Chapter 3: Fate

  "Teacher wants you to go to the office for a moment!"

  Time flies, years pass like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, 9 years have passed, and I've grown from a baby in swaddling clothes to this handsome appearance today. The consequences of having a handsome face are twofold: one is that I easily get along with female classmates. The second is that I also easily get into fights with male classmates! Because of my existence, those snot-nosed kids have no chance with the female classmates anymore. So, every now and then, I'd be "treated" to a beating by those male classmates. And I've followed my old man's teachings: when getting beaten, fight back; when scolded, retort! When hitting someone, aim for the face; when scolding someone, expose their weaknesses!

  "Tell me, Lou Mengmeng. How many times have you fought with your classmates this semester? Do you know how hard it is for your parents to earn money to support your education? Why don't you cherish this hard-won opportunity to learn? With an attitude like yours, how can you become a talent who contributes to the Four Modernizations in the future? If everyone were like you, how could our country catch up with Britain and surpass America? You've really disappointed me!" The class teacher was lecturing me as usual, making it seem like my fight had hindered the progress of our country's Four Modernizations. For a moment, I actually felt deeply guilty.

  "Of course, the teacher has also investigated, and it's not all your fault. But Lou Xuanxuan, even if your classmates started it, you can't fight back with them, right? If there's a problem, you can ask the teacher to mediate. If someone beats you up, your parents will be heartbroken. And if you beat someone up, your family will have to pay compensation!" As our class teacher scolded me, she got up and walked to the back of the door, picked up her washbasin and towel, poured a basin of water, and began to help me wipe my dirty little face clean.

  "Tell me, will you fight again in the future?" After helping me wash off the blood from my face, our class teacher asked me very seriously while tapping on the glass on her desk.

  "I don't go looking for trouble, Teacher Zhu!" I tidied up the deep blue cotton-padded jacket on my body and bowed to our class teacher, Teacher Zhu. In my opinion, not taking the initiative to cause trouble is already a well-behaved child. But when this phrase reached Teacher Zhu's ears, it was full of arrogance and disobedience, disrespecting teachers and elders.

  "A child cannot be taught, a rotten wood cannot be carved. After school, copy the few words at the school gate 100 times and hand them over to me tomorrow!" Teacher Zhu was somewhat disappointed and stretched out her slender fingers to poke my forehead a few times. Finally, she threw out her killer move - punishment by copying! This time, the content of the copying was: United, Tense, Serious, Lively, these eight words. These eight words were also carved on our school gate as the school motto.

  "Alright, then goodbye Teacher Zhu." As someone who has been through many detentions, I'm not afraid of being punished to copy. At worst, after going back, I'll just sharpen 4 pencils and line them up to copy in a row. 100 copies, actually it's just copying 20 or so times before finishing.

  "What did the teacher fine you for this time, Lou Mengmeng?" As soon as I came out of the head teacher's office, I was stopped by a snotty girl with two small braids after just a few steps.

  The little girl's name is He Jingying, and she came from Heilongjiang with her parents to study here. Every time I ask her about her parents, the little girl would change the subject. As a result, one semester has almost passed, and my understanding of her is limited to knowing her name and her hometown. Apart from that, it's just those two shiny nose hairs hanging under her nostrils! Sometimes I wonder if her parents named her based on those two nose hairs - otherwise, why would they give her the name Jingying?!

  "It's still copying out of the textbook, what else can she punish me with?" I said to her, reaching out to flick the small braid at the back of He Jingying's head.

  "Didn't you invite your parents?" Niutou's face clearly showed some disappointment. Staring at me with those round eyes, she snorted and sucked the two strands of snot back into her nostrils, then asked me. Finally, she even licked her lips with her tongue.

  "What flavor?" I curiously added another sentence!

  "Got it!" I got the answer!

  "Alright!" I looked up at Ho Jingying with great admiration as she praised her.

  Going home with Nose Mucus Girl is something I have to go through every day, because Huo Dad rented a small room of more than ten square meters next door to my house. To be honest, Nose Mucus Girl is not ugly. Even by today's aesthetic standards, she can still be considered a beauty. Of course, this is what I think now. At that time, I kept my distance from her, thinking I was a man and didn't deign to go to school with a nose mucus girl every day. Until now, I just realized how stupid my behavior was back then!

  "It smells so good! Mom, what delicious dish did you make today?" After walking to the door of my home and bidding a somewhat impatient farewell to He Jingying, I sniffed the aroma wafting from inside and excitedly shouted.

  "Ah? Are we having guests?" Pushing open the door, he casually tossed the small olive green canvas backpack into the corner and looked up at the old Taoist who was sitting at the dinner table, twirling his mustache and smiling at him, and asked the old man sitting beside him.

  "Good boy, it's been nine years since we last saw each other." The old Taoist stood up and gently stroked my head.

  "Son?" I looked at my old man who was smoking with his head down and asked in confusion.

  "Come, now that we've met as master and disciple today, let's make up for the rituals that should have been done! After kneeling three times and knocking nine times in front of our ancestor's portrait, you will be my official disciple of the Mao Mountain sect." The old Taoist took out a portrait from the rattan box under his feet and casually hung it in the middle of my living room, pulling me along as he spoke.

  "Who are these people? How ugly!" I asked the old Taoist standing next to me, looking at the three figures in the painting who were holding feather dusters and wearing yellow Taoist robes.

  "You dare to be so presumptuous, this is the true face of my Mount Mao Immortal Teachings' Three Mao True Lord. The ancestors are above, and an inferior disciple dares to speak out of turn, thinking that he is young and ignorant, I hope the ancestors will not take offense!" The old Taoist heard this and immediately knelt down in front of the portrait, praying repeatedly. He also dragged me down with him, pinning me to the ground, choking my neck, and made me kowtow several times before stopping.

  "San Mao?" I was pinched on the neck by Lao Dao and forced to kneel on the ground, and my mind involuntarily recalled a comic book I had read just a few days ago. The protagonist in it seemed to be called this name. Moreover, there were indeed only three hairs on his head.

  "Great sin, great sin! What kind of karma have I, Mao Liu Fang, accumulated to accept you as my disciple? You are a rebellious son! The Three Mao True Lords are the founders of our Mao Shan Sect. In the middle is Great Mao Lord Mao Ying, on the left is Middle Mao Lord Mao Gu, and on the right is Third Mao Lord Mao Zhong. If you dare to speak nonsense again and provoke the wrath of our ancestors, even if I have the power to communicate with heaven, I won't be able to save you!" The old Daoist was scolding me fiercely, twisting my ears, without showing any concern for my brave father who was standing by, clenching his fists and staring at him intensely.

  "That Daozhang, our Lou family is just a single seedling. We're counting on him to carry on the family legacy! Otherwise, I think this matter of taking in an apprentice can be forgotten. I reckon that year, Daozhang, you were just casually saying it, and actually, we haven't put this matter at heart all these years. After drinking a couple of cups of wine and resting for a night at home, tomorrow Daozhang can still go about his own business." Old Master Lou had been tolerant of Old Dao for a long time, but now hearing him call me a disobedient son and lecture me, he immediately turned red with anger.

  "Hmm, you really thought I was so idle that I'd travel thousands of miles from Maoshan to Hubei just to find a disciple?!" The old Daoist said with some displeasure as he rolled up the portrait. Of course, the word "蛋疼" (annoying) is something I added when writing this memoir - who would have used such a high-end vocabulary back then?

  "Did you think that the old Taoist's words were just alarmist talk? Fortunately, you two let this little guy carry that jade pendant with him day and night. Otherwise, today I wouldn't be here to collect a disciple, but to deliver his soul." The old Taoist carefully rolled up the painting and put it into the rattan box, then turned to glare coldly at Old Father.

  "In the year of Bingchen, on the day of Jiawu, at noon, a person was born, belonging to the dragon. It's just a dragon swimming in shallow waters, an extremely dry and water-deficient dragon! The dragon swimming in shallow waters is teased by shrimp, this kid's eight characters are exactly what those lonely ghosts like. I think you don't believe me either. Why don't we make a bet? Today, I'll take away the jade pendant from my disciple's body. If nothing happens within 7 days, I won't mention taking back my disciple again. If something strange happens within 7 days, you can go to the Red Flag Hotel on the street to find me." The old man stretched out his hand and pinched the jade pendant that had accompanied me for nearly 10 years into his palm. After examining the pendant repeatedly, he picked up his somewhat worn-out rattan box, opened the door, and walked outside."

  "Hey, Master Dao, why don't you stay for dinner? The dishes are almost ready. My husband is a bit of a roughneck and doesn't know how to speak properly, so if he's offended you in any way, please just let it slide and don't take him seriously." Old Mother had heard the commotion from inside the house and took the pot off the stove, wiping her hands on her apron as she came out to invite Master Dao to stay.

  "Enjoy your wine and meat for now, but come back soon! Remember, if anything strange happens to this little one within 7 days, immediately come find me at the Red Flag Inn. Hehe, little one, today's events are also a destined tribulation in your life, don't blame me for making you suffer." The old Taoist stopped in his tracks, turned around and grinned at me with a sly smile. Judging from his expression, it seemed as if some ominous event was indeed waiting for me.

  As a child born in new China, growing up under the red flag, I have always been determined to contribute to the construction of the four modernizations. Of course, I wouldn't bother with this mumbo-jumbo Taoist priest, the only pity is that the jade pendant that accompanied me for 9 years was taken back by this old goods.

  "If you encounter something strange and are really afraid, use your right hand to rub your forehead from bottom to top a few times. Remember, if you have no fear in your heart, you will not be afraid!" The old Taoist walked a few steps, then came back and patted my shoulder, reminding me of two sentences.

  After seeing the old Tao leave with his worn-out rattan box, our family of three stood silently in front of the door. Especially my mother, from her expression I could tell that she still believed in what Old Tao said to some extent. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so uneasy.