China sent away cheap labor

but welcomed cheap college students
What hurts is that these college students
are the children raised by that batch of cheap migrant workers back then,
who struggled with low incomes to bring them up
Kong Yiji is the one who drinks while standing—yet alone wears a long gown
Growing up, I increasingly felt a brutal empathy with the characters in the Chinese language textbooks
If I hadn’t gone to college, I could freely do cashier work
wipe dishes in restaurants, or even do cleaning
But since I studied, I can’t let people say
you went to college, yet you’re just like me
And I can’t let my parents think that I work day and night,
yet it’s still not as good as what they endure as laborers—
I’m busy every day until it’s “launch time,” making 3,000 yuan in hand
The cafeteria aunt gets 5,000 yuan in hand for two meals a day
I’m not unwilling because I look down on these jobs
I just feel that all those years of effort were wasted
Now I’m just like Kong Yiji
Education isn’t only a key card for the door—it’s also the high platform I can’t step down from
It’s also the long gown Kong Yiji can’t take off
If I had never seen the moon, then the six pence under my feet would be my lifelong longing