Supreme Warrior in the City

Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Teenager at 18, What If Poor?

”There’s no need to be so surprised,” Su Ping said. ”If it weren’t for Lin Qingru, how could you have joined the army for three years? Without those three years, how could you have reached this point?”

”You mean, all this... this was all part of your plan...” Su Yang was dumbstruck.

”It wasn’t exactly my plan, all I did was help you choose Lin Qingru. What happened next was fate,” Su Ping smiled. ”There’s a lot you don’t know. When you turn to the fourth page, I will tell you everything.”

Su Yang took a deep breath, ”What exactly is on the fourth page?”

”I don’t know what’s on the fourth page either, but when you do turn to it, then you’ll start to have the ability to take on the responsibilities you’re meant to bear!”

Su Ping waved his hand, ”It’s late, go get some sleep.”

But how could Su Yang sleep? For the first time, he realized that he didn’t understand his own father at all.

This man, who seemed weak and honest, a rural person, must have some secret background. But why insist that he open the fourth page of Destiny’s Tome before he could speak of it?

And why had he been sent to serve three years in the army? Was it because only by serving those three years could he open Destiny’s Tome?

These questions kept Su Yang tossing and turning all night. Eventually, he gave up on sleep and sat cross-legged to meditate, which turned out to be more effective than sleeping.

...

At Lin Ze Ping’s house.

When Fang Cui brought Lin Qingru back home, the house was dark except for a small red dot flickering in the living room.

Fang Cui turned on the light and was startled to see Lin Ze Ping looking haggard, sitting in the living room smoking. The floor around his feet was littered with cigarette butts, and there were three or four empty packs on the table next to him, all smoked away.

”Old Lin, what are you doing?” Fang Cui hurried over. ”Didn’t you quit smoking? Why have you started again? And smoking so much; do you not want to live anymore?”

Lin Ze Ping didn’t respond to her but looked up at Lin Qingru, who was walking in behind Fang Cui. His face suddenly fell, ”You still have the face to come back?”

Lin Qingru clenched her teeth, ”Why shouldn’t I have the face to come back? I don’t like Su Yang, but you insisted on marrying me off to him. Are you right in doing that?”

”Is it that you don’t like Su Yang, or is it because you think his family is too poor?” Lin Ze Ping hit the nail on the head.

Lin Qingru was embarrassed, but Fang Cui quickly said, ”Old Lin, how can you talk about your own daughter like that? Marriage is about matching doors and equal households; it’s only natural. Our girl knows what she’s doing; she knows who to choose and who not to choose. What’s wrong with that? Do you really want some poor boy to trick her away, for her to suffer and toil in the future, whose fault would that be then?”

”Shut your mouth!” Lin Ze Ping shouted angrily, ”Women, with long hair and short sense, what do you know. Is Su Yang really inferior to Liao Yuxuan now?”

”That...” Fang Cui was taken aback, then said, ”What’s the point of talking about now? How much did he lack compared to Liao Yuxuan before? Under those circumstances, how do you expect our daughter to choose? On one hand is the genteel and graceful rich young master, on the other is the graceless and unrefined poor boy, how do you think our girl should choose?”

Lin Ze Ping said angrily, ”I arranged their marriage a long time ago, regardless of Su Yang’s circumstances; she should be aware of her place. Why should she be choosing?”

”That’s the marriage you arranged, what does it have to do with our daughter?” Fang Cui shouted. ”When you made this arrangement, our daughter was just a few years old, she didn’t understand anything then. Now that she’s grown up, she knows right from wrong. Do you still want her to be with that graceless, unrefined poor boy? I guess no girl would be willing, right?”

”Willing or not, once a marriage promise is made, it’s a commitment. How can you do such a thing!” Lin Ze Ping raised his voice. ”And to have such an incident with that Liao Yuxuan, Lin Qingru, have you no shame at all?”

Lin Qingru couldn’t help but become furious: ”Why am I without shame, what’s wrong with falling in love and having such incidents these days? Why are you so old-fashioned, do you think we’re still living in your era?”

”Old Lin, she’s your own daughter, how can you speak like that!” Fang Cui said angrily. ”Besides, what’s done is done. What’s the point of saying these things now? Liao Yuxuan is now our son-in-law, can’t you consider our daughter’s feelings?”

”Consider! Consider!” Lin Ze Ping’s eyes whitened with rage as he gritted his teeth. ”Fang Cui, the daughter is spoiled by you like this, you will eventually regret what you’re doing!”

”The deed is done, what is there to regret!” Fang Cui said. ”I think Liao Yuxuan isn’t bad, Su Yang is just relying on the Hou Family, but Liao Yuxuan has a strong background himself!”

Lin Ze Ping roared, ”Don’t you mention that Liao Yuxuan to me. I’m telling you, as long as I live, Qingru will never be with Liao Yuxuan!”

”Why?” Lin Qingru asked anxiously. ”What’s wrong with Yuxuan? Why do you treat him like this? You can be so good to Su Yang, why can’t you be more tolerant towards Yuxuan? Don’t you realize how unfair you are being?”

”Fair?” Lin Ze Ping looked at Lin Qingru indignantly. ”The most unfair thing I’ve done in my life is to betroth you to Su Yang! You are simply not worthy of him!”

”Old Lin, how can you say such a thing!” Fang Cui raged.

”Where am I not worthy of Su Yang, it’s Su Yang who doesn’t deserve to be with me!” Lin Qingru shouted in anger, then ran out of the house crying.

”Qingru!” Fang Cui hurriedly wanted to stop her.

”Get back here!” Lin Ze Ping roared, scaring Fang Cui into not daring to go out after all.

”Old Lin, why are you like this?” Fang Cui sighed in frustration. ”After all, she’s our daughter. Why must you insist on marrying her to Su Yang whom she doesn’t like? And how can you say such things? What do you mean by ’the most unfair thing’?”

Lin Ze Ping fell silent, smoked two cigarettes in succession, then sighed heavily, speaking softly. ”Fang Cui, do you still remember what I did when you were with me?”

”Fortune-telling, yes.” Fang Cui replied. ”After I married you, you started doing business, and our family gradually became wealthy.”

”Correct, business was just to provide for the family, my greatest passion in life has been studying fate and fortune.”

Lin Ze Ping leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes. ”Su Yang’s fate is something I have never seen before. His future achievements are unimaginable to anyone. I took advantage when he was young, when Su Ping was in poverty, to make the marriage arrangement with Qingru. That’s the most unfair thing I’ve done in my life.”

”Unfortunately, despite my clever schemes, I eventually lost to human greed. Thirty years on the east bank, thirty on the west; what does it matter if one is impoverished at eighteen? With ambition in his heart and passion in his veins, he dares to measure himself against the heavens! Qingru, your dad has done his best, it’s just a pity that you couldn’t seize the opportunity!”