Chapter 109: Rebellious
From then on, no matter what his parents urged the young man to learn, he was unwilling to listen.
Occasionally, he would cause trouble outside that brought him home, causing his parents to worry.
His mother, worried about her child’s future, went to have his fortune told. The fortune teller said the child had a very strong destiny and a very long life. If others had one life, this child had two, and he was destined for a life on the tip of a blade, like the bayonets used by soldiers during the war of resistance. If he joined the army, he would surely have great promise in the future; if he didn’t learn to be good, he would end up in the hospital or prison.
His mother believed this wholeheartedly, knowing her son was very strong-willed and stubborn. However, she still wanted to try asking the young man if he was willing.
Originally, the young man had genuinely considered joining the army because he didn’t know what else to learn, but his desire to protect the country had never wavered since he was a child. He even remembered the pledge his teacher made him recite in elementary school: “Always be ready to strive for the cause of communism! Always be ready!”
The young man had always kept the words he said when he was young engraved in his heart. He also thought that if the country were ever invaded by foreign enemies again, he would immediately rush to the front lines to establish a stable rear for his parents and the elders of his hometown. Unless he died in battle, if anyone dared to infringe upon Huaxia, bully his parents, elders, or children, they would have to step over his corpse! Otherwise, even in death, he would never allow enemies to set foot in Huaxia, not even half a step!
However, times had changed. After the incidents of the previous two times, the young man greatly resented his parents making decisions for him.
As soon as his mother finished telling him about this matter and he said he would think about it and consider it, his father had already signed him up.
Upon hearing this, the young man refused to go, saying he wouldn’t go no matter what.
Afterwards, the young man continued to cause trouble, and no job lasted more than three days; he would get into a fight within three days.
Whether he had to pay money or not was another matter, but it truly worried both his father and mother. Yet, there was nothing they could say.
When his parents were at their wit’s end, his father took him out for a drink alone. “Son, can you stop causing trouble? Dad doesn’t have any more money, and our family can’t afford to pay anymore. If Dad had money, even if you beat someone to death, I would cover it, but we’re out of money. If you cause trouble again, Dad really can’t afford it.”
Hearing this, the young man pondered for a moment, raised his glass, which was more than half full of baijiu, clinked it with his father’s, and then drank it all in one go. He said, “Alright, Dad, I understand.”
Who would have thought that less than two months after that drink, the young man was beaten up and had to go to the police station late at night to give a statement. The police station called his parents to come over.
Heh, who would have known that his parents’ first thought wasn’t whether their son was hurt, but whether he had beaten someone else and gotten arrested again. Knowing that their son had been beaten, although they felt some heartache, they were actually relieved.
It was truly speechless.
The young man intended to gather his crew and fight back, but his older sister stopped him. She earnestly persuaded him, saying that he had already caused enough trouble in the past, making his parents worry. He shouldn’t cause more trouble and make his parents worry, or he would surely shorten their lives by worrying them.
After hearing this, the young man’s heart softened, and he gave up on seeking revenge. However, he still felt unwilling, thinking about whether he should secretly retaliate later. If they didn’t find his home, wouldn’t everything be fine?
Later, one of the young man’s buddies called him, saying he had cornered one of the people who had beaten him. When the young man arrived, he saw that his group had seven or eight people, while the other side had only one person, who was also with his girlfriend. The young man’s friend wanted to make a move, but the young man stopped him. The young man thought, how embarrassing would it be if he were cornered and beaten while with his girlfriend?
So, he walked forward and said a few words, “Buddy, do you remember we have a grudge? You brought your girlfriend today, so I won’t hit you. But you need to be careful when you go out in the future; next time might be different.”
After speaking, the young man and his group left uninhibitedly.
As time went on, the young man discovered that the older brother of the people who had beaten him had a deep connection with him. That older brother treated the young man to several drinks, apologized to him, and then the person who had actually acted also invited the young man for drinks and said, “Brother, I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the connection. If you’re angry, you can beat me up. After you’re done, we can be buddies. What do you say?”
The young man shared a drink with him and then said, “We’re all men, aren’t we? You can’t always be hitting others and not expect to be hit yourself someday. Since we’ve cleared the air and you’ve treated me to drinks, let’s just let the past be the past. Damn, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Afterwards, the young man started working odd jobs. He worked as a waiter in restaurants, a KTV server, a server at a roast meat restaurant, a food runner at a hot pot restaurant, an apprentice in the kitchen, a security guard, and learned car detailing. When he was learning car detailing, he became so skilled that acquaintances only sought him out to wax their cars because he was very serious and attentive in his work. He worked tirelessly, non-stop.
After a year, the boss decided to close the business, and the young man returned home, out of work again.
Seeing their child always idle at home wasn’t an option, his parents still thought about having him learn something.
The young man really didn’t want to learn anything, nor did he want to do what his parents wished.
Rebelliously, he said he didn’t want to do anything, just spend money if he had it and do nothing if he didn’t; he just wouldn’t learn.
Seeing that their persuasion was useless, the parents stopped trying and doted on their child even more. The child thought to himself, his parents were actually doing this for his own good, so why should he be so stubborn?
He returned to the construction site to learn horticulture. This time, his godfather and his master, who was also his uncle, valued him highly and protected him as much as possible. Although they also assigned him some tasks, they clearly told him not to overwork himself. If he felt tired, he could rest; it was all within the family.
This simple-minded young man, after hearing this, actually worked even harder. He actually wanted to prove that he wasn’t afraid of hardship or fatigue, but rather that he was unhappy, which was why he had left.
He stayed there for another half a year and learned rapidly, even starting to lead others. With his talent in art, he sometimes mixed colors that even his master couldn’t replicate and had to ask him how he did it.
When the weather turned cold, outdoor work became impossible. The young man returned home to rest but didn’t stay idle. Instead, he found work in the service industry and returned home at the end of the year.
The following spring, before he could return to the construction site, a close friend from his school days contacted him. He said he was working as a “jiji tou” (a term for escorting clients) in Sichuan, earning several hundred to over a thousand yuan a day, and wanted the young man to join him.
In those times, when a laborer only made eighty to one hundred yuan a day, earning several hundred to a thousand was a life-changing opportunity. Even a bricklayer or welder only made around two hundred a day.
But he directly refused because he still wanted to learn horticulture, as it would allow him to continue painting.
Later, his friend told him that he was being bullied. A group of locals kept causing trouble and beating him up to steal his business.
The young man was enraged and asked his friend, “You weren’t this cowardly when we hung out all the time! Couldn’t you find some people to deal with them?”
The other person replied, “No, I don’t know anyone here, it’s just me. Brother, are you still my friend? Are you going to help your little brother who’s being beaten!”
Upon hearing this, the young man thought, “Damn, they dare to beat my brother!”
He resolutely bought a train ticket and traveled for three days and three nights, from the “chicken’s neck” to the “chicken’s butt” on the map.
