The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 330: Chapter 330: Cannot Be Wholly Believed, Nor Wholly Disbelieved

Han Xiaorui was stunned to hear this.

’What a powerful reason!’

Uncle Wu’s pupils contracted. He recalled his wife once paying an old Daoist priest to tell their second daughter Wu Lingling’s fortune.

The priest had said that Lingling had a ”hard fate”—that her marital life would be ill-fated unless she found someone with an equally ”hard fate.”

They hadn’t believed him at the time, but then their daughter was widowed.

Aunt Wu was no longer worried. Unlike Uncle Wu, who was a Party member and a materialist, she believed in Buddha, the Dao, Jesus...

Whenever trouble arose, her first instinct was to pray to every deity she knew.

To be blunt, she didn’t truly believe in any of it. It was more for peace of mind—a classic case of last-minute prayers.

”I agree! I agree to this marriage,” Aunt Wu said hurriedly. ”You’ve come from so far away. We don’t need a house or a bride price or anything. Just be good to Lingling.”

”AHEM!” Uncle Wu cleared his throat pointedly, signaling for his wife not to agree so quickly. It was as if she were desperate to marry their daughter off.

Aunt Wu came to her senses. She had indeed agreed too quickly, without any reserve. ”I agree to you two dating. As for marriage, you’ll have to wait. We haven’t spent any time with you, so we don’t know you.”

Seeing Wu Lingling’s parents relent, Yao Ziqian said, ”There’s no rush to get married. I’m busy buying a storefront to open a shop right now. I also want to take this opportunity to prove myself and earn Uncle and Aunt’s approval.”

Wu Lingling looked at her parents and older sister with pleading eyes.

Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu hesitated again. Unable to decide, they looked to Wu Cuicui.

With her parents and sister staring at her, Wu Cuicui hesitated for a moment. ”Alright, then. You can start by dating.”

’The young man is handsome, and he speaks and acts in a calm, methodical way,’ she thought. ’Maybe this really is fate for my sister!’

Seeing that the matter was settled, Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Yao Ziqian, after lunch, why don’t you take a walk around the area? Is there anything that needs attention in this zone I’m developing?”

”If you have some sensible insights, I’ll hire you as a consultant on cultural and environmental studies for our Jinshan Bay Investment Company.”

Hearing this, Uncle Wu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”Xiao Rui, don’t mess around. You’ll hold up your project! Didn’t you already hire an architect?”

Han Xiaorui was unfazed. ”Uncle Wu, the influence of Feng Shui on architecture is actually quite significant. It involves astronomy, geography, and various other factors that all need to be considered.”

”Designers and architects consider related issues when creating their plans; it doesn’t conflict with Feng Shui. For example, every time my family’s ships go out to sea, we make offerings to Mazu!”

”How is that the same?” Uncle Wu retorted. Mazu was a true goddess in the hearts of fishermen. How could feudal superstition compare to Mazu?

Such a double standard!

At that, everyone laughed, and eventually, even Uncle Wu himself chuckled.

”Anyway, you all handle it. We must uphold truth, goodness, and beauty, and not get involved in crooked practices. Ziqian, you remember that, you hear?” Uncle Wu finally laid down his verdict. Whether it was Feng Shui or feudal superstition, as long as the intentions, process, and results were good, he was fine with it.

Yao Ziqian smiled warmly. ”Uncle, I understand. I promise I won’t make a dishonest living or lead people astray.”

”That’s good!” Uncle Wu said with a laugh, his mood much improved. ”Mrs. Cuicui, hurry and go buy groceries. Let’s treat Ziqian to a proper lunch.”

”Okay, I’m on my way.” Aunt Wu got on her tricycle with her basket and headed off to buy groceries.

Ye Feng pulled up on his motorcycle, his two daughters seated in front of him, and stopped at the Wu Family’s gate. ”Xiao Rui, didn’t you come here for the fermented bean curd? What’s taking so long?”

Only then did Han Xiaorui remember why she’d come over in the first place. She smacked her forehead. ”Look at me, I was so caught up in the good news I completely forgot why I came. Sister Cuicui, quick, can you fill a jar of red fermented bean curd for me? They’re waiting back home to eat congee!”

Han Xiaorui handed over a clean canning jar. One jar would last a long time!

Wu Cuicui knew Han Xiaorui loved the red fermented bean curd and smiled. ”Of course, just a moment!”

While Wu Cuicui was getting the bean curd, Han Xiaorui made the introductions. ”Ye Feng, this is Yao Ziqian. He’s the apprentice of Master Zhao, the Feng Shui Master from Yue Province.”

Ye Feng was taken aback. ”Is this the major client from Yue Province you’re always talking about at home?”

”Yes! You could say that,” Han Xiaorui replied.

”Then shouldn’t he be at the breeding farm? Why is he here?” Ye Feng asked, puzzled.

Han Xiaorui smiled and briefly explained the situation between Yao Ziqian and Wu Lingling to Ye Feng.

Ye Feng was amazed. ”Wow, a fated connection across a thousand miles. Even that much distance couldn’t stop it. This must be true love! Yao Ziqian, hello, I’m Ye Feng, Han Xiaorui’s husband.”

”Since you’re planning to settle down and work in Shencheng, let me know if you run into any trouble. I’d be happy to help.”

Yao Ziqian expressed his thanks. ”Thank you, Mr. Ye, but I don’t need any help for now.”

Wu Cuicui finished filling the jar with red fermented bean curd and handed it to Han Xiaorui. ”We have plenty at home. Come get more when you run out.”

”You know I never stand on ceremony,” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ”Thanks, Sister Cuicui. I’ll let you all talk as a family. Lingling, when you have time, bring Ziqian over to our place.”

Wu Lingling nodded. ”Thank you, Boss.”

Yao Ziqian also expressed his gratitude. ”Thank you very much, Ms. Han.”

Pingping and An’an said to their mother, ”Mommy, get on.”

Han Xiaorui had been planning to walk back, but she hadn’t expected her daughters to insist that she ride on the motorcycle.

Han Xiaorui shook her head and smiled. ”A bit rigid, aren’t we?”

Ye Feng patted the seat behind him. ”What’s rigid about it? It’s just your kids showing you some love!”

”You’re right!” Han Xiaorui paused, then broke into a happy smile. ’Everything has two sides. I can’t just focus on the negative and ignore the positive.’

Back at home, the congee was still simmering over a low flame.

Han Xiaorui ate the plain congee with the red fermented bean curd. It tasted exceptionally good.

Ye Feng asked, ”Yao Ziqian is a Feng Shui practitioner. It shouldn’t be a problem for him to design a few large Feng Shui vats, right?”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Yao Ziqian is the real deal. I’ll talk to him about it later. He just got here and has a lot to get settled, so there’s no rush. What’s wrong? Is your army buddy getting antsy?”

Ye Feng nodded. ”The factory is struggling right now. Times are tough. The dishes aren’t selling well locally, the prices are low, and the profit margin is thin. As for exports, it’s not time for the trade shows yet, and we don’t have any interested clients.”

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. ”Okay, I get it. Kuno Hiroo and Xu Shu have been pushing for it, too. I’ll find Yao Ziqian and finalize this as soon as possible. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.”

Ye Feng nodded. ”Okay. I’m counting on you.”

After the meal, Pingping and An’an brought out some colored paper from their room and handed it to Ye Feng. ”Daddy, pinwheel.”

Ye Feng’s hands were deft. He cut the colored paper into strips and fashioned them into a three-bladed pinwheel, not the usual four-cornered kind.

The two little girls’ eyes widened at the novel pinwheel. They looked at their father with adoration. ”My turn, my turn!”

They had to balance it on a pinky finger and run to make the three-bladed pinwheel spin.

Running like this required them to keep their bodies stable and focused—a great exercise for Pingping and An’an!