Chapter 97: Two Letters

Noon.

The room felt a bit stuffy.

Having just finished lunch, Wang Qiang quickly grabbed his bowl to wash it. He filled a large iron pot with water, then placed the dirty bowls and plates inside one by one, scrubbing them with a cloth.

His mother stood nearby, speaking softly, “I’ve already picked up your textbooks and placed them in your room. Try to read them more often.”

“Ah, I know. Are the clothes I bought for you still fitting well?”

“They fit quite well. Your grandmother said she wants you to visit when you have time. She misses you a lot.”

“I’ll go see her tomorrow then. By the way, where’s the letter Dad sent?”

“Oh, I almost forgot! I’ll go get it for you.”

Footsteps headed into a room. Wang Qiang scraped the edge of the pot with a spatula; without a steel wool scrubber, this was the only way to clean the pot. After washing the bowls and pot thoroughly, he rinsed them again with clean water. Then, he poured the dirty water into a small basin and carried it outside to discard. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his mother emerging from the room, holding two letters. Without thinking much, Wang Qiang went outside to empty the water, then returned inside to wipe the stove spotless. After drying his hands, he sat down on the stool at the table.

“Dad sent two letters?” Wang Qiang asked.

His mother looked surprised. “Isn’t one from your friend?”

Wang Qiang wiped sweat from his forehead. “I forgot.”

He picked up both letters to examine them. The first was a regular letter in a white envelope, the second an express letter in a blue envelope.

He opened the letter from his father first, which had already been unsealed. Pulling out the white stationery bordered with red lines, he unfolded it and read the brief message inside:

“Cheng Lin, I’ve arrived safely in Qixi. Don’t worry about the tuition fees; I’ve discussed it with Old Du, and he’s willing to lend us the money. If you can’t borrow from family, write to me.

Tell Qiangzi to study hard and maintain good relationships with his classmates.”

Signed: Wang Baoguo.

Reading it, a deep sense of guilt gradually spread within him.

Wang Qiang knew all too well that his father’s greatest hope was for him to get into a good university. Yet now, he had to go against his father’s wishes. This wasn’t the first time he’d read his father’s letters. During high school and college in his previous life, his father often sent him letters, albeit very short—never more than a page, sometimes only a few sentences—mostly reminders to study hard and take care of himself.

His father’s letters were casual and even careless; sometimes the paper seemed to be picked up at random, with unrelated scribbles on the front, only the back containing heartfelt advice. Perhaps because of the variety of pens at the construction site, letters from his father often bore ink in different colors. When Wang Qiang was in university, he jokingly told his mother that if there was nothing important, his father needn’t keep sending letters. From his perspective, the money spent on postage could be better spent on food.

But his mother’s reply surprised him: “Your father’s writing letters has become a habit. If he doesn’t write, he feels like he’s lost you.”

Lost me?

Recalling that phrase, Wang Qiang felt an indescribable heaviness swell in his heart.

He understood clearly that children are like kites in the sky, sometimes drifting so far they may never return. Yet parents always tie a long string in some special way, so they can know where their children are flying. His father’s special way was sending letters.

Moved deeply, Wang Qiang put down the letter and asked, “Mom, have you replied to Dad?”

She shook her head, joking, “Aren’t we waiting for our successful son to bring money home?” Then she added, “I promised your aunt I’d repay her before school starts. We’ll go together later. Remember to thank her properly, okay?”

That little old lady who liked to put oil in her hair?

Wang Qiang immediately recalled his “first adversary” from childhood and smiled. “Okay, I got it. I’ll read the letter and go with you.”

Picking up the letter from Fang Yueqing, Wang Qiang saw it was intact—his mother hadn’t peeked, showing respect for his privacy.

He tore it open.

Inside was pink stationery.

Laying it flat on the table, Wang Qiang was curious—what matter was urgent enough to send an express letter?

Fang Yueqing’s letter was simple:

“Brother Qiangzi, when we parted last time, you mentioned you were going to buy a game console and game cartridges. Did you manage to get them?”

The first sentence was abrupt and puzzling. Wang Qiang read on.

“At first, I didn’t think much of it. But when I went to school to register, I met a friend in the dormitory who talked about cracking game cartridges. That’s when I thought of you. I asked her, and she said cracking Japanese game cartridges is cheap. If you need a large quantity, I can introduce you to her so you can save some money.”

Cracking game cartridges?

Saving some money?

Wang Qiang was taken aback. Genuine FC game cartridges were indeed expensive. He guessed Fang Yueqing thought he wanted to buy official ones, hence the offer. He smiled and shook his head; the girl really cared about her friends.

However, the cartridges he bought were domestic bootleg FC game cards, very cheap. Even if he needed them in bulk, buying from Shenzen would be about the same cost as cracking or making them himself.

There was one more sentence at the end: “Wishing you and your wife a happy marriage. Next time you come to Shenzen, remember to call me. Goodbye.”

Wang Qiang folded the letter away, feeling good. He knew the girl truly believed he was married.

“What did your friend write about?” his mother asked anxiously, worried that her young son was distracted by romance and neglecting his studies.

Unaware of her concerns, Wang Qiang replied honestly, “I told her I wanted to buy a game console and cartridges. She happened to know someone who can crack cartridges and wanted to introduce me.”

His mother frowned slightly. “Why do you want a game console and cartridges? Listen, even if you’re not going to school, you can’t neglect your studies. Avoid these harmful things as much as possible.”

Realizing his mother misunderstood, Wang Qiang quickly explained, “It’s not for me to play.” After thinking a moment, he decided to tell the truth. “I partnered with someone in Shanghai to open a game room. It’s quite profitable—I earned fifteen or sixteen hundred yuan in five or six days, so I need to buy game consoles and cartridges.”

His mother exclaimed, “A game room?”

He told her everything, except for the matter with Liu Guiyi, which he purposely omitted. Some things were better left unsaid to avoid worrying her.

Afterward, Wang Qiang clearly saw a sigh of relief on his mother’s face. He stopped talking and asked if there was any stationery at home; he wanted to write back to his father, telling him not to keep working at the construction site.

Since his father was away for long stretches, envelopes, paper, and stamps were usually kept at home. His mother went into the room and brought some out.

Taking a thick stack of paper, Wang Qiang grabbed a pen and immediately began writing a reply to his father.

He deliberately wrote little about his own affairs, only saying there was an urgent matter and asking his father to come to the Friendship Guesthouse in Shanghai. Since the house wasn’t rented yet, he could use Old Zhu’s hotel address.

After finishing his letter to his father, Wang Qiang thought for a moment and decided to write back to Fang Yueqing as well. He hadn’t planned to reply, but since she was concerned about him, he couldn’t just leave it at thankless silence.

He began his letter: “Thank you, Xiaoqing. I’ve already solved the game console problem. I really appreciate you thinking of—” Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence, a question flashing through his mind.

Just cracking FC game cartridges?

Could arcade machine motherboards be cracked too?

Since he bought a red and white console, he first thought of cracking FC game cartridges. But then it hit him—game consoles aren’t just the red and white ones; there are handhelds, arcade machines, and so on.

If she could crack arcade machine motherboards…

He shuddered, unable to imagine the possibilities. His heart pounded wildly.

Arcade machines cost forty thousand yuan each now. Where does the expense lie?

The screen, cabinet, power supply, coin slot, and controls don’t cost much. For example, the screen is basically a 21-inch color TV. The high cost is in the intellectual property-protected circuit boards.

If the motherboard could be cracked, the cost of an arcade machine wouldn’t exceed ten thousand yuan. What a concept!

Wang Qiang immediately took it seriously. He tore up the letter he was writing, balled it up, and set it aside to rewrite.

Seeing this, his mother asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just suddenly thought of something,” Wang Qiang replied.

He picked up his pen again and wrote: “Xiaoqing, thank you so much for thinking of me. I should be coming to Shenzen again in a while…”

Actually, Wang Qiang didn’t know if Fang Yueqing’s friend could crack arcade motherboards, but the opportunity was right in front of him. How could he not ask?