Chapter 21: The man who loves to boast 1/ blowing the cowhide to the sky 1
Author: 打字机N号
T /N: This is MTL work. I tried to edit as best as I could any mistake, please put your comment, and I will edit it ASAP. This is my first attempt at a Chinese novel, so please cheer me up! I hope you will find this novel as interesting as I do.
Thank you for the Ko-fi to both Anon (C-chan) and Kazenshi Reshi. I am full of boba, red tea, green tea and such, lol~
This is a short arc, around 12 chapters. This translator should be able to finish it off within this month, hopefully (←_←)
As for Kazenshi’s question about the Discord server… urghh… this translator is a very lazy person.. apart from maintaining the game accounts and reading books (which almost make this translator wishing to stop playing the game but can’t due to the time and effort spent on it), she is so lazy to lift her hand to do anything else… of course, this is not a permanent decision. We will see *Run away from responsibility.*
Plz, enjoy and disregard this long introduction.
At the southern end of the Yangtze River’s delta, situated the largest archipelago in China. There were many small islands and reefs in the surrounding area. Due to the rich aquatic resources, many people living on those islands worked as fishermen. When the fishing season ended each year, and the boats finally returned to Hong Kong, those fishermen who had been out in the sea finally returned home. This period also marked the liveliest time in this particular area. [T/N: You would not believe the amount of google research I did to understand the composition of the Yangtze River]
Xiu Qiu Island was one of the many islands in the archipelago. The island was small in size. Today, no more than 200 households were living on the island. Due to the lack of development in the tourism area, the residents still maintained a slow-paced lifestyle. This was in contrast to the fast-changing development in the surrounding area of this tiny island.
The men who went out to fish at the open sea finally returned one by one. Subsequently, Mao’s family tavern started to become very popular among the population.
This pub was the sole pub available on this island, and it has been operated for a long time ago. The current owner was the seventh generation of the Mao family’s winemaker. The people born on this island can have grown up smelling the wines brewed by Mao’s family. Their craftsmanship had been handed down from generation to generation. Dense fragrances of spices accompanied their long-lasting flavour. This was achieved through the use of their secret materials. Even the residents who had moved away from the island to live in more prosperous places will come back to the island and buy a few jars of wine to bring back home.
In fact, if the owner decided to move to another place, their pub’s business will have a better opportunity for long-term development. Yet, the Mao family’s head felt that he was already too old and used to living in their ancestors’ land. As the only pub owner on the island, the money he made was enough to support their lives. According to the owner, brewing wine was his hobby, and he also likes listening to the island people bragging in his pub. He felt that this kind of life was full of human warmth.
Perhaps one day, when all the people on this island finally moved away, their pub will also move somewhere else.
Because of such an old boss, the people on the island also like to come to his pub to drink. They usually brought along two small dishes, a folding chair, and then take out a few decks of cards. While playing and drinking, without realizing it, half-day time will fly away unnoticed.
Before they left, they will also buy a few more drinks and returned home for a good night’s sleep.
The people on the island cannot live without the wine made by the Mao family. The Mao family also can’t bear to leave the land. Gradually, this pub had been integrated within the culture of the island. No one can do without it.
“Jiang Liu, tell us about your business outside.”
The central figure in the pub today was the son of Jiang’s family, who just returned from the big city. He was the cow king who loves to brag. Although everyone knows about it, they still like listening to his big talk. They felt like that whenever they listened to him; it can make them laugh truly from their hearts.
“Yeah, last time you told us that you had dinner with the big bosses and discussed some investment project. How is it now? Did your investment projects already have any results?”
Several dark-skinned men were shirtless. In each of their hand, there was a large bowl filled with yellow wine. They occasionally picked up a few peanuts from the small plate in front of them as they enjoyed it in a delish manner.
Their target was obviously drunk. His eyes looked unfocused as he started to mumble incoherently.
It was a man in his early thirties. He dressed in a clean white shirt, and his hair was neatly combed. Compared with these black men who had been fishing in the sea for a long time, he looked too white and weak. He also looked somewhat out of place with the surrounding environment.
“Alas, it had fallen through, but this is common while doing business. How could it go smoothly every time, urk-“
He made a loud burp and then patted his chest before he took another mouthful of wine.
“I am also tired of this whole money-making thing. You know that I am rich, right? I have so much money. But in the end, what is the use of having so much of it? The money is just like a number to me. The effort to spend it has so little effect on its number.”
“Pfft——”
The people around him can’t help but burst into a big laugh.
Listening to this kid, if he was really a rich person, why did his eldest son still living in that small house built by Jiang Liu more than ten years ago? Now, even people, who had a little bit of money, even if they did not build a new one, will at least renovate the old house. Not to mention wealthy people. All of them will never consider living on this island at all. For the sake of their children’s education, they will move to a more developed city as soon as possible.
Their island was really too small. With more people moving out these years, even the only elementary school on the island was barely hanging on. As for the children in high school, they already went to school on the nearby island. Most of them lived in a school dormitory and came home by boat every Friday’s night for the weekend. They will then return to school on Sunday’s night.
This kind of life was too inconvenient. This is why more and more people are moving away.
Jiang Liu still has a son. Now he is studying at a school located on Daishan Island. This child, who had no mother since childhood, was very sensible. Every week, he will come back to help his grandparents take care of their land crops. If Jiang Liu really a person racking in money, why didn’t he solve his son’s affairs first?
Therefore, those people never took Jiang Liu’s word seriously and only regarded it as an inside joke.
“Jiang Liu, you said that you had earned so much money that you can’t spend all of it. Why don’t have you give it to your brother? Let’s this brother help you spend it.”
A little man with a small body held back his laugh as he continued urging Jiang Liu to tell them more jokes.
“You have your own hands and feet. Why do you need my money for? I still need to use this money to do more meaningful things, such as building the Hope Primary School or helping those who are seriously ill but can’t see the doctor due to the lack of funds… Urk, anyway, my money was for a great cause.”
Although this man was drunk, his basic consciousness was still there. He was a poor man. From where could he dig money to give to others so easily? He could not admittedly say that he enjoyed the gaze of worship (in his mind) from everyone when they look at him. He especially enjoyed the envy look (in his mind) when they asked him about his life in the big city.
He was indeed a waste. Only bragging can bring him an unprecedented feeling of self-respect and pride.
Anyway, bragging was not something so difficult to do. Since no one exposed it every time he bragged, he enjoyed this process more and more.
“You talk on and on about using your money to help other people’s children. Why don’t you think about your own son, Chongde? He is already in high school. In a blink of your eyes, he will soon welcome his own wife. Aren’t you going to prepare their wedding house in advance? Or did you probably already prepare for it? So why don’t you tell us about it?”
The people on the side was trying to turn him into a joke, but the protagonist, himself, did not feel it and instead explained it to them very seriously.
“Everything that I have today was made from scratch. Since I can do it, then my son must be able to do so. Now there were so many reports in the news. You see those young people who drive the car around and kill people. Some even team up to play with the girls, mainly done by the rich second generations who were not taught properly by their parents. The son of Jiang Liu must be someone who could endure the harsh living environment from an early age. This will help to temper his self-discipline. Only then will he be able to inherit my business empire in the future.”
This explanation was indeed perfect. Anyway, he already regarded his grandiloquence as perfect without any hole to be exploited.
“Pftt- -”
“Hehe – Business Empire, hahaha -”
Jiang Liu’s expression was too calm. Plus, his no-nonsense attitude clearly amused everyone.
They felt that Jiang Liu was so cheeky that they believed that he would become immensely popular if he ever decided to become a comedian. Maybe by then, his money was truly unable to spend at all.
“Let’s stop here. Chongde should be arriving home today. I have to go back and see him.”
The man who was ridiculed by others was smiling. He then took a bottle of wine before he put down tens of yuan on the paved table. This was his payment for today.
While walking unsteadily, he made his way in the direction of his home.
He did not know that soon
after he left, some people in the pub imitated what he had just said, and in a
little while, another burst of laughter rang from the inside.
*****
“How much wine did you drunk? If you let Chongde see you like this, he will really get mad at you. You tell me now. After you kept disappearing for three months, now that you come back, do you want to spend the day doing nothing but bicker with your own son? If I were to die in the future, can I still rely on you?”
“Chongde, that child is also pitiful. He has already lost his mother since young. He also cannot rely on his father. Who is he going to rely on in the future? Don’t say anything. You said that you have a lot of money, but do you know much money was in your kid’s pocket? I do not know what you did outside. But, without good abilities, you couldn’t make big money outside.”
“Your dad and I was also the kind of people who live steadfastly. That kid, Chongde, is also a good boy who knows how to be sensible. Yet, how did I ended up giving birth to an unreliable boy like you?”
When she saw her son coming back drunk and still carrying a bag of alcohol, Cai Shufen was so distressed and angry that she could not stop berating him.
But in the end, she looked at her disoriented son, and finally, she sighed reluctantly.
“Forget it, go and wash your face first. I will give you a cup of tea to sober up.”
This was not the first time it happened. Cai Shufen can’t control this son any longer. She can only let him go. She only wanted to wait for his grandson, Chongde, to come back home. By that time, his son drunkenness should almost fade away.
“Nn.”
The confused man nodded as he swayed toward the bathroom. With the remaining consciousness of the body, he opened the faucet, soaked the towel in and squeezed the water out before placing it directly on his face.
Soon that man’s muddled eyes started to become clear.
Jiang Liu looked at the surroundings and the towel on his hand before he closed his eyes to absorb the memory left for him.
“What the f-”
He really could not hold back from swearing.
The author has something to say: The name of the island was made by the author. There should not be such an island in real life.
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That’s my island. I named my island that. This author needs to pay me royalties for using my island’s name.