The Troubleshooters,' by Wang Shuo

64 CHINESE EDUCATION AND SOCIETY
Zmo YAOSHUN: You only need to start with a little bit of wine. At the beginning
I didn’t drink very much either, but later on there were more and more
parties that helped me learn how to hold my liquor.
YANG ZHONG: (To BAO KANG) Don’t try to force him to drink if he doesn’t want
it. What do you mean by “a real man,” anyway? It’s pathetic, believing that
doing certain things will put hair on your chest. Do you think only men drink?
Women do it, too, when they’re lonely. Look, we’re the men here; we don’t have
to try to act like men.
M,4 QING: C’mon, I’ll drink it with you.
M,4 QING stands, toasts BAO KANG, then quickly drains his glass. BAO KANG
retakes his seat.
ZHAO YAOSHUN: (Smiling at BAO KANG) You guys said some interesting things
just now.
BAO KANG: That’s precisely why I enjoy being with them.
Zmo YAOSHUN: To tell you the truth, I think they’re some valuable friends to
have.
56 STREET /EXTERIOR / DAY
The group of friends are dispersed among others on the street, each of them
staggering along and reeking of alcohol. Zmo YAOSHUN, flanked by MA QING
and Yu GUAN, with his hands clasped behind his back, walks along the street,
too.
ZHAO YAOSHUN: What do you guys do in your spare time?
h4A QING: Not a lot. Sometimes we watch kung fu tapes, sometimes we get
together for cards; we sleep a lot, too.
Zmo YAOSHUN: You should get some books to read. Reading a compelling
book is the perfect antidote to loneliness and depression.
Yu GUAN: We don’t worry, actually. We never read, and we never worry.
Zmo YAOSHUN: To worry too much is not good, but to not worry at all does not