I hurried to the game room in the community. I guess Xiao Chen will be there. After all, the city’s unified examination has ended, and the next thing is the time for carnival entertainment. If it weren’t for the arcade room, where minors are not allowed to enter, I would have used the enhanced version of my unique stunt, and I would be at ease in it.
The dark Internet cafes have disappeared, replaced by those Super Nintendo, Saturn, Sony. In the absence of computer games, it’s still good. But I never imagined that when I walked to the game room, a large sign was posted on the door, “Minors are prohibited from entering.”
I wipe! What’s so special about this? I haven’t been here for two months, and things have changed here? Why can’t I get along with minors? Is it bullying?
Standing at the door and looking in, the boss is still the aunt, and the furnishings are still as neat as before, but the source of customers are really adults, sitting there smoking a cigarette, holding a game console handle, leisurely.
Frustrated and disappointed, I turned around and was about to leave, but the aunt inside chased after me and smiled at me. Of course, I am an old customer here after all.
”Little devil, do you want to play?” Auntie asked me in a low voice, with a hint of lewd laughter.
I was suddenly incoherent and covered in goosebumps, “Playing…playing…what?”
”Game consoles, Super Nintendo, Saturn, Sony, Shijia?”, the game consoles in my aunt’s fingers explained to me.
”Well, but minors are not allowed to enter.” I said helplessly.
”Wait a minute, I’ll find someone to take you there, we’ve changed places.” Aunt patted me on the shoulder, turned and walked in, shouted, and then came out a big brother in his twenties. The two look alike, could it be the aunt’s son?
The elder brother came out and smiled at me, pointed the way and said, “Let’s go, it’s not far, it’s in the community.”
”Oh…”, I followed my elder brother obediently, feeling a little confused and puzzled.
”Recently, we have been cracking down, and the control is getting stricter and stricter. Children are not allowed to play games, so we arranged for some trusted friends to play at home.” The elder brother explained to me as he walked.
I wiped, my heart was instantly excited, I was really kind, there is such a good thing in the world, I couldn’t help asking stupidly, “Are you receiving money?”
Unexpectedly, the eldest brother’s smile disappeared instantly, and he answered me after a long time, “Yes, take an electricity bill.”
Well, I nodded, very satisfied and reasonable.
”Three dollars an hour.” The elder brother continued.
I’m… speechless, but I suddenly understood, just like a black Internet cafe, this is a black game.
Under his leadership, he walked for five minutes to a unit building not far from home. Climbing up to the fourth floor, as soon as I opened the door, I heard chattering inside, which was very lively.
I wipe! Quan Te is a familiar face. This is a two-bedroom apartment with the same structure as my home. In the living room, there are six large TV sets and six game consoles lined up left and right. There are also game catalogues and price lists posted on the wall, and special packages for take-out meals or family packages are also included!
Family set meal refers to adding one person to the boss’s family to eat, and they can eat whatever they want for three yuan until they are full. There is also a telephone in the living room, with a sign next to it, which reads the telephone number for appointment consultation. This is a fucking one-stop service.
”There are a lot of people today. If you don’t have to play, you can come over by yourself next time. Today, I will show you the secret base.” The elder brother smiled and turned around and left.
There was an old man in the living room who looked like his eldest brother. He seemed to be a family. He was the operation manager of the family game bar.
There were six game consoles, and there were a total of 20 people in the small living room. Everyone sat obediently, communicated softly, and obeyed the rules.
Looking around, this living room has made a lot of changes in order to run the game bar. The miscellaneous living items have been moved to the balcony, freeing up most of the space to place game consoles and stools. The refrigerator has also been moved from the living room to the bedroom, and the sofa has been dismantled and piled up in the corner. The operating conditions are quite difficult. No way, this is also forced to make money.
Is this the so-called policy above and countermeasures below? But for those of us who are minors, this is simply extraordinarily generous, a paradise on earth. I also quickly integrated into the atmosphere of the game, watching left and right, chatting back and forth. He complained about the just-concluded citywide unified examination, and was happy to talk about the amazing creativity of the new game.
Time passed quickly, until the phone rang, the old man answered the phone, greeted a few words, turned his head and shouted, “Zhang Jian! Your mother told you to go back to dinner!”
”Oh, I see.” I saw a buddy get up to settle the money and leave quickly. The friends who were waiting in line at the back immediately sat down, looked at the game list on the wall, and shouted, “Boss, bring me a fantasy simulation battle, I have a record, record number 9527.”
watt? I was shocked again. This works! Called to tell the child to go home for dinner, this has become a nursery?
The nursery is doing really well, and the six game consoles are constantly being played. I calculated an account for him, at least ten hours a day, three yuan an hour, six units is 18 yuan an hour. Ten hours a day is 180 yuan, I wipe! so much money? After subtracting the electricity bill to be paid, you can earn at least 150 yuan.
At that time, I was still young, and I didn’t know much about taxation and had no concept. If you add that they don’t have to pay taxes, then they really make a lot of money. You must know that my parents’ salary was only less than 1,000 yuan a month at that time.
When I grew up, I heard someone say a proverb: Anyone who makes money is not legal, and what is legal is not profitable. Now that I think about it, it really makes sense. Those people who were speculative when they were young, didn’t do their jobs properly, and made illegal profits have already made a fortune. Like my parents, I obey the law and work hard every day, but I can’t even meet enough food and clothing, let alone support my children to go to school.
Strange to say, since the guy got up and went back to eat, my stomach started to growl. Could hunger be contagious? But the few dollars in my pocket were left over from food and frugality in the past two months, so I can’t just waste it like this. At least it’s easier to endure hunger than to make money.
The smell of vegetables came from the kitchen, and when I turned around, the old man was busy in the kitchen, bringing out bowls of cooked meals, and shouted, “Who wants to eat? Three yuan a piece. people.”
The two friends around him immediately got up, slapped the three dollars on the round table, took up their rice bowls and ate them in big gulps. This is really not bad, running a restaurant while running the game industry, a real double profit! win twice!
Swallowing his saliva, he got up and glanced around. It wasn’t a big deal, it was in line with the positioning of three yuan. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with green peppers, vegetables, fried noodles, and a bowl of soup.
A primary school student with a red scarf got up and took a bowl of rice, took some dishes, and brought it to the game console, eating and playing. Visually, fifth or sixth grade, they are so rich, their parents don’t care about it, just let them squander!
A few more buddies were so hungry that they threw the game console handle away, got up and slapped three dollars on the table, and began to devour them. In fact, I noticed that the primary school student didn’t pay the money just now. He just took the bowl and ate it. I want to report him!
”That, he, he didn’t pay for the meal.” I said to the old man, pointing to the elementary school student.
The old man smiled calmly, “He, he is a monthly subscription.”
”Ah?!”, I was so confused in an instant, is there a monthly subscription? Are the times progressing too fast? I didn’t dare to ask more, for fear of being laughed at…
”Baby, how much is the monthly subscription?”, asked the buddy beside him in a low voice.
The buddy looked back at me with a look of contempt, and pointed to the corner of the wall.
Monthly Package A: Unlimited game time, three meals are included, and the monthly fee is 666 yuan.
Monthly Package B: Game time is eight hours a day, two meals are included, and the monthly fee is 555 yuan.
Monthly Package C: Four hours of game time per day, one meal is included, and the monthly fee is 333 yuan.
Basic terms… omit more than 50 words…
I rub… The times are really progressing too fast, and the way of business is ever-changing, and the elementary school students are so special monthly, so rich, why?
Seriously pay attention to the elementary school student. He is playing the Dragon Ball battle fighting game. Judging from the way he randomly presses the handle and makes moves, it is pure nonsense. But it is also in line with his identity, usually those rich people are not very skilled. This man was full of arrogance, swearing swear words, and he was invincible. He really wanted to beat him up. How can there be such scum in the world, and why are scum all rich? I still don’t understand this logic…
The hunger lasted for more than an hour and finally disappeared. I know very well that usually, the hunger will only last for an hour, and it will be good to get through it. I wanted to go back for dinner and come back again, but it would be too humiliating in front of this group of people of the same age. They all seemed to be rich, and no one came back after dinner, which seemed particularly shabby. When you come out to play, you have to be bold, drink in the left hand, fast food in the right hand, a kind of fearless hanging. What is the logic of this? I haven’t figured it out yet…
Show off your wealth? Pretend? Have style? Chic? Neuropathy!
Before eight o’clock in the evening, there was a sudden knock on the door, and everyone turned to see that a middle-aged woman pushed open the door. This situation is very familiar, just like in the dark Internet cafes of Boss Wang and Brother Curly Hair, there must be a child who is going to be unlucky and dragged back by his mother’s slap in the face, haha.
”Xiaobao, mom is here to pick you up, go home.” The gentle tone of this middle-aged woman surprised me, I couldn’t believe I was on earth.
”Five more minutes.” The elementary school student said calmly without turning his head.
I wipe! If I were your mother, I would have killed you long ago, scumbag!
The middle-aged woman waited patiently at the door, chatted with the old man, and said a few words.
”Mrs. Zhang, are you off work?” The old man looked respectful.
”Yes, the meeting in the company is a little late today.” The middle-aged woman said politely. Only then did I notice that she was wearing a professional attire and looked very temperamental, like the white-collar management of a large company. No wonder this elementary school student looks like a dick, and his family must be rich.
”It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, I’ll take care of the child, you can rest assured. Would you like to come in and sit for a while and make you a cup of tea?” The old man smiled and nodded.
”No, you’re welcome, you can do your job.” The middle-aged woman’s tone was quite polite and well-bred.
After the last two exchanged a few words, she left with the child who looked like a sling. It’s so unfair that God is so innocent. I doubt whether the reincarnation is random.
It was almost 9 o’clock in the evening, and I got up to go home. Before leaving, the old man said to me, “Hey, call before you come next time. If there is no space available, don’t come here. Do you have a phone at home?”
I wipe! I was angry at the time, why is this looking down on me? Do you think I’m here to occupy a ditch and not shit? Don’t consume? Hold!
Just now, you reported a person who didn’t pay for you, and regarded this place as half a home, but you thought I was a poor man to come here to eat, and you looked down and disgusted!
I have a phone at home, but don’t you know it costs two cents to make a phone call? Your place is obviously full all day, am I constantly calling and wasting money?
The tone of this dead old man’s speech obviously felt that my family was poor and had no telephone. It seems that my mother is right. If you don’t have a phone at home, you will be looked down upon. You grit your teeth and tighten your belt. Even if you don’t have a full meal, you have to put a phone on it. The two thousand yuan installation cost is worth it. !
”Yes!”, I replied arrogantly to this dead old man.
He nodded, took a pen and paper, and copied a phone number for me. His attitude was obviously different.
Walking down the stairs with this phone number in hand, I felt very unhappy. I have no money, and I am looked down upon everywhere. In the future, I must make a lot of money and make a fortune, so that my mother does not have to do anything, and I want to be happy all day long.
Going downstairs and out of the unit entrance, I found a black private car parked with lights on. Later I learned that the car was called Santana. Passing by and turning around, it turned out to be the dick-like primary school student and his mother.
The boy was nibbling on a kind of fried food with relish. It smelled quite fragrant. The three letters KFC were printed on the bag… Although I didn’t know what it was, it felt quite tall. This scum looks like a dick, it’s really edible, and it’s such a big bucket!
His mother was holding a big brick and was talking softly when she vaguely heard a few words, “Boss Zhang, long time no see, dinner…”
Later I learned that the brick was called a mobile phone, also called Big Brother, and it was only seen on the Hong Kong film. Usually only big business people can afford that stuff. It was a symbol of identity at that time, a show of status.
But why did the woman’s tone of voice remind me of the old lady boss of the brothel in the TV series? bitch!
In just two seconds, passing by this black Santana, I saw the family clearly, perverted!
When I got home, my parents didn’t blame me, and there were still meals left for me on the table. When I touched it with my hand, it was still warm, and I immediately felt extremely guilty and swallowed.
I thought my parents would ask me about the exam, but they didn’t. Maybe they didn’t want to put pressure on me, maybe they had full trust in me, or maybe they knew it, and they asked for nothing. Instead, they paid more attention to where I went, maybe they were afraid that I would learn badly. They breathed a sigh of relief when I had a full account of the whole incident and where I went, as if I hadn’t done anything bad to satisfy them.
The next day, in addition to waiting or waiting. Early the next morning, I actually picked up the phone and pressed the number given by the dead old man.
The dead old man obviously didn’t know who I was and just asked a few simple questions: How many hours of play? Eat or not? Willing to wait and go.
In fact, my purpose is to watch other people play games, and integrate into the atmosphere of entertainment and friendship.
He hung up the phone, quickly put on his shoes, and was about to leave. His mother stopped him and pointed to a plastic bag on the table, “Don’t go hungry, protect your stomach.”
I was wearing a shoe, jumped back on one foot, opened it and saw that there was a meat bun inside, and I immediately understood. I have food in my hand, but I don’t panic. With dry food, I am open-minded, and I jump up and down happily.
Unexpectedly, before 8 o’clock in the morning, as the old man described on the phone, it was already full and the seats were full. I didn’t expect so many people to watch around, maybe it was because I was bored during the holiday.
I actually found a familiar back, isn’t this Xiao Chen! This kid is really well-informed. He appears wherever he plays games. I have a lot of questions to ask him.
”Where did Sister Zhang move to?” I asked, patting his shoulder.
He was concentrating on directing a battle of the Three Kingdoms Four games, and he turned around slowly, without showing any surprises because he saw me.
”I was checked.” He turned his head to continue the game and replied simply.
”Huh?”, I was surprised because I had absolutely no idea what it meant to be checked.
”When will it reopen?” I asked anxiously.
”It won’t be turned on again, the computer has been checked, and a fine has been paid!” Xiao Chen said impatiently.
”Ah! Fuck! How did you know?” I became a little excited and worried about Sister Zhang.
But he calmly said to me, “Didn’t you ask me, I’ll make up a story for you. I don’t know the specifics, anyway, they moved out, most of them were checked, and they were told to close the door immediately, and I only found out yesterday. of.”
After Xiao Chen finished speaking, he moved his butt and set aside half of the bench for me. Sitting down next to him, he was as frustrated as I was.
”What do you do after that? By the way, did you get into the key high school? What kind of Xuejun middle school?” I asked in a chat.
He turned his head and gave me a helpless look, “You are so annoying, don’t keep asking me, I don’t know.”
Haha, the two then showed a helpless smile. During lunch time, he actually took out a meat bun just like me. We looked at each other and rarely showed the same expression. Later, he whispered to me that a big meat bun costs only 50 cents, and a meal of a few vegetarian dishes at the dead old man costs 3 yuan. What a fool.
I thought that a rich kid like Xiao Chen wouldn’t care about the details of spending, but I didn’t expect that he would also plan carefully and figure it out clearly. Now I am beginning to believe that he is indeed a talent who can be admitted to a key high school.
However, the same way of eating steamed buns, the dead old man looked at us in completely different eyes. Could it be because Xiao Chen was spending money while playing games?
Then one day, I found Xiao Chen with a cigarette in his ear. This makes me very curious. He is about the same age as me, and he shouldn’t be addicted to alcohol or cigarettes. Is it possible to put a cigarette in his ear to appear particularly sophisticated and stylish?
But it’s not what I thought, and it taught me a deep lesson. He got up and handed the cigarette on his ear to the old man, and said politely, “Uncle, someone handed me a cigarette, but I never smoke, so I’ll give it to you.”
I fuck! The attitude of the dead old man suddenly turned 180 degrees, the whole person smiled, took the cigarette, gave a thumbs up, praised repeatedly, and poured a glass of water for Xiao Chen…
As expected of a talent who has been admitted to a key high school, he treats people well and is exquisite. I’m so stupid, I should really learn from him, how to be a man, how not to be hated by others.
In the following days, I spent every day in this black game bar, and occasionally consumed it once, or I would have been kicked out by the dead old man.
Two weeks later, the results of the city’s unified examinations were announced, and the query method was also quite advanced. You can find it by calling and entering the student number. I guess the telecommunications bureau has made a fortune again. After all, this phone call is too much nonsense, and it cost my mother fifty cents.
”Your total score in the city’s unified examination is 486, thank you for your inquiry…” A mechanized manual recording came from the speakerphone.
”Ah, 486 points?” I felt a little disappointed, the score seemed to be a little lower. I heard that last year’s general high school admissions required 500 points, but my score is very strange, 386 computer? 486 computer? Could it be a lucky number? This score should be enough for a vocational high school, right?
In those days, there was an endless stream of phone calls, all of which were students calling to inquire about test scores, to exchange feelings and complaints, and to comfort and bless each other. The school’s admission line is also slowly announced, the first announced is the key high schools. We don’t need the teacher to announce, our private gossip has spread throughout the class. Seven students in the class have been admitted to key middle schools. It’s really awesome.
No, that invigilator of the sports teacher Wang, you are awesome! The school should give you the bonus, not the head teacher.
There are also two classmates who are one point apart, crying and screaming, wanting to live or die, applying for re-marking, trusting relationships, and looking for ways. I heard that they finally paid 10,000 yuan in sponsorship fees, but they were still admitted to key middle schools. It seems that after entering a key middle school, he is on the last boat, and his future is bright. It is said that it is the unspoken rule of the school, 10,000 yuan per cent…
However, the admission scores of the vocational middle schools I applied for have not been announced for a long time. It is rumored that those students who have not been admitted to the key middle schools will be asked to re-fill their wishes and have priority to enter ordinary high schools or vocational middle schools. Damn!
Only then did I realize the importance of reading. The importance is not how much knowledge you have learned, but whether you have the right to choose your own destiny. It turns out that the purpose of everyone’s efforts for so many years is to have the right to choose, not to increase their knowledge and experience. Is this the so-called education?
I was a little anxious. If I couldn’t get into the Computer Vocational High School, I would stop studying and just work part-time to make money to support the family, so I wouldn’t waste any more time.
He got on his father’s bicycle, rode for half an hour, and arrived at the entrance of the Electronic Vocational High School whose address was checked in advance. The school gate was closed, and the school was empty. After all, it was a holiday, so how could anyone be there.
Silly standing at the gate and looked at it a few times, I felt that this was just an ordinary school, not as large as my junior high school. It was a simple two-story building and a standard 400-meter playground. The high-end atmosphere is as high-end as in the middle, the appearance is also old and outdated, and the paint has been diluted with a few large characters… Is it reliable?
Anyway, as long as you can learn computers, even if the school is in the garage, it’s not a problem. Although the school is located in the teaching area, the surrounding area is desolate. Except for the two vegetable markets, there are some foundations that have just started piling. It seems that this place was a field before.
On the way back, I noticed that there are schools around, including Normal University, Electronic University, key high schools, ordinary middle schools, technical schools and vocational high schools. This is indeed the teaching area of the city, where the schools are most concentrated. It’s a bit far from my home, and it takes an hour to cycle back and forth every day, and I haven’t heard anything yet, so I don’t know if I can get in.
Two weeks later, when I was feeling down and hopeless, my father took a pile of newspapers from the mailbox, and in it was an email with my name printed on it.
This is an acceptance letter. It is said that the admission score is 480 points, and I happened to be 486 points. The turning point of life officially started from that day. To celebrate my success, my parents went to the vegetable market to buy a soft-shelled turtle and steamed ham that day, and spent a lot of money.
Looking back on it now, it is really thrilling. I have never been a person who studied hard, worked hard for my ideal, and achieved my goal in just half a year. I am really a genius.
There was also a detailed fee list in the email, which was added with a computer. The tuition fee was obviously much more expensive than that of junior high school. This is not the so-called nine-year compulsory education. It seems that I have to study hard to live up to this expensive tuition fee.
I remember that the tuition and miscellaneous fees for a semester were more than 2,000 yuan. My parents had difficulty collecting the money, and they also borrowed a few hundred yuan from relatives. It was really sad reminder.