CHAPTER 12: Marriage to Chase Away Bad Luck

No, they had already come to the door—how could they just turn back now?

Old Master Yi couldn’t help it. He started walking toward the entrance. Since his youngest son didn’t bring his granddaughter in, then he could go over himself. One couldn’t be too rigid in life—sometimes, you had to be flexible.

His grandson, Yi Hongping, spoke up. “Grandpa, should I go out and have a look?”

“What can you do?” Old Master Yi shot him a glare. “You’re just a junior. Would your little uncle even listen to you?”

He really might not.

Yi Hongping was in university and had no classes on the weekends. Sometimes he stayed home, other times he went out to have fun or headed to the company to get a feel for the workplace. As a future capitalist, he figured he should first experience the struggles of a worker—only then could he effectively draw big dreams for others and for himself.

“You’ve got less rebelliousness in you than most—at least not a hundred pounds of it,” Old Master Yi said. “Your little uncle, on the other hand, is rebellious through and through.”

He was saying all this as he walked toward the door.

Yi Yao arrived just in time to hear those words. No doubt, the old man had said them on purpose.

“Just treat me as a genetic mutation. Xiao Ya takes after me—so is she all rebellious too?” Yi Yao raised an eyebrow.

“…” Old Master Yi almost wanted to grab his cane and chase after his youngest son with it. That brat was out here ruining his image.

“Rebellious? Nah, all soft-boned,” Yi Hongping muttered reflexively. How could their little cousin be rebellious?

Yi Xiaoya thought about it. What was she supposed to say here? She raised her little hand and asked, “Soft-boned… does that mean I can be a kept woman?”

“You sure can. Being kept or doing the keeping—both are fine,” Yi Hongping replied. But when he heard Old Master Yi’s light cough, he quickly corrected himself, “I mean—who needs to be kept? That life’s all yours anyway.”

Yi Xiaoya tugged at Yi Yao’s sleeve. Something about these people felt kind of… weird.

“Come on, let’s go in,” Old Master Yi said, glancing at Yi Xiaoya and trying his best to smile. He didn’t want his granddaughter to think he was fierce. Fierce? No way—he was clearly a kindly old man. “Your dad told me you want to be a landlady. Later, you can pick a house—or we’ll go buy a new one. Either way, Grandpa will give it to you.”

Old Master Yi figured he had to say these things first. If not, his granddaughter might think poorly of him. He was a good grandfather—one who helped fulfill his granddaughter’s dreams.

Yi Xiaoya looked over at Yi Yao. Yi Yao said, “Your grandpa’s trying to give you a welcome gift. Take more. Don’t be such a coward.”

“What’s this about being a mouse?” Old Master Yi frowned at his youngest son again.

“She’s a little white bunny—naive… and stupid,” Yi Yao said. “She only knows how to tear up, but doesn’t dare go after what she wants.”

“It’s a gift, not stealing!” Yi Hongping corrected him. “Little Uncle, Xiaoya is part of our family too.”

Sometimes, Yi Hongping wondered if his little uncle had been hit in the head by a door. The man always seemed out of sync with the rest of the family. His eldest uncle ran the company, his own dad was a top lawyer, and his little uncle ran his own business. But the way his little uncle talked—it was just plain weird. It was like their family was in some dramatic bloodbath over inheritance.

Was it that his little uncle was living in a dream, or were the rest of them?

No—maybe his little uncle thought he was living in a cruel, harsh reality.

“Xiaoya, do you want my high school notes? I still have them,” Yi Hongping offered, trying to close the gap between himself and the high schooler. Surely that would help?

But Yi Xiaoya wasn’t a top student, nor was she striving to be one. She hadn’t even thought about using someone else’s notes. She glanced at her cousin—he was fairly good-looking. If she took his notes and tried to sell them, would anyone buy?

“Is this the second-to-last place student trying to tutor the dead-last?” Yi Yao asked.

“Little Uncle, I got into a top university with my own strength!” Yi Hongping protested.

“Have you ever thought that maybe it’s just because you were born in this city—and this city just happens to have lots of good schools?” Yi Yao said.

Some cities or provinces had preferential admissions policies. Local universities reserved more seats for local students.

“…” Yi Hongping could only stare. Did his little uncle just fly in here just to roast him?

Yi Xiaoya didn’t say anything. She was still thinking about whether her cousin’s notes were worth a hundred yuan—or if they’d only sell for scrap paper prices.

Once everyone entered the living room, Yi Xiaoya felt a bit nervous. She had thought Yi Yao’s home was already big enough—but this place was even bigger. Poverty had truly limited her imagination. She shouldn’t have worried about whether someone’s living room could fit a 24-inch TV—or even if they had a projector. This living room could literally play movies. It was bigger than some theater screening rooms.

Yi Xiaoya looked down at the thick carpet beneath her feet, then glanced at a nearby vase. If she accidentally knocked that vase over, would she have to stay and work off her debt for life? And even then—would they even want to keep her?

“What are you standing there all dazed for?” Yi Yao flicked her forehead lightly. “Worried you’ll ruin the carpet and have to stay to repay the debt? You think you’re worth that much?”

“What kind of thing is that to say?” Old Master Yi scolded. “Is that how a father should act?”

Old Master Yi thought his youngest son really didn’t know how to be a good father. Facing such a sweet and delicate girl, shouldn’t he dote on her a little more? Instead, his son said something so scary—it made it hard for Old Master Yi to even suggest she stay.

He couldn’t exactly say, “You’ve taken my gifts, so now you have to stay,” right?

Wouldn’t that just sound like he was forcing her?

Oh dear. Why was his youngest son such a headache?

Old Master Yi used to think that while his youngest son could be frustrating, at least he didn’t cause too much trouble. It was just that he took forever to get married. But since his other sons were married, whether the youngest married or not didn’t really matter.

After all, nowadays, not marrying didn’t mean you weren’t dating.

“A good father should… should take a test!” Old Master Yi huffed.

“You took the test back then?” Yi Yao shot back.

Yi Hongping looked at Yi Xiaoya. He did want to take his younger cousin out to have some fun first. But he knew their grandfather definitely wanted to keep an eye on her. If he dared to take her away and let Grandpa lose sight of her, he might as well prepare to eat stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork—meaning he’d be in deep trouble.

“You’re so stubborn,” Old Master Yi sighed. “If your mother were still around…”

“Don’t try to play the emotional card!” Yi Yao quickly cut him off. The old man could forget about getting all sentimental in front of him. “Xiaoya’s never even met her grandma. There’s no bond there. You think she could cry just like that? If she doesn’t cry, does that mean she’s not good enough?”

Yi Yao had the old man completely pinned down. Normally, people wouldn’t say such things. But Yi Yao wasn’t like most people—he had a way of talking that could really rub people the wrong way.

Well, with Yi Yao saying that, Yi Xiaoya didn’t even need to bother trying to summon some sorrowful feelings. She didn’t need to worry about which eye the tears should fall from first.

Her dad was right—a relative she had never met might as well be a stranger. Expecting her to break down sobbing on the spot? That wasn’t going to happen.

Still, even if she couldn’t cry, shouldn’t she feel at least a little sad?

But Yi Xiaoya wasn’t an actress. She had never learned how to fake it.

“Zip it. No one’s treating you like you’re mute,” said Old Master Yi.

“A few more words lighten the mood, no? That way your precious granddaughter won’t be so nervous.” Yi Yao had a reason for everything.

Old Master Yi: Another day, another urge to kick this youngest son of mine out the door.

“No need to be nervous, old man—he’s just your grandpa, and what he has is money,” Yi Yao said. “Don’t be polite with him. Eat, take, whatever. His stuff should include your share.”

Yi Xiaoya looked at Old Master Yi nervously, a little guilty. “Is that okay?”

She hadn’t shown any filial piety to her grandfather—would he really share his things with her?

Yes, she did want those things. She wasn’t about to pretend she had transcended materialism or didn’t care for worldly possessions.

Impossible!

There was no way she’d say, “That’s too much money.” As far as she was concerned, the more money the better—as long as it was rightfully hers, she’d absolutely take it.

“It’s okay!” Old Master Yi said.

The butler handed Old Master Yi an envelope, which he then gave to Yi Xiaoya.

With everyone watching, Yi Xiaoya opened the envelope. Inside was a bank card. “Does it have a daily spending limit?”

“No limit. If you run out, Grandpa will transfer more to you,” said Old Master Yi. He’d already heard how his youngest son had limited his granddaughter’s spending, making people think she’d stolen from the family, even involving the police. “I’ll transfer money to you on time every month. Don’t worry. This is a debit card, not a credit card.”

“Okay. I don’t use credit cards. Credit cards have to be paid back—if you spend your future in advance, you’re either on your way to debt or stuck repaying it,” Yi Xiaoya said.

Back when she lived in the same neighborhood as the Lin family, bank staff would come around trying to get residents to sign up for credit cards. Sign up, and your kid got a free toy or something.

Some people couldn’t resist a good deal and ended up with a card. Then later they felt like they had to use it. If they didn’t, there’d be fees or something.

Yi Xiaoya had heard Lin Mother complain about this before. Lin Mother had warned her more than once never to get a credit card or take out online loans.

“Like I said—no spending limit,” Yi Xiaoya added. “But if you really must set one, maybe five thousand… or two thousand would be fine too.”

Raising sons with thrift, daughters with luxury—that was how Old Master Yi saw it. But his youngest son was treating Yi Xiaoya like she was a tomboy. No wonder people looked down on her. If she came off stingy and stingy-looking, people naturally assumed her background wasn’t good.

“Isn’t Xiaoya’s birthday coming up?” said Old Master Yi. “Perfect. Let’s host a birthday party here.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he clutched his chest again.

Yi Hongping immediately caught on. “Grandpa, Grandpa! Are you not feeling well again? Uncle—”

“Planning a birthday party to ward off bad luck?” Yi Yao had already intended to host it at the old man’s place.

After all, some people were just dumb. They thought Yi Xiaoya was some illegitimate daughter who didn’t have Grandpa’s favor.

“You should’ve just called a doctor,” Yi Yao commented on the old man’s acting. “Or at least taken a heart pill.”