When I was in Ningbo five years ago, every time I wanted to find the landlady, I always found a boy lying on sofa to watch TV. I also found his legs were too thin. Later, I knew he couldn’t walk and had feeble hands without much strength.

    One day, when I went to pay the rent, I found he watching TV alone. I asked him curiously, “you really like to watch TV.” He turned around and answered with a poker face, “not at all.” “But every time I came, I saw you watching TV.” “I have nothing to else to do,” He said with a confused expression.

    “Why don’t you learn some useful things?” I said friendly.

    “What do you mean?” He stared me without blinking eyes, I actually became a little nervous.

    “Maybe you can study something. You can’t depend on your parents all the time.” I didn’t know why I said that, but I did say that.

    He lowered his head and didn’t know how to reply me.

    After a while, he raised his head and looked at me, ”what do you think I should study?” I plumped out, “study English, you can study English. It needs nothing but a head and there’re so many English learners. If your English is good enough, you can teach them English to support yourself.”

    From that day on, he studied English diligently and rarely watched TV then. Sometimes he asked me English questions and I always tried my best to answer him patiently. He became peaceful and no longer cranky. The landlady, his mother, was very grateful, but never reduced my rent. BTW, his name was Wen.

    In the autumn of 2007, his English became very excellent , I had to admit his English was better than mine. No wonder Forrest Gump was so successful. He always had only thing in his mind, the thing used to be his disabled legs, then it changed to English. He never thought of brilliant future, pretty girlfriend, making money and all kinds of common things and was always single-minded. I could not repeat all dialogues in an American movie, but he could. Just opened a dictionary, he knew more words than me.

    I thought his English was excellent, so I suggested him to be a private teacher. But he said he was only a high school graduate and no one would believe him. I tried my best to persuade my friends to bring their children to him. At first my friends were all disdainful, so I told them it would not be a great loss even they paid a visit. So they came to Wen’s home, I tested Wen with several American movies and Wen could repeat all dialogues and translate them into Chinese at the same time. My friends still thought it was only my trick. They just clicked a English movie randomly in Youku and found Wen could still do the same. They also tested him with a high school English paper and Wen answered all the questions correctly, only my friends didn’t know how to judge the quality of composition.

    One of my friend also tested his son’s private English teacher, who was graduate of a famous university, but the English teacher was worse than Wen.  No need for me to say more, actions speak louder than words. Now Wen earns more than me and I think he deserves it.

    He never thinks of anything but English, but I’m different. I think of making money, going on a holiday, having beautiful wife and lovely child etc. Actually the thing I think least is English and I just treat it as a tool which can get better life for me, but Wen just treats it as a part of his life just like his head and heart. He is smarter than Gump, there is no reason for him to be a loser.

    I introduced him to English and he can earn enough to support himself and even his family, but the fellow never said thanks to me for even once and I was a little resentful.

    But when I left Ningbo for Shenzhen at the end of 2007, Wen and I amused ourselves at every famous place in Ningbo, of course, he paid the money. Aha, the fellow was always warm in heart but cold on face.

    By the way, he has a beautiful wife and lovely son now, but I’m still alone and achieve nothing, but without jealousness. You’re great, dude, wish you happy every day!