My first trip to Guangzhou was like "Chen Huansheng entering the city"—everything was new and exciting. After wandering around all morning, I was exhausted and starving. Guangzhou is a beautiful city, but for a northerner like me, finding food was the biggest challenge. There were plenty of restaurants, but rice was my least favorite food. Plus, southern cuisine was either bland, seafood, or spicy Hunan, Hubei, or Sichuan style. I'm allergic to potatoes and noodles, and seafood and spicy food are a nightmare. Finding a suitable noodle shop was truly difficult. Just as I was feeling disappointed, I suddenly spotted a beef noodle shop at the entrance of a small alley. I immediately felt like I'd found a hidden gem.
The noodle shop wasn't big; eight tables were crammed into a large room. As the saying goes, "Good food needs no bush," and every stool was occupied. I chatted with the owner at the cashier. It turned out they were from Hualong County, Qinghai, and had been running the restaurant in Guangzhou for five years. Hearing I was from Qinghai, the owner gave me his stool and even brewed me a covered bowl of tea. Soon, some customers finished eating and left, so I quickly sat down.
Suddenly, a burst of firecrackers went off at the door, and a few moments later, several people came in carrying a banner that read "Honesty in Returning Lost Property." After the visitors explained the situation, all the customers in the small restaurant gave the owner, Mr. Han, a warm round of applause.
It turned out that two days earlier, a man who had spent many years in Qinghai and was now the chairman of a large company in Hong Kong had come to the restaurant with his daughter. Before they finished eating, the chairman received a phone call and, without even paying the bill, hurriedly left with his daughter. Later, the owner's youngest son found a pink woman's handbag on the table while cleaning. He immediately handed it to the owner, Han Youzhong, at the cashier. Han didn't think much of it and kept the bag. When he closed at 11 PM, the bag still hadn't been claimed. In front of all the staff, Han opened the bag and found over a dozen bank cards, several receipts, and more than 30,000 RMB inside. This discovery made Han nervous. He said to everyone, "I've been in Guangzhou for several years and have met many seemingly respectable people who are actually just trying to scam me out of food and drinks. I even thought they were just trying to scam me too. Now it seems they really had some urgent business and left without even paying for their meal."
Fearing the owner would be worried, Han and his son stayed at the restaurant that night, sitting there until dawn.
As the streets bustled with people, a young girl, accompanied by two young men, entered the restaurant. She said, "I'm sorry, boss, something urgent happened at the company yesterday. My dad received a call and rushed off with me, without even paying for the meal. It wasn't until last night that I realized my bag was missing. After thinking it over carefully, I remembered I might have left it at your restaurant." After explaining the situation, the owner, Mr. Han, asked for her name, checked her ID, and, after confirming it was correct, immediately handed the bag to the girl. The girl checked the cards in the bag, repeatedly thanked him, and offered Mr. Han all the money in the bag. Mr. Han refused to accept it, finally only taking the money for the meal.
The group thanked Mr. Han profusely before leaving. I couldn't help but feel admiration for the owner. Then I noticed three more banners like this on the restaurant wall…
I started chatting with the owner. "You guys are truly remarkable," he said, "coming all the way from so far away to open a restaurant in Guangzhou."
"What? Actually, at first, we were reluctant to leave. 'There's no place like home,' we thought. But after the reform and opening up, the Party's policies to enrich the people took root in people's hearts. The government came to the village many times to explain the policies and encourage us to go out and try our luck. The county even organized unemployed laborers from various townships and villages, with the government paying for us to go to Lanzhou, Xining, and other places to learn techniques like making hand-pulled noodles and processing ethnic carpets. With these skills, everyone's hearts were stirred, and we all felt restless, wanting to go out and try our luck. Now, 80% of the young people in our village have left, thanks to government assistance and through education..." "With our skills, we've run various noodle shops all over the country, achieving great success. Now, we're making money, and the villagers are all well-off. But we've never forgotten the mountains, the waters, and the people of our hometown, especially those who selflessly encouraged and helped us. We must never forget those who dug the well when we drink the water, and we must never forget the Party's kindness when we're rich. Now, many of us are planning to take the money we've earned away and return to our hometown to start businesses and lead our fellow villagers to prosperity..." The boss's words struck me deeply. I never imagined that generations of native Hualong farmers could say something so insightful.
"They lost their wallets here that day, but they themselves weren't sure where they put them. If it were someone else, they would have been tempted by so much money. If you don't admit it, they can't do anything about it, and besides, they don't have solid evidence." The boss interrupted me before I could finish.
“We can’t do that. We pray every day, and the scriptures clearly state that ill-gotten gains are unacceptable; such wealth will bring retribution! Besides, we owe our current success entirely to the Party and the government. If it weren’t for the Party’s good policies and the support and encouragement from the county and township governments, we might never have reached this city, nor would we have the comfortable life we enjoy today. I am from Hualong, and also from Qinghai. We came here representing the people of our hometown and the people of Qinghai. Therefore, we cannot do anything that would damage the image of Hualong people. We certainly cannot, for a little unexpected wealth, be like a rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel. If we did that, not only would my conscience not allow it, but over time, we would lose our foothold in Guangzhou…” Boss Han’s words made my ears burn and my face flush. Truly, a single conversation with a wise man is worth more than ten years of study. Boss Han’s deeds and words have remained my motto for years, encouraging me to strive forward and to live an upright life.
More than a decade has passed since that incident, but whenever I eat beef noodles, I can't help but think of Mr. Han Youzhong, the owner I met in Guangzhou back then, and of the hardworking and courageous people of Hualong who travel all over the country and even the world year after year. They are like a bright flag, spreading love all over the world...
Yang Yongchun: A native of Chengguan Town, Huangyuan County, Xining City, Qinghai Province. Member of Xining Writers Association. Loves literature and enjoys expressing emotions through words. His poems, essays, and short stories have been published in magazines such as *Gansu Caiyuan*, *Riyue*, and *Xihai Wenyi* in Huangyuan, as well as online platforms such as *Shidai Jinzhao*, *Kunlun Wenxue*, *Xiandai Zuojia Wenxue*, *Hehuang Wenxue*, *Dangdai Zuojia*, *Qilian Wenxue Zazhi*, *Minhang Xiaobao*, *Wenxue Rensheng Zatan*, *Dianzhong Jiaozishan Original Literature*, and *Wenxue Baihuayuan*. In 2017, my essay "Huangyuan, My Lovely Hometown" was awarded an excellence prize in the "Talking about Dancheng, Beautiful Huangyuan" themed essay contest organized by the County Party Committee Propaganda Department. Currently a contributing writer for *Qilian Literature Magazine* and *Modern Writers Literature*. Member of the *Kunlun Literature* micro-journal.
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