(PS: A quick note—this chapter isn’t meant to poke fun at anyone being pushed into blind dates by their parents, nor does it harbor any ill will toward girls. I, Xiao Han, stand firmly for free love! And I believe that even if a girl reaches the age her parents say she should be worried about, she must never rush. Better to take it slow, wait until you find someone who truly loves you, and never, ever settle for less!)
In his past life, Yang Yi had never been an online novelist, and he didn’t care much about how his story performed. After uploading a few chapters and saving several days’ worth of updates in his draft folder, he set the scheduled release times, closed the webpage, and didn’t bother with it again.
As for the recommendation slot notification that Editor Qiangzi had sent him, it was pitifully neglected, sitting cold and unread in the author’s backend inbox…
Another early morning arrived, the sky still a pale blue, with a thin mist shrouding the campus. Yang Yi, as usual, got up early to exercise and then crossed Ting Mountain to buy fresh ingredients for Xixi.
The largest vegetable market in the Ting Mountain district was located at the western foot of the mountain. There, the biggest residential area in the district sat, close to a dock on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Whether it was agricultural products, seafood, poultry and game, or even some rare, high-end ingredients, everything could be found in this market—after all, there was also a villa area nearby, home to wealthy families.
If he went through the main gate of the school, he’d have to take a long detour around the mountain’s base. But by climbing over Ting Mountain, the market was right on the other side. The shortcut, however, demanded immense physical effort on the rugged mountain paths.
Yang Yi never lacked stamina. The energy expended from trekking over hills forced his inner energy to flow, speeding up his cultivation.
“Xiao Yang, you’re here again!” The auntie at stall four in the second row of the market had already recognized this young man who came every day. She greeted him with a smile. “I picked some bamboo shoots today. Want some?”
Yang Yi was picky about food. He had passed many stalls, but this one sold the highest-quality vegetables. The auntie said they were all grown on her contracted mountain land, without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
“I’ll try some, then.” Yang Yi smiled faintly, picked out a tender bamboo shoot, and placed it in the bag the auntie handed him.
These vendors loved to chat, and Yang Yi didn’t want to come off as too aloof, so he went along with it. After a few exchanges, he actually got used to this kind of casual greeting, and his personality subtly shifted, becoming more easygoing.
While Yang Yi was picking out mushrooms and lettuce, the old woman at the next stall selling chicken and duck eggs sidled over. Her eyes burned with intensity as she scanned him from head to toe, then circled back to his face.
Yang Yi noticed and looked up, puzzled.
“Xiao Yang, where do you work?” The auntie, nudged by the old woman, asked reluctantly.
“Uh, I’m self-employed. I run a coffee shop near Jiangchuan University,” Yang Yi replied honestly, not sure what was going on.
To his surprise, his answer pleased the old woman. She grinned, revealing a few missing teeth, and said, “Self-employed is good. You can make money.”
“I told you, Xiao Yang’s family situation is pretty decent!” The auntie laughed. “And at Jiangchuan, that’s even better!”
“Yes, yes!” The old woman beamed, unable to close her mouth. “So, Xiao Yang, how old are you this year?”
Yang Yi had never faced such a situation before and was a bit stunned.
Why the deep dive?
But out of politeness, he couldn’t stay silent. Awkwardly, he said, “Thirty-one.”
The old woman’s slightly cloudy eyes lit up. She chuckled, “Thirty-one is good! Thirty-one is great!”
What’s so great about thirty-one? Yang Yi was baffled.
“Thirty-one isn’t old, just a year or two more. And look at Xiao Yang—he exercises every day, what a great build!” The auntie pitched in enthusiastically. “And he’d definitely be a husband who cherishes his wife. Cooking and shopping every day, his wife probably wouldn’t have to worry about housework at all!”
“Right, right…” The old woman was beside herself with joy.
Wait, something’s off?
Even slow as he was, Yang Yi caught on.
But before he could say anything, urged on by the old woman, the auntie grinned and said, “Xiao Yang, how about Auntie sets you up with someone?”
“Huh?” Yang Yi was dumbfounded.
“Your Grandma Wu’s granddaughter works at Jiangchuan too, as a counselor, right?” The auntie saw the old woman nod and continued with a smile, “She was too busy with work before to date, and now her family’s really worried. You two are close by, so you could get to know each other…”
“And I’m not bragging, but their Yanyan is as beautiful as a flower, a local with her own place…” The auntie went on, selling the idea hard.
“Hold on.” Yang Yi smiled bitterly. “Auntie, Grandma Wu, you’ve got it wrong. I’m already married.”
Suddenly, silence fell. The auntie and the old woman exchanged glances, the atmosphere growing awkward.
The old woman shot the auntie a reproachful look, as if to say, “Didn’t you say he wasn’t married?”
He wasn’t married! She had observed Yang Yi for days—no wedding ring on his finger, never seen him shopping with a woman, always alone.
A bit defiant, the auntie said, “Xiao Yang, don’t lie to Auntie! Are you saying Yanyan’s too old? She’s not even thirty yet!”
“Twenty-eight, twenty-nine—still far from thirty!” The old woman added, displeased.
Yang Yi had no choice. He pulled out his phone, flipped through his photos, and showed them. “This is my daughter. I’m not lying to you!”
He almost never took photos—a habit from his past life—but yesterday, Mo Fei missed their daughter and insisted he send a picture via MMS. So he had snapped one of Xixi. It came in handy today.
“Oh…” The auntie and old woman looked, first letting out a regretful sigh, then getting drawn in by the cute, spirited little girl in the photo. “Wow, Xiao Yang, your daughter is so pretty! She looks just like you!”
Yang Yi took back his phone, a hint of pride in his voice. “Of course, she’s my own!”
The topic of Xixi eased the awkwardness between the auntie and the old woman. They chatted animatedly with Yang Yi, asking what he fed Xixi to make her so fair and tall.
Yang Yi, however, felt quite embarrassed. This was the first time he’d ever been set up!
He answered a few questions perfunctorily, then quickly excused himself, saying he had to rush home to take care of his daughter, and fled.
Behind him, his sharp ears caught the old woman’s impatient grumbling: “Honestly! You said he wasn’t married, and now you’re setting my Yanyan up with someone who already has a kid…”
Yang Yi wanted to cry but had no tears. He felt he’d be too embarrassed to buy vegetables from that stall again…
…
Back home, Xixi was still asleep!
Yang Yi took a shower, changed into dry clothes, and went to wake the little one.
“Wah, I don’t want to get up! Wah, I don’t want Daddy to hold me! I hate it!” Xixi’s hair was a mess, her eyes still closed as she fussed in her father’s arms.
This morning grumpiness would take a while to settle!
Yang Yi planted a kiss on his daughter’s tender cheek and said, “Alright, alright, Daddy will take you to wash your face. You need to get up and eat breakfast.”
He chuckled inwardly: “You say you don’t want Daddy to hold you, but you don’t know you almost lost your daddy just now!”
How terrifying—people trying to set him up after just a few meetings…