Chapter 168 Everyone should go home; she can't be delayed.
Tao Xiaoxiao moved quickly. Before Yao Xiaoyu could properly transition the topic to packing tips for compressing luggage, the girl had already walked in carrying a veiled hat. Ye Junshu looked at this item, which he thought only women would wear, and his expression was rather subtle. So Yao Xiaoyu kindly offered another option.
"I'll wear this, you can wear my hat."
The veil was merely an object to cover her face; compared to the large hat she was wearing today, which resembled a witch's outfit, the veil was much lighter.
After half a cup of tea.
Yao Xiaoyu and Ye Junshu walked out, pulling and tugging at each other. The exaggerated hat the woman was wearing did not attract anyone's attention. Every time Yao Xiaoyu went to a big hotel, she would wear a hat of the same style or color, but all equally elaborate and gorgeous. Everyone had gotten used to seeing it, but they had rarely seen a man wearing a veiled hat.
Ye Junshu, his face stiff and legs bent, tried to ignore the stares coming from around him, like cabbages, potatoes, radishes, and sweet potatoes. He chose the exaggerated veiled hat over the even more exaggerated big hat, but that didn't mean he could adapt quickly.
Noticing Ye Junshu's unease, Yao Xiaoyu silently deleted the scene they had planned to tease at the front desk to deepen his impression. She then pretended to be anxious and quickly pulled Ye Junshu out of the hotel. Tao Xiaoxiao followed closely behind, dragging her suitcase. They each got into a rickshaw and disappeared from the sight of everyone in the hotel in the blink of an eye, leaving only the legend of the old lady and her mistress.
While the legend of their love story was spreading throughout the grand hotel, Yao Xiaoyu and her two companions had already arrived at their usual changing room. After they changed back into their preferred clothes, Ye Junshu pulled his suitcase and thanked her again solemnly. Yao Xiaoyu waved her hand dismissively, only asking Ye Junshu to bring over the promised electric fan as soon as possible.
Although it's too cold to use now, it's good to have it ready. In the summer, just put the ice cubes in front of the room and the room will be just like an air conditioner.
"...Okay, shall we deliver it to the Yao family?"
Seeing that Yao Xiaoyu seemed completely unaffected by this fake romance, Ye Junshu felt a sense of relief, but also a slight sense of loss welled up inside him.
"No, after it's done, send it to this address, someone will receive it."
Yao Xiaoyu gave Ye Junshu the address of the house she bought. In this era, there was no such thing as formaldehyde release. Yao Xiaoyu's changes to the residence were limited to the wiring of electrical appliances. She was willing to spend money and had the Bei family as her backer, so the progress was incredibly fast. If it weren't for the fact that the hired staff hadn't fully arrived yet, Yao Xiaoyu wouldn't have much of an impact if she moved in now.
However, the complete move will only happen after the new year, so Yao Xiaoyu is not in a hurry.
"OK."
Having said that, Yao Xiaoyu felt that was about right. Considering that today was the first time the cinema had introduced a band—some silent films would add live music to create an atmosphere—Hongkou Cinema, which was already planning to go for a high-end approach, did not want to miss out on this kind of paid equipment. Today was the first day of the trial period.
If the price increase goes smoothly enough, the band will become a regular before sound films are introduced to China. But if it doesn't go smoothly, it will be a limited-time experience, and Yao Xiaoyu will feel like she's missing out if she misses even one day.
With the movie on her mind, Yao Xiaoyu didn't linger. She went out to hire a rickshaw as if she knew the way well. Ye Junshu watched the rickshaw disappear around the corner, sighed, and didn't stay in the house any longer. He called another rickshaw and headed straight for the Ye family with his suitcase.
"Oh dear, this box of yours is quite heavy."
The driver looked at his car, which visibly sank after the luggage was loaded, and clicked his tongue in distress. Ye Junshu also felt a little embarrassed and offered to pay double the fare, which made the driver beam with joy.
These scholars are more easygoing and less likely to complain. They'll pay their share after this trip, unlike yesterday when they had bad luck. The old man, who weighed about 300 pounds, was wearing a gold ring thicker than his braid and insisted on paying only for one person. When they arrived at their destination, he even tried to get a few copper coins off the table.
Now that I've made some money, if business is even better this afternoon, I'll buy a chicken to make a bowl of noodles for my eldest daughter. She only has one birthday a year, so she needs to eat something good to have something to look forward to.
The driver took Ye Junshu to his destination. Tongzi'er pocketed the money and went to wait for the new customer. Ye's father looked at his son who was dragging his suitcase back alone. He hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't help asking about Yao Xiaoyu.
During this time, he had finally figured things out. A foreign daughter-in-law was better than no daughter-in-law at all. After much brainwashing, Ye's father accepted Yao Xiaoyu's identity, thinking it was a concession on his part. But all he got in return was a questioning look from Ye Junshu and a sentence that was like a bolt from the blue:
"What marriage? There is no romantic relationship between me and that person."
Ye Junshu spoke calmly, but when he heard his father mention Yao Xiaoyu, he blinked more frequently. During this time, he and Yao Xiaoyu had gotten to know each other a little better, but it was precisely because she was good in every way that he couldn't hold this girl back.
Most women in the world hope to marry a good husband, have children, and live a happy life. But he doesn't even have the ability to have children. What's the point...?
Ye Junshu hid his disappointment very well, and his father did not notice anything amiss. After confirming that Yao Xiaoyu was only helping out of kindness and had nothing to do with romantic feelings, he left dejectedly—his wife was right, he didn't even have a foreign daughter-in-law!
Could it be that he really won't get to drink his eldest daughter-in-law's tea?!
Ye's father refused to consider the possibility and prepared to numb his mind with work. After a brief period of disappointment, Ye Junshu also composed himself and sent someone to inquire about the specific situation of the family he had arranged to marry. He had been closely watched before and only vaguely learned that the head of the family was gone, but he did not know the cause and effect.
Although the family that wanted to force him into a marriage alliance had climbed up to the abdicated royal family, their foundation was still shallow, and their household was no different from a sieve. Especially since the pillar of the family had collapsed, many people's mouths became even more unrestrained. As a result, Ye Junshu easily found out the specific situation and then kept a puzzled look on his face.
What does it mean that this person was stabbed to death by his daughter?
What do you mean by saying that the daughter didn't want to get married either, and ran away overnight after stabbing someone?!
What do you mean by saying that the wound had miraculously healed, but then, upon hearing that her daughter was going overseas to inherit the family business, she tormented herself so much that the wound reopened, and she died of anger?!
As Ye Junshu listened to these messages, which sounded more like rumors than actual events, he was filled with questions. There wasn't an abstract word yet, but that didn't stop him from making a similar assessment in his mind, while also shedding a tear of sympathy for his own bad luck.
Just for this one whim, he forced himself to be a male concubine for several months. Do you know how he got through those days? Aside from not being able to go out freely, it seems like his life wasn't too bad.
Okay, then I wish that innocent girl a successful surgery, if she intends to have it done.
If the family fell into ruin, the woman's condition, whether it was illness or a physical defect, might be concealed for a while in a more discreet place. Even if she had six toes, people wouldn't be able to see them through the fabric if she was wearing shoes and socks. But her hands... well, people can't wear gloves all year round.
Ye Junshu has a double degree in medicine in Germany, where there is a professional description of this condition: polydactyly. His mentor had performed this type of surgery, except that it was the toes that were cut off, and the person survived.
No one can say for sure when this surgery originated, but during the years he studied it, it had become quite sophisticated—sufficient medical resources propelled progress, and in Europe, there were many cases of consanguineous marriage among the upper classes. Compared to life-threatening conditions like hemophilia, this was nothing unusual, as it only involved having a few extra fingers.
Especially for those with extra toes, as long as they can keep this a secret, they can have surgery here when they grow up and be just like normal people.
Incidentally, because they fear that such physical defects might lead to the loss of inheritance rights or the inability to marry into a wealthy family, these people use the excuse of hemorrhoid removal for surgery. After all, nine out of ten people have hemorrhoids, and this thing affects everyone equally, without any reduction in the probability of occurrence due to geographical location or nationality.
Overseas is a long and arduous journey. If that woman wanted to live a normal life, she only needed to cover up her six fingers and have surgery abroad. If she didn't think the extra finger was something that needed to be removed, as long as she could ignore other people's opinions, her life wouldn't be too bad.
Like that female musician who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, she has six fingers on each hand, but because of these extra fingers, she can play more scales and is now standing at the top of the pyramid. Although she claims to be of Russian descent, she actually has Chinese blood and even grew up in Russia.
This conclusion is not based on observation, but on the perception of each other among people from the same country. This inexplicable intuition is not triggered every time, but Ye Junshu has been triggered a few times since childhood, and the answers he got were all correct.
The renowned musician Diana Violet, known as the moon goddess of the Violet family, was said to have fingers kissed by moonlight. If she were to see that woman who had gone abroad, perhaps she would take her on as her apprentice?
Ye Junshu let his thoughts wander for a while, and only after his mood had completely calmed down did he throw himself back into the journey of hand-crafting various electrical appliances. However, as he worked, his hands kept wandering towards hair dryers, electric fans, and a series of other appliances he had promised to make.
...
Yao Xiaoyu left the movie theater satisfied, finally understanding why silent films later on became popular with background music—it really felt different!
There are limited movies available now, and many films are shown repeatedly. Coincidentally, the movie she saw today was "The Way to Make a Living," but with the soundtrack, the movie's quality immediately rose several levels!
"If there are no problems, please sign it."
Yao Xiaoyu savored the movie's plot, handed the contract to Aunt Pang, and thought that if Aunt Pang was quick enough, she could watch the movie again.
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