Cold winter, the temperature has been lingering between minus two degrees Celsius and three degrees Celsius, with piercing cold winds howling. Every day, I rode my bike through the streets and alleys of this city, running from one company to another, contacting newspaper clients for advertisements. This was my first job after graduating from university, and finding a job wasn't easy. Therefore, even though my salary was pitifully low, I still worked hard and ran around.
In the early morning, as the first rays of sunlight fell upon the earth, I was already riding my bike through the streets. Despite the bright sunshine, it was still freezing. The cold wind whistled like a sharp knife against my face, causing pain. Even though I was dressed warmly, I couldn’t help shivering when the cold wind blew. Accompanied by the wind, I sought out client after client, but their expressions were colder than the wind itself. They always took the business card I handed over with caution, glanced at it indifferently, and then told me they would call if they needed anything. As I walked out of the door, I felt even colder—not just physically, but also in my heart.
As time went on, I became accustomed to this coldness and suspicion, continuing to seek out new clients. However, my enthusiasm had long since faded, and I only briefly introduced our services to the clients before politely leaving a business card and quickly departing. Although I still worked hard, very few clients contacted me. Looking at my meager performance, I felt as if I had fallen from a high place into a deep valley. After much deliberation, I decided to resign. However, at this moment, a gift changed everything and made me start to rethink the relationships between people.
That afternoon, I returned to the company, exhausted. A colleague handed me a letter, which was sent from a southern city. It was then that I remembered, a few days ago, I had chatted with a net friend I had known for a long time, pouring out my frustrations to her. She patiently consoled me. In the end, she asked for my address, saying she wanted to send me a gift. I didn’t take it seriously; in real life, people are full of suspicion towards each other, let alone in the virtual world of the internet. In the online world, people interact wearing masks, and no one knows what kind of soul lies behind those masks. Unexpectedly, she truly kept her promise and sent me the gift. With a nervous heart, I gently opened the cardboard box. A scarf lay quietly inside, hand-knitted. I carefully took it out and wrapped it around my neck, feeling warmth. As I touched the scarf, my eyes blurred, and my heart was enveloped by a warm current. On my way home, I wore this special gift, which shielded me from the cold wind.
Late at night, under dim lighting, I gently touched the scarf, imagining her knitting it stitch by stitch. This scarf made me realize that not all relationships between people are cold and suspicious, nor are they all about deception and intrigue. There is sincerity and trust, warmth and care. People in life fear being hurt, so they guard themselves constantly. Over time, they become cold and suspicious of others. This is like a hedgehog protecting itself by growing spines all over its body, which, while effective, causes mutual harm. If we could all face others with sincerity, be less cold, more warm, less suspicious, more trusting, less deceitful, and more caring, perhaps the relationships between people would be warmer and more harmonious.
From then on, the scarf accompanied me, shielding me from the cold, and I began to try facing every client with sincerity and a smile, patiently serving them. Gradually, the clients started to accept and trust me, willing to cooperate, and my performance continuously improved. This scarf not only shielded me from the cold and made me feel warm, but also made me realize that only by taking the initiative to give others more sincerity, more trust, more care, and more warmth, will others treat you the same way. I hope that there can be less coldness and suspicion, less deception and harm, and more warmth and trust, more sincerity and care between people. That way, our society will be more harmonious and warmer!