PCJ – Chapter 325 Worry, Oh Worry

Zhang Wenrong, Zhang Hanggou, and Zhang Jiagen only returned home close to the New Year. When they arrived in Guangdong, they entered a factory and worked diligently for half a year. However, they soon felt restless. After so many years of wandering, suddenly being confined to the factory felt like torture to them. As Zhang Jiagen put it, he would rather work in the garden every day, gathering pig grass. It turned out that gathering pig grass was such a wonderful thing.

Although the three of them had changed many bad habits while working at Zhang Jiaohua’s garden, they had also earned money, which led to the bad habit of spending lavishly. They smoked hard-shell cigarettes with filters, costing several bucks a pack, and they were very straightforward people. When smoking, they would share with their co-workers, and a single pack would be finished quickly. Sometimes they could smoke several packs a day. By the end of the month, they had nothing left. They were essentially part of the “spend every last penny” generation.

If it weren’t for the factory’s fear that these employees would run away after receiving their wages around the New Year, they would have withheld their pay due to unfinished orders. The three of them couldn’t even gather enough money for their return fare home. When they finally received their wages, they only had enough for one last month’s salary.

After some thought, the three concluded that their situation outside had been miserable, and they barely had enough for transportation. They decided to go home for the New Year and figure things out after the holiday.

On their way back, the three discussed that since it was their first year working, they should bring a gift for their little master. However, after buying the train tickets, they didn’t have much money left. They were, however, wearing relatively trendy clothes. They decided to pool their money to buy a box of high-end candy for their little master. It was quite a gesture for a disciple to bring paper-wrapped candy as a tribute to their master.

Zhang Jiaohua was very pleased with the arrival of his three disciples. “So, how was it out there? Did you open your eyes? Do you plan to go back next year?”

“Jiaohua, why don’t we just stay at the garden next year? They say it’s a big city in Guangdong, but we’re just stuck in the factory every day. If we don’t work overtime, we hardly earn anything. Expenses are high, and we almost ran out of money for the return fare,” Zhang Jiagen immediately expressed his frustration.

“You’re not telling me you didn’t earn a single penny in over half a year, are you?” Zhang Jiaohua widened his eyes.

“We did earn some money, but we couldn’t save any of it. We spent it all,” Zhang Hanggou said, a bit embarrassed.

Zhang Jiaohua looked at Zhang Wenrong. “You didn’t pick up any bad habits, did you?”

“Of course, we didn’t do anything bad. We just learned to smoke, and that costs quite a bit,” Zhang Wenrong scratched his head.

“Jiaohua, we bought you a box of high-end paper-wrapped candy, which we heard was imported from Hong Kong. It’s incredibly delicious,” Zhang Jiagen said.

“Have you tasted it?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Zhang Jiagen shook his head. “I wouldn’t dare buy it for myself. But it must be delicious; it’s several times more expensive than regular paper-wrapped candy.”

“Right, Jiaohua, open it and see. This candy is called chocolate, and city folks love it,” Zhang Wenrong said.

Zhang Jiaohua was also a bit tempted. Zhang Yuanbao leaned over, his eyes fixed on the box of chocolate. This was a novel item. The little kids in Meizi’ao had never even seen such things before.

Zhang Jiaohua was curious as well. He tore open the box and saw that the candy was beautifully packaged. It looked far more upscale than the paper-wrapped candies he had eaten before.

When he unwrapped one, he saw a dark object and hesitated to put it in his mouth. Instead, he brought it to his nose and sniffed, “What kind of paper-wrapped candy is this? It looks like medicine.”

“That’s chocolate!” Zhang Yuanbao unwrapped a piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

“You’ve tasted chocolate?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, surprised.

“I heard about it on TV. They say it’s really good,” Zhang Yuanbao chewed with delight.

Zhang Jiaohua looked at Zhang Yuanbao eating with envy and decided to try the chocolate himself. He put a piece in his mouth, chewed it, and grimaced. It really tasted like a medicine candy; it was much less enjoyable than the hard paper-wrapped candy that cost a penny each.

“Jiaohua, can we still go back to the garden?” Zhang Wenrong cautiously asked.

“If you think that cutting pig grass in the garden has a future, then you can come back. But if you end up unable to find wives, don’t blame me. People in the village want to go out now. Even the girls want to go to Guangdong to work and earn money, while you want to stay home. Now that you’ve come back, just wait until after the New Year to see what happens. If you’re motivated to build a future here in Meizi’ao, that’s not out of the question. Why do you keep learning to smoke? Smoking every day won’t help you with your kung fu practice.”

When Zhang Jiaohua saw Zhang Jiagen take out a cigarette, he kicked him hard in the butt. It hurt so much that Zhang Jiagen jumped up, holding his backside, but this was mostly exaggerated.

Zhang Wenrong quickly hid his cigarette, thinking he might as well quit smoking. He would quit after the New Year. Since Zhang Jiaohua had spoken, they didn’t dare act up again.

After they finished eating, Zhang Wenrong went home. Zhang Manyin came over.

“Jiaohua, your parents might not have bought tickets and can’t return. Tomorrow night, you should come and celebrate the New Year with us.”

Zhang Jiaohua stubbornly replied, “No, I can spend the New Year alone at the garden. With so many animals to care for, I can’t leave them alone.”

“Who are you trying to fool? There are dogs and cats at the garden; no one dares approach it. Plus, you’re raising wild boars. No thief in the village would have the guts to steal a wild boar,” Zhang Manyin could see that Zhang Jiaohua was just making excuses.

“Jiaohua, my dad said tomorrow night we’ll all go to grandpa’s old house for the New Year. It’ll be lively with the whole family together. Why aren’t you going?” Zhang Yuanbao said.

“Yeah, Jiaohua, your brother Yuanbao is right. It’s lively to celebrate the New Year together as a family,” Zhang Manyin chimed in.

“I’m not going. If my parents aren’t back for the New Year, I’ll stay at the garden alone,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Zhang Manyin was getting impatient. “Fine, you celebrate the New Year alone. Yuanbao, let’s go with grandpa and leave him here by himself.”

Yuanbao was reluctant to leave; a pot of stewed wild boar feet was simmering on the stove. It was a big one, full of lean meat. Jiaohua had added a lot of seasonings, and it was smelling delicious. It would be ready soon.

“Grandpa, isn’t the New Year tomorrow night?” Zhang Yuanbao sniffed the air. Oh, it smelled so good.

“From now on, let’s not care about him. Let him do as he pleases. Come on, let’s go with grandpa. Let’s see if he enjoys being alone here,” Zhang Manyin said, dragging Zhang Yuanbao away. Yuanbao was so reluctant. If he could just wait another half an hour, he would be able to eat, just like Jiaohua said.

Zhang Manyin was on the verge of tears, thinking that Yuanbao was reluctant to leave Jiaohua! He felt gratified; even though these two brothers weren’t related, they were closer than real brothers. “Yuanbao, let him think about how everyone cares for him. Let him reflect on how he treats everyone.”

Zhang Yuanbao thought to himself, if Jiaohua was here alone to think, he might think himself to death.

As Zhang Jiaohua heard the footsteps of Zhang Manyin and Zhang Yuanbao fade away, he felt very conflicted. He really wanted to stand up and chase after them. Although he was a formidable individual now, he was still a child at heart, afraid of loneliness. He hated the feeling of being surrounded by solitude. When Zhang Manyin and Zhang Yuanbao had gone far, Zhang Jiaohua got up and walked to the gate of the garden, watching their figures grow distant. A single tear slipped from his eye and quickly fell to the ground.

Back at the stove, he could already smell the rich aroma of cured meat wafting from the iron pot, mixed with the scent of the carefully crafted seasonings. The rack for smoking meat was fully loaded. How could there be a lack of cured meat on Zhang Jiaohua’s smoking rack? There were not only wild boar pieces but also some meat from other wild animals.

White steam rose slowly from the ground as night descended upon Meizi’ao, soon shrouding the mountain village in a misty haze.

The little cart sped along the mountain road. Zhang Youqi was dressed in the latest fashionable clothing. He had his back to the wind, and he shouted to Zhang Manyin, “Be quick, hurry up, we’ve almost arrived!”

“Hey, wait for me!” Zhang Manyin ran behind, her face flushed with excitement. “Can’t you tell me where you bought those fancy clothes?”

“Sure! When we get to grandpa’s house. There are still some left in the shop; if you like, I can help you pick out a couple. It’s just at the foot of the mountain, so it’s not far,” Zhang Youqi said.

“Is there a shop that sells such fashionable clothes?” Zhang Manyin was a bit stunned; even though she had never seen these clothes before, the designs were certainly stunning.

“It’s all in Guangdong. We went on a big shopping spree. The prices are more affordable than in Meizi’ao,” Zhang Youqi said proudly.

“Wow, you’ve been to Guangdong. What’s it like there?” Zhang Manyin was curious.

“It’s incredible! I went to a shopping mall that was ten stories high. The clothes are beautiful, the food is delicious, and they even have the latest arcade machines. You can play to your heart’s content,” Zhang Youqi excitedly recounted.

“Then you must have played a lot of games!” Zhang Manyin exclaimed.

“Of course! I had such a great time!” Zhang Youqi was even more excited.

“Is it true what they say about the girls in Guangdong? Are they really as beautiful as they say?” Zhang Manyin continued to ask.

“Of course, they’re stunning! Many of them wear skirts that look like they’re dressed for the red carpet,” Zhang Youqi said, gesturing with his hands. “They’re so beautiful you’d be mesmerized.”

Zhang Manyin couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. “I wish I could see it myself!”

“Let’s go again when we get the chance,” Zhang Youqi promised.

They hurried up the mountain. The night was getting darker, and they could see the lights at Zhang Jiagen’s house shining brightly. It was quite lively. The aroma of stewed meat wafted through the air, so fragrant that it could be smelled from a distance. It felt like an invitation to the party.