Shaking the Little Tree Story picture book

It's exactly the 88th one. The Year 2026 is the Year of the Horse. First of all, I wish everyone success in the year of the Horse, taking the lead, embarking on a new journey, immediate prosperity, immediate auspiciousness, good fortune upon the horse's arrival, good luck in the horse's journey, good news on the horse's back, good luck on the horse's back, and good fortune on the horse's back...

The wooden horse we rode in our childhood was always wobbling but made us hold the REINS tightly and refuse to get off - just like our life this year: some people typed out unexpected project plans at their workstations, some managed to get tough certificates at their desks late at night, and some turned their casual hobby into a lucrative side business. These moments that were not marked as “excellent” in advance are all the hoof prints of “dark horses” : not naturally dazzling, but willing to hand over a saddle to life in a place where no one can see.

The “horse” in the Year of the Horse is never a thousand-mile horse only to be admired. It's not that TA suddenly shone; it's that you first lived your life as a rider, and only then did you wait for your own horse.

This year, don't wait for others to label you. You can be your own dark horse: On the track of the Year of the Horse, there's no need to chase after others“ hoof prints. Hold the REINS tightly and move forward steadily.

The world is still uncertain. You and I are both dark horses!!

There are only five or six days left until 2026. I tidied up my workstation today, getting ready to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

Time really flies. I'm one year older. Looking back on these years after the pandemic, it seems that the world has really changed, the chill of the general environment, the intensification of competition among major powers, the slowdown of economic growth...... Everyone is striving to live, and it was in such an environment that the little tree was born.

Perhaps it is precisely such an environment that, on the contrary, has made me no longer impetuous. What financing, venture capital... Several times the growth is just a past narrative. What we should do now is to keep our cool, take a solid path, paint the content well and make the product more solid.

Over the past year, “Shaking the Little Tree” has indeed grown a lot. However, in this growth, there were not many smooth sailing chances. Most of it was the gritted teeth and perseverance of “going all out”, and the confidence was gradually built up in the anxiety of “not doing well”. In fact, we have always been in such a state: trembling with fear while moving forward and setting off.

Because we believe. True courage is not about being fearless, but about moving forward despite fear.

Ai Gong (Ai Yuejin) said, “Don't betray your country. Don't be a traitor to the Han.” Perhaps foreign countries are more developed in some aspects, or perhaps what you are engaged in requires communication with the world. But remember, although science has no borders, scientists do.”

I completely agree. To be shameless, although Yaoxiaoshu is very small, it had a vision from the very beginning: to contribute a brick to the cultural Great Wall built for the next generation of China. In fact, Japan's cultural infiltration of the younger generation in China has been evident for a long time. From textbook illustrations to the value output implied in some Japanese anime, it has been quietly influencing the cognition of some of the younger generation. For this reason, as an original IP from China, it cannot merely focus on the market and traffic; it still needs to have a sense of patriotism and family. China's original ips should unite and jointly address the issue. We should be more differentiated and localized to jointly build the cultural Great Wall of the country.

From the perspectives of history and geopolitics, it is inevitable that there will be a war between China and Japan. This is not a lack of peace or nationalist sentiment. It is because over the past few hundred years, Japan has been constantly addressing the so-called survival crisis of moving from “island” to “mainland”, and has launched multiple invasions against China (the loss of 32 million people is not worth mentioning). Could it be that every time we repay evil with kindness and hand over our beautiful land? ?

History is repeating itself. Now we have no choice and no need to choose. Just follow the will of the country and forge ahead bravely...

If the Japanese invaders prevent us from unifying and dare to attack, they will surely deal us a heavy blow and solve the problem once and for all. We mustn't pass the problem on to the next generation!

The “Imperial Contempt” feigned by the May Fourth Youth”

How can one always be on high alert and keep charging forward without stopping? Occasionally, one needs to be a bit “depressed”. This is not slackness; it's giving oneself a chance to catch one's breath once in a while.

When I was young, I always thought that life was like in inspiring stories, believing that the harder one strives and the faster one runs, the less time one has wasted. But as I walked on, I came to understand that compared to “always being energetic”, “being truly at ease” is more like what life should be like.

Truth is not about forcing yourself to say “I can do it” when you are exhausted, but about openly admitting that “my ability is limited and I just want to take a break today.” Freedom means being able to decide for yourself “when to charge forward and when to curl up on the sofa”, without being bound by the standard of “must be efficient”. Ordinariness means being able to focus on your phone at ease during those moments when you don't feel like doing anything, without worrying about “how much time this will waste”, and understanding that you are just an ordinary person.

Of course, it's not that I've given up my persistence in my ideals; it's just that I've learned to make peace with myself. When one is full of energy, they will naturally devote themselves wholeheartedly to the things they love. When you're not in the right state of mind, just casually put yourself on the sofa and let both your body and mind relax. This “laziness” is never about being lazy; it's about building up strength for future persistence, allowing life to have both the confidence to forge ahead and the peace of mind to pause.

I'd like to recommend Greg McGivaughn's "Easilism" to everyone.

When I'm not in the right state...

As usual, I have a cup of latte in the morning and practice pulling a big white heart at the same time. Failed again. I'll post it on Moments to record it. A friend said in the comment section that it looked like a heart-shaped balloon. On closer inspection, it really looks like it, like a heart about to drift away.

In fact, we are always like this, constantly in direct confrontation with “loss” : it's the sweet dream that slips away in the morning, the umbrella scattered by the crowd at the subway gate, and also a heart that is held in the chest and still wants to “escape” to take a look ”. TA is as light as an unspoken word, leaving with the help of “ideals”. So we clasped our feet, reached out our hands, and grabbed this heart with all our might. I don't want him/her to fly away, and I'm also afraid that he/she will gradually wither away in the mundane.

In the end, you no longer tried to hold on.

I only hope that TA will carry me, float to the place where there is light......

The first Jiangsu Super League (Jiangsu Province Urban Football League) has come to an end. It's a pity that Nantong team didn't win the championship, but they are still the uncrowned king in my heart and still ”Brother Nan“.

Because behind Nantong team lies a story about an ideal. The story of Mr. Li, the owner of slippers, who supported this team with his passion and pure “idealism”.
In 2002, when the Chinese national football team made its debut in the World Cup, Mr. Li was present at the scene. I was deeply touched to hear that I was ridiculed by South Korean fans as “Chinese people can't play football”. So after returning to China, he established a football club in Haimen, Nantong, recruited Chinese children, and provided free training, accommodation and meals. For this ideal, Mr. Li sold four houses in Shanghai and invested over 40 million yuan in total. Over a period of 15 years, he went through very difficult times in between. It was not until Su Chao that he came into the spotlight.

Looking back on the journey, with 14 victories and 14 years of hard work, Nantong Team has proved itself. The final regret is the motivation: not to reach the peak one by one, but to strive for a steady and far-reaching path ahead.

Come on, Nantong team! Let's encourage each other by YAOXIAOSHU ...

The first time I drank coffee was probably in my twenties, in a bag. The kind of instant coffee brewed with hot water. At that time, I felt that coffee was sweet and adding creamer to it was very elegant.
Then, there are Peninsula, Starbucks, and specialty coffee shops. From lattes to special blends, to American-style hand-held drinks, and then to lattes.

The first time I tasted hand-brewed specialty coffee, the barista's fancy brewing techniques and the addition of various professional terms like “powder-to-water ratio” and “extraction rate” made me very nervous. It doesn't feel like drinking coffee, but rather a “ritual” that requires full concentration. I took a sip, and you wouldn't believe it. It really brings out the acidity, fruit aroma and floral fragrance. Then I got into the trap and bought beans by looking at their origin. Start researching what grinding degree, one-cut flow/three-stage. Steaming time, flow rate and water temperature. It's just a fierce operation like a tiger, but after it's done, there's a bitter taste.

Now we're back to the starting point, coffee with milk. In the morning, I take a deep breath just to “force a restart”, and in the afternoon, I take another deep breath just to “wake myself up”. The once pursued refinement and meticulousness have gradually faded away, and coffee has eventually become a sweet yet bitter companion in daily life.

I always feel as if I were trapped in a transparent fish tank.

There is water, fish and my messy, cloud-like natural curls in this fish tank. Others can see me and I can also see the outside world, but between us, there is this invisible barrier. I tried hard to see my surroundings clearly. Sometimes, when I see others in groups, laughing and chatting merrily, I am filled with envy. But when they approached, I would involuntarily shrink back, as if the fish tank would be touched and broken. I'm afraid of that sudden intimacy, just as fish are afraid of a fish tank being shaken violently.

I often sat there, my hands clenched and my head down. It's not that I'm sad or shy; I just don't know how to fit in. The sounds outside, as if coming through water, were indistinct. I wanted to open my mouth, but in the water, I couldn't make a clear sound.

This fish tank is not entirely a restraint. It enables me to observe quietly, watching the sunlight pass through the water surface and cast shimmering spots on the ground. Watching the fish tail leisurely, it seems there's nothing to worry about. This fish tank is my own little world. Here, I can keep my own pace, just like a fish in water, neither too fast nor too slow.

Perhaps, everyone has such a fish tank in their heart. It not only separates us from the outside world but also reserves a unique space for us. I hope that one day, we can break this fish tank so that we can get along more freely with the outside world.

Leaving the workplace, I can finally tear off this mask that I have worn for many years with my own hands. At that moment, it seemed as if even breathing became light.

This does not mean that we should run naked without reservation in the workplace, nor does it mean that we should completely deny the necessity of "professional masks". To some extent, it might be a profession, a boundary, or a collaborative etiquette. But when such a mask is no longer a choice but becomes some kind of default survival rule; When you have to wear it and constantly polish and carefully decorate it, it is no longer a tool but a shackle.

The current social rules seem to tacitly accept this: you need to tone down your sharpness, you need to be silent at the right time, and you need to show an impeccable smile at the appropriate moment. So we gradually got used to presenting ourselves as "pollution-free" individuals, not intense or glaring, like a cup of water at just the right temperature. We put on smiles, we give in and compromise. In each time we hesitate to speak, we gradually blur the true outline of ourselves.

Take off that mask, and you no longer need to rack your brains over an inadvertent expression, nor do you have to draft a sincere word in advance. That kind of relief is not a brief respite after work on the weekend, but a complete liberation that Wells up from the depths of the spirit.

It's just like a child who always holds a "lollipop" - the candy is sweet and safe, representing obedience and satisfaction in the eyes of others. But deep down you know that what you truly long for is to stand on tiptoe and pick the fruit on the tree that might be taller but truly belongs to you. So you put down the sugar and stretch out your hands, even though the process of reaching out is full of shaking and risks.

You might fall down, fail and be seen in a sorry state. You strive to move forward, but you may never reach the fruit you have been expecting. But so what? At least you are trying to be your true self. You have touched the wind, felt the warmth of the sun, and in every leap, you hear your own clear heartbeat.

But if you do succeed, even if you only pick a tiny and imperfect fruit, you will bid farewell to that mask forever. You don't need it anymore. Because you have proved that the true self can still stand and still savor the true sweetness of life.

This is not rebellion but a return. Return to a life attitude that is true to your heart. Rough and imperfect, yet truly yours is the life that belongs to you.

Every morning, it's not the 8:30 alarm clock that wakes me up, but "a bowl" of hot latte. Why not a cup? The answer is simple - nowadays, I'm no longer in a state that can be awakened by just a small cup of coffee.

In the past, I always followed the proper proportion: 18 grams of coffee beans, extracted 36 milliliters of concentrated milk, and the milk foam was smooth and dense. The taste was just right, rich and fragrant. But since embarking on the entrepreneurial journey, this bit of caffeine seems to have been diluted by the daily fatigue and simply can't support the to-do list all over my mind. Now, just add 20 grams of beans directly. When extracting, deliberately wait a few more seconds. Even if there is a slightly burnt and bitter over-extraction taste, it still makes me more alert than the bland taste. Sometimes, staring at the dark brown concentrated liquid at the bottom of the cup, I think that in the end, I should just drink the pure concentrated liquid and force the machine to be turned on.

When it comes to starting a business, outsiders only see the excitement of "venturing", but only oneself knows how lonely it is. Especially in today's environment, one has to find their own direction and shoulder their own challenges. The only support that can be held in hand, apart from the sentimental "ideal", is this cup of coffee every morning.

Over time, making coffee has become an unshakable ritual: the rustling sound of grinding beans, the dripping sound of extraction, and the pouring of milk into the concentrated vortex, each step seems to be pressing the "start button" for a new day's battle. When the warm liquid slides down my throat, that slightly bitter force will make me wake up in an instant - after drinking this cup, there is no reason to slack off, to be a diligent little bull and horse, to continue.... Come on!