July 11th, Tuesday, an uneventful afternoon mixed with gentle breeze. Post-noon’s sunlight was mellow, as if the mighty sun itself has decided to temper the harsh parts of its glares, tenderly kissing pedestrians’ faces with the dappled waves.
There were about half a dozen patrons scattered throughout the coffeeshop, but among them, I saw a woman quietly reading. It was a lady sat at the corner of the café. She was dressed in a crisp white jacket and her sleek short hair was neatly styled. Behind her brown-framed glasses, her deep and contemplative eyes were fixed intently on a book with particular intrigue.
Baby Baby, the book she often read in her spare time.
She used her soothing voice in response, and soon eased my listless nerves. And thanks to her kindness, our conversation went unexpectedly smoothly.
Initially, I asked the lady a few questions about Suzhou, letting her share the overall impression of the city. She responded calmly, her eyes shimmering with a bit of delight.
Picture taken from Suzhou, Pingjiang
“I am actually quite fond of Suzhou, especially its capacity to accommodate people with different lifestyle. People in this city do not really have so much concern to pressure and transform into differentiated individuals, as they just need to follow their own pace. Yet the city also connects itself to this world’s advancement, so people will not find themselves lost in this rapidly changing world.”
“Its pretty much a city that blends both confidence and profoundness. One may catch the glimpse of the world-leading technologies in this place, and at the meantime witness the cultural heritage that embodies thousands of years of Chinese history. It really gives people a comforting sense when these two features have mingled.”
If it is to say that our surroundings have shaped who we are, Suzhou, in her utterance, is the environment where the genuine “we” gets preserved.
“How’s your work in Suzhou?” Satisfied by the previous response, I asked her another question with a sense of joy. “Is everything all right?”
The shimmers in her eyes dimmed momentarily, but quickly revived. However, the grin on her face gradually faded. Her voice, once filled with delight, now carried a note of bitterness.
“I started my entrepreneurship journey in the field of education about 20 years ago in Suzhou. But during Covid-19, all my plans hit a dead-end. It's like people always say, one can never escape from the tide of time, we are but small particles in the sea. I am now preparing for a new program, so I guess you could say I'm freelancing.”
The pandemic was indeed an unprecedented change. As Covid-19 became viral across the globe, the arduous efforts of millions were undone. Success-driven entrepreneurs, aspirational pioneers starting from scratch, and recent graduates struggling to secure a foothold in the city — all were touched by this relentless, inevitable tide of time. Many were swept ashore, unable to return to their former paths. The lady was clearly one of them. Also, due to the recently implemented education policies, many education institutions that offer extra curriculum courses are forced to shut down. This has undoubtedly complicated her future path in the field.
Yet her voice became undeterred as she continued sharing her story. The smile emerged on her face again.
“Just accept this and slowly adjust your mindset. Although the education industry has suffered a lot of losses, I still understand the importance of China's new education policy. In the past few years, the education industry has had a lot of market needs in China because of parents' anxiety about their children's learning and their concern about the future demand for jobs in society. It is easy for people to get sidetracked by social pressures, and get sidetracked. China really needs to clean up these messy social anxieties and let education rectify the situation. This is a long-term process and it is not easy, so I understand it and support it. I will stick to my goal and then do as better as I can be in this industry. Although there are uncertainties in my future career, I will overcome them step by step and take my time.”
For this very person before my eyes, I was immersed by a sense of serenity, yet accompanied with an irrepressible, vehement feeling.
She knew exactly what she was chasing after. Even when her quest met an unforeseen setback and a stranger, like me, asked her to recount her story of failure, she still responded, maintaining a gentle smile, almost like daffodils wet with rain, where its petals drenched, yet tinged with a lingering whisper of vigor. unfading.
As the time of the interview was about come to an end, we soon bade our farewells. The
afternoon’s light had already dimmed into much softer twilight as I stepped out of Starbucks. I looked around, seeing the street already filled with the flowing vehicles and people who finished one day’s work heading to their homes. The city’s neon lights began to flicker on, with their faint beam delicately twinkling under the half-darkened sky.
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