Chapter 021: An Unexpected Fortune

The Mage’s Legend (No Ads)

Lin Jia was delighted to discover that he still had such a large “fortune” left—altogether 81 yuan and 10 cents in cash, which meant he could afford to spend a long time surfing the internet. At the current rates in this small town’s internet cafés, it was one yuan per hour. If you bought a 20-yuan membership card, it dropped to eighty cents an hour, plus you got a free overnight session. A fifty-yuan card meant only fifty cents an hour, and five free overnight sessions. And recharging a hundred yuan at once? The boss would not only throw in fifty yuan’s worth of time but also fifteen overnight sessions.

In other words, if Lin Jia went to borrow twenty yuan from either Big Bro or Fourth Brother later, he could get 300 hours of internet time and fifteen overnights. Even if he spent ten hours a day online, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about internet fees this month!

This pleasant surprise made Lin Jia so happy he rolled on his bed three times, stuffed all the heavy coins into the pocket of his baggy shorts, slipped on a pair of floppy sandals by the door, and dashed downstairs. But he hadn’t run more than two steps before realizing the weight of the coins was dragging his shorts down dangerously; a few more steps and he’d be exposing himself to the neighborhood!

Quickly grabbing his waistband, Lin Jia remembered there was no belt on these beach shorts, only a bit of string. Just then, Big Bro shouted his name loudly from downstairs. Lin Jia shouted back, “Coming! Coming!” while tightening the string, then hurried down the stairs, holding up his shorts with both hands.

Big Bro stared at Lin Jia, bemused, and asked, “What are you doing? Did someone steal your underwear?”

Lin Jia grinned and replied, “I found some money!” He explained how he’d discovered his hidden stash. Big Bro nearly burst out laughing. As the two siblings prepared to set out for Longtai Internet Café, Lin Jia’s father returned, pushing his battered old bicycle. Seeing Lin Jia and Xu Fangfang about to leave, he smiled and asked, “Off to somewhere again?”

Xu Fangfang greeted him sweetly, “Hello, Uncle!” while sneaking a glance at Lin Jia to see how he would respond.

Looking at Big Bro, Lin Jia got a sudden idea. “Dad! I made plans with Xu Hongbin and Fangfang and a few others. We’re going out for the day—won’t be home for lunch or dinner. We might spend the night at the Longtai Internet Café up front and come back late…” He figured his dad wouldn’t embarrass him by denying him permission in front of his friends.

Sure enough, his fairly open-minded father frowned, then cautioned, “Come home early! Don’t stay out too late!”

Lin Jia breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a cheeky grin, “Got it! We’ll be online tonight, but who knows how late we’ll play! I’ll just be at Longtai Internet Café, not wandering around. Don’t worry!”

His father pursed his lips in a “serious” smile and pushed his bicycle upstairs. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Jia called out, “Hey, Dad! Give me some money, I don’t have a cent on me!”

His father leaned the bike against himself, freed a hand and fished around his pockets, giving Lin Jia a glare. “All you do is ask for money all day! It’s not easy to earn. Try to save a little!”

Seeing his father in his old, faded blue work clothes, and that battered bicycle, which was older than Lin Jia himself, a pang of guilt struck Lin Jia. Since graduating, he’d been loafing about at home for several months, not earning a penny, and still constantly asking his parents for their hard-earned money to fritter away. It left him feeling more than a little ashamed. But with only a second-rate vocational high school diploma from a factory-run school, what could he really do?

Just as the unease and helplessness of graduation welled up again, his father pulled out a fifty-yuan note, instantly capturing Lin Jia’s attention. “No small change on me,” his father muttered.

Lin Jia thickened his skin, snatched the fifty from his father’s rough hand, and said with a sheepish grin, “Fifty will do…” Then, exchanging a look with Big Bro, both of them dashed off. Though moved by his parents’ hard work, youthful exuberance quickly took over, and all those complicated feelings were thrown to the wind.

His father called after them, exasperated, “You little rascal! No use at all! I still need to buy gas…”

Lin Jia and Xu Fangfang ran until they’d rounded two buildings and his father was out of sight, then slowed down. Big Bro giggled, “Second Brother, you’re something else! You just told your dad straight out you were going to stay up all night at the internet café!?”

Catching his breath, Lin Jia smiled with a touch of pride, “It’s all about experience! Being honest is better than lying. My parents are pretty open-minded. If I lied and got caught, that’d be the end of it!” Lin Jia had a good temperament and his family trusted him; they knew he wouldn’t get mixed up with any bad crowds. As long as he explained clearly where he was going, what he was doing, and who he was with, his parents almost never said no. Of course, he’d still get an earful when he got home, but that was unavoidable.

Besides, his friends’ parents all knew one another and knew they were good kids. That’s why, among his group, Lin Jia enjoyed the freest home life.

Xu Fangfang sighed with envy, “If I told my family I was going to stay out all night, they’d probably tie me to the ceiling fan and beat me!” Lin Jia chuckled smugly, leading the way toward Longtai Internet Café—a ten-minute walk from their complex—under the blazing sun.

Big Bro was as carefree as a boy, never bothering with makeup or sunscreen, and certainly not with parasols. She just swung her arms and stomped down the street, kicking up a trail of dust.

Lin Jia walked so fast that hardly any girl could keep up with his stride. Once, back in high school, a girl invited him out shopping, and he ended up losing her in the crowd because he walked off too quickly.

Big Bro Xu Fangfang was quite pretty, with fair, alluring skin and a slightly plump figure. Her big, double-lidded eyes sparkled when she smiled, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth made her seem all the more adorable. Among their group, however, she was an absolute despot—the Empress Wu Zetian, a tyrant through and through. Only Second Brother Lin Jia, with his endless schemes, could really negotiate with her; the others were often treated like laborers under her command. They dared not complain, either—partly because she was a girl, but also due to her forthright personality and the respect she commanded. No matter who was in trouble, she’d help without a second thought, and so the brothers all admired her as their leader.

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(Brothers, trouble’s brewing: the push for the New Book Rankings is about to start, but popularity is still so low—it’s disheartening! Please help out! If you have any votes, spare a few for me. Once the New Year is over, things will get better! It’s tough to keep things going during the holidays!)

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