Shaking the Little Tree Story picture book

In February 2021, Xiami Music shut down. Despite being backed by Alibaba, this idealistic music platform, which was driven by capital, struggled several times and eventually collapsed. Another sentimental music APP, Douban FM, was also on the verge of collapse.

From Xiami to douban to same, these niche apps have all developed well in the early stage. But when they reach a certain scale, they have to face a choice. After swallowing the "capital" Viagra, they may feel happy for a while, but in the end, they will only be drained dry.   
             
There is hardly any place for idealism in the domestic Internet. Although Lao Ma advocated "idealism" within Alibaba, it was clearly an interpretation of another kind of belief. Capital is the essence of the Internet industry. Powerful and greedy.

Despite this, I still believe or hope that truly independent and niche Internet products can emerge. I hope that China's Internet or business environment can accommodate some independent apps, allowing these young seedlings to grow into independent brands that are not driven by capital for profit.

Someone has to do something sentimental. Besides money, there can also be beauty.

Recently, I often recall some fragments of childhood memories.

It feels like a series of movie scenes, viewing one's childhood from a third-person perspective. It's like a reconstruction of memory, but it's not quite clear whether it's a real memory or an imagined one.

There is a scene that seems like I was sitting on the edge of a bungalow (the place in my own yard in the northern countryside where I dry grains in summer, which is relatively high), blowing bubbles with a wheat straw dipped in soapy water.

A clear sky in the picture. There are few clouds and the sunlight is very dazzling. I held my head high, with a wheat stalk in my mouth, and blew slowly. A soap bubble gradually grew larger from one end of the straw, so big that it blocked my view. Through the sunlight, I could see that there were many colors inside the bubble, colorful and constantly changing. It was particularly beautiful and dreamy.

With a cautious shake, the bubble detached from the straw and slowly floated upwards. When the gentle breeze blew, it flew higher and higher, farther and farther, and then gradually disappeared from sight... Disappear into the blue sky.

I have never stopped to think seriously. Although I have a vague feeling that I should think carefully about the road ahead in life, I always feel that I can wait a little longer.

But the events of the past few years and the aftermath of this epidemic have forced me to stop and think carefully. It seems that over the past decade or so, from being young and impetuous to being more composed, I have learned some skills to survive while drifting in society. However, I know that my inherent personality has not changed. The enthusiasm I had for making my way in Beijing in the early 2000s has long been dampened. Although I was reluctant, I gradually accepted it. The passion is fading away, and living feels like a habit. But now reality forces me to seriously consider how to play the second half of my life: to defend or to counterattack? Should we just draw or strive to score another goal? Actually, I don't know either. Maybe I'm just a little scared. Afraid of losing. My mindset has been constantly rising and collapsing over the past year, in a cycle.

It was only recently when I heard a sentence that I felt relieved.
Question: What should I do if I'm defeated by life?
Answer: Then just lie down and have a good rest. Tell life that you can be defeated, but before you are defeated, please keep working hard... .

Some people say that every artistic young person wants to open a coffee shop

In fact, it's no longer something that artistic youth want to do by now. Just look at Luckin Coffee and others. With the support of Chinese-style Internet and capital, this industry is more like a group-buying style capital game. In the eyes of Internet professionals, coffee is not merely a drink but a traffic entry point, nothing more. What they pursue is efficiency and standardization.

But in my mind, a cafe is more like a spatial medium. It must be commercial and also have a certain temperament.

So there has indeed been some research on coffee and coffee shops. Starting from coffee beans, the differences between Arabica and Robusta, the different flavors from different regions, including the equipment, the differences between fully automatic and semi-automatic coffee machines, and the differences among different brands. And I bought a rocket R58 and had a good experience with it.

After trying it all over again, I prefer hand-brewed coffee even more. It is also because hand-brewing can better preserve the original flavor of coffee. Moreover, hand flushing is a craft. The control of water temperature, the degree of grinding of the powder, and the flow rate of the flush all have subtle influences. Theoretically speaking, every cup one drinks is unique, just like a musician playing a piece of music, which has its own distinctive flavor... .

Gradually, the more I understand, the more I hold it in awe. Because this is not merely a beverage, but a culture, just like Chinese tea. It's just that there's a way to tea and a way to coffee.

There are always a few things in childhood that remain fresh in one's memory, and one of them is about Xiaohuang.

When I was about six or seven years old, one time when I went back to my grandpa's house, I found a little yellow dog in the house. Because there had never been a pet at home before, I was particularly happy when I saw Xiaohuang.

Grandpa told me that this was a little wild dog picked up in front of the door a few days ago. It stayed at the door all the time. Grandpa simply took it back home to raise. At that time, there were no pet supplies, no dog food, and they wouldn't keep it as a pet. It ate whatever people ate. Grandpa's home is by the sea, so Little Yellow has fish to eat every meal and grows very fast.

The dogs in the village are wild, but Xiaohuang usually stays at home and sometimes goes for a walk in the village by himself... One time, I took him to the river dam to play. Suddenly, he broke free from the rope and ran out, scaring me so much that I chased after him all the way. Finally, he actually caught a rabbit and brought it back.

A year later, when Dad came back from visiting Grandpa, he told me that Xiaohuang was missing. He heard that he had been beaten to death and eaten by the villagers... .. I was very sad at that time. From then on, every time I went to my grandpa's house and saw the aluminum bowl that Xiaohuang used to eat, I felt an indescribable sadness in my heart. Sometimes there are some feelings that we can't explain clearly, but they are deeply engraved in our hearts.

I might be the one among northerners who can least tolerate drinking alcohol.

Regarding drinking alcohol, in the north, it is actually a daily and particularly ritualistic way of communication in life. No matter how big or small the matter is, there is nothing that a drink cannot solve. Drink when you are happy, drink when you are not, drink when you are big, drink when you are small, and drink even more when you are small. Moreover, regarding how to pour wine, the order of seating, and how to propose a toast, it is almost a skill that northern men have to learn from a young age. It's no less than the rules of having Western food.

I still remember a Spring Festival when I was in my teens. I was finally allowed to join the dining table of the adult men in this family and began a years-long career of pouring wine. At that time, I had no seat and could only stand in front of the heated brick bed, pouring wine for the adults. But I was still very happy because I knew that from that moment on, they would gradually stop treating me as a child, and I could also drink. After work, I also have a drink from time to time, but it's only about the amount of two bottles of beer.

Some time ago, I started to enjoy drinking white spirits and whisky, which are as refreshing as eating spicy food.

Over the years since I came out, I have visited many cities. It's not about traveling; it should be considered as "living abroad".

In fact, it's about working in different cities to earn money. Some people say that those in the Internet industry are called "Internet migrant workers", and I think this is definitely true.
When I was young and wandering around, I was particularly eager for a stable life. So I always bought a lot of things, especially kitchenware, POTS, pans and bowls. Although I didn't cook much in daily life, I felt that being able to cook and eat at home was a symbol of stability and gave me a stronger sense of home, even though my cooking skills weren't that great. So when it comes to moving, I get quite flustered. There are big and small packages, all kinds of cardboard boxes. Sometimes there are so many that even one truck can't carry them all. It feels extremely troublesome.

Nowadays, I have long been accustomed to such a "dynamic" life. On the contrary, staying in one city makes me feel uneasy, and I have less and less control over things. Eventually, I try to get things done with just a backpack and a suitcase.

Life is not easy. I hope I can keep this mindset. Sometimes, doing some subtraction might make things easier.

I once searched for the word "inspiration", also known as "inspiration thinking", which refers to a sudden and creative state of thought that occurs in an instant during artistic and technological activities. Scholars or scientists who usually engage in creative work often use the word "inspiration" to describe their thoughts or research on something or a state.

It seems that inspiration is needed to do everything nowadays. For instance, a writer needs to be found in the village, a painter needs to be found in the mountains, and a director needs to be found at a girl's home.

And I prefer to sit on the toilet seeking inspiration.

I analyzed the reasons. The main ones are still quiet, convenient and comfortable...

Nowadays, mobile phones are very intelligent and can do many things. For instance, if you have an idea, you can quickly search for it on your phone. There are all kinds of tools to help you analyze it. If you need to purchase something or download some materials, there are a bunch of applications to assist you. Even in the blink of an eye, this matter can be solved.

But having a mobile phone alone is not enough. Without a toilet, it takes a certain amount of physical strength and skill for you to squat there to handle these matters.

So nowadays, toilets are also designed with great emphasis on ergonomics. Sitting for a long time is not tiring, and they also have heating functions.

The toilet I recently bought actually has a reminder function. If you set the time, you can find inspiration in 20 minutes in a reasonable and measured way.

My first mobile phone was a Siemens 3618. I remember it very clearly. It was a black three-proof phone with a monochrome screen. It was very small and even had a red light when turned on. I remember spending over 2,000 yuan at that time, which should have been three months 'salary.

The first digital single-lens reflex camera was the Nikon D70s, which was supposed to have 8 million pixels. At that time, it was considered a high pixel count. It was equipped with two lenses: one was the original 501.8 prime lens, and the other was a third-party zoom lens of 24-70 Sigma. Every time I take it out for a photo shoot, I feel that this outfit is particularly ritualistic. Especially the large-diameter (82mm) suitable horse hairstyle is very intimidating. This camera is still here to this day. It has captured many moments and witnessed many stories.

Up to now, the only thing left in my hand is the newly replaced iPhone 12 Pro Max. Although I have been using an iPhone all along, I'm actually not an Apple fan. The main reason is that the iphone seems to have turned into a camera capable of making phone calls, especially in this generation. With the professional shooting and post-production software in the ios system, shooting, editing, post-production and uploading can all be handled in one stop.

One can't help but marvel at such productivity... One can only marvel at how amazing Old Man Qiao is.

On weekends, when I have nothing else to do, I always take my laptop and choose a coffee shop. Then find a quiet corner to sit down, savoring the coffee from this small shop while thinking about things that interest you. Occasionally, I would browse my phone to kill time and look at those interesting people sitting in the coffee shop.

I have always believed that the style of coffee shops in a city can represent the temperament of that city.

For instance, the coffee shops in Beijing are very cultural. They talk about those high-end topics related to the situation in China and the world, or all kinds of start-up financing. And it feels like the world is right beneath your feet, just a round of angel is needed. The coffee shops in Shanghai are all very Bohemian. People talk about all kinds of fashionable socialites, celebrities or brand ips, and they do look very socialite in their outfits. In the coffee shops of Hangzhou, however, it's very Jiangnan. They talk about Chinese culture, tea ceremony, guqin, or business talks. And those doing business also have a skewer in hand.
So, a cafe is more like a condensed representation of a city's temperament. When you stay there for a long time, you might have a different experience.