Volume 1: Chapter 9

 Chapter IX

Wei Qian had read many such inspirational stories when he was young, but he had forgotten them. Perhaps his emotional development was not up to par with the average level. He had no feeling when he read them at that time, and only now did he feel a little touched.

He casually said to the two children: “Your teacher is quite capable and the extracurricular readings he selected are good.”

San Pang, who was cooking, poked his head out of the kitchen and said in the midst of the frying and cooking sounds: “What did you say? Read it to me louder.”

Wei Qian cleared his throat and planned to show San Pang his voice for the flag-raising speech.

As a result, before he could read a word, Wei Zhiyuan, the kid, suddenly said beside him in a depressing tone: “Brother, I don’t want to go to school.”

He brought up the old matter again, but Wei Qian ignored him and didn’t take it seriously, because as a competent feudal parent, he planned to carry on the glorious tradition of dictatorship to the end. It was not the kid’s turn to express his opinion on whether to go to school or not.

Wei Qian yelled at the fat man in the kitchen, “Let me give you a lesson. Let me see where to start... Well, let’s start with this one – ideals...”

“Ge.” Wei Zhiyuan came over, squatted in front of Wei Qian, looked at him straight, and said again, “I don’t want to go to school.”

Xiao Bao was used to making trouble, so she ran over and said crisply, “Ge, he doesn’t study well, beat him.”

Wei Zhiyuan frowned and said to her righteously, “Go away, you are always everywhere.”

“You are the one who got out of here,” Wei Qian casually hit Wei Zhiyuan on the head with extracurricular reading materials, and said, “If you say that again, I’ll break your legs.”

This sentence has a source. When Wei Qian was a child, there was a classmate in his class who was called by the teacher for his mischief. The classmate’s father hit the boy on the head and said viciously, “If you skip school again, I’ll break your legs.”

The young Wei Qian always thought that this statement was very parental. At that time, he was still young and ignorant, so he wrote this sentence in his excerpt notes, and the teacher gave him a big cross... In short, he always wanted to use this sentence to teach someone a lesson.

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 school was for, but this time, the little boy thought it over and expressed his thoughts with reason: “I don’t want to go to school anymore. Going to school is good, but it takes many years and costs a lot of money. I’d better go out with you to make money. I can work and fight. I can support myself and you.”

Unfortunately, Wei Qian is a person who can’t communicate, and Xiao Yuan’s reasoning was ignored. Wei Qian looked down at Wei Zhiyuan and felt that this kid was ignorant of the world. He wanted to beat this kid up.

Wei Qian thought that he went out every day, and as the competition pressure in the industry increased, he had to work hard and sweat all the time to compete with his peers. As a result, the kid made it seem as if such a technical thing could be done by anyone. He really didn’t know how expensive firewood and rice were, and didn’t know how hard it was for others to support him.

However, when Wei Qian saw that he was serious and vowed to support himself, he didn’t do it. Little guy… at least he has a conscience.

So, Wei Qian said to him perfunctorily: “Then you should study hard. In the future, you can’t graduate from university, and you can’t get a master’s or doctorate. You have to be a postdoctoral fellow. After a postdoctoral fellow, you can call others “Daokete” Wei, and you should try to become a “Jiankete” Wei for us. That’s awesome.”

Playing, this matter obviously cannot be discussed. Song Xiao Bao, the naughty kid, came over with a smile, shaking his head and tail and asking for a fight, saying: “Jiankete Wei, hehehehe.”

Wei Zhiyuan: “Go away, little girl.”

Song Xiao Bao was not to be outdone: “I’m not a ‘piece’, I’m a ‘drum’! You are a sheep dung ball on a reed stick!”

Wei Zhiyuan: “...Ugly girl.”

Song Xiao Bao screamed angrily: “Sheep dung ball!”

Wei Zhiyuan replied calmly: “Call yourself.”

The two of them then quarrelled with each other, and Wei Qian watched from the side without any intention of trying to stop the quarrel. He hoped that the quarrel between the two of them would be more lively.

Watching children fighting is also one of his entertainment projects. After all, they can’t be hurt. When he first came, Wei Zhiyuan’s eyes were very wild and unruly, and his personality was always duller than his peers. He was in sharp contrast with Xiao Bao, who kept chattering about her unproductive opinions at home.

At that time, at first glance, Wei Zhiyuan seemed to have stuffed a big boy in adolescence into a little guy’s body, and he always felt that the person and the appearance did not match.

However, in the past six months, he has become more and more “small”, and his words and deeds have become childish. While arguing with Xiao Bao, Wei Zhiyuan glanced at Wei Qian and found that Da Ge, with one arm hanging, was watching their fight with great interest, so he continued to irritate Song Xiao Bao in a somewhat performative manner.

Since the last time he made a joke of changing his teeth, Wei Zhiyuan accidentally found a way to please his big brother – that is, to raise his IQ to the same level as Song Xiao Bao, and often do some ridiculous stupid things with her.

The more childish and stupid they acted, the more easy-going and less pretentious the elder brother would be. So, Wei Zhiyuan went down this path more and more. His natural talent could have made him a cool person, but he took a stupid path.

Life is really unpredictable. Wei Zhiyuan’s feelings for Wei Qian and this family are very passionate. He is different from other children. Other children are born with a family, but Wei Zhiyuan did not. He treats “family” as a career. As long as he can stay, stay in this family, let alone just pretend to be stupid, let him work hard.

Xiao Yuan always remembers that one day, he caught a cold in school during the day. It was very cold. After falling asleep, he unconsciously got into Wei Qian’s arms and nestled in the warm arms until the next day. In the early morning, when the boy woke up, he lay there for a long time and didn’t want to move.

He opened his eyes wide and looked up at the face of the sleeping boy beside him. Suddenly, he silently called “Ge” in his heart. The eldest brother couldn’t hear it, but Wei Zhiyuan had called out to him in his heart.

The lively battle between Xiao Yuan and Xiao Bao was finally ended by San Pang, who pulled the two cubs apart like puppies, one in each hand: “Hey, little ancestors, are you going to make a scene in Heaven? Let’s call a truce first, and then fight again after dinner. There’s no rush!”

San Pang brought the egg fried rice out of the kitchen and put it in a small bowl. He didn’t take a bowl, but four spoons, one for each person, and started eating around the bowl of rice.

San Pang is a good teacher, more nagging than Tang Seng. Even food can’t stop his sausage mouth.

He eats while educating the children: “Children should have ideals, and can’t be like big-bellied katydids all day long, endlessly fighting. Your brother is a fool and doesn’t care...”

Wei Qian was innocently affected, and just wanted to give this fat man a good beating so that he would know how many eyes the horse king has, but before he could open his mouth, the two kids shouted at San Pang with a common hatred: “Don’t talk about my Ge!”

San Pang: “...”

Wei Qian picked up a piece of ham sausage for each of them: “Well done, eat more.”

San Pang’s big face twisted for a while, relying on his thick skin, he reluctantly continued the topic just now: “Okay, let’s not talk about your brother – you see, you have learned so many texts about ideals in school, and you keep talking to your San Ge, what are your ideals?”

Xiao Bao said: “I want to be a singer.”

Wei Zhiyuan said plainly: “Make money and support my brother.”

Xiao Bao glanced at him and added, “I want to make a lot of money as a singer to support my brother.”

San Pang was like a wretched child abductor... no, like a great educator, and said to Wei Zhiyuan earnestly and kindly, “Look, Xiao Bao’s ideal is more goal-oriented, but what about you, Xiao Yuan? You want to support your brother, how are you going to make money?”

Wei Zhiyuan said without even raising his eyelids, “I can watch the place, sell CDs, get licenses, and get a share...”

Sanpang was immediately heartbroken and turned to Wei Qian and said, “Qian’er, I think you are hopeless.”

Wei Qian looked at the serious Wei Zhiyuan, his eyes fell on his bulging cheeks, and suddenly he wanted to laugh, so he laughed, and by the way, he pointed out a clear way for San Pang in a concise way: “Get out!”

When he smiled, Wei Zhiyuan felt that it was worth it to throw a tantrum that night, so he stopped talking, saved his energy, and ate his meal fiercely.

Wei Zhiyuan looked very ferocious while eating, as if he wanted to turn every grain of rice into his bones and flesh.

In fact, Wei Qian also had an ideal. His original ideal was to be a scientist, wearing a white coat and walking around in the laboratory, recording various data, writing papers, typing materials, and researching something. He would study every day while eating and sleeping. He would not take anything else to heart except the research, and he would not worry about food and clothing.

Of course, Wei Qian knew in his heart that this ideal had become a fantasy, so he never mentioned it to others, pretending that he was born a veteran in society and had never been stupid.

San Pang cooked and was responsible for washing the dishes after dinner. He complained as he washed them: “Alas, your San Ge owed you money in his last life, so he has to be your child bride in this life...”

Wei Zhiyuan happened to hear this and rolled up his sleeves without saying a word: “San Ge, I’ll wash it.”

San Pang waved his hands with a smile: “There are still people vying to be a child bride, you should go watch cartoons with Xiao Bao.”

Wei Zhiyuan looked up and asked Wei Qian, who nodded at him with a centimetre fluctuation: “Go ahead, don’t trip over here.”

After sending the child away, San Pang said to Wei Qian who was leaning against the kitchen door frame: “Does your arm hurt?”

Wei Qian lit a cigarette: “It’s okay, a little.”

San Pang didn’t talk to him and was silent for a moment.

Sanpang asked him seriously: “What do you want? Will it continue like this?”

Wei Qian had long seen that he had something to say, so he kept silent and waited for him to speak.

San Pang was older than him and Ma Zi, almost 20 years old, and thought more of his two younger brothers: “Don’t be offended by what I say, Le Ge – Le Xiaodong is not a good person. If you follow him, what good will it be? Even if you go to the construction site to lay tiles and sell your labour, the 2 yuan Le Xiaodong gives you is for you to work hard.”

After a while, Wei Qian asked back: “What can I do?”

“Why can’t you eat?”

Wei Qian leaned against the door frame, thought blankly for a moment, looked down at his hands that were wrapped like dumplings, felt the slight pain coming out of them, and whispered: “I don’t know anything.”

“You can work or do small business,” Sanpang paused and said, “At worst, you can follow me, and we can drive to pick up cooked food, isn’t that a way to make a living?”

Wei Qian smiled softly and said nothing. “As long as you nod, I’ll tell my dad when I get home...”

San Pang said this, and suddenly turned his head back as if he had realized something. He found that Wei Qian was no longer there, and he left without violence and cooperation. No one listened.

San Pang stopped talking, angrily shook off the water on his hands, and said angrily: “Grandson, you will regret it sooner or later!”

San Pang and he have been friends since childhood, and he will never hurt him.

Wei Qian knew in his heart that what he said made sense. He has been in the entertainment city for more than a year, and has gradually let go of his blind worship of Le Ge. Wei Qian also knows a little bit about what he does for a living. Wei Qian sometimes wonders why others can always take the right path no matter how hard it is, but only he is such a coward?

Did he want to be a gangster? Although, he was a scoundrel, he knew what was right and wrong. He had been a good student for so many years in school, but he didn’t drop out to become a gangster.

Was it for money? Yes, Wei Qian admitted that Le Ge gave him a lot of money, but San Pang was right. He was selling his life, and it wouldn’t be worth it even if he got twice as much money.

Was he afraid of suffering? Probably not. It was the pain of the big blisters on his hands and the sunburned skin, or the pain of having his arm broken by a stick. It’s hard to compare.

What was it for? Wei Qian asked himself this question countless times, and later he found that it was probably his life-threatening self-esteem that was at work. He was destined to be inferior to others since he was born into this world and cried for the first time, so when he grew up a little and had a little more room for choice, he would rather die than bow his head again – even if he was as fierce as he is now, making everyone fear and hate him.

It’s better to make others fear him than look down on him.