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墨書 Inktalez
"Oh~~ They have gone back to their hometown, and will come to the capital later!" The woman had little wariness, and listening to Jiang Yizhou's accent, which was quite similar to that of the family of three—oh, soon to be four—she thought they might be fellow townsfolk.
"Thank you then, I'm leaving." Having obtained the information he wanted, Jiang Yizhou felt much relieved and did not continue to linger. Being overly enthusiastic could be quite bothersome.
As the woman stepped out of the threshold and reached out her hand to call the young man back, she saw Jiang Yizhou stride away without hesitation, quickly leaving the hutong. Her arm, wrapped in thick sleeves and gloves, retracted in disappointment.
What a strange person! Wasn't he here to find someone? Even if he didn't find them, knowing their whereabouts should prompt him to pass on a message or leave some information. It was as if he wanted to know their movements but didn't want them to know.
Shaking her head, the biting cold wind made her shiver. She thought no more of it, shrugged off her thoughts, and decided to tell the Jiang family later. She hurriedly closed the courtyard door and returned to her warm room heated by the stove, snuggling into her blankets.
Who would have thought that in the end, she did not inform Jiang Tanxian's family about the young man who had come looking for them?
So you all are here!
How delightful, how delightful.
Looking at the ancient hutong that had seen better days and the faint unpleasant smell wafting from afar, Jiang Yizhou continued along his original path back.
Upon exiting the hutong, he saw a garbage pit and toilet that had long been neglected. He covered his mouth and nose and quickly passed through. Earlier, he had been too excited to notice; now he truly felt a bit nauseous.
This piece of news lifted Jiang Yizhou's spirits; life ahead seemed devoid of many surprises. Now that he knew many things about the future, all that remained was making choices.
Should he work steadily on a construction site for two years or start carving out a path for himself now to seize this year's numerous opportunities for wealth?
Not to mention other ventures like the stock market or postal market, but all required initial capital. No matter how easily the protagonist's rise was portrayed in stories, Jiang Yizhou found himself in a difficult position.
He was not someone skilled in socializing and had not ventured much; clumsily stumbling through his thirties, he had barely matured under society's grind.
But so what? It was merely time pushing him forward. In the tide of this era, he felt he was failing his own efforts.
In this age as well, relying solely on hard work without many other resources meant thinking of those vast numbers abandoned by time—like Jiang Tanxian, his father.
Having worked as a renovation worker all his life, the money saved could only afford a down payment for his son's house. Such families could be destroyed by a single serious illness.
He was indeed one of those who preferred stability—perhaps even overly so—avoiding actions that would burden him further and shunning additional responsibilities.
Jiang Yizhou considered himself a product of society's elimination, and he had turned this belief into reality, without a doubt.
Thus, he saw a large vertical sign hanging on the second floor by the roadside, surrounded by a circle of flashing colorful lights, with the simple and blunt words "Arcade" written on it.
Jiang Yizhou stopped in front of the Arcade, looking at the half-open door inside. It seemed that there were quite a few people, but not all the machines were occupied.
Feeling a mix of nostalgia and anxiety, Jiang Yizhou walked in, leaning against the counter beside him. He handed five yuan to a young man behind the counter who was only slightly older than him and looked around the Arcade, noticing that there hadn't been much change at all!
After receiving ten game tokens, Jiang Yizhou eagerly walked in and started playing.
...
Half an hour later, Jiang Yizhou came out from inside feeling quite displeased.
He never worried about becoming addicted to this kind of thing; someone who always lost and never won wouldn't get hooked on it.
He should really think about how to find a job. As he headed towards the opposite direction of where he had come from, Jiang Yizhou felt much more relaxed and boarded the bus.
...
"Those without tickets hurry up and buy them!" The flustered Ticket Seller listened to passengers' destinations while quoting prices and occasionally shouted at those behind to get ready.
Jiang Yizhou sat in a single row seat by the window, gazing outside. He was just somewhat zoning out.
This was actually the time he had feared most in the past because making a choice meant he had to take responsibility for it.
In the past, he simply chose to give up. Although he still bore responsibility in the end, compared to making choices and striving to bear that responsibility, he preferred to do nothing at all. Even if it meant losing many things, he felt this way—except for everything he cherished.
However, this also made Jiang Yizhou increasingly lonely and weary. Unwilling to take on new emotions, he had few friends and no one who cared about him.
Therefore, he recognized that being petty was just being pretentious. Jiang Yizhou agreed with this point himself. But could he really deny everything he had done in the past? If he changed, what face would he use to confront his former life?
He was still that pretentious person. Even though he had matured enough to realize this point, he still refused to deny his past.
This is a stubbornness that everyone has to some extent, and Jiang Yizhou unfortunately clung to it even at the age of thirty, unwilling to change.
"Um? Nephew, why are you still here?" Jiang Maode was also planning to go out to buy some daily necessities when he happened to spot Jiang Yizhou returning near the bus stop close to their residence.
"Uncle? What are you doing here? I just had a place I wanted to go, and I’m back now," Jiang Yizhou felt a bit embarrassed, realizing he hadn't really done anything about finding a job.
What should he do next? Jiang Yizhou still had no idea.
"You can't keep doing this! Wouldn't it be better for me to just stay honestly at the construction site?"
"No, I can't get paid monthly!" Jiang Yizhou was quite firm on this point. Although he didn't have much ability, he at least wanted to earn a legitimate salary to invest in something and make his first pot of gold.
Jiang Maode looked at his nephew helplessly. How much did he want to spend? Didn't his parents send him out to work just to save some money for building a house and marrying a wife?
Instead, he seemed only interested in spending money. With nothing but empty walls at home, did he really think any girl would want to marry him?
He had a deep understanding of this; a woman cannot feel that there is a better life ahead if one cannot provide that kind of life. The outcome would never be good.
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