The Rake’s Tale of an Orphan

Turning Tides and Laughter Amidst Struggle

The shop that the civil affairs department assigned to me belonged to the town's supply and marketing cooperative. Back then, the cooperative was already a shadow of its former glory. Compared to the bustling scenes of a few years ago, it now looked forlorn and desolate. After the reform and opening up, the transformation in the production relationships greatly stimulated productivity, and with that, the supply-demand dynamics shifted. The economy had evolved from a seller's market to a buyer's market.

The rise of private enterprises had a massive impact on the market. Collective units like the supply and marketing cooperatives, with their cumbersome structures and slow market responses, had been gradually phased out. People favored the private economy because it offered more products and services at lower prices than the cooperative could. At private businesses, customers enjoyed more choices and respect. In contrast, shopping at the cooperative had often meant asking questions only to receive cold glares from the shop assistants. At private businesses, customers finally realized that they had the right to choose, and they felt like true royalty—the "customer is king" mentality had taken hold.

The cooperative had essentially been pushed out of the market, with only a small section of farm equipment still under its operation. The rest of the storefronts had either been leased out to employees or rented to individual entrepreneurs.

The director of our cooperative was a sharp-minded man, quite agile in his thinking. He saw that the cooperative’s shops were too large for most individual businesses, so he divided all the available spaces into smaller ones, responding to the market's demands.

My shop was located at the far west end of the cooperative, right next to the government offices, making it the last shop on the street. For doing business, the location wasn't ideal, but since I sold mostly cigarettes, alcohol, and daily essentials, the proximity to the government meant I had a big customer base. In the end, the business was doing pretty well.

Old Wang seemed to have undergone a change. Instead of gambling the money away, he poured it all into my little shop. On the day we opened, Old Wang invited a few people to celebrate at a local restaurant. The village chief and a few of Old Wang’s close friends showed up, and even his two long-time gambling buddies came to support me.

That day, Old Wang was ecstatic, his face radiating happiness. Watching him act as if he were the host of the party, I couldn't help but feel like he was taking on the role of my father. Though I still called him "Old Wang," I noticed his rough face seemed strangely endearing, and I felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to pat it.

After a few drinks, Old Wang, in his usual boisterous manner, began to shout at me in front of everyone: "Lamb! Listen up! You're a boss now, you need to show some presence! Stop always bowing to everyone. You're a man—act like one!"

He'd always disapproved of how meek I was when I was younger. He thought I had no backbone, that I let people walk all over me. The few times I had grovelled for something as small as a piece of candy, he had scolded me relentlessly. But that was in the past. Though I still had a goofy side, I was no longer the kid who bowed and scraped. I had grown into someone who could hold my own in most situations. I wasn’t the type to kneel or call someone "father" unless I thought it was worth the price.

To make Old Wang happy, I raised my voice and replied, “Got it, Old Wang! From now on, my neck’s gonna be as high as it can go, and my belly’s gonna stick out as far as possible. When I see the village chief, I won’t greet him first—he can greet me!” With that, I exaggeratedly strutted over to the village chief and mimicked the pose. Everyone burst out laughing.

Old Wang was thrilled, and his language became even more crude: “That’s right! From now on, don’t be afraid of anyone! They’re all just people. We’re all the same. Liu Fu, don’t think you’re something special just because you're the village chief. You’re nothing compared to Lamb! He’ll be far better than you!” He was clearly enjoying himself, but he wasn’t done yet. “Liu Fu, get up and greet Lamb!”

Everyone began to egg the village chief, Liu Fu, on, urging him to greet me. Liu Fu, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of everyone, reluctantly put down his glass and stood up, saying, “Boss Yang, are you busy?”

I couldn't help but smile as I saw Liu Fu, slightly bent over and speaking in a lower tone, almost groveling. All those years I had bowed to him and called him "father," and now it was my turn to make him feel uncomfortable. A surge of satisfaction surged through me.

I narrowed my eyes at him and, in a casual tone, said, “You’re Liu Fu, right? I heard you’ve been up to some bad stuff lately. How about that family graveyard business? Did you really kick in a widow’s door? And what about Lan Hua from the village? Was she really—”

As soon as I finished, I saw Liu Fu’s eyes burn with rage. Realizing I had gone too far, I quickly backpedaled, smiling sheepishly and saying, “Just kidding, Liu Pa, don’t get mad. Pretend I didn’t say that—it was just a joke, really.”

The whole group cracked up laughing, and Old Wang was in stitches. He slapped me on the back and said, “Lamb, you listen to me. If you don’t find yourself a wife soon, don’t even think about coming back to the village. I’ll be ashamed of you! And don’t even try to say you know me!”

I pretended to be offended, “Old Wang, you really don’t think much of me, do you? Finding a wife isn’t hard. When the time comes, I’ll get you a whole bunch of them. Then, they’ll cook for us, wash our feet, and bring us hot water every day. If they wash our feet too—that would be even better.” I joked, picturing the scenario in my head.

Liu Fu chuckled and scolded, “You fool, Old Wang’s not telling you to find a wife to cook and wash feet. He wants you to have a son, and make sure he takes Old Wang’s last name!” He turned to Old Wang. “Am I right?”

At the mention of sons, Old Wang's face briefly darkened. He said, “Liu Fu, stop talking nonsense. I’m just looking out for Lamb, who lost his parents when he was four. As for all you guys here, don’t forget—you’ve all had Lamb call you ‘father’ at some point. We made a deal—when Lamb gets married, each of you needs to chip in at least fifty bucks for a wedding gift. Anyone who doesn’t… I’ll deal with them!”

The group immediately agreed, and the celebration continued. But as I sat there, I felt a wave of gratitude toward Old Wang. He had taken care of me for over a decade, never once insisting that I change my last name or forcefully calling himself my father. I suddenly felt deeply ashamed of myself for not fully appreciating what he had done. I swore to myself that I would have a son one day, and I would make sure he took the last name Wang, so he could call Old Wang “grandfather.”

The group drank for two hours before they were all too drunk to stand. One by one, they stumbled out of the restaurant, and I didn’t let Old Wang go back to the village. He had drunk too much, and was starting to rant and curse at anyone in sight, from the old squad leader to the village chief. I hurriedly helped him to the back room of my shop to rest, worried that he might provoke Liu Fu any further.