Edited by: Akane, Kazu
Today was the new year. Master Zhao Si was holding a celebratory party for the new year and had invited many of the city’s famous and powerful residents. I heard Zhao Gongzi’s fifth sister joking around with his third brother. “If I were a Revolutionary party member, then I would choose to take advantage of today and hide some bombs here.”
San Ge said, thoughtfully, “What you said is reasonable.”
Perhaps I misunderstood something.
I hope it was a misunderstanding.
San Ge used to be a leader in the school and had been detained by the police three times. He finally stopped standing at the front of the groups of protestors, shouting about destroying corrupt military and governmental figures. After all, his leg was broken by Master Zhao Si, and even today he’s still in a wheelchair.
But in the past, he told me that it didn’t matter if his leg was broken, as long as his thoughts and aspirations were still there, as long as his passion was there, then his spirit wouldn’t be trapped within the rotting, backwards, selfish, cowardly masses of brainless zombies.
I enjoyed listening to him talking about such things very much, but Master Zhao Si came across us while walking by the door and heard him too. He told me to go out, closed the door and then bashed San Ge’s head in again.
Just as I was worrying, I saw Master Zhao Si turn around the corner and come over. He stopped behind Wu Jie and San Ge and listened for a while.
It seems like I didn’t need to worry.
It’s the new year, so Master Zhao Si probably didn’t have any interest in beating his kids.
To tell the truth, these recent years I’m caring less and less about celebrating the new year. When I was young, because our family was poor, it was only during the new year that I got new clothes and could eat good meat. And so, I was always looking forward to it. Nowadays, I have good clothes and good food every day, and so I feel like it’s not all that, anymore. It was nothing more than a few days of rest from work, that’s all.
I thought about this while I was bathing. Master Zhao Si was very serious about upholding new years rules and traditions, so on the 30th on the lunar calendar, we all had to wash up and put on new clothes before noon.
I thought of my childhood, back when I first came to the Zhao Family. The first time I celebrated new year here, Zhao Gongzi cornered me in the bathroom and asked me how many red packets I got.
Because he had always seemed to bear a great deal of dislike towards me before that, I decided to follow the sayings ‘a wise man knows how to escape from an unfavourable situation in order to avoid loss’ and ‘gentlemen take gold and treasure for dirt’, and without another word I immediately gave him all my red packets.
Perhaps he didn’t think I’d be so easy to rob and got red in the face. He shouted, “Does Laozi fucking need this little bit of money from you? Go and ask around what type of person Laozi is!”
However, I’d previously heard that he was the Zhao Family tyrant, and that’s why I had given up my money so promptly.
But I obviously couldn’t say that out loud, so I silently waited.
Zhao Gongzi stuffed the red packets back into my hands, and continued to holler, “Take it!”
I didn’t know what he wanted to do and hesitantly placed the red pocket back into my pants pocket.
Zhao Gongzi took out a wrinkled red packet and shoved it at me. Then, he very ferociously said, “This is for you.”
I was a bit moved at that moment.
He asked, hesitant, “Can’t you say something?”
I said, touched, “Young master, as a good person, you will have a good, long life.”
“Not that!” He shouted.
“Young master, Gong Hei Fat Choi.”
He continued hollering at me, “Do you fucking have something wrong with your head?!”
Isn’t this what people usually say after getting red packets?
I asked, “What should I say?”
“Can’t you ask me why I gave you the red packets?”
I said, feeling moved and grateful, “Because you were afraid that I’d be disappointed because I got too few red pockets? Thank you, I’ve gotten a lot already.”
Zhao Gongzi was completely baffled. “Do you have a problem with your head? I’m giving you money, so later you have to help me with something. Just now, I broke Er Ge’s paperweight. Go and tell him that you were the one to break it, he definitely won’t bother you about it…”
I immediately returned that creased-up red packet to him, and shook my head with all my might. Gong Hei Fat Choi was alright, but returning the favour with my life was not.
Zhao Gongzi fiercely threatened me, “You took Laozi’s money, so you have to help Laozi do stuff, otherwise Laozi’s going to chop off your hand!”
I didn’t want to pay him any attention, so I silently pushed past him and walked away.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Zhao Gongzi flew into a rage born of embarrassment, grabbed me and didn’t let me leave. “You just have to tell him this small thing. If you can’t even help with something this small, then are you even human?”
P lucbgfv tlw.
Zhao Gongzi mustered up all his resolve. “I still have some red packets, how many do you want?”
“Xlnf atfw jii ab wf.”
Lf rkbgf ja wf obg oloaffc wlceafr, atfc ujnf wf jii atf gfv qjmxfar tf tjv bc tlw.
P mbwqifafis vbc’a ecvfgrajcv kts tf tjr ab vb atlr.
P kfca jcv obecv Itjb Sg Xf, jcv ujnf tlw Itjb Xbcuhl’r gfv qjmxfar. P rjlv, “Ktf sbecu wjrafg jmmlvfcajiis ygbxf sbeg qjqfgkfluta jcv vlvc’a vjgf afii sbe, rb tf abiv wf ab jrx sbe tbk wemt tf rtbeiv qjs sbe yjmx.”
Zhao Gongzi, who had been hiding behind the corner, abruptly jumped out and hollered at me, “Are you an idiot? Laozi asked you to go because Laozi can’t afford to pay him back! Bumpkin, do you know what an antique is?!”
Zhao Er Ge said to me, smiling, “Yixin, you go to the kitchen and help out. I have some things I need to discuss with Xiao Long.”
I’m only an orphan taken in by the Zhao Family, I have to do whatever they tell me to do, that’s why I had no choice but to go to the kitchen and help out, even if I was very worried about Zhao Gongzi.
Zhao Gongzi screamed in anger behind me, “Bullshit!”
I sped up my pace to the exit.
In the end, Zhao Gongzi didn’t get a beating. Although his screaming and screeching didn’t work on me, it worked on Master Zhao Si. Master Zhao Si hurried over and saved him, saying that it was the new year and that no kids should get beaten.
Zhao Gongzi regained his freedom and immediately came to find me. He cornered me in the kitchen, rubbing his palms menacingly and asked me, “Do you know what I’m going to do?”
I handed him all the red packets in my pocket.
He hollered at me again, “Laozi’s already fucking said that Laozi doesn’t care about your red envelopes!”
“I’ve never seen so much money before.”
Zhao Gongzi humphed with scorn. “Country bumpkin.”
“Take all of them.”
“It’s nothing to me. I want to beat you up.”
I analyzed the matter for him.“That isn’t worth it.”
This time I didn’t trick him, the money in the red pockets was enough to buy two of me. I’ve been sold so many times, but haven’t ever been sold for so much money before.
“Do you have something wrong with your head?!”
I had so sincerely advised him, yet he was actually speaking to me in this way. I felt very hurt and didn’t want to continue speaking with such an annoying person.
Zhao Gongzi said, “Whatever, whatever, I won’t beat you up. From now on, you follow me, I’ll protect you. Listen, when you have money, you need to spend it. Have you gone to a casino before?”
I’ve gone to a casino before. My last dad said that my eight words gave him luck, and so he regularly brought me with him to casinos. Afterwards, he really did win his fortune, then he made an enemy of Master Zhao Si, and then…….that was that.
Zhao Gongzi didn’t pay any attention to my disagreement and brought me to his family’s casino to watch him be extravagant and prodigal at such a young age.
Not too long after, his eldest sister dragged him out of the crowds by his ear.
Zhao Gongzi yelled out, “I won! I won back three times!”
His eldest sister lectured him for a quarter of an hour.
Zhao Gongzi changed tracks. “Qiu Yixin wanted to come! He asked me to bring him here!”
He really is so annoying.
Master Zhao Si once again saved him and said that it was the new year and not to scold the children. What’s more, he even had him stay and take me along to play, and used the reason of ‘otherwise I would be bored’.
Zhao Gongzi cornered me by the corner of a hallway, and asked me, “Do you know what I want to do?”
I didn’t know, nor did I want to know.
He split half of his money and gave it to me. “Later my friends are coming over. I don’t have time to stay with you, so you play by yourself. Don’t you dare hang out with them, later if they bully you then my sister and brother will scold me again. Why are you so annoying?”
That’s wonderful.
I took the money and went back to my room to read. I like reading books, reading makes me happy, reading allows me to see other worlds, worlds that are different from the world that I’m in.
I read for a long time. Suddenly, I heard the sound of children laughing happily. They were playing with sparklers and fireworks.
On this day last year, I was on the streets selling fireworks and tinder.
So I knew that children shouldn’t play with fireworks, because it’s easy to get hurt.
But the wounds are theirs and the firework display is mine. I can watch.
I watched the fireworks for a while, then saw a black shadow crawl from the window to my room’s balcony on the second floor. It threw a pack of unlit fireworks at me.
I asked him, “Why didn’t you take the stairs?”
Zhao Gongzi hollered at me, “Laozi felt like it! You play with it yourself! Don’t watch us play!”
Based on my limited experience, he needs to go see a doctor. Having an easily risen temper leads to liver problems.
When he finished hollering at me, he went back to hang out with his friends.
I picked up the unlit fireworks he threw at me and thoughtfully considered for a while before choosing the two types that I dared to lit: the fairy sparklers and fireworks you threw on the ground and that made a lot of noise.
Truthfully, they weren’t all that fun, even a bit boring. I liked doing other things a lot more.
Just as I planned to finish playing with the fairy sparkler in my hand and go back to my room to play sudoku, the door of the balcony behind me suddenly opened. Zhao Gongzi squatted beside me, lowered his voice and whisper-yelled at me, “Can’t you light them inside?! San Ge saw you! He scolded me again!”
“It’s dangerous to play with fire indoors.”
Zhao Gongzi shouted at me again. He shouted at me as he lighted my sparkler, then when he finished lighting it he continued on shouting at me. “Do you have balls or not?! Are you just going to light these? How big of a coward are you?! Fuck, sissy!”
AHHHHHHHHHH! I know why Master Zhao Si adopted me, the Zhao family must all feel that Zhao Gongzi is very irritating too, right?! I have such a good temper and even I think he’s super annoying!
Zhao Gongzi threw the sparkler to the side, then picked up a long firework, lit it and said to me, “Watch me.”
When he finished speaking, he threw the crackling firework down to the ground, surprising the kids in the courtyard, in addition to Liu Ge and who knows who, who were hiding in the flower bushes together.
Zhao Gongzi shouted at me, “Didn’t I tell you not to throw it down?!”
Liu Ge craned his neck and shouted at him, “Zhao Long, your fucking mother!”
The window above my head opened, and Thirteenth Madame poked her head out. “Zhao Long’s mother what?”
Da Ge told me, “Yixin, I’m giving you a very important mission. Don’t let Xiao Long get into any more trouble. Today’s the new year, so it’s not good to beat him.”
I cautiously said, “I’ll try my best.”
Da Ge warily said, “You have to use all your might, otherwise we won’t be able to stop ourselves from scolding him, then his mom will throw a fit, then the Old Master will blow a fuse, then the year won’t be able to be celebrated successfully.”
Such a big responsibility, I really can’t shoulder it……
Zhao Gongzi is so annoying.
Zhao Gongzi and I sat in my room playing sudoku and crosswords. Before we’d even finished, he felt bored and said he wanted to read. Reading is good, if he was reading proper books then it would be even better.
He read for a while, then stared at me and asked me if I wanted to play a game.
I cautiously asked him what the game was.
He said a card game. Whoever loses would strip.
I didn’t want to play.
If I didn’t play then he would go find someone else to play with, but Da Ge said that before midnight passed I shouldn’t let him out of the room.
I said I wouldn’t strip.
He said not stripping was okay too, whoever loses would kiss the other person.
I warily thought, no matter who won or lost I wouldn’t be too happy either way.
Therefore I opened the door and said, “You can go out.”
But now he wouldn’t leave. He read some books, then stared at me.
I was a little panicky and uneasy.
In the end, Zhao Gongzi was still hit.
I did it.
He held his nose and shouted, “Fuck! Didn’t you say that you couldn’t fight?!”
I can’t fight, but I can risk my life.
He threatened me. “I’m going to tell my dad!”
I pointed out the door and said, “If you have the guts, then go and tell him. If you don’t, then you take on my last name.”
Zhao Gongzi looked at me with incredulity. “Have you gone insane?”
I tried scaring him. “Do you know how my dad died?”
Zhao Gongzi hesitated, then said, “Probably hacked to death by Uncle Ah Li.”
“No, he was beaten to death by me. Because he wanted to kiss me, so when he was sleeping, I beat him to death.”
Zhao Gongzi looked at me in shock, “You’re lying, right?”
I said, “It’s up to you if you believe it or not.”
Zhao Gongzi walked towards the door. “I’m not playing with you anymore, you’re crazy.”
I apologized to Da Ge, pained and feeling heavy-hearted. I wasn’t able to stop Zhao Gongzi.
Da Ge said it was okay, midnight was almost here. After midnight came, they could give Zhao Gongzi a beating.
At midnight, everyone was gazing intently at the clock in the great hall. Uncle Ah Li was in the yard lighting incense, waiting for the firecrackers.
As soon as the firecrackers started going off, everyone wished Master Zhao Si a happy new year.
I was standing in the corner and wishing a happy new year to Master Zhao Si with everyone else, but suddenly, someone roughly turned my face around and kissed me on the lips. When they were done, that person jumped away a few strides and shouted, “Fuck! Come and hit me, hah!”
At midnight, Zhao Gongzi got a beating.
Da Ji Da Li, Bai Wu Jin Ji.
I finally finished bathing and was changing clothes in the bedroom. Zhao Gongzi sat on the bed bored and flipping through the newspaper. “Why were you taking so long to shower?”
“Thinking about how annoying you are,” I replied.
He looked like he wanted to swear at me again. “Nevermind, today is the new year so I won’t swear at you. Let’s go down and eat.”
I finished changing and went to sit by the bed, then gave him a kiss out of politeness.
In the end, he still swore at me. And he swore at me in an incredibly indecent way.
When Uncle Ah Li came to the door and knocked to call us to dinner, Zhao Gongzi was still relentlessly swearing at me. Uncle Ah Li paused for a while, and I didn’t know if he’d heard or not, but he didn’t continue calling us and went back downstairs.
I didn’t go and eat, I didn’t have the face to go out anymore.
Annoying Zhao Gongzi.
Rinrin: Written as annoying, read as ‘cute’
Akane: Now I know why Qiu Yixin aka mc has thick skin/tolerant level through the roof, surely practice makes perfect…XD
Kazu: I wouldn’t last a sec being with Zhao Gongzi lol.
Just as I was worrying, I saw Master Zhao Si turn around the corner and come over. He stopped behind Wu Jie and San Ge and listened for a while.
It seems like I didn’t need to worry.
It’s the new year, so Master Zhao Si probably didn’t have any interest in beating his kids.” How come the first part says he bashed 6th brother, then says he won’t want to beat him?
the first part is a flashback memory of the mc, the ‘just as I was worrying’ is present time
Ok, I see! That makes sense now. Thanks!
XG is crazy and super mega annoying… Like the ML in “Sewing Machine”
I must read that too! It’s on my list.
thanks for the chapter <3
I read halfway and stop to laugh first at the red packet part. 🤣🤣
ML is tsun rite? Gosh poor MC…lol but yet the whole chapter is so funny…thank you
Wait omg is the story about this dad true?