Chapter 143: A Life Fraught with Misfortune

Of course, Huang Guolun wouldn't blame Huang Tao. Even if the matter were true, it had nothing to do with Huang Tao; they could only blame the harsh and turbulent destiny of the Huang family.

Seeing that Huang Guolun's emotions had calmed down considerably, Old Master Huang instructed him, "Make sure you don't mention a word of this to your mother."

Huang Guolun acknowledged with a nod, "I know. I won't tell anyone about this, not even my brother for now."

"Right. If your brother has been very busy lately, don't let him know yet so it doesn't interfere with his work."

"Indeed. Once he gets through this busy spell, the three of us can sit down and carefully discuss how to handle it."

Old Master Huang pondered for a moment, then reminded Huang Guolun, "For the time being, you should hold off on going to any blind dates. I heard from your mother that she has found a few more candidates for you and is waiting for you to meet them. Just keep stalling your mother on that front. Once everything is thoroughly investigated, you can start considering finding a stepmother for Taozi."

"I understand," Huang Guolun said with a lingering, dark irritation. "This whole thing is truly disturbing. If it turns out to be true, I shouldn't bother finding a stepmother for Taozi at all. Whoever I find would just be ruined by me."

"Don't look at it so extremely." Old Master Huang had already thought the matter through and tried to comfort Huang Guolun, "Even if it's true, you still need to find a stepmother for Taozi. Just don't have any more children."

"If we don't have children, it wouldn't be fair to the woman." Huang Guolun was always considerate of others. He explained, "Which woman wouldn't want children of her own? I would already be deeply grateful to anyone willing to marry into this family and help me take care of Taozi. To demand that she give up having her own children is something I simply cannot do. If what Mr. Yi said is true, I might as well stay single for the rest of my life and stop making a mess of things."

"You child, you always carry such a heavy emotional burden. You can never be as optimistic as your brother."

"If this turns out to be true, how could I possibly be optimistic?"

"You can look at things from a brighter perspective. Not every woman in this world wants her own children, you know. Haven't you heard of the DINK lifestyle?"

Huang Guolun was left speechless and torn between laughter and tears by Old Master Huang's suggestion of the DINK lifestyle, retorting, "DINK stands for Double Income, No Kids—they don't want any children at all. I already have a child; who would be willing to live a DINK life with me?"

Old Master Huang guided Huang Guolun patiently, "As long as you look with your heart, you will definitely find someone suitable. Some women love children very much, but they might have physical limitations, are unable to reproduce, and cannot bear children. If someone like that unites with you, wouldn't it be a perfect match? The two of you can raise Taozi together without needing to have another child."

Huang Guolun thought about it and said, "That actually sounds like a viable path. Dad, you really are resourceful and calculating."

"What resourcefulness is there to speak of? This is just a solution born out of desperation. Let's just pray that this matter isn't true. I still hope that the two of you brothers can add a few more children to the family so that our lineage continues to flourish. But in the unlikely event that it is true, neither of you can have children for the next twenty years. However, once that twenty-year period has passed and our family debt is repaid, you won't be exceptionally old—just in your early fifties. If you keep yourselves in good physical condition, there is still a very strong hope of having a few more children."

Huang Guolun felt dizzy at the thought. "You are thinking way too far ahead! When my brother and I are in our fifties, even if we still have the ability to father children, our wives certainly wouldn't be able to bear them anymore!"

Old Master Huang explained with profound foresight, "That is precisely why one must make long-term plans. The reason I told you not to go on blind dates for now is that I want you to think far ahead. If you happen to run into someone suitable, you can be together. But if you don't meet the right person, don't rush into marriage. Wait for a decade or so, close to the end of the deadline, and then find a young, fertile woman to marry and have children then. As for Taozi, if what Mr. Yi said is true, then Taozi is an extraordinary genius. Regardless of whether he grows up in a single-parent family, as long as he receives a good education, his future will undoubtedly be bright."

The moment Taozi was mentioned, Old Master Huang's mood brightened considerably.

Huang Guolun, however, felt a wave of secret panic.

Anyone could see that Huang Tao was an unusually bright, super-talented child—was this not direct proof of what Mr. Yi had predicted?

"Sigh, I just hope this wretched business blows over soon."

For now, Huang Guolun could only pray that this entire affair was merely a scheme orchestrated by Boss Lin.

He truly did not want his already turbulent emotional life to be shackled by such a curse.

He did not crave dramatic ups and downs, nor did he seek immense wealth and luxury. He only wanted to live like a normal person: find a virtuous wife, rebuild a complete family for Huang Tao, have one or two children belonging to the new couple, create a warm and cozy home, and live out a flavorful, quiet life. That would satisfy him beyond measure.

However, if even this modest life were denied to him by the heavens, he would likely cast caution to the wind and play a game of Russian roulette with destiny, just to see what kind of brilliance he could squeeze out of this cursed life of his.

During lunch that day, both Old Master Huang and Huang Guolun tried their absolute best to mask their inner turmoil, ensuring the rest of the family remained oblivious to the heavy burden on their minds.

At the dining table, Old Madam Huang was still urging Huang Guolun to go on blind dates, while Huang Tao chimed in enthusiastically, encouraging his father to find him a new mother as soon as possible.

Huang Guolun brushed it off as he always did, but inside, his heart was a chaotic mix of bitter and complex emotions.

Right now, let alone meeting new blind date candidates, the budding relationship he had just begun to build with Zhao Yan—one that might have progressed to the next level—was about to come to an abrupt halt.

Before figuring out the truth behind Mr. Yi's words, Huang Guolun could not go any further with Zhao Yan; he could not afford to delay or ruin her life.

During their previous heart-to-heart conversations, Zhao Yan had mentioned, intentionally or not, that she hoped to have a large group of children in the future. It was abundantly clear that she was a woman who truly loved children.

If Mr. Yi's words were true, Huang Guolun would have no way to pursue a relationship with Zhao Yan.

He could only hope that none of this was real.

Yet, with the matter weighing so heavily on his mind, even as Huang Guolun forced himself not to believe it, he still harbored a suffocating, fishbone-in-the-throat kind of gloom.

After lunch, Huang Guolun took Huang Tao to take a nap.

Having played all morning and enjoyed a hearty meal at noon, Huang Tao was soon snoring softly and fast asleep.

Huang Guolun lay on his side next to Huang Tao, watching the boy sleep soundly, feeling utterly wretched inside.

He felt terrible for Huang Tao, and even worse for Chen Jia.

No matter the outcome of this affair, none of it was Huang Tao's fault.

If anyone was to blame, it was his own "ignorance" for dragging Chen Jia into playing a high-stakes game with fate.

Back then, if he hadn't relentlessly pursued Chen Jia and won her heart, she would never have met such a tragic, ill-fated end.

Huang Guolun deeply regretted delivering his most beloved person to the netherworld with his own hands.

The mere thought of it made his heart bleed.

That afternoon, he drifted into a murky, restless slumber.

Perhaps weighed down by his heavy thoughts, he actually dreamed of Chen Jia.

In the dream, Chen Jia was still in the prime of her youth, endlessly complaining to him about being thirsty and wanting a drink of water.

In his dream, it suddenly dawned on Huang Guolun that the trees planted on Chen Jia's grave might be lacking water.

Chen Jia was buried in Fubei Cemetery, the finest feng shui burial ground managed by his family.

Fubei Cemetery advocated for the most advanced and environmentally friendly tree burials.

Every cemetery plot priced over ten thousand yuan came with pine and cypress trees, symbolizing evergreen eternity and blessings for future generations.

Chen Jia, along with his uncle Huang Hao, was buried within the family's exclusive section of the cemetery, reserved in the location with the absolute best feng shui.

Knowing that Chen Jia loved liveliness, Huang Guolun had, under the guidance of a feng shui master at the time, planted numerous pine and cypress trees around her burial site.

It was currently the cold winter season, and logically speaking, those pine and cypress trees did not require watering.

Yet, having had the dream, Huang Guolun felt an urge to visit the cemetery, water the trees appropriately, and have a chat with Chen Jia.

Driven by this thought, Huang Guolun woke up.

At that moment, he saw Huang Tao leaning over the edge of the bed, cheerfully holding up his mobile phone and engaging in a video chat with someone.

Looking closer, the little rascal was actually video-calling Sun Yanzhen!

"Ahem."

Huang Guolun coughed to clear his dry throat, sat up, and asked Huang Tao, "What are you doing?"

Huang Tao proudly informed Huang Guolun, "I'm chatting with my godmother!"

"Godmother?"

Huang Guolun was slightly stunned. Since when did Sun Yanzhen become Huang Tao's godmother?

"Godmother, our family's Old Huang is awake! Do you want to chat with him?" Huang Tao said into the phone to Sun Yanzhen. "Didn't you just say you were looking for him earlier?"

Huang Guolun leaned closer to the phone, looking at the smiling Sun Yanzhen on the screen, and asked her, "Were you looking for me?"

"Not really. I just missed Taozi and called, and since Taozi answered, we started chatting... Taozi, tell your dad, do you miss your godmother terribly?"

Huang Tao exaggerated dramatically, "Super, infinitely, immensely!"

"Giggle." Sun Yanzhen was tickled pink, her face beaming with delight and happiness.

Huang Guolun, feeling rather helpless, asked Sun Yanzhen, "How did you become his godmother?"

Before Sun Yanzhen could reply, Huang Tao enthusiastically steered the conversation, "Dad, aren't you happy that Sister Sun is my godmother? Do you want her to be my new mommy? If so, I raise both my hands and feet in agreement!"

On the other end of the screen, Sun Yanzhen couldn't help but give Huang Tao a thumbs-up, looking even happier.

Having just lived through the Mr. Yi incident, Huang Guolun was in no mood for such romantic musings and scolded Huang Tao, "You little brat, stop running your mouth."

"I'm not running my mouth, I'm speaking very seriously! I think you and my godmother are a brilliant match! Oh right, godmother, are you fast at running?"

Sun Yanzhen was slightly baffled by Huang Tao's question and replied, "Average, I suppose. My athletic skills aren't that great."

"Then Dad will definitely be able to catch you, right? Hehe!" Huang Tao was determined to steer the narrative off the charts.

Sun Yanzhen was in a wonderful mood and said with a double entendre, "That depends on your dad's performance. Normally speaking, he runs faster than me, so he should be able to catch me."

Huang Tao shouted excitedly, "Dad! Dad! Did you hear that! You can catch my godmother!"

Huang Guolun truly had no heart to banter with Huang Tao right now.

Ignoring his father's mood, Huang Tao pressed on, "Godmother, what's your blood type? Let me calculate if you and my dad are compatible."

Sun Yanzhen answered without hesitation, "I'm Type O."

Huang Tao buttered her up, "You can't be Type O! You must be square-shaped, otherwise how could you be so upright and proper? Oh wait, you must be my dad's ideal type! You two are a match made in heaven!"