Chapter 90: Spliff

For most families, just like the Du family, buying a computer was little more than a novelty. They would regret it soon after bringing it home. The market was too small, and it was difficult even to resell a used one.

At that moment, hearing Su Mu’s words, Du Zhong poked his head out from under the blanket and said, “You want to buy it? Sure. Once I get up, I’ll call my dad and ask him. Seventy percent of the price is pretty good; he should agree. It hasn’t been turned on in a month anyway.”

“Mm, I’m studying programming at school, and I sometimes need a computer...”

Du Zhong’s father wanted to sell it, and Su Mu wanted to buy an Apple computer at a low price. The two sides hit it off at once.

After Li Ping’an had pestered Du Zhong for a long time, the fellow finally got out of bed cursing under his breath and started getting dressed. In mid-October, the temperature in Los Angeles was still high; long sleeves and jeans were enough, and plenty of people were still in short sleeves and shorts, not feeling cold at all.

They went out together to the arcade. Arcade games were always wildly popular, especially on weekends, when even getting a spot meant waiting a long time. Li Ping’an and Du Zhong were having a great time, while Su Mu was thinking about whether he could play games on a computer—games like the ones on these arcade machines.

He had heard the words “battle royale” and “League of Legends” several times on the radio. According to the host, they were games played on phones and computers.

Su Mu could not imagine how one played games on a phone. He thought perhaps a controller was plugged into the phone or computer, but that line of thought gave him a very useful direction: at the very least, it was certain that games could be played.

Soon he was absorbed in the games. Lately he had been busy learning all kinds of knowledge, so today he intended to relax properly. He stood behind Li Ping’an and watched him play 1942, one of the most popular arcade titles at the moment.

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, the game put the player in control of the American P-38 Lightning. Enemy planes used fictional RB-style models, and the game had a total of thirty-two stages, along with an emergency evasive maneuver called the “air roll,” which could help dodge enemy attacks.

After watching for a while, Su Mu also exchanged a few coins for an idle machine and played The Adventures of the Cheyenne People. One lever controlled direction, while several buttons were used to shoot. The game carried an obvious racist bias, since its content involved white men sitting in wagons and shooting Indians.

If one had to name the most invisible race in America, it would probably be the Indians. They were plainly the true masters of this continent, yet no one treated them as such. It was not until the 1920s that they were included under the category of “American citizens,” and even now they still had not obtained full legal rights. Those Indian reservations reminded Su Mu very much of the national parks set aside for animals and plants.

Even now, Thanksgiving was still a holiday that the vast majority of Indians refused to celebrate, because it signified the massacres, plunder, disease, and wars they would endure over the centuries that followed.

America was well suited to white people. They had occupied it with guns, cannons, and disease, and became its masters. Chinese, black people, and Indians were more like guests here, or perhaps not even guests. Whenever Su Mu saw his fellow countrymen who had immigrated here, he always wondered why they liked coming to this place. Clearly Canada or the countries of Europe were far more comfortable to live in.

It was a very stupid little game, and before one round had even ended, he had already lost interest. With a few coins still in hand, he went to the corner to try the slot machine. A Mexican man in his twenties soon sidled over. After looking around furtively, he took out something that looked like a cigarette, but without a filter, and asked Su Mu in a low voice, “Want a spliff? Ten dollars and it’s yours.”

A spliff probably meant a marijuana cigarette. That stuff was extremely common in the United States; in many states it could be bought and sold legally with a prescription, but no one could guarantee the legitimacy of the prescription. Added to that was the fact that the police were not strict enough in punishing private cultivation and sales, so even campuses were full of it.

For example, at Castelar High School, minors were often seen peddling it everywhere. There had even been an infamous incident involving a student running naked across the playground, all because he was so fogged up he did not even know what he was doing. Later, through family connections, he only received a mild punishment of probation on campus.

Su Mu noticed the bulge at his waist and could easily guess what it was. Not wanting trouble, he shook his head and declined. “Sorry, I don’t need it.”

The dark-skinned young man said nothing, continuing to look for other customers. After he had lost all his coins, he saw a black kid who looked only fourteen or fifteen and took a few bills from him.

Noticing Su Mu’s gaze, the young man with the clearly Mexican accent shot him a fierce glare.

Everyone in America knew not to argue with poor people who might be carrying guns. They feared nothing, and those with nothing had no fear of those with something. Corner them too tightly, and they could easily do something stupid. Su Mu immediately withdrew his gaze and went to find Du Zhong and the others so they could leave together.

In the past, this arcade had been all right. Customers merely came to play games. But once someone carrying a gun was also selling drugs, it meant they could not come again. In the America of the eighties, illegal drugs were rampant. They were everywhere in the country; if you wanted to buy them, you could. Even if the authorities tried to control it, it was useless and could not be eradicated. Chinese communities suffered from it as well, and many families were ruined because of it.

After learning the reason Su Mu wanted to leave, Du Zhong and Li Ping’an both sighed in unison. Another good place to hang out was gone. The three of them went to the flea market to browse and buy things, since Du Zhong’s grandfather’s birthday was the following week and they needed to choose a gift.

They did not go home for lunch, and only returned separately in the afternoon...

The next morning, Li Ping’an really showed up with a suitcase, and said excitedly to the speechless Su Mu, “My mom agreed to let me go with you! I told her I was going to study computer programming at your place!”

“Oh... you’re just feeding your mom nonsense. You fail math every single time, and you still dare say you’re learning programming.” Spitting out the toothpaste foam in his mouth, Su Mu spoke with disdain. Tomorrow school would start again, so today he had to hurry back and ask Daniel about buying the computer.

If that did not work, he planned to go find the older sister-in-law of Fifth Master Qiao. He had specially gone to thank her after entering school, and she served as the dean of academic affairs at Menlo Park Private Middle School, so she was certainly someone who could speak up.

Suddenly, Su Mu was shocked to discover that his own mother was actually wearing a very familiar work uniform! It was exactly the kind he had seen on the supermarket employees on Friday!

The word “Buyfun” was printed on it as well. Too astonished to keep talking to Li Ping’an, he said, “Mom, you... went to work at that new supermarket?”

“Mm. A friend introduced the job. The work isn’t too hard, and the pay is pretty good. Even during training, you still get paid.”

After his mother finished, she smiled and asked Li Ping’an, “Are you going with Su Mu? That’s even better. I don’t feel at ease with him out there by himself. The two of you can look after each other. Go have fun for a few days and then come back. Your mother chatted with me for a while last night, and she’s very worried about you.”

Su Mu stood there dumbfounded, then did not know whether to laugh or cry. He thought this was far too much of a coincidence. He had actually become his mother’s boss. Might he end up getting beaten for it...