in "The Ordinary World", to be a miner and find his final destination in an unknown mining area.

After learning about my application, Tiger Dad found me and asked me to repeat the study again.

I looked disdainful: "It's like this after taking the exam. God won't let me go. What can I do!" The usually amiable Tiger Dad got angry: "Zhang Zhiyong, you just give up on yourself like this? It's your fault if you don't do well in the exam. Question!" I was very unconvinced and said jokingly: "Tiger dad, when I become a miner, I will write you as the beneficiary on my life insurance..." He slapped me hard: "You are too conceited. We are disappointed! You, a coward, have no face to be an enemy of the world!"

I was suddenly woken up! Under the dazzling sunshine, I covered my burning face, ashamed. The past flashed by scene by scene: Aunt Li, Tiger Dad, and so many people who helped me... They not only sympathized with me, but also had high hopes and expectations for me. One by one, their lives are no easier than mine. They are using the warmth of their bodies to withstand the hardships for me. In an instant, I woke up. I had nothing, so why should I be afraid? If there are any obstacles, come on!

I walked into the teaching building again carrying my schoolbag. As a well-known Gaokao guy in the school, someone pointed and pointed: "Look, Gaokao guy is back..." Tiger dad patted me on the shoulder, and I raised my head and responded loudly: "Yeah, come on, be careful. I was knocked down by my brother!”

There is no problem with my grades, the problem lies in my mentality. In order to relieve my stress, Tiger Dad stipulated that I must go out to relax between classes and spend two hours a day to participate in physical exercise. He would come to me every class break to "point out the country" with me. In addition to studying, I have to drive more than 2 hours every weekend to work in a training institution in a neighboring county. During the rickety ride, my “high five” stress melted away.

In the 2012 college entrance examination, I ranked first in liberal arts in the county. My tiger dad gave me a high-five and said, "Well done, boy. You made it through!" When filling out the application form, I took into account the financial pressure. , I gave up universities in first-tier cities and found a new way to apply for the Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language major at Jiangsu University, which is far away in Zhenjiang and has good employment prospects.

The county subsidizes my tuition, but I have to pay for my living expenses myself. I decided to use my summer vacation as a tutor. At the suggestion of Tiger Dad, I rode a bicycle with a glue bucket and a brush on it, jingling among the crowds, and promoting myself in the streets and alleys of the small town. The white shirt was soaked with sweat over and over again, and the sweat dripped on the bicycle, making the most beautiful sound in midsummer... During one holiday, I recruited thirty or forty students - and my living expenses for a semester were covered!

Awesome word brother! Harvard promises a better you

In September 2012, I boarded the train bound for Shanghai. At 12 o'clock in the middle of the night, a text message from Tiger Dad popped up: "When a bird grows up, it will flap its wings and fly high. Go, we are waiting for you to fly!" I wanted to laugh at Tiger Dad, what an old-fashioned encouragement, but my tears were like The embankment bursts and gushes out - in the past few years, Tiger Dad understands how I broke away from the curse of fate!

Jiangsu University, here we are. Carrying heavy luggage, I walked alone among the crowds. Most of them were parents sending their children to school. I was used to this contrast. After cleaning the dormitory, I couldn't wait to put on my shorts, walked through the teaching building, passed the cafeteria, and "traveled" on the campus filled with the fragrance of flowers. This is my new world!

After registration, the first class meeting was held soon. When I was running for the class committee, I was the first to step onto the podium and said, "Students, I miss you so much!" I thought about Feng Gong's opening remarks for several days. Sure enough, it aroused everyone's laughter and attracted everyone's attention. I immediately expressed my strong desire to be elected, and I became the secretary of the Youth League branch as I wished!

At the end of September, I took over a difficult task - hosting the joint welcome party of the fifth hospital. It was my first time on such a big stage, and I walked onto the stage with trembling all over. The lights dimmed, and a bright light focused on the center of the stage, focusing on me. At that moment, I suddenly wanted to run away. Soon, I calmed down. One after another in front of me was encouraging me. I exerted all my strength to perform and shuttle among the audience. "Zhang Zhiyong, sing one!" "Host, dance one!" The cries kept coming and going, and I knew I had won again.

After the school learned about my situation through the census, it included me in the database of poor students and provided me with a work-study position - cleaning the college's moot court. At the beginning, I was worried, afraid that everyone would see the miserable and "poor" me outside the halo. But soon, I told myself: "You rely on your own hands to support yourself, there is nothing to be ashamed of!" I did it decently. I can switch between being a host on stage and a cleaner off stage with ease and full of confidence.

In the second semester of freshman year, the Academic Affairs Office selected some students to go to the United States for paid internships. The first time I saw the notice, I told myself: I must go. My sky should be the whole world!

In order to save enough money to go abroad, I took on 13 part-time jobs both on and off campus. When I was working in a restaurant, I was burned by dishes, cut my fingers by cups, and was severely humiliated by customers. When cleaning small advertisements in the school, I wet the advertising paper with a wet rag and then use a small shovel to remove it. It was too cold. As soon as I cleaned the first advertisement, the second one was already frozen, so I tore it off with my hands again. After one winter, my feet were frostbitten, and my hands and face were covered with frostbite.

At night, after the lights in the dormitory are turned off, I review my lessons with a flashlight.

While other people’s children can study without worries, I have to run around for my livelihood and dreams. This is a hardship that comes with my life, but it is also an opportunity for me. Just when I was struggling to get an internship in the United States, a teacher from the college sent me information about a scholarship program from the Jiangsu Provincial Government on overseas study tours. When I saw the relevant information about Harvard University’s Business Management and Finance major, and after reading it carefully, I found that my conditions met the candidate requirements, my dream was magnified again.

So, when filling out the application form, I only wrote down "Business Management and Finance at Harvard University" among the four choices. If you want to go, go to the best one! Two days later, I successfully received the interview notice. Just before I walked into the interview conference room, a teacher stopped me: "Zhang Zhiyong, did you know that Harvard University offers half scholarships?" His words gave me a chill, but the relevant data had been reported, and I had no chance to change my application. For full scholarship schools, failure to attend the interview will be considered an automatic waiver.

What to do? I paced restlessly outside the conference room, dreams and reality fiercely torn apart in my mind. Soon, I was determined: "Teacher, I am going to Harvard, and I will solve the funding problem myself!" Three days later, I was informed that I had successfully passed the interview at Harvard University.

I have mixed emotions. "Come on, Zhang Zhiyong!" After hearing the news, my classmate and female monitor Muzi sincerely encouraged me. Muzi is 2 years younger than me and comes from Shanxi. While she was immersed in reading, I served plates in the restaurant. While she was busy with club activities, I was tearing up advertisements on campus... Such a gap meant that I rarely had many opportunities to talk to her. Now, when the opportunity came, I simply opened my mouth and asked her to treat me to dinner. "No problem!" She agreed. Her feminine and carefree personality makes my heart flutter. At that time, I clearly saw the opportunities and bridges I had built for myself.

Where can I raise more than 200,000 yuan to go abroad? I had no clue, so I urgently took on several part-time jobs. I was busy day and night, spreading out the money I earned in a flat sheet, and stashing it under my pillow. But counting and counting is still a drop in the bucket.

Not afraid. in spite of. I gritted my teeth and persisted. At the last moment, my dear tiger dad gave me the family’s 50,000 yuan deposit. I burst into tears when I received this huge sum of money. Soon, the father of a student I tutored heard about me and wanted to sponsor 100,000 yuan. I was determined not to accept it, but he was determined to give it to me: "This is a tribute to my dream!" I wrote down the IOU one stroke at a time and handed it over to him, and then I accepted the money.

During the days when I was preparing to go abroad, I discovered that I had secretly fallen in love with Muzi. However, due to my deep inferiority complex, I did not dare to confess my feelings to her, so I could only focus more on my studies.

In the summer of 2014, I finally set foot on the other side of the ocean. Being at Harvard University, everything is as wonderful and magical as a dream to me. The afternoon sun, the green lawns, the students of different skin colors...the seeds of dreams were once again sown deep in my heart.

"Harvard is so beautiful!" I couldn't help but leave a message to Muzi. "Then enjoy these beautiful years of your life! Come on!" She was as enthusiastic as ever.

During my days at Harvard, I had to study until two or three in the morning every day. The American work and rest time is from 9 am to 4 pm, but this does not mean that the day of study ends. On the contrary, self-learning mode begins after school. A large amount of homework plus preview and review tasks constitute half of daily learning.

After that, I transferred to the University of California to continue my studies after finishing my studies at Harvard. In California, I chose to live with a host family. I developed a deep friendship with my host family, my beautiful mother and her family. They celebrated my first birthday in my life. My beautiful mother said with emotion that it would be great if I was under 18 years old, then she could adopt me and let me stay in the United States to study and live! I am sincerely grateful to have another beautiful mother in my life!

In a cheerful and fulfilling atmosphere, I ended my one-year overseas study tour. During my time in the United States, my grades in all subjects were excellent. I also won the "Excellent Learning Award" and the "Outstanding Performance Award".

In the summer of 2015, I returned to Zhenjiang. "Brother Harvard is back, Zhenjiang welcomes you!" Muzi greeted me with a warm smile. And I have also developed courage and confidence under the California sunshine.

In the days that followed, Muzi and I went to class together, went to the cafeteria together, and visited the library together. I got a Lee Min Ho haircut and became what everyone calls the "Chiyong Oppa." Renewed, I felt more in tune with her than ever before. "Muzi, be my girlfriend!" That day, I mustered up the courage to confess to her, and she nodded shyly...

In June 2016, Muzi and I graduated! Previously, I had received admission notices from five internationally renowned universities including the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Washington at Seattle, and Boston University. But after careful consideration, I decided to give up because my target was Harvard. In July, Muzi went to the University of Hong Kong to study for graduate school. I personally escorted her to Hong Kong.

On the eve of our separation, we high-fived each other and vowed to give each other a better version of ourselves in the future!

Subsequently, I received the pre-admission notice for Harvard University’s Master of Education program as I wished. A confident smile has covered up the past and misfortunes.

This journey has been about "love and death" with destiny. We refuse to give in to each other and pay tribute to each other. I want to thank the contempt in the cruel world, and the hard beatings also made me successful. I looked up at the stars: Aunt Li, Tiger Dad, and Muzi flashed across the sky, so much ferocity, but also so much beauty. I want to tell my mother who doesn’t know where she is now, did you know that your son was so unfortunate and so lucky? The contempt he encountered in the extremely cold life has long been covered by the warmth of a lifetime.

I want to fly higher and higher, high enough to be my mother’s support...