SES Chapter 236 Part 1

Chapter 236

Right before bed, Huo Zihong came to see Mu Dai.

Mu Dai was currently sharing a room with Yan Hongsand. An extra small bed had been added. On her first night there, Yan Hongsand felt miserable and said, “Mu Dai, you could race horses on your bed, and I’m stuck with this tiny one. I look like a maid sleeping over.”

Mu Dai, ever fair and generous, said, “Then let’s play rock–paper–scissors.”

From then on, every night the two of them played rock–paper–scissors and happily switched beds while hugging their bedding. As Uncle Zhang put it, it was like emperors taking turns sitting on the dragon throne—the room constantly saw dynasties rise and fall, with endless coups and restorations.

When the door opened, another regime change had just ended. Mu Dai had taken power and was kneeling on the big bed, tugging at the sheets.

Huo Zihong sat down on the bed and got straight to the point. “Luo Xiaodao came by today to propose. I ignored him.”

Mu Dai had already heard the news from Yan Hongsand. She kept smiling with her lips pressed together, then said, “Aunt Hong, it’s fine to keep him waiting a little, but don’t scare him off.”

Every word she said showed she was taking Luo Xiaodao’s side.

Huo Zihong asked, “Do you want to get married?”

Mu Dai nodded.

Huo Zihong sighed. “What’s the use of raising a daughter?”

“In some places, there used to be a ‘crying wedding’ tradition. The more a bride cried when she got married, the more filial and sensible she was considered. Look at you—not only are you not reluctant to leave, but you’re also grinning like this. All those years of raising you were for nothing.”

Yan Hongsand suddenly chimed in from the side, “Exactly—completely wasted.”

Mu Dai glared at her. “What does this have to do with you?”

Yan Hongsand said slowly, “Aunt Hong, just forget about Mu Dai and let me be the filial one instead. I’m not like her—I’m a homebody. I wouldn’t run off with some handsome guy the moment I saw one.”

Huo Zihong had always liked Hongsand and thought the suggestion wasn’t bad. Lose one, gain another—it wasn’t a losing deal.

“I do want someone to stay by my side. Mu Dai hasn’t behaved well, so I don’t want her anymore. After all, you can’t force someone to stay—forced melons aren’t sweet. From now on, Hongsand will be the junior lady boss of this shop. But I have one condition.”

“What condition?”

“Don’t be like Mu Dai and run off whenever you want. You can’t marry out. If you find someone you like, bring him here and make him marry into the family. Can you do that?”

Yan Hongsand said, “That’s easy.”

Huo Zihong said, “You agreed just like that? Good—then there’s someone to carry on. I won’t bother with Mu Dai anymore. Come on, call Luo Xiaodao. I need to give instructions about what happens next and make my position clear.”

The call was important. They put it on speaker and turned the volume to maximum. Wan San and Cao Yanhua were even called over to witness it.

Huo Zihong said she could agree to the proposal—but with one condition: they would get engaged first, and she would decide when the wedding would happen.

“Mu Dai isn’t that old. There’s no rush to get married. I’m thinking of her—this is the time for her to gain experience and see the world. I don’t want to see her running around with baby formula and diapers next year. In my heart, she’s still a child.”

Luo Ren agreed readily.

He also wanted more time with Mu Dai. Over the past year or so, they had been constantly on the move, dealing with strange and dangerous adventures. As Mu Dai put it, they hadn’t even watched a movie together. He genuinely wanted to make up for all those ordinary dating moments.

Still, he asked Huo Zihong to give him a hint about when marriage might be possible. They couldn’t wait indefinitely, after all.

Huo Zihong casually glanced at Yan Hongsand. “We’ll wait until Hongsand here has a steady boyfriend.”

What?

While everyone else fell silent, tried to process it, or sat there in shock, Yan Hongsand and Wan San shouted almost at the same time.

—“What does this have to do with me?”
That was Yan Hongsand.

—“Hongsand with a boyfriend? What lifetime would that be in?”
That was Wan San.

Huo Zihong calmly smoothed her clothes and left the room, leaving chaos behind her. Yan Hongsand had already turned her firepower toward Wan San. “Explain yourself—what do you mean ‘what lifetime’…?”

Young people were still too inexperienced. They didn’t understand the power of the older generation. With one move, she had achieved three goals at once, setting the situation on the path she wanted.

—She was satisfied with Luo Xiaodao but reluctant to let Mu Dai marry too quickly. She wanted to delay things for as long as possible, yet also feared complications if she waited too long, so they would get engaged first.

—In this courtyard, one flower blooming alone didn’t make spring; it was livelier when many flowers bloomed together. Why should only Mu Dai and Luo Xiaodao be in love? Others should get moving too. She decided to start with Hongsand—good girls deserved to be loved. If Luo Xiaodao wanted to marry Mu Dai sooner, he would naturally help find Hongsan a suitable match.

—Mu Dai and Luo Ren didn’t seem very invested in running the bar. Hongsand had agreed not to marry out and would bring in a live-in son-in-law. That way, the bar would have someone reliable to take over, and it would also give Mu Dai more family ties. Mu Dai had been “picked up” from an orphanage and had been lonely for years—Huo Zihong wanted to make sure she would never be alone again, always surrounded by warmth and noise.

The next morning, Brother Mao got up to clean the back courtyard. He saw the fortune-teller squatting by the door doing some handiwork, using an awl to punch extra holes into his belt.

Poor guy—when he fastened it again, his waist was a full size smaller.

Brother Mao thought to himself that he mustn’t waver or be moved by the enemy’s pitiful act. He had to stand firm like a pine tree, unmoved by any wind.

After cleaning, he went into the kitchen for breakfast. By chance, he glanced back and saw the fortune-teller with his head lowered, making a phone call.

For some reason, Brother Mao felt a bad premonition.

The feeling came true quickly. Halfway through breakfast, Yue Feng called.

The fortune-teller had a habit of ranking his friends in categories. Among his male friends, Brother Mao was only second in importance.

The first was Yue Feng.