Xia Tian explained, "Brother Ma, Xiao Jie's parents are also business people, but they do international business, so they naturally earn a lot of money. Some of Xiao Jie's relatives are overseas and are very wealthy, while others are high-ranking officials in China. You could say that Xiao Jie's relatives are all prominent people."
Ma Yunfei asked, puzzled, "Tianmei, your family must be very wealthy, but your house is just an ordinary two-story building. Isn't that a bit too low-key?"
Xia Tian chuckled and said, "Brother Ma, if you go to the business world in City A and ask around, people will definitely say that our Xia family isn't anything special. We haven't made much money in business; it's just an empty shell company."
"Oh! Does your dad always complain about being poor when he's out there?"
"Yes, haven't you noticed that my dad's clothes are always wrinkled and old? He looks like a penniless man. Some things don't even need my dad to say; people can tell from his appearance and our house that our business is not doing well."
"Sister Tian, forgive my bluntness, but is your family really that poor?"
"Brother Ma, let me ask you: how much money have you made in our family?"
Ma Yunfei thought for a moment and replied, "I earn the most money in your family, at least two million."
"Brother Ma, let me tell you a secret: if you make two million in the yam business, my family's earnings will at least double."
Ma Yunfei was taken aback. He had thought that he had gotten the lion's share in the yam business while the Xia family had only gotten a sip of soup. He hadn't expected that he had only gotten the bones while the Xia family had eaten all the meat.
"Tianmei, did Jiufa Company buy my yams and sell them for four or five yuan a pound?"
“Brother Ma, our Jiufa Company has acquired your yams, and a large portion of them have been sold to Hong Kong and then exported from there.”
"Ah! So, it turns out your family is also involved in international business."
"It can only be considered a semi-international business, so it doesn't earn much. My father has always been resentful about this and wanted to build an international business channel, but he has never been able to do so. In the end, it's because he didn't have any connections in the officialdom."
Xiaojie's parents recently went abroad, and the two-story villa is now occupied only by Xiaojie and her daughter, along with a nanny and a security guard.
Standing at the villa's entrance, Xiaojie said happily, "Xia Tian, you haven't come to my door lately. Do you have a problem with me?"
Xia Tian deliberately pouted and said, "I want my goddaughter to stay with me for a few days, but you keep refusing, so of course I have a problem with it."
Xiao Jie looked at Ma Yunfei and asked with a grin, "Xia Tian, you finally have a boyfriend! Congratulations! This handsome guy is so lucky to have met such a wonderful woman like Xia Tian. You must have accumulated a lot of good karma in your past lives."
"Xiao Jie, this is Brother Ma, my sworn brother. He's been married for a long time, with a beautiful wife and a lovely three-year-old daughter."
Xiao Jie said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I misunderstood. Brother Ma, it seems you only recently met Xia Tian, right?"
"Yes, we've known each other for about a month, but it can't be considered recent."
Xiao Jie looked Ma Yunfei up and down and asked, "Brother Ma, I think: you became sworn siblings with Xia Tian so quickly, you must have been a hero saving a damsel in distress, otherwise Xia Tian wouldn't have accepted you as her sworn brother so easily."
Xia Tian said with a grin, "My best friend understands me best. You're right. A little over a month ago, I worked overtime at the company one night and ran into some thugs on my way home. They actually tried to harass me, but Brother Ma saved me."
"As expected, it was a hero saving the damsel in distress. Well, this is true friendship."
Just then, a little girl ran out of the house, arms outstretched, shouting, "Second Aunt!"
Summer picked up the girl and asked, "Yueyue, do you miss your second aunt?"
"Yes, I really want to."
"Yueyue, where do you miss your second aunt?"
Yueyue pointed to her heart and replied, "Second Aunt, I miss her so much."
Ma Yunfei was very surprised. Xiao Jie's daughter was named Yueyue, and his own daughter was also named Yueyue. Not only were their nicknames the same, but they were also about the same age. What surprised Ma Yunfei even more was that Xiao Jie's daughter looked very much like his own daughter.
Xia Tian pointed at Ma Yunfei and said, "Yueyue, call him Uncle."
Yueyue called out obediently, "Uncle!"
Ma Yunfei praised, "Yueyue, you are so well-behaved and beautiful, just like a little princess."
Several people entered the living room.
Ma Yunfei said to Yueyue, "Come here, let your uncle give you a hug."
Yueyue shrank back, looked at Ma Yunfei's face, and asked, "Uncle, do you have any thorns on your face?"
Ma Yunfei smiled and touched his chin, replying, "Yueyue, your uncle isn't a hedgehog; he doesn't have any thorns."
"Uncle, I'm afraid of the thorns on your chin."
Ma Yunfei smiled.
Xiao Jie explained, "My ex-husband would visit Yueyue every month. He was very unhygienic and never shaved properly. Every time, Yueyue would cry because of his beard."
Ma Yunfei sighed and said, "Xiao Jie, your ex-husband was a gambler. Although this habit is not easy to change, it is possible to reform if one is truly determined. I used to be a notorious gambler in Qinglong Town, but now I have no interest in gambling at all."
Xiao Jie asked in surprise, "You gamble too?"
"Yes, I am a notorious gambler. Once, I lost a thousand dollars and actually sold my own daughter."
Xiao Jie looked at Xia Tian with a puzzled expression in her eyes.
Xiao Jie's ex-husband was a gambler. She had heard that gambling is addictive, just like opium, and it's very difficult to change one's ways.
She found it strange that even if Ma Yunfei had saved Xia Tian, Xia Tian shouldn't have become sworn siblings with a big gambler.
Ma Yunfei saw the doubt in Xiao Jie's heart and said, "Generally speaking, it is difficult for gamblers to quit their addiction, but I am different. I am a person with willpower. I can quit as soon as I want to and stay away from gambling from now on."
Xiao Jie's expression changed suddenly. She said coldly, "Xia Tian, I'm not trying to be mean, but you know I hate gamblers the most. However, you brought a gambler to my house, which makes me very upset."
Xia Tian quickly explained, "Xiao Jie, I know you have this worry, but you should know that people are different. Just because your husband can't quit gambling doesn't mean that everyone can't quit gambling. There's an old saying: 'A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold.' Brother Ma was a prodigal son, but now he's more precious than gold."
“Summer, you know I have a straightforward temper and I never beat around the bush. I think it’s too early to say whether Brother Ma can quit gambling. If he starts gambling again in the future, he will become a time bomb next to you.”
Xia Tian chuckled and emphasized, "Xiao Jie, you know my temperament. I can't tolerate even a grain of sand in my eye. If Brother Ma relapses into his drug addiction, I will cut all ties with him."
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