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Early Saturday morning, Bai Tang, Bai Dad, and Bai Ma dressed beautifully and stepped out with their buns. Bai Dad was carrying a box filled with gifts for his siblings. Bai Tang had rented a car in advance, driven by the Driver Sister who recognized her (though she did not admit it). The Driver Sister was very talkative, chatting with Bai Ma about vegetable prices, current events in the news, and her own daughter.
"Ah, being a mom means endless worries. My daughter is in middle school this year and is simply a star-chasing fanatic—this celebrity today, that handsome guy tomorrow. It's driving me crazy. My expectations for her have lowered; I just hope she puts a third of that enthusiasm for chasing stars into her studies..." the Driver Sister rambled on to Bai Ma.
"Children are the debts of their parents. Your girl is quite good-looking and makes money; why doesn't she have a boyfriend? When her dad and I are gone, who will keep her company?" Bai Ma also expressed her frustrations. Although she knew her daughter wasn't looking for a boyfriend to protect a secret, she still felt regretful. When would her daughter find someone who truly understands her?
"Big sister, I know a few decent guys; how about I introduce them to your daughter?"
"Forget it! My daughter has too high standards; I don't even know what kind of person she's looking for," Bai Ma sighed.
Bai Tang leaned against the door, trying to minimize her presence.
After chatting all the way, the Driver Sister drove the car to People's Park and stopped. Bai Tang gave the Driver Sister an extra fifty yuan for fuel. The conversation along the way had put Bai Ma in a good mood. The Driver Sister happily took the money and drove off, while the family walked through the Park's Main Gate.
It was springtime, with vibrant flowers and lush greenery everywhere. Walking along the pebble path and taking in the sights lifted everyone's spirits. Aunt Bai's treat was at a teahouse inside the park—a place for tea, entertainment, and dining that charged eighty yuan per person, affordable for ordinary citizens. The teahouse featured traditional architecture with a courtyard that had a pond filled with beautiful koi fish. Inside the pavilion were Mahjong tables where enthusiasts gathered to play, while others sat outside in the sun, sipping tea and chatting. As Bai Tang entered the courtyard, she thought to herself: "Life is peaceful!"
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Tang Tang, you’re here?" Bai Tang's cousin Sun Ping greeted them with a smile. Sun Ping was over ten years older than Bai Tang and now in her forties but looked well-maintained and fashionable—she appeared no older than thirty. Sun Ping's husband worked in a government department with a modest position; having power naturally brought wealth, making her life the best among all their siblings.
"Ah Ping, where's your mom?" Bai Ma asked cheerfully.
"She's over by the rockery chatting with Auntie Da and Aunt Er," Sun Ping said as she led them toward the rockery, linking arms with Bai Tang. "Tang Tang, you’re quite the rare guest! You come back from the south and don’t even come to see us."
"I'm here now, aren't I?" Bai Tang replied with a smile.
"It’s been half a year; if it weren't for my mom’s birthday, you probably wouldn’t have come to Provincial Capital at all," Sun Ping complained casually. She knew her cousin was somewhat of a reclusive homebody. Whenever she visited their house before, all it took was giving Bai Tang a book for her to settle in comfortably without wanting to go out like other kids.
"Isn’t it busy at home? Buying a house, renovating it, then moving—once everything is done, it'll be New Year again," Bai Tang made an exasperated expression.
"Oh my, Tang Tang! You’ve become more beautiful after not seeing you for several years!" As Bai Tang chatted with Sun Ping, they reached the rockery where Aunt Bai was overjoyed to see her. She pulled Bai Tang down beside her and began asking questions nonstop along with Bai Tang's aunt and two other relatives—even inquiring about everything Bai Tang ate while working in the south.
"Mom, I'm taking Tang Tang to greet Guangyang and Ah Hong. You can chat with Second Uncle and Second Uncle's wife."
"Go ahead, you young people go have your fun." Aunt Bai waved the two off and started chatting happily with Bai Ma.
Yun Guangyang was Sun Ping's husband, and Sun Hong was Sun Ping's brother, Bai Tang's cousin. The two were playing mahjong at a table with Bai Jun, Bai Tang's older cousin, and Bai Jian, her younger cousin. When they arrived, a round had just ended, and Bai Jun had lost ten dollars after being hit by Sun Hong. Seeing Bai Tang, Bai Jun quickly called out, "Tang Tang, come help your brother out for a bit; I need to go to the bathroom." In reality, he had lost quite a bit and wanted to find someone else to take over while he stepped out for a moment to change his luck.
Bai Tang waved her hand in response. "I'm not good at this; let Ping Jie play instead!"
"I still have guests to entertain; I don't have time to play!" Sun Ping pressed Bai Tang into a chair. "Just play with them for a while; if you lose money, I'll cover it."
"No need, I have money," Bai Tang refused, her hands already shuffling the tiles as she asked the other three, "What's the stakes?"
"Five dollars a round," Bai Jian replied.
"You guys are betting pretty high."
"Not really. Just look at Yun Ge; he's playing outside for hundreds a round."
"Yun Ge is a second-generation rich kid; we can't compare."
Yun Guangyang laughed, "Don't eliminate me too quickly. I won't go easy on you; if you lose too much, don't blame me."
Sun Hong chuckled, "Brother-in-law, don't worry; we won't go easy either. Just don't come home and get punished by Jie for losing!"
"Same goes for you!"
Bai Tang and Bai Jian exchanged glances and silently formed an alliance to team up against their not-so-united Brother-in-law and cousin.
Bai Tang hadn't been very good at mahjong before, but now her mental acuity was strong; she remembered the position of every tile clearly as if she had an advantage—this was without using any special abilities—winning money every time.
"I, Tang Tang, your luck is just too good!" Sun Hong said while handing over the money, his face turning pale.
Bai Tang took the money and felt no burden at all about winning from Sun Hong and Yun Guangyang; these two were wealthy among their siblings. Yun Guangyang didn't need it; his family already had connections in the Provincial Capital and wealth, which was why he became a district leader at just over forty. Sun Hong opened a club with Yun Guangyang's support, making money day by day. After getting rich, Sun Hong didn't forget to take care of his brothers; the White Army was now working as a driver at his club.
"This is just me helping to redistribute wealth."
"Where are you poor? One of the screens in your shop is worth more than the total funds of my club. Tang Tang, where did you find so many high-priced screens?" Sun Hong casually asked, thinking Bai Tang's connections came from her years of work in a southern city, but Yun Guangyang was thinking deeper.
"Tang Tang, do you know people in that circle?"
"What circle?" Bai Tang blinked in confusion.
"The back mountain of Emei," Yun Guangyang reminded her.
Bai Tang understood; Yuan Mingyi had mentioned that the real Emei Sect was located on the back mountain of Emei. Given the Yun family's influence in the Provincial Capital, it was natural for Yun Guangyang to know about the existence of the "jianghu."
"Ah! I met a few friends by chance," Bai Tang said, giving Yun Guangyang a smile that was more suggestive than explicit.
"You really are lucky!" Yun Guangyang envied her. Although he knew about the existence of the "jianghu," he had no connections with those High Masters. He never expected that his ordinary cousin would have ties with such people.
"Yes, I really am lucky! That's why I got the game system to make my life incredibly exciting."
"Yao Yao has recently become obsessed with watching martial arts television dramas and insists on learning martial arts. I don't know what to do with her!" Yun Guangyang suddenly mentioned his eight-year-old daughter. Sun Hong and Bai Jian felt that he changed topics too quickly, but only Bai Tang understood that Yun Guangyang wanted her help to get Yao Yao into a certain Sect. Her own martial arts dreams may have been extinguished, but she could still hope for her daughter.
"Just let her be; who knows, maybe Yao Yao will encounter some hidden High Master who sees her exceptional talent and wants to take her back to teach her martial arts. At that time, you might not want to let her go," Bai Tang joked.
With Bai Tang's promise, Yun Guangyang was overjoyed. Seeing his cousin agree so easily made him think that she might not just know a few High Masters; perhaps she herself was one. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Listening to his wife, her Second Uncle had learned martial arts before; perhaps Second Uncle was a hidden High Master. This family really kept their secrets well! Yun Guangyang felt that Bai Tang's family was unfathomable; what started as a slight respect for Bai Dad turned into deep admiration. From then on, every year during festivals, he sent many gifts to Bai Tang's family, leaving others puzzled but making Aunt Bai very happy. Her son-in-law always thought of his brothers-in-law, showing how much he valued his family and making their daughter stand tall at home.
Bai Tang took out a porcelain bottle from her backpack and handed it to Yun Guangyang: "This candy tastes good; give some to Yao Yao!"
Yun Guangyang was overjoyed and felt immensely grateful to Bai Tang. He had heard from those "High Masters" that there were spiritual medicines that could improve one's health, and what Bai Tang had given him was definitely not just candy, but that kind of spiritual medicine.
"Yaoyao is so lucky to have you as her aunt."
"Brother-in-law, that's an exaggeration! Yaoyao having Tang Tang as her aunt is her fortune, what about us uncles?" Sun Hong said with some disapproval.
"Hehe, of course, having you all is also her fortune." Yun Guangyang smiled and changed the topic, "Whose turn is it to play?"
"It's my turn." Bai Jian drew a card; it wasn't what he wanted, so he played it, "Eight of Wans!"
"Peng!" Sun Hong happily took the Eight of Wans to his side and discarded another card. Hehe, he was about to win big—Three Yuan!
"Six of Tong!"
"I won! Seven pairs, pay up!" Bai Tang reached out.
"Ah—" Sun Hong lamented.
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