Chapter 9: Wei Zhiyuan had inadvertently found a way to please his Da Ge
Wei Qian had read many such inspirational stories when he was a child, but he had forgotten them all, probably because his emotional development was not quite up to the average level. At that time, he had no feelings about them, but now he was slightly touched.
He said casually to the two children, "Your teacher is quite good, she’s chosen a good extra-curricular reading."
Sanpang, who was cooking, poked his head out of the kitchen and said over the sound of frying, "What's it about? Come on, read it out loud for me."
Wei Qian then cleared his throat, intending to demonstrate his voice used for his flag-raising speech to Sanpang, but before he could read out a single word, that little brat Wei Zhiyuan suddenly blurted out from the side-lines, "Ge, I don't want to go to school anymore."
Wei Qian ignored him and didn't take it seriously, because as a competent feudal parent, he intended to carry on his glorious tradition of dictatorship till the end, and it was not Wei Zhiyuan’s turn to express his own opinion on matters such as whether or not he went to school.
Wei Qian yelled at Sanpang in the kitchen, "Let you also be educated, I'll see which paragraph to start with ...... Well, let's make it this one - The ideal ...... "
"Ge." Wei Zhiyuan came over and squatted in front of Wei Qian, looked straight at him and said again, "I don't want to go to school."
Xiao Bao, who was used to adding to the mess, diligently ran over and said crisply, "Ge, he's not learning, beat him."
Wei Zhiyuan frowned and said firmly to her, "Go away, you're everywhere."
"Move away." Wei Qian casually hit Wei Zhiyuan on the head with his extracurricular reading material and blurted out a sentence, "Say another word and Laozi (1) will break your leg."
When Wei Qian was young, there was a classmate who’s teacher sought out his parents due to him being naughty and mischievous, and his father smacked him on the head and said, "Cut class again and Laozi will break your leg."
As a young boy, Wei Qian always found this statement the very model example of a head of household, and at that time he was still young and ignorant, so he wrote it down in his excerpt notes, which resulted in a big cross from the teacher......
Anyway, he always longed to be able to use this statement to teach someone a lesson just once.
Wei Zhiyuan looked at his hanging arm with a complicated expression.
The first time he resisted going to school, it was because he had no idea what it was for, but this time, the young boy had thought it through and justified his thoughts: "I don't want to go to school, it's quite good, but it takes years and costs a lot of money, I'd better go out with you to earn money, I can work, I can fight, I can support myself and I can support you."
What a pity that Wei Qian was an impossible person to communicate with, and Xiao Yuan's reasonable arguments fell on deaf ears.
Wei Qian looked down at Wei Zhiyuan and felt that this little brat was overestimating his abilities (2). He was itching to beat this little brat up - Wei Qian thought about how he had to work through day and night, along with the increasing competitive pressure, he had to constantly put his blood and sweet into fighting battles of wits with his workmates, but this little brat made it sound as if he could do such a skilled job. He’s not aware of how exhausting it is for one to raise another person.
However, when Wei Qian saw that he (WZ) was serious and made a solemn vow to provide for him (WQ), he did not lower his hand. [TN: To beat him lol… CPS pls this is just a novel]
The little thing ...... at least had some conscience.
So Wei Qian said to him more elaborately, "Then study well, in the future, graduating university and receiving your master's degree in medical school won't be enough. You must get a post-doctoral position. After getting that position, other's will call you 'Doctor' Wei. You should strive to become a 'Janitor' Wei for us. Isn't that position pretty awesome?"
Wei Zhiyuan lowered his head, he had studied a little and now understood that his Dage was teasing him, this matter is obviously not negotiable.
Song Xiao Bao, the little brat, came over with a grin plastered on her face. Looking for a fight whilst seeming pleased with herself, she said: "Janitor Wei, hahaha!"
Wei Zhiyuan: "Scram, skinny girl." (3)
Song Xiao Bao was unwilling to back down: "I'm by no means a 'skinny girl'! I'm a 'plump girl'! You're a reed stick topped with a ball of sheep dung!" [EN: Reed stick means a skinny person. She's calling him skinny and smelly.]
Wei Zhiyuan: "... Ugly little skinny girl."
Song Xiao Bao shrieked with indignance: "Ball of sheep dung!"
Wei Zhiyuan calmly retorted: "I know you are but what am I."
The two of them were then at each other's throats, and Wei Qian watched from the side, without the slightest intention of stopping the fight, hoping the two of them would be at each other's throats, watching kids fight was part of his entertainment, and it wasn't a bad fight anyway.
When he first arrived, Wei Zhiyuan's eyes were very wild and untamed, and his personality was always duller than that of his peers, it sharply contrasted with Xiao Bao who chattered incessantly about her unproductive views at home. At the time, Wei Zhiyuan was like an old teenager stuffed into the body of a small child. It made one feel like his appearance was not in-line with his personality.
However, in the last six months, he had become increasingly "small", with his words and behaviour also becoming childish.
While Wei Zhiyuan was fighting with Xiao Bao, he glanced at Wei Qian and found his Da Ge, who had one arm, happily watching the two of them fight. Then, he resumed his performance of provoking Song Xiao Bao.
Since last time, when he was mocked for panicking over losing teeth, Wei Zhiyuan had inadvertently found a way to please his Da Ge - by bringing his IQ to the same level as Song Xiao Bao's and doing ridiculously silly things with her from time to time.
The more childish and absurd they both acted, the more easy-going and less pretentious their Da Ge's attitude would be.
So, Wei Zhiyuan went further and further down this path.
His natural aptitude would have allowed him to grow up to be a dazzling person, but instead, he took the path of a douchebag. One’s life was truly unpredictable.
Wei Zhiyuan's feelings for Wei Qian and the family were very passionate. Unlike other children, who were born with a family, Wei Zhiyuan was not. He considered families to be a type of charity.
As long as he could live and remain in this family, he would work his ass off, not to mention just playing dumb.
Xiao Yuan would always remember that one day, he was freezing during the day at school and caught a cold. When he fell asleep, he unconsciously fell into Wei Qian's arms and slept in those warm arms until the next day.
In the morning, when the boy (WY) woke up, he lay there for half a day not willing to move. He looked up at the sleeping boy's (WQ) face beside him with wide eyes and suddenly, silently called out "Ge" in his heart.
Naturally, big brother couldn’t hear, but Wei Zhiyuan had called out in his heart in this way.
The lively war between Xiao Yuan and Xiao Bao was eventually stopped by Sanpang, who pulled the two youngsters away from each other with one hand as though they were puppies: "Hey, little ancestors (4), is this what they call wreaking havoc in heaven (5)? Let's call a truce first, we'll fight again after we've eaten, there's no hurry!"
Sanpang brought out fried rice with eggs from the kitchen and served it in a small pot, without a bowl. He took four spoons, one for each person, and they used them to eat from the pot of rice.
Sanpang liked to lecture others, he nagged more than Tang Seng (6). He couldn’t stop moving his sausage-like lips, as he ate whilst educating the children: "Children need to have aspirations, you shouldn’t endlessly pinch and bother each other like big-bellied grasshoppers all day long. Your Ge is a complete idiot, regardless of…”
Wei Qian’s innocence was involved, he wanted to put this fatty back in his place. However, before he could speak, the two children with the same enemy yelled at Sanpang: "Don’t scold my Ge!"
Sanpang: "......"
Wei Qian gave each of them a piece of ham: "Well done, eat more."
Sanpang's big pancake face twisted for a while, but thanks to his thick skin (7), he managed to continue the conversation: "Alright, let's not mention your Ge - look, you've learnt so much about your aspirations at school, tell Sanpang about them, what are your aspirations?"
Xiao Bao said, "I want to be a singer."
Wei Zhiyuan said plainly, "To earn money and support my ge."
Xiao Bao gave him a look and added, "I want to make a lot of money and support my ge when I become a singer."
Sanpang like a lewd child abductor ...... no, like a great educator, earnestly said to Wei Zhiyuan, "Look, this aspiration of Xiao Bao’s is more goal-oriented. What about you, Xiaoyuan, you want to support your brother, how will you earn money?"
Wei Zhiyuan said without raising his eyelids, "I can guard events, sell discs, handle entrance tickets, I'm better than everyone else......"
Sanpang was immediately distressed and turned to Wei Qian and said, "Ah Qian'er, I think this child of yours is hopeless."
Wei Qian took a look at the serious Wei Zhiyuan, his eyes fell on his puffed-up cheeks, and suddenly he wanted to laugh, so he laughed and without much extra effort pointed out a clear path to Sanpang whilst concisely and clearly saying: "Get lost!"
The moment he laughed, Wei Zhiyuan felt that it had been worth his while to make a scene and roll around all evening, so he stopped saying anything, saved his strength and fiercely bent his head down to eat rice.
The way Wei Zhiyuan ate was very ferocious as if he wanted to turn every single grain of rice into his bones and flesh.
In fact, Wei Qian also had an aspiration. His original aspiration was to be a scientist, wearing a white coat around a laboratory, recording all kinds of data, writing papers, typing materials, researching something. Eating and researching every day, sleeping and researching every day, except for the researching things, he didn’t worry about anything else.
Of course, Wei Qian understood in his heart that at the moment this aspiration had become a fantasy. So, he had not mentioned it to others, pretending that he was born as a slick fox (8) and had never been a fool.
Sanpang cooked the meal and was responsible for washing the dishes after eating, he washed them whilst whining, "Alas, your San Ge owed you money in his last life, and in this life, he is a child bride to you ......"
This was overheard by Wei Zhiyuan, who rolled up his sleeves without saying a word: "San Ge, I'll do it."
Sanpang did not know whether to laugh or cry (9) as he waved away: "There are still those who are eager to be child brides, you'd better go watch cartoons with Xiao Bao."
Wei Zhiyuan looked up to ask for instructions from Wei Qian, who gave him a nod: "Go on, don't hinder us here."
After sending the child away, Sanpang said to Wei Qian, who was leaning against the kitchen door frame, "Does your arm hurt?"
Wei Qian lit a cigarette: "Not bad, a little."
After a few moments of silence, Sanpang asked him in a rare moment of seriousness, "What do you want to do? Do you want to go on like this?"
Wei Qian could tell he was holding something back, so he didn't say anything and waited for him to say it.
Sanpang was a little older than him and Mazi, almost twenty years old, and was more mature than his two younger brothers: "Don't hate to hear me say this, Le Ge - that man, Le Xiaodong, is no good. Even if you go to the construction site, at least your selling your strength, the two yuans that Le Xiaodong gives is to make you sell your life."
It was a while before Wei Qian asked, "What can I do?"
Sanpang: "What can't you do to eat?"
Wei Qian leaned against the doorframe and thought blankly for a moment, looking down at his hand that was wrapped up like a dumpling, feeling the slightest bit of pain radiating from it, and whispered, "I can't do anything."
"You can work part-time, or start a small business", Sanpang said after a pause, "If worst comes to worst, you can follow San Ge, the two of us can drive around and sell cooked food, isn’t that also a form of livelihood?”
Wei Qian laughed softly and didn't say anything.
"As long as you nod, I’ll go back and I'll talk to my dad ......," Sanpang said this and abruptly looked back down as if he felt something, then he noticed that Wei Qian was no longer there. He had non-violently and uncooperatively walking away from listening.
Sanpang stopped his mouth, indignantly flung off the water on his hands and said angrily: "Sunzi, sooner or later there will be a day you regret!"
He (SP) was a childhood friend who would never do him any harm (WQ), and Wei Qian knew in his heart that what he said made sense.
He had been at the casino for over a year and had gradually let go of his blind admiration for Le Ge, and he knew a little bit about what kind of business he was in.
He also sometimes wondered why he was the only one who was such a coward when everyone else could take the right path despite all the hardships.
Was it because he was willing to be a hooligan?
Although he was a gangster, he was still aware of the good and bad. He had been a good student at school for so many years, but not for the sake of dropping out and becoming a hooligan.
Was it for the money?
Yes, Wei Qian admitted that Le gave him a lot of money, but Sanpang was right, he was selling his life, and twice as much money wouldn't be worth it.
Was it fear of suffering?
Probably not. There was no comparing the pain of blisters and burnt skin from carrying bricks with having an arm broken by a club.
So what was it for?
Wei Qian asked himself this countless times, but later he realised that it was probably still his little bit of pride that was killing him.
From the moment he was born into this world, from the first cry, he was destined to be inferior. So, when he grew up a little and had a little choice, he was unwilling to bow his head again, even if it was as fierce as now so that everyone would fear and hate him.
It was better to have everyone fear him than to look down on him.
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(1) If you're a seasoned Chinese novel reader you probably already know what Laozi (老子) is basically just an arrogant way Chinese people say I.
(2) 不知天高地厚 it's an idiom which can mean: To not to know the immensity of heaven and earth / an exaggerated opinion of one's own abilities.
(3) During this conversation when WZ is saying 'girl' he's using '丫头' which is a depreciating way of saying girl, can also be endearing apparently but the defo doesn't fit the context lol
(4) Little ancestor (小祖宗): term that a parent uses to blame or complain about his/her naughty child.
(5) I think this is a reference to something rather than an idiom? This is what MDBG gives me so take it with a grain of salt: Monkey Wreaks Havoc in Heaven, story about the Monkey King Sun Wukong 孫悟空｜孙悟空 from the novel Journey to the West 西遊記｜西游记.
(6) Tang Seng (唐僧) is a monk character from a piece of fiction, I'm guessing he likes to nag... Baidu Page
(7) Thick-skinned people don't get embarrassed easily and can be pretty shameful.
(8) What I got from Baidu: 老油条 refers to people who are sleek and sophisticated, with a smooth tongue and can also mean people with rich experience who are sophisticated, slick, unkind and dishonest. Baidu Page
(9) Another one you'll know if you're a Chinese novel nerd like me but 'not knowing whether to laugh or cry' (哭笑不得) is an idiom used when something is both funny and embarrassing.
I'm so so sorry for delaying for a week and not sticking true to messages, really wanted this to be out for the lunar new year but to be honsest my mental health has not been the best for a couple weeks LOL, made it worse that I found out about something that could impact my future so yeah ＞﹏＜ I am doing better now and will try and be more consistent. Once again I'm really really sorry, I already upload pretty slow (once a week) because I want to make sure these transalations are accurate and flow well, tbh I'm not even sure if this is MLT anymore since I've been going character by character cuz I'm a fat perfectionist lol. I hope you all are doing better than I am and enjoyed this chapter, ending made me a bit sad :( Also my dumb-ass still needs to go back and edit the other chapters... May just do it after this is fully translated. Also once this is complete (that's a fat assumption lmaoo) would you guys want me to make me into a PDF doc? As I see other translators doing that :)Support the author here