After the incident of the door being kicked open, even someone as slow as Su Qing knew that what was happening to him at this moment was unusual.
The voice in his head was reminding him of his life in a narrative way, whether it was something about to happen or giving him hints when he made certain choices.
Although he had fantasized about getting some kind of golden finger like a novel's protagonist to reach the pinnacle of life, he still found it hard to believe when it really happened to him.
He glanced over at the leftovers he dumped in the kitchen. If he had chosen to eat it instead of trusting the voice, he might be on his way to the hospital right now.
"Damn, am I favored by the heavens, or have I eaten too many poisonous mushrooms?"
That's right, he attributed the narration in his mind to the mistakenly eaten poisonous mushrooms from last night; after all, it was the only accident that happened recently.
Su Qing rubbed his head, walked to the computer in the living room, skillfully turned it on, and started to search on Baidu for possible symptoms of eating poisonous mushrooms by mistake.
But after searching for a long time, he couldn't find any similar symptoms, and even if he went to the hospital, he couldn't exactly say he could hear a 'narration' in his head now, could he? People might think he's crazy.
If the narration proved true, he could be captured for research, and he didn't want to be a guinea pig.
'In a happy pond, there's a little frog, dancing like it's possessed by a prince...'
Just then, the phone next to him rang. When he picked it up, he realized it was from the empress dowager at home, and Su Qing quickly answered:
"Hello, Mom."
"Oh, still alive, huh!" said the voice on the other end.
Su Qing: -_-|||
"Mom, it's only been half a month, don't exaggerate, I'm not a kid anymore."
"Alright, alright, come by at noon, let's have dinner together tonight."
Upon hearing this, considering his situation, Su Qing thought for a moment and replied, "Mom, I have something to do, I might not make it!"
"I'm not asking for your opinion, I'm notifying you. Don't be ungrateful!"
Su Qing: Σ(°△°
"No, seriously, Mom, where did you learn all this?"
Then he heard the words that drove him crazy:
"Who cares, I'm your mom, you basic guy, so lame!"
With that, the busy tone came through, leaving Su Qing sitting in front of the computer in chaos.
He always knew his mom's rebellious phase was long, but he didn't expect that with the advancement of the internet, it could get worse. The internet sure is a harmful poison.
Thinking of this, he felt the need to show some care as a son for the elderly at home. After all, at this rate, his mom would be reversing in age.
At this point, he somewhat understood why his dad regretted having a wife every day. Enduring for so many years, it must have been tough for him.
Checking the phone, he saw it was almost noon, so Su Qing quickly packed up to head home.
[Bus No. 106 will arrive in five minutes. Passengers preparing to board, please get ready.]
As soon as he decided to go home, that magnetic voice appeared in his mind once again.
Having gone through the previous incidents, Su Qing actually felt a bit excited this time. Although the ability seemed somewhat useless, it was better than nothing. With proper use, he believed he could still reach the pinnacle of life.
Thinking of this, he quickly packed up and ran toward the bus stop outside the district.
Timing it right, five minutes later, bus No. 106 arrived as expected. At this moment, Su Qing was ecstatic. Indeed, he once again confirmed the reality of the narration in his mind.
Forty minutes later, the bus stopped at Jiangming District bus station. Su Qing got off the bus and felt a sense of comfort looking at the familiar neighborhood.
"Isn't that Su Family's boy? Back already!" At this moment, a plump woman came walking over; she was Auntie Li, the vice-chairman of the district's square dance committee.
"Auntie Li, yes, I'm back to see the family. What about you?" Su Qing quickly replied.
Auntie Li: "Oh, I'm out buying groceries. My son is bringing his girlfriend over tonight, so I have to make a good show."
[The face-conscious Auntie Li is lying. Her son doesn't even have a girlfriend. It's just because he's of an older age, and she's worried about gossip.]
The witty narration appeared at just the right moment.
To this, Su Qing was speechless. He really couldn't understand the thoughts of these elders. Being single at thirty wasn't such a big deal, was it necessary to hide it?
"Is that so? Is Brother Qiang's happy event coming up? You are going to have grandchildren soon!" Su Qing laughed.
"Not yet, not yet, nothing's set in stone," [Auntie Li was smiling, but she was hit in a sore spot. Her son had already gone on seven blind dates this year and hadn't succeeded with any.]
Auntie Li's words and the narration appeared almost simultaneously, giving Su Qing a feeling of having a god's perspective.
"By the way, I heard from your mom that you still haven't found a job? You've been graduated for almost a year, haven't you? You can't aim too high, you know," Auntie Li continued.
[Auntie Li's son is a primary school teacher, stable in his job, so she deliberately brought up this topic to feel better about herself.]
Su Qing: ...
Where's the sense of superiority in this? He's no match for Li Jie.
Little did he know, in the eyes of the elders, unless you're running a business as a boss, nothing beats having a stable job, like civil service.
"Of course, I have a job. It's just not stable, can't compare with Brother Qiang the teacher." Su Qing smiled.
Auntie Li is quite nice, just a bit vain. Naturally, he wouldn't argue with an elder, so he went along with it.
Upon hearing this, Auntie Li beamed with joy: "That's right, my son Qiang might earn less, but his job is stable, and he gets social security, all five insurances and one housing fund."
[Using high emotional intelligence in language helps you navigate social interactions smoothly. Auntie Li's vanity was greatly satisfied, and you gained her significant goodwill.]
Seeing this, Su Qing smiled helplessly. Compared to his neighbor, Auntie Li's little vanity was negligible.
"Alright then, Auntie Li, I'll head home now, take care!"
"Alright, alright, come over to Auntie Li's for a meal sometime."
"Sure thing!"
This is one of the reasons he liked renting outside; if he lived at home, he'd be surrounded by gossip.
After parting ways with Auntie Li, Su Qing went straight home.
"Mom, I'm back!"
Su Qing pushed open the living room door, changing his shoes while calling inside.
"Why are you shouting? Your mom's ears are still working fine."
As soon as the words fell, a woman in loose pajamas, her face covered in cucumber slices, walked out of the bedroom—it was his mom, Zhou Hui.
Even approaching fifty, her figure was still intact, and she still walked with a spring in her step. Perhaps it was because she never worried much—call it a good mindset.
"It's Saturday today. Where's Dad and Big Yellow?" Su Qing plopped down on the sofa and asked.
Big Yellow was their pet golden retriever, very intelligent, and could even fetch packages for his mom sometimes.
To say, his mom being at home meant even the dog had to be cautious around her.
"Your dad took it fishing with Uncle Li. I don't see the point—they come back empty-handed eight out of ten times. Enthusiastic, but not skillful."
To this, Su Qing could only let out a dry laugh, not daring to reply.
"What's so funny? Talking about him didn't mean I'm not talking about you. Get up and hang that picture of the God of Wealth for me!" Zhou Hui kicked her son and pointed at the picture on the dining table, then sat down on the sofa herself.
Helpless, Su Qing got up, took the picture, and went to the hallway where a statue of the Matchmaker God was already displayed.
"Mom, are you also worshiping the Matchmaker God? Are you praying for a marriage for me?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a cold sneer came through, "Hah, you wish."
"With the likes of you who don't even have a proper job, what girl would fancy you unless she's blind."
"I prayed for Big Yellow. If not relying on your son, there's always the dog."
Su Qing: "..."
"Mom, Big Yellow's been neutered long ago."
Zhou Hui: ...
"That's why I'm changing it to this—it's important not to keep idle spirits where we live!"
Su Qing: ...
...