A 14-Year-Old Boy Spends a Year Herding 400 Ducks, Learning Resilience and Solitude
English summary
A 14-year-old boy in rural China drops out of school and spends a year herding his grandfather's 400 ducks. He endures physical injuries from sharp rice stubble while chasing the flock, and conquers nighttime fear of walking home alone by singing improvised songs. The experience teaches him patience, endurance, and how to comfort himself in hardship—lessons that later underpin his adult career in car repair, computing, and entrepreneurship, though he cannot articulate exactly what was learned.
Chinese summary
一名十四岁少年辍学后，为爷爷放养四百只鸭子整整一年。他追鸭时被稻田禾桩割伤双腿，深夜独自穿过田埂和坟地时极端恐惧，便靠即兴唱歌壮胆。这段经历让他学会忍耐、孤独和在无人帮助时自我鼓励；多年后他从事汽修、长途货运、学电脑、写代码乃至创业，仍发现那一年学到的东西一直在用，却又说不清到底学会了什么。
Key points
At age 14, after quitting school, he herded 400 ducks for a full year, learning to handle the chaotic flock.
十四岁辍学后，他放养四百只鸭子一整年，学会了管控乱跑的鸭群。
He suffered leg cuts from sharp rice stubble while chasing ducks in winter fields, only noticing the injuries after stopping.
冬天在稻田追鸭子时，被锋利禾桩割伤双腿，直到停下才发现血流不止。
To overcome his fear of walking six miles home alone at night past fields and graves, he sang loudly and invented songs, turning his voice into a companion.
为了克服夜晚独自走六里田埂路和坟地的恐惧，他放声唱歌甚至即兴编词，把自己的声音变成同伴。
He learned patience, self-reliance, and how to endure hardship without external support.
他学会了忍耐、孤独和在无人帮忙时自我支撑。
These early lessons later served him in car repair, long-haul driving, learning to code, and entrepreneurship, though he reflects he cannot define what he learned.
这些早年历练后来在修车、跑长途、学编程和创业中一直发挥作用，但他始终说不清这到底算不算“学会了什么”。