Chapter 35: 035: Grandma Hialun''s 83rd Birthday (1)

    The only living relative left in the Yue family is Grandma Xia Hialun, who is also Mama Yue''s mother. Grandma Hialun used to live with the Yue family and was the one who looked after Yue Xuexia the most when her family was studying abroad, and only she was left behind. Both their paternal grandparents and the maternal grandfather of the Yue sisters had already passed away.

    Prior to the Yue Family''s descent into poverty, the Yue Sisters had enjoyed a prosperous life; Yue Xuexia, having completed her high school education overseas, was the first to return home to pursue her college education at her own initiative. Grandma Hialun provided the same level of care during Yue Xuexia''s college years as Aunt Xing, who was still alive and in good health at the time.

    Grandma Hialun is getting older, so Aunt Xing stayed at the Yue home to take care of her and Yue Xuexia. It can be said that Yue Xuexia was primarily brought up by her grandmother Hialun rather than her parents. Prior to her father''s retirement, the family lived abroad and returned to their native country every year. It was decided that after the Yue family''s high school students completed their education, they would continue their education in their home country.

    Yue Xuexia lives in dorms and only visits her grandmother on weekends and holidays. Grand Hialun''s braised pork and eggs was Yue Xuexia''s favorite dish. During those happy, carefree days, there was no financial hardship because everything they could possibly want could be purchased.

    After Yue Xuexia graduated from college, her asthma became worse. It was uncontrollably bad during the rainy and winter seasons, and she was forced to stay at home and lie on her bed with an oxygen mask on her face. As a result, her health deteriorated to such an extent that she was unable to find employment for years and was only able to work from home.

    Grandma Hialun''s body also weakened with age; her coughs became worse, and she could no longer live with the Yue family in the city. Ultimately, Mama Yue and her siblings made the decision to bring Grandma Hialun back to the countryside to live with her other daughters. However, what kind of work can be done at home? Even odd jobs, like freelancing, can be done.

    The Yue Family''s hardship began when the Cov*d pandemic struck the world and their country, limiting their visits to Grandma Hialun to once a month. Papa Yue lost his job during the pandemic, and the money he received from it was insufficient to sustain the family for more than a few years. Yue Xuexia''s savings from her freelance work were also depleted during the pandemic, as some businesses had temporarily or completely closed down.@@@@

    The Yue Family''s financial situation worsened over time, to the point where Papa Yue was forced to retire at that age due to the low hiring rate for those past senior year. Yue Xuexia''s body was not able to handle working from home, and she would frequently be fired from her job due to the widespread fear of a pandemic. Ultimately, she was limited to working from home as a contracted author, barely making ends meet and providing food for the family.

    They have also lost contact with most of their family. The Xing, Lin, and Fu families were the ones that supported them the most during their most difficult period. For this reason, Yue Xuexia never withheld anything from these three families out of gratitude in her heart. It was her way of paying them back for their kindness, and the system came to her just in time.

    Until the pandemic itself was entirely contained, which is currently the new reality, the pandemic''s effects on the public gradually weakened civilization as time went on, and people began to return to their previous way of life.

    This is what happened at Moonlight Lake Mansion one morning while the family was going about their daily lives. It is Friday now, and Yue Xuexia is still sleeping in her room after playing with stocks too much the night before and falling asleep at dawn. Yue Ruxia was in her room taking an online class, while Yue Jixia was out and about finishing her thesis at her campus. Papa Yue and Mama Yue were in the greenhouse, as usual, trimming and watering the fruits and vegetables.

    As Mama Yue and Papa Yue were sipping water in the kitchen after their work in the greenhouse was complete, Mama Yue''s phone rang. They had just returned to the mansion to continue cleaning up.

    Ring! Ring!

    Ring! Ring! Ring!

    Papa Yue said, "Ma, I think that''s your phone ringing."

    "Ah? Oh~ you''re right!" said Mama Yue as she picked up her phone to see a calling notification on the screen. The name on the flashing screen says Madam Qu.

    One of Mama Yue''s older sisters, Madam Qu, maiden name: Xia Susu, married a wealthy man with the last name Qu, and the couple lived in a small mansion in a different city. She had two daughters and a son: the first, who is almost the same age as the eldest of the Xing family, is married to a foreigner and resides overseas. The second, who is a few months older than Yue Xuexia, leaves with her boyfriend, the soon-to-be fiance?, a young master from the Du Family—the Du Clan owned the largest entertainment company in the nation—and leaves with her lover, who happens to be her former partner. Her son lives with his lover, who has a child from her previous marriage.

    However, Yue Xuexia finds her aunt arrogant and inimical, and she finds it difficult to get along with her because Madam Qu enjoys showing off her wealth, something that Xuexia finds difficult to comprehend.

    On the phone:

    Mama Yue asked, "Oh, Sister, why have you called?"

    "Hm~ what did I do last night?" mumbled.

    Little Taiyang''s chibi version floats in front of Yue Xuexia''s face. He answered the question and she just mumbled half asleep.

    "Un. You become crazy playing with stocks and earn a few billion with it. After you suddenly receive a video call from Japan''s CSI Technology. They wanted to arrange a face-to-face meeting with you. You didn''t agree as you say that you don''t work on weekends. But the old man on the other side had started crying and begging that you promise to meet tomorrow morning instead."

    "Really? Ah~ I should have arranged it for the afternoon instead."

    Little Taiyang said, "That wouldn''t be possible. Your mother received a call from one of your aunts just now. She said that you guys are all going to celebrate your grandmother''s birthday tomorrow in your province."

    "Ah! That''s right! Tomorrow is Granny''s birthday. How could I forget!? Should I cancel the meeting tomorrow then? But I''ve already promised. Sigh~ I''ll just finish the meeting as soon as I can and drive over afterward," said Yue Xuexia.

    Little Taiyang said, "Well, you can do that. So are you going to sign for today now?"

    "Sure. But how come you are the one asking? Is the System offline today?" asked Yue Xuexia.

    [No. I''m here.]

    [Signed in successfully. Congratulations Xue''er, you''ve received the Cruise Ship ''Oasis Luxury Class: Allure of the Seas & Oasis of the Seas. It would be anchored at your resort''s private property.]

    Yue Xuexia said, "A Cruise ship? Wow~ I haven''t ridden one before."

    "You can try it anytime now. Since you have one. When you bring me with you, I do the fishing, and you do the cooking!" said Little Taiyang.

    Yue Xuexia said, "But... I''m allergic to seafood."

    "Not anymore. Your body is totally healthy. You no longer have to suffer from asthma and can eat anything you want. Didn''t you reach the Max Level for health?" said Little Taiyang.

    Yue Xuexia said, "Really? I can now eat shrimp, crabs, and shellfish!! Wow~ the last time I ate it was when I was in kindergarten. I was sent to the hospital though afterward..."

    "No wonder you didn''t eat the big lobster served in the hotel the last time. I thought you were just not in the mood to eat. Who would think you didn''t eat because of allergies? Order it again next time to taste," said Little Taiyang.

    "And you will eat the rest if I''m not able to finish it?"

    "Of course! It''s bad to waste food, and it''s delicious. Order two next time. One for me."

    Pfft!

    "Sure~"