Holding This Family Together

At 43, Chen Zhiyuan's company went bankrupt, leaving him a million yuan in debt. At 46, Zhao Minghui had been unemployed for six months after losing his job at a foreign company. Both men hit rock bottom at the same time, yet neither dared tell their families. Every day, they put on suits and pretended to go to work: one sat on a park bench, the other hid out in the library. When the truth finally came out, the word "divorce" slipped from their wives' lips for the first time. Standing on a rooftop, Chen Zhiyuan was talked down by a call from his daughter: "Dad, I won't go to school anymore. Please don't die." Drunk late at night, Zhao Minghui was jolted awake by his son's declaration: "I'm not taking the civil service exam." Their children became the last thread holding their families together.

The younger generation was struggling just as badly. Zhao Yiming graduated from college only to find himself unemployed. Unable to come up with 200,000 yuan for the bride price, he was pressured by his girlfriend's mother to break up with her. Chen Zhiyuan drove for Didi and was mocked by a former employee; Zhao Minghui delivered food and dropped a meal, leaving him to pay for it. Humiliation and resentment ate at them, but the mortgage had to be paid, the children had to go to school, and their parents needed medical care. In the face of bills, dignity was worth little.

Their wives were caught secretly working late at night. Both couples chose to "face it together": no divorce, no giving up. Chen Zhiyuan learned electrical work and saved a child who had been electrocuted, earning the nickname "Reliable Master Chen." Zhao Minghui earned a certificate in elder care, going from being reduced to tears by scolding to receiving a grateful bow on their knees from a patient's family. At their poorest, the two families shared a rented home and looked out for each other. Together, they founded a "Family Service Center" to provide free training for unemployed middle-aged people.

Three years later, the company was on track. Five years later, it had grown from six people to sixty and won the National Social Enterprise Innovation Award. Everyone returned to the seaside where it all began to watch the sunrise. Holding his grandson, Chen Zhiyuan said, "Five years ago, I thought I wouldn't live to see the sun rise today. But I did, and from now on, I'll get to see it every day."

Hold your family together, and you can see the sun rise tomorrow.