Chapter 064: The Youth of This Generation

The words of Lin Jia echoed the sentiments of the entire cohort of steel workers’ children. Like many of his peers who graduated from the steel enterprise children's school, Lin Jia once had the opportunity, before leaving school, to be recommended by the school for a job at one of the large companies in Guangzhou. Though the wages were meager—barely enough for a young person to cover expenses—it was at least a chance to broaden one’s horizons and learn something new.

Yet most parents adamantly refused to let their children leave home to work in Guangzhou. Partly, they couldn’t bear to part with their children, who had never been away before; partly, they feared the complex city might corrupt their offspring.

Lin Jia and his friends had made plans to go together, but every one of them was vetoed by their families. Left behind, Lin Jia could only idle away his days at home. To look for work? Any job too menial wounded the pride of these young men. To find something better? In these times, even street sweepers needed a university degree; what could vocational high school graduates like them expect?

Thus, Lin Jia and his friends gradually became a group of aimless young people, neither rising nor falling, while their parents constantly wore the same look of bitter disappointment and complained endlessly about how capable and clever other people’s children were, as if their own child was nothing but a pig. No, not even a pig—since at least a pig could be sold for meat. Nearly every young person has heard such words.

Lin Jia’s rebellious phase seemed to come late, perhaps due to his home environment. His parents’ constant nagging only fueled his defiant spirit: If they said he was useless, he’d show them just how useless he could be.

But Lin Jia didn’t smoke or gamble, so his rebellion never caused much trouble, and he disliked following the local roughs in their mischief. He wasn’t a bad person, just frustrated, spending his days watching television or renting novels from the bookstore.

Without an income, Lin Jia even had to ask his parents for the mere twenty cents needed to rent a book each day. This, too, became fodder for their scorn—always spending, never earning, a good-for-nothing, a wastrel, every kind of bitter taunt and sarcasm imaginable. Lin Jia understood his parents’ words weren’t meant to truly demean him, but were habitual nagging, born of envy for others’ children. Still, it left him feeling uncomfortable and suffocated.

When Lin Jia’s rebellious words came out, his parents’ faces changed instantly. His father roared, “You dare talk back? I say a few words, and you think you have the right to argue?” His mother launched into her well-rehearsed routine, delivered like a textbook, listing examples with methodical precision: “You should’ve studied hard, but you wanted to play! Look at the boy on the third floor… look at the girl in the opposite building… see how others behave! Even a dog can guard the house, even a pig can be taught to behave, but look at you! &&**%%￥￥##**#@@￥￥&……%&￥￥￥#@#*（*…”

Lin Jia felt the blood rushing to his head, his face and ears burning and swelling, his breath heavy and hot, as if he might spit blood at any moment.

He forced himself to resist the urge to shout back, clenched his fists, trembling as he slowly walked toward his room. Years of experience had taught him that arguing with his parents would never bring victory. No swearing, no violence, no disrespect allowed—how could he possibly out-argue his parents under such constraints? Even if he won a momentary victory, what difference would it make? Run away from home? Starve? If he won the argument, could he really storm out with nothing but his bare hands? Could he stop eating at home or sleeping in his own bed?

Forget those foolish boasts about dying outside rather than enduring such humiliation. Lin Jia thought far more deeply than most of his peers; he knew that people cannot live without family ties, and his generation lacked the ability to do so.

Yes, some people succeed through their own abilities, but those are rare exceptions. His group, spoiled by their parents and shackled by the education system, were fledglings who had lost the ability to soar alone against the cold wind.

How many could guarantee they would find the opportunities and skills of a legendary hero once they stepped outside their family’s door? It’s true that young people’s ambitions reach the skies, but one must also weigh one’s own abilities. Lin Jia knew himself well—he lacked the courage.

His mother’s words stung, but each one struck at his weaknesses. It was true: he had played too much and missed his chance to attend university. By the time he realized his mistake, his foundation was too weak to catch up, and he lacked the discipline and perseverance to self-study and make up for lost time. So he could only linger under his parents’ wings, surviving in humiliation.

Yet those words awakened a resolve in Lin Jia he hadn’t recognized. One day, he would make his parents proud of him, so they would stop comparing him to other people’s children.

Some truths cannot be communicated to parents. Explanations fail, and they won’t listen. Lin Jia wisely chose not to argue, silently heading to his room. As he reached the door, an almost uncontrollable urge to destroy surged within him. He wanted to kick the wooden door, shout wildly, even smash his head against the wall—if only the endless nagging would stop.

His eyes felt dry and uncomfortable, something seemed to want to burst forth. He blinked hard, took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, grabbed a T-shirt and put it on. Lin Jia walked out, speaking calmly to his mother, still lecturing on the sofa, and his father, face set in a scowl: “Dad, Mom, I understand everything you say. You're worried something might happen to me if I go out. I was wrong to lose my temper just now, but sometimes you need to consider my feelings. I’m no longer a child who can sit at home for twenty-four hours without leaving. Yes, right now I can only spend money, not earn it, but it won’t always be this way. Whether I take your place in the factory or find a job outside, I won’t idle around all day. You know, even if I look for work now, you wouldn’t agree. So why keep complaining about my incompetence? Last time you mentioned that the steel plant might have job openings for our generation in mid-October to early November. If I can’t get a job then, I’ll go out and find work myself, and you mustn’t stop me anymore. I can’t take your nagging any longer. I’ll keep playing for now, but don’t worry, I’m only going online at the science internet café by the lake in the neighborhood. If you’re worried, you can come find me. Surfing the internet is better than wandering around aimlessly, right? That’s all. I’m going online tonight because it’s cheaper, nothing else. I’m leaving.”

The rumor Lin Jia mentioned about the steel enterprise possibly hiring young workers between October and November originated from the time, back in 1997, when his family traded one retirement for a work opportunity. Since then, the steel company had repeatedly found excuses to delay, as the original purpose was to reduce surplus staff. Replacing older workers with young ones suited the enterprise, and was in line with government policy, but it caused anxiety among ordinary people. With too few positions and too many people, the process dragged on. Only when the elderly workers retired and their positions opened up could these young people be hired. Every October marked the retirement period for senior staff.

Having said his piece, Lin Jia ignored the stunned expressions of his parents, slipped on his slippers, opened the door, and walked out. His parents sat for a long time before sighing heavily, unsure whether their disappointment was for their son’s lack of ambition, or for their own worries about his job prospects. Unable to resist, they vented their frustration through complaints and nagging.

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[Trouble: This chapter contains no gaming content, only an introduction to Lin Jia’s family background. If you don’t like it, feel free to skip! Please don’t stop voting just because my book dropped off the new releases list! Give me a few more votes! Those participating in the writing contest are all working hard to gather votes now!]