It was time for dinner, and Chen Chuan sat down at the dining table.
Suddenly, Nian Fuli, his uncle, said, “Chen Chuan, you’ve graduated from high school. We don’t have any institutions for higher learning in Yangzhi City, and the salary I get from the Constabulary isn’t high enough for me to send you to Central City to study. Have you thought about where you want to go?”
Everyone fell silent. Yu Wan, Chen Chuan’s aunt, looked worriedly at him, while his cousins glanced back and forth between them while holding their bowls.
Nian Fuli continued, “If you haven’t thought about it and you haven’t gotten an offer from any university, I can make arrangements for you. But then, don’t complain about how tough it is, and don’t whine about being tired. Also, if I get you a job and you don’t like it, let me know right away and then find your way on your own.”
Chen Chuan looked Nian Fuli straight in the eye and smiled. “Are you in such a hurry to chase me out, Unc?”
Nian Fuli glared at him and said, “That’s Uncle Fuli to you, not Unc.”
Out of habit, he searched around the pocket in his shirt. Right when he touched the cigarette box, he cast a glance at his children and withdrew his hand, frowning.
“Stop grinning and give me an answer. I don’t need to worry about Nian Qian, since he’s already successful, but Nian Mo and Nian Lu are still young. In a few years, they’ll have to go to school, so we’ll have a lot more expenses. You’re already sixteen. I’m not asking you to repay me, I just want you to be able to provide for yourself. That makes sense, right?”
Chen Chuan nodded. “You’re right, Uncle.” After a moment’s consideration, he made a decision. “I’d like to forge my own way.”
“By yourself?” Nian Fuli looked Chen Chuan up and down. “Sure. Schools usually give you students a two-month break before a new term, right? I’ll give you two months as well. If you manage to become independent in that time, I won’t be butting into your business anymore.”
Yu Wan opened her mouth as if to say something, but then snapped it shut.
“Sure. That works for me,” Chen Chuan replied.
Nian Fuli sized him up and said, “Then, make sure you follow through and become independent.” He then picked up his chopsticks. “Let’s eat.”
Once he started eating, everyone else joined in as well.
Chen Chuan also reached out for his chopsticks. Just then, as if he had sensed something, he glanced up and saw a teenager who looked like him standing by the wall and staring at him gloomily.
His uncle and his family did not notice anything amiss; they were focused on their food. Or maybe... Chen Chuan was the only one who could see him.
He looked away. While eating, he started pondering about his future.
Before he knew it, he had already finished dinner. He grabbed his bowl and made to get up, but Yu Wan, who had been paying attention to him, stopped him. “Just leave it. I’ll wash the dishes. You should focus on your situation.”
Chen Chuan looked at Yu Wan, then at the stone-faced Nian Fuli. He put down his chopsticks and said, “Alright. I’ll be going back to my room now.”
Nian Fuli threw some vegetables into his mouth and chewed them slowly. He said nothing.
After Chen Chuan left, Yu Wan spoke up. “He’s still young.”
“Young, my foot,” Nian Fuli snapped back. “He’s already sixteen. When I was his age, I was already fighting on battlefields!”
“Yes, yes. You’re amazing, I know.”
When Nian Fuli finished eating, Yu Wan stood up from the table, grabbed a bottle of rice wine, and poured a glass for him. “I’ll go check up on Chen Chuan.”
“Go,” Nian Fuli shooed her off impatiently. He took a sip of the wine and felt much better. “That boy seems different from before...” he mumbled to himself.
“Dad, are you going to chase me out too when I’m sixteen?”
Nian Fuli turned around and saw Nian Mo, his youngest son, staring at him anxiously.
Nian Lu, his three-year-old daughter, chirped, “Dad’s definitely chasing you out! You eat the most meat!”
“I-I don’t eat a lot! Dad...” Nian Mo looked at Nian Fuli pitifully while holding his bowl.
Nian Fuli laughed and patted the back of Nian Mo’s head. “You’re my kid, brat. How could I not care about you? I’m going to give you my position in the future. Now, turn the radio on.”
“Okay.” Nian Mo happily jumped off his chair and ran to the old radio. Rustling sounds came from the speakers.
「...The Railway Maintenance Department has announced that railway repairs scheduled for early June will be postponed once again due to a mudslide from Spill Hill...」
「A group of inmates has escaped from Enlightenment Reformatory. The government has placed a bounty on their heads. The primary escapees include: Fang Dawei, male, thirty-five years old, well-built, with a record of multiple burglaries, street shootings, and murder; Tong Baitao, male, twenty-seven years old...」
「A violent clash erupted at the intersection of New Channels Residences and Grain Street between the Blood Scars Gang and the Chain Links Gang. The incident left multiple homes damaged and resulted in dozens of casualties and injuries...」
Chen Chuan returned to his room. It was around nine square meters and served as both his study and bedroom. The windowsill and the old red lacquered wooden floor were clean, while the furniture was arranged in a neat and tiny manner. The place was clearly cleaned every day.
The walls held a few movie posters. As Chen Chuan cast a cursory gaze across them, he could instantly recall the name of each one: The Lone Swordsman, the Beast of the Mountain, the Final Conquest...
The floorboards creaked when Chen Chuan went to the window. A photo on a corner of the worn desk caught his attention. It was of a couple wearing clothes that seemed to be made of very high-quality materials. The woman was youthful and beautiful, while the man was tall and handsome. The two were smiling brightly at the camera.
To the right of the desk was a two-meter tall bookshelf crammed full of books. When Chen Chuan looked over, he found that aside from old textbooks, most of them were extracurricular reading, such as The Great Expansion, 15 Years of the Development and Order Era, and The Mysterious Agate Hill.
“It’s a pity Dual-Use Talents for Military and Civilian Life and Military Training Handbook for the Militia are not here,” Chen Chuan mumbled under his breath. “At the very least, it should have One Hundred Thousand Whys.”
“What whys? Chan’er, can I come in?” Yu Wan asked from outside the door.
Chen Chuan’s parents had nicknamed him “Chan’er”. Now, aside from Yu Wan, only Nian Mo called him that.
“Come in, Aunty. It’s nothing. I was just working on a problem.”
“You’ve already graduated, so how come you’re still studying?” Yu Wan walked in. She was in her late thirties and had fair skin but an average-looking face. Meanwhile, Chen Chuan was boyishly handsome. He was tall and had red lips and white teeth. Only a subtle similarity in their facial features hinted at a shared bloodline when they stood together.
“Chan’er, don’t blame Fuli for what he said today. He has his own troubles. But, please, don’t act tough either. I’ll talk to him later.”
Chen Chuan smiled. “Don’t worry, Aunty. I’m not acting tough. I really do have a plan.”
After some hesitation, Yu Wan asked, “Chan’er, are you... thinking about going to Meng Shu?”
The image of a girl rose unbidden in Chen Chuan’s mind. He shook his head. “No, I’m not.”
Yu Wan said, “I’m glad you’re not. She’s from a well-off family, and the people around her are all arrogant pricks. As for you, you’ve always been stubborn. You may have been great friends when you were children, but that’s no longer the case.”
“You’re right,” Chen Chuan agreed. “Our old friendship doesn’t matter anymore. In any case, her butler sticks to her like a shadow when she leaves the house. Why should I look for her only to embarrass myself?”
Yu Wan felt much more at ease after hearing that and held up a cloth-wrapped bundle. She opened it to reveal stacks of ten dev.