To Raise A Soul

Since Yin Yan was silent for the rest of the journey, Yu Zhen was convinced that Yin Yan"s throat was uncomfortable. Yu Zhen leaned back in his seat and turned his gaze towards the window, as if the city haze was captivating.

It was Yu Zhen"s first visit to B City*. As the capital of C Country**, B City was far more prosperous than his hometown in H Province. Yet, instead of feeling the excitement of a country b.u.mpkin seeing a large city for the first time, he felt some anxiety. 

Ever since he"d left the familiarity of his rural home and upgraded his single status to "married", Yu Zhen found that he didn"t have much money on hand. Although Yin Yan was wealthy and would not let him starve, he was an adult who should find ways of making money for himself. He couldn"t continue to rely on others to take care of him.

But how would he earn money? By continuing to tend flowers?

He looked back out of the window at the polluted air and thought about the price for even an inch of land in B City; not to mention the high cost of goods. He sighed internally.

With the amount of money he had to his own name, even one mu* of s.p.a.ce might be out of reach… Maybe I should learn from my university cla.s.smates and take the civil service exam or find an office job?

But he really didn"t like to socialize with people. He just wanted to raise pretty flora and collect his hard-earned money.

What should I do?

His eyebrows furrowed unconsciously and his eyes held a sense of uncertainty.

Using the window"s reflection, Yin Yan observed Yu Zhen"s side profile. The fingers resting on his stomach twitched slightly and his eyes drooped.  

The Yin family"s home was located in a residential villa area of the famous Central Business District. The district boasted of an enticing environment; equipped with a lake, a park, as well as good transportation. The villa, with it"s large courtyard, sat within a large field of greenery. It"s impressive beauty made it look photoshopped.

The car proceeded at a slow pace and the occasional luxury car would drive past theirs. Yu Zhen"s thoughts drifted away and his innate country b.u.mpkin self appeared. 

Despite having lived over two decades, Yu Zhen had to admit that the furthest he"d ever ventured was to the neighboring G Province. His concept of wealth was also severely limited, since the richest people he"d ever met were owners of flower shop franchises.

However, the reality depicted by everything before his eyes hinted to him that the Yin family were not at a typical level of wealth.

“You…” He looked at Yin Yan, unable to speak further.

What kind of body is this remnant soul possessing?

“The money of mortals means nothing to cultivators,” Yin Yan finally spoke. His voice sounded very normal. It seemed that during the time he"d remained silent, his uncomfortable throat had recovered. Yin Yan continued, "You mustn"t lose your way because of money." 

“…”

Yu Zhen didn"t know how to reply to that. It wasn"t a question of whether money would cause him to lose his way. Instead, it was a worry that the body of "Yin Yan" carried responsibilities which were beyond his abilities to deal with!

Yu Zhen"s thoughts swirled with stories where the heirs of rich and powerful families engaged in dog-blooded drama. He felt out of his depth. He was much more uncomfortable than when he first met the Yin family. 

All debts must be repaid, but in the Yin family, considering Yin Yan"s ident.i.ty and how important he was, it seemed that Yu Zhen would be unable to repay what he owed in this lifetime. 

“Don"t overthink things.”

When the car stopped, Yin Yan leaned over and gentlemanly reached out to open the door for Yu Zhen. Yin Yan said, “Matters of the Yin family are for me to think about. You should focus on your cultivation."

The warm breath was suddenly so close to Yu Zhen"s ear that he reflexively ducked away. Yin Yan moved back and got out of the car from his own side, while at the same time, the driver stepped out of the vehicle as well… and opened Yu Zhen"s half-opened door.

Yu Zhen: “…”

Why did Yin Yan bother to do all that?

“We"re finally home! Xiao Zhen, come, Mom will show you in.”

As soon as Qiu Feiqian got out of the car, she went to Yu Zhen and pulled him inside. Pointing to a second floor window on the left, Qiu Feiqian said, "That"s Xiao Yan"s room. Have a look at it to see if the furnishings are to your tastes. If you don"t like it, we"ll change it!" 

From the outside, the Yin family"s villa looked medium-sized, but it had a very large garden. The villa was surrounded by a vast green lawn and a variety of garden plants were scattered across the landscape. The car had driven through the garden, so it took only a few steps to reach the villa"s entrance. 

The villa"s main door was wide open, giving a view of the foyer and part of the living room. 

A middle-aged woman, about 50 years old, was standing just inside the entrance. Seeing Qiu Feiqian pull Yu Zhen inside, she quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, “Madam, you"re finally back. If you"d arrived any later, the soup would have cooled down too much.”

“That"s what you say every time I come back.”

The closeness of the two women was apparent at a glance. Qiu Feiqian looked back at Yu Zhen and introduced her to him.

“This is Hu Ma*, the auntie in charge of the food in our home.”

“h.e.l.lo, Hu Ma,” Yu Zhen politely greeted, his smile a little stiff.

She was specifically introduced as the "cooking auntie", is there a "cleaning auntie" and other aunties? Adding on the driver, and Weng Xiping, who called himself the butler… A standard rich family can"t employ so many helpers! They even call their employers" children "Young Master"! Did we return to an imperial era?! This no longer fits the values of modern society! 

"h.e.l.lo, Young Master Yu," Hu Ma responded with gentle familiarity, as if she had known him for a long time.

“No no no, please don"t call me young master. It"s too polite,” Yu Zhen waved his hand frantically, feeling that his heart could not stand it.

“The child has thin skin,” Qiu Feiqian chuckled, but didn"t give Hu Ma a chance to respond. She pulled Yu Zhen further into the villa and was so excited to start showing him around that she completely forgot to remove her shoes.

The Yin family villa had three floors, each with four to six bedrooms. No one stayed on the first floor, but Yin Yan and Yin Le stayed in bedrooms on the second floor while their parents" room was on the third floor. Above the third floor was a rooftop terrace.

As Yu Zhen had guessed, the Yin family had other aunties, but the aunties were well managed by Weng Xiping. Apart from the times when they were diligently fulfilling their respective roles, they didn"t stay around the villa. They also didn"t venture up to the second or third floors without reason. 

After a quick tour to let Yu Zhen familiarize himself with their home, Qiu Feiqian led him to the dining room on the first floor where lunch was served. 

The lunch was very sumptuous. They took special care of Yu Zhen and made several dishes from H Province. Yu Zhen felt both touched and guilty. Occasionally, he looked to Yin Yan with turmoil written on his face. 

“Dad, I want to go to the head office,” Yin Yan suddenly said.

Yin Hexiang was stunned for a moment, but then nodded his head and replied, “You now have a family, and you"ve started from the bottom and gained a few years of experience at the branch office in H Province. It"s about time for you to come and help me. Yes, but let"s do that after the New Year. Continue to heal up and also think about your wedding with Xiao Zhen. What do you think? You can come to the company with me after the New Year.”

“Let"s not do the wedding.” Yin Yan"s words shocked everyone.

Pta. The braised pork on Yin Le"s chopsticks fell on the table.

He"s here! The cur who tore down someone"s door, coerced someone into getting a marriage certificate, forced someone to buy the wedding rings, and did a one-sided property notarization has shown up again! He"s not even willing to do a wedding ceremony with Yu Ge!

Sc.u.m!

Yin Le was so angry that he didn"t want to eat his pork anymore.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Qiu Feiqian put down her chopsticks and stretched out her hand to hold Yu Zhen"s. She said, “Yin Yan, I"m telling you, don"t think that just because you have a marriage certificate that you can slight Yu Zhen. I still have the final say in this family. You must do the wedding ceremony! It must be grand! Xiao Zhen, don"t listen to his nonsense. Mom won"t let you be neglected." 

Yu Zhen felt helpless and awkward. Based on his understanding of Yin Yan, he had a reason for making such a decision. Moreover, Yu Zhen also did not want a wedding ceremony.

According to the circ.u.mstances of the Yin family, if they held a wedding, it would be a very expensive affair. Secondly, Yu Zhen only married Yin Yan because fate had forced their hand. On the day that they no longer needed to rely on this marriage to survive, it would be dissolved, so a wedding ceremony would only be a waste. 

In the future, if Yin Yan falls in love with someone else, it would be bad enough that I"ve taken away his first marriage certificate. I shouldn"t s.n.a.t.c.h away Yin Yan"s first wedding ceremony. His family would be so regretful.

So it"s best if we don"t have the wedding.

In Yu Zhen"s mind, the best outcome for them after obtaining their marriage certificate was to quietly cultivate their souls, then quietly divorce. Afterwards, they would each live their own lives, pretending the marriage never existed.

“I also think it"s better not to have a wedding,” he clumsily reasoned, “T-the most important thing is to live a good life together. The wedding is just a show; we don"t need to care too much about it.”

f.u.c.k…

Yin Le was stunned. G.o.d, what kind of dumb luck did Brother have to find such a considerate wife like Yu Zhen? G.o.d is blind.

Qiu Feiqian felt her heart ache at Yu Zhen"s words. She felt the smile on Yu Zhen"s face was forced. The excuse he stammered out was too pitiful. She fiercely glared at Yin Yan then pulled up Yu Zhen"s hand. Rubbing it slightly, she said, "A good life is a good life; a wedding is a wedding. Getting married is a once in a lifetime event. You can"t do it halfway. Listen to Mom, this wedding must be done."

“But…,” Yu Zhen hesitated and looked to Yin Yan for help.

“Don"t look at him,” Qiu Feiqian pulled his attention back. Bitterly, she said, “He has become more and more outrageous in recent years. He"s been spoiled by his dad! I get to call the shots for this! The things he says do not count!”

Yin Hexiang was stunned. “When did I spoil him? It was clearly you…”

“Eat your rice!” Qiu Feiqian turned and glared at him. This father and son pair are so frustrating! They"re so tactless! 

Yin Hexiang turned quiet. He picked up his chopsticks and shot Yin Yan a sharp look which clearly said "Look at what you"ve done".

Yin Le rolled his eyes in anger, then got up and moved the meat dish from in front of Yin Yan to Yu Zhen, then switched a plate of vegetables to the empty spot.

“It has been barely over a month since Yu Zhen"s grandfather pa.s.sed away. It"s not appropriate to have a wedding now. At the very least, we should wait for a full year* to pa.s.s.”

Yin Yan, who was despised by the whole family, finally finished what he had intended to say. Then he took up his chopsticks and picked up some vegetables with his usual calm.

It was Yu Zhen"s turn to be stunned. He asked, “You want to have a wedding with me?” I thought we weren"t doing that? What happened to our mutual understanding?

“Of course,” Yin Yan nodded and stretched out his chopsticks to the plate of meat in front of him. His tone was suddenly overbearing, as he also implicitly complained, "And it has to be a big event. After all, a wedding is a once in a lifetime event.”

Yu Zhen was unsure if he was just being sensitive, but as Yin Yan emphasized the word “once”, he also stabbed a piece of meat with some force. He looked as if he were venting his anger.

Yu Zhen, “…”

The Yin family who felt that they had been played, “…”

The fragrance of the dishes permeated the air, but currently, Yin Yan was the only one at the table actively eating.

Qiu Feiqian tried to suppress her irritation, but in the end, she could not hold back. She got up and took away the plate of meat in front of Yu Zhen. Raising her eyebrows, she said, “Eat! Eat! Eat! All you know is how to eat! Did you buy clothes and daily necessities for Xiao Zhen? How are you qualified as someone"s husband? You don"t know how to do things properly!"

Yin Yan raised his eyes to look at Qiu Feiqian, then lowered his head. Slowly, he put down his chopsticks, stood up, took hold of Yu Zhen and left the table. Without turning his head back, he said, “I"m taking Yu Zhen out for a stroll.”

“…”

It"s like trying to punch cotton! I"m so angry! I shouldn"t have given birth to this child! Did I owe him* in my past life?!

Translator(s): Epsea
Editor(s): Miiya
Proofer(s): Avalie

Miiya:

The Yin family interactions are so amusing…. But my last thought was, don"t just drag him away! What if Yu Zhen is still hungry?!

Avalie:

I think Yin Le is my favorite! That inner monologue…. XD

In Chinese tradition, it"s common for families to abstain from celebrations/happy occasions (e.g. holding a New Year party, attending someone"s wedding) for one year after someone close in their family has pa.s.sed away. Some still follow this tradition, some don"t. 

The actual phrase used was 讨债鬼="debt collecting ghost". It"s a phrase used to describe children who bring serious problems to their parents. For example, they may ruin a family"s finances(gambling, debt, etc).

In some places, it"s used to refer to children(as in non-adults) who have died. There"s a belief that some parents owed their child in their past life, so their child is reborn to collect on the debt. They do this by dying young, presumably to cause grief for the parents. It"s kind of twisted huh? 

Typically, this phrase is used in daily speech to refer to a mischievous/naughty children, again, because the child is causing problems for the parents to "collect debt".

Thinking about Qiu Feiqian"s case, it"s actually quite sad. Even though Qiu Feiqian used the phrase in the "naughty child" kind of way, her child really did die and she doesn"t realise how well the phrase "debt collecting ghost" applies to her situation. orz.