His name is Chen Mo.
Just like his name suggests, as a child he was afraid to speak and never raised his hand in class. After joining the bureaucracy, he was the quietest person at banquets and never took sides at the office. During the five years he was two million in debt, he bore it all alone and never told anyone.
Others thought he was a man of few words. Only he knew the truth: it wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but that speaking wouldn't help.
From a township post to a city government office, from an ordinary clerk to the top job, it took him thirty years. In those thirty years, he saw benefactors lift people up and patrons fall from power. He dreamed of getting rich overnight, and spent nights standing on a balcony, thinking of jumping.
He'd been greedy, afraid, and hated himself.
But there was one thing he never did: once you crossed the line, you were finished.
This is half a lifetime in the life of an ordinary man.
No cheats, no golden finger.
Just stumbling forward, falling down, getting back up, and carrying on.
If you're on the road too, why not come in and sit awhile?
Dedicated to everyone who silently shoulders their burdens.
