Chapter 009: Closer Than Brothers

As usual, I must ask three things! Votes, recommendations, and favorites, please!

West Station of Jade Capital.

A middle-aged man in a colonel’s uniform with a resolute face and a stylish, graceful middle-aged woman were waiting amidst the crowd to greet someone.

After just a few minutes squeezed among the people, impatience already showed on the woman’s face. The colonel happened to notice as he turned his head and immediately lowered his voice, speaking sternly, “You really are delicate, aren’t you? Can’t even stand for a moment. Had I known, I should’ve let you take the old man’s car, then when my brother arrives, at least he wouldn’t have to see that sour look on your face!”

“What’s wrong with my face? Your brother’s not even related to our family by blood—” The woman’s words were abruptly cut off as she met her husband’s sharp gaze.

“Hmph, Cao Wei, let me tell you, even if the Yang family hadn’t raised me for eighteen years, back in the artillery regiment my brother saved my life. For that alone, what’s wrong with the two of us waiting here for him?”

Cao Wei instantly wilted. “I didn’t say anything, just being realistic.”

“Cut the nonsense. My brother’s only ever come to Jade Capital once in all these years, and this is the second time. He must be in trouble. When the time comes, keep your mouth in check, understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” The colonel’s expression eased a little. Turning his head, he just happened to see a handsome, middle-aged man stepping out of the exit—his face bore a striking resemblance to Yang Tang’s, mature and steady in manner, with a scholarly air, though a worried frown marred his brow. Standing at the exit, he looked about in confusion. “Hey, brother! Brother Jixue!!”

Hearing the shout, the handsome man was momentarily stunned, then looked over. Spotting the colonel, he strode over in three quick steps and broke into a smile. “Xuwu, you actually came to pick me up! Oh, and your wife’s here too? Sorry to trouble you both.”

“No trouble at all!” Having recently been scolded into submission, Cao Wei’s smile was a bit stiff, but she dared not speak out of turn. Instead, she enthusiastically snatched the bag from Yang Jixue’s hand and headed straight for the station’s exit.

“Hey, that’s heavy!” Yang Jixue called out, but the colonel stopped him. “Brother, let her carry it. If you hadn’t come today, that woman would be ordering everyone around at home!”

Cao Wei, walking ahead, nearly fumed at these words, but in public, she dared not lose her temper with her husband.

Second Ring Road, Dongsi Liutiao Alley.

After getting out of the military jeep, Yang Jixue still felt a bit dizzy. Surveying the surroundings, he couldn’t help but say, “Xuwu, there can’t be many alleys like this left in the capital?”

The colonel nodded in agreement. On the way, the usually reserved Cao Wei couldn’t hold back any longer. “Not only are there few left, but most people couldn’t dream of living in a place like this!” With that, and before her husband could scold her, she slipped into the alley.

The colonel was furious, but didn’t want to show it in front of Yang Jixue. Only after guiding Yang Jixue to their courtyard home did he seek out Cao Wei, who was hiding in the study.

“Alright, Little Grass, you think you’re something now?” Little Grass was Cao Wei’s childhood nickname. “What did I tell you before? Why act so high and mighty in front of my brother? Do you look down on him?”

Cao Wei, always on the weaker side with her husband, hastily defended herself. “I do not.”

“Looking down on my brother is looking down on me. Are you still brooding over the Qin and Cao family marriage alliance from back then? Fine, the kids are grown now, Lan’er got into Jinghua last year. Let’s get a divorce!”

“Di—divorce?” Cao Wei was thoroughly panicked at these words, but anger flared up as well. “Alright, Qin, you finally say what’s in your heart. You’ve wanted to kick me out for ages, haven’t you? You have someone else outside, don’t you?” With that, she leaped up, grabbing Qin Xuwu by the collar and refusing to let go.

Qin Xuwu raised an eyebrow, grasped Cao Wei’s delicate wrist, about to exert force, when—bang bang bang—a knock at the door interrupted, freezing them both in place. Years of tacit understanding; Qin Xuwu shot Cao Wei a look. She hesitated, then asked, “Who… who is it?”

Yang Jixue’s voice came from outside, muffled by the thick door. “Xuwu, it’s me. It’s almost dinner time, I’d like to invite you both out for a meal!”

Only then did the couple remember that they rarely stayed in this courtyard, and both housekeepers had been sent home early for the New Year. There was only some leftover dumplings in the fridge.

At the same time, Cao Wei keenly realized the Qin family didn’t want Qin Xuwu to get too close to Yang Jixue—otherwise, her husband wouldn’t have sent the housekeepers away. But then she thought, if he was willing to involve her in this, maybe it wasn’t so bad, and her urge to quarrel lessened.

“Brother Jixue, there’s no need to waste money eating out. Let’s just make some noodles and fry a few eggs at home, that’s enough!” As she spoke, Qin Xuwu shot her a fierce glare.

Cao Wei understood perfectly well why her husband glared—he thought she couldn’t cook. She knew it was true and didn’t argue, but instead, for once, blushed.

“Alright, I’ll head to the kitchen and fry the eggs!” With that, Yang Jixue’s voice faded away.

Smack!

Qin Xuwu slapped Cao Wei’s hand, scolding in a low voice, “Look at the mess you’ve made!”

Cao Wei rubbed her reddened hand. “What did I do? If you hadn’t mentioned divorce, I wouldn’t have started anything.”

“You’re unbelievable!” Qin Xuwu glared at her. “So, who’s going to cook the noodles?”

Cao Wei hesitated. “You. I’ll chop the scallions.”

“Forget it, I don’t want your fingernails in my noodles!” Qin Xuwu sneered, then abruptly changed tack. “Anyway, whatever trouble Brother Jixue has in Jade Capital this time, we have to help him!”

“Even if it’s illegal?” Cao Wei deliberately pushed back.

Smack!

This time, Qin Xuwu’s hand landed on Cao Wei’s plump backside. “Can’t you think anything good about my brother?” With that, he threw open the door and strode out.

Fog City, the Yang family.

Sitting at his desk, Yang Tang had been online ever since finishing his noodles.

“Damn, every song in the top ten of the pop music chart has over a hundred million downloads, and the top one is nearly a billion. That can’t be right, can it?”

“No, no, the population of China is just over a billion—how could everyone have downloaded it once?”

After some searching, Yang Tang finally understood the reason.

It turned out that, in this world, the computer operating system market was no longer monopolized by that American giant, but was now contested between China’s Tenglong OS and the American Windows system. Globally, Windows held half the market, Tenglong forty percent, and the rest belonged to open-source systems.

Ten years ago, Tenglong released a piece of encryption software, soon applied to audio and video files, leading to the current explosion of paid digital downloads for music and movies.

The encryption software was complicated yet simple: it encrypted media files so that, besides normal playback, each file could only be copied or moved three times. The copies, due to special source markers embedded, could be played but not copied or moved again.

Thanks to this software, pirates were almost wiped out. The price for downloading media files was nearly halved compared to a decade ago, while downloads soared geometrically. Overzealous fans, in their excitement, would copy or move files a few times, and then be forced to pay for another download—after all, it was on their computer but not their laptop, or on their laptop but not their phone, or on their phone but not in their social media background music.

Another two hours passed. Through the internet, Yang Tang learned more about the common customs and legal regulations of this world’s China. Not vastly different from his previous life, but with enough subtle differences to offer opportunities for someone who had been reborn and crossed over like himself.

“Should I take the chance to build up a little capital?”

It was worth mentioning that this world’s China had caught the wave of a second industrial revolution. Influenced by Western “credit systems,” every citizen was assigned a twenty-digit social security number and related national bank account at birth. In response to the government’s call to “expand the influence of Eastern culture,” the National Media Distribution Bureau had created an original content submission platform.

Any major media site certified by this platform could accept public registrations of original poetry, scripts, classical texts, and songs. Any citizen could upload and certify original works using their social security number, with a review period of less than seventy-two hours and a fee of ten yuan per year.

Of course, you could upload directly on the Bureau’s official website, but the review fee would double to twenty yuan per year.

Not to belittle himself, but even though Yang Tang had forgotten most of the songs, poems, and novels he’d seen, read, or heard in his previous life, a handful had stuck with him—such as “White down floats on green water, red paddles stir clear waves,” and “The moonlight before my bed, shoes on the floor below”—well, to be honest, with some effort, he could recall about a dozen classic poems and recite them in full.

As for pop songs, he could remember the melody and lyrics for five or six, not many, but each one had been a hit in its day, and only those he truly thought worth remembering. For instance, “Where Has the Time Gone”—the lyrics and music were etched in his mind.

As for those fleeting popular songs he’d only heard once or twice, he could hum a few lines, but never recall the full lyrics or music, so there was no way he could pass them off now.