2: Chapter 2: Reading Can't Save the Chinese
Seemingly sensing the bed shaking, Jiang Meier slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing Lin Tian sit up, she immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master, you're finally awake!"
Looking at the tears welling up in her eyes, Lin Tian felt that, apart from his father, she was probably the only person in this world who cared about him so much.
A wave of warmth couldn't help but surge in his heart.
"Yeah, I'm fine now, Sister Meier."
Lin Tian tried his best to speak in his usual tone.
"Is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable, Young Master? Should I ask the Master to invite Dr. Lawrence to come and take a look?" Jiang Meier asked anxiously.
"No need to bother, I'm completely better."
After saying this, Lin Tian stepped into his shoes.
Just then, a boisterous boy's voice sounded from outside the door.
"Lin Tian, are you in the room? I'm coming in!"
That's right, Bruce had an English name in the USA: Bruce Lin, exactly the same as the famous kung fu superstar from later generations.
The wooden door was pushed open.
A chubby white boy wearing a gray jacket and black trousers ran in, his cheeks flushed red from running.
"Hey! Bruce, I heard you were sick, so I came over specifically to check on you!"
After saying this, the chubby boy turned his head and greeted Jiang Meier.
"Hey, Vivian, you're here too!"
"Harvey, stay here and chat with the Young Master. He must be hungry, so I'll go to the kitchen and bring something to eat." After saying this, Jiang Meier got up and walked out of the room.
Before leaving, she thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
Seeing that there was no one else in the room, the chubby boy rolled his eyes, leaned over to Bruce's side, and grinned mischievously:
"Bruce, Vivian is getting prettier and prettier!"
"Get lost!" Bruce scolded him unceremoniously.
"Hehe, I know Vivian is your sister. But, look, how about you let me be your brother-in-law?"
The ten-year-old chubby boy stood up straight, deliberately spun around, and shook the rolls of fat on his body.
The economy in the USA was currently in a slump, so being able to eat enough to reach this size meant his family's financial situation was definitely not bad.
The chubby boy's full name was Harvey Smith. His father, Old Smith, was a local farmer in California.
This family was white, having immigrated from Scotland before the USA declared independence.
In later generations, this type of person had a famous nickname: "Redneck."
They did things according to old rules, were wild in nature, and had explosive tempers. They valued face above all else. If anyone dared to make them lose face, they would really dare to pull a gun and kill.
However, it was quite strange that Old Smith had a very deep friendship with Lin Tian's father, Lin Shi. Old Smith never looked down on the Chinese and often helped the Lin family settle matters. The two men would gather from time to time to drink and chat.
With this relationship between their fathers, Harvey and Lin Tian were friends who had grown up together. So even if the chubby boy had no filter and made jokes, Lin Tian never took it to heart.
After the two chatted for a few moments, the chubby boy Harvey patted his satchel and asked, "Lin Tian, are you going to school today?"
"Yeah, I'm all better anyway, I'll head out after breakfast." Lin Tian answered without thinking.
Hearing this, Harvey was full of joy. Lin Tian understood why he was happy.
San Francisco started off by gold mining, and the city didn't care about education at all; the ordinary public schools were terrible. Even though Harvey was white, he still got beaten up quite a bit at school.
Lin Tian was Chinese, so logically he should have been even less welcome. But he had been forced by his father to practice martial arts since he was a child, and his skills were quite good. Plus, there was a ruthlessness in his bones, and he had consecutively dealt with several punks for Harvey. With Lin Tian covering him, no one in school dared to mess with Harvey casually.
After a while, Jiang Meier walked in carrying a plate of beef buns and a bowl of meat soup. Harvey's eyes lit up; he had been in such a rush to see Lin Tian that he hadn't even had a sip of water for breakfast.
"Here!" Jiang Meier handed him a large meat bun.
The chubby boy didn't stand on ceremony at all, took it, and bit into it, his mouth full of oil, the aroma hitting his nose.
"Vivian, the food you Chinese make is simply delicious!" Harvey praised while eating.
Just then, a hearty voice sounded from outside the door.
"If you like it, eat more! John used to be able to eat five of my big beef buns in one go!"
Hearing this voice, Harvey quickly stood up straight.
"Hello, Uncle Lin!"
"Hello, kid. Seeing you so energetic, John is really lucky." Lin Shi joked with a smile.
The chubby boy scratched the back of his head with his oil-stained hand and chuckled foolishly.
Lin Shi turned to look at Lin Tian and saw his son taking the plate from Jiang Meier's hands and eating heartily, his eyes full of gratification. However, he immediately straightened his face, putting on a stern expression.
"Remember, you are not allowed to go wandering by the lake again in the future, do you hear me?"
"...Got it!"
Lin Tian's stomach was growling from hunger, and he shoved a large bun into his mouth in a few bites. While chewing, he kept praising how delicious it was. The meat filling in the buns was pure beef, and the taste was absolutely top-notch.
Seeing his son lively and jumping about, Lin Shi was completely relieved and turned to go to the front shop to greet customers.
After eating his fill, Lin Tian shouldered his schoolbag and went out to school with Harvey.
...
The San Francisco Peninsula was surrounded by the sea on three sides, and influenced by ocean currents, the early spring mornings were quite cold. Lin Tian walked down the street, wrapped in a thick gray jacket and wearing a beige newsboy cap.
The streets were lined with low buildings, many of which were built directly from wooden planks, completely lacking any shadow of the metropolises of later generations.
The restaurant opened by the Lin family was a wooden house, with a style very similar to the old saloons in Western movies. Relying on affordable prices and authentic flavors, it attracted a large number of Chinese workers every day.
On the road, they encountered some Chinese laborers wearing long queues. Seeing Lin Tian, they would all happily shout, "Young Master is heading out?"
Most of these people were doing menial jobs like building railroads or mining.
For these Chinese workers who had been tricked into coming here as laborers, the Lin family, whose life was relatively stable, was definitely an object of envy.
Looking at his compatriots before him, their faces weathered and working hard, Lin Tian couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in his heart.
Who could have imagined that because of an upcoming unequal law, these compatriots would soon suffer greatly.
Walking on the road, he desperately wanted to change the status quo.
The idea of dropping out of school popped up directly. In the current situation, he really couldn't sit in the classroom and study with peace of mind.
Moreover, once the Chinese Exclusion Act was introduced, even though he and his father were naturalized Chinese, they would still be ruthlessly expelled by the school.
Harvey, carrying his schoolbag, saw Lin Tian's serious face and curiously leaned over to ask, "Brother, what are you thinking about? Could it be Mary or Gladys... Hehe!"
Hearing the chubby boy's mischievous laugh, Lin Tian rolled his eyes.
He stopped, turned his head, and stared seriously at Harvey.
"Harvey, my good brother, I think I'm going to drop out of school soon."
As soon as these words were out, the mischievous smile on Harvey's face froze instantly, and he shouted with wide eyes, "What? Why?!"
"It won't be long; even if I don't want to leave, the school will kick me out." Lin Tian said calmly.
Harvey didn't believe it at all.
Although recently in California and even across the country, some bad things targeting the Chinese were being spread—like the Chinese stealing jobs from locals, the Chinese not following Christian rules, and being an inferior race.
But for Harvey, who had grown up with Lin Tian, this nonsense was just wind passing by his ears. Their two families had a very strong relationship, and they completely ignored the rumors outside.
Because of the matter of Lin Tian dropping out, the two had sullen faces on the way to school, completely losing the mood for their usual horseplay.