Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 859 - 106: No Big Problem, Give It a Try

Honest men have a fatal flaw when it comes to dating: a cognitive bias towards sunk costs.

No matter what it is, they factor it into sunk costs, always convinced that they won’t find a deal like this anywhere else. Even if they know it’s problematic, they can’t let go and would rather muddle through life with it.

Youtiao privately told Wang Yunxiao, "We shouldn’t meddle too much in Dumpling’s affairs."

"No matter what kind of person that woman is, it doesn’t really matter. How much harm could Dumpling suffer anyway? There are so many brothers around him—he won’t starve."

"What we should actually be worried about is Dumpling himself."

"If we interfere, and later he suddenly says something like, ’I know she’s not good, but I just like her. You guys shouldn’t interfere,’ we brothers will be in an awkward spot, won’t we?"

Wang Yunxiao didn’t see it that way.

"Our brothers have gone through thick and thin together; we’ve weathered storms and fought battles with a life-and-death camaraderie. How could our bond be diminished by a mere woman? Besides, Dumpling isn’t the type to say something like that."

"He’s kind-hearted, not foolish."

Gathering intel on that woman isn’t difficult. She’s just a civilian—not some demon or evil spirit.

Little Gourd personally stepped in, using the Advisor’s resources, and within a day, he’d dug up everything about the girl’s background.

Cai Shaofen... Oops, sorry—read it wrong—Cai Xiaofang, a textile factory worker, a churchgoer, with an elementary school education... None of that matters. What’s important is her family background.

Her parents are alive, but her mother remarried and brought her along to marry her current stepfather, who runs a small business. Her mother, Madam Zhang, joined the Red Lantern Society once, and she’s an extremely shrewd and capable woman.

Although there are a lot of elements, to be honest, it doesn’t feel like anything extraordinary.

In Tianmen City, promoting social progress and breaking old customs has been an ongoing effort for years. Widows remarrying is commonplace.

And situations like hers, with a mother joining societies and the daughter becoming a churchgoer, are fairly common here due to the unique historical context.

Anyone who says they’ve never encountered such bizarre cases—have you ever heard the story of the Eastern mysterious academy, where bunkmates fought with each other, juniors beat seniors, and the dean battled the principal?

This is a legacy issue. In the foreseeable future, it’ll likely continue to give rise to various social concerns.

Wang Yunxiao pondered for a moment before asking Little Gourd, "What do you think of this Cai Xiaofang’s character?"

"She’s a bit of a snob... Big Brother, you know, usually Dumpling interacts with her more than the rest of us. I overheard the other sisters gossiping behind her back, saying that whenever Dumpling arrives, she eagerly approaches him, acting all chummy."

Little Gourd took out a flamboyant handkerchief from his pocket. "Here, look at this. It’s what she coaxed Dumpling into buying—a bunch at once, and it cost quite a lot."

Initially, Cui Xiaoying’s plan was to gather her coworkers to open a small shop, using sewing machines to make clothing, hats, shoes, socks, curtains, and bedsheets. How much they could profit wasn’t clear, but at least everyone had experience, and it would count as a legitimate business.

To support their venture, Wang Yunxiao instructed Dumpling to place an order for some new clothes for their brothers from the shop. If it turned out that the girls’ craftsmanship was decent and they didn’t cut corners, he might even introduce bigger business opportunities to them.

After all, Qinghe Middle School has many boarding students like Wang Yunxiao and the others. With the New Year approaching, it’s only reasonable for people to want a set of new clothes.

The main concern about not giving them such a big job right away was the fear of "a favor with a handful of rice turns into a grudge with a bucket of grains," potentially fostering ungrateful opportunists.

Helping each other out and doing charity work aren’t the same thing.

Speaking of which, Cai Xiaofang tricking Dumpling into buying more handkerchiefs—no need to ask. Those handkerchiefs must’ve been handmade by her.

For Dumpling to spend extra money on this—it’s not a big deal. He’s our brother, not some hired worker we need to treat like an asset. We don’t have to calculate the books so precisely.

The old saying goes: "Drifting in the Jianghu World, how can one not take a hit?" Back when the brothers were so poor their pockets were empty, Eryang’s brother-in-law tricked him out of a lot of money with a brand-new knife, and Wang Yunxiao didn’t even complain.

Cai Shaofen being a snob... That’s not a big problem either. Who doesn’t have a few quirks? Forget others; even our own girls—Little Gourd, the class monitor, He Lan, Zhou Qing—who among them can claim to be faultless?

Do you think it’s like an emperor picking concubines, where only perfect people pass the selection?

So, people need to learn to compromise and make concessions. Life is short—just enjoy it. Don’t get too caught up in trivial things.

"What’s her mother’s personality like?"

"A shrew, loves taking advantage of others."

Little Gourd immediately offered a definitive answer, clearly harboring strong opinions about Madam Zhang.

"Originally, her coworkers were discussing starting the shop together, but her mother insisted on getting involved, claiming that the young girls are too naive to understand the dangers of the world. If they encounter a rogue, they wouldn’t know how to handle it. Someone needs to back them up, so she forced her way into the partnership."

"But what she said does make sense, doesn’t it?"

Though there aren’t rogues wandering the streets anymore, that doesn’t guarantee there won’t be in the future. It’s a matter of human nature, which punishment alone can’t eradicate permanently.

Moreover, there’s the issue of defining standards—what exactly constitutes rogue behavior?

By the unspoken rules of this era, if you smile at a pretty girl you don’t know, you’re labeled a rogue. Of course, no one bothers about such incidents, but street gossip would condemn you as a rogue while simultaneously critiquing the girl as flirtatious and unruly.

Running a shop and welcoming customers from all walks of life often requires a tough, middle-aged woman to manage potential issues. Especially if she’s someone who’s left the Red Lantern Society—you can imagine how formidable she must be.

"Set up a scene and test out the quality of this mother-daughter duo?"

"How would we stage it? What role should I play?"

As soon as he heard about staging the scenario—or rather, a scheme—Little Gourd grew excited.

"You’ve already shown your face, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to show up again. We need someone unfamiliar."

After thinking for a moment, Wang Yunxiao asked, "Do you have the Yang Family brothers’ phone number?"

He originally considered contacting Liu Pangxie, but Liu Pangxie went home for the holidays, where they don’t have phone service.

"Yes, I’ve got it."

"Call them up and see if they’re free. If they are, bring them over to play antagonists in our scene."

After sending Little Gourd off, Wang Yunxiao called Dumpling to him and said, "Whether they’re a mule or a horse, we’ll know after taking them for a spin. You think she has ulterior motives for you? I’ll set up a chance for you to find out exactly where she stands. First, I’ll design a role for you—a young man enduring hardship with a ’thirty years east, thirty years west, never underestimate the poor youth’ backstory. Then I’ll bring in two villains..."

With a bitter face, Dumpling groaned, "Big Brother, I don’t know how to act!"

"Don’t worry, the script is tailored just for you. Just tone it down and don’t overact—it’ll be fine."