Travel Plans

As the saying went—

Rome wasn't built in a day.

A fat man wasn't made with a single bite.

Solving the Lin family's current predicament was actually simple—money would do it.

But reality was always that "going bald was far easier than escaping poverty, and getting rich was far harder than getting fat." Ninety percent of the troubles in this world could be solved with money; the remaining ten percent could be solved with lots and lots of money.

Lin Xiaowei said she had given Li Yao cheats, so money wasn't a problem.

Yes.

The problem was that Li Yao had no money.

So Li Yao started thinking of ways to make money, preferably fast money. He thought about it for a whole week. During that week, he caught up on quite a few anime series, kept a steady supply of chilled Fatty Happiness Water, and ate plenty of delicious burgers and snacks. For some reason, Li Yao felt like his appetite had grown recently. As it happened, Lin Xiaowei had been away on a mission lately, and to stay in peak condition, she hadn't logged on at all.

As a result, Li Yao completely let himself go. Even his meditation and circuit analysis had become somewhat neglected.

That day, he was lying on the sofa, watching TV and reading webnovels.

Suddenly, he shot upright from the sofa, his eyes lighting up. "Brilliant!"

He was reading a novel in which the protagonist had gained superpowers after signing a contract with a Superpowered Cat. His ability was to briefly stop time. When he was short on cash, he had used that power to make a killing at a Macau casino. The novel went into particular detail about roulette.

He might not have a nearly bug-level ability like "stopping time," but his Mage Hand could control objects too! How much could a roulette Ivory Ball possibly weigh?

He could handle that! The more Li Yao thought about it, the more excited he became. He sprang off the sofa, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth through the living room. "Macau! My path out of poverty begins now!"

First, he had to tell his parents, then apply for a Hong Kong and Macau Travel Permit.

As for starting capital, between work-study jobs, private tutoring, and all sorts of miscellaneous income over the past two years, he had nearly ten thousand yuan saved up. That was enough for Macau. As long as he played it right, even if he only had a few hundred yuan left in his pocket, he could still turn things around.

After lazing around for a week, Li Yao's initiative was fierce. He immediately called his parents. "Dad, Mom, I'm going to Macau for fun!"

Li Jianguo and Zhang Yufeng froze for a moment. Was their kid out of his mind?

But then they considered how college students couldn't sit still during summer break. Macau might be a special administrative region, but it was still domestic, public safety was decent, and there was no real reason to stop him. So they replied, "Go if you have the money. The family doesn't have any, anyway."

Negative emotions from Li Yao +555...

It was fine. Other families had children mooching off their fathers, but his family was special—usually, it was the parents mooching off their son.

Li Yao had long gotten used to it.

That was why Li Yao was so independent. Otherwise, how could he have saved nearly ten thousand yuan while attending school? Only when he had been sick had he thought his parents were reliable.

Now that he was better, he loved money.

Then he remembered how the three beasts in his dorm had eaten over a thousand yuan of his money...

Fuck, his heart hurt.

Li Yao clutched his chest, endured the immense pain, and headed out to the local administrative hall to apply for a Hong Kong and Macau Travel Permit. He had to make money! He absolutely had to make money!

Government offices were fairly efficient these days. Li Yao not only applied for a Hong Kong and Macau Travel Permit, but also took care of his passport while he was at it.

After submitting all the required materials, he would still need to wait a week to receive his passport and permit.

That meant one-third of his seven-week vacation had vanished just like that.

Li Yao felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.

Then he continued curling up on the sofa, drinking chilled Fatty Happiness Water and eating all kinds of snacks. Life was sweet. So sweet.

After all, it was money he had earned himself. His parents couldn't control him!

Ha, wonderful!

At that moment, Li Yao deeply understood the happiness that financial freedom brought him.

The consequence, however, was that when his parents returned home after a busy day and saw Li Yao sprawled on the sofa, they immediately lost their tempers. "Look at what you're doing! You lie around at home all day while the adults are practically working themselves to death. When we get home, there's not even a hot meal waiting for us. Tell me, what was the point of raising you all these years? Huh?"

As she spoke, Mom huffed and puffed as she tied on an apron and marched into the kitchen. She cooked while scolding Li Yao, and took the opportunity to scold Dad too.

Mom's nagging echoed throughout the entire house.

Li Yao stared blankly and exchanged a look with Dad.

Dad remained composed and smiled calmly, as though he were saying, Kid, you're still young. Then he propped his legs on the coffee table, took out his thermos of goji berry tea, and pulled out a newspaper, ready to enter lazy salted-fish mode...

"Old Li! Are you dead? Get over here and help me peel garlic!"

"Coming!"

Dad instantly sprang up and darted into the kitchen.

Li Yao would have bet that even when Dad's boss ordered him around at work, he was never this quick.

Heh. Li Yao wore a cold smile.

What the fuck did I do wrong to have to eat your dog food here?! I can't stay in this house anymore!...

A week later, Li Yao successfully received his travel permit and passport. His luggage was mostly packed, and he was just waiting to leave the next day.

But right then, Uncle Lin came to visit.

He had brought Lin Xiaoxi with him.

Mom was overjoyed. "Perfect timing, it's almost mealtime. You two wait here. I'll go put together some food. Old Lin, have a seat."

Mom turned and went into the kitchen, making a huge spread of dishes. It left Old Lin feeling rather embarrassed.

At the dinner table, Mom deliberately seated Lin Xiaoxi beside Li Yao. Li Yao and Lin Xiaoxi exchanged a glance, and both read an emotion called helplessness in the other's dead-fish eyes. Li Yao also became increasingly convinced that Lin Xiaowei had gotten along so well with him in the past solely to prevent a situation like this from happening today!

At the table, Dad, Mom, and Old Lin chatted enthusiastically, completely ignoring their own children.

Only after they had eaten and drunk their fill did Uncle Lin suddenly remember something and slap his forehead. "Old Li, stop pouring me drinks! If I have any more, I'll really be drunk! I came here today to see Da Yao."

Dad refused to let up. "Old Lin, don't be ridiculous! We've barely started!"

Dad's face and neck were flushed red, but he was imposing, every bit the great general.

Mom kept backing him up from the side. "That's right, Old Lin, don't stand on ceremony!"

Then she kept shooting meaningful looks at Dad.

Li Yao watched in total confusion.

What was going on here?

Did they have some scheme for getting Uncle Lin drunk?

His daughter was sitting right there watching too!... Wait! His daughter?! Li Yao suddenly understood. Could it be that the two elders planned to get Uncle Lin drunk, then arrange some kind of engagement? Looking at how sneaky they were being, that had to be it! He couldn't let these two living treasures keep going.

Li Yao stepped forward and drew all of his parents' attacks onto himself. "Uncle Lin, what did you want to see me about?"

Look, there's a pitiful little Xiao Shu here. Can you really hold on to those recommendations, bookmarks, and tips in your hand? o(╥﹏╥)o