Li Yifei’s eyes were filled with encouragement as he said, "Since we’ve come all this way, how can we not go in?"
"There are no buts. No matter what, he is still your father." Li Yifei took Su Yiyi’s hand and pushed open the courtyard gate.
Su Yiyi’s courtyard was not very large; in the middle was an open space that should have been planted with vegetables or fruit, but instead, it was overgrown with weeds. The surroundings were also in disarray, cluttered with all sorts of junk, and there was an unpleasant smell coming from somewhere.
Su Yiyi’s complexion grew even worse. She stomped her foot and said angrily, "I cleaned it up the last time I was here, how did it get again?"
At this moment, Li Yifei couldn’t be angry with Su Yiyi, feeling only sympathy for her. To have such a father was indeed a very distressing matter for a daughter.
Grasping Su Yiyi’s hand, Li Yifei smiled and said, "Alright, don’t be angry now. Don’t forget, if it weren’t for your father, we wouldn’t have met each other at all."
Su Yiyi forced a smile. What Li Yifei said made sense. If it hadn’t been for her father’s irresponsibility, she would not have gone to that small place for money and would not have met Li Yifei, nor would she have become Li Yifei’s woman.
But her father had clearly said that he would not gamble anymore, yet he was actually lying to her, which was very hard for her to accept.
Encouraged by Li Yifei, Su Yiyi finally mustered the courage to push open the door of the house, and was immediately assaulted by a pungent smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the odor of stinky feet.
Even though Li Yifei smoked, he found the smell somewhat overwhelming.
The people in the room all turned to look at Li Yifei and Su Yiyi at once. Su Yiyi’s father’s face changed drastically, and his body trembled involuntarily.
There were six people inside, four playing mahjong, and two watching the fun. Apart from Su Yiyi’s father, those playing mahjong were men in their forties. The two spectators were slightly younger. All of them were locals and recognized Su Yiyi. One of them noticed the change in Su Yiyi’s father’s face and teasingly said, "Old Su, what’s wrong with you? Your daughter is back, are you so frightened?"
Su Yiyi’s father immediately stood up and said in a hurry, "Go, go, no more playing, no more playing."
"Come on, Old Su, what are you doing? We agreed to play sixteen rounds, and we haven’t even played eight. Can you even keep it together?"
"Exactly, Old Su, don’t be such a spoilsport."
At this time, Su Yiyi’s father’s lips were trembling as he pushed the men one after another toward the door, urging, "Go, go, hurry up and go, no more playing, no more playing." It wasn’t that he was afraid of his daughter, but he recognized Li Yifei – a man like the god of death. Last time, he had beaten up the formidable Sun Li so badly; he was genuinely frightened by Li Yifei.
Although the others were reluctant and cursed under their breath, they could only walk out.
At this moment, Su Yiyi stomped her foot hard, and said with frustration, "Dad, didn’t you say you wouldn’t play anymore?" As she spoke, tears she had been holding back finally flowed down her face.
"I... I..." Su Yiyi’s father’s legs were wobbly as he bowed his head, anxiously tidying the mahjong table and not daring to look at Su Yiyi or, to be more accurate, at Li Yifei.
Li Yifei sighed inwardly. He was very angry with Su Yiyi’s father, but in front of Su Yiyi, he naturally couldn’t show it. Smiling, he said, "Hello, Uncle, I’m Li Yifei, Yiyi’s boyfriend. I hope I’m not intruding by coming to see you and interrupting your game."
Su Yiyi’s father’s legs shook with fright, and he said in haste, "I won’t play anymore, and I won’t ever play again. If I play again... I’ll chop off my fingers."
Li Yifei had no faith in such words. Promises made by people who took oaths so lightly were worthless, just like farting. He handed over a bag of items he was carrying to Su Yiyi’s father and said, "Uncle, it’s my first time visiting, and I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I bought you some things. I hope you find them to your liking."
"Much obliged, much obliged." Su Yiyi’s father felt that Li Yifei spoke very politely. Finally, he dared to raise his head and look at Li Yifei and saw that Li Yifei was neither glaring at him nor angry, just smiling amiably and behaving very courteously. Then, looking at his daughter, a new thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Although Li Yifei was formidable, he seemed to treat his daughter quite well. After all, he was Yiyi’s father, which also made him this man’s future father-in-law. Does a father-in-law need to be so humble in front of his son-in-law? If he annoyed him, he wouldn’t let his daughter marry him.
Sometimes people are like that, suddenly finding a kind of self-assurance. Whether or not this confidence is justified, it can instantly change a person’s mindset.
With a chuckle, Su Yiyi’s father said, "Come, come, have a seat. It’s a bit of a mess in here, don’t mind it." Then he turned to Su Yiyi and said, "Yiyi, you and this young man, bringing home a boyfriend and not introducing him to me sooner, so I can see if he’s worthy of you. Our Yiyi is so beautiful, many rich folks have their eyes on her."