"Life's tough these days. Xu Fu, you teachers still have it better than us."
I muttered, staring at the half-burnt cigarette in my hand. Xu Fu smiled and shook his head.
"It's not that easy for me either. There are conflicts with colleagues, and a mountain of things to deal with."
Xu Fu and I sat in a hotpot restaurant. I couldn't help but worry about my wife at home—her health's been poor lately, coughing all the time. We've seen plenty of doctors and tried a lot of medicine, but nothing seems to help.
"But Ethan Zhang, you and your wife have been together so long, how come you still don't have any kids?"
I could only shake my head helplessly.
"There's just nothing we can do about it."
I could only force a bitter smile. Raising a child costs too much here. You have to work yourself to the bone just to survive, and anyone who can't work hard enough gets thrown out of the city. That scares me, because my boss, Lee Gee, threatens me with that all the time.
"Enough talk. Let's eat and drink."
It's been ages since I had hotpot. Xu Fu ordered plenty of meat. As a teacher, his salary is several times mine, but he doesn't seem to have it easy either.
Suddenly, there was a commotion. We looked over—it was that father-daughter pair again, shouting in the street, hawking those scam products. I've been tricked by them before, so I have a pretty bad impression.
"Scammer father and daughter. Looks like today they're making nothing!"
Xu Fu said cheerfully. We live in District Thirteen, one of the poorer areas. Unlike the wealthier districts with skyscrapers, most of our buildings are low and run-down.
"Hey, isn't that our regular customer?"
A man with a forced smile came over right away. Xu Fu wasn't happy, and raised his hand to stop him.
"Someone's sitting here."
The long-haired man in front of us, wearing glasses, was Basil Bertram. His daughter, Leah King, followed behind. I really have no idea how he raises his kid. They peddle scams from District One all the way to Thirteen. Seeing him carrying all those breast enhancement and beauty products just made me angry. Leah King sat down too.
She was a beautiful girl, but she liked helping her father scam people out of money. I really couldn't stand the two of them.
I still remember buying some face masks from them once. It was my wife's birthday, and that month my salary was decent. I ran into them on the street, and after their pitch, I bought a set of beauty products.
I spent thousands. I don't know what came over me—maybe it was Leah King's looks that fooled me. In the end, not only were the products useless, but my wife even had an allergic reaction.
"Do you believe this old scammer?"
Xu Fu, furious, stood up and grabbed a bottle, ready to smash it. I hurried to hold him back. The whole restaurant was watching. Then, footsteps sounded, followed by a provocative voice.
"Mr. Xu Fu, as a teacher you should set an example. This is a bad look."
Basil Bertram and his daughter Leah King scurried off. A man in a suit sat down—his face was clean and pale, looking far tidier than Xu Fu. He was John Chou, a teacher from the same school.
John Chou was Xu Fu's nemesis—they constantly argued over the smallest things. I'd seen this scene play out plenty of times.
Xu Fu's talk about conflicts with colleagues was really just about his feud with John Chou. In school, female teachers all praised John Chou, but when it came to Xu Fu, the reviews were harsh.
"Mr. Xu Fu, you need to mind your behavior. Our elementary school is an elite school. If word gets out to the parents, it'll be trouble for the principal."
Xu Fu set down the bottle. Now, eating hotpot felt awkward—neither of us could enjoy it. John Chou was always so arrogant, it made everyone uncomfortable.
Then came a rumbling sound. Dump trucks rolled down the narrow street—even though it's just a food street. The construction company's been getting out of hand lately.
Redmane Construction Company has a terrible reputation around here. They bully and bribe their way into taking land, then build expensive shops to squeeze the district's residents even more.
At the very end was a black sedan, which parked right on the sidewalk. Out stepped a red-haired man with a cigar—Redmond, the vicious real estate developer.
That's what everyone in our district calls him. Beside him was a chattering woman named Yuna Ji, his secretary. You could tell their relationship wasn't exactly proper.
"Hey, poor folks! If you're eating here today, you owe it all to me!"
Xu Fu and John Chou both looked annoyed. Xu Fu stood up, ready to confront him, but John Chou grabbed his arm.
"Don't mess with the rich. You can't win."
Redmond led his secretary Yuna Ji inside one of the fancy restaurants he'd built and now rents out. The owner rushed out to greet them. Meanwhile, our hotpot place was filthy and chaotic. I sighed as my stomach growled.
"Start cooking, Ethan Zhang. What a day—bad luck all around."
Xu Fu spoke, and we started putting food in the pot. John Chou swallowed hard—he looked hungry too.
"If you're eating, hurry up."
The mood finally eased a little. I ate until I was stuffed, thanking Xu Fu over and over. After the meal, the three of us went our separate ways.
I weaved through the alleys—my home was in the slums on the outskirts of District Thirteen, a stretch of low shacks all strung together. I knew most of the people here. Finally, I got back to my own place: a tiny, one-story shack.
"Honey, I'm home."
A fit of coughing. Rachel Lan wiped oil from her face and dried her hands on her apron.
"The bathwater's ready. Go wash up. You drank, didn't you? Why are you home so late? I'll heat up some food for you."
(Irrelevant passage about chapter navigation. Skipping translation.)
I reached out and hugged Rachel Lan, nuzzling her face.
"What are you doing, Ethan? Are you drunk?"
"Still coughing? Tomorrow after work, I'll take you to see Old Cat again. His medicine seems pretty good."
"It's nothing."
Rachel Lan said, then started coughing again.
A lot of neighbors said marrying such a beautiful wife was a blessing earned over several lifetimes. I might be poor and plain, but having a beautiful wife was something I was proud of.
Upstairs in the small living room, I stood by the window, smoking. I rarely smoked at home lately—one puff made me cough, even though I'd smoked for years.
Behind me came Rachel Lan's cough. I quickly tossed out the cigarette butt.
"Sorry. I won't smoke anymore."
Rachel Lan gently shook her head.
"Did you get scolded again?"
I didn't say anything, but Rachel Lan saw right through me. I only drank this much when I was in a bad mood.
"I think I should find a new job. The pay is decent, but my boss, Lee Gee, is a real bastard."
"If you're unhappy, just switch. I'm going to bed."
Rachel Lan pulled me into the bedroom. Holding her made me feel at peace, but she started coughing again.