In the 1990s, township enterprises developed like mushrooms after rain, including polluting enterprises such as papermaking and printing and dyeing. At that time, the purpose of developing township enterprises was to develop the economy, address employment, and achieve profits, without considering environmental protection issues. It can be said that the development at that time, while pursuing profits, greatly damaged the local ecological environment.
At that time, a paper mill and a printing and dyeing factory were built around my hometown village. The foul smelling black and sometimes yellow sewage flowed directly into the small river in the east of the village. Since then, I could no longer go to the river to catch small fish and shrimp.
In that era, I worked in a large cotton textile factory with average business performance and lived from hand to mouth. And my brother taught at a school in the countryside, and his salary was not paid in a timely manner. Our family's life relied heavily on a few acres of thin farmland, often struggling to make ends meet.
A young man from our hometown neighbor's house, a few years younger than us, started selling at this paper mill after graduating from junior high school. The young man quickly became wealthy, riding a motorcycle and carrying a mobile phone, traveling through the village. He also installed solar energy at home. In the 1990s, this was definitely a manifestation of wealth.
My brother's father-in-law happened to be from the same village as this young man's father-in-law. Therefore, my brother's father-in-law even joked with him, “You, as a college student, have not done well as a junior high school student.”
A few years later, due to environmental issues, this paper mill was forced to shut down. The young man in the village lost his job and could only work around to barely make ends meet.
When I was in the original factory, I also had a colleague who later went to the sales department. In that era, the average worker's salary was only 400-500 yuan, while he could earn 1000-2000 yuan in the sales department. And his face often turned red from drinking, and whenever he had time, he would find someone to brag to. In a few years, the factory went bankrupt and my colleague also lost his job. In addition, he drank too much alcohol in the sales department and his health was not as good as before.
These two stories are so similar, which also made me realize some truths: people should strive hard, have real talents and knowledge, not rely solely on temporary luck, and not be complacent about it.
上世纪九十年代，乡镇企业如雨后春笋般发展起来，包括造纸、印染等污染企业。那时，发展乡镇企业的目的是发展经济，解决就业，实现利润，根本没有考虑环境保护的问题。可以说，那时的发展在追求利润的同时极大地破坏了当地的生态环境。
老家村子周边那时建起了造纸厂和印染厂，泛着恶臭味道的黑黑的有时黄黄的污水直接流入了村东的小河里，自那以后，我便再也不能去河里捉小鱼小虾了。
那个年代，我在一家大型棉纺织厂里工作，企业效益平平，日子过得紧巴巴。而哥哥在乡村一所学校里教书，工资也不及时发。家里的生活近靠着几亩薄田，常常是捉衿见肘。
原来老家邻居家的一个年轻人，比我们小几岁，初中毕业后便到这家造纸厂干起了销售。年轻人很快变得富有，骑着摩托车，拿着大哥大，在村子穿行；家里也安装上了太阳能。在上世纪九十年代，这绝对是富有的表现。
哥哥的岳父家与这年轻人的岳父家正好是一个村子里的，为此，哥哥的岳父还笑话过哥哥：“你一个大学生竞混的不如一个初中生！”
斗转星移，没过几年，因为环保的问题，这家造纸厂被迫关停了。邻居家的年轻人也没有了工作，只能四处打工，勉强维持着生计。
我在原单位时，也有一个同事，后来去了销售部门。在那个年代，普通工人的工资只有400-500元，而他在销售部门就能拿到1000-2000元了。而且，时间自由，经常喝的脸红扑扑，一有时间就找人吹牛。没过几年，企业倒闭，我的这位同事也没有了工作，加之在销售部门时喝酒喝得太多，身体也大不如从前。
这两则故事竟是那样的相似，也使我悟出了一些道理：人应该努力奋斗，要有真才实学，不能只靠一时的运气，更不能因此沾沾自喜。
