Chapter 960: Everyone Has Their Own Aspirations
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
After Xiaoju received the good news that her brother had changed his ward, she rushed to the hospital to take care of him. Only Yang Ming, w.a.n.g Xiaoyan, Xu Peng, and Xiaoying were left there.
“Xu Peng, didn’t you think about what I said before?” Yang Ming referred to the matter of asking Xu Peng to give up his business in the billiard room and joining Yang Ming’s company to have a better career.
“Brother Yang… I’m sorry…” Xu Peng hesitated a moment, then he said, “I think I’m doing good now. It’s a blessing to live peacefully. The former life is cool, but it is too tough, and the risk is too big… And, Xiaoying is pregnant…”
“Do you think Li Dagang is not doing great now?” Yang Ming sighed. He was speechless. “I am not asking you to join the underworld; I am asking you to start a career. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in this billiard room?”
“Li Dagang is really doing good, but I don’t think I am doing bad either. I am earning three thousand yuan a month. It is less than him, but it is enough for my family. I can even save some of it. Besides, I am worse off than some, better off than many.” Xu Peng smiled plainly. “And, after Brother Yang, you, brought your underlings last time, the little punks nearby no longer dare to cause trouble again. They are now paying when they come here. It is already nice for it to be like this.”
“Well, then I will not persuade you anymore.” Yang Ming patted Xu Peng’s shoulder. “When you change your mind, you can always find me. Remember, you are Yang Ming’s brother. If you have difficulty, just talk to me. You do not have to feel embarra.s.sed.”
“I know that Brother Yang treats me well…” Xu Peng smiled honestly.
Since Xu Peng insisted on his own ideas, Yang Ming would not say anything more. After all, everyone has their own aspirations. Yang Ming could not force him. Indeed, Xu Peng’s current income was not bad.
In the beginning, Yang Ming’s father could only earn a thousand yuan a month, and his mother’s income was also a thousand yuan. Their salaries were less than Xu Peng’s income.
“When Li Dagang is free, let’s have a gathering,” said Yang Ming.
“Alright, I am fine with it.” Xu Peng smiled and said, “You and I were not in the same cla.s.s as Li Dagang in junior high school. Otherwise, we would have already attended the school reunion together. I went to my school reunion a few days ago, and it was boring. There were a bunch of hypocritical people.”
Yang Ming couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, everyone has grown up. They have their own ideas. After graduating from college, they have to face employment. There is nothing wrong being utilitarian. It is no big deal.”
Xu Peng nodded and said, “You are right. But they are not doing better than me. Some even envy me. There are a few who didn’t attend college. They are working some part-time job outside, and they make a thousand a month. They only earn one thousand eight hundred per month. They even asked me how to open their own shop.”
As they were talking, the door of the billiard room was pushed open. Several students in school uniforms came in. “Brother Xu, are you open for business? Give us a table!”
“Xiaoying, you go serve them.” Xu Peng informed his wife. Xiaoying stood up and went to prepare for the students.
Those students were obviously frequent visitors. They were also familiar with Xu Peng’s wife. “Sister Xiaoying, give us some drinks and a few bowls of instant noodles. We have not eaten breakfast yet.”
“Okay, no problem.” Xiaoying handed the cue sticks to them, then she nodded.
Looking at these students, Yang Ming suddenly felt a little emotion when he thought that he used to skip cla.s.s to play outside just like them in the past. Skipping cla.s.s was not a good thing, but he was young and arrogant at that time. How would he be persuaded by others?
I always thought that I could decide my own life, and I was the most bad*ss person in the world. Now it seemed that was somewhat naive and ridiculous. Yang Ming believed that if he did not have such a miraculous opportunity, his life would not be better than Xu Peng and Li Dagang.
“Song Jiang No. 4 High School students?” Yang Ming sighed and asked Xu Peng.
” En , they are students of Song Jiang No. 4 High School, Grade 12. They come here every day, then they go to the internet cafe in the afternoon.” Xu Peng nodded. “Sometimes, I want to persuade them to study hard when I look at them. But if they have all gone to study, who will come to my billiard room? Sometimes it is a bit contradictory.”
“You really think too much. You can advise them, but they may not listen.” Yang Ming smiled and said, “If you don’t believe, I will try.”
As Yang Ming said this, he stood up and walked over to the students. He asked, “Hey, all of you are students of Song Jiang No. 4 High School, right? It should be cla.s.s time now. Why are you guys here playing billiards?”
“Cla.s.s time? Go to cla.s.s for what?” said a student disdainfully. He did not even look at Yang Ming.
“If you don’t study well now, what are you going to do in the future? Join the underworld?” Yang Ming continued.
” Hey , why are you such a busybody. Are you done yet?” Another student looked up and raised the cue stick. “Don’t spoil our mood. Don’t make me hit you with my cue stick!”
However, he was astounded after seeing Yang Ming’s appearance. He slowly put down the cue stick. “Brother Yang, why are you here… I didn’t know it was you, so I got agitated. I am sorry…”
” Ah ?” Yang Ming was stunned. “You know me?”
” Yeah , you are my previous leader! Brother Yang, I am Little Qiu. Don’t you know me?” The student was excited to see Yang Ming. “It is you who brought us here!”
” Huh ? I brought you here?” Yang Ming was stunned immediately, but he remembered about it a moment later. When he was at Song Jiang No. 4 High School, he was the boss of many delinquent students. He might not know most of them, but all of them knew him instead. At that time, he had nothing to do, so he skipped cla.s.ses every day. These students often looked up to him. When he was bored, he would bring some people to Xu Peng’s billiard room. However, he had forgotten who he brought along with him. Therefore, when he heard the students talked about this, he flushed instantly. “So that is the case… hehe , then you can continue…”
Other students also recognized Yang Ming and said, “Brother Yang, do you want to have a match?”
Yang Ming smiled bitterly and shook his head, and said, “You guys play. I have something to talk to Xu Peng about…”
After being disgraced, Yang Ming’s came back, embarra.s.sed. Xu Peng and others could not help but laugh. w.a.n.g Xiaoyan even said contemptuously, “So Yang Ming, you were a punk during high school?”
“No, I was not. I was sort of like a leader.” Yang Ming smiled and said, “I was really asking for trouble. I did not expect to have caused this!”
“Brother Yang, you and your wife should stay and eat lunch later,” said Xu Peng. “I will ask Xiaoying to cook a few dishes.”
“My wife?” Yang Ming and w.a.n.g Xiaoyan exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other and denied, “Who is my wife?”
” Ugh …” Xu Peng saw Yang Ming and w.a.n.g Xiaoyan coming together. He thought that w.a.n.g Xiaoyan was Yang Ming’s new girlfriend. He had doubts because Yang Ming’s previous girlfriend was not bad either. How come he broke up so quickly and changed to another one?
However, Xu Peng could not ask because w.a.n.g Xiaoyan was there. He could only ask when he was alone with Yang Ming, but he did not expect it to be a misunderstanding.
“Sorry, I thought you are Brother Yang’s girlfriend.” Xu Peng said to w.a.n.g Xiaoyan apologetically.
” Hah , your sister-in-law is much more beautiful than her. You have met her, too.” Yang Ming pointed at w.a.n.g Xiaoyan and smiled.
w.a.n.g Xiaoyan glanced at Yang Ming and stepped on Yang Ming’s instep. This chick’s Kung Fu was not bad, so her strength was very strong and fierce. Even if Yang Ming was prepared for it, he felt pain as well, and he could only smile bitterly.
This time, Xu Peng could not quite understand it. It was weird to say that these two were not lovers. Their movements and tone sounded close, but they did not admit their relations.h.i.+p. Yang Ming even compared w.a.n.g Xiaoyan with Chen Mengyan in front of her. He did not know what their relations.h.i.+p was.
“No need to bother. Since Xiaoying is pregnant, it is not good too for her to get in contact with smoke.” Yang Ming waved his hand and said, “Why don’t I call Li Dagang to see if he has time? Then we’ll find a place to eat. If he is not free, let’s go there.”
“That’s fine.” Xu Peng nodded, then he got up and said to the few students playing billiards there, “Little Qiu, I will go out with your sister-in-law for a while. Help me to take care of my billiard room.”
“Okay, no problem! Don’t worry, Brother Xu!” When the student named Little Qiu was entrusted with a heavy responsibility, he was delighted. The young people at this age valued this kind of thing. He felt that he was being trusted, and his value increased.
Xiaoying made a few bowls of instant noodles with the microwave oven, gave them to the students, including Little Qiu, and then said, “Little Qiu, Sister Xiaoying will not charge you.”
” Ah , that’s great!” said Little Qiu happily.
When Yang Ming called Li Dagang, Li Dagang had just arrived at the company. After Yang Ming told him about the matters which happened here, and Li Dagang immediately said that he would come over.
“This Li Dagang is doing quite well in the company. He can take leave whenever he wants?” Xu Peng was a little surprised.
“Probably, yes.” Yang Ming thought, Of course, his relations.h.i.+p with me is also a factor in it. But he couldn’t say too much.
After ten minutes, Li Dagang came to Xu Peng’s billiard room. “Big Peng, Brother Yang, I am here!”
“You even wore a suit to this place? Don’t you think it is awkward?” Yang Ming looked at Li Dagang’s white-collar outfit, and he joked about it. “This should not be the place where white-collar workers visit, right?”
“You called me at the very last minute. I had already reached the company. I can’t go home and change my clothes again, right?” Li Dagang smiled. “Our relations.h.i.+p is strong, so it does not matter.”