Chapter 1
The lights from thousands of homes illuminated the starry sky. In one household—
“Farmer Xiao: I object to this marriage!”
A middle-aged man, flushed with anger, glared at the two young people in front of him.
“Banana: Uncle, not to offend, but what era do you think this is? You’re so outdated!”
The young man, wearing a white V-neck shirt, had an indifferent, mocking expression on his face.
“Banana: What’s the point of objecting? We live in a time of freedom. To be blunt, what does your daughter’s marriage have to do with you?”
“Farmer Xiao: How does it not concern me?! She’s my daughter! Am I not allowed to have a say in her marriage?!”
“Apple Xiao: Well, Dad, when you divorced Mom, did you ever ask for my opinion?”
“Apple Xiao: So why is it that when it comes to me, you suddenly want to dictate everything?”
“Farmer Xiao: Because I’m your father! What, you think you can boss me around now?!”
“Apple Xiao: I can’t communicate with you at all. Hubby, let’s go!”
“Farmer Xiao: Hubby? You’re not even married yet, and you’re calling him that? Don’t you feel ashamed?!”
“Farmer Xiao: I’m telling you, if you walk out that door today, don’t ever come back!”
Despite the middle-aged man’s shouting, the only response he received was the sound of the door closing.
Bang! The door slammed shut.
“Farmer Xiao: I’m so angry! Raising her all these years for nothing!”
My name is Farmer Xiao, and I’m 43 years old. The person I was just arguing with is my daughter, Apple Xiao. She’s 23 and has been staying at home without a job since graduating.
She used to stay at home every day, and I had no idea what she was doing on her computer. But today, she suddenly left and came back with someone she called her boyfriend? And she’s talking about marriage? And this guy had the audacity to say—
(Flashback)
“Banana: Uncle, to be honest, I don’t have a job and don’t plan on getting one, so after we get married, your daughter will have to support me.”
“Banana: As for my family, well, they’re broke. So don’t expect us to buy a house or a car. All I can offer is treating Apple well.”
“Banana: Even though you’re not exactly rich, compared to my family, you’re better off, so it’s only natural that you should help out more. After all, marriage is about becoming a family, and in a family, we shouldn’t count who contributes more.”
“Banana: However, my family situation is a bit complicated, so I have one request. I hope you can prepare a dowry of 400,000 yuan by the end of next year. Then I’ll marry Apple and we’ll register the marriage.”
(End of flashback)
—What kind of nonsense is this?!
They tell me to stay out of their love, but when it comes to marriage expenses, they come to me? I’m paying for it, and yet I have no say? They come to me when they need money but find me annoying when I express my concerns. What a waste of all these years of raising her!
Feeling annoyed, I couldn’t stand staying in the room any longer. I had to go out and cool down.
I stood up and headed for the door. I couldn’t stay here any longer!
As I walked downstairs, I happened to catch sight of a mouse caught in a trap in the hallway.
Ha! Maybe things were tough for it too. Anger boiled inside me.
I walked over and deliberately opened the trap, letting the mouse go.
“Farmer Xiao: I’m sparing your life so you can go cause trouble for someone else!”
“Mouse: Squeak, squeak!”
Who cares! My life’s a mess anyway. Why should I play the good guy? My life has been miserable enough!
I went downstairs, bought a bag of liquor, and started drinking as I walked.
I ended up sitting on a park bench, drinking until I was half-conscious. After all, I’m just a middle-aged man with nothing to lose. What do I have to be afraid of?
But as I drunkenly felt around in my pocket for the time, I realized my phone and wallet were gone.
Clang! In my frustration, I threw the bottle onto the ground.
“Farmer Xiao: Life really is a curse!”
Three months ago, my wife divorced me; three days ago, I lost my job. I just finished registering for unemployment benefits, and now this happens. No job, no future—how am I supposed to get through life?
“Mouse: Squeak, squeak!”
A small voice came from the side of the bench. I turned my head to look down and saw a little mouse standing there.
“Farmer Xiao: Get lost, you little pest!”
I waved my hand, hoping it would run far away and stop bothering me.
But the mouse, unfazed, climbed up onto the back of the bench, edging closer to me.
“Farmer Xiao: What are you looking at? Do you believe I’ll cook you up?”
As soon as I spoke to it, the mouse tilted its head. I didn’t want to touch it—it could be filthy and carrying who knows what diseases. Disgusting!
“?:How much have you had to drink? The smell is unbearable.”
Huh? What was that? I looked around but didn’t see anyone nearby.
“Mouse: Considering you saved my life, I followed you all the way here. Man, that was exhausting!”
After scanning the surroundings with no results, I reluctantly focused my gaze back on the mouse. Had I really drunk so much that I was hallucinating?
“Farmer Xiao: Shoo, go away, stop bothering me!”
If I weren’t worried about the germs, I would’ve swatted it away. But instead, it just sat there, staring at me with its head cocked.
“Mouse: Even though I know you didn’t save me out of kindness, I have to thank you. As a token of gratitude, I’ll warn you—”
“Mouse: Three years after your daughter’s marriage, both you and she will be thrown out of your own home by your son-in-law.”
Hearing the mouse’s words, I frowned. Was this one of those “what you think about during the day, you dream about at night” situations? Was I dreaming?
And to think this mouse might be the same one I saved earlier. This dream even had a backstory, blending reality with fantasy.
“Mouse: Your son-in-law will later plot to take over your house. I don’t know the exact details, but you’ll end up homeless.”
“Farmer Xiao: Ha, what a ridiculous dream. Let me tell you, my wife wouldn’t let that happen! Homeless? What a joke.”
Wait, to be accurate, I should say my ex-wife.
“Mouse: But doesn’t your daughter love her husband deeply? When she’s betrayed and deceived, she’ll be devastated, and eventually, she’ll lose her mind.”
“Mouse: One day, she’ll run away, and you’ll never see her again.”
“Mouse: Do you think after all that, your ex-wife would still care about you?”
“Farmer Xiao: What a lousy dream, so full of nonsense!”
I didn’t want to listen to this nonsense anymore. Even though I didn’t like that Banana guy, I didn’t want this kind of future for Apple either.
