Ye Junqing saw her smirking out of the corner of her mouth, not knowing what she was snickering about. In his irritated mood, he broke the brief silence at the dinner table and said, âDad, you should be free tomorrow, right?â
Ye Baixiu seemed to guess his sonâs thoughts and quickly said two words: âNo time!â
Ye Junqing: â!!!â
âWhatâs going on tomorrow?â Ye Junqingâs voice was laced with frustration and anger. For someone retired and usually either fishing with Uncle Zhang or playing chess with Uncle Li, he surprisingly doesnât have time?
Ye Baixiu said: âThe previous encounter with pirates disrupted me and your mother from completing our world travel plan. After taking a break for a few days, we feel regretful. I plan to resume this world travel journey with your mother; we canât waste the global travel tickets you booked for us.â
Ye Junqing: â!!!â
Bai Pieluan, originally in a muddle, unaware of how to escape the impending predicament, felt as if there was suddenly a glimmer of hope in her despair. With a heartier appetite she asked: âReally? Baixiu, are we going back on our journey tomorrow?â
Ye Baixiuâs voice was deep: âWould you like that? I always feel that since our son has bought tickets for us, if we do not continue the journey, it is a waste of our sonâs affection. Iâve contacted the travel agency, they said we can carry on.â
âOf course, there are still many places I want to go to. Shall we set off tomorrow then?â
Bai Pieluan sped up her meal and said, âBaixiu, letâs eat faster. I havenât packed yet. After we finish our meal, letâs return home and pack.â
This time, it was not only Ye Junqing losing his composure; even Ye Xingguang was stunned. She couldnât help but kick Ye Junqing under the table.
âThe world travel can wait, I can just inform the travel agency. Mom, Dad, itâs been over ten days since Starlightâs father came to the Imperial City for treatment. Donât you guys want to go to the hospital for a visit? Why donât we all go together after dinner?â How can Ye Junqing afford his parents to go on a world tour when thereâs an imminent crisis?
âWhat a silly boy, your father and I arenât prepared for anything. Isnât it insincere of us to visit Starlightâs parents like this?â Bai Peiluan chided her son guiltily.
Ye Junqingâs face turned extremely gloomy: âWhat do you need to prepare? Nutritional supplements or fruits, I can call and arrange for them now.â
Ye Xingguang silently nodded in agreement, worried that her parents-in-lawâs constant delay in visiting her sick parents might lead them to suspect something was amiss.
Who knew that Bai Peiluan would say: âOf course, we need to pick a lucky day. Iâve checked the lunar calendar, there are no good days coming up.â
âDo we also need to perform a purification ritual for three days?â Ye Junqing was increasingly frustrated.
Even if he was a fool, he could see clearly now. His parents simply did not want to propose the engagement!
Ye Baixiu pondered: âOur son is right. Not only should we pick a lucky day, we also have to purify ourselves for three days in advance. This isnât something we can rush. Starlight, will your parents mind us delaying our visit?â
Ye Xingguang: ââ¦.â
How should she respond to that?
If she said yes, wouldnât that be disrespecting her elders?
Ye Baixiu sighed: âYour mother and I have been married for over thirty years, and Iâve always been busy taking care of the vast Ye Corporation. Iâve never taken her on a world tour before, but itâs always been her wish. Now that Iâve retired and our son has kindly arranged for this trip, your mother was terrified by the encounter with the pirates and we had to cut short the journey. Now that the shock has faded, if we donât finish the remaining journey, it would seem like life is full of regrets. We are both old, and who knows how many years we have left? If we miss this world tour, perhaps we may never have the chance again in this lifetimeâ¦.â