Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

Chapter 103 Going to Celebrate a Birthday

Zhuang Tunan was just a fifth-grade elementary school student, and his personality was somewhat similar to that of Zhuang Chaoying.

He might be a little timid when it comes to elders, but he is still a qualified older brother.

Hearing his sister recount the old woman's harsh words, Zhuang Tunan was indignant. When he heard that Zhou Cheng had actually smashed a cup at the old woman, he was stunned.

Thinking it over, he felt that his younger brother's actions were a bit excessive and disrespectful to his elders, but seeing his sister's triumphant expression, he couldn't say a word.

He knew he couldn't do what Zhou Cheng did.

Putting himself in her shoes, he would probably just swallow his anger and at most quietly comfort the little girl afterward. He would never have the courage to confront an adult directly.

As the eldest son of the Zhuang family, under the guidance of Zhuang Chaoying year after year, he always kept the words "eldest brother is like father" firmly in his heart and felt that he was shouldering a heavy responsibility.

But at this moment, watching his younger sister excitedly recount how her second brother stood up for her, how cleverly he threatened the adults, and how he managed to avoid a beating, the overflowing admiration in her clear childish voice suddenly gave him an indescribable feeling. For a moment, even the chocolate in his mouth didn't taste so sweet.

"Jingcheng, you did the right thing!"

This was the only thing Zhuang Tunan could say to Zhou Cheng in front of his sister.

Zhou Cheng simply waved his hand casually, without saying anything more.

"Big brother, my second brother and I ate all the rice in the pot, so there won't be any left for Dad when he comes back."

The little girl tugged at Zhuang Tunan's sleeve, her round eyes filled with worry.

Although she is small in stature, she is very thoughtful.

Her second brother escaped a beating thanks to those shouts, but she worried that when her father came back and found that his lunch had been eaten, he would use that as an excuse to punish her second brother.

Zhuang Tunan licked the lingering chocolate flavor from his lips. Although he was surprised that his younger siblings could eat so much rice, he didn't take it too seriously.

If the rice is gone, just cook more.

He's about to enter middle school, so cooking a pot of rice is a piece of cake for him.

Of course, what Zhuang Tunan considered "child's play" was not so easy to do.

In this day and age, cooking is never a casual matter.

Without natural gas, firewood was the only fuel. The kitchen was shared by several families, and the woodpile was crammed together. Starting a fire, using firewood, and choosing a stove—everything had its own rules and procedures.

Very young children are rarely allowed to enter the kitchen alone, as adults are afraid that their negligence could cause huge losses to "public property".

Zhuang Tunan asked about the origin of the chocolate, but Zhou Cheng just gave a perfunctory answer.

Zhuang Tunan could tell it was just a perfunctory response, so he had no choice but to put the matter aside for now and rush to the communal kitchen to prepare lunch.

As noon approached, more employees started using the stove, and he could borrow one to start a fire.

The little girl went to help her older brother with his work, while Zhou Cheng opened the window to let in more sunlight, and lazily lay down to sunbathe.

After he finished processing the memories, he realized that the Zhuang family was living in poverty and that if they didn't put in some effort, they wouldn't even be able to get a full meal.

In particular, his appetite was astonishing; he could eat the equivalent of three or four people on his own. Since he couldn't take up the rations of other family members, he had to find other ways to make up for it.

Sunbathing is currently the easiest way to do this.

In the real world, after a month of exploration, he has gained a relatively thorough understanding of the talents of the "new humans".

At first, he thought that the "new humans" could only allow him to absorb nuclear radiation, just like in the world of "Joy of Life".

However, after attempting to refine his true energy, he was astonished to discover that the potential of the "new human" far surpassed his talent during "Joy of Life".

The radiation that "new humans" can absorb and utilize is by no means limited to nuclear radiation.

He can absorb and transform energy of any wavelength, whether it is light radiation, heat radiation, or any other type of energy.

The only limitation is that the absorption efficiency is constrained by the current attribute limit, and it cannot be broken through almost without limit as in "Joy of Life".

Despite the limitations, Zhou Cheng was quite satisfied.

After all, this talent is a genuine, extraordinary talent. It is not even subject to many restrictions of the world's rules; even if the world changes and the laws change, it will still follow him.

He couldn't predict how far this talent could grow as his basic attributes continued to improve.

The pale golden sunlight fell on him, and it felt as if something warm was flowing silently through his body, not only on his skin but also inside him.

Although the heat was very faint, Zhou Cheng knew perfectly well that it was no illusion.

Radiation energy is quietly accumulating in his body, little by little. Although this energy cannot replace real food, it can reduce physical exertion and indirectly decrease his dependence on food.

As Zhou Cheng was sunbathing with his elementary school textbooks, Zhuang Chaoying returned.

People need food to live; no matter how angry you are, you can't go without eating.

Zhuang Chaoying still didn't give Zhou Cheng a friendly look, and Zhou Cheng didn't even glance at him.

The atmosphere in the small house was somewhat somber, and Zhuang Xiaoting took the initiative to get up and serve her father some rice.

Seeing this, Zhuang Tunan also cleverly took out his textbook, found a difficult problem, and went over to ask for help.

Zhuang Chaoying undoubtedly attaches great importance to his children's education. He immediately put down his rice bowl, picked up his pen, and began to explain the problem to his eldest son in a serious manner.

As Zhuang Tunan listened, he would occasionally let out a sound of sudden realization, which made Zhuang Chaoying show the first relaxed expression of the day.

Zhou Cheng remained lying on the bed, legs crossed, flipping through the pages of a book.

Elementary school homework is too simple. You can just skim through it and once the novelty wears off, all that's left is boredom.

Zhuang Chaoying looked up and saw Zhou Cheng flipping through a book, and felt a slight sense of relief.

He felt that although his second son was a bit stubborn and rebellious, as long as he loved reading, that was a good thing. Thinking this way, his heart softened a little.

"Xiaoting, go get your second brother a bowl of rice," he said in a calm tone.

The little girl opened her mouth, but hesitated. She glanced at Zhou Cheng, and seeing that he didn't object, she obediently went to get her rice.

Zhuang Chaoying wanted to use this to ease the tension between father and son, and Zhou Cheng naturally saw through it. He also stopped communicating with "Empress Xiaozhuang".

The Cold War is meaningless because it's pointless.

Zhuang Chaoying was unaware that the rice in the pot had been replaced, and even less aware of how much Zhou Cheng had already eaten.

The little girl came back with her rice bowl, and watched as her second brother took it without hesitation and began another round of hearty eating. She couldn't help but glance at his belly frequently, her eyes full of worry, as if she was afraid that he might accidentally burst his stomach.

With a trace of true energy secretly assisting his digestive system, Zhou Cheng was naturally not afraid of overeating.

What his body is lacking right now is food. If he eats a little too much at one meal, he'll just have to go to the toilet a few more times.

In the afternoon, Zhou Cheng finished his homework in just half an hour, then went out alone and wandered around aimlessly.

Different eras have different landscapes; it's hard to judge whether they're beautiful or not. For him, the difference is enough.

Around 4:15 PM, his mother, Huang Ling, returned home from get off work.

Before she even entered the dormitory area, a familiar and enthusiastic neighbor came up to her and recounted in a few words the part of the farce she had heard that morning.

Upon hearing this, Huang Ling's expression immediately changed. She gripped the strap of her shoulder bag tightly, her steps quickening until she was almost running home.

As soon as Huang Ling entered, she looked around the room. Before she could even catch her breath, Zhuang Xiaoting happily went to greet her.

Zhou Cheng had already returned, and he called out "Mom" just like Zhuang Tunan.

Huang Ling is in her thirties, not particularly beautiful, and looks older than her actual age.

She was an employee of Suzhou No. 2 Cotton Textile Factory, a group leader in the production workshop. She was gentle, virtuous, beautiful and intelligent, and a model wife and mother.

Seeing that her son and daughter were both safe and sound, Huang Ling finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

She hung her handbag behind the door, turned to Zhuang Chaoying, and tried to keep her voice calm: "Mother-in-law came by? What happened to Jingcheng?"

When Huang Ling asked this question, Zhuang Chaoying finally had someone to complain to. Without embellishing the story, she honestly recounted what had happened at noon from beginning to end.

After finishing his story, he added, "Grandma was just joking; Jingcheng, that little kid, actually took it seriously!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Ling's face darkened completely.

When she heard Zhuang Chaoying still trying to make amends for Grandma Zhuang, her expression turned even more unpleasant.

However, when she heard that her son and daughter had not suffered any loss in the end, she managed to suppress her anger, even though it had not yet subsided.

Zhou Cheng noticed Huang Ling's reaction but didn't find it strange.

They haven't moved yet, and Huang Ling hasn't been influenced by her future neighbor Song Ying. She still maintains traditional values ​​and ultimately retains a somewhat submissive and weak nature.

She can tolerate it as long as her children don't suffer too much loss.

Huang Ling didn't want to speak, but Zhou Cheng spoke up again: "Dad, what's a joke? Xiaoting didn't laugh, I didn't laugh, and even you didn't laugh. How can that be a joke? A joke is just the truth disguised in a guise. I may be young, but I can still distinguish between a joke and the truth!"

Zhuang Chaoying was taken aback at first, then her face darkened with anger: "What can a child like you possibly know? You're the one who can't distinguish right from wrong, and you're utterly stubborn. I thought you had repented, but it turns out you still don't know what's good for you!"

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was panting heavily.

Zhou Cheng's words were undoubtedly a slap in the face to Huang Ling. The key point was that not only were the other party's words unreasonable, but their statement also seemed perfectly reasonable no matter how you looked at it.

However, it's absolutely unacceptable for him to admit to speaking ill of Granny Zhuang.

A glint of surprise flashed in Huang Ling's eyes. She felt that Zhou Cheng's statement, "That joke was just a truth disguised as a joke," was truly insightful. The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

She turned her head and said coldly to Zhuang Chaoying, "Why are you yelling at the child? What did the child say that was wrong? Tell me!"

Zhuang Chao was stumped by the lack of English, and could only glare at Huang Ling resentfully.

Huang Ling snorted coldly and ignored him.

She turned to Zhou Cheng, her tone softening: "Jingcheng, your joke just now was nothing more than a truth disguised in a mask. Who told you that? That makes so much sense."

Zhou Cheng said calmly, "I said it myself. I just said whatever came to mind."

Zhuang Chaoying clearly didn't believe that a child could say such things, and only thought that Zhou Cheng had heard it from somewhere.

His lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something in rebuttal, but in the end he swallowed his words and said nothing.

Huang Ling's thoughts were actually similar to Zhuang Chaoying's. However, she assumed Zhou Cheng had heard it from some book or someone else, forgotten the source, and now casually remarked it as his own. She pondered that sentence several times in her mind, recalling the various people and events she had experienced at work, and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

She quickly suppressed the myriad thoughts in her mind and turned her attention back to Zhou Cheng, asking gently, "Jingcheng, you weren't feeling well before, how are you feeling now?"

Zhou Cheng replied, "After taking the medicine and lying down for most of the day, I'm fine now."

"It's good that you're alright." Huang Ling reached out and touched his forehead to make sure it wasn't hot before she withdrew her hand.

Zhuang Xiaoting then mentioned that her father had gone to the clinic early that morning to buy the medicine.

After hearing this, Huang Ling was somewhat dissatisfied with her husband's excessive protection of his mother, but seeing that he had not delayed her son's treatment, her resentment towards Zhuang Chaoying was not so great.

The family chatted about this and that for a while. Although Zhuang Chaoying's expression was still a little stiff, the matter was eventually dropped quietly.

With Huang Ling at home, dinner became much more formal, at least there were dishes.

Although it's just vegetables and not much oil, it's still better than dry rice with pickled vegetables.

That evening, Zhou Cheng returned to his upper bunk.

Fortunately, his body had already gotten used to such a cramped sleeping environment; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to endure it in such a narrow space where even turning over was difficult.

The next day, the three siblings went to school together.

He's in fourth grade now, and there's really not much to learn. Elementary schools these days don't even offer English classes.

Throughout his primary and junior high school years, the only valuable course in his eyes was English.

In real life, he didn't develop much intelligence when he was in school. He did very well in other subjects, but his English was terrible. He even made up an excuse to let himself go without studying.

After entering society, they began to pay the price for their perceptions.

During his years of working, his English improved considerably, but it was still far from perfect. Now that he's in this era, he can start over.

Moreover, Russian was only just beginning to be phased out at that time, so he could take some time to learn it.

Language is like exploring a map in a game; you can never learn too much.

During class, Zhou Cheng was completely lost in thought. All he could think about was how to make a little money to improve his life. Even adding a little lard to his three meals a day was a luxury; in both his lives, he had never suffered such hardship when it came to food.

During recess, the children would rush out of the classroom like crazy and play all sorts of games that belong to this era.

Zhou Cheng found it incredibly boring.

Even when invited by friends, he simply couldn't muster any interest.

It wasn't until the third period that the student in front of him started complaining after losing all his marbles.

"Sigh, I spent two cents on these beads yesterday, and even my foreign sister-in-law lost! Can anyone lend me a few? Or sell me a few cheaply!"

"Foreign Auntie" is a large glass marble, about the size of three or four ordinary marbles.

Ordinary marbles were sold in bookstores or supply and marketing cooperatives for one or two cents each, depending on whether they were colored or not. But the so-called "foreign marbles" started at five cents, and because they were rare, they could even sell for ten cents.

Zhou Cheng wasn't interested in children's games at first, but when the person in front of him said they were willing to pay for them, his eyes lit up.

After class ended, he borrowed a few pills from his friend using a loan shark.

Under the watchful eyes of a group of children, the marbles world of the cotton mill's affiliated primary school officially entered its darkest hour.

Having cultivated for decades in the world of Joy of Life, Zhou Cheng's control over power here is simply a matter of overwhelming power.

When it comes to playing marbles, as long as he makes a move, the other side just needs to wait and offer it up with both hands.

In one day, Zhou Cheng swept through the entire grade level.

In just two days, he had already become a legend at the school.

From day one, he dumped his spoils at a price of one cent for two pieces.

He would win again after selling everything, and this went on for several times until even the most stubborn guy gave in after paying out about 50 cents.

The "playing for the sake of harmony" mentality became the main theme of the pinball game. They no longer played "real" with Zhou Cheng, even if they lost one and were compensated one, or the other party lost one and were compensated ten.

Zhou Cheng sold off all his inventory and made a total profit of 2.15 yuan over three days.

For children of the same age, this is a huge sum of money, but for Zhou Cheng, it is nothing.

Kids couldn't afford to play around with it, and there wasn't much profit to be made, so Zhou Cheng gave up on the idea of ​​making money at school.

These days, people are poor. Not only are parents poor, but children are even poorer.

A few days later, it was another Sunday.

"Move in, move in, don't walk on the side of the road."

While calling to the children, Huang Ling and Zhuang Chaoying each carried large and small bags, leading Zhou Cheng and his two siblings, running along the street outside the cotton mill to catch the bus.

A bus pulled up behind us, and before it even came to a complete stop, a huge crowd had already packed the doors.

With a long, hissing sound, a thick cloud of exhaust fumes filled the air.

The doors opened, and the ticket seller struggled to the door to try to maintain order, but before she could even stand up, she was swept away by the irresistible flow of people and pulled deep into the carriage.

"Hurry! Hurry! Xiaoting, hurry!"

Huang Ling looked after her youngest daughter, while Zhuang Chaoying pushed Zhou Cheng and the others into the car from behind.

Today is Grandma Zhuang's birthday, and as is customary, her family will go there to celebrate.

Zhuang Chaoying took this matter very seriously. Several days ago, he had been repeatedly instructing him, especially keeping an eye on Zhou Cheng, and repeatedly warning him that he must behave properly in front of his father and grandmother and never make his grandmother angry.

They even made him memorize the birthday wishes in advance so he could say them to his grandmother during the birthday celebration.

The Zhuang family lived near the machinery factory in Gusu District, which was quite a distance from the Second Cotton Mill.

Just the act of squeezing onto the bus back and forth is truly exhausting.

This is also why Granny Zhuang was very unhappy when she came to ask for money last week.

Once on board, the carriage was packed with people, but it was still far from the overload standard of more than eight people per square meter.

Because there were too many people and no seats, Zhou Cheng could only try his best to create a small space in the crowd to protect Zhuang Xiaoting.

The little girl nestled obediently in his arms.

Zhou Cheng was quite used to this situation. After all, even twenty years from now, this kind of crowding would still be everywhere.

After a bumpy ride, Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting both involuntarily bent over and held their knees as they got off the bus, panting heavily.

There's no way around it; children have small lung capacity and are short, so they can't move around much in the car and have to breathe in the carbon dioxide exhaled by others the whole way. It would be strange if they didn't feel uncomfortable.

After the two children had recovered, the family of five walked for a while before finally arriving at their destination.

Grandma Zhuang used to work in a machinery factory, but her job was taken over by her youngest son, Zhuang Ganmei.

They lived with their youngest son in a house allocated by the machine factory, which consisted of two rooms and a kitchen. The kitchen was separate, and there was also a small yard.

Zhuang Ganmei has two sons, Zhendong and Zhenbei.

Zhuang Zhendong is about the same age as Zhou Cheng, while Zhuang Zhenbei is less than a year older than Zhuang Xiaoting.

There are six people in their family. With so many people, the space is naturally limited, but it's still much better than Zhou Cheng's family of five crammed into one room and using a shared kitchen and toilet.

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