The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 326: Chapter 326: We’re Both Hard to Kill

Things should have ended there.

But then Wu Lingling called Yao Ziqian to break up with him, saying her family wouldn’t allow her to marry someone so far away.

After hanging up, Wu Lingling had a good cry and threw herself into her work.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, Yao Ziqian showed up in Shencheng, carrying two large suitcases after a long train ride.

When he appeared at the entrance of Fuli Mall, where Wu Lingling worked, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

”Lingling!” Yao Ziqian called out with a smile.

Wu Lingling turned, her eyes wide with disbelief. ”Yao Ziqian, you... what are you doing here?”

Yao Ziqian smiled. ”If you can’t come to Yue Province, then I’ll come to you. We can’t just break up over something like this. I don’t agree to it.”

Seeing this, the deputy store manager quickly took over her duties. ”Lingling, your boyfriend came all this way to see you. Go get him settled in. You two can talk things out slowly. He came from as far away as Yue Province, so make sure you treat him well.”

Yao Ziqian had come from so far away. He didn’t know the area or anyone in it, and his Cantonese-accented Mandarin immediately marked him as an outsider.

”Alright, I’ll take the day off. Sorry to leave you all with the extra work. I’ll treat you to a meal when I have time.” Wu Lingling arranged her work handover and then led Yao Ziqian out.

Yao Ziqian was wearing a white, Tang-style silk shirt, black silk pants, and black cloth shoes.

His outfit was quite similar to Master Zhao’s.

”Your sister is the director of a wholesale market, couldn’t you have bought some more fashionable clothes?” Wu Lingling didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she looked at Yao Ziqian’s retro, Republican-era outfit.

Yao Ziqian just smiled. ”I’m in the feng shui business. Of course, I have to dress with a bit of traditional gravitas to be convincing. Come on, find a hotel for me near where you live. I need to go buy a house and a storefront.”

”Buy a house?” Wu Lingling was stunned. ”What are you buying a house for? And a storefront? Are you planning to start a business?”

Yao Ziqian nodded. ”Even a bird has to build a nest when it takes a mate and has chicks! Shouldn’t a man prepare a home when he gets married? I can’t just live off my savings. I need to support a family, so I’ll set up a shop and get back to my old trade—open a ’Humanistic Environment Research Studio.’”

Wu Lingling was taken aback. ”Can you actually make money in that line of work here in Shencheng?”

Yao Ziqian’s handsome face wore a faint smile, but his eyes never left Wu Lingling.

”Promotion, wealth, a long life, peace, and health—aren’t these all things people wish for? Wherever there are people, there will be believers. The more affluent the place, the more people believe in this stuff.”

This reasoning successfully convinced Wu Lingling.

But Wu Lingling was still a little puzzled. ”Yao Ziqian, be honest with me. Why do you like me? And don’t just say it’s because I’m pretty. There are plenty of beautiful women in Yue Province. I don’t believe I’m so devastatingly beautiful that I’ve completely swept you off your feet.”

”Well...” Yao Ziqian hesitated slightly. ’Should I tell a white lie or the truth?’

Wu Lingling blinked, looking at Yao Ziqian with sincere eyes. ”You came all this way for me; surely you don’t want us to get married just to get divorced later. There are some things we need to be clear about.”

”Besides, even though you have a sister, you’re the only son. If you settle down here, can your parents bear to let you go? What if we get married and then you run back home? Wouldn’t that make me the pitiful one? After all, I’ve already lost a husband once. If I get divorced on top of that... even if I’m beautiful, it’s hard for a woman to marry a third time.”

As Wu Lingling said this, her eyes reddened and her nose tingled.

Back at the wholesale market in Yue Province, Wu Lingling had left a deep impression on Yao Ziqian. He remembered her well, the girl whose lively voice was as crisp and pleasant as the ringing of a bell.

Later, as Yao Ziqian and Wu Lingling corresponded through letters, he learned more about her situation and gradually fell for her.

When he told his master about it, his master insisted on seeing a photo of Wu Lingling, and then he gave his approval.

The reason was rather brutal: they both had ”hard fates” and could be together. Otherwise, if either of them married someone else, they would ”jinx” their spouse to death.

Wu Lingling’s former husband had died in a motorcycle crash.

And once, his parents had arranged a marriage for him, but three days after the wedding, his new wife choked to death while eating.

Such a way to die was truly rare.

Although these were all accidents, people in their line of work believed in such things.

”First, you have a great personality, and you’re beautiful. Second...”

”Second what?” Wu Lingling pressed. ”If you don’t give me a real reason, things might not go smoothly for us in the future.”

Yao Ziqian had chased his love a thousand miles from Yue Province. What was there to be afraid of?

”The truth is, we both have ’hard fates.’ My bride died three days after our wedding, and your husband died three days after yours. If we get together, neither of us can jinx the other. We’re a match made in heaven. My master calculated this for us.”

Hearing this, Wu Lingling was dumbfounded. ”Is that for real?”

Yao Ziqian said with emotion, ”My late wife and your late husband were both young and healthy, but they both died violent, unnatural deaths. You could call it a coincidence, and maybe it is. But maybe it isn’t. In any case, it’s better to believe it than to not.”

”Besides, you could say it was love at first sight for us. We corresponded, we connected, and we fell in love freely. You could say I’ve journeyed here for love. You can’t turn me away!”

Wu Lingling scratched her head. ”But... you’re an only son, right? Your sister is already married. What about your parents? Did they agree to this? What if they don’t approve and cut ties with you? What will you do then?”

”Being in love is important, but it’s not like you couldn’t fall in love with someone else. You only get one set of parents; you can’t replace them. I couldn’t bear to leave my parents, so you should think this through carefully. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

She had just managed to sort out her feelings and make a firm decision. She couldn’t just let everything change and get swept up in the moment simply because Yao Ziqian had come, only to have an even bigger mess later on.

Yao Ziqian smiled. ”You don’t have to worry about that. From the day I was born, my family had no peace. One person would get injured, another would fall ill. No one died, but it was a constant struggle. My parents found my master, and after a calculation, he said that I was ’incompatible’ with my family.”

”When I was at home, there was no tranquility. On top of that, we couldn’t hold on to any money; we were destined to be poor for life. So, my parents raised me until I was three and then sent me to study under my master.”

”And you’d better believe it. After I left home, sure enough, my family was fine. Even the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, and dogs were fine. It just further confirmed that I was incompatible with my family.”

”When my parents miss me, they come to visit. After I grew up, I would occasionally go back home, but only a few times a year. I know they love me, but I don’t want them to get hurt or lose money because of me.”

”My master also said our ’Eight Characters’ are compatible and that we’re fond of each other, so he approved of this marriage. My parents don’t dare arrange a marriage for me anymore, afraid I’ll jinx another person to death.”

”They don’t want me to be a bachelor for life, so they agreed to let me come here and start a family with you. The deal is that during summer and winter breaks, you’ll come back with me for a while to visit my parents and master. My sister will take care of my parents, and she and my brother-in-law will get half of the family inheritance.”

Listening to Yao Ziqian’s explanation, Wu Lingling’s eyes reddened. He had thought of every last detail.

If she wasn’t brave enough now, it would be a disservice to Yao Ziqian, who had come all this way for her.

”Don’t cry. Whatever you’re worried about, just tell me. Crying won’t solve anything.” Seeing Wu Lingling’s tears, Yao Ziqian felt a pang in his heart and quickly pulled out a clean handkerchief to wipe them away.