The man was bewildered by Lin Fan’s rebuke. Wasn’t Lin Fan a man too? Why couldn’t he understand his grievances?

Lin Fan said, "As a man, being looked down upon by your father and mother-in-law is very normal. In fact, it’s not just your in-laws; in our society, it’s very common for men to be underestimated. If you’re not doing well, others will give you the cold shoulder and look down on you, and you’ll feel ashamed, unable to hold your head high without a car or house, struggling to find a partner. In a money-driven society, a man’s success is often determined by how much money he has in his pocket. Wealth means you’re doing well, you can return home for the New Year with pride. No money means you’re not doing well, and you’d rather avoid going home, or feel too embarrassed to go back, because once you return, you’ll inevitably be compared to the neighbors. Those idle gossip can weigh you down, suffocate you, every contemptuous look, every disdainful glance, feels like a knife twisting in your heart."

Listening to Lin Fan’s words, the man’s tears couldn’t stop flowing; it was too heartbreaking.

Many men present seemed to empathize and bowed their heads in silence.

Lin Fan was spot on; reality is just like this. Every man can relate to this. In this society, there’s comparison everywhere, living in this world means facing the question of who’s doing well every day; sometimes it’s really suffocating.

Among those present, there were some who weren’t doing well, who had experienced poverty and hardship, who resonated even more with Lin Fan’s words.

"Boss Fang, have you ever been poor?" Lin Fan asked Boss Fang.

Boss Fang let out a long sigh, "To be honest, Mr. Lin, I have been poor. At one point, I was so poor that I couldn’t afford to eat. I came from the countryside; after graduating from university, for a long time, I couldn’t find a job. Yes, you heard right, I really couldn’t find a job for quite some time. I was part of the batch of university graduates in the new millennium; theoretically, university graduates were quite valuable back then, and there were government-assigned jobs. But at that time, I was ambitious, dreaming of achieving fame and fortune. I couldn’t stand being poor anymore; I didn’t want to live a life of poverty, so I started my own business. But my venture failed, and the assigned job was no longer available. For a long period, I had no income and could only go back home to farm."

Lin Fan smiled and said, "Yet, Boss Fang, you now own this restaurant and are considered a successful person."

Boss Fang said, "I wouldn’t say that, I guess I’m just getting by."

Lin Fan said, "Boss Fang mentioned returning home to farm, so what did you go through later to own this restaurant?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Boss Fang said, "I don’t have much going for me, except for a refusal to admit defeat. I wasn’t willing to stay poor forever, or farm for a lifetime. So even though I was farming in the countryside, I was constantly thinking about changing my fate. I farmed for several years, lived frugally, and saved a sum of money. I took this money and went to the city, starting another business. At first, funds were tight, so I set up a stall selling clothes. Every day was a hustle, waking up before dawn and rushing to the clothing market because some goods had to be fought for; if you went late, they were gone. Once I had the goods, I’d start selling right away. Manning a stall was the toughest, sometimes standing from morning till night without much business, it was very trying. Finally, I managed to get through, earning a bit of money. At that point, I started thinking about transitioning."

"By then, many were also getting into clothing, competition was fierce, profits were thinning, and I lost confidence in this field. I considered a career change and after some research, decided that the food industry seemed promising. So I transitioned into the food business. There were plenty of bittersweet ups and downs along the way. Later, catching the wave of thriving tourism, I returned to Feng County and opened this restaurant, finally gaining stability. I’m most grateful to the tourists over the years, who are my life support."

Lin Fan said, "Boss Fang’s story is truly inspiring."

Boss Fang said, "I wouldn’t call it inspiring; I was just forced by circumstances. Dr. Lin, you might not know, but when I was farming in the countryside, I couldn’t find a partner no matter how hard I tried. My parents ran themselves ragged arranging introductions for me. When a girl came to our run-down house, she wouldn’t even step through the door before turning around and running. This scene is etched in my mind. Another time, a girl pointed at me, cursing me out, then pointed at my parents and cursed them too; I remember all of this. And the villagers, whispering all sorts of things behind my back; I’ll spare you the details, those who understand will understand. They said, ’He’s a university graduate, why is he back home farming?’ They belittled me like I was worthless. I’m the only son of the Fang family. I have to carry on the family line, don’t I? How can I not strive forward?"

Lin Fan smiled, "Now that Boss Fang is successful, such situations should no longer exist."

Boss Fang said, "This process took too much time; it only improved after my restaurant’s business picked up. When I was running the clothing business, I met my wife. We have a great relationship, my wife loves me dearly. However, as Dr. Lin said earlier, it’s very normal for a man’s in-laws to look down on him. I was looked down upon by them too. Because my wife’s family is quite well-off, her parents didn’t agree with her marrying me, thinking she’d lose out. Whenever I went to my in-laws’ place, I never enjoyed a meal; instead, I had to stomach a good amount of disdain. This situation lasted for many years because they felt I had no prospects."

Lin Fan said, "Did Boss Fang feel a lot of pressure then?"

Boss Fang said, "Oh yes, the pressure was immense, and later, when the clothing business became hard, I worried so much my hair turned gray."

Lin Fan said, "How did Boss Fang cope with the pressure?"

Boss Fang said, "What can you do? Just endure it. It’s my own lack of capability, who else can I blame? I told myself, ’Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west; don’t underestimate the poor youth.’ It’s funny, Dr. Lin, but I was almost thirty, no longer a youth, yet inside, I had this unyielding spirit. Others gave me contemptuous looks, looked down on me, I endured it, trying my best to turn it into motivation, to prove myself, to make them look at me in a new light one day."

Lin Fan laughed, "Your in-laws should no longer dare to look at you contemptuously now."

At this, Boss Fang appeared a bit cocky, "Would they dare? Now when they see me, they lower their heads respectfully and greet me with smiles, almost eager to kneel and serve me. I helped find work for my eldest brother-in-law, paid for my youngest brother-in-law’s university education, bought the villa their family lives in. Let me tell you, Dr. Lin, regarding family hierarchy, I used to be the ’low’ brother, now I’m the ’high’ emperor."

At this, everyone couldn’t help but laugh, even though it’s Boss Fang’s story, it was truly satisfying to hear.

Lin Fan nodded and turned to the man, "Now do you realize that you’re a fool?"

The man was left speechless, his face turning red.