When Justin Tong was a child, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him doing lots of housework such as carrying out the rubbish and sending newspapers. But when he grew up, he was better off than his childhood friends and lived a happier and healthier life.

This is the finding of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456 children in London. It showed that the children who had worked hard in childhood had a richer and a happier future. "Children who worked in the home or community gained competence(能力) and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society," said Daniel Brown, the psychologist(心理学家) who made the discovery. "And because they felt good about themselves, others felt good about them."

Brown's study followed these children in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25, 31 and 47. Under Brown, the researchers compared the children's mental-health scores with their childhood-activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.

    Working at any age is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence — the underpinnings (基础) of emotional health. They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent adults are those who know how to do this.

    Yet work isn't everything. As Tolstoy once said, "One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work."

On May 15, 2023, the Activity of Choosing People Who Moved Liangshan（凉山） in 2022 was held in Xichang. Ten people  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  the proud prize. Among them was Lou Se'er whose four children got into the famous universities in China. Two of them are studying in Tsinghua University. He was given a special prize by the government on October 31st, 2022. It's impossible for him to get such special prizes  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the great effort.

Luo and his wife live in a small mountain village in Butuo. They have a common and hard life as most other  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} in their neighborhood. They have little education, but how can they bring up four excellent children? Luo told reporters about his "secrets of  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  education." "I hope my children can get more education and have a better future." said Luo. "My wife and I faced lots of challenges and difficulties. We don't know  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} to read or write. We can hardly count."

They  {#blank#}6{#/blank#}  realized the importance of education for their children. They made up their minds  {#blank#}7{#/blank#}  them to good schools. They can't help their children with studying at home during weekends, summer and winter vacations. The children have to learn by  {#blank#}8{#/blank#}  and sometimes the elder brothers helped their younger brother and sister. They studied very hard and made great progress in examinations. "My all children are in good universities. In fact, there is no  {#blank#}9{#/blank#} . It's just a wholehearted decision, I together with my wife will support them all the time as long as they need. We think hard work plays a very  {#blank#}10{#/blank#} role towards success." added Luo.

Many people are touched by the story about the poor family—parents with little education and four  {#blank#}11{#/blank#}  children. They believe that the Luos' life must become better and better.