Volume 1 / Chapter 1: A Tricycle

Volume One: The End of the Twentieth Century

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The evening sun sank low on the horizon. For once, Yu Liang hadn’t driven his car home. Instead, he plopped himself down onto an old tricycle.

He’d spoken with the staff member in charge of the vehicle earlier that day, arranged to borrow it after work, and now, as the end of the workday arrived, he was already straddling the thing, keys in hand.

This was the Hangzhou Fisheries Bureau. Aside from the elusive bureau chief who rarely showed up, the section chiefs like Yu Liang were the highest-ranking folks in sight.

So when the gate guard saw Yu Liang pedaling out on a tricycle, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Section Chief Yu! What happened to your car today?" the guard asked with a grin.

"Can’t be hogging the government car every day, can I?" Yu Liang chuckled. His pudgy figure looked hilariously mismatched with the flimsy tricycle. "Borrowed this one to haul some stuff home."

"Aiya, Section Chief doing his own moving? That’s real dedication."

"It’s fine! Bit of exercise won’t kill me." Yu Liang smiled and gave a nod. "Off I go then."

"Take care!"

Yu Liang hadn’t ridden a tricycle in years, and now, huffing down a busy street, he was quickly reminded why.

Within minutes, sweat beaded on his forehead. The heat had him constantly using his already-soaked shirt sleeve as a makeshift towel.

“Hey-ya—hey-ya—” he muttered rhythmically as he pushed the pedals, even standing on them at times.

He’d hit an incline. Going uphill meant serious legwork.

When he drove his car, the commute felt short—just a few traffic lights and he’d be home. But on this thing? Every inch of the road felt endless. He was barely a third of the way and already felt like he was about to keel over.

"Looks like I need to get some exercise more often..." he muttered to himself, pulling up beside a small shop. Without hesitation, he bought a bottle of cola to cool off and downed half of it in one go. "Damn it, A’Li better treat me to a big meal for this!"

He joked aloud, though his complaints didn’t stop him from finally making it home.

Though the weather had cooled a little, his clothes were soaked with sweat.

After climbing the stairs, he found the apartment empty—his wife must’ve gone out to pick up their daughter.

Yu Liang went straight to the bathroom for a much-needed shower, then picked up the phone and called Mo Xueyao’s father.

"Hello?"

"A’Li?"

"...Hello?" The signal sounded fuzzy.

"Mo! Wen! Li! How are you doing?!"

"I hear you, I hear you! Why’re you shouting so loud?" came the annoyed reply.

To anyone listening, it would’ve sounded like nothing more than two college buddies catching up—just a bit loudly.

"Come eat at my place."

"You got it?"

“What the hell are you talking about? Just get over here.” Yu Liang smacked the table. “You better appreciate this. I almost passed out hauling your crap back.”

“That’s just ‘cause you’re outta shape,” Mo Wenli joked. “Fine, fine, I’m coming over now.”

Just then, the front door opened—it was Yu Liang’s wife and daughter returning.

“Daddy~!” the little girl squealed as she launched herself into his arms, snuggling up affectionately.

Even though they saw each other daily, she seemed more attached to her father than her mother.

“Hmph! This little traitor,” his wife huffed, half-joking. “I’m the one with her all day, and she’s never this sweet with me.”

“Haha, just goes to show I’m more charming,” Yu Liang laughed as he scooped his daughter into his arms. “A’Li’s coming over in a bit. Make a little extra for dinner—do we still have beer in the fridge?”

“Yeah, the stuff you bought last time. Didn’t even finish it.”

“Only Silver Lake left?”

“What, you wanted something fancier?”

“Forget it, Silver Lake’ll do.” Yu Liang shrugged. “A-Li loves braised pork. Make a big batch.”

“I haven’t bought any.”

“Then go grab some. The wet market’s right around the corner.”

“You ever think of getting off your ass yourself?” His wife gave him a withering glare “Back when we got married, you were slim. Now look at you! 1.75 meters tall, pushing 108 kg !”

“Hehe… I’m just tired, darling…” Yu Liang reached out to caress her hand, grinning sheepishly.

At that moment, the serious Section Chief had turned into a bashful man-child.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go. Want shrimp too?”

“Yeah. And grab some spiced beef while you’re at it.”

“You just loaned out 50,000 yuan and now you’re spending like a emperor . You think money grows on trees?”

“Come on now. You’ve got to spend money to make money. Comfort is the real wealth, and it’s not like we can take it with us when we die,” Yu Liang said, lounging on the sofa with his daughter. “Oh, hey—turn on the TV for me before you go.”

“Lazy pig.” His wife shot him a glare, grabbed grabbing her little purse and heading out the door.

“Sweetie, help Daddy turn on the TV?” Yu Liang turned to his daughter instead.

Of course, she was thrilled to help—hopping over plugged in the TV, then skipped right back into his arms.

“So, did anything fun happen at school today?”

“Umm… my deskmate borrowed my eraser... and lost it!”

“Haha, that’s okay. We’ll just buy a new one.”

“But if people keep losing stuff and we keep buying it, isn’t that wasting money?” she asked, tilting her tiny face up at him.

“Oh wow, my daughter’s so sensible. Well then, don’t lend it out next time. People who always lose stuff—just ignore them.”

“That’s not right either,” she said, now taking the moral high ground. “Everyone makes mistakes. You have to give people a chance to change.”

“Oh, oh! My daughter is so wise! You’re amazing!” Yu Liang gave her a big thumbs up.

As night fell, the little girl went off to do her homework, and his wife returned with groceries, busying herself in the kitchen.

Then the landline phone—connected to the building’s intercom—rang.

“Hello, Mr. Yu? There’s a Mr. Mo here to see you.”

“Oh, that’s my friend—you’ve seen him before, right? Don’t keep stopping him every time.”

“Ah... sorry, Mr. Yu, I’m new here. Didn’t know.”

“New, huh? Just remember for next time. Let him in.”

“Understood.”

Minutes later, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

Just before the doorbell rang, Yu Liang opened the door.

“Huh?”

“What do you mean ‘huh’? Get in already,” Yu Liang grinned, patting Mo Wenli on the shoulder.

“Wow, you really went all out.”

“Yeah, yeah. You owe me two meals now, remember that.” Yu Liang joked, picking up some spiced beef with his chopsticks. “Here, have some appetizers. I told Ayang to make braised pork.”

“Heh! You’re the best!” Mo Wenli gave him a thumbs-up. Their banter didn’t sound like two middle-aged dads, but more like college boys hanging out again.

“Knew you liked braised pork—eat up.”

“Man… I feel kinda bad now.”

“What for? We’re brothers, aren’t we?” Yu Liang laughed heartily. “Xueyao back yet?”

“Not yet. She’s supposed to return today, but I left early this morning and haven’t been home.”

“She didn’t call?”

“Been too busy. Barely got a minute to breathe.” Mo Wenli sighed. “Who would’ve thought the company would lay off that many people all at once?”

“The whole wave of layoffs is almost over, and you still managed to get axed...” Yu Liang shook his head. “Planning to start your own business?”

“Yeah. I used to dabble in it. I’ll start small and test the waters.” Mo Wenli nodded. “Hard part is getting a proper tricycle license these days…”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one a million times. Can you stop repeating yourself?” Yu Liang rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I brought the tricycle back. The key’s right in front of you. But don’t come asking me why it went missing.”

“Haha, you’re a good man.”

“Quit drinking and eat something!”

And so, three rounds of beer and five plates of food later, Mo Wenli was already tipsy.

“Just three bottles and you’re wobbling? You sure you can make it home?”

“Just a little dizzy. I’ll be fine riding home.” He hiccuped. “Right… It’s late. I’m off!”

“Be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah!”

He climbed onto the tricycle, only to realize he hadn’t unlocked it. Off he hopped, fiddled with the lock,  released the handbrake, and pedaled off into the night, disappearing down the empty street.

Back home, his wife and daughter still had no idea he’d been laid off and was now worrying about how to support the family.

---

“You really just let him ride off like that?”

“Sure did.”

“What if they come after you for compensation?”

“Please. I’ll just say it was stolen. It’s government property—who’s gonna go digging for a lousy tricycle? It’s not worth much anyway. it’s the stupid license plate that’s the real headache. Honestly, licensing a tricycle is the dumbest thing ever,” Yu Liang waved it off. “It’s a small thing. Their family’s in a tight spot. If A’Li doesn’t get something going soon, he won’t be able to repay us anyway.”

“True… Still, you should really stop doing this kind of thing.” His wife gave a gentle warning. “Government property going missing—that’s not a good look.”

“Yeah, yeah—I get it,” Yu Liang sighed, polishing off the last of his beer in one gulp.

---

“Did Dad pick up yet?” At home, Mo Xueyao was fanning herself with a cheap plastic hand fan.

“Nope. Must be busy today,” her mother replied with a shake of the head.

Just then, they heard the door unlocking.

A moment later, Mo Xueyao’s father stumbled in, reeking of alcohol.

“What happened? Why are you so drunk? Company dinner?” her mother asked.

“Uhh... just got back from A’Liang’s place...”

“What were you doing there?” She helped him to a seat and poured him a cup of tea.

“Borrowed a tricycle.”

“A tricycle? What for? Where’d he get one?”

“Well… Plates are hard to get now… and the frame’s got a serial number… Can’t just slap on some other plate… He helped me get the trike…”

“Why do you even need a tricycle?” she pressed, confused.

“Work... gotta make money...” he mumbled as he slid from the chair to the floor, then tilted his head and passed out within a second.

Mo Xueyao looked at her baffled mother, then at her snoring father.

A sinking feeling crept into her chest—

Could it be that… Dad got laid off?