Chapter 2: Chapter 2: When Life Gets a Narrator
After the incident of the door being kicked open, even someone as slow as Su Qing knew that what was happening to him at this moment was unusual.
The voice in his head was reminding him of his life in a narrative way, whether it was something about to happen or giving him hints when he made certain choices.
Although he had fantasized about getting some kind of golden finger like a novelās protagonist to reach the pinnacle of life, he still found it hard to believe when it really happened to him.
He glanced over at the leftovers he dumped in the kitchen. If he had chosen to eat it instead of trusting the voice, he might be on his way to the hospital right now.
"Damn, am I favored by the heavens, or have I eaten too many poisonous mushrooms?"
Thatās right, he attributed the narration in his mind to the mistakenly eaten poisonous mushrooms from last night; after all, it was the only accident that happened recently.
Su Qing rubbed his head, walked to the computer in the living room, skillfully turned it on, and started to search on Baidu for possible symptoms of eating poisonous mushrooms by mistake.
But after searching for a long time, he couldnāt find any similar symptoms, and even if he went to the hospital, he couldnāt exactly say he could hear a ānarrationā in his head now, could he? People might think heās crazy.
If the narration proved true, he could be captured for research, and he didnāt want to be a guinea pig.
āIn a happy pond, thereās a little frog, dancing like itās possessed by a prince...ā
Just then, the phone next to him rang. When he picked it up, he realized it was from the empress dowager at home, and Su Qing quickly answered:
"Hello, Mom."
"Oh, still alive, huh!" said the voice on the other end.
Su Qing: -_-|||
"Mom, itās only been half a month, donāt exaggerate, Iām not a kid anymore."
"Alright, alright, come by at noon, letās have dinner together tonight."
Upon hearing this, considering his situation, Su Qing thought for a moment and replied, "Mom, I have something to do, I might not make it!"
"Iām not asking for your opinion, Iām notifying you. Donāt be ungrateful!"
Su Qing: Ī£(Ā°ā³Ā°
"No, seriously, Mom, where did you learn all this?"
Then he heard the words that drove him crazy:
"Who cares, Iām your mom, you basic guy, so lame!"
With that, the busy tone came through, leaving Su Qing sitting in front of the computer in chaos.
He always knew his momās rebellious phase was long, but he didnāt expect that with the advancement of the internet, it could get worse. The internet sure is a harmful poison.
Thinking of this, he felt the need to show some care as a son for the elderly at home. After all, at this rate, his mom would be reversing in age.
At this point, he somewhat understood why his dad regretted having a wife every day. Enduring for so many years, it must have been tough for him.
Checking the phone, he saw it was almost noon, so Su Qing quickly packed up to head home.
[Bus No. 106 will arrive in five minutes. Passengers preparing to board, please get ready.]
As soon as he decided to go home, that magnetic voice appeared in his mind once again.
Having gone through the previous incidents, Su Qing actually felt a bit excited this time. Although the ability seemed somewhat useless, it was better than nothing. With proper use, he believed he could still reach the pinnacle of life.
Thinking of this, he quickly packed up and ran toward the bus stop outside the district.
Timing it right, five minutes later, bus No. 106 arrived as expected. At this moment, Su Qing was ecstatic. Indeed, he once again confirmed the reality of the narration in his mind.
Forty minutes later, the bus stopped at Jiangming District bus station. Su Qing got off the bus and felt a sense of comfort looking at the familiar neighborhood.
"Isnāt that Su Familyās boy? Back already!" At this moment, a plump woman came walking over; she was Auntie Li, the vice-chairman of the districtās square dance committee.
"Auntie Li, yes, Iām back to see the family. What about you?" Su Qing quickly replied.
Auntie Li: "Oh, Iām out buying groceries. My son is bringing his girlfriend over tonight, so I have to make a good show."
[The face-conscious Auntie Li is lying. Her son doesnāt even have a girlfriend. Itās just because heās of an older age, and sheās worried about gossip.]
The witty narration appeared at just the right moment.
To this, Su Qing was speechless. He really couldnāt understand the thoughts of these elders. Being single at thirty wasnāt such a big deal, was it necessary to hide it?
"Is that so? Is Brother Qiangās happy event coming up? You are going to have grandchildren soon!" Su Qing laughed.
"Not yet, not yet, nothingās set in stone," [Auntie Li was smiling, but she was hit in a sore spot. Her son had already gone on seven blind dates this year and hadnāt succeeded with any.]
Auntie Liās words and the narration appeared almost simultaneously, giving Su Qing a feeling of having a godās perspective.
"By the way, I heard from your mom that you still havenāt found a job? Youāve been graduated for almost a year, havenāt you? You canāt aim too high, you know," Auntie Li continued.
[Auntie Liās son is a primary school teacher, stable in his job, so she deliberately brought up this topic to feel better about herself.]
Su Qing: ...
Whereās the sense of superiority in this? Heās no match for Li Jie.
Little did he know, in the eyes of the elders, unless youāre running a business as a boss, nothing beats having a stable job, like civil service.
"Of course, I have a job. Itās just not stable, canāt compare with Brother Qiang the teacher." Su Qing smiled.
Auntie Li is quite nice, just a bit vain. Naturally, he wouldnāt argue with an elder, so he went along with it.
Upon hearing this, Auntie Li beamed with joy: "Thatās right, my son Qiang might earn less, but his job is stable, and he gets social security, all five insurances and one housing fund."
[Using high emotional intelligence in language helps you navigate social interactions smoothly. Auntie Liās vanity was greatly satisfied, and you gained her significant goodwill.]
Seeing this, Su Qing smiled helplessly. Compared to his neighbor, Auntie Liās little vanity was negligible.
"Alright then, Auntie Li, Iāll head home now, take care!"
"Alright, alright, come over to Auntie Liās for a meal sometime."
"Sure thing!"
This is one of the reasons he liked renting outside; if he lived at home, heād be surrounded by gossip.
After parting ways with Auntie Li, Su Qing went straight home.
"Mom, Iām back!"
Su Qing pushed open the living room door, changing his shoes while calling inside.
"Why are you shouting? Your momās ears are still working fine."
As soon as the words fell, a woman in loose pajamas, her face covered in cucumber slices, walked out of the bedroomāit was his mom, Zhou Hui.
Even approaching fifty, her figure was still intact, and she still walked with a spring in her step. Perhaps it was because she never worried muchācall it a good mindset.
"Itās Saturday today. Whereās Dad and Big Yellow?" Su Qing plopped down on the sofa and asked.
Big Yellow was their pet golden retriever, very intelligent, and could even fetch packages for his mom sometimes.
To say, his mom being at home meant even the dog had to be cautious around her.
"Your dad took it fishing with Uncle Li. I donāt see the pointāthey come back empty-handed eight out of ten times. Enthusiastic, but not skillful."
To this, Su Qing could only let out a dry laugh, not daring to reply.
"Whatās so funny? Talking about him didnāt mean Iām not talking about you. Get up and hang that picture of the God of Wealth for me!" Zhou Hui kicked her son and pointed at the picture on the dining table, then sat down on the sofa herself.
Helpless, Su Qing got up, took the picture, and went to the hallway where a statue of the Matchmaker God was already displayed.
"Mom, are you also worshiping the Matchmaker God? Are you praying for a marriage for me?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a cold sneer came through, "Hah, you wish."
"With the likes of you who donāt even have a proper job, what girl would fancy you unless sheās blind."
"I prayed for Big Yellow. If not relying on your son, thereās always the dog."
Su Qing: "..."
"Mom, Big Yellowās been neutered long ago."
Zhou Hui: ...
"Thatās why Iām changing it to thisāitās important not to keep idle spirits where we live!"
Su Qing: ...
...