Every time I go home, seeing all kinds of relatives makes me feel afraid to talk to them, afraid to mention money, afraid to mention work. Why? Of course, I'm afraid they'll ask how much my salary is. Although a code farmer's salary is not low, I don't want to be asked about it again and again. After all, we are educated people... But later, during a break from development work, I suddenly understood: it's the leather pants principle...

This is how the story happened. Once, I went to a classmate's house for a meal. He had a relative who had come from his hometown to see a doctor and was staying at his house. The classmate called the relative "Old Uncle," and we all followed suit. After calling him "Old Uncle" this and that, the relative was delighted and treated us all like his own nephews. He asked each of us how much we earned a month. The customs in our hometown are very simple, so simple that they don't treat you as an outsider at all. There was a person who worked in a ministry, and we affectionately called him "Comrade Mao." Comrade Mao said he earned 4,000 yuan a month. The Old Uncle frowned: impossible! He said Comrade Mao was fooling him. Comrade Mao had to say that there were also some subsidies. The Old Uncle asked how much the subsidies were. Comrade Mao said a few hundred yuan. The Old Uncle said: "More than that, right?" Comrade Mao smiled: "Sometimes there are also high-temperature allowances, holiday fees, and so on." The Old Uncle: "How much in total?" Comrade Mao: "About 6,000 to 7,000." The Old Uncle: "There must be more, definitely more than that." His expression was as if he had personally set Comrade Mao's salary. Comrade Mao: "If you count overtime pay, it's about 8,000 to 9,000." The Old Uncle nodded: "That's more like it. I didn't believe you only got 4,000." In fact, all of Comrade Mao's income combined was less than 5,000 a month.

Next, he asked a classmate working in IT. He earned about 20,000 a month. We were afraid he would stimulate the Old Uncle. The IT classmate was sly. He said: "Old Uncle, how much do you think I can earn a month?" Old Uncle: "Yours won't be low either." The IT classmate understood: "A bit less than Comrade Mao, but not too much less, about 7,000 to 8,000 a month." Old Uncle nodded: "Yes, you are telling the truth."

That experience taught me one thing: when answering other people's questions, you don't necessarily have to tell them the real answer. In many cases, giving them an answer that fits their imagination may work better. Because not everyone has the courage to accept what they don't understand or the willingness to understand fields unknown to them. The vast majority of people are more inclined to use existing ideas to explain everything they see. These people are extremely conceited. Fixed notions have formed an unbreakable castle in their minds.

Jean-Noël Kapferer told a story in *Rumors*: the year Nixon visited China, the common people heard the news on the radio and found it hard to believe: How did American imperialism dare to come to China? Even more unbelievable, Chairman Mao personally received him! Aren't all imperialists supposed to be overthrown? They were confused and doubtful. Soon, a story began to circulate: When Nixon was meeting Chairman Mao, he saw a Nine-Dragon Cup on the table. Taking advantage of Chairman Mao's inattention, he stole it. Of course, this could not escape the eyes of the guards. But the guards dared not move against him, because he was Chairman Mao's guest. At once, the guards reported to Premier Zhou. Premier Zhou came up with a perfect plan: in the evening, he arranged for Nixon to watch a show, which included a magic performance. The magician, in front of everyone, made the Nine-Dragon Cup in his hand disappear, then said: "The Nine-Dragon Cup is in President Nixon's suitcase." Then the suitcase was opened, and the magician replaced the real one with a fake Nine-Dragon Cup, and gave the fake one to Nixon as a gift. The ending was a win-win and everyone was happy.

This is an excellent example of how rumors arise and spread. The key to a rumor's popularity is that it must fit the public's assumptions. In the minds of the common people in that era, American imperialism was always evil and greedy. According to the leather pants principle, since the American imperialists had come, they must have ulterior motives and must do bad things. But how could our great socialist country lack resourceful people? How could it lack people who could see through the reactionary nature of American imperialism? Impossible; there definitely were. Who was that person? Of course, it was our mastermind, the beloved Comrade Enlai. Everything suddenly became clear. Everything was given the most reasonable explanation. The content of the leather pants principle is: "Fur over leather pants, there must be a reason. Either the leather pants are too thin, or the wool pants have no wool." When you meet a lover of the "leather pants principle," just tell him an answer that fits his imagination. Because no matter how you explain, it is in vain.

Actually, what I want to say is: never let yourself become such a person. When you hold prejudice about something, you have put the wool pants inside the leather pants. Take off the wool pants—if wool pants have no wool, are they still wool pants?

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