Chapter 5 – Old Wang The Neighbor

After school, while Yan Gou and Liang Wendao went to the library to arrange her study materials, Li Nanbian accompanied Jin Menglu after school. Lu Rong sent a red packet to each person to reimburse dinner and went along with the going-home crowd, pushing his bike out of school.

But as a high schooler, it was hard to avoid buying snacks after school. Outside of Chengnan High’s gate, there was a line of carts with large coal stoves on them. On the stoves were steaming oil pans with jet black fry baskets.

After school rush hour, sausages and meat skewers, which were well-known junk foods, were deep fried in oil. The sizzling hot junk food was arranged on the fry basket and sold out soon after cooking. “Have you scanned your Alipay?”, “Which sausage would you like?” were questions floating in the fragrant air.

　The students, incapable of resisting the charm of junk food, grouped up in front of the carts, looking extremely lively.

　Every vendor welcomed the business peak time. They were all very busy, except for an uncle standing straight in the desolate autumn wind, the remaining strands of hair on his head fluttering in the air. There was no one in front of his cart, nothing on his pan, the fry basket was full of skewers that had become cold. With his head raised to the sky at a 45° angle, he wore an aura of gloom.

　If not for the oil on his face, he would have seemed like a scholar.

　Lu Rong stood in front of him. “Old Wang.”

　Old Wang dropped his sight. “You came.” He tilted his chin, pointing at the skewers on the fry basket. “Take them.” He spoke while inhaling a cigarette deeply, then stared back at the sky.

　Lu Rong originally wanted to take them, but as Old Wang smoked, the ash fell on the meat, so he took back his outstretched hand.

It was not unreasonable that Old Wang’s business was bad. He was short and fat, there were only a few strands of hair left on his otherwise bald head. His face was fierce and hairy, his image screaming four words: “greasy middle-aged uncle”.

His hygiene was even worse, cigarette ash was used like cumin.

　Look at how the capable Chen Yulian took care of business, no matter whether it was joking, fawning, or asking for payment in stern voice, everything was done whole heartedly. From the first impression, Old Wang was struggling to make ends meet, he was forced to do this, he had no enthusiasm, no energy at all. He was the kind who took your money but didn’t roast the skewers well, he didn’t care even if the skewers were burnt.

　“Put out the cigarette, let’s go to the market.” Lu Rong suggested.

　“Ok.” Old Wang walked out of his cart wearing, from top to bottom—a sleeveless shirt, apron, short pants, leg hair and flip-flops. He threw his cigarette butt to the floor, unrestrainedly stepping on it. He slowly tidied his cart, pulled into the garage not far away and then pushed it with a bang.

　Lu Rong and Old Wang walked past the prosperous business area, past an old lady loudly asking ‘whose chicken cutlet is this?’.

　Lu Rong, “Your neighbouring cart owner’s name is Chen Yulian, she sold glutinous rice in front of the school in the morning and sold skewers at night. By the time I was admitted, she had been there for 7 years, which meant she had taken root in Chengnan for 11 years, regardless of rain and shine. She has three houses, her income is more than one million every year. When we were on summer break, she went to Maldives for holidays. Her son is about my age, he went to America for high school.

　Old Wang took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was so strong that it moved the few strands of hair he had left on his head.

　Old Wang, “A man of character won’t bend for five pecks of rice.”

　Lu Rong, “Something happened to my mom.”

　Old Wang quivered.

　Old Wang, “A man of character won’t be troubled over not having a wife.”

　Lu Rong, “I’ll remember your words. Later, if you come to my house, I will immediately hit you.”

　Old Wang halted his steps.

　He was a student of the 90s, he learned literature. He was sensitive and upright, but couldn’t work in the newspaper office, so he changed into driving a taxi.

　He had the pride of a scholar and felt that driving a taxi was not in line with his status. Soured by the loss of hope, he did not work well, which was why he didn’t build a family fortune by driving.

　Old Wang was robbed last year. He was not hurt but because he suffered from PDST[1] toward taxis, he returned the taxi he had driven for seven to eight years to the company. He looked at the balance on his card. “God, what did I do all these years? Where’s the money?”

　He continued to do miscellaneous work, but it never lasted even a month. Last month he bought a coal stove and deep fryer to do skewer business.

　Old Wang’s body was roasting skewers but his heart was in literature, he often asked himself, “I am learned, why am I wandering like this?”

He was also an outstanding student of a famous school in his time. He studied Russian literature, carried a Tolstoy book and walked around the school grounds, charming no small amount of junior sisters.

　He was almost 40 now, he didn’t earn much and lost his hair day by day.

He hadn’t built a family and career yet.

　Throughout these years, Old Wang’s dream girl changed from a junior sister to young lady to a middle-aged divorced lady.

　Lu Rong’s mom, Fang Qing, was a flower of the storied building, single with a kid. Old Wang lived next door, he wanted to be Fang Qing’s Old Wang from next door[2] even in his dreams.

　Lu Rong didn’t express an opinion on this matter. He, as the later generation, won’t take initiative, won’t refuse, won’t be held responsible for middle-aged love.

　But Old Wang wanted to be his father, he couldn’t let his potential dad continue to be this shabby. Else if Old Wang succeeded, others would say, “Hey, that one selling skewers in front of the school is your stepfather?” making him lose face.[3]

　If his stepfather was selling skewers, he had to be the king of selling skewers.

　Lu Rong was familiar with the market. In the rush hour after work, the market was crowded, but he was pushing his Ji’an style female bicycle without leaving it for even a moment. A bicycle in this kind of place was like throwing a stone to the water. Throwing stones to the water still had a sound, but if the bicycle was lost, then it was really lost.

　Lu Rong bought vegetables while warning Old Wang, “Everyone sells skewers in front of school, you sell skewers too, but because you are a newcomer, you don’t have any distinct appearance. You only have two choices to be victorious in war.”

　Old Wang glanced sideways at him. “Speak.”

　Lu Rong, “The first choice is to lower your price, make it cheaper than the others, the customer will naturally choose you. But this won’t last long, once you start a price war, other sellers will either lower their price or they will jointly isolate you, hit you and drive you away.”

　Old Wang closed his eyes and listened carefully, suddenly, with a “hey ha” sound, he jumped out with mantis fists.[4]

　“Mental case!” the woman behind him selling onions was angry at being hit by him.

　Old Wang stood upright, went back to his mature and steady state hurriedly, as if not interested in mundane affairs.

　Lu Rong used his eyes to warn Old Wang and continued to speak unreservedly. “Second choice is to offer things in demand, things that are not sold by others.”

　Old Wang, “Selling skewer at the school gate was in line with common sense. Introducing a new product hastily doesn’t mean the customer will welcome it.”

　Lu Rong, “You don’t need to bother with this. I have already helped you think of goods that are widely welcomed.”

　Old Wang, “What goods?”

　Lu Rong, “Three thousand for the formula.”

　Old Wang, “Three thousand for a formula, are you robbing me?!”

　Lu Rong, “The transaction is mutual consent. If you are not willing, then keep your money, it can’t be robbed.”

　Old Wang, “…”

　Old Wang, “Make it cheaper!”

　Lu Rong, “I can not take your money. But later on, you’ll have to give me 10% of the profit for every portion sold.”

　Old Wang, “F*ck. You think I’m stupid. Of course 3000 for once is cheaper!”

　Lu Rong, “Giving me 10% means I am one of the shareholders, I promise you will get your capital back in half a year In one year you will have your own store, in three years you will open a branch store.”

　Old Wang, “… I don’t know whether I can get my capital back in half a year, open a store in one year and open a branch store in three years, but I know you are really good at talking nonsense.”

　Lu Rong finished choosing a fish and placed it in the bicycle basket. “You can go back and consider it carefully.”

　Old Wang thought of it for a while, “Did something really happen to your mother?”

　Lu Rong, “Yes. Based on my observation.”

　Old Wang considered then took out his Alipay. “3000?”

　Lu Rong didn’t make a sound.

　Old Wang, “3000 then, 3000.” He prepared to transfer.

The page display: your balance is not enough.

　Old Wang changed to another card, it still showed that his balance was not enough.

　Old Wang’s face reddened, facing Lu Rong’s evil smile slowly growing wider, there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. At last, he put his phone back into his pocket and dejectedly took out a cigarette.

　Lu Rong’s face turned cold. “I am a minor.”

　Old Wang was forced to put his cigarette back.

　Under the sunset, Lu Rong pushed his bicycle, patting his shoulder consolingly. “On the bright side, from now on, we are partners.“

　Old Wang, “Go away.”

　They walked to the building but stopped their steps at the same time. At the moment, there was a car that did not fit in. Shiny to the extent of reflecting the sunset’s glow, it was as if a flame was flowing on the champagne white car.

Lu Rong stopped his bicycle, went up with Old Wang, and fixed his eyes on the silky smooth car.

Old Wang lifted his hand up and tidied his few strands of hair while staring.

　Lu Rong stared at his reflection. “Bentley Mulsanne’s long wheelbase luxury top fitting, it costs a few millions.”

　Old Wang, “Which bastard can buy this kind of car?”

　A bear child [5] in the building took a stone attempting to scrape the car.

　Lu Rong caught his hand, his eyes stern. “Don’t touch!”

Old Wang took the child and pushed him back. “I can understand the mentality of hating the rich, but don’t be that violent, this is not your car,” the Bear parent taught.

　　Lu Rong said, “You don’t know whether you can flourish later in your life, you don’t know whether you will ride this kind of car later. If it was your Bentley being scraped by others, will you not hurt?” He went up with a bag of fish after speaking.

Old Wang leaned on the car door, lit a cigarette reservedly, looking at Lu Rong’s back, then shifted his sight to the sky. “How can this kid have so many pretenses?”

　The Bentley’s window scrolled down.

　Driver, “Please don’t lean on the car.”

　Old Wang, “… oh.”

[1] it was written as PDST in the raw but I think it make more sense if it was PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder)

[2] Old Wang from next door is a neighbour who had affair with your wife

[3] be ashamed

[4] https://images.app.goo.gl/rr21ohstgR1dG4xw5

[5] a naughty child