System Came When the Doctor was Thirty

Long County, Tucheng Dam Affordable Housing District, Building Two, Unit 1, Room 2704. The oscillating fan was blowing away the lingering afternoon heat.

Tian Zhuang was holding a big bowl, devouring the shredded potatoes, beans, loofah, and stir-fried meat with beans on the table.

After finishing a big bowl of rice, Tian Zhuang looked at his nearly sixty-year-old mother, Yao Fang: ”Mom, where’s my salary card? How much is saved on it now?”

Yao Fang was tidying up the dishes in the kitchen, replying from a distance: ”I kept your card, I don’t know how much is on it. Anyway, it’s just there, waiting to buy a house in the future.”

Tian Zhuang put down his bowl and chopsticks, saying, ”Mom, can you find my card? I need to use it to buy something.”

”What do you want to buy?” Yao Fang came rushing out from the kitchen, still holding a green cleaning cloth for wiping the kitchen table.

”I need to buy something to practice surgery with, it costs more than three thousand yuan!~” Tian Zhuang looked up.

Yao Fang’s pupils shrank sharply, and her movements froze slightly: ”What’s so expensive, son? Are you being scammed by someone?”

”Didn’t you already buy a set?”

Tian Zhuang stood up and replied: ”The set I bought is too big, not suitable for later use. Dr. Lu in our department says that to practice later surgeries, smaller instruments are needed.”

Yao Fang knew Tian Zhuang was practicing surgery, but she was still conflicted, clicking her tongue: ”That’s too expensive, isn’t it? Over three thousand yuan, can’t you practice without it?”

”Can’t practice!~ I must buy it.”

Tian Zhuang continued, ”Mom, find my salary card for me, it doesn’t matter if there’s money in it or not. From now on, I want to handle my own money.”

Yao Fang’s eyes bulged: ”What are you doing? Rebellious, aren’t you?”

”You can’t manage money properly!~”

Tian Zhuang said: ”Mom, for all these years, I’ve handed over my entire salary to you, and I’ve calculated that it’s at least twice as much as what you spent for me to attend college.”

”I’m grown up now, and I need to use money for myself too.”

”It’s not right for you to keep using my money to help my two brothers with their loans, I need to use money myself!~” Tian Zhuang’s voice was straightforward.

Upon hearing this, Yao Fang immediately tightened her tone, saying: ”Your father passed away early, and for the sake of your education, your two brothers didn’t pursue much education, now that you’ve got a job, are you starting to despise us?”

”What are you talking about, your fourth brother hasn’t started a family yet, your eldest brother’s son is still young, and your second brother just got married.”

Tian Zhuang looked at Yao Fang and said, ”Eldest brother didn’t get into college on his own, second brother hit a teacher at school and left on his own accord.”

”It’s not that they didn’t study for the sake of my education...”

Yao Fang said: ”Even so, they’re not well-educated. Now that you have a better job, you should help them a bit when you can.”

”Son, let me tell you, since you have a good job, there’s no need to rush into things. Your two brothers are both working in the city… they don’t have much money, and the houses they bought are all…”

Tian Zhuang interrupted: ”Mom, you also said they are my brothers!”

”Which means they should be the ones helping me, not the other way around. I’ve been working for so many years, and my salary by now should amount to tens of thousands, right?”

”I don’t want it anymore, find my salary card for me, or I’ll just get a new one, rendering the old card useless, I’m just telling you this upfront.”

”How dare you...” Yao Fang raised her hand to give a slap.

Tian Zhuang said: ”What’s there to dare? I’m not stealing or robbing...”

”Mom, if you continue saying this, I’ll have to call my uncle and other relatives to come and reason this out.”

Yao Fang’s expression turned to one of fearful unease: ”Tian Zhuang, who taught you these crooked tactics?”

”Whoever it is, they’re harming you, hurting our family, don’t you know?”

”Your brothers also need to start families, you have good working conditions so you need to be sensible, or neither of your brothers can sustain their households.”

”If your sister-in-law divorces your brother, what happens to your nephew?”

”Tian Zhuang… you can’t get ahead and forget you’re part of the family… who’s been spreading rumors to you?”

”Is it that Lu Cheng? Mom will go find him…”

Tian Zhuang’s tone was assertive: ”No!~”

...

Two hours later, Tian Zhuang’s three brothers all arrived at the Tucheng Dam Affordable Housing District.

His eldest brother and sister-in-law carried a three-year-old child, and the second brother sat with his second sister-in-law by the TV, squinting at Tian Zhuang.

Fourth brother Tian Fu was sitting with his legs crossed, saying: ”I think Brother Wu is right, his own salary should be managed by him.”

”Brother Wu is already twenty-nine this year.”

”No way!~” Eldest brother Tian Wei, slightly chubby, immediately refused: ”Fourth brother, you know Brother Wu, if he manages his money, it’s easy for him to get scammed.”

”It’s better for mom to handle it.”

Second brother Tian Qin obsequiously looked at Yao Fang: ”Mom, Brother Wu is trying to create a rift, you need to see this clearly. Maybe he’s been misled by someone.”

Fourth brother Tian Fu had long been displeased with the way eldest and second brother leeched: ”Frankly speaking, I’d rather be scammed by outsiders than by family.”

”If you can find Brother Wu’s salary over the years, at least 100,000 a year, and show me 200,000 after three years, then I’ll concede that you two are reliable brothers.”

”Tian Fu, what do you mean by that? Are you saying we’re leeching off Brother Wu? Make yourself clear, mom was the one who decided how to split the family money back then.”

”Didn’t Tian Wei also hand over his salary?” Sister-in-law Hong Yaqin said: ”You’re the only one who doesn’t follow the rules.”

”Sister-in-law, do you have any shame saying this?” Tian Fu asked.

”How much has your family contributed to mom? List it out.”

Just as Tian Qin was about to speak, Tian Fu added: ”Don’t even start, not demanding money from home is considered good for you.”

”In your thirties and still acting like an infant.”

Tian Fu looked at Yao Fang: ”Mom, today let’s be clear, either you hand over Brother Wu’s salary card, or I’ll call uncle!~”

”Explain clearly whether you’re collectively managing the money or each brother handles his own!~”

”Amazing, Brother Wu needs to ask around just to buy a set of surgical instruments, unbelievable! No place for reason anymore, is there?!”

Tian Wei said: ”Buy it, get it for Brother Wu!~”

Tian Fu slammed the table: ”This is no longer about buying instruments, we need to clarify who’s right and who’s wrong.”

As Tian Fu was speaking, he received a phone call.

He immediately stood up: ”Uncle, you’re here, alright, I’ll come to get you...”

”Tian Fu!~” Both Tian Wei and Tian Qin panicked.

With father gone, mother’s brother takes charge.

Yao Fang may favor the two of them, but uncle won’t play the villain in between.

”I’m giving you two face by calling you brothers, without face, you’re nothing! Two good-for-nothings!~”

”Never doing anything serious, let uncle come to speak reason!~”

”I really want to see how much more blood Brother Wu’s tuition needs to be bled out for you to be satisfied…”

Yao Zhonghua, led in by Tian Fu, nearly grabbed Yao Fang and gave her a beating after listening to Tian Fu for just a few minutes.

”Yao Fang, go, hand over Tian Zhuang’s salary card to him!~”

”I can’t intervene in how you distribute household items, I’m an outsider, but Tian Zhuang’s salary card is his.”

”The kid is seriously learning a skill to buy things and still needs to submit an application to you lot?”

Seeing Tian Wei and Tian Qin glaring at him dissatisfied, Yao Zhonghua angrily pointed: ”What are you two staring at? Think I can’t beat you?”

”I’m telling you, if I hit you for this and you dare fight back, even dogs would bark at you!~”

”Yao Fang, don’t look at me either, if I decide to hit you now, no one could stop me!~”

”Not even if Father came!”