Volume One, Chapter Ninety-Nine: Hasn't She Always Been Right by Your Side?

The livestream filled with sighs, leaving people unable to help but ponder: can raising children truly keep one from loneliness in old age?

This final farce ended with the blare of police sirens.

Before being taken away, Li Hua kept bowing again and again toward his elderly mother, begging forgiveness. “Mom, I’m sorry!”

It was plain to see that he truly knew he had been wrong.

But there is no medicine for regret in this world.

When you do wrong, you must face the punishment.

The poor old mother, her temples already silvered, was forced to watch her son clank into prison.

A single turbid tear slowly traced its way down her wrinkled face.

“My son! I have never blamed you! I stayed here all along because I only wanted to see you live safely and well!”

Only Li Hua could no longer hear her.

Afterward, Li Hua’s sister, Li Xin, was released that same night.

In the cold, empty house, she was now the only one left.

For once, she set a table full of dishes, and in the center of the table stood her mother’s black-and-white portrait.

Like the old woman when she was alive, she picked up food and placed it into the empty bowl before the portrait. “Back then I kept a tight rein on you and wouldn’t let you eat anything. Now it’s all right. No one will control you anymore. Eat whatever you want, and have more of it.”

Soon, the empty bowl was piled high with food.

Only when it could hold no more did Li Xin finally break down, covering her face as she wept.

In the hollow house, all that remained was the soft sound of Li Xin’s choking sobs.

It hurt the old mother’s heart as if it might split apart.

“Daxin.”

Li Xin lifted her head in shock, yet all she saw was a black-and-white smile.

“Mom!”

At that moment, her grief surged to its peak.

“Daxin, it is your mother who has wronged you.”

This time, Li Xin heard it clearly.

She looked all around, but saw nothing. She could only reach upward by instinct. “Mom, is it really you?”

The old woman’s faint figure drifted above her head, reluctant to leave. “Daxin, your mother has to go. Take good care of yourself, and live well from now on. Live for yourself.”

“No, Mom...! Don’t go!”

Li Xin reached out to seize her, but caught nothing at all. Instead, a breeze brushed through her fingers and dislodged a farewell letter from the top of the cabinet.

Clutching the letter, Li Xin sobbed without end. “Mom!”

Her voice echoed through the room, and only her voice returned to her.

The letter read: All of my estate shall belong to my daughter, Li Xin.

—

Qin Yu sent out her second lucky draw bag of the day.

It was claimed by a netizen named Murderer Go Die.

Qin Yu frowned; she had not intended to invite him on voice chat, but he had tipped after all.

So Qin Yu had no choice but to bring him up.

The moment he came on, he spoke rudely. “See my username?”

Qin Yu gave it a cool glance. “I did. Murderer.”

Murderer Go Die: ???

“Are you illiterate or what?”

On the other end, the man’s face flushed crimson, as though he were about to smash his phone any second.

Qin Yu’s gaze remained cool. “This murderer's netizen friend, what would you like me to divine?”

Murderer Go Die: ...

“Who the hell are you calling a murderer?!”

Qin Yu placed one palm before her chest and said solemnly, “Murderer, mind your language. Don’t frighten the babies in my livestream.”

“Hahaha, did you hear that? My wife called me baby. I’m crying to death!”

“Hahahaha, this murderer brother is furious. He wanted to annoy the master, but ended up being annoyed half to death himself.”

“Wife, baby loves you! Mwah.”

Qin Yu’s ears grew faintly hot.

The murderer was so enraged that he abruptly hung up.

Qin Yu’s expression did not change. She smiled and said, “Murderer, if you don’t want the reading anymore, the fee cannot be refunded. It will count as your voluntary forfeiture.”

As soon as she said this, a small red dot appeared in her backend at once.

Qin Yu curved her lips in a faint smile.

Murderer Go Die came back on the line, putting on the airs of an old gentleman. Looking at Qin Yu on the screen, he deliberately made things difficult. “I want tonight’s winning numbers for the lottery.”

“This murderer is so bold. He asked the question I’ve always wanted to ask but never dared to.”

“The foolish are still arguing, while the wise have already quietly taken out paper and pen. Master, just speak. If I can’t remember it, I lose.”

“Then remember to send it to me privately.”

“Hahaha, I always feel like something as good as this falling from the sky is not very realistic. I think you’re all going to get scolded by your wife.”

As expected, Qin Yu said coldly, “This cannot be divined. Choose another.”

The moment Murderer Go Die heard that, he instantly grew energized. Pointing at Qin Yu, he cried out in a strange voice, “Oh? Didn’t you say you could divine anything accurately? I think you’re a fraud and you just don’t dare do it!”

Qin Yu wasted no words and kicked him from the microphone.

Then, with a serious expression, she said, “My livestream does not divine matters of sudden riches or ill-gotten gains. If anyone wants that sort of reading, please exit via the upper left and turn right. No thanks.”

This was the first time Qin Yu had spoken so sternly in front of everyone, and even her longtime fans were so frightened they did not dare speak loudly.

Of course Qin Yu was not refusing because she could not divine it accurately.

On one hand, windfalls like this generally brought no good ending; on the other hand, even if she did divine it correctly, there would be too many winners. Did the organizers look like fools? Were they really going to let people make money off them for nothing? They would surely manipulate the lottery numbers behind the scenes.

“The second lucky draw bag is void. I’ll send out another one. If you do not have an especially urgent need, please let those who need it more have the chance. Thank you for your cooperation!”

The lucky draw bag was sent out again. This time, it was claimed by a user named North Ivy.

When North Ivy came online, unexpectedly, he turned out to be a middle-aged man with a heroic, sharp-featured appearance, though a heavy gloom lingered between his brows.

Seeing Qin Yu, he first called her respectfully Master, then immediately sent the divination fee.

Every gesture and movement was full of elegance and refinement.

“Master, I would like your help in finding someone for me.”

Zhu Beiai’s eyes were warm, his gaze bright.

Qin Yu lowered her head and took a sip of tea. “What sort of person?”

“A young woman,” Zhu Beiai said excitedly. “She should be in her early twenties. About this tall.”

He measured the height near his shoulder and continued, “She likes to wear a green dress, with pearls on it. She has a peach-colored oil-paper umbrella. She smiles often, and when she does, she has two sweet little dimples, very lovely. There is a small black mole at the corner of her eye, and I love the way it trembles slightly when she smiles...”

He described her with such care that every feature seemed carved into his mind.

“Did I hear that right? A green dress and a pink umbrella? This... red and green together? And you call that pretty?”

“You know nothing about seeing beauty through a lover’s eyes. You think it’s ordinary, but to him it may be exquisite. Besides, what makes red and green ugly is not the colors themselves, but the face. With enough looks, even a sackcloth bag can look good.”

“Though this brother’s description is very beautiful, there’s something eerily beautiful about it too.”

“The more I listen, the more I feel like this sounds like the fox spirit from those ghost tales I’ve read.”

“She cannot be a fox spirit! We have met! She truly is as beautiful as I described! No—she is even more beautiful than I described!” Zhu Beiai defended himself.

Qin Yu looked at him, a little unable to bear it. “You really want to find her?”

Zhu Beiai nodded firmly. “Yes! I must find her!”

A soft sigh drifted through the air.

“Hasn’t she always been by your side?”