Huang’s father was extremely surprised. "How could this be? Xiaojue has never mentioned it before."
"How dare he? He’s been deceiving us! It’s quite a coincidence, really. An acquaintance of mine knows Yan’s mother. We had a casual chat this morning, and somehow, we started talking about her. It was quite an eye-opener! I found out all about the Yan Family. They were quite well-off in the old days. However, five years ago, her father fatally injured someone in an accident, and they lost all their wealth in the ensuing settlement. The father who caused the accident died long ago, leaving only her terminally ill mother. They’re desperately poor. If our son marries this woman, won’t his life be ruined?"
Huang’s father was dismissive. "Isn’t that a bit much? My dear, don’t you think you’re exaggerating?"
"Am I exaggerating? I’m doing all this for our son’s well-being..." She shot a resentful glance at the tightly closed door upstairs. "Now, our son is so infatuated with her that he won’t listen to me at all. I tell him to go on arranged dates, but he refuses. You see? If he marries Yan Xixi, his life will be ruined! He’ll be so burdened with hardship. He’ll never be able to live comfortably..."
Huang’s father furrowed his brow. "Our son just brought his girlfriend home not too long ago. It’s one thing if you don’t like her, but urging him to go on an arranged date so soon? Aren’t you just looking for trouble where there is none?"
"I am anxious! It wasn’t easy to find a good civil servant who is attractive and from a good family. This is a rare opportunity; if we miss it, there won’t be another one! Do you really think such well-qualified girls will wait around indefinitely for our foolish son? Besides, his aunt arranged the meeting. The girl’s family has already pressed us several times. They said if he doesn’t meet her soon, she’ll start seeing other young men and won’t wait any longer."
Huang’s father sighed helplessly. "Since she’s our son’s college classmate, she should at least have some level of education. Once her mother’s illness improves, she can easily find a decent job. Their difficulties are only temporary."
"Old man, you’re really getting muddled! That girl didn’t even graduate from college! Because of her mother’s illness, she couldn’t afford tuition and had to take care of things at home, so she dropped out in the first semester of her junior year. If she had actually finished college, I wouldn’t be so strongly against her..."
Hearing this, Huang’s father was rendered speechless.
Huang’s mother sneered, lowering her voice. "Old man, you don’t understand. The minute I saw that girl, I didn’t like her. She’s unsettlingly beautiful, like a Fairy. If our son truly marries her, she’ll have him wrapped around her little finger, and he’ll be condemned to a lifetime of servitude. We’re just an ordinary family; how could we possibly cater to a woman like that? She’s bound to be restless. I bet she just sees our son as her personal ATM. If any misfortune were to occur, we’d end up losing everything. It’s best to break them up sooner rather than later. She has the face of someone destined for misfortune; she’s not a good match for him at all..."
Just then, the door upstairs opened. Huang Xiaojue stepped down the staircase. Spotting his father, he somewhat reluctantly greeted, "Dad."
Seeing his son already in his coat, Huang’s father frowned. "Xiaojue, are you going out again?"
He replied indifferently, "I’ve made plans with friends."
Huang’s mother blurted out angrily, "What friends? Don’t tell me you’re going to see Yan Xixi? Son, she’s really not a good match for you..."
Huang Xiaojue responded in a stern voice, "Mom, since when did our family become so high and mighty? How is Yan Xixi not good enough for me? Am I some great young master?"
"Exactly because we aren’t wealthy, we can’t handle such a heavy burden!"