A Promising Youth novel Chapter 4

Naturally, I wanted to succeed. Who doesn't want to make something of themselves as a young energetic boy?

I had a goal to find that girl and repay her when I was successful!

Because it was those few words of hers that gave me the courage to live every time I hovered on the edge of life and death.

But now that I was behind bars and my brother had hijacked even my chances of going to college. What qualifications did I have to talk about success?

Between my cowardly self-abasement, I clenched my lips and said.

“I want to succeed, but I don't have a chance anymore.”

“Why the rush to deny yourself?” He asked.

I said that I had a low EQ, I was not educated enough, and now I was in prison. In society, I had even less connections, so how could a person like me succeed?

Master smiled, kindly stroked my head and said.

“First of all, you are not low in emotional intelligence. You are very good at reading people and understanding their thoughts; Secondly, you can work on education. You still have five years in prison, isn't that the most valuable time to learn?”

Hearing this, I looked at him dumbfounded, not realizing that my tattered life would become the most perfect life in the eyes of Master.

It was then that I realized that there was perspective in looking at life, that there was light in the eyes and light everywhere. How could someone with eyes full of darkness see hope?

“Success, of course, depends neither on emotional nor intellectual intelligence; these are merely aids.”

Master taught me sagely.

“And what does that depend on?”

I hastily asked.

“Depends on the adversity quotient.”

That was the first lesson Master gave me.

He said that adversity quotient was the ability of the human heart to endure and bounce back in the face of adversity.

He transferred me to this prison through his connections, not just because I was a good writer and could contribute to the newspaper, but he was shocked by my reverse quotient. A child in prison had a strong desire to live between the lines, which were rare among prisoners.

From that day on, I began five years of “prison college”

Not only Master, but many of the special inmates here, had become my teachers in life, from literature to philosophy, from economics to management, and even music to art, all of them had been taught in every way.

Apart from the weekly publication of the newspaper, I became the greatest spice to pass the time in this prison. Although there were no textbooks, every teacher taught in person, from theory to practice, in every detail and by ear.

And I was most grateful to Master who taught me philosophy, from the Western style of Plato to the Renaissance, to the Eastern doctrines of Taoism and Confucius and Mencius, all of which covered the great wisdom of life.

It took a clear head to polish my eyes to see the world, and by this point I realized that the world I saw before I turned 18 was not as narrow and dark as I thought it was; it was actually a big world and life was exciting.

Time flew by as I studied tirelessly, and it was four years before I was released a year early because of a reduced sentence.

The night before my release, the teachers held a graduation party for me in the cafeteria. The atmosphere was so high that I had long been in tears, and I could not quell the reluctance in my heart.

Once a teacher, always a father. So what if they were prisoners?

They'd sinned before, so what?

With both knees on the ground, I kowtowed to each teacher, and in the face of Master, I even kowtowed 3 times. I would never forget in my life about this friendship!

That night, the teachers collectively gave me a journal, a seemingly insignificant gift that contained skills, experience, and something special from all walks of life; they laughed and said it was the only thing they could give me, and I, too, was their only student.

The next day before I was released, Master slipped me a note with a phone number and a name of “Sienna Johnston“

“Sienna Johnston”.

“Matteo, although you have learned a lot of skills, you are still cowardly and inferior in your bones, which must be tried to change. If you can't change it, it will be difficult to achieve success in the future.”

He squeezed my shoulder and said with a long sigh.

“Go, if you have a problem you can't solve, go to her.”

“Master!”

On both knees, I weeped again!

Since I was a child, I had never received any parental care, but during these years in prison, Master had treated me with every care, far better than my parents. In my consciousness, I had long thought of him as a father I could rely on.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped my tears and said, “You have only to tell me one thing. Were you wrongly accused when you went to prison?”

After many years together, I knew Master very well. He was so kind and wise, how could he be a criminal?

It didn't make sense!

“Does it matter?”

He stopped his pace and didn't look back.

“Yes! When I get out of prison, I will overturn the case for you!”

Gritting my teeth, I said with immense determination.

“You don't need to get involved in my business. Living your life is the greatest reward you can give me.”

After saying that, Master strode away.

Although I was cowardly and timid, I definitely knew how to repay his kindness, so at that moment, a seed sprouted in my heart that in the future, I must help Master get rid of this iron cage completely.

After walking out of prison, I was at the front door and saw my parents and brother, who was wearing sunglasses and driving a brand-new silver Jetta, which must had been bought for him by Mom and Dad.

I had imagined that my parents would feel guilty and my brother would be grateful because of what happened back then, but I was wrong. The glorious college student back then could have been wrong into prison by them, let alone now, when I was a newly released prisoner.

So there was no gratitude or care, much less sadness or tears. They treated me with indifference. Not to mention a look of disgust, they did not even say a word about what happened back then.

When they got into the car, my parents were very much interested in brother's marriage!

Especially when I heard that my brother's girlfriend, who was his college friend and from our hometown, my heart actually hurt like a pinprick!

Was that the beautiful girl really with my brother and going to marry him?

That was not me. No!

‘You can't marry him. My brother's an asshole.’

Despite the mixed feelings in my heart, my years of prison study had long since taught me to hide my thought, “Brother, is there a picture of your girlfriend?

Let me have a look.”

I asked with a forced smile.

But as soon as I spoke, the whole atmosphere became awkward. My brother, who was still smiling, suddenly stared at me with cold eyes and said.

“No. If we can't afford a house, I can’t marry her!”

My father puffed on his cigarette and said.

“Your brother found a job for you. Go to the city with him and work tomorrow morning, earn money to help your brother buy the house, or else the girl will not agree to the marriage.”

“I have my own arrangements for work. Mind my brother’s business.”

It was the first time I had ever countered my father's words.

“Bullshit! What do you mean by your brother’s business? You're his brother. That's it, go to work with your brother tomorrow!” My father said with red eyes.

I tried to continue my retort, but my mother immediately took me by the arm and said.

“Matteo, the job your brother found for you is good, you can earn more than 6000 a month. Think about your brother, ok? He's 24 and houses in the city are expensive. You have to earn money first and help your brother get married. How can your brother get a wife without a house?”

I was so pissed off. This was my family, everything was around my brother. They were so selfish that they didn't even bother to hide it.

“Ok! For the sake of my dear brother, for the sake of his house, for the sake of his marriage, I of course will support it!”

I smiled, clenching my fists in a death grip, and suddenly I realized that one of the stupidest things in my life was to still have hope for this family.

“Good!”

My father gave me an oblique look and stopped talking.

Leaning back in the back seat, I let out a long breath. If my brother's girlfriend was not that pretty girl, I would be fine. But if it was her, I would definitely ruin this marriage and let everyone know what kind of these people were!