Chapter 334: Daughter’s Concern
Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
At the Hongji Square, Xie Yujia, who was in a good mood, decided to take Hao Ren out for a mini hotpot meal. This kind of two-person hotpot meal had become popular in recent years as it was perfect for couples or two to three friends.
After reaching level 8 of the Qi Refinement Realm, Xie Yujia was, in fact, really close to the Foundation Establishment Realm. The glow she radiated wasn’t something a normal girl could possess even by dressing up carefully.
“This one, this one, and that one…” Xie Yujia was ordering the food off the menu, and the young waiter was getting nervous as she looked at him with her bright eyes.
Since this waiter had been working here for a while, he must have seen many beautiful girls. However, Xie Yujia was the first one who made him feel pressured.
Hao Ren’s mood lightened up as he sensed Xie Yujia’s joyful spirit. “Since you have understood the Qi Refinement Scroll thoroughly, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to reach the peak of Qi Refinement Realm.”
“Yeah!” Xie Yujia nodded happily, “One or two more weeks and I should be able to reach level 10!”
After reaching level 10, she could start breaking into the Foundation Establishment Realm, which would make her a qualified cultivator. Since she chose the same route as Hao Ren, she would not give up easily. That was also the promise she made to herself on the day she ate the Beauty Pill.
In addition, the sense of achievement gained from putting so much effort in cultivation and getting a breakthrough was more exciting than getting scholars.h.i.+ps each year for her.
“How is Zi’s studying going? Isn’t the final exam season coming soon?” after sharing her joy, Xie Yujia changed the topic immediately.
“She is studying fine. She is comparatively bad in math, but she is learning quickly,” Hao Ren said.
“If there are any subjects you aren’t good at, I am able to help; I still remember everything I learned in middle school. I am going to visit the school in the next few days, and I wonder if I am going to see her or not,” Xie Yujia smiled and said.
“Hoho, I can handle everything so far. She hasn’t been at school these few days because she has been sick.”
“Huh? Sick? Is it bad?” Xie Yujia widened her eyes and asked immediately.
“Nothing, nothing. She’s only a bit sick,” Hao Ren replied.
Xie Yujia really did treat Zhao Yanzi as her little sister and cared about her. Too bad that Zhao Yanzi was ungrateful about it.
“Oh yes, Fifth Heaven; you have been there once before, right?” Hao Ren asked Xie Yujia.
“Yes… I have been there with Old Grandma before.” Xie Yujia’s face turned slightly red as she remembered that ‘dream’.
“That place is filled with nature essence, which is very beneficial for cultivation. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, I will take you there to cultivate,” Hao Ren said.
“Ok,” Xie Yujia replied immediately. She was touched since Hao Ren had always been looking after her.
Of course, she didn’t know that Hao Ren was thinking about taking Zhao Yanzi, Lu Linlin, and Lu Lili there as well…
“You have missed quite a few cla.s.ses recently, and final exams are coming soon. I will give you a copy of my notes by exam time,” Xie Yujia offered.
If Zhou Liren saw her thoughtful ‘girlfriend’ act, he would start crying and screaming pathetically again.
Hao Ren calmly looked at Xie Yujia across the mini hotpot and nodded. “Thanks a lot.”
“Hmm…” Xie Yujia hummed softly, and her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom.
After the short date had ended, Hao Ren gave Xie Yujia a ride back to school.
“Hao Ren, you still have to go tutor Zi today, right?” Xie Yujia suddenly asked while sitting behind him.
“Yes, why?”
“If you have time, do you mind taking me to a place?” Xie Yujia asked.
“Sure, where do you want to go?” Hao Ren asked her immediately.
“Um… I want to see my parents,” Xie Yujia hesitated for a few seconds and said.
Hao Ren’s mind blanked out. “Now?”
“If you don’t mind…” Xie Yujia said quietly.
Hao Ren stopped the bicycle, turned his head, and looked at her. He thought for a moment and said, “Sure, I will take you there now!”
Xie Yujia stood on the road at the school as Hao Ren chained the bicycle to the side of the road. Then, he grabbed Xie Yujia and headed to the back of the administrative building.
Behind the administrative building was an abandoned bicycle shed. Many unidentified bikes were chained and lined up into different rows inside the shed.
“We will go and return quickly!” Hao Ren released Little White from the necklace and skillfully formed a red energy sphere.
Xie Yujia stood next to Hao Ren and climbed onto Little White’s back. It was going to be a long trip; one she had never experienced before. She also didn’t know whether it was appropriate or not to ask Hao Ren to do such things for her. However, she was greatly touched as Hao Ren agreed almost without any hesitation.
Inside the red energy sphere, a colorful trail appeared as Little White started flying toward the east.
“Thank you…” Xie Yujia said as she sat behind Hao Ren; her hands gently grabbed Hao Ren’s shoulders.
“It’s all good,” Hao Ren turned his head and comforted her.
However, since they were sitting really close to each other and Little White’s speed was extremely fast, all Hao Ren could see was Xie Yujia’s lips. Because of the momentum, he almost kissed her on her lips.
Luckily, Xie Yujia’s head leaned back slightly, and Hao Ren’s nose rubbed across her cheek. Xie Yujia’s face immediately turned red like a fire cloud in the sky.
Hao Ren thought that it was a huge misunderstanding. Right now, Xie Yujia could not get off midway even if she wanted to since they were in the sky. If she misunderstood his action as intentional, it would be difficult for him to explain himself.
“Little White, faster!” Hao Ren tapped Little White’s neck and yelled.
Shoo…
Little White left behind a white trail in the sky and created two-meter-tall splashes on the surface of the ocean.
The sky turned from white to grey, then from grey to black. The sea turned slowly from white to black as well.
Little White directly rushed into a new continent. Hao Ren looked down through dark clouds at the city below and realized that they had arrived in the United States.
Hao Ren and Xie Yujia, who were riding on Little White, had become the ‘smugglers’ that the U.S. government could never be able to capture!
Mountains and plains disappeared behind them at high speed. Xie Yujia, who was extremely nervous, suddenly said, “Little White, you can slow down now!”
Hao Ren scratched Little White’s neck.
Little White, who was flying at high speed, suddenly slowed down before rus.h.i.+ng downwards toward the city again.
With Little White’s speed, they went through half a globe and finally arrived in the United States’ biggest city, New York!
Although Little White had a set of flying dharma treasures, it was still so tired that it stuck out its tongue and breathed heavily.
It was night time in New York, but the lights made the city seem particularly prosperous. It was Hao Ren’s first time visiting New York. Therefore, he didn’t know which way to go.
“My dad’s main factory is located near the Brooklyn Bridge,” Xie Yujia said and pointed at the bridge that was sitting across a large river in the distance.
“Little White, go there!” Hao Ren directed Little White.
Little White flew slowly toward that direction.
Xie Yujia widened her eyes and said, “That’s it, right here!”
A few tall buildings surrounded a small factory.
The factory was closed. Yet, the lights in one of the offices were still on.
Little White carried Hao Ren and Xie Yujia and floated toward the factory. Through the window, Hao Ren saw a middle-aged man and woman inside.
The window was half open. Little White naughtily crawled onto the windowsill and grabbed onto the window frame with its two front paws.
Hao Ren and Xie Yujia were leaning on each other and could clearly see the two people inside the office through the half-opened window.
“Today’s account is settled. USD$12,600 in sales, USD$11,500 in expense; we made USD$1,100 in total,” the middle-aged woman closed the account book with a long sigh and said.
“Oh, that means we made USD$1,100 today,” the middle-aged man said with a gentle smile.
“That’s not correct. Taxes haven’t been included, and we still have to pay the employees at the end of the month…” the middle-aged woman rubbed the s.p.a.ce between her eyebrows and put down the pencil.
“Qin, thank you for all your hard work,” the middle-aged man looked at the women kindly and said, “After coming to the United States, I haven’t bought you any nice cosmetic products.”
“We are not here to have fun. If we make more money, our Yujia will have a more comfortable life in the future,” the middle-aged woman shook her head and said with a smile.
“That’s right. After working so hard our entire lives, all we want is to make her happy. Originally, we wanted her to come study here in the United States. But since she didn’t want to, we will just let her be. A grown girl can’t be kept at home. I guess she might not feel close to her dad because we are often apart from each other.”
“Yujia has always been a sensible child since she was small, so you don’t have to worry too much. Furthermore, she will definitely be fine since Hao Zhonghua’s family is taking care of her.”
“Hm. Zhonghua has been a friend of mine for so many years; I trust him. But, she is my only daughter. I can’t help but think about her at the end of a busy day,” the middle-aged man looked up at the clock and said, “It should be lunchtime over there; I thought Yujia was going to call me.”
“Old man, if she is not calling you, you can call her instead! You keep saying that your back hurts every day, but it will stop hurting when you call your daughter!” the middle-aged woman said while she laughed and complained at the same time.
“Alright, I will call her. She wouldn’t be on a date right now, would she?” the middle-aged man said while he grabbed his phone.
A few seconds later, Hao Ren felt the vibration of the phone inside Xie Yujia’s pocket.
Hao Ren immediately pulled Little White away and flew a few meters higher.
Xie Yujia pulled out her phone from her pocket and answered anxiously, “h.e.l.lo… Dad…”
As she was speaking disjointedly, Hao Ren turned around and realized that her face was covered in tears.
“Yujia, what’s wrong? Something sounds wrong,” Xie Yujia’s dad’s voice came out from the phone.
“Nothing… I got a cold today,” Xie Yujia covered the phone with her hands and said.
“I told you always to take care of your body. No matter how busy you are, don’t let it affect your health!” Xie Yujia’s dad’s tone suddenly became stern.
“I know, Dad…” Xie Yujia replied as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Nothing much, I just wanted to hear my daughter’s voice. Are you busying studying today?” Xie Yujia’s dad continued.
“Um, not busy. I’m eating out with Hao Ren right now,” Xie Yujia tried to adjust her tone and pretended that everything was normal while she answered.
“Let dad give you some advice. Hao Ren is a good kid; you should seize the opportunity. I’m not saying that because he is the son of the great scientists Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang, nor because he is my best friend’s son. I just think he is a pretty good kid…” Xie Yujia’s dad said.
Since his voice was loud and clear, Hao Ren, who was sitting in front of Xie Yujia, heard everything.
Xie Yujia, who was weeping and wailing, suddenly started blus.h.i.+ng. She hastily interrupted her dad’s words, “Dad! Alright!”
“Hahaha, I’m just saying…”
Xie Yujia’s dad’s voice came out of the window and the phone at the same time.
Xie Yujia’s parents never could’ve known that their beloved daughter was outside the window at the moment.
Yujia, summer is coming soon, but it’s still going to be chilly at night. When you are studying in your bedroom at night, pay attention to the temperature and don’t catch a cold, okay? Oh and, since you are a bit sick, remember to drink more water…” trailing behind was the voice of Xie Yujia’s mom.
“Mom, you and dad should also take care of your bodies too…”
“Don’t worry! Your dad and I are in good health! He walks around the workshops dozens of times every day, and he’s even more energetic than young people!” Xie Yujia’s mom said firmly on the phone.
“You guys should eat well and live well. Don’t stress yourselves out too much,” Xie Yujia continued on the phone.
“We can find everything in New York. Your dad and I are not stressed out at all! Right now, we are in our apartment and watching TV comfortably! Alright, we are going to sleep soon. Your afternoon cla.s.ses are about to start, don’t be late.”
Xie Yujia’s mom said before she hung up the phone.
Hao Ren turned around and looked at Xie Yujia. He realized that Xie Yujia, who was putting her phone away, was holding her tears in, and her nose was even a little red.
Little White descended slowly back to the windowsill.
After the call, Xie Yujia’s mom rubbing her temples and said, “My head hurts a bit today. I’m going to eat some ginger slice when we get home.”
“You have been working too hard lately. Maybe we should go to the hospital tomorrow and get some medicine,” Xie Yujia’s dad looked at her worryingly and said.
“Visiting the hospitals in the United States is too expensive. It wasn’t easy to earn this money, and we should spend less,” Xie Yujia’s mom locked the account book in the drawer and turned the office lights off. “Let’s go. Let’s finish checking the other warehouses and then go home.”
“Okay. I will go and visit the factories in the suburbs tomorrow,” Xie Yujia’s father said as he walked out of the office with Xie Yujia’s mom.
Shortly, their shadows appeared near the warehouse below.
Hao Ren and Xie Yujia were hovering in mid-air. With the protection of the red energy sphere, Xie Yujia’s parents would not be able to notice them.
As Xie Yujia saw her slightly exhausted parents checking the locks on the warehouses one-by-one, she sighed softly. “Let’s head back.”
Xie Yujia’s dad owned a few large factories in the United States, but it was also stressful to manage them.
Since she saw her parents with her own eyes, she was satisfied.
How could she not miss her parents? How could she not wish to reunite with them? However, she was persistent about her Little Older Brother.
Once she could reach the realm where she could ride a flying sword, she would be able to see her parents more often. Once she could get better at making elixirs, she would be able to ensure her parents’ good health…
The red energy sphere drew a red line in New York’s night sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“Speaking of which, the Mingri Group’s New York division contacted me today and said that they want to discuss a large business project with me…” at the entrance of the factory’s warehouse, Xie Yujia’s dad suddenly remembered something before turning around and telling Xie Yujia’s mom immediately.