episode_0024

While I was contemplating whether beating my brother-in-law would be considered assault, Mingmei hesitated in front of the wheelchair, observing the surroundings.

He extended the stick and hit Mingmei on the top of her head.

Mingmei made a growling sound and touched the top of her head, then cleared her throat shyly and opened her mouth.

“It is a very bad habit to hit someone’s head carelessly. After all, the head is—”

“Anything that’s broken can be fixed if you knock on it.”

“….”

“Don’t act like your head is broken. If you have something to say, say it.”

Well, was Yeouibong more expensive than I thought?

If you’re asking for money, the only thing you can do is ask for it. Because there isn’t one.

“…sorry.”

Fortunately, there was no hesitation for such trivial reasons.

But what did he just say?

“…Are you sorry?”

Are those words that just came out of a Chinese mouth?

Chinese people never use the word ‘sorry’ directly. Because of the culture that values face… However, in fact, there was a very complicated historical context for simply putting ‘face’ in two words.

This is because there existed in China the Cultural Revolution, an era in which the phrase ‘If you’re sorry, you should die’ was no longer a joke.

“Did you just say you were sorry?”

“There is no shame….”

In other words, it was as if Mingmei was putting a knife in my hand and putting her head on the line.

why? why?

I was embarrassed because I couldn’t figure out the reason. Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?

“What are you sorry about…?”

“Even though I confidently said that I would lead you as a brother, I could not protect you when you were in danger. Even when those black enemies kidnapped you and even when monsters attacked the base.”

“…So you’re sorry?”

When I asked this out of shock, Mingmei firmly declared as if it was obvious.

“The reason why children support their parents is because parents are devoted to their children, and the reason why younger brothers follow their older brothers is because the older brothers lead them brightly. Loyalty is the foundation of etiquette, and loyalty is the foundation of etiquette. ─.”

Oh, I see.

Mingmei was truly Chinese.

“—How can an older brother who couldn’t protect his younger brother have the shame to show respect for his younger brother?”

Adult.

Beyond simply being ‘born’ as a Chinese, Chen Mingmei was a great person who practiced his duties as a Chinese.

That’s why she entered the academy because she was one-armed. To do my duty.

“So, I’m sorry. It’s all Ah’s fault for not being able to protect you.”

“…under.”

I hate Chinese people, but I somewhat sympathize with their ideas.

Everything that is not Hwa (華) is a barbarian, and everything that is not A (我) is nothing more than a tool. Righteousness is the justification for persecution, and Tao is avoiding personal affection.

Didn’t Confucius also say this? It is said that a gentleman chooses people to date. Get close to people who have a good influence and stay away from people who have a bad influence.

(no friends, no friends)

Didn’t Mencius’ mother also say this? ‘Mencius, you shouldn’t look at things like that.’ ‘If you follow that kind of behavior, you will later become someone who collects waste paper like that?’

(Mother’s Three Ways and Teachings)

So, there are nobles among people.

The Buddha said, “All children exist alone in heaven and earth.”

“Only I am worthy under heaven.”

“…what?”

“Be long, Yeoui.”

“…Kya?!”

Just like Son Wukong who got the golden stick, I extended the length of the golden stick and hit Ming-mei with her head bowed on the top of her head.

I hit, hit, hit again.

“Stop hitting me! It hurts!”

“They say that anything that’s broken can be fixed if you knock on it.”

This is truly ridiculous.

No matter how crazy you are, what kind of thought process does someone go through to come to a conclusion like that?

“Hey, chinese.”

“I’m not a Chinese guy you know—.”

“Revolutionary innocence.”

“…Breakfast glass.”

under.

Okay, now I understand.

“This bastard was a funny bastard. I should have looked into it from the beginning when barbarians were considered objects of reformation.”

“….”

“Chinese, you don’t like your country?”

“…I am a Chinese painter.”

“Oh, should I say I don’t like the Chinese Communist Party?”

“….”

After being French, I am Chinese.

The two Chinese guys are having a lot of fun together. Anyway, since it is a PC academy, they paid a lot of attention to the small details.

These crazy game companies.

“Chinese.”

“….”

“If you’re Chinese, act like a Chinese. Don’t bow your head, don’t apologize, and be shameless. As a Chinese and a citizen of China. Honestly, it’s a bit unsightly to bow your head. Huh?”

“…How could someone who knows manners do that?”

I tried to hit the top of my head with the female baton once more, but shortened the length of the female baton to about the length of a cane.

And then, I got up from the wheelchair. Crooked feet, holding a cane instead of one leg.

“May.”

“….”

And this time, he tapped Mingmei’s head with his hand.

It’s probably more humiliating than getting hit with a cane. Because touching the head is something a superior does to a subordinate.

After scratching Mingmei’s mind like that, I whispered to her in a truly clear voice.

“I really like how confident you are, right? I also like how Chinese you are.”

“….”

“No, no, I’m not kidding. Really. I love China too. I wish there was so much of China… you know?”

“….”

“But now I’m a little disappointed.”

“…There is no shame.”

The sight of bending one’s pride to protect one’s pride… It feels like watching something absurd and contradictory.

What does it mean to be a Chinese person?

Once again, I thought that Chinese guys are really hard to understand. It may be that normal people shouldn’t try to understand Chinese people in the first place.

Because they use the same words and look similar.

Isn’t it true that humans can understand animals?

“Yes, my friend. But I really liked you, May? This Yeouigeumgobong feels really good in the hand, and I think I will use it regularly from now on.”

“….”

“Let’s become sworn brothers. Let’s call them self-inhabitants? You know the resolution of the province, right?”

“…what?”

Brother-in-law.

A relationship that goes beyond simply calling them ‘brothers’ and is more than just a family. In some ways, they value each other more than real brothers.

At least that was the case from the Chinese perspective. Because these barbaric Chinese guys don’t know that blood relatives are precious.

“Instead, I am the eldest brother and you can be the younger brother. No matter how you look at it, I am not worthy of being left as a younger brother. Don’t you think so too?”

“….”

“Isn’t that so? You fucking bitch.”

“…It seem to be like that.”

Mingmei answered with a trembling voice.

It looked like she was about to cry at any moment, and her body seemed to be trembling with joy as if she was about to climax at any moment.

Maybe it’s both.

I smiled brightly and pressed for an answer once more.

“What do you think that is? Tell me properly.”

“I think it’s only right for me to become a younger brother. It’s just ridiculous for someone who doesn’t deserve it to claim to be a grown-up.”

“hmm!”

This is a satisfactory answer.

I nodded with an exclamation and a willing heart.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“….”

At that moment, something appeared before my eyes.

It’s the same blue status window you always see.

[Player ‘Kim Do-han’s influence on ‘Chen Ming-mei (陳明美)’ has increased beyond a certain level.]

[The available resources needed to learn Chen Mingmei’s dummy data are less than 10%.]

However, the contents were not familiar.

The status window kept popping up, blocking my view, along with phrases I had never seen since possessing this world.

[Some data access rights for the character ‘Chen Mingmei (陳明美)’ are obtained.]

[Currently accessible data: character model]

“Character model?”

[Currently applicable models: Chen Mingmei (original), Chen Mingmei (11.1 revised version)]

… Oh, fuck.

this is right?

“Hey, Mingmei.”

“…Yes, I will become your younger brother—”

“Don’t you want to get your arm fixed?”

“…There is nothing particularly lacking in being one-armed. If there is something lacking, you can make up for it with training and technique—.”

“Don’t be damned. Don’t you want to get your arm fixed?”

In response to my question, Mingmei thought for a moment and eventually nodded.

“…If you can fix it, why wouldn’t you want to fix it? Even if you throw away this martial arts that you built with one arm, in the end, it’s just a matter of building it again from the foundation. Strength is ultimately just a tool… It can’t be compared to the integrity of the body. “No.”

“You said you wanted to fix it.”

[Do you want to apply the ‘Chen Mingmei (original)’ model to this character?]

Now that I think about it, it hurt a lot when I strengthened my body with dummy data.

Growing an arm at all would be incomparably painful.

“Hey, Mingmei. Clench your teeth tightly because it’s going to fucking hurt.”

“What is that?”

“Apply.”

[Applies the ‘Chen Mingmei (original)’ model to the character.]

.

.

.

Mingmei stood in front of the mirror blankly, looking at herself.

It was a familiar yet unfamiliar sight.

What was familiar was the face, and what was unfamiliar was all parts except the face.

“ha ha ha….”

It wasn’t just an arm growing.

Because of the arms, the balance of both bodies has changed. As the balance of both bodies changed, my legs became stronger. Now that my legs are strong, my back is straight. With my back straight, I could breathe more easily.

I could tell because she was trained in martial arts.

This is an unmanned body with ‘two arms’. And that warrior was definitely herself. The ‘path not taken’ that he would have reached if he had both healthy arms and learned his family’s martial arts while holding a spear instead of a sword.

“This is why it must be difficult to swing a sword….”

Even though I have to learn how to walk all over again.

For today, I just wanted to be infinitely happy as a human being, not a warrior.

.

.

.

Lying on my dorm bed, I slowly took a look at the new features that were introduced today.

[Would you like to apply the ‘Chen Mingmei (11.1 revised version)’ model to the character?]

“Apply.”

[Apply the ‘Chen Mingmei (11.1 revised version)’ model to the character.]

“It looks like you can change this at any time.”

Everyone would be shocked if Shanks suddenly got arms, so we should use the original model first.

Mingmei, she’s probably more familiar with this, so it’ll be okay.