Chapter 16: Settling the Wages

Returning to the locker room, Tang Bei took a shower and glanced at the treasure chest, where he saw he had earned the championship—perhaps there was a reward waiting. Sure enough, when he opened the panel, the reward information appeared.

“Congratulations, host, on winning your first professional basketball league championship. You have received one treasure: the English Learning Card, which accelerates English learning speed and remains effective until the host masters English.”

“That’s quite something,” he thought. He had always found it frustrating not being able to communicate well with others.

After showering, Tang Bei packed his belongings and bid farewell to the coach and teammates. His professional career with the Seaweed Team had come to an end.

Once inside the Ford pickup driven by Eric Fletcher, Tang Bei pulled a small note from his pocket and began to look it over.

The note carried a strong scent of perfume.

“Tang, what’s all that?” Eric Fletcher asked curiously.

John Liu in the back seat chuckled, “Those are all phone numbers and hotel room numbers. I saw some female fans gave them to Tang.”

Tang Bei didn’t understand what they were talking about but knew it had to do with the note in his hand. Slightly embarrassed, he said, “Those are from female fans. They were so enthusiastic, it felt cruel to refuse them.”

Feeling his face warm, he added, “I’m a very kind person—I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Haha...” John Liu burst out laughing, and after translating, Fletcher laughed uncontrollably as well, making Tang Bei feel quite awkward.

After the laughter subsided, Eric Fletcher said, “Tang, every normal man has certain needs. Once you get drafted and sign a big contract, I’ll arrange some young models for you.”

Hearing John Liu’s translation, Tang Bei was momentarily stunned. Was his agent moonlighting as a pimp? Still, Fletcher’s words stirred a certain desire within him.

With the finals over, Tang Bei’s contract with the Seaweed Team had also ended.

He had played eight games and earned a total salary of $20,000. Eric Fletcher took a 3% cut, so Tang Bei ended up with $19,400.

Taxes were due every April, and Fletcher’s company accountant handled the filings.

According to Fletcher’s calculations, after deducting personal exemptions of $2,300 and a single exemption of $3,000, Tang Bei’s taxable income stood at $14,100.

Based on his income bracket, the federal tax rate was 15%, plus about 8% for state tax and athlete guest taxes, totaling over $3,200 in taxes, leaving around $16,200—roughly a 20% tax rate.

He planned to send $10,000 back home.

His family owed quite a bit, and he had borrowed a large sum as travel expenses when he came to America. The debts totaled over thirty thousand yuan; after repaying some, there would still be a bit left to improve his family’s living conditions.

Having been away for twenty-two or twenty-three days, his family surely wanted to know how he was doing. He had wanted to call home for some time but had held back since he hadn’t received his salary yet.

Back at the small motel, Tang Bei didn’t use his Motorola phone to call but used the motel’s pay phone. John Liu had advised him that making international calls from a landline was cheaper.

At this moment, in Yijie Village, Huanghuadian Township, Wuqing County, Tianjing, smoke was rising from the thatched roof of the Tang family’s humble cottage.

The Tang household had three main rooms, with one wing room on each side. Behind were the livestock pen and the latrine. All were made of mud bricks and covered with thatch—the poorest houses in the village.

The elderly Tang couple lived in the front room of the east main house; behind was the eldest son Tang Bei’s room, now empty.

Tang’s parents occupied the front room of the west main house, with the second son Tang Bin in the back room.

The east wing was the kitchen, and outside was the firewood pile.

The third and fourth daughters, Tang Yu and Tang Ning, lived in the west wing, with a shed outside for farm tools and miscellaneous items.

Tang’s mother, Lin Lan, and the elderly aunt Liu Daxie were preparing lunch, while nine-year-old Tang Ning tended the fire.

The Tang family had wholeheartedly supported Tang Bei’s martial arts training for over a decade, which had taken a heavy toll on their finances. Most village families burned coal, and even the wealthier ones used gas cylinders, but the Tang family still relied on firewood.

“Grandma, Mom, why hasn’t big brother called home? I miss him so much,” Tang Ning chattered on incessantly, her small mouth missing two front teeth.

“Making calls doesn’t come cheap. I hear international calls are very expensive. Add more firewood—there’s barely any fire left,” Lin Lan said irritably.

“Oh. *Cough, cough...*” Tang Ning shoved a handful of firewood into the stove and coughed after inhaling smoke, then said, “I wonder if big brother is eating enough. Does that martial arts school owner feed him well? I’ve heard capitalists are very cruel.”

“Ah...” Lin Lan and Liu Daxie sighed deeply, their faces etched with worry.

Tang Zhongchu, Tang Bei’s father, and the old patriarch Tang Zhengyuan were in the front yard preparing fertilizer—a mix of chemical fertilizer and some organic compost they had collected.

Seventeen-year-old Tang Bin and fifteen-year-old Tang Yu, already the main labor force at home, were helping out as well.

In the backyard was Tang Bei’s training area, where a massive stone disc lay by the fence, holding a stone ball weighing several hundred kilograms—Tang Bei’s Tai Chi ball.

Nearby stood a large jar about 1.3 meters tall and 1 meter in diameter, filled mostly with sand; the jar and sand combined weighed nearly a thousand kilograms.

This was the “rocking jar” used for wrestling training after Tang Bei became an adult and also for Tai Chi practice.

In the corner were several stone balls and jars of various sizes, along with many stone locks, stone weights, Bagua posts, sandbags, and wooden dummy posts.

These training tools alone had cost the Tang family a considerable sum, not to mention the expenses for food and medicinal herbs required for martial arts practice—that was the real burden.

Suddenly, the neighboring Liu family’s yard echoed with a man’s shout: “Brother Zhongchu, your eldest son Tang Bei called!”

“Eldest son’s call?” Tang Zhongchu outside hadn’t yet reacted, but Lin Lan in the kitchen was the first to respond.

Since their eldest son left, their hearts had been constantly worried; hearing his name always made them tense.

“My big brother called?” Tang Ning at the stove realized too, dropping her fire tongs and sprinting away.

“Grandpa, Dad, second brother, third sister, eldest brother called!” the little girl shouted as she passed through the front yard.

Everyone hurried toward the Liu family next door, except Liu Daxie and the patriarch Tang Zhengyuan, who stayed behind. The Liu family ran a small shop and had installed a telephone. Receiving calls was free, but making calls was charged by the minute.

“Tang Bei, when will you strike it rich in America?” Liu Goushun, eager for gossip, seized the chance to inquire about Tang Bei’s situation, teasingly.

“Uncle Goushun, I don’t know when I’ll get rich. For now, I’m just getting by—making less than a few ten-thousand yuan a month,” Tang Bei answered honestly.

“What?” Liu Goushun’s voice suddenly sharpened before he sneered, “Tang Bei, you’re just full of hot air!”

“Hey, what are you shouting about?” Goushun’s wife asked from the shelves.

Lowering the microphone, Liu Goushun muttered, “The big loser Tang claims he makes less than a few ten-thousand yuan a month—he’s blowing it so hard he might burst.”

His wife giggled.

“Uncle Goushun, did big brother really call?” Tang Ning arrived at a sprint, followed by third daughter Tang Yu.

“Oh, right, answer it,” Liu Goushun hurriedly set down the microphone.

“Hello, big brother? Are you there? Big brother, speak! Big brother...” Tang Ning grabbed the receiver excitedly, her chatter nonstop.

Tang Yu, two steps behind, reached out to tousle Tang Ning’s hair but quickly withdrew with a pout.

“Little four? It’s your big brother!” Tang Bei’s voice filled with emotion—he hadn’t heard his fourth sister speak in nearly a month.

He was fond of all three siblings: second brother was calm and level-headed with many friends; third sister was thoughtful but sometimes a little rough; fourth sister was a chatterbox who ran faster than a dog.

Tang Ning excitedly shouted, “Yes, yes, it’s me! Big brother, are you hungry? The meal’s almost ready at home. We’re having steamed buns for lunch. Should I ask Dad to send some to you?”

“I can’t send any; didn’t you forget? I’m in America, thousands of miles away,” Tang Bei replied helplessly.

“Thousands of miles? Then what should we do? When will you come back?” Tang Ning grew anxious.

“Oh, stop with the nonsense! Give me the phone!” The impatient third sister Tang Yu finally snatched the receiver.

“You always bully me. When big brother comes back, I’ll make him hit you.”

Tang Ning’s small face tightened with anger as she jumped and bounced, only to be pinned down by a slap from Tang Yu.

Just then, Lin Lan and others arrived. Before Tang Yu could say anything, their father took the phone, leaving Tang Yu pouty.

“Hehe!” Tang Ning, having said only one sentence, was delighted to see her third sister silenced, flashing at least twenty teeth in a broad smile.

“Hmph!” The frustrated Tang Yu slapped Tang Ning again, suppressing the little sister once more.

“Hello, eldest son?” Tang Zhongchu brought the phone close, his mood anxious.

“Dad, it’s me, Tang Bei!” Tang Bei said cheerfully.

“Oh, uh, who’s snatching... Hey, wife, you talk! You talk!” Tang Zhongchu smiled but saw his wife Lin Lan had taken the phone, so he had to let go.

“Hehe!” Seeing their father take the phone, Tang Yu’s mood brightened as well.

“Big brother, it’s Mom!” Lin Lan took the phone, her voice trembling with emotion.

“Mom...” Tang Bei’s eyes reddened hearing his mother’s voice.

“Big brother, are you doing well in America? Have you found Chinatown? Are you eating enough at their place?” Lin Lan asked anxiously.

“It’s a long story... Mom, here’s the situation: professional basketball is quite profitable, so don’t worry,” Tang Bei said briefly.

International calls were expensive, so he kept the explanation short and ended the call.

“Mom, what did big brother say? Is he eating well in America?” Tang Ning asked anxiously once Lin Lan hung up.

Lin Lan’s mind was somewhat dazed as she stammered, “Big brother said he’s playing basketball, earned over ten thousand U.S. dollars, and will send ten thousand back home tomorrow.”

“Playing basketball?”

“Didn’t big brother go to teach martial arts?”

“How much is ten thousand?”

“Is U.S. dollar the money from America?”

The Tang family exchanged looks.

At that moment, Liu Goushun shouted, “Don’t tell me Tang Bei is lying to you? Making over ten thousand U.S. dollars a month? Where would he make that kind of money?”

Goushun’s wife chimed in, “Yeah, I heard U.S. dollars are worth a lot—one can exchange for several of our country’s money.”

Tang Zhongchu, fuming, said, “Goushun, don’t talk nonsense. When has our Tang family ever told a lie? Our eldest is as trustworthy as they come.”

“Right, right, Brother Zhongchu, you’re right. My mouth got ahead of me—I was joking. Please don’t mind,” Liu Goushun hurriedly added.

He only dared to grumble behind their backs; he wouldn’t provoke the Tang family openly. Though the eldest son had drained their resources, he wasn’t someone to be trifled with—one hand could take on twenty men like Goushun, slapping each one down without breaking a sweat.